Spring cleaning.

It was not gonna be a quiet Sunday..........

I'd called the local farm hand, Pushpakaran, to clean the windows along with their mosquito proofing, the sills, the lights and what have you. It's supposed to be a half yearly exercise but this time it had got extended because the earlier guy had played truant - after doing it twice. Wonder why and I thought that I'd paid him handsomely?

And secondly, Lekha's understudy had also fetched up today despite the fact that she normally takes an off on Sundays - a special consideration because of Lekha's current medical restrictions. Damn sweet of her!

There was plenty of muck that was removed over the day and Pushpakaran had done a systematic work at that. With the rains having set in, the dust is gonna be less next time he said and I told him that I'd require his services from now on for the purpose.

     *                            *                              *

Calls from relatives and friends poured in inquiring about Lekha's condition, post surgery. Mom wanted to know as to whether she could return to 'The Quarterdeck' next Sunday and my sisters with their inquiries, followed.

     *                             *                              *

The task of fine tuning the 'coffee table book', which we plan to bring out on the occasion of our get together, during the first week of December - named 'GTG @ 60' - has now come to me. There are 46 contributions in the form of stories, poems and anecdotes both in English and Malayalam. The finished product has got to be good. Period!

      *                             *                              *

Rains have begun in right earnest. It had begun soon after sunset and the way it's persisting, I think it's gonna rain through the night.


Tailpiece.

Three interesting tweets on the Maggi issue:-

        *  Just found someone having Maggi at the office and now I wonder if I should report attempted
            suicide.
      ** Man, I've so many cool memories about Maggi. I still remember Harbhajan telling Symonds,
           "Teri Maggi".
    *** What's happening with Maggi is a clear MSG to everyone out there that in the nutritional
           space someone else should take the Lead!

It has now come out in the open.

Two men were killed and two others, who're seriously injured and currently battling it out for life in a private hospital in Kannur actually brings forth the grim reality that everyone knew about. The explosion had taken place at a spot where crude bombs were being made. They're the latest victims of the 'gun culture' practised by the political parties.

Politics has become very vindictive. Each political party has in its arsenal, unimaginable quantities of crude bombs, swords and other deadly weapons to fight their opponents. The art of playing politics where ideology is countered with ideology through articulations and friendly arguments has become a thing of the past. Vendetta and the use of force has become common where the elimination of opponents is considered normal because scores have to be settled!

I'm sure that the leadership sits behind in air-conditioned spaces while they let their minions go for the kill and get killed! Don't they have any feelings for the parents of the minions who undergo the loss? Or are they considered expendable? There's usually an overdose of gimmickry at the time of the funeral when bland eulogies are uttered by the prominent leaders and crocodile tears shed to appease the relatives along with the remainder of the minions!

My take.

Politics is the art of managing the unimaginable and to that extent, it should be the endeavour of every politician to win over his opponents through his articulations. Shouting down the opposition or eliminating one's opponents show what a poor leader one is. More importantly, once power is achieved, the leader has to provide governance to every member of the society despite his political affiliations/leanings. And a mature, tolerant and one who sincerely works for the entire population is revered and loved by everyone, cutting across party lines.

Magnanimity in victory and graciousness in defeat are the hallmarks of a great leader. Criticism - which will be in plenty once one is on the pinnacle of power - has to be taken in the right spirit and turned into an advantage by course corrections. And above all those aspects, one mustn't lose one's sense of humour and the only way to do it is to never take oneself too seriously!


Tailpiece.

And not to forget the need for impeccable integrity!

Why aren't these things being addressed despite repeated happenings?

Once a government is formed, its foremost function is governance and to provide an effective one at that. Every citizen's need is looked into, legislation is brought out to overcome procedural or legal impediments to ensure the overall well being of the people while ensuring that they too join the activities of nation building.

In Kerala, however, I've seen similar if not same scenarios springing up with remarkable regularity. I'm gonna touch upon three things that seem to be very low on priority, which are:-

     (a) Waste Management.

      A Malayalee is proud of the fact that he lives in clean surroundings with an emphasis on
      cleanliness every time. Not very long ago, the Tamilian came for his barbs and taunts for the
      comparatively lax approach(?) towards cleanliness. All that has changed drastically over the
      last few years and Kerala has had the highest incidence of illnesses - some new and the others,
      not new - affecting the people and the culprit has long since been identified. Poor or absolutely,
      no management of waste.

      Apart from lip service, there has been no earnest desire on the part of the powers that be to tackle
      this menace. Further delays can only bring untold suffering and sorrow.

     (b) Coastal Erosion.

      Every monsoon season, massive coastal erosion is reported but no long term remedial action has
      been put into place. A systematic development of mangroves, building of seawalls etc are some of
      the measures that can be put into effect, the shrinking of land by the advancing seas due to
      climate change, notwithstanding!

      (c) Rabid Dog Menace.

       It's with grave concern that one reads of rabid/stray dogs mauling not only little children but
       also elderly people. Such cases seem to be on the rise all across the state. Wonder why a
       systemic approach towards management of stray animals is not thought of? Or are the lives
       of the ordinary citizen considered to be cheap?


Tailpiece.

Having said the above, the citizens need not wait for the government to get into every aspect of their lives. They can organise themselves and bring about radical changes in their thinking and put things into place that can make their lives worth living!

           

Just a couple of points.

I'm continuing my analysis of the news headlines of the past few days and here, I'd like to touch upon a couple. It's amazing to see as to how a story develops and picks up in tempo with respect to the viewership, that towards the later stages, the arguments and their counters tend to get warped. But opinions are opinions, anyways and each needs to be taken note of:-

  (a) Maggi and its noodles.

  There might not be very many among us who've not tasted this yummy, easy to cook and the fastest
  dish to have on the dining table. Mothers prefer it because their children adore it. To let you into a
  secret, I wouldn't mind tucking into it, the high levels of Mono Sodium Glutamate notwithstanding!   But having said that there are a few serious queries on the issue that every right thinking man and
  woman must ponder upon, which are:-

    (i) Does Nestle maintain the same levels of Sodium Glutamate in the packs that they sell in
         countries like the US, Canada, England, France etc? Or is it reserved only for the countries
         of the developing world - after all, aren't we their guinea pigs?

   (ii) To what extent is the consumer influenced by the endorsement of a brand by the celebrities?
         And if the celebrities are aware of the fact that the consumers would follow their sentiments
         expressed regarding a brand, aren't they ethically required to confirm the usefulness, the purity,
         etc of the item before they embark on its endorsement? Will they use it? Or the lure of money
         is so great that ethics and morality be damned for most, if not, all of them? On a personal level,
         I am  not influenced even a wee bit by the celebrities and their endorsements, I choose after
         my own understanding of the product! 

   Nestle and its cronies have a whole lot of answering to do and take quick corrective actions,
   forthwith!

   (b) Yoga having a religious twang.

   This is one of the most ridiculous news byte of recent times. To term yoga as anti-religion or to
   say that its ownership belongs to a particular religion shows the level of ignorance on the part of
   the individuals who strut around as leaders or as spokespersons for their group/community.
   Just goes to show that they really don't have anything worthwhile to fight(?) for and thereby,
   justify their positions by resorting to useless rhetoric.

   Yoga is a tool towards maintaining a healthy life by toning one's body through the numerous
   exercises or 'asanas' as explained in its treatise. Let's not make a mockery of a sacred system
   that we've inherited as our culture and honed, over a period of time.


Tailpiece.

Information overkill can stymie us but perversion of information is unpardonable.
   

An act of God?

The day had begun on the usual note of being warm and gummy. The sky wasn't overcast but there were enough tell tale signs to indicate that it was gonna rain later in the evening.

A rooster in our neighbour's house made his presence felt with his energetic calls in the morning. Soon after, one heard it shrieking of pain - he was slowly being bled to death to turn up as an exquisite dish on the dining table, later in the day!

And quite a while later, Lekha's beautician friend had come to chop off her hair and give her a good head bath. She was having her head washed for the first time since 20 May, before the surgery. The relief was visible on her face because lack of bath can upset one's peace in this warm weather, the enhanced use of soaps, deodorants and perfumes post sponging, notwithstanding!

Around 8 PM, the rains had begun. I'd just finished my work out on the treadmill and we're getting ready for our fruit time. The rain picked up in intensity and before long it was heavy, submerging many parts of the temple town. My friend, Narayanan, who stays closer to the temple and who was within the outer precincts of the temple at that time had rung me up and in an excited tone said, "Sir, the lightning has struck the northern wall of the sanctum sanctorum and a part of it has fallen off!" He sounded very, very sad too and it was pretty clear that he'd taken it personal. Well, this is not an uncommon phenomenon out here, anything that does not go well for Guruvayoorappan affects the people!

My reaction was equally irrational when I exclaimed, "What, even God is not spared from the nature's fury?" and advised him to get back to his house earliest as there would be enough people to take necessary action to take care of the damages to the temple.

But news had spread by word of mouth and there were numerous calls subsequently, asking me for the details. A few of them seemed to be genuinely disappointed that I was not there at the scene of the damage! And I, for once, did not have a plausible explanation for that!!


Tailpiece.

I've seen nature's fury earlier too. Long time back, on one of my vacations from school, I'd seen a sheet of lightning drop on to the earth when it had struck a huge and old banyan tree at the market ground, adjacent to my house. It was spectacular but dangerously close for comfort and we're all huddled in our sitting room deep in conversation........The tree's remnants, the next day, was a sorry sight - burnt and reduced to an insignificant, dwarfed stump shorn off all its leaves and most of the branches!  

Recommendations are good, but will our 'maturity' allow its implementation?

The state's unit of the 'Commission for Women' has come up with recommendations - that would have far reaching implications and will, I believe, have the wholehearted supported of the entire strata of society - to cut down upon ostentatious weddings. Stories are a plenty where the brides' families have incurred heavy debts towards the conduct of their daughters' weddings - just to be at par(?) with the others.

The brides, quite often, look like they're advertising for gold companies and are severely restricted in their movements by the sheer weight of the ornaments that they're wearing! Usually, the ornaments and the clothes that are worn for the occasion are never, ever repeated!! And therefore, they become 'dead stock'!

No, I ain't being condescending nor am I trying to harp on an issue that I've long crossed over. I must hasten to add that mine wasn't ostentatious because, firstly, we'd consciously decided not to throw money around and more importantly, we didn't have the money to throw around, either. 

Let's go over the recommendations indicating the maximum amount that can be spent on each segment of a wedding:-

      (a) Invitation card                               Rs. 25/- per piece
      (b) Auditorium/pandal                        Rs. 25,000/-
      (c) Decoration                                     Rs. 5,000/-
      (d) Reception/party                             Rs. 100/- per plate
      (e) Bride's trousseau                           Rs. 10,000/-
      (f) Bridegroom's clothes                     Rs. 5,000/-
      (g) Gold ornaments                             @ 10 sovereigns for the bride
                                                                  @ 5 sovereigns for the bridegroom.

       Further,

         * No separate functions for betrothal and marriage. To be restricted to one function only.
            The number of guests for the betrothal @ 50 (25 from the bride's side and 25 from the
            bridegroom's) and the number of guests at the wedding @ 200 (100 from the bride's side
            and 100 from the bridegroom's).

         * Violation of the law (If the Commission's recommendations are accepted by the government
             and it becomes law) would entail paying a penalty @ 25% of the total expenses incurred.

         * The bride's and the bridegroom's parties are to give a signed affidavit regarding the
            expenditure towards the conduct of the wedding with a copy to the religious head conducting
            the same!

My take.

I congratulate the Commission for Women to have come up with the trailblazer of a wonderful social reform during these trying times.


Tailpiece.

Here's wishing that the government speedily accepts the recommendations and converts it into law.  

 

           
  

For no rhyme or reason!

The two month long trawling ban on the high seas - ordered by the government of India - was supposed to have kicked into force with effect from today. As I understand, the following are the important facets of the ban:-

     (a) The ban extends from 01 Jun to 31 Jul. The Kerala government insists that the ban should be
           only for 47 days!
     (b) Fishing activities by the mechanised boats are not permitted during the period.
     (c) However, fishermen, using traditional boats/dhows that aren't mechanised are permitted to
           do fishing up to the limit of 12 nautical miles from the coast - in other words, within the
           territorial waters!

It's amusing to go through the reasons for the differing perceptions between the central and the state governments on account of the trawling ban:-

       (a) The state is due for the Assembly polls next year.
       (b) Each vote is essential for securing a win in the elections and there's a sizeable population of
             the fishing community spread along the entire coastal stretch of the state that cannot be
             ignored.
       (c) The trawling ban has been imposed by the central government which is of a different political
             hue and hence, gives great publicity to the state government when it defies it!

And there's a paradox here. The months from May to August encompass the breeding season of the fish and as a rule, fishing is not advised during the period. The absence of fishing activity will rejuvenate the resources and end up in enhanced yields, eventually. If one were to query a die hard fisherman, he'll also tell you that eating fish during the period can invite digestive problems! In addition, it's safe for the fishermen to stay indoors because of choppy seas and whipping monsoons!!

Recent statistics on the availability of fish in our coasts point to almost a 35% reduction from the past and it calls for serious introspection! In other words, playing politics should be the last option and anyways, what does a difference of 14 days make?

Moreover, who benefits from the reduction in the number of days of trawling ban? Obviously, the mechanised boat owners and the very fact that they own them is an indicator of their affluence! The poor fisherman and their traditional boats be damned!!

And who're the people who come under tremendous pressure when the defiant fishermen embark on fishing - the trawling ban notwithstanding - and venture out into the deep seas? The Indian Coast Guard and the coastal police. I pity their plight!

And yes, one can brace up for juicy details(?) of the 'Coast Guard's high handedness' splashed all over by the media in the coming days!  



Tailpiece.

(a) Rahul Gandhi's gimmickry, last week on coastal Kerala. was part of an ill advised suggestion from his local party leaders hungry for instant publicity!

(b) I'm reminded of an elderly person who'd told me long ago that he avoided eating fish during the calendar months that did not have the letter 'r' in it viz. May to August. Now, does that ring a bell?

PS.
And what about the numerous foreign trawlers who come and fish in our exclusive economic zone? Do we've the wherewithal for effective and continuous surveillance of that vast area?