Deplorable and sad!

The Shiv Sainiks have done it again, they blackened the face of Mr. Sudheendra Kulkarni, the President of the India-Pakistan think tank, Observer Research Foundation which had organised the launch of the book, "Neither a Hawk nor a Dove: An Insider's Account of Pakistan's Foreign Policy", authored by the former Pakistani Foreign Minister, Mr. Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri.

The Shiv Sena, since its inception, has been on such violent and unacceptable means of agitation unchecked by law. This made the ordinary man wonder as to how this outfit could get away with murder only to sadly, realise that even the law seemed to be a silent spectator of its antics since it was safeguarding(?) the interests of the 'Maratha manoos'! What a flimsy argument?

This latest spectacle should be condemned all round so that it doesn't repeat its hooliganism ever again. Why can't it concentrate on providing good governance to its people, for a change? But the story is the same all over again, no one has condemned the incident - a bunch of pathetically scared people - be it the politicians, the cultural and social bigwigs and the whole lot of folks ever jostling to remain under the spotlight!

After having said that, my only question to Mr. Sudheendra Kulkarni is, "What was the great need to organise the launch of a book written by a guy who had not contributed any meaningful idea to improve the relations between the two countries during his reign as that country's Foreign Minister?" I'm sure that when you search your soul you'll get an answer that will awaken you. 

But no, this doesn't mean that I endorse the Shiv Sena's deed.....the least they could do is to tender an unconditional apology to you for having caused you discomfort.

And finally, Chief Minister Fadnavis, why didn't you provide a fool proof security when you're aware of possible disruptions and foul play?

          *                                     *                                      *

The Ongoing Beef - Fests in Kerala.

I can't find a suitable answer to the ongoing string of beef fests being organised all over the state that had started off within the premises of a college campus. My doubts are being reproduced in a conversational form, as sent to me on WhatsApp, by a friend of mine. It's not only hilarious but leaves you without answering your fundamental doubt! So, here I go:-

 (a) Why're beef fests being organised?
       Because beef has been banned.
 (b) Where has it been banned?
       In many places.
 (c) When was it banned?
       Err...it has been there from times immemorial. It's there in many states.
 (d) Has beef been banned or cow slaughter?
       Cow slaughter.
 (e) Then why do you say that beef has been banned when buffalo meat and goat's meat can be had?
       Oh, that....it's for effect....a time pass!
 (f)  Okay, coming back to reality, who'd brought about the ban?
       The Congress.
 (g) Then why is your angst directed at the Sangh Parivaar?
       Er....why don't you ask another question?
 (h) When the Congress had brought about the ban, comrades, did you organise beef fests?
       (It's the students' wing of the communist parties that are the prime movers of the beef fests)
       Er.....no.
 (j)  Is there a ban on beef in Kerala?
       No.
 (k) Has anyone told that beef should not be had?
       Er.....no.
 (l)  Then, why is it that beef fests are being organised everywhere?
       Er.....that's because of....er....
 (m) Er....then, what's your real problem?  
        Er....it's beef...no, it's cow.....no, it's......er, I'm stuck...


Tailpiece.

* I'd spoken about a misinformation campaign that has been orchestrated, earlier. Its real purpose is        yet to be ascertained.

* The communists have a mortal fear of erosion of their vote banks when the Ezhava community votes enmasse for a BJP-SNDP alliance. Perhaps, the cycle of beef fests is one manifestation of that fear! 

A youngster brought up with the right values.

The other day, it was the turn of the rep from the pest control to pay his usual quarterly visit. The office had informed that their service engineer would report by 1100 hrs on the appointed day. Accordingly, we'd got our act together earlier so that he did not have any impediments while he got on with his work.

It was pouring around that time, but at a 5 to 11 he'd given me a call announcing his arrival at our gate. Without much ado, I'd taken him around the house so that he got an idea of the layout and the scope of his work. The spraying can was filled with the medicine and he went about his task almost immediately thereafter. I'd accompanied him on his trail helping clear the draperies so that he could spray the medicine into each and every conceivable space and the corners. The kitchen was deliberately left for the last as lunch was being prepared.

The outer side of the house was given a protective spray with another variety of medicine - a bit stronger on potency, than the earlier one, and it had a faint, pungent smell. The spray catered for the ants in particular because that's the area that  needed maximum attention. Then he went about applying a gel at several vantage points to cater for the roaches. Having finished that round, he went on to tackle the kitchen and its adjunct, the work area.

By the time he'd finished with his work, it was lunchtime and after an elaborate wash, he quietly sat at a corner of the entrance to have his food. Our offer to have his lunch at the dining table or augmentation with what the kitchen had to offer were politely declined by him but he'd accepted a banana that I thrust into his hands along with a couple of toffees, much to our relief!

Prabeesh, all of 31 yrs, possesses a cheerful countenance and is dedicated and methodical in his work. There was an overall genuineness about his personality. As he was leaving, he insisted on bidding farewell to my mom and Lekha, which was actually not incumbent on him in the course of his work.
As he closed the gate and moved away, I was convinced that he'd be yet another member of my core team involved in the e-literacy programme of the Foundation. I'd broached the topic - while he was doing his work - with him and he'd expressed his inclination to join me.

Do well Prabeesh and may God be with you in all your endeavour. Here's wishing that you get whatever you wish for! Take care!!


Tailpiece.

He lives with his wife and mother towards the outskirts of Thrissur town. His wife has had a miscarriage on the 6th month and is now, a month pregnant. I congratulate his parents for having brought up a wonderful son. He has two sisters, both older than him and married.    

Tidbits.

1. Deterrent a must and that too, quickly.

The Mainpuri incident shows that there's some group out to foment trouble. Is it to show that life's gonna be difficult in this country if beef is consumed? What adds strength to this doubt is the revelation by the police that certain texts and WhatsApp messages were in circulation prior to the violence.

The incident was provoked by a rumour that a cow was killed and the skin was being removed whereas, in actuality, the cow was dead long before and the carcass was handed over to the scavengers who're skinning it as was normal practice. Thankfully, an alert police had ensured that the violence didn't get out of hand.

The rumour mongers and the hate spreaders need to be tackled forthwith and it needs to be ensured that the punishment meted out should act as a deterrent to future mischief makers!

         *                                              *                                                  *

2. Aren't these people entitled to something better?

I'd heard about this story from the media.

26 year old Sanjay Waghela offers a gutter cruise for Re.1 in his shaky thermocol ferry from Juhu to Koliwada. With a bladeless oar, he rows from 6 AM to 8 PM, every day, to end up with blisters on his palms but, in the process, is able to earn between Rs.200 and Rs.300 for the stretch that's a mere 20 second ride.

Some ingenuity this!


Tailpiece.

My cousin and his wife had fetched up a trifle late in the evening to spend time with us. He's a banker based in Coimbatore and is busy with his work thanks to him being a 'Cluster Head'. The whole of Tamilnadu comes under his jurisdiction and therefore, he has a lot of travel to do.

It's great to catch up with the couple!





  

Acquainting myself with this year's Nobel Peace Prize winner.

The Nobel Peace Prize of '15 has been awarded to the "National Dialogue Quartet" of Tunisia.

1. It would be in the fitness of things to understand the contributions of this unusual organisation to win the most coveted prize in the world.

Background.

2. To understand the evolution of the dynamic quartet one must go back to the Jasmine Revolution
- Jasmine, incidentally, is the national flower of Tunisia - which began, in Tunisia, on 18 Dec '10. On the previous day, 26 year old Mohammed Bouazi, an unemployed street vendor lit himself on fire, sparking off the political earthquake. High unemployment, corruption, social inequalities and political repression precipitated an intensive campaign of civil resistance - a combination of demonstrations, general strikes, self immolation and spontaneous uprisings. It eventually led to the ouster of its longtime President Zine al Abidine Ben Ali in Jan '11 when he fled to Saudi Arabia.

3. This transition led to a thorough democratisation of Tunisia which saw the holding of a free and democratic elections. The coalition of the 'Islamist Ennahda Movement' with the centre-left 'Congress for the Republic' and the left backing 'Ettakatol' as junior partners, won the elections.

4. During the summer of '13 when the democratisation process looked to be in jeopardy and falling, the National Dialogue Quartet came into being, comprising the following:-

        (a) Tunisian General Labour Union
        (b) Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts
        (c) Tunisian Human Rights League and
        (d) Tunisian Order of Lawyers.

5. Tunisia, now, has a democratic government and the contribution of the National Dialogue Quartet has become folklore. It had brought all the political parties on to the negotiating table to find a peaceful solution.

My take.

Heartiest congratulations, National Dialogue Quartet of Tunisia, for your well deserved recognition!


Tailpiece.

The Jasmine Revolution had triggered off the famous Arab Spring, that saw regime changes in Egypt, Libya, Yemen and the ongoing strife in Syria.  

Where's the logic?

Am reacting to a couple of the latest news bytes that do not seem to have any logic behind them. Or is it that I'm missing out on the larger picture? Or am I old fashioned in my thoughts? Let me, however, put across my points of view.

 (a) Women Fighter Pilots in the IAF.

       The Chief of the Air Staff has announced that we're soon gonna have women flying the fighter
        jets. What was the sudden requirement of such an induction?

        There's a lot of sense in the argument that there's no problem in women being inducted into the
        armed forces but the feeling is strong, among the majority, that they should not be inducted for
        combat. To explain this argument, let me cite a scenario, "within the start of the hostilities 
        between the two countries, six IAF jets had taken off from one of our forward bases on a 
        mission, deep within the enemy's airspace. While they were successful in carrying out their 
        aim, one of the aircraft commanded by a woman pilot was shot down by the enemy. Stories
        about the inhuman treatment meted out to her and the final arrival in India of her badly                       mutilated body, were all over the media."
  
        If the IAF inducts women into its fighter stream, then, both the Army and the Navy will have to
        follow suit in inducting women into their combat arms. Post induction and in times of war, there
        would be images of badly wounded women, with parts of their anatomy on display that would 
        not only be disgusting but also painful to view.

       To my mind, therefore, these steps must only be attempted when the unlikely situation is
        reached where fresh volunteers are hard to come by from their male counterparts.  

  (b) No Ghulam Ali in Bombay.

        Strong reactions against having a concert by the famed Pakistani ghazal singer in Bombay by
        the Shiv Sena has brought about the cancellation of the show. The youth wing of the Shiv Sena
        has made a paradoxical statement to the effect, "we're admirers of Pakistani ghazal maestro
        Ghulam Ali and listen to his music, but we cannot permit his concert here because of the 
        killings sponsored by Pakistan-sponsored terrorists on our borders."

        The youth telling this? Sad! The West Bengal and the Delhi governments have, meanwhile,
        expressed their willingness to host the maestro. Thank God for minor mercies!


Tailpiece.

Michel Platini, one of the greatest footballers of all times, was my favourite. His name, linked to the sleaze in FIFA, has been a real jolt. I'd this romantic idea that a good sportsman can never, ever be corrupt and it's that concept that has taken the hit. And I suppose that question has become frighteningly voluble, "Everyone has a price..........what's yours?"

I never knew that Platini's was so low! Sad!! 

Vignettes....

It will be two years, by next month, since we'd shifted to 'The Quarterdeck'. A lot has been achieved, more are in the process of evolution, but much more needs to be done. A peep into the kitchen garden - thanks to an enthusiastic green thumb in Lekha's assistant - gives me great satisfaction. The trees and plants that are nurtured are as follows:-

    * two of the three banana trees are in the process of bearing the fruit. Should be ready for
       consumption after about a month.
    * of the two mango trees gifted by my staff, one is growing well while the other has long
       withered away. Wonder why it went away, but felt sad on that score.
    * a papaya tree at the south eastern corner of the compound has borne fruits that are comparatively
       large in size.
    * the lemon tree is shaping up well.
    * a guava tree is again shaping up well, perhaps as an alternate to the one in our courtyard that
       had to be cut to get the extended canopy of the car porch in place.
    * in addition, thanks to Lekha and her assistant, there are a host of vegetable plants in various
       stages of growth. The 'curry patta' tree is getting rejuvenated after an initial hesitation due to
       extensive usage.
    * the drumstick tree has grown tall despite frequent trimmings - its leaves have been used many a
       time.
    * the three tapioca plants are growing healthily.
    * then there's an assorted set of the 'sitaphal', 'chikkoo', a couple of stalks of grapes and two
       pineapple plants.
    * in the courtyard, the coconut tree planted in place of the cut one is growing up satisfactorily.
    * the Laburnum, replanted from the kitchen garden, is growing up well.
    * Lekha has also got a set of potted plants that covers roses of different hues, bougainvillea, again,
       of differing hues and two varieties of palms.
    * the patch of Mexican grass, laid around the well, gives the entire north western corner of the
       compound, a greenish hue.

What gives great satisfaction to us is that neither pesticides nor commercial manure have been used. The normal kitchen waste and home made hormonal solutions - courtesy inputs from an agricultural student - have been put to extensive use. As a result, a shade of sorts from the blistering sun, have now enveloped the house!


Tailpiece.

Waste management has thus been effectively pursued. The dry waste is carried away by the 'kudumbasree group' - deployed by the Corporation - thrice every week.     

To eat or not to eat beef.

I've been alarmed by the following happenings over the week that has just passed:-

  (a) A gentleman was lynched to death on the presumption that the family had slaughtered a cow
        and the meat was stored in his house. The son, who happened to be in the house with him was             badly mauled and is slowly recouping in a hospital nearby. The women were disrespected                   and threatened by the angry mob. He has, incidentally, two other characteristics viz.
          (i) he's a Muslim and
         (ii) another son of his serves in the Indian Air Force.

  (b) A lot many politicians have since been descending on the hapless family with a view to publicise
        the issue, in a warped manner, to gain political mileage! The hate speeches by the guys have
        gone beyond decency and propriety.

  (c) In neighbourhood Bihar, where election rallies are on, certain politicians have even demarcated
        people as beefeaters and non beefeaters!

  (d) We export beef(Buffalo and goat's meat only. Cow's meat is a strict no, no!) to foreign countries          to earn the much needed foreign exchange!

I must make myself very clear on this issue. Since childhood, in our joint family household, we're never served beef and mind you, no particular reason was given as to why it was avoided. I, my sisters and my cousins thought it to be one of those things and never questioned my grandparents, parents or other elders as to why some of our neighbours ate beef, the underlying sentiment being that each and everyone of us had the freedom to choose what we ate! 

And extrapolating on the issue, as I grew up and participated in a number of debates and elocution competitions in school and the Academy, I was a strong votary for disposing off uncared and underfed cattle, meandering through busy thoroughfares, posing a threat to themselves and the whizzing motorists. I, however, continued to be the non beef consumer, a covenant that I've preserved of my upbringing!

To the question as to whether I've consumed beef, thus far, I'd be lying if I were to say that I haven't because I've had it on occasions like:-

    (a) at clubs, outside eateries along with my friends.
    (b) at many of my friends' houses.

And I must admit two things, the first that it tastes good and second, I'd no qualms of conscience after the consumption of having strayed away from my covenant.

However, beef continues to be avoided within my house but I've no opposition to anyone having it because it's that individual's choice and I respect that!  

My take.

The purpose of my dwelling on the topic at length is to emphasise that we're wasting our time and energy on a non-issue, resulting in bringing about unnecessary fissures in society. Our aim is to see our country develop and become one of the major players in the world, in which every individual has freedom in every sense of the term, as assured by our Constitution! A few narrow minded people, with a distorted and their own view of Hindutva cannot upset the apple cart!!


Tailpiece.

There are so many things that need to be fixed/corrected in our environment before we embark on the sure path to prosperity. Let's concentrate on those issues, please!