We wish for......

As 2025 draws to a close, here are things that deserve attention and action in 2026, including clean water, smoother transport, enhanced cultural spaces and a society with better civic sense. 

* Disabled-friendly public spaces

* Pedestrian-first facilities

* Better civic sense

* Crackdown on cyber scams

* End to political appointments

* Faster trains

* Clean canals and waterways

* FIFA-standard football stadiums

* Healthier nightlife

* Lighter school bags

* Cleaner drinking water

* Mega cultural spaces

* Cleaner beaches, more facilities

* Transparency in governance

Tailpiece.

Got up at 5, woke Lekha up at a half past 5, sent all the messages, switched on the hymns on the home theatre, lit up the puja room lamp and opened up the house for the day.

Had our morning cuppa together.

Lekha goes to the temple to have a darshan of the good Lord on account of Vaikuntha Ekadasi.

Walked on the road in front of The Quarterdeck; recited my prayers.

Sent my December mail by 1301 hrs.

Lunch, watched "Snehakkoottu" and siesta.

A quiet evening.

Watched television and rung in the new year, with just the two of us!

Digital overload.

Avoid the screen, print offers robust cognitive development.

Make the right choice

Screen reading : cognitive risks

* Leads to brain fog and poorer episodic memory

* Heavy use linked to difficulty connecting ideas and early signs of cognitive decline

* Causes cognitive overload and faster burnout

* Blue light and flicker weaken prefrontal cortex function

* Encourages faster reading and skimming, leading to shallow processing

Print reading : cognitive benefits

* Engages multiple senses - sight, touch, smell and movement of turning pages

* Creates stronger visuospatial and photographic memory for content retrieval

* Encourages deeper information processing and comprehension

* Builds resilient neural pathways in the hippocampus for long-term recall

* Improves retention by up to 20% compared to screen skimming

* Provides a sense of progress and completion that aids summarisation

Case study : Aarav (Age 9)

* Spent 3-4 hours daily on a tablet with e-books, games and videos

* Developed reduced attention span, irritability, poor retention and social withdrawal

* Teacher noted he was "mentally jumping from one thing to another"

* Intervention. Replaced screens with physical books, cardboard puzzles and board games

* Result. Improved focus, better retention and healthier engagement

Tailpiece.

Got up at 5, sent all the messages, switched on the hymns on the home theatre, lit up the puja room lamp and opened up the house for the day.

Morning cuppa with Lekha and my walk on the road outside The Quarterdeck. Recited my prayers.

Breakfast of masala dosas prepared by Lekha. Superb!

Off to town for the following :-

      * Pookkode panchayat, to check as to whether my change of cell phone number has been

         approved. Unfortunately, the concerned clerk was away on leave. Smitha, sitting on the

         adjacent table felt bad since she has been seeing me since the 10th; took down my name

         and number with a promise of informing me if and when the absent girl returned.

      * To the SBI, where Manager Anoop gifted me the bank's annual goodies and pulled out

         money; will update my passbook.

      * Picked up Lekha and went to the ICICI Bank, where all the staff had gone outside, wonder

         where. After a while of wait, Sreerag, an employee, helped us with the updation of the

         credit cards. In the evening, used the cards to find that both the cards were not working.

         Was there a conspiracy to "teach" me a lesson because I'd snubbed Shweta about her poor

         professional competence?

     * To the fruit shop to collect our fruit basket. Came to know about the passing away of its

        proprietor, Mr Ravindran all of 76 years! Felt bad.   

Adieu Brigitte Bardot!

In a film career spanning about 51 films and three marriages, Bardot symbolised a nation bursting out of bourgeois respectability and became France's best-known stars.

French film sensation of the '60s, died aged 91.

A symbol of sexual liberation in the '50s and the '60s, she'd reinvented herself as an animal rights defender and embraced far-right views.

She passed away in her Saint-Tropez home, La Madrague, on the French Riviera.

Born on 28 Sep 1934 in Paris, Bardot was raised in a traditional Catholic household. Married four times, she had one child, Nicolas-Jacques Charrier, with her second husband, actor Jacques Charrier.

She had become a global star after her appearance in And God created Woman in 1956 and gave up acting in 1973.

She turned her back on celebrity to look after abandoned animals, saying she was "sick of being beautiful everyday".

Adieu Brigitte Bardot! My tears and prayers for a talented actress.

Tailpiece.

Got up at 5, sent all the morning messages, switched on the hymns on the home theatre, lit up the lamp in the puja room and opened up the house for the day.

Had our morning cuppa and walked on the road outside The Quarterdeck. Recited my prayers.

Saw "Snehakkoottu", "Crime Patrol" followed by siesta.

The maid had washed down the Chevy after its recent run to Thiruvananthapuram and back!

Two new airlines get wings.

Air travellers are set to have more options as three new domestic airlines prepare to launch operations. Two carriers - A1 Hind Air and Fly Express - received their No Objection Certificates from the civil aviation ministry this week, while Uttar Pradesh-based Shankh Air; which already has an NOC, is likely to begin flights in 2026.

The development gains significance following IndiGo's operational meltdown in early December, which drew sharp criticism over apparent duoply in India's domestic aviation market.

The ministry wants to encourage more airlines in Indian aviation sector, which is amongst the fastest growing international aviation markets.

A1 Hind Air is being promoted by Kerala-based a1hind Group which was founded in the 1990s. Schemes like UDAN, have enabled smaller carriers Star Air, India One Air and Fly91 to play an important role in the regional connectivity within the country and there is further scope for growth.

Currently, there are nine operational domestic carriers in the country :-

       * Air India

       * Air India Express

       * IndiGo

       * Alliance Air

       * Akasa Air

       * SpiceJet

       * Star Air

       * Fly91 and

       * IndiaOne Air

Tailpiece.

A quiet Sunday.

ISRO launches heaviest satellite.

The ISRO launched the 6.1 ton BlueBird Block-2 communications satellite, the heaviest it has launched till date.

ISRO's Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM3) - M6 rocket, nicknamed Bahubali, lifted off with the satellite belonging to US-based AST SpaceMobile (AST and Science, LLC) and released it accurately into the 518.5 km altitude circular Low Earth Orbit.

The launch took place at 0855 hrs and released into its orbit at 0911 hrs (all times IST) on 24 Dec, in what the scientists described as a case of "textbook launch".

Till now, the heaviest satellite that the ISRO had launched was the 4.4-ton Communication Satellite on 02 Nov.

The launch is the result of a commercial deal between ISRO's business arm NewSpace India Ltd (NSIL) and US-based AST SpaceMobile.

Tailpiece.

Got up at 6, went through the chores and was ready by a half past 7 for the barber to give me a good haircut and massage.

Recited my prayers while walking within the house.

The "goodies" that I'd ordered during the 49th course POP golden jubilee celebrations were received this afternoon.

Washing Machinex of the soiled clothes were carried out.

Two good episodes of Crime Patrol were viewed by us. Lekha went across to the ration stand to collect our monthly dues and to Harisree Supermarket to buy grocery.

She worked out on her exercise bicycle.

A quiet evening, thereafter! 

Back @ The Quarterdeck.

Our day had begun at 4, when I woke up both Lekha and Rema. We went through our chores and were ready at 6. Drove my Chevy at a 10' past 6, prayed at the Nagaraja temple at Randalummoodu and on reaching Kottarakkara KSRTC stand, Monish got behind the wheel. 

Bought 11 coconuts to break them at the southern nada in front of Maha Ganapathy as part of Lekha's vows. We, then, dropped Rema at Pidavoor and proceeded northward. Had our breakfast at the Padma Cafe at Adoor.

Couldn't make it to Mallan's as the approach road has been broken up as part of its ongoing repairs.

We reached The Diabetic Care at Panampilli Nagar to collect my medicines for the month. A lovely lunch of Fried rice and chilli gobhi Manchurian. Our next stop was at the Titan showroom at Broadway, where Lineesh, the manager, handed over my watch and collected Lekha's and mine for observation/repairs.

After that we'd shaped our course homeward. Had tea around 4 and reached home at 10' to 6.

Quickly organised ourselves, put the soiled clothes for washing tomorrow.

It was a quiet evening with us lapping up our favourite serials on television! 

@ Raj Nivas (Day 15).

Got up at 4, went through the chores and were ready by a half past 6. Kannan, our sa'arthi for the day, came around that time and we took off for Varkala soon after. Turned off westward at Chadayamangalam. Breakfast was at Varkala but after easing ourselves at a petrol bunk!

By the time we reached the beach, the Trivandrum crowd had arrived.

Indirakutty had mingled with the five elements after a half past 9 with Sabu, her son-in-law, tipping the earthenware urn containing her ashes backward, into the waters of the Arabian Sea. 

We broke off from there, dropped Aniyan at the Kottarakkara KSRTC bus stand as he was on his way to Kidangoor. 

Reached Raj Nivas by 12, Rema cleaned up Appooppan's room and we lit up all the disposable stuff! Meanwhile, our caretaker brought down tender coconuts and we feasted on the water and the inner eatable layers!

Lunch of lemon rice by Rema which was super.

Siesta.

Aniyan had reached Kidangoor by a half past 4.

Rema had made 'oattada' along with the evening cuppa. 

Our usual evening chores.

Tomorrow will be a long day, with the following :-

      * Our offering at the snake-god's temple at Randalummoodu

      * Lekha-Rema's offerings at the Kottarakkara Maha Ganapati kshetram

      * Drop Rema at Pidavoor

      * Lekha's appointment with her toothy, Sreekanth Mallan

      * Get my medicines from the Diabetic Care of India

      * Collect my watch from Titan, give my second watch and Lekha's

      * Off to Guruvayur 

Monish will be our sa'arthi for tomorrow!

@ Raj Nivas (Day 14)

Got up at 5, the messages were sent, opened up the house for the day, switched on the hymns on television and lit up the lamp in the puja room.

Had my morning cuppa, went through the chores and recited my prayers.

The work on the widening of the bridge nearby, has begun in right earnest. Consequently, there's plenty of noise during the daytime.

Lunch.

Watched "Snehakkoottu", it has reached a critical stage.

Siesta.

Laxmi, her sister, Geetha and the latter's husband had dropped by to invite us for her younger son's husband on 06 Feb.

Mr Somanatha Sarma, former Head Master of the Thalavoor UPS, had dropped by to wish us Merry Christmas and gave us cake. Damn sweet of him! Sat with us for about an hour or so, talking about a lot many things!

A quiet evening!   

@ Raj Nivas (Day 13).

Got up at 5, sent all the messages, switched on the hymns on the television, opened up the house for the day and lit up the lamp in the puja room.

Had my morning cuppa, went through my chores and was ready by 8 and the autorickshaw was at the gate. Left for Kottarakkara by about a half past 8 but had to wait for over an hour before Maman, Bijumon sir and Rajan came by. Had a light breakfast of idlis and coffee much short of Adoor.

Reached Perunna by a quarter to 12. Aniyan was there and we met the General Secretary, Mr Sukumaran Nair. He has, however, regretted the flagging off of our Science Exploratory toward the second week of January!

We, then, took off for Puthuvayil Veedu after lunch enroute. Was the only vegetarian among the lot!

Saji roped in the Panchayat-President-elect, Vinayachandran, to sort out our internal problems and to speed up the proceedings.

Met Saji's mother, Mini and the others; it was nice meeting them after a long while.

Commenced our return trip and I was dropped off at Kottarakkara from where I took an auto-rickshaw back home.

Yakkitiyak, a quick bath and dinner with Lekha and Rema.

 

@ Raj Nivas (Day 12).

Got up at 5, sent all the messages, opened up the house for the day, switched on the hymns on the television and lit up the puja room lamp.

Cuppa tea at my favourite space.

Walked within the house and recited my prayers.

Breakfast of puttum pazhavum. Worked on my laptop.

Lunch by Lekha was great. Spicy and good!

Saw Snehakkoottu.

Siesta; had a slightly long nap. Got up @ 5.

The evening chores.

Thulasi had dropped by just for a chat.

A quiet evening!

The 12th day ceremony.

Got up at 4, thanks to my cell phone alarm; we got through the chores and were ready by 6. A problem dropped by....my wedding ring was untraceable and no amount of going back in time, retracing the events after our last trip could help us locate the ring. So, we began the journey on an apprehensive note.

Monish had come by a 10' to 6, cleaned up the Chevy and we cast off soon after!

To top it, I'd forgotten my cell phone at home and had to return from the Melayppura Church to retrieve it.

Padmakumar and Rema boarded the car at Pidavoor and we'd set off for Thiruvananthapuram. We reached Indirakutty's house by a 10' to 8. Had breakfast of idlis, dosas and coffee.

The 'karmi' began the ceremony by 9 and we were given coconut oil, a piece of cloth - symbolism for a towel - and 'thaali' (crushed shoe flower leaves). I'd a symbolic bath and then, joined the others for the 'bali tharpanam'.

As per the Garuda Puranam, the soul leaves for attaining Lord Shiva at Mount Kailash; the bali tharpanam was a pre-cursor to this transition of the soul!

After the ceremony, we went across to the Shanghumugham Beach to give the bali tharpanam to the waters of the Arabian Sea.

Returned from the beach and had lunch. 

Our next agenda was to drop in at Mridula's house to look up her husband, Prem Kumar who was two years my senior in school. He'd joined the CBI and had a commendable professional journey! 

The frontal temporal lobe of his brain has shrunk and is now devoid of uninterrupted thinking! An Alzheimer's patient in the making. It's damn sad. He held me and patted my head; said that Lekha is beautiful!

We commenced our return journey to Raj Nivas and reached there just after sunset, after dropping Padmakumar-Rema at Pidavoor.

Retrieved my wedding ring on arrival; it had fallen down. Phew!

All's well that ends well! 

@ Raj Nivas (Day 10).

Got up at 5, sent all the messages, lit up the puja room lamp, switched on the hymns on the television and opened up the house for the day.

Walked within the house and recited my prayers.

Breakfast of bread and vegetables.

Had my bath quite late.

Biju and his wife dropped by around 12. Yakkitiyak and Lekha gave them light refreshments. 

Lunch at a half past 2, after their departure.

Siesta.

The evening chores.

Went about our usual evening stuff of watching serials on television.

Was ready for leaving for Thiruvananthapuram tomorrow morning at 6.  

@ Raj Nivas (Day 9).

Got up at 5, sent all the messages, lit up the puja room lamp, switched on the hymns on the television and opened up the house for the day.

The serene morning cuppa; walked within the house and recited my prayers.

Breakfast, followed by work on the laptop.

The caretaker comes by for a while and gave us tender coconut water.

Lunch.

Saw the serial, "Snehakkoottu" followed by siesta.

A quiet evening, thereafter.

We got the first taste of Christmas Carol - 2025. The team from the Meleyppura Church played out their roles well.

@ Raj Nivas (Day 8).

Got up at 5, sent all the messages, switched on the hymns on the television, lit up the puja room lamp and opened up the house for the day.

Morning cuppa with Lekha watching the expanse of the compound.

Recited my prayers. Breakfast of Lekha's idlis turned out to be tough. The dough seems to have a problem.

Rema comes by lunchtime, getting our lunch.

Hari comes with our Chevy, takes Lekha and Rema to Kallada to meet up with Lekha's sister, Letha.

They return by a quarter to 7.

A quiet evening thereafter. 

@ Raj Nivas (Day 7).

Got up @ 5, sent all the messages, lit up the puja room lamp, switched on the hymns on the television and opened up the house for the day. The nip out here, in the mornings, is a bit unmanageable!

Had our morning cuppa tea at the dining room, as is our custom out here. Recited my prayers as usual.

The washed clothes were put up for drying in the rear verandah itself because of the slow, continuous drizzle.

The caretaker had plucked tender coconuts from the tree beside the gate! The water, however, did not have any taste!

Saw the serial, "Snehakkoottu". Siesta.

A quiet evening.

Sent my greetings on Yuletide to my ''captive" audience.

  

@ Raj Nivas (Day 6).

Got up @ 4, thanks to Lekha's cell phone alarm. Went through our chores and were ready by a half past 5 but Monish, with our Chevy, fetched up only by a 5' to 6. We didn't lose much however, as we raced to Pidavoor, picked up Padmakumar-Rema soon after and Mini by a quarter past 6 from Ayur.

We reached Indirakutty's house by a half past 7 and were well in time for being part of the ceremonies for the day.

Breakfast of idlis and assorted stuff. Yakkittiyak.

Went to Dr Jayapal's clinic to see his robot and we've placed firm orders for a similar robot and a drone to operate at the 'Knowledge Centre' when it's inaugurated on 01 Mar at the Puthuvayil House at Neelamperoor!

Returned to Indirakutty's house, more yakkittiyak.

And soon, it was lunchtime. Aniyan and Ambily dropped by, from their offices. Damn sweet of them!

Started our return journey to Raj Nivas. Dropped Mini at her house, interacted with Mani kunjamma after a long while and left the place after having tea and snacks.

Dropped Padmakumar-Rema at Pidavoor and reached home by 5. The caretaker, had by then secured the workers after cleaning up the attic and the house!

A quiet evening thereafter.   

@ Raj Nivas (Day 5).

Got up at 5, sent all the messages, lit up the puja room lamp, switched on the hymns on the television and opened up the house for the day.

The chores and recited my prayers.

Today Chandramathy was the sole worker at the barn and she did a wonderful job. Gave her all the tiles that she wanted for building a wall around her house. Wasn't she thrilled when I told her that I didn't need any money in return.

Ganapathy was paid the full amount.

Lunch followed by "Snehakkoottu". It seems to be going towards its logical conclusion! 

A quiet evening.

All set for tomorrow's trip for Indirakutty's 'sanchayanam'. Monish will come with our Chevy at a half past 5. Will pick up Rema-Padmakumar from Pidavoor and Mini, from Ayur.

@ Raj Nivas (Day 4).

Got up at 5, sent all the messages, lit up the puja room lamp, switched on the hymns on the television and opened up the house for the day. Listened to Rangoli and recited my prayers.

Meanwhile, Ganapathy's boys had come for work and was on the job till lunchtime.

Spoke to all the Hunter Squadron guys and their ladies on video call; Vishwe had done the needful. Had asked them to fix the date of our next get together as the frequency needs to be enhanced as we are running short of time.

Spoke to Somasekhar chettan, regarding the two winners in the local self government elections from Lekha's mom's family. Clarifications from Anil and Radha, regarding our golden jubilee celebrations, kept coming in.

A quiet evening!.

@ Raj Nivas (Day 3).

Got up at 5, sent all the messages, lit up the puja room lamp, switched on the hymns on the television and opened up the house for the day.

Sat and we had the morning tea in the dining hall, at leisure.

Ganapathy's boys commenced their work on the refurbishment of our barn. I suppose all such problems would become a thing of the past, once this work is over. 

The election results were interesting where the UDF has made a clean sweep and the BJP has made significant inroads in many constituencies; the notable one being the Thiruvananthapuram corporation. The LDF has got the drubbing that it deserved!

Lunch by Lekha. Was nice and tasty.

Siesta.

A quiet evening thereafter! 

@ Raj Nivas (Day 2).

Got up at 5, sent all the messages, lit up the puja room lamp, switched on the television only to hear fireworks from within the set! Later on came to know that it was a faulty transformer. In fact, Hari said that it was irretrievable and would end up being costly, with no guarantee of blemishless operations!

Lekha went to Kottarakkara to buy grocery, a new television and a few other sundries.

Meanwhile, 

    * a barrel of rubber milk was lifted by the collection team. Had to juggle our Chevy between the

       market nearby and the parking slot at our courtyard.

    * disposed off the waste, suitably.

    * a quick lunch - brought in by Rema - followed by siesta.

    * Gokul, the television mechanic came in. He got me the appropriate slot for payment.

    * He'd helped us in hoisting our luggage.

    * Ganapathy was given the work for modernising the barn.

A quiet evening thereafter.

The new TV was commissioned.

Tailpiece.

The new television makes good viewing.

Made it on time. Phew!

Got up at 3 thanks to a phone call from Monish, our chauffeur for the day, on reaching Thrissur. Lekha and I had gone through the chores and were ready by 4. Loading of the Chevy was done and without much ado, we took off on our journey by a 10' past 4.

Picked up Padmakumar and Rema from Thrippunithura by a quarter past 6. Had breakfast at Ettumanoor. Resumed our journey and reached Kottarakkara by 10 where there was a change of sa'arthis. Anoob took over the wheel and we reached Indirakkutty, lying in state at Sri Kalpam. We were in time for the ceremony and went through it without a flaw!

Went to the "Santhi kavaadam", took part in all the ceremonies till Indirakkutty's mortal remains were consigned to the flames on the manual furnace.

A hearty meal was offered to all of us at Sri Kalpam, met all the attendees, sat down with Suma kunjamma and my cousins to recall the interesting events involving Indirakkutty and us.

The four of us left the house for Raj Nivas by 5 PM. I was behind the wheel - for the first time after my heart surgery, lost my way twice, once at Kazhakoottam and the second at Venjarummoodu.

Packed up our dinner from Kottarakkara, dropped Padmakumar and Rema at Pidavoor and reached Raj Nivas by a quarter to 9. Set things right and hit the sack by 11.

Om Shanti! Sadgati to my dear Indirakkutty.

Adieu Indirakkutty!

My third aunt - mom's younger sister, Indira kunjamma, passed into the mist of time - this evening, around a quarter past 7 at Thiruvananthapuram. She was comatose for the past three months, post a stroke, followed by a brain surgery.

Lekha and I were slated to go to Pune by the early morning flight tomorrow to attend the 49th Course's POP GJC. All those activities have been cancelled to be in time for the funeral at 1200 hrs at the Santhi kavaadam.

Adieu Indirakkutty! My tears and prayers. Will miss you, kunjamme. 

Not against Islam.....

Echoing the Prime Minister's claim of Congress's appeasement politics, the defence minister said the time has come for an unbiased evaluation of Vande Mataram and asserted that the entire song and the Anand Math book were never anti-Islam but reflected the popular sentiments against the Nawab of Bengal and British imperialism.

Participating in the debate on the 150th anniversary of the national song Vande Mataram, everyone echoed the fact that it is complete in itself but there were attempts to render it incomplete. 

My take

There has been many falsehoods that have been circulated about the song saying that the Muslims hated it. That's the appeasement bit and why should Muslims hate it? They need to give a clear answer to the people of India.

Tailpiece.

Got up at 5, sent all the messages, switched on the hymns on the home theatre and opened up the house for the day.

Walked on the road outside the house and recited my prayers.

Went along with Lekha in Sukesan's autorickshaw for the following :-

      * correcting Lekha's cellphone number on her Aadhaar card

      * corrected my cellphone number in the Pookkodu panchayat records which is awaiting approval

         prior to it accepting my 5-year 'house-tax-exemption'

Lekha and I watched the Mammootty-starrer "Kalankaaval'' in Appas Cinema at the matinee show. He was brilliant as the villain with Vinayakan acting in the main lead!

Our packing, for Pune, has begun. 

What a blow?

Over eight years after the traumatic incident and nearly five years since the start trial, the long-awaited verdict in the 2017 actor abduction and sexual assault case was delivered this morning. The prosecution has established beyond doubt that the crime had indeed taken place.

The victim was abducted by a six-member gang and raped by first accused 'Pulsar Suni' inside a moving car in Ernakulam  on 17 Feb 2017. He had recorded the brutal assault on his mobile phone.

The primary conspiracy was between Pulsar Suni and actor Dileep to record the videos of the sexual assault in order to defame and demoralise the victim.

The following are the vagaries of this case during investigation :-

 * the chief minister, on the day after the crime was committed, had, in a press statement stated that

    there was no conspiracy in the case. When did he become a sleuth or attain police-like qualities

    is that what has defied my logic and understanding because by saying that, he'd passed on a clear

    diktat to the investigation team as to how they must go about it. Dileep, had strutted around among

    the CPM crowd to show his political background!

 * the case was the first time in the history of criminal law that a "quotation" had been issued for

    committing rape

 * to this day, the original phone and memory card have not been recovered

 * in a disclosure in 2022, it was revealed that the memory card had been tampered with while in

    court's custody

 * Mahesh Mohan, senior clerk of the Principal and Sessions Court (now an HC judge) and Tajudeen,

    then sheristadar of the trial court, Ernakulam, had accessed the card. Further action on the report 

    remains pending

 * Former police officer, R Sreelekha made statements in favour of Dileep, claiming he was innocent

    and falsely implicated

 * the victim had petitioned the HC, blaming trial court judge - Honey M Varghese - of bias and

    harbouring hostile attitude

 * two prosecutors resigned and the third stepped down raising objections to allegedly derogatory 

    remarks made by the judge

 * three of the accused turned approvers

 * the cross-examination of the investigating officer, Baiju lasted eight months and seven days. The

    Supreme Court expressed concern over the extended process.

 * 28 witnesses, including actors, turned hostile

Just by going through the vagaries listed above, it's amply clear that Dileep had obstructed justice

and delayed proceedings to suit his case by intimidating witnesses!

The blighter hasn't understood that the general public has already seen him as a "villain" and has ensured that all his movies that were released during the pendency of the case had bombed at the box office!

My take

The case must be reopened as quickly as possible in the higher court to ensure a speedy and fair trial to ensure that the fraud is punished suitably for the crime he has committed! I feel sad at today's outcome.

Tailpiece.

Our day started at 4, this morning, the chores. We kicked off at a half past 5, with Kannan in a cab and reached Sreekanth Mallan, at Muhamma for Lekha's dental appointment. After the proceedings were over, we returned to The Quarterdeck by a quarter to 5, in the evening.   

 

Sleeping like a soldier.

This 'battle-hardened' viral sleep hack promises to fight insomnia in just two-minutes. But experts say chasing sleep like a soldier might push it away from your reach.

What's the Military Sleep Method?

The Military Sleep Method essentially commands your body to sleep through breathing, muscle relaxation and imagination. The technique developed by sports psychologist Bud Winter, is said to help soldiers and pilots fall asleep in under two minutes despite loud, stressful and dangerous circumstances.

The relaxing regimen

* Progressive muscle relaxation

   Contract and relax the muscles, starting with the face and working downwards through the limbs.

   The goal is to release physical tension and accumulated stress stored in the body.

* Controlled Breathing

   Once the body is slack, focus on controlled breathing, with an emphasis on engaging the diaphragm.

   This activates the vagus nerve and promotes deep relaxation.

* Visualisation

   The final step is purely mental and involves imagining a calm environment like floating on calm

   water or lying peacefully in a quiet field.

How to practice it

 * Close your eyes, position the body the way you like to sleep. Start with deep breathing. Think of

    every body part, sense the accumulated tension and stress and command it to relax.

 * Start with your face muscles, including your clenched jaw. Drop your shoulders to release the

    tension. Keep your palms open to the side of your body.

 * Similarly release accumulated tension and stress from chest, back and pelvic muscles. Loosen

    your thighs and calves muscles.

 * Continue this, till all your muscles, head to toe, feel relaxed. Clear your mind and imagine a

    relaxing and calm scene. 

 * Within a few minutes, you should fall asleep.

Tailpiece.

Got up at a half past 4, sent all the messages, switched on the hymns on the home theatre, lit up the lamp in the puja room and opened up the house for the day.

Walked on the road in front of the house and recited my prayers.

A quiet Sunday!

Train to LoC : Survey on Baramulla - Uri line completed.

Railways has completed the survey and prepared DPR for 46 km Baramulla - Uri line, a project of major strategic importance near the Line of Control (LoC) in north Kashmir

Boost for trade and troop movement

The new line will provide all-weather, reliable connectivity to Uri, which faces isolation during harsh winters ; Baramulla is the last existing station in north Kashmir.

The railway minister said the Baramulla - Uri survey and the 118-km Banihal - Baramulla doubling survey are both completed.

He further clarified that project sanction requires consultations and approvals from from state governments, NITI Aayog and the Finance Ministry.

My take

Yet another step in the progress of the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir!

Tailpiece.

Got up at a half past 4, sent all the messages, switched on the hymns on the home theatre, lit up the lamp in the puja room and opened up the house for the day.

Walked on the road outside the house and recited my prayers.

The PCI rep carried out the quarterly service.

The local body electioneering.

The electioneering for the local body elections has reached fever pitch. The candidates drop by almost everyday seeking votes.

Have wished all the three of them the very best and have also given my requirement to each of the candidates - to have the convex traffic mirror to be shifted right opposite the opening of our lane into the Guruvayur-Kozhikode/Palakkad highway.

Currently, it’s about 5’ toward the right serving no useful purpose!

Let me see as to how effective my coaxing is gonna be.

Tailpiece.

Rameeza, Ajitha and Rani, of the Land Revenue Department, fetched up by 9 in a taxi. Rani held a contraption mounted atop a longish pole. They’d come to measure and digitise our land holdings. The leader, Razeema, had a tablet that was working efficiently.

The whole procedure took about a half an hour. Was impressed with the team’s efficient performance!

Total chaos - Over 200 Indigo flights cancelled.

Insiders attribute it to Emirates' hiring spree.

Thousands of fliers across airports in the country had a harrowing time as crew shortage at IndiGo resulted in cancellation of at least 200 flights besides delaying many others. This was the second consecutive day that IndiGo failed to operate a large number of flights.

A massive recruitment drive by an international airline at Delhi and Bombay this week is a key reason for it, sources suggest. The shortage is of both the cockpit and cabin crew.

While condemning IndiGo's mismanagement, sources have attributed part of the problem to the DGCA's revised Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) that kicked in from 01 Nov. Increased weekly rest for pilots from 36 to 48 hours and limiting night landings by pilots to two instead of six are part of the revised FDTL mandate.

The Federation of Indian Pilots blamed the ongoing disruption on "IndiGo's  prolonged and unorthodox lean manpower strategy across departments, particularly in flight operations".

My take

The ongoing flight disruptions need to end by finding suitable solutions as passengers cannot be harried! It needs to stop as Lekha and I are scheduled to go to Pune next Thursday to attend the 49th Course POP Golden Jubilee Celebrations from the 12th to the 14th!

Tailpiece.

Got up at 4, recited my prayers, went through my chores and kicked off at a quarter past 6 for Ayyanthole to offer a floral tribute at the Amar Jawan Square, there on the occasion of Navy Day. Had reached there quite early as the event was supposed to begin at 9 o'clock only. It was a colourful event!

Returned and also finished the following work along with Kannan, as my sa'arathi:-

    * changed our Chevy's number plates to Kerala registration

    * ascertained the time of submission of the 'House Tax Exemption' form from the Pookkode

       panchayat - Akhil and Avina helped me with quick information!

    * pulled out money from the bank

    * bought our fruit basket, vegetables

    * got our Rubyx Credit cards activated.

Arranged and lit the Karthika lamps at sunset.

    

RBI retains SBI, HDFC, ICICI as D-SIBs in '25.

The RBI has retained SBI, HDFC, and ICICI banks - the nation's largest three lenders - in the 2025 list of domestic systematically important banks (D-SIBs) or too-big-to-fail-lenders - a classification that demands core higher capital allocation in according with their risk-weighted assets.

While SBI has been in the list since 2015, the RBI added ICICI Bank to the list in 2016 and HDFC Bank in 2017.

The current update is based on the data collected from banks as of 31 Mar, the RBI said.

The classification will demand from these banks of additional capital requirement under which these banks must maintain an additional equity tier 1 (CETI) capital alongside the capital conservation buffer. 

Tailpiece.

Got up at 5, sent all the messages, switched on the hymns on the home theatre, lit up the lamp in the puja room and opened up the house for the day.

Walked within the house and recited my prayers.

A quiet Wednesday. Earlier, had carried out the aarathi of the house.

Going after cyber crime.

State-owned app has been  mandated on every phone the Department of Telecommunications (DoT)

since 28 Nov. Accordingly, all mobile phone manufacturers and importers are required to pre-install state-owned fraud reporting app - Sanchar Saathi - on devices used in India.

Sanchar Saathi

* A government portal and app to protect mobile users from fraud and misuse

* It lets you check all mobile numbers registered in your name, block lost/stolen phones and report

   spam/fraud calls (Chakshu)

* The app launched in Jan 2025, is free and works with OTP login

My take

A step in the right direction in preventing cyber crime!

Tailpiece.

Got up at 5, all messages were sent, switched on the hymns on the home theatre, lit up the puja room lamp and opened up the house for the day.

Walked on the road in front of the house and recited my prayers.

A quiet Monday.

At Kannur (4).

Got up at 5, sent all my messages, made tea for the both of us, helped Lekha by asking the Housekeeping to get the hot water for her bath. Went out for my walk on the Kannur beach, recited my prayers and returned after about half an hour.

Had breakfast; ordered for lunch and returned to our room (no.212) and completed the packing; had my bath too.

Lunch at a half past 12; had half a portion and had the rest packed for taking home.

We left for the railway station by a quarter to 2. The Vande Bharat came at 1528 hrs. Had coffee and snacks on board.

Reached Thrissur by a 10' past 6 and Sajish was there. Reached The Quarterdeck by a quarter to 8.

Had dinner by 9 and before that, had finished the unpacking!

Hit the sack at our usual time.

Tailpiece.

It's curtains down for yet another wonderful edition of our class mates' get together, done with flair and flamboyance! The next is gonna be in 2027 and it shall be Class of '72 @ 72!   

At Kannur (3).

Got up delayed compared to our usual time, had our breakfast around a half past 8.

The march past of the ladies was much better compared to ours! 

Sent my November mail, by 1 PM, from Josekutty’s laptop.

Lunch and I’d a vodka tonic!

Snooze.

Got up by a half past 4, had tea, got ready and was down at the Shivoham lawns for the valedictory function. Lekha took party in the lady’s musical program. O sang the ‘Jamaican Farewell’ on Suresh’s prodding.

Our final interaction for the evening was with Alboy and Anand Somayaji!

At Kannur (2).

Got up at a half past 4, the chores and we were ready by a half past 7. Breakfast followed by the group photography session.

Left for the boat cruise on River Valapattanam. An enjoyable one with toddy and lunch. Good fish was served but we were vegetarian.

Visited the Parassinikkadavu Muthappan temple. Massive crowd, being a weekend.

Returned, washed and changed.

A great evening with our skit being shown. The entertainment program was good; the ladies did good.

To Kannur.

Got up at 4, the chores and was ready well in time. Kicked off for the railway station at a quarter past 7. Two massive blocks - one at Kechery and the other on diversion at Viyyur - kept us on tenterhooks. Reached the railway station at a 5’ past 9.

Sanjeev, the porter helped us to go to the appropriate spot on platform no.2 after Lekha having gone round the corner. On the Vande Bharat, the class of ‘72 had the monopoly.

Reached Kannur by 1203 hrs. Prakasan, the coolie helped in conveying our luggage.

At the Krishna Beach Resort by lunchtime. Neha, Shivani and Shafna helped us at every step!

Practised our roles. A wash and change, the entertainment program followed by dinner. Slept at 11.

Ahmadabad will host 2030 Commonwealth Games.

The Commonwealth Sport General Body has ratified Ahmedabad (Amdavad) as the host for the Centenary CWG in 2030.

A heart warming news for all Indians!

Tailpiece.

A quiet Thursday! 

The Dharma Dhwaj.

PM Narendra Modi hoisted the Dharma Dhwaj (sacred flag) atop the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

The sacred flag is adorned with the Sun symbol (representing Rama's royal surya vansh lineage),

Om (signifying cosmic consciousness) and the Kovidar tree (the emblem linked to Rama Rajya, governance and prosperity in the ancient texts).

Tailpiece.

Got up at 5, sent all the messages, switched on the hymns on the home theatre, lit up the puja room lamp and opened up the house for the day.

Walked on the road in front of The Quarterdeck and recited my prayers.

Worked on my laptop.

Lunch.

Watched television followed by siesta.

A quiet evening.

Adieu Dharmender!

Dharmender, all of 89 years and 14 days short of his 90th birthday, passed into the mist of time the day before yesterday, due to an acute breathing problem. 

Have watched most of his movies during my younger days. My favourite is a picturisation of him and Rakhee in the film, Blackmail, singing that evergreen number, 

         "Pal, pal dil ke paas tum rahti ho

          Jeevan meethi pyaas......"

And then there's another number "Mai Jat yamla pagla diwana......." in the movie, "Pratigya".

Both the numbers showed the very essence of the actor!

Had watched both the movies cited above while I was a cadet in the NDA, in the early '70s.

Adieu Dharmender! My tears and prayers. May your near and dear ones have the strength to tide over these difficult times.

Tailpiece.

Got up at 5, sent all the messages, switched on the hymns on the home theatre, lit up the puja room lamp and opened up the house for the day.

Sajish gives me a good haircut and massage.

Walked within the house and recited my prayers.

Lekha goes to the ration stand and to the fruit shop.

A quiet evening.

The G20 Summits.

PM Narendra Modi's vision that influenced the 12 G20 Agenda.

2014 Australia (Brisbane)

         * Financial transparency

         * Call for crackdown on global black money

2015 Turkey (Antalya)

          * Pitched for global strategy to counter terror financing

2016 China (Hangzhou)

          * Economic reform/Terrorism/Environment

          * Need for unified global approach to innovation and structural reforms

          *Collective global action against terrorism

          * Call for equity, CBDR and sustainable lifestyles

2017 Germany (Hamburg)

          * Health

          * Proposed International Coalition on technology

          * Global Health Security call

2018 Argentina (Buenos Aires)

          * Infrastructure

          * Nine-point agenda for fugitive economic offenders

          * Infrastructure for development and innovative financing via 

            the Global Infrastructure Hub

2019 Japan (Osaka)

          * Digitalisation

          * Proposal for global framework for digital governance and secure data flow

2020 Saudi Arabia (Riyadh/Virtual)

          * Human-centric growth

          * 'Ease of Living' as Development Metric

2021 Italy (Rome)

          * Health & Environment/

             Energy transition 

          * 'One earth, one health' approach

          * Indian Railways Net Zero by 2030

          * Proposed clean energy projects fund

          * Call for green hydrogen standards

2022 Indonesia (Bali)

          * Climate and sustainability

          * Global launch of Mission LiFE

             Aarogya maitri project

2023 India (New Delhi)

          * Institutional reform/Digitalisation/

             Energy/Resilience/Space

          * African Union permanent membership in G20

          * Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) Framework

          * Social Impact Fund proposal

          * Launch of global biofuels alliance

          * G20 Disaster Risk Reduction Working group

          * Suggestion for G20 Talent Visa proposal

          * Proposal for "G20 Satellite Mission for

             Environment and Climate Observation

2024 Brazil (Rio de Janeiro)

          * Consensus Follow-through

          * Push to implement New Delhi Leaders' 

             Declaration and Integration of global south

2025 South Africa (Johannesburg)

          * Technology and Global South

          * Focus on AI governance for development

          * Push for debt relief for vulnerable nations

My take

A Prime Minister that all Indians need to be proud of. His thinking is about all round development!

Tailpiece

Is there anything more to be told about PM Modi - the far-sighted statesman and the global leader?  

The ten signs of dharma.

Manusmriti provides a list of ten signs or qualities, whose presence in a person indicates that they have dharma in them.

 1. Dhriti (fortitude or patience). All good things are difficult to attain. One needs to be patient. Even

     after attainment, things may be lost. One needs to bear it with fortitude.

 2. Kshama (Forgiveness or tolerance). There's no need to reply to every wrong with another wrong.

     Sometimes, it is better not to respond and break the cycle of action-reaction.

 3. Dama (Self-control). One should not be arrogant or excessively proud of one's qualities. It also

     means being judicious and not saying whatever comes to mind.

 4. Asteyam (Non-stealing). We need to have integrity and honesty, not just in our actions but also

     in our thoughts.

 5. Shauch (Purity). Cleanliness is of two types - external (keeping our body, clothes and surroundings

     clean and eating clean food) and internal (keeping our thoughts clean).

 6. Indriya Nigrah (Control of sensory and motor organs). We have five sensory and five motor organs.

     We need to keep them under our control rather than becoming their slaves.

 7. Dhi (Wisdom).  This can also be called the power of discrimination. This means true knowledge,

     which allows one to discriminate between right and wrong paths in every situation, despite diffi-

     culties and temptations.

 8. Vidya (Knowledge). Refers to our education as well as our understanding of the practical realities

     of life. Upanishads talk about knowledge of two types : vidya which refers to the higher knowledge

     of the soul and avidya which refers to the lower knowledge of material things. To be successful, one

     needs both kinds of knowledge : avidya to perform successfully in the physical world and vidya

     for spiritual enlightenment.

 9. Satyam (Truthfulness). It means seeking truth and always following the path of truthfulness.

     Being truthful gives us enormous peace of mind and is our protective shield in difficult times.

10.Akrodha (Absence of anger). Absence of anger does not mean one never gets angry but is not

     angry without justification.

Tailpiece.

A quiet and lazy Sunday!

Labour Codes notified by the central government.

The Centre notified the four Labour Codes pending since 2020, ushering in several worker-friendly measures such as universal social security and timely minimum wage, while also trying to make life easy for companies in terms of compliance and paper work.

Big-Bang Labour Reforms

29 labour laws streamlined into 4 comprehensive Labour Codes.

1. Code of wages

     * Establishes a statutory right to minimum wages for all, including those in unorganised sector.

     * Review of minimum wages every 5 years.

     * Equal remuneration to male and female workers.

2. Code on social security

     * Benefit of pension scheme to all workers of organised, unorganised and self-employed sectors.

     * Employees engaged on fixed term (contract) to get same social security benefit as permanent

        employees.

     * Social security fund for the unorganised sector.

3. Code on occupational safety, health and working conditions

     * Creating safe working conditions in business-friendly environment.

     * Mandatory, free annual health check-up of workers.

     * Database of migrant workers.

4. Code of Industrial Relations

     * Allows direct, time-bound contracts with full parity in wages, benefits; gratuity eligibility

        after one year.

     * Re-skilling fund to train retrenched employees; amount equal to 15 days' wages for every

        worker retrenched.

My take

* While the government claims the move will go a long way in ease of doing business, it will also

   increase operating costs for companies due to higher wages and greater accountability on

   safety and working conditions.

* Meanwhile, a joint platform of 10 central trade unions called for a nation-wide protest on 26 Nov

   demanding the withdrawal of the codes, terming them "anti-worker" and "pro-employer". Some

   trade unions welcomed the reforms.

* The next step is framing the rules. As labour is a concurrent subject, the centre and states have to 

   frame laws and rules.

Tailpiece.

A quiet Saturday. The maid was on leave.

@ 70 by the Malayalam calendar.

Was born 70 years back on this day, by the Malayalam calendar, to K Kuttappan Nair and C Chandramathykutty Amma at TC 804, Opp Model School’s main gate in the residence of my mom’s parents at Thiruvananthapuram of PN Panicker and G Chempakakutty Amma. Their’s was a joint family.

Got up this morning, at 5, sent all the messages, switched on the hymns, lit up the puja room lamp and opened up the house for the day.

Padmakumar, Rema and Achu had gone for a quick ‘darshan’ of the good Lord soon after a sumptuous breakfast of idiappams and Chanakya.

On their return, I cut my birthday cake and had it distributed to everyone. 

Rema and gang left by a half past 12, shaping course to Thrippunithura and then, onward to Ayathil, Kollam.

A quiet evening thereafter.

Achu drives in.

Padmakumar, Rema, Achu and Karthika drop by. A great evening thereafter!

Recalibrating investment regime.

Commerce ministry had a meeting with several industry representatives, stake holders to recalibrate India's investment regime.

The discussion, attended by senior representatives from RBI, Sebi and other regulators, focuses on streamlining approvals, speeding up regulatory clearances and addressing frictions faced by foreign funds.

The ministry seeks to ensure better inflow of foreign direct investment to India.

Senior officials say the government's approach would remain balanced.

While no policy announcements have been made so far, the government is planning to take measures to revive investment sentiment.

My take

It's quite important that the country must be projected as FDI-friendly and its internal environment should have a positive outlook towards it.

Tailpiece.

Got up at 5, sent all the messages, switched on the hymns on the home theatre, lit up the puja room lamp and opened up the house for the day.

Walked on the road outside and recited my prayers.

A quiet day otherwise.

The Finance Commission submits report to the President.

The 16th Finance Commission  submitted its report on devolution of taxes between the Centre and the states.

Members of the Commission led by Dr Arvind Panagariya had handed over the report. The commission was constituted on 31 Dec 2023 to determine the formula for the states' share of central taxes and the grants-in-aid for five financial years from 2026 - '27. It's gonna be the financial roadmap for the next five years.

Report closely watched by states

* A majority of states had asked the commission to increase their share of central taxes to 50% from the

  current 41%.

* The commission has also reviewed the present arrangements for financing disaster management 

   initiatives with reference to the funds constituted under the Disaster Management Act, 2005.

There are four members in the Finance Commission.

My take

Hope the clarity regarding the allocation of funds is being brought about.

Tailpiece.

Got up at 5, sent all the messages, switched on the hymns on the home theatre, lit up the lamp in the puja room and opened up the house for the day.

Walked on the road outside the house and recited my prayers.

Worked on my laptop.

Lunch, watched serial followed by siesta.

A quiet evening.

It's been 400 days!

Four hundred days and counting! The indefinite relay hunger strike on the premises of Velankanni Matha Church in Munambam, may have hit a milestone, but the fate of the over 600 local families remains in suspended animation. 

Even after the Kerala High Court ruled that their land is not Waqf, the state government has not initiated any steps towards restoring their revenue rights.

My take

Political cowardice in not executing the right decision! Sad!!

Tailpiece.

Got up at 5, switched on the hymns on the home theatre, lit up the lamp in the puja room and opened up the house for the day. Aarti of Lekha with the silver coin, today being the 1st of the Malayalam month of Vrushchikam!

Walked on the road in front of our house and recited my prayers.

To the Devaswom PRO's office on Suma kunjamma's work and realised that the information given to me by her was scanty. So, I'd to return empty handed.

Lunch.

Watched television serials. Siesta.

Lekha goes to the Mammiyoor temple at 5 and returns after an hour.

Kalpathy's Grand Trundle.

Simply known as 'Kalpathy Theyru', this cultural festival showcases Palakkad's regional identity.

The undeniable crescendo of Kalpathy festival is the convergence of chariots. The largest chariot carries Lord Shiva, the primary deity of the Vishwanathaswamy Temple, along with his consort, Goddess Parvathy. Flanking them in smaller, equally ornate chariots are their sons, Lord Ganesha and Lord Subrahmanya.

The air in Palakkad, Kerala, grows thick with anticipation as the Malayalam month of Thulaam arrives. Along the tranquil banks of the Kalpathy River, five quaint villages - Old Kalpathy, New Kalpathy, Chathapuram, Govindarajapuram and Manthakkara - begin their month-long transformation. This is the prelude to the world-renowned Kalpathy Ratholsavam, a spectacular 10-day festival of faith, heritage and cultural confluence that draws a global audience.

Often simply called Kalpathy Theyru (Kalpathy Chariot), this festival holds the remarkable distinction of being the second-biggest of its kind in Indi, surpassed only by the grand Car Festival at the Puri Jagannath Temple in Orissa. It is more than just a religious observance ; it is quite literally a cultural festival of Palakkad, a vibrant showcase of the region's unique identity.

My take

A truly spectacular and colourful festival!

Tailpiece.

Got up at 5, sent all the messages, switched on the hymns on the home theatre, lit up the  lamp in the puja room and opened up the house for the day.

Walked on the road in front of our house; recited my prayers.

Breakfast. Had bath subsequently after working on my laptop.

Lunch, watched Crime Patrol on television followed by siesta.

A quiet evening.

Tropical Forests Forever Facility.

India welcomed Brazil's initiative to establish a Tropical Forests Forever Facility (TFFF) during the leaders' summit at COP 30 in Belem, Brazil. Recognising it as a significant step towards collective and sustained global action for the preservation of tropical forests, the country joined as an observer. However, its benefit may be marginal because India has a smaller area of tropical rain forest.

The TFFF is proposed as a blended-finance mechanism to incentivise countries to prevent the deforestation and degradation of moist broadleaf tropical forests.

The fund will operate like a commercial bank, where it will obtain loans of $125 billion at lower interest rates and lend them at higher rates to generate a profit of around $4 billion annually.

My take

A nice initiative!

Tailpiece.

Got up at 5, sent all the messages, switched on the hymns on the home theatre, lit up the puja room lamp and opened up the house for the day.

Walked on the road in front of the house and recited my prayers.

A quiet Saturday.

Lekha's medicines have been administered and she says that there's a forward development.

NDA sweeps Bihar!

In the run up toward the election, there appeared to be serious differences among potential coalition partners there by affecting/delaying the final line up of the candidates to fight the elections.

The logjam had begun regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll of the entire state by the Election Commission. The impasse was sorted out at the Supreme Court and the election jamboree had begun in right earnest. The BJP-JD(U)-Paswan's party formed the NDA, Congress-RJD-Communists formed the Indi alliance and Prashant Kishore's Jan Suraaj Party were the main contenders.

The elections took place in two phases on the 6th and the 11th. There was a record 67.13% votes polled with women forming a great chunk. 

And the results of the 243 seats are there for all to see:-

    NDA                     202

    INDI                       35

    AIMIM                     5

    BSP                           1

Here's wishing Nitish Kumar a fruitful tenure where Bihar makes rapid progress.

Tailpiece.

Got up at 5, sent all the messages, switched on the hymns on the home theatre, lit up the puja room lamp, opened up the house for the day.

Walked on the road in front of the house and recited my prayers.

Worked on my laptop.

An early lunch and were off to the Rajah Hospital to show Lekha to the Skin Specialist for her tongue's problem. Returned after an hour.

A quiet evening.

Inflation hits record low.

Inflation is down to 0.25% in Oct on the back of GST cuts.

Tax cuts on 400 mass-consumption items, coupled with subdued prices for vegetables, fruits and eggs helped push retail inflation to a record low.

Food inflation stays in negative zone

Food inflation remained negative at -5.02%, as prices of vegetables, cereals and pulses eased amid improved supplies and favourable weather. Vegetable prices fell 28% year-on-year, while pulses and spices declined by 16% and just over 3%, respectively. Clothing and footwear recorded only a 1.7% annual rise, thanks to GST rate cuts.

Fuels hope of further rate cut in December

* Inflation stood at 1.44% in Sep and 6.21% in Oct 2024. The figure this Oct was the lowest in the 

   current series (base year 2012), which tracked data since Jan 2014

* The record low inflation raises hopes for another round of rate cut, when the RBI monetary policy

   committee meets in Dec

8.56% The Oct inflation in Kerala - the highest among all states.

Tailpiece

Got up at 5, sent all the messages, switched on the hymns on the home theatre, lit up the lamp in the puja room and opened up the house for the day.

Walked on the road in front of our house and recited my prayers.

Breakfast followed by bath after work on the laptop.

Lunch, watched television.

Lekha goes for the Lord's darshan at a half past 3, does marketing and returns.

A quiet evening.

   

The pathetic state of the Medical College Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram.

Long wait for beds, lack of privacy, overcrowded wards.....

Lack of coordination between tiers of health system puts tertiary hospitals under severe strain, says Director of Medical Education.

Overcrowded and underequipped : Life inside MCH

* MCH has 1952 beds but routinely treats 300-400 in-patients above capacity each day

* The general medicine department, with over 600 beds, requires at least 300 more to meet demand

* Of the 28 wards, six have been demolished for renovation, causing overcrowding in the remaining wards

* Patients are often referred from taluk and district hospitals even for minor ailments, officials say

* Restrooms are frequently clogged

* The cardiology department has only 40 beds, leading to spill over into corridors

* Patients with serious conditions such as heart attacks, leukaemia, autoimmune diseases and infections 

   are treated together in the same wards

* A revised referral protocol has been issued to improve co-ordination between primary, secondary

   and tertiary centres

* Expansion projects, including 250 new surgical beds and a hospital complex by 2026, are expected

   to ease the load

My take

A real pathetic state! The government must provide assistance and nurture the MCH. Nothing short of overall excellence is expected.

Tailpiece.

Got up at 5, sent all the messages, switched on the hymns on the home theatre, lit up the lamp in the puja room and opened up the house for the day.

Walked within the house because of rain in the morning: recited my prayers.

A quick bath and breakfast. Sajish fetched up a trifle after 10 and we headed for the Sub RTO. Binitha, the comely girl at the counter, was sad that I was being made to pay a high penalty! Told her that it was her 'niceness' that made her think so and thanked her. Rajesh, the MVI cleared my vehicle and the entire set of documents was submitted. Returned by lunchtime.

Lunch, viewing of the television and siesta.

The evening chores.

The anatomy of the Delhi blast.

Hours after nearly 2,900 kg of explosives were seized in Haryana's Faridabad, a powerful blast jolted Delhi last evening, killing at least eight people and injuring several others outside the bustling Red Fort area.

1852 hrs  Slow moving Hyundai 120 blows up near Red Fort traffic signal.

1855 hrs  Delhi Fire Department receives alert. No crater, no shrapnel injury noticed.

1925 hrs  Around 30 people injured taken to LNJP hospital. Of them, eight declared brought dead.

1929 hrs  Ten fire tenders arrive, area cordoned off; fire brought under control.

2028 hrs  NIA, NSG and forensic teams reach the spot, collect evidence.

2030 hrs  Home Minister briefs PM. Shah visits LNJP hospital and the blast site.

All angles being probed, says HM

* All angles being probed, no possibility is ruled out, says the HM. "Unless the samples recovered from 

   the blast site are analysed by forensics and NSG, nothing can be said".

* Nationwide alert announced, CISF tightens vigil at all installations in Delhi-NCR, including the IGI

   Airport and metro stations.

Tailpiece.

Got up at 5, sent all the messages, switched on the hymns on the home theatre, lit up the puja room lamp and opened up the house for the day.

Walked on the road in front of the house and recited my prayers.

Monish fetches our Chevy. Comes back after 28 days. Bath and a quick breakfast.

Harish takes me to the SBI and the ICICI banks. And I return to spend time with Sathyan and Indu, who'd dropped by. It was nice to interact with them.

Lunch followed by television viewing and then, siesta.

The evening chores.

An appointment with the dentist.

Our day had begun this morning at 4 AM. Earlier, sleep wasn't forthcoming and I was awake till about 2, much past midnight! Recited my prayers during the time; and sleep had come by but had to get up after two hours.

Went through our chores and was ready by a half past 5. Rahul was our chauffeur, who drove well and we fetched up at the Vypin 'jhankaar' point to cross across to the Fort Kochi area but since a waiting period of 40' were anticipated - as per estimates - we retraced our route and went via Tharangini, High Court. 

Reached Dr Sreekanth Mallan's dental clinic, at Muhamma, by a half past 9. Had a quick breakfast at Mallan's kitchen. Lekha's apprehensions were sorted out and my scaling was also done by the doctor. Seeing the red blotches on my right fore arm, the doc had suggested that I keep my cardiologist in the loop.

I asked him as to what I should worry about and he said that I must bear in mind that my blood would not clot easily because of my daily intake of Ecosprin 75 mg tablet, after lunch. Well, that was definitely a sobering thought! 

Shaped our return to Guruvayur and headed back straight.

Had lunch at a hotel beyond Edappalli.

Reached home by a quarter to 5.

Settled down to a quiet evening. Am glad that we could meet up with our friend and doctor, after what seemed to be a long time.

66th SAARC Literature festival.

The festival began today without Pakistan. The four-day festival in New Delhi will see a mix of poetry, fiction and academic papers featuring celebrated voices from South Asia.

Pak writers barred till terrorism stops

The literature festival, organised by Foundation of SAARC Writers and Literature (FOSWAL), is hosting writers and scholars from all SAARC countries except Pakistan. Its participation is a "political issue" and the organisers "cannot invite Pakistani writers till terrorism stops".

Cross-border cultural exchanges

* The festival began with an inaugural session by Sahitya Akademi president , scholar Ashis Nandy and       the diplomats of the seven countries that are participating in this year's event.

* Established in 1996, FOSWAL has organised cross-border cultural exchanges through conferences,

   festivals and youth outreach fetes.

The festival will come to a close on 12 Nov.

Tailpiece.

Got up at 5, sent all the messages, switched on the hymns on the home theatre, lit up the puja room lamp and opened up the house for the day.

Heard 'Rangoli' on television.

Walked on the road in front of our house and recited my prayers.

A heavy lunch of 'aloo paranthas', dahi and pickle; ate myself silly.

The evening's dinner was a delectable soup!

Women's cricket in India.

As the sun set over Navi Mumbai that night, the Indian team took a victory lap, draped in the tricolour. The crowd chanted their names, phones lit up like stars and fireworks burst into the sky.

Captain Harmanpreet Kaur lifted the gleaming trophy high, her teammates gathered around her and for a moment, the world seemed to stand still.

The 2025 World Cup win will be remembered as the day Indian women didn't just play cricket - they changed it. They showed that champions aren't defined by gender, but by grit and grace. That one day, a young girl with a bat in her hand will see equal opportunities, equal respect and equal pay.

Analysts have called it India's "1983 moment", which is a reference to their male counterparts' historic first World Cup win that changed the nation's sporting landscape. Four decades later, it is the women who have given Indian cricket a new dawn.

Courtesy. The NIE

Tailpiece.

A quiet Saturday. 

 

Kerala's oldest long-haul train moves on.

Around 3 PM, the electric locomotive pulled into Kanhangad railway station, bringing in its wake the yellow and maroon liveried rakes of the 12602 Mangalore Central-MGR Chennai Central Mail for its scheduled two-minute stop.

The train bears history as the first long-haul service to have chugged into Kerala - the erstwhile Malabar presidency to be precise - in 1867, 14 years after the country's first passenger railroad made it from Bori Bunder to Thane. And, it seems to be having trouble shaking off its legacy, sporting as it continues to do the old, rugged ICF cars, when most other trains have moved on to Linke-Hofmann-Busch (LHB) coaches.

Its services were numbered 1 and 2 (presently 12601 and 12602), running from Royapuram near Chennai to Chaliyam (present-day Beypore). It was named the Mangalore-Madras Mail in 1887 even though the train was extended to Mangalore only after the completion of the Netravati Bridge in 1907.

Travelling back in time

* The Madras-Mangalore Mail started on 01 Jul 1867, running from Royapuram - the first railway station 

   of South India, opened in 1856 - to Chaliyam.

* It was first christened 01UP/02DOWN Mail and did not get its official name until 1887.

* The train was extended till Mangalore in 1907 after Netravati bridge was constructed.

* It was also moved from Royapuram to Chennai Central when the terminus was constructed in 1907.

* As one of the oldest running trains of South India, it has had steam, diesel and electric locomotives.

   Currently, it is hauled by locomotive class WAP 7 on most days.

Tailpiece.

Got up at 5, sent off all the messages, switched on the hymns on the home theatre, lit up the lamp in the puja room and opened up the house for the day.

Walked on the road in front of our house and recited my prayers.

To the SBI and the ICICI banks to get their apps streamlined but achieved only partial success.

Praveen and Asha call on. It was great seeing them!       

A quiet evening.   

A new cell phone.

Got up at 5, sent all the morning messages, switched on the hymns on the home theatre, lit up the lamp in the puja room and opened up the house for the day.

Went through the chores and walked on the road in front of The Quarterdeck; recited my prayers.

Breakfast followed by bath. Worked on my laptop.

Lunch and a short siesta.

Sajish, comes at a half past 2 and we set off for Thrissur. Went to MyG but didn’t get a favourable quote and so, went to Venu’s. Bought an iPhone15 and an Induction cooktop.

Returned by a quarter to 9.

A quiet evening thereafter.

Guru Purab!

About 2,100 Indian Sikh devotees crossed into Pakistan yesterday, through the Attari-Wagah border to attend the 556th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev ji. This is the first people-to-people contact between the two neighbours since Operation Sindoor.

The Pakistan government had issued 2,150 visas for the Sikh pilgrims but this year, India allowed only Indian citizens to participate, excluding NRIs, a departure from earlier years.

The pilgrims are scheduled to return on 13 Nov after visiting key historic gurdwaras like, Janmasthan in Nankhana Sahib, Sri Panja Sahib in Hasan Abdal, Sacha Sauda in Farooqabad and Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur.

Tailpiece.

Got up at 5, sent all the messages, switched on the hymns on the home theatre, lit up the puja room lamp and opened up the house for the day.

Walked on the road in front of The Quarterdeck and recited my prayers.