@ 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 was 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'arathis. 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 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 Thiruavananthapuram. 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!