@ New Delhi!

Got up at 12, went through the chores and we (Maman, Aniyan and self) set off for the airport. Our flight took off at a 10’ past 3. Were served a meal around 3 AM. Reached New Delhi by a half past 6, half an hour before ETA!

Kishori drove us to Jor Bath, where we had a wash and change and had breakfast of toasts and omelette, washed it down with a cuppa tea.

Maman and I sent quite a few messages regarding the Book Release function on What’sApp. Lunch of idlis, chutney and sambar fetched by Kishori.

Off to the Vice President’s office to discuss the nuts and bolts of the forthcoming Book Release program.

Returned to have a meeting with our co-ordinaries at the guest house. An outline plan has been drawn out.

At Thiruvananthapuram.

Our day began at 4 AM, we went about our chores and were ready well in time. Monish, our chauffeur, came at a quarter to 5 and I sent him to sleep in the car.  We were ready by a half past 6 and we kicked off at. quarter to 7.

Breakfast was at Korattur by about a half past 8.

Reached Lekha’s sister’s place, by 2, for lunch. Met Iñdu’s parents and dropped her mom at the private bus stand.

Resumed our journey and reached Maman’s place by a half past 5. Ran an errand of going to the Foundation as Maman had to collect a few papers. Aniyan and Chambu accompanied us.

We’ve to leave for the airport at 0100 hrs tomorrow!

Lekha and I complete 35 years together!

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

Handed over the gift to Lekha while she, too, handed over another.

Washing machinex of the soiled clothes.

We were ready by 9 when Nimyl reached us. After an early breakfast, we were off to the Saroja Multi Speciality Hospital to collect Lekha's tongue's biopsy report. O boy, it was a solid block enroute!

Lekha's report shows that there's nothing to worry but it recommends another 'wedge surgery' to rule out the foggiest of doubts.

Reached Dr Kripal, the gastro enterologist, who'd carried out my review. The next is after three months!

Collected medicines.

Returned home. Shebir brought us the anniversary cake and a few sweets on Lekha's directives.

Lunch (ordered from Pazhayidathu and it was nice!) watched television followed by siesta.

Shut down 'The Quarterdeck' in stages.

A great day when we received messages and calls, wishing us a great day! Damn sweet of them!! 

A breakthrough for Alzheimer's treatment in India.

Pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly has launched donanemab in the Indian market under the brand name Lormalzi. The once-a-month 350 mg infusion has been shown to slow the progression of the disease  by dissolving the amyloid beta protein plaques in the brain, proven to be a classical sign of the neurodegenerative disease.

The innovative drug - third to be approved for the disease by the US  Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) and the first one to be launched in India - will be prohibitively expensive. A single dose of the drug might cost Rs.91,688. However, Eli Lilly will soon begin an access programme to ensure that patients can get the drug at lower prices.

Tailpiece.

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

Blood drawal for finding out my Blood Sugars - Fasting and Post Prandial, Hb and LFT. Got the results at 12. My readings are under control, phew!

Walked on the courtyard; recited my prayers and carried out my exercise regimen. The AM dropped by to see our new car.

Lekha's aarathi by the silver coin, today being the 1st of the Malayalam month of Edavam.

Worked on my laptop.

Lunch, Lekha had made a lovely fish curry. Saw the last and final episode of "Snehakkoottu" but didn't see the end as I'd gone out to meet Shebir, the bakery owner followed by siesta.

Aniyan also is coming to New Delhi for the book release.

Went to town to buy a gift for us for our 35th wedding anniversary.

A quiet evening thereafter.

Back at The Quarterdeck.

Dateline 14 May

Our day had started at 4 today. Morning cuppa with Lekha.

Sent all the messages, opened up the house in a limited fashion, lit up the puja room lamp and switched on the hymns on the television.

Monish had fetched up late, went to the Thrikkonnamarkotu temple to do puja on the new car. After that the usual halt at the Randalummoodu Nagaraja kshetram, exchanged pleasantries with the priest.

At Pidavoor to pick up Rema and Padmakumar. Hello to Aji.

Breakfast at the Padma Cafe, Adoor.

Lunch at Thrippoonithura and had our dinner packed.

Reached Guruvayur by a trifle past 5. To the car spa for the vehicle's wash before offering her for puja. It was pouring. The priest, Gireesh did the puja well; befriended him!

Reached The Quarterdeck by a quarter past 8. Sent Monish back immediately.

The house was opened up partially.

A power interruption at 2200 hrs. So, we slept at a half past 10 as we were dog tired!

Tackling the Strait of Hormuz crisis.

Prime Minister Modi's advisory on the present Hormuz crisis has taken centre stage with the opposition - RaGa calls it inefficiency - crying "no way".

Currently, this is happening all over the world.

  * Several states in the US have encouraged citizens to work from home.

  * South Korea asked citizens to use washing machines and vacuum cleaners on weekends to reduce 

     demand.

  * Pakistan Super League matches were played without crowds to reduce energy consumption.

  * Sri Lanka declared Wednesdays as a national holiday to conserve fuel.

  * Bangladesh ordered shopping malls to close by 7 PM and banned decorative lighting to save

     electricity.

  * China encouraged citizens to switch to electric vehicles (EVs).

  * Thailand advised citizens to set air conditioners at 27 degrees and avoid wearing coats and ties to

     reduce cooling demand.

  * The UK reduced highway speed limits to 80 kmph to improve fuel efficiency.

  * Germany introduced car-free Sundays to conserve fuel.

  * Spain mandated early closing hours for offices to reduce electricity consumption.

  * France banned short domestic flights where the same journey by train takes less than three hours.

  * Brazil encouraged citizens to use public transport more frequently.

  * Italy mandated a minimum AC temperature setting of 27 degrees in public buildings.

  * The Philippines implemented work-from-home measures and reduced operations in shopping

     malls to save energy.

This is happening all over the world. All countries have increased prices of petrol and issued mandatory harsh measures. India is the only country in the world where no harsh steps have been taken.

My take

Understand the global crisis!

Tailpiece.

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

Morning cuppa with Lekha.

Walked within the house; recited my prayers.

Bath followed by breakfast of idlis, chutney and sambar.

Worked on my laptop.

Lunch, watched "Snehakkoottu" followed by siesta.

Wash and off to the Sarathy Autocars. Got our Maruti Victoris after completing all the formalities.

Off to Maha Ganapati kshetram for carrying out a puja on our car. Monish was with us. Then went across to Christhuraj Hospital to look up Letha who's admitted.

Got back at a 10' to 9.

How neat is NEET?

Yet another question paper leak insofar as NEET is concerned. 135 questions, released by the miscreants have found their way into the question paper that were attempted by about 26 lakh students - all over India - on 03 May. The union government has cancelled the examination and handed over the probe to the CBI.

The student unions of all the political parties have gone on a rampage on the streets of Delhi and elsewhere.

The kingpin has been picked up by the police from somewhere in Nasik. It was the alacrity with which the Rajasthan police went about the probe that established the mischief. Till now, around 14 people have been nabbed by the police!

I have a few questions connected with NEET, which are :-

   * why do question paper leaks take place almost with a regular frequency?

   * why haven't the system steadied up after so many years of its inception?

   * have the previous probes been taken to their logical conclusion?

   * have the culprits been punished?

A lot many questions remain unanswered! NEET definitely isn't neat!!

Tailpiece.

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

Morning cuppa with Lekha.

Walked within the house: recited my prayers.

A colonial breakfast of toasts, eggs and jam.

Worked on my laptop.

Lekha had taken her elder sister, Letha to the doctor as her right foot wasn't looking good and she needs hospitalisation for three days to administer antibiotics.

Lunch, saw "Snehakkoottu" followed by siesta.

Massive thundershowers in the evening followed by power interruptions!

A quiet evening.

 

PM's advisory...

 ...on prolonged shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz.

  1. Citizens can reduce petrol and diesel usage by using metros, public transport.

  2. Railway transport preferred for goods movement.

  3. Covid-era efficiency measures can be revived like :-

    

      * Work-from-home

      * Online conferences

      * Virtual meetings

  4. Choose domestic tourism and celebrations within India.

  5. Prioritise Made-in-India, locally manufactured products, including daily-use items such as shoes,

      bags and accessories.

  6. Opt for car-pooling when private vehicles are necessary.

  7. Increased use of electric vehicles wherever possible.

  8. Delay non-essential gold purchases for the next one year to reduce pressure on forex outflows.

  9. Citizens must avoid unnecessary foreign travel, overseas vacations and foreign weddings.

10. Families should reduce edible oil consumption.

Tailpiece.

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

Walked within the house; recited my prayers.

Bath followed by breakfast of puttum pazhavum.

Worked on my laptop.

Lunch, watched "Snehakkoottu" followed by siesta.

The evening chores.

My new car's registration number is taking time to come from the Guruvayur SRTO; have put Sajish, Thomas on the job.

Another meandering Sunday....

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

Morning cuppa with Lekha.

Walked within the house; recited my prayers.

Bath followed by breakfast of dosas and an omelette.

Worked on my laptop. Cine star, Vijay takes oath as the chief minister of Tamilnadu. 

Letha comes in Sindhu's autorickshaw with lunch for us. Damn sweet of her and it keeps her boredom away of being by herself!

Lunch, saw them off and had our siesta.

Evening tea and snacks.

Maman had called up earlier and said that I'd to be at Delhi from the 18th - along with him - for the release of our book on Muthachchan by the Vice President on the 22nd! My only wish is that it could be delayed by a week so that I could seek the advice of Dr Sreekumar Pillai regarding treatment of Lekha's tongue!

Another of those quiet evenings!

 

Mini, off to Bangalore!

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

Morning cuppa with Lekha.

Our idea was to avoid wasting Mini's time as they were on their long, return drive to Bangalore. We were all going to Padmakumar's house to have Rema's breakfast. We left soon after 7, met Syamala after her last night's surprise tryst with the hospital! Had breakfast of idiyappams, appams and curry.

Mini and Mithun resumed their journey at 0800 hrs.

Left Padmakumar's place by 1100 hrs. Rema gave us packed lunch.

Washed the set of soiled clothes, recited my prayers.

Lunch, watched television for a while followed by siesta.

Pulled out the dry clothes from the clothing line before the rain.

Power interruption for 2 hours which was restored by 9 PM.

Mini had reached her home by a quarter past 9.  

A comparatively quiet day!

Dateline 08  May

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

Morning cuppa with Lekha.

Walked within the house and recited my prayers.

Letha had come in an autorickshaw and both the sisters went to Kottarakkara for the following :-

    * the 'darshan' of Maha Ganapati

    * buy certain add ons for her ear studs.

    * buy grocery

    * buy our lunch

She had returned by a quarter past 1!

Lunch, watched "Snehakkoottu" followed by siesta.

Pulled in all the clothes that were put up for drying. Between us we'd washed down quite a bit of clothes including a pair of bedsheets!

Thundershowers and power had got interupted at 5 and was restored only at a 5' past 11! A miserable evening spent in darkness. 

    

At Raj Nivas.

The day started at 4 for us this morning. Monish came in about five minutes later and went off to sleep in our Chevy. We were ready by a half past 6, Lekha gave Monish his cup of tea and we kicked off by a quarter to 7. It was drizzling all the way.

We'd breakfast in Swami's Anubhavam at Chalakkudy - idiappams and kadala kari - by a quarter past 8.

Took the Angamali route and were in time for lunch, Letha's place, by a quarter to 2. Dropped Monish at Kottarakkara and drove our Chevy to Raj Nivas, reaching there by a half past 3.

Unnigopan, from Sarathy Autocars came to collect our Chevy and we signed the agreement paper by 5. "Crazy" has been with us since Oct 2010 and I'd run a total of about 1,29,000 km todate! My mom and dad have ridden in it and Lekha and I had developed a fondness for her. She had never let us down throughout the last sixteen years. Once she'd developed a problem, when Lekha was travelling from Guruvayur to Ayur and she came to a grinding halt in front of my sister, Mini's house.

I suppose she'd developed a fondness for us too. Driving through the roads in her was quite relaxing and I never felt the tiredness, even after a long drive, ever. Will miss you Crazy and we shall always remember as to how you'd brightened our lives!

Another worry in the background is the results of the biopsy done on Lekha's tongue. O God, hope that the test results are not sinister! Mini's fatty liver is another constant worry!

We should get our Maruti Victoris latest by next Wednesday.

 

The Great Nicobar Project.

It's a game changer for India's maritime future.

India is on the verge of a maritime transformation!

For far too long, our cargo has relied on foreign stops but the Great Nicobar Trans-shipment Hub is set to change the game.

 * Planned capacity .              16 million TEUs.

 * Strategic location.              just 40 nautical miles from the Malacca Strait.

 * Economic boost.                Retaining $200 - 220 million in port handling charges annually.

This project is more than just about infrastructure. It's about reclaiming our maritime sovereignty and

building a truly self-sufficient India.

My take

Building up of strategic infrastructure is an ongoing activity for the progress of a country which is aspiring to be a superpower in the not too distant future.

Tailpiece.

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

Morning cuppa with Lekha.

Walked on the courtyard, recited my prayers and carried out my exercise regimen.

Breakfast of dosas, chutney.

Lekha goes to town for the following :-

    * to check with the gas agency about the position of supply

    * to get the monthly dues from the ration stand

    * to get her ornaments put back at the jewellery

    * to Harisree supermarket for groceries

Bath.

Lekha's beautician comes in for her help.

Lunch, watched "Snehakkoottu" followed by siesta.

Shut down The Quarterdeck systematically.

Dropped in on the Air Marshal on his discharge from Rajah's Hospital.  

The day after the results.

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

Morning cuppa with Lekha.

Walked on the courtyard, recited my prayers and carried out my exercise regimen.

Breakfast of idlis and sambar.

Worked on my laptop.

The aftermath of the election results :-

* Kerala. Endless rounds of discussions have begun to zero in on the chief minister from among the

   three viz. VD Satheesan, Ramesh Chennithala and KC Venugopal. Meanwhile, Pinarayi Vijayan has 

   submitted his resignation but will not meet the Governor!

* Tamilnadu. Vijay is preparing to take over as the chief minister and the Congress has decided to

   support him annoying the DMK because both of them are part of the Indi alliance!

* Pondicherry. The incumbent chief minister is preparing to take oath with his new team.

* Assam. Hemant Biswa Sarma is preparing to take oath with his new team.

* West Bengal. Mamata Banerjee refuses to resign saying that she has won a moral victory - wonder

   what that is? She has refused to go to the Governor. Meanwhile, the BJP is preparing its team

   to take over.

Lunch, watched "Snehakkoottu" followed by siesta.

The evening chores.

A quiet evening.

Tailpiece.

The atmosphere has definitely cooled after last midnight's rain! 

What a day?

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

Morning cuppa with Lekha.

Walked on the courtyard, recited my prayers and carried out my exercise regimen.

Bath and breakfast of toasts, egg, chhole bhature.

Worked on my laptop.

An early lunch.

Off to the Saroja Multi-Speciality Hospital at Thrissur for Lekha's tongue's biopsy by Dr Sreekumar Pillai. By the time we left the hospital, it was a half past 5.

Wayside refreshments before reaching home.

A quiet evening thereafter!

Tailpiece.

The UDF has swept Kerala with 102 seats, with the BJP capturing Nemom (Rajeev Chandrasekhar), Chathannoor (Gopakumar) and Kazhakkoottam (Gopakumar).

BJP has won Assam, West Bengal and the NDA, Pondicherry. 

Kept me riveted on to the television during my spare time.

How to read anyone?

 * Status                          revealed by their shoes

 * Discipline                    revealed by their nails

 * Background                revealed by how they sit

 * Intentions                    revealed by their eyes

 * Personality                  revealed by how they laugh

 * Confidence                  revealed by how they walk

 * Loyalty                        revealed by where they look

 * Intelligence                 revealed by how they listen

 * Maturity                      revealed by how they argue

 * Respect                        revealed by how they treat people  who can't help them

 

Tailpiece.

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

Morning cuppa with Lekha.

Walked on the courtyard, recited my prayers and carried out my exercise regimen.

Bath followed by breakfast of "chhole bhature".

Worked on my laptop.

Lunch, watched a longish episode of Crime Patrol followed by siesta.

The evening chores.

A quiet Saturday.

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

Morning cuppa with Lekha.

Walked on our courtyard, recited my prayers and carried out my exercise regimen.

Bath followed breakfast of puttum gram curriyum.

Worked on my laptop.

Lunch, watched an episode of Crime Patrol followed by siesta.

The evening chores.

Back to back meetings on Zoom :-

    * With the ex-Kazak girls at a half past 6

    * With our batchmates at 9.

A late evening!

Fast track nod for China FDI in seven sectors.

The Modi government has identified seven critical sectors/manufacturing activities for faster approval investments from China.

The seven sectors are :-

     * Capital Goods Manufacturing

     * Electronic Capital Goods

     * Electronic Components

     * Polysilicon and Ingot wafer (solar manufacturing inputs)

     * Advanced Battery Components

     * Rare Earth Permanent Magnets

     * Rare Earth Processing

My take

A step in the right direction!

Tailpiece.

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

Recited my prayers.

Morning cuppa with Lekha.

We were ready by a half past 7 and kicked off soon after. Rakesh was our sa'arthi.

The doctor reviewed the MRI scan and has called us on Monday, the 4th for further action.

A quiet day.

Lunch, watched "Snehakkoottu" followed by siesta.

The evening chores. 

Girls outperform boys...

.....in state board exams.

Girls continued to maintain a dominant lead in Class 10 and Class 12 examinations of the Chhattisgarh Board, the results of which were announced on Tuesday. The data revealed a major upward trend in academic performance compared to previous years. In the higher secondary exam, the state recorded an overall pass percentage of 83.04%. Out of the 2,44,453 students who appeared, 2,02,549 passed. 

Girls recorded a pass rate of 86.04%, while boys' performance stood at 78.86%. For the high school exams, girls again outperformed, with an 81.03% pass rate compared to 72.27% for boys. 

The overall pass percentage was 77.15%.

Tailpiece.

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

Bath followed by breakfast of sewaiyan upma.

Worked on the April mail and pumpede it out around 1200 hrs.

A boisterous lunch with everyone.

Off to the State Co-operative bank's office for our district co-ordinators' meeting. Adv Chandramohan had inaugurated the meeting.

Our next meeting will be in mid-May and a co-ordinating committee of 51 members will be formed by then. 

To Kochi on work.

Dateline 29 Apr

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

Morning cuppa with Lekha.

Walked on the courtyard, recited my prayers and carried out my exercise regimen.

Breakfast of sewaiyan upma.

Worked on my laptop.

After an early lunch, took off for Kochi to take part in the book appreciation at the Chaavara Cultural Centre. Reached there by 3 and rendezvoused Maman and team. Met Father Anil Philip.

The district level co-ordinating committee meeting, followed by discussions on IAS Escalator, authored by K Mohandas, IAS the elder son-in-law of R Balakrishna Pillai. A nice evening where I interacted with retired IAS bigwigs like Paul Antony, Tom Jose, PC Syriac, Dr Dhanalakshmi and Sri Raja Sreekumar Varma.

Dinner at our old haunt, the Ceylon Bake House and reached Lekha and The Quarterdeck by 11.

Settled them down to their beds within no time.

 

FTA inked with New Zealand.

Free Trade Agreement between India and New Zealand has been inked. Here are the key takeaways :-

* $20 billion investment commitment over 15 years.

* Special emphasis on strengthening MSMEs and women-led enterprises.

* India offers market access in 70.03% of the tariff lines, which covers 95% of New Zealand's bilateral

   trade.

* India protects key interests in dairy and agriculture; benefit for labour-intensive sectors like textile and

   leather.

* New Zealand facilitates health and traditional medicine services for the first time.

* Student mobility and post-study work visa for STEM graduates, skilled professionals; opens new 

   pathway for 5,000 skilled occupations.

My take

A good thing to happen.

Tailpiece.

A quiet Tuesday.

Went to the Saroja Multi-Speciality Hospital and met Dr Sreekumaran Pillai for Lekha's case. Carried out an MRI. 

 

London marathon gets into history books.

Kenya's Sawe, the current World No.1, created history by becoming the first human to dip under the two hour mark in the marathon.

Importance of breaking the two-hour barrier

For a long time, humans thought this record would be impossible to achieve. Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge, in association with Nike, in fact dipped below the two hour mark at Vienna in 2019. However, he did it in a controlled environment so it wasn't valid for the purposes of a world record. Now, Sawe has done it. Yomif Kejelcha, who came second, also went under the two-hour mark (1:59:41).

Why it was only a matter of time

* Shoe technology has improved massively. The importance of science and holistic training approaches 

   is evident. Also, the marathon, at the elite level, has seen official times be repeatedly slashed. 

* The sixteen fastest timings in history have all come since 2019. In fact, this is one record which has 

   kept breaking.

1:59:30  Sawe's timings at London marathon on Sunday.

Tailpiece.

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

Morning cuppa with Lekha.

Walked on the courtyard, recited my prayers and carried out my exercise regimen.

Bath followed by breakfast of poorie bhaaji.

Worked on my laptop.

Lunch, watched "Snehakkoottu" followed by siesta.

Booked an appointment with the doctor for tomorrow.

Sincerely hope that things would be sorted out by tomorrow.

An interesting story revisited.

Govardhan Hill, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh

In the Braj region of UP's Mathura district near Vrindavan, rises Govardhan Hill, a low sandstone ridge extending roughly 21 km. Though modest in height, it is among the much revered landscapes in the Krishna tradition. According to the Bhaagavata Puraana, Krishna persuaded the villagers to worship the hill instead of Indra, the rain god. In response, Indra unleashed torrential rains and Krishna lifted the hill to shelter the community. The episode establishes the idea that nature itself is worthy of reverence.

This idea continues in the practice of Govardhan Parikrama, a 21-km circumambulation undertaken by thousands daily - I, too, have undertaken this parikrama during my last visit, during Oct '25, though I must confess that it was in a vehicle. Many walk barefoot, some perform Dandavat Parikrama, progressing through full prostrations. The route passes sacred sites such as Radha Kund, Shyam Kund, Kusum Sarovar and Mansi Ganga, each linked to episodes from Krishna's life. The hill is also central to the Braj Chaurasi Kos Yatra, a wider pilgrimage circuit.

Pilgrimage peaks during Govardhan Puja, where offerings of food symbolise gratitude to the sustaining land. Here, there is no single shrine; the landscape itself is the deity.

Tailpiece.

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

Morning cuppa with Lekha.

Walked on the courtyard, recited my prayers and carried out my exercise regimen.

Bath followed by breakfast of appams and kadala.

Worked on my laptop.

Lunch, watched an episode of Crime Patrol followed by siesta.

The evening chores.

Die empty.

The most beautiful book to read is Die Empty by Todd Henry. The author was inspired and got this idea of writing this book while attending a business meeting. When the Director asked the audience : Where is the richest land in the world?

One of the audience answered : The oil-rich gulf states. Another added : The diamond mines in Africa.

Then the Director said : "No. it is the cemetery.

Yes, Cemetery is the richest land in the world because millions of people have departed/died and they carried away many valuable ideas that did not come to light nor benefit others. It is all in the cemetery where they are buried".

Inspired by this answer, Todd Henry wrote his book, "Die Empty" where he did his best to motivate people to pour out their ideas and potential energies in their communities and turn them into something useful before it is too late.

The most beautiful of what he said in his book is : "Do not go to your grave and carry inside you the best that you have. Always choose to die empty.

The true meaning of this expression, is to die empty of all the goodness that is within you. Deliver it to the world before you leave.

If you have an idea perform it.

If you have knowledge give it out.

If you have a goal achieve it.

If you have resources assist the less opportuned

Love, share and distribute, do not keep it inside".

Let's begin to give. Remove and spread every atom of goodness inside you.

Start the race now!

Tailpiece.

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

Morning cuppa with Lekha.

Walked on the courtyard, recited my prayers and carried out my exercise regimen.

Bath followed by breakfast of appams, egg roast.

Worked on my laptop.

Lunch, watched an episode of Crime Patrol followed by siesta.

The evening chores.

Guidelines to stay safe in the spiralling heat.

* Avoid direct exposure to sunlight between 10 AM and 3 PM when 'uv' radiation is at its peak.

* Stay hydrated : drink plenty of water at regular intervals.

* Use protective gear such as hats, umbrellas and sunglasses while stepping outdoors.

* Wear loose, light-coloured cotton clothing that covers the body.

* Take frequent breaks in shaded or cool areas during travel or outdoor work.

* Outdoor workers, fishermen, bikers and tourists should exercise extra caution.

* Elderly people, children and those with existing health conditions should avoid prolonged outdoor  

   exposure.

* Be aware that surfaces like water, sand and concrete can reflect UV rays and increase exposure.

* Seek medical attention if symptoms like dizziness, excessive sweating, fatigue or sunburn occur.

Tailpiece.

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

Morning cuppa with Lekha.

Walked on our courtyard, recited my prayers and carried out my exercise regimen.

Bath followed by breakfast of puttum pazhavum.

Worked on my laptop. 

Lunch, watched "Snehakkoottu" followed by siesta.

The evening chores.

            

Back at The Quarterdeck.

Got up at 4, went through our chores and were ready by 6 but quite a few small things perked up at the last moment that by the time we kicked off on our journey, it was a half past 6. Our first stop was at the Nagaraaja kshetram at Randalummoodu, as usual. Drove till the road transport corporation's service station and handed over the Chevy to Monish.

We had a darshan of the Kottarakkara Maha Ganapati, walked around the temple and resumed our journey. Had dropped in at Lekha's sister, Letha's place to hand over the mangoes collected from my compound. Had our breakfast at the Padma Cafe at Changanaasserry. It took a lot of time as the service was found to be wanting.

Reached The Quarterdeck by 2, sent Monish back and had a lovely lunch made by the maid. Siesta.

The evening chores, Rejith was called in to hand over the clothes for dry cleaning.

A quiet evening thereafter.

Tailpiece.

The Assembly elections to West Bengal (1st phase) and Tamilnadu took place today registering a 92.5% percentage in the former and 85.6% in the latter. The results should be interesting!

The heat, here, is manageable!

Got up around a half past 1 to reduce water levels and since sleep was hard to come by, recited my prayers. Turned off to sleep yet again.

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

Morning cuppa with Lekha. 

Bath followed by breakfast of idiyappams and potato stew. 

Left for Sarathy Auto Cars at Kottarakkara regarding the exchange of our cars. The chevy was inspected and taken for a test drive by them. Vishnu, Unni, Santosh and Geoffrey looked after us and we were given black tea/coffee for Lekha. We've zeroed in our new car - a Maruti Vottoris.

Returned home by a half past 11. Lunch was given, free, by Thulasi of Murukaalaya - damn sweet of him! The food was tasty and was being provided to visitors at Kottarakkara on the occasion of the Maha Ganapati kshetram's ulsavam.

A leisurely lunch followed by siesta.

Lekha got up by a half past 4, washed up and left for the Kottarakkara Maha Ganapati kshetram's "kettukaazhcha" on the occasion of the last day of the ulsavam. 

She returned by 2000 hrs.

A quiet evening of packing and securing for an early morning getaway tomorrow.

From The Quarterdeck to Raj Nivas.

Our day began 4, this morning. Went through our chores and were ready by a half past 6. Kannan had made it by that time and we set off at a quarter to 7. Returned soon after, from Chavakkad, to open up the servants' bathroom for Ramesh and his co-workers, who were cleaning the well.

Had breakfast at "Elayathu" at Mathilakam.

Took the Thrippoonithura- Thannermukkam Bund road to reach Kottayam by a half past 10. The traffic was easy and we had lunch at the Padma Cafe of Changanasserry by around a half past 1. It was nice.

Reached Lekha's sister, Letha's house to collect our dinner. 

Sent Kannan back and I drove to Raj Nivas with Lekha. Reached there by a half past 3.

As Lekha caught up with her forty winks, I spoke to Mom and dad - briefed them about my illness, set up the puja room draping our ''pattu" on Guruvayurappan and got the lamp ready.

Lekha goes to the Kottarakkara Maha Ganapati kshetram to view the lighting in lieu of the ulsavam and to drop in on her chittappan-kunjamma and Venu-Vidya-Vivek to hand them over a handful of mangoes from our mango tree.  

A quiet evening.

Limbering up!

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

Morning cuppa with Lekha.

Walked on the courtyard, went through my exercise regimen: recited my prayers.

Bath followed by breakfast of poorie, bhaaji.

Lekha goes to the ration stand to buy our monthly dues and sundry purchases.

Selvam comes in for pressing clothes as he was going to Pondicherry to cast his vote. He'll return after a week.

Lunch, watched "Snehakkoottu" followed by siesta.

The evening chores.

Shut down The Quarterdeck, systematically.

A boisterous Sunday.

Got up at 5, Aniyan and ammaayi were off to the temple to have the 'darshan' of the good Lord. Sent the messages, opened up the house for the day, lit up the puja room lamp and switched on the hymns on the home theatre.

Morning cuppa with Lekha.

Walked on the courtyard, went through my exercise regimen; recited my prayers.

Bath followed by breakfast of poories and bhaaji ordered from Hotel Welcome.

Maalu and Paaru went to the Mammiyoor temple for the darshan of the good Lord.

Lunch from Hotel Welcome again.

Aniyan and family left home for Kidangoor by a half past 2 and they reached their house at 1950 hrs.

A quiet evening, watching television.

The Quarterdeck is all quiet again!

Aniyan and family arrive.

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

Morning cuppa with Lekha.

Had bath; recited my prayers in the process as I didn't want to be late when the guests arrived.

The maid was well ahead of time and commenced her work so that she could leave early after preparing lunch and dinner.

Spoke to both Sreedevi and Saumya of AIMS, to take clearance from Dr Rajesh Jose, my cardiologist, regarding substitution of Carvidas 6.25 in place of BetaOne XL 25. Got the approval by lunchtime.

Worked on my laptop.

Yakkitiyak with Aniyan and his family(Usha ammayi, Maalu and Praarthana). The dress bought for Paru, yesterday from Seematti at Kochi, was ill fitting. So, Lekha took Malu and Paru to the Trends outlet and bought a new dress for the little one. And weren't they happy?

A boisterous lunch followed by siesta.

Aniyan and his family, along with Lekha, goes to the temple for the darshan of the good Lord @ a quarter to 5, after tea.

A long evening with full of yakkitiyak!

They return past 9, fully satisfied with their outing. Lekha had come in much earlier as she prepared the main dish for dinner!

And a boisterous dinner!

Our quarterly medical reviews!

Our day had begun at 4, went through our chores and were ready by around 6. Earlier, we'd recited our prayers!

We kicked off for Kochi at a quarter past 6, reached Aaryaas at Idappalli, had breakfast and reached the Diabetic Care of India by a quarter to 10. I entered the clinic on the dot at 10. All the girls were there and the doctor fetched up an hour late after his tryst with the auditors along with Meera.

Satish Bhat has given me a course of six injections around my tummy to enhance my Haemoglobin - over a period of six months.

We, then, went across to Chellakkili's office and we had tender coconut water!

By a quarter to 1, we were headed for Shenoy Care. Had a quick bite of vegetarian lunch and went through Lekha's registration formalities. She went through the tests, we met the junior doctor, Aswathy an hour later. By the time we met Dr Padmanabha Shenoy it was a half past 5. Lekha will go through the biopsy, we've decided.

And after a quick cup of tea and 'ullivada' at the canteen, we're on our return to Guruvayur.

Reached home by a quarter past 9. Settled down quickly. 

TMC's shameless lie exposed!

"Bengal was never a manufacturing hub and never can be", thus spake Mahua Moitra, the party's MP during her election rallies.

Then how do you explain the legacy of Hindustan Motors, Burn & Company, Bengal Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals, Dunlop India and more?

Under Mamata Banerjee, corruption, strikes, violence and a broken business climate pushed 6,668 companies out of Bengal. First they destroyed the industrial backbone. Now they deny it ever existed.

They lie. They deflect. They deny. But Bengal remembers. And Bengal will respond.

Mamata Banerjee has been unusually silent on this and many more!

Tailpiece.

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

The Rajah team had come by to draw my blood samples for tests.

Had breakfast to be in time for the 'post prandial blood sugar' test.

Worked on my laptop.

Lunch, watched "Snehakkoottu" followed by siesta.

The evening chores. 

Vishu '26.

Got up at 4, got the Vishukkani ready, brought Lekha from our first floor bedroom down below to our puja room to view the kani. "Kanikaanum neyram, kamalanethrante......", the iconic song that characterises Vishu, the festival always, was playing on the home theatre! It was a perfect beginning to Vishu '26!

Sent all the messages.

The Wednesday "aarathi" of the house was carried out.

Morning cuppa with Lekha.

Handed over the 'Vishukkaineettam' to Ramakrishnan, the newspaper boy.

Walked on the courtyard; recited my prayers and followed it up with the ground exercises.

Bath; handed over Lekha her Vishukkaineettam. A lovely breakfast of Aval nanachathu, uzhunnu vada and paal paayasam.

Wished Maman, Suma kunjamma and Aniyan, Vishu wishes.

Dismantled the Vishukkani, threw away the old flowers and put each of the items back into their respective places.

Lunch, watched television for a while followed by siesta.

The evening chores.

Watched a few of our favourite Malayalam serials. 

Hit the sack at our usual time of a half past 11.

 

Helping Lekha in setting up the "Vishukkani"

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

The morning cuppa with Lekha.

Walked on the courtyard; recited my prayers.

Breakfast of idlis and sambar!

Bath and was ready by a half past 10. Off to Dr Kripal's hospital for a second opinion on my medical test results.

Returned by a half past 2 after Lekha could finish her last-minute Vishu shopping.

Lunch, watched "Snehakkoottu" and siesta.

The evening chores.

Handed over the Vishukkaineettam to:-

     * Rajesh, our chauffeur

     * Farhaan, the medicine delivery boy

     * Pushpaakaran, the farmhand

     * Sukesan, the autorickshaw driver

     * Abhishek, the delivery boy from Harisree.

Post dinner, got down to setting up the Vishukkani with Lekha.

Tailpiece.

Was reminded of our first Vishukkani at The Quarterdeck with my Amma being the chief architect of the Vishukkani, in Apr 2014.

Adieu Asha Bhosle!

Asha Bhosle passed into the mist of time yesterday around 1100 hrs at the Breach Candy Hospital in Bombay.

She recorded her first song in 1943 and her last recorded song, "The Shadowy Light" came out two months ago. More than 12,000 songs across multiple languages - a career spanning 83 yrs - is her legacy! These are the days when one realises the insurmountable impact some artists have made in our lives. Asha Bhosle, without any exaggeration, is one of those rare artists.

Adieu Asha ji! My tears and prayers. You'll live on through your songs.

My all time favourite song of hers is "Aaiye Meherbaan" of Howrah Bridge!

Tailpiece.

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

Morning cuppa with Lekha.

Walked on the courtyard: recited my prayers.

Bath followed by breakfast of semiya upma.

Worked on my laptop.

Lunch, saw "Snehakkoottu" followed by siesta.

The evening chores.

Factories feel shortage of manpower.

Reminding the sight of migrant workers huddling together at Railway Stations during the Covid 19 severity, the flight of the migrant workers to their homes triggered by fears of shortage of cooking gas is a sad sight these days!

Manpower crisis

Federation of Indian Export Organisations(FIEO) says around 5-7% workers did not return due to LPG-related disruptions.

Industry players are seeking government intervention to improve living conditions of workers, introduce measures to minimise reverse migration.

The Tamilnadu government has asked Torrent Gas to ensure piped natural gas(PNG) supply to industrial units in madras within 60 days.

Around 10-20% migrant workers or roughly 10,000 labourers across western and southern Tamilnadu, have not returned to their workplaces.

Industry estimates indicate that nearly 2 lakh workers in Coimbatore left for Holi and are yet to return.

Tailpiece.

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

Morning cuppa with Lekha.

Walked on the courtyard; recited my prayers.

Bath followed by breakfast of assorted stuff.

Lunch followed by siesta.

The evening chores.

Watched the movie, "Sarvam Maya", starring Nivin Pauly, Riya Shibu and Preity Mukhundhan along with the others. Lekha and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

SIR in UP.

UP's final voter list out, 2 crore names deleted.

No of voters in UP post SIR           13.39 crores

Male                                                7,30,71,061 (54.54%)

Female                                             6,09,09,525 (45.46%)

Transgenders                                             4,206

Highest growth in voters since SIR first phase

Prayagraj                                               2,85,061

Lucknow                                               2,85,961

Bareilly                                                 2,57,920

Ghaziabad                                             2,43,666

Jaunpur                                                 2,37,590

Sahibabad                                                82,898

Lucknow west                                         54,822

Loni                                                         53,679

Firozabad                                                 47,757

Tailpiece.

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

Morning cuppa with Lekha.

Walked on the courtyard; recited my prayers.

Bath followed by breakfast of Puttum pazhavum.

Worked on my laptop.

Lunch followed by siesta.

The evening chores.

Through the Sabarimala entry case.

Restricting temple entry by denomination harms Hinduism

Hinduism will be adversely impacted if temples and mutts restrict entry on grounds of separate denominations inside a religion, Supreme Court says.

State can step in under article 25(2)(B)

The nine-judge Constitution Bench was responding to submissions of senior advocate CS Vaidyanathan that article 26(b) over 25(2b). The court did not agree with the supremacy of art 26(b) over 25(2b). Justice Nagarathna said that the State can step in under article 25(2b) to ensure access to temples to all sections.

Specificity of denomination not good : the court

* Vaidyanathan, for the devotees of Lord Ayyappa of Sabarimala temple, submitted that they constitute      a separate religious denomination and hence have the right to manage the temple's affairs

* To his submission, Justice Nagarathna said, ".....if you say only my denomination will attend the             temple, that is not good for Hinduism".

Tailpiece.

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

Morning cuppa with everyone.

Bath followed by breakfast of masala dosa and coffee.

Worked on my laptop.

A boisterous lunch, a bit of "Snehakkoottu" followed by siesta.

Padmakumar, Rema and Achu returned to Thrippunithura; enroute they'd dropped our maid at the Chavakkad bus stand. Had handed over the 'Vishukkaineettam" to the three of them!

A quiet evening.

Cast my vote!

Our day had begun at a half past 4, went through our chores and was ready by a quarter to 7. Off to the RCUP School which was our polling booth at 7 with the Radhakrishnans, our neighbours, in their car. Cast out votes by 8, had a 'Guruvayur darshan' before having our breakfast at Renai's hotel. Returned by a quarter to 10.

It was yet another quiet, warm day.

The maid was absent.

Lunch at our usual time with Lekha preparing chicken curry.

Saw "Snehakkoottu" followed by siesta.

The evening chores. 

Lekha went to the temple to have a darshan of the good Lord and offered the first mango from our tree at the 'nada'.

A video conference of our classmates, orchestrated by Babu Sahdev. The quorum was less than what I thought it would be, but it was nice all the same.

Padmakumar, Rema and Achu fetched up from Kochi and it was yakkittiyak as always. Slept past 11.  

News from Kalpakkam, Tamilnadu.

Prototype fast blade reactor(PFBR) is a fast breeder nuclear reactor with 500 MW electric capacity. Nuclear fuel in the reactor is Plutonium 239. 

Along with production of electricity, this reactor converts Uranium 238 to Plutonium 239. Thus it produces or converts more nuclear fuel material than it is consuming for power production.

Utilising this technology, Thorium 232 can be converted into Uranium 233 which is also a nuclear fuel material. Incidentally, India has the largest Thorium reserve in the world.

Hence the technology which is demonstrated now has the potential to solve the energy requirement of our country for generations.

My take

A great step indeed. Thankfully, the heap of sand - rich in Thorium - off the coast of Chavara, Kollam will be gainfully employed! 

Tailpiece.

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

Morning cuppa with Lekha.

Carried out the Wednesday 'aarathi' of the house.

Walked on the courtyard; recited my prayers.

Bath followed by breakfast of upma.

Worked on my laptop. Lekha goes to town to get a lot of work done.

Lunch, watched "Snehakkoottu" followed by siesta.

The evening chores. 

9 cops sentenced to death in Tamilnadu.

In a groundbreaking verdict, a court in Madurai handed death penalty to all the nine policemen convicted in connection with the custodial torture and death of two traders - P Jeyaraj and his son, Beniks - at Sathankulam in Thoothukudi in 2020.

Referring to similar incidents in the US, First Additional District and Sessions Judge G Muthukumaran observed that custodial killings are a social evil and an assault on human rights. The judgement, it's hoped, will serve as a warning to stop the recurrence of similar incidents.

As per prosecution, on 19 Jun 2020, the convicted cops picked up Jeyaraj for allegedly keeping their mobile phone shop open beyond the Covid-19 curfew hours. When Beniks went to the police station and requested his father's release, they verbally abused Jeyaraj in front of him, leading to a quarrel. Following this, the father-son duo was subjected to extreme physical assault, leading to their deaths in a hospital a few days later.  

My take

A very sad incident!

Tailpiece.

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

Morning cuppa with Lekha.

Walked within the house; recited the prayers.

Bath followed by breakfast of pancakes.

Worked on my laptop.

Lunch; the power outage prevented us from viewing the television, siesta.

The evening chores.

The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR).

The NFR achieves milestones, boosts connectivity

The Northeast Frontier Railway has achieved significant milestones during the 2025-26 fiscal year, with enhanced connectivity, modernisation, passenger comfort and development across the region.

It introduced 20 pairs of new train services, including premium, semi-premium and conventional trains, strengthening connectivity.

NFR increased the speeds of 35 trains, resulting in a cumulative saving of 675 minutes in travel time. 

Simultaneously, the railway made notable progress with 100% electrification, contributing to Indian Railways' mission of sustainable and energy operations.

Tailpiece.

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

Resmi calls up to say that the wedding of Kripa-shankar and Aishwarya ( daughter of a Telugu couple settled now at Ambalamukku, Thiruvananthapuram), sometime next year. Aishwarya is working at Google in the US and is friends with Kripa-shankar. She's a Brahmin girl and they want the wedding to be done as per their traditions!

Walked within the house; recited my prayers.

Bath followed by breakfast of appams and chammanthi.

Worked on my laptop.

Lunch, watched "Snehakkoottu" followed by siesta.

The evening chores.

Met the Medical specialist, Jimmy Francis and my friend to show my recent test results at KIMS, Thiruvananthapuram. 

Morning cuppa with Lekha.

9-judge bench to hear pleas...

On Sabarimala verdict review.

The new bench comprises :-

     

     * Chief Justice Surya Kant

     * Justice V Nagarathna

     * Justice MM Sundresh

     * Justice Ahanuddin Amanullah

     * Justice Aravind Kumar

     * Justice Augustine George Masih

     * Justice Prasanna B Varale

     * Justice R Mahadevan

     * Justice Joymalya Bagchi

The time line.

     * 07 Apr            Shall begin hearing the review case

     * 07-09 Apr       The review petitioners shall be heard

     * 16-17 Apr       The parties opposing the review will be heard

     * 21 Apr            The rejoinder submissions will be heard

Tailpiece.

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

Morning cuppa with Lekha.

Walked within the house; recited my prayers.

Bath and breakfast.

Worked on my laptop.

Lunch, watched an episode of "Crime Patrol" followed by siesta.

The evening chores.

I'd some jokes on the armed forces....

I had a joke on the Infantry...it's still in the trenches.

I had a joke on the Armoured Corps...but I lost its track.

I had a joke on the Signals...but I couldn't "air" it.

I had a joke on the Artillery....but they couldn't hear me.

I had a joke on the Paras....but it got lost in free fall.

I had a joke on the EME...but it went off-road.

I had a joke on the Air Defence Corps...but they shot it down.

I have got a joke on the Ordnance Corps...but it's not indented yet.

The joke on the ASC...is in short supply.

I had a joke on the Engineers...but it got demolished in between.

I had a joke on the Education Corps...it's still being studied for the content.

And finally,

I also have a joke on the DRDO but I'll tell it 20 years from now!

Tailpiece.

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

Morning cuppa with Lekha.

Walked in front of the house; recited my prayers.

Bath followed by breakfast of appams and stew.

Worked on my laptop.

Lunch, watched an episode of Crime Patrol, followed by siesta.

The evening chores.

Blessings and prayers on Good Friday.

   1. May God's mercy fill your heart with peace and comfort today.

   2. May your faith grow stronger and your worries fade away.

   3. May this Good Friday bring healing, hope and endless grace.

   4. May divine love guide every step you take.

   5. May your prayers rise and your blessings fall like gentle rain.

   6. May your heart be calm and your soul be at peace.

   7. May God protect you and your loved ones always.

   8. May forgiveness, kindness and compassion fill your life.

   9. May today renew your spirit and strengthen your trust in God.

 10. May your day be wrapped in peace, love and heavenly light.

Tailpiece.

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

Morning cuppa with Lekha.

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

Bath followed by breakfast of appams and egg masala.

Worked on my laptop.

Suresh, from Ribi's Asian Paints team, finished up the last of the jobs remaining. Gave him our first Vishukkaineettam for the year.

Lunch, watched "Snehakkoottu" and siesta.

The evening chores.

We've a guest.

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

Morning cuppa with Lekha.

Walked outside the house: recited my prayers.

Bath followed by breakfast of puttum pazhavum.

Worked on my laptop.

Leela Samson drops in by a half past 12.

Lekha had made Fish curry and meals. Leela seemed to enjoy it.

Met Roopika and Layapriya, two of Leela's disciples. Roopika's one of three daughters has been selected for the Sainik School.

They all leave by 3, back to Kochi.

Siesta after watching the serial, "Snehakkoottu".

The evening chores.

A quiet evening.

The FCRA Bill.

Lok Sabha was set to take up the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) for passage today. Owing to pressure from Kerala's BJP, the government decided to take up the amendment on a later date because of the strong opposition from the state's Christian denominations who feel that their contributions are being brought under check!

The amendment allows the Centre to appoint a designated authority, which could control funds and assets if the FCRA certificate of an NGO is cancelled, surrendered or ceased.

Cardinal Baselios Cleemis, head of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, expressed concern over the proposed amendments.

The Catholic Bishops' Conference of India wrote to the Home Minister seeking wider consultation and safeguards against 'excessive state control over civil society'. 

80% of Christian NGOs in Kerala have FCRA licence.

Tailpiece.

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

Morning cuppa with Lekha.

Walked within the house; recited my prayers.

Breakfast of dosas and chana before bath.

Worked on my laptop. 

Bath followed by siesta.

Lunch, saw "Snehakkoottu" followed by siesta.

Lekhs went to the temple for the darshan of the good Lord and buys grocery from the Harisree supermarket.

The evening chores.

The first fully-digital census.

India's first fully-digital census to kick off on 01 Apr.

The process starts with self-enumeration in Delhi, Goa. Karnataka, Lakshadweep, Mizoram, Orissa, Sikkim and Andaman & Nicobar Islands.

Second phase from Feb '27

The census 2027 will be done in two phases - house listing or house census and population enumeration. After a 15-day self enumeration period, the 30-day house-listing phase will begin on 16 Apr. Across the country, the first phase will be wrapped up by October. The population enumeration phase will then be conducted in Feb 2027.

No decision taken on NPR updation

* The self-enumeration will begin on 16 Apr in Andhra Pradesh, 26 Apr in Telangana, 16 Jun in Kerala     and 17 Jul in Tamilnadu. The date for West Bngal is yet to be decided.

* The Registrar General has said that no decision has been taken on National Population Register's 

   updation.

31 lakh enumerators to participate in the world's largest census

Tailpiece.

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

Morning cuppa with Lekha.

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

Lekha goes to the temple for the darshan of the good Lord and to buy sundries.

Bath and breakfast of dosas and chana.

Worked on my laptop. Sent my March mail by a trifle after 12. The formatting went awry.

Lunch, watched "Snehakkoottu" followed by siesta.

The evening chores.

   

Whither West Asia war?

The war between US-Israel vs Iran is entering its 5th week and there isn't any let up. I would like to classify this war into three stages as of now :-

    (a) US and Israel carry out deadly missile strikes, decapitating the top Iranian leadership

          including the Supreme leader.

    (b) The Houthis, Hezbollah and the Hamas join Iran making it a wide front concentrating

         on the destruction of Israel.

    (c) 3,500 marines poised to be deployed in Iran.

What's gonna happen after that?

Either of the two possibilities.

     * The US deploys "boots on ground", a fierce battle ensues with heavy casualties on both sides.

        The American public mood will change seeing the sickening arrival of American soldiers, in

        body bags, at regular intervals! Mind you, the fallout would be that the public support would

        diminish raising a backlash on Trump.

     * The US puts pressure on the Iranians and by mid-Apr, Trump's gonna pull out from the                            engagement, citing victory.

Tailpiece.

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

Sajish comes in, gives me a good haircut and massage.

Lekha goes to Mammiyur temple to carry out Mini's vow.

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

Bath followed by breakfast of idlis and sambar.

Worked on my laptop.

Spoke to Anup, BM of the SBI and put in the requisite action for taking a loan.

Lunch, saw "Snehakkoottu" followed by siesta.

A quiet evening.

Bath followed by breakfast of idlis and sambar.

Back @ The Quarterdeck.

Our day began at 4, this morning. Went about our chores and we were ready by 6 but our sa'arthi, Monish came about around a quarter to 7. Between the caretaker and me, we'd loaded the Chevy with our luggage and set off soon after.

Our first stop was at the Nagaraja temple at Randalummoodu. After meeting the priest, resumed our journey and had our next halt at the Kottarakkara Maha Ganapathi temple. Had a nice darshan and we pressed on to Letha's place at Mylam from where we collected our breakfast and lunch packs!

We'd breakfast of idlis and chutney in the car with a cuppa tea to wash it down at a wayside tea stall.

The journey was smooth with Monish clipping at an average of 90 kmph and we reached Thrissur by a 20' past 1. The PM electioneering visit was on and therefore, we did face traffic restrictions and diversions. Reached Guruvayur by a quarter to 2.

Unloaded the Chevy, sent Monish back and had our lunch.

Siesta.

The evening chores.

Watched Lekha watering the plants and sat down to watch the television.

A quiet evening!

A quiet day!

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

Morning cuppa with Lekha.

Walked within the house; recited my prayers.

Breakfast was colonial with toasts and eggs.

Frequent power outages were the order of the day.

Washed all the clothes, along with the bed linen.

Worked on my laptop.

Lunch of rice, fish curry and assorted vegetable dishes.

Siesta; got up just in time to collect all the dried clothes from the clothing line outside, from the flash thundershowers that fell.

Saw our serials in bits and pieces thanks to the frequent power outages.

A quiet evening! 

Nearly two months of fuel available.

Next two months also secured : India has 60 days of crude oil and fuel reserves!

* Government assures no supply gap; situation fully secure

* Advance imports in place; refineries operating at full capacity

* Government says no fuel shortage despite global tensions

* India is well prepared for disruptions

Tailpiece.

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

Morning cuppa with Lekha.

Walked within the house; recited my prayers.

Breakfast of idlis and chhole, followed by bath.

Lunch, watched "Snehakkoottu" followed by siesta.

The evening chores.

The tests.

By midnight, my stomach was washed down by the Colonprep. Had slept well thereafter. Got up at 5, had washed myself and resumed the second round of washing down my stomach and was ready by a half past 8. Kuttu had come by with breakfast for Rema and Padmakumar.

Kuttu, then, dropped us at KIMS and I was taken into the minor OT for the proceedures. By 11, I was brought out of the minor OT on completion of endoscopy and colonoscopy. I've a problem of thickening blood vessels within the alimentary canal! Was referred to the Haematologist, blood tests were carried out out and the ultra sound scan of my abdomen done. 

Had lunch late, by a half past 3.Soon after, we left Thiruvananthapuram for Thalavoor and reached Raj Nivas by 6.  The care - chauffeured by Sachin - then dropped Padmakumar-Rema at Vetteelazhikam and returned.

Had fruits and watched television serials with Lekha. 

Was dog tired!

Slept at our usual time!

At KIMS and onward.

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

Morning cuppa with Lekha.

Bath followed by breakfast; recited my prayers.

Ajub comes in by 9 and set off for Thiruvananthapuram: picked up Padmakumar and Rema from Pidavoor; resumed our journey.

Reached KIMS by 11, met Lynda and commenced pre-anaesthesia checks. Met the anaesthetist, took her advice, samples of my blood were drawn, bought the purgatives and settled down at 205, Ivy Residency. Had the lovely lunch prepared by Rema followed by siesta.

Suma kunjamma and Kuttu had come by to take us to their house. Instead we'd dinner at Imperial Kitchen, nearby. 

A quiet evening thereafter.

  

At the Neelamperoor Devi kshetram.

Had got up 1, went through our chores and we were ready by a half past 2 and Monish was at our gate at that time. We kicked off soon after. A massive accident about 4 km north of Kottarakkara; thankfully there were no casualties. As the recovery vessel and the police came into the scene along with the electricity board guys, we resumed our journey.

Reached the ground opposite the Neelamperoor Devi kshetram, at a half past 4 and we stayed put in the car till 5, when Subbalakshmi's Venkatachalapathi hymn started blaring out of the temple's loud speakers. Rang up Saji as he came out to light up the lamp.

Joined in the first puja, "Ashtabhishekam" and saw to its logical conclusion.. Passed on the puja articles for the next serial.

A boisterous breakfast. Aniyan had come by then!

By that time the rest of the PN Panicker-Chempakakutty Amma family was in we were on to the next puja.

Went to the Puthuvayil House, saw Unni and Valsala's mother, aged 87 years.

Returned, had a short snooze.

Joined in for the evening puja. Set up the external oil lamps and lit them too!

The final puja and the dakshina were handed over.

Had dinner and kicked off on our return around a half past 8, after meeting up with Mini.

Reached Raj Nivas by a quarter past 10.

At the Kusappilli temple.

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

Morning cuppa with Lekha.

Recited my prayers while walking inside the house.

Lekha goes to Kottarakkara to fix up everything for her dad's remembrance day tomorrow and to do sundry shopping.

Padmakumar and Rema came home with a lovely lunch by her. But poor Rema is still unwell and she took precautions.

Siesta.

Went off to Kusappilli temple by a quarter past 6.

The evening function with the transport minister, KB Ganesh Kumar went off well.

Kanji, payar and paayasam at the temple.

Dropped Rema-Padmakumar at Pidavoor and returned.

An early night.

From The Quarterdeck to Raj Nivas.

Lekha had got up at 3 as she'd made up her mind to prepare both breakfast and lunch for everyone during the journey. This was because :-

   * two days back when we'd gone out with Mini, we'd visited the famous Guruvayur Tiffin for                    breakfast. To our utter surprise we were told that only idlis and upma were available; by a half 

      past 8, idlis were over. This was the result of the shortage of cooking gas thanks to the ongoing 

      Gulf War.

   

   * eating out, these days, has become a hassle and it's better to avoid it till the situation eases out.

And wow, what a fair it was! Breakfast was puries, peas paneer curry and boiled eggs and lunch was fried rice and salad.

Sajish reached the house on the dot and we cast off at a quarter to 7.

Had breakfast at Rema's place by 9. She was okay, much better after what she was yesterday.

The journey was smooth with no traffic snarls at all.

Reached Letha's house by a quarter past 1. Had lunch, caught my forty winks and we resumed our journey, dropped Sajish at the rtc bus stand by a quarter past 3.

Got behind the wheel and dropped Rema-Padmakumar at Pidavoor.

Reached Raj Nivas by 4, quickly unpacked, set the house in order and allowed Lekha to have her siesta.

Spoke to mom and dad.

A quiet evening!.  

The National Dental Commission.

The commission will frame rules, conduct rating and assessment of dental institutions. It will evaluate human resources and promote dental research, frame guidelines for fee regulation in private dental colleges and establish standards for ethics.

To support the function of the commission, three autonomous bodies  have also been constituted which are :-

   

     * Undergraduate and Postgraduate Dental Education Board

        Will oversee dental education.

     * Dental Assessment and Rating Board

        Will regulate accreditation and institutional assessment.

     * The Ethics and Dental Registration Board

        Will govern professional conduct and registration of dentists.

Dr Sanjay Tewari                                          Chairperson of the commission

Dr Mousumi Goswami                                  Part-time Member

Dr Chandrashekhar Jankiram                    President, Undergraduate and Postgraduate DEB.

Dr Shailesh Madhav Lele                             Whole time member

Lt Gen  Tapas Kumar Bandyopadhyay                    "

Lt Gen Nanda Kishore Sahoo                       President, Dental Assessment and Rating Board

Arindam Modak                                             Secretary to the NDC.

My take

A step in the right direction!

Tailpiece.

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

Morning cuppa with Lekha and Mini.

Dropped Mini at the railway station and put her on the Passenger bound for Ernakulam at 0700 hrs.

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

Bath followed by breakfast of dosas, chutney. The maid given homework.

Worked on my laptop.

Lunch followed by siesta.

The metallic addition to our left boundary put in place. 

The Chevy was washed down and The Quarterdeck was systematically shut down.

Packing done in steps.

Rema and Padmakumar will be joining us tomorrow.