At Port Kalang.

Dateline 14 Oct.

The ship had tied up alongside the quay at Port Kalang, Kuala Lampur, by 7. Lekha, was unfortunately, down with fever and we skipped our sight seeing trip, just to rest her. The only satisfaction was that we'd visited Kuala Lampur, a couple of years back.

We're on board the ship and participated in the activities that were organised for the guests who'd not gone for the sightseeing that were mostly drawn from Singapore.

The sightseeing group had returned by 1600 hrs and the ship cast off at 1700 hrs on a southerly course. The Captain had told us that the ship would do slow speeds/be stopped as the distance to be traversed, back to Singapore, was around 290 miles.



Tailpiece.

Lekha was much better by the end of the day.  

Embarking the cruise liner.

Dateline 13 Oct.

We're at the Changi airport of Singapore by 0330 hrs local time. Kumar and the vehicle fetched up at 7 and by this time, we'd spruced ourselves up.

After breakfast and a bit of sightseeing, we're at the pier to embark the 'Mariner of the Seas' of the Royal Caribbean International by 11. The embarkation was orderly as we're assigned cabins - adjacent to each other - on deck 7. Lunch - it was mammoth and the spread consisted of all varieties of food to cater for the over 3,450 guests, looked after by 1,400 crew members - was on the 11th deck, one short of the highest at the lounge, cutely named the 'Windjammer'!

Stateroom 7367 is gonna be our home for the next four days! Ketut Wiparnaya looks after our room service - a well behaved, ever smiling young man who promised us help and handed over his card.

After an hour's siesta, an emergency drill was carried out to familiarise everyone with their disembarking positions in case of an evacuation and the use of life jackets.

The ship had cast off from Singapore at 1700 hrs and shaped course northward.


Tailpiece.

The rest of the evening was spent at participating in the various shows and other variety entertainment that had been organised for us.   

Finally, my cellphone is on stream.

It was a leisurely morning. Shaji, from the travel agency had come by to collect our travel details to Sri Lanka, in early Jan '18, in connection with our course get together.

Suresh and I left for completing pending work. The first visit was to the Airtel office to confirm the linking up with the Aadhaar, remove the glitches of the 4G and to request for an international roaming for five days with effect from today. The next step was to get a suitable cover for the instrument..

Our third stop was at the dentist's. Rajasree did a good job of fixing up the bridge which had worked out loose last night. The refixing took over an hour and I felt guilty about keeping Suresh waiting all the while.

A quick lunch and siesta after which checks were carried out prior to our departure for Singapore. The eight of us were at the international terminal by 8 o'clock. It was a boisterous evening.

The flight had taken off on time at 2240 hrs. It was sleeping time soon after stepping on board. The Silk Air looked after its passengers well.


Tailpiece.

After months of planning, the trip was on. Suresh Laxman-Sindhu, Mohanachandran-Manju, self-Lekha and Vijayakumar-Anitha formed the group.

It just cannot be!

Was saddened by the news that hit the headlines today. The Justice Sivarajan Commission has found former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy guilty of having molested Saritha Nair along with a few other politicians. Consequently, the government has announced a vigilance probe into his conduct in the sordid case.

Is this an end to his illustrious political career? Is the over the 70 year old gentleman guilty of such a stupid act? Could he be lured into doing such lurid acts?

To my mind, it's not possible. An extremely hardworking politician, he literally burnt the midnight oil, working for the welfare of his people. His frequent mass contact programmes with the common people, to alleviate their difficulties and find immediate succour, thereby cutting through bureaucratic apathy were hailed as a novel means of administration by none other than the august body, the United Nations! He was awarded for his efforts and it was this event that raised the hackles of many of his political opponents, quite a few were simply jealous! It's the concerted efforts of a few from that segment who must be laughing in glee at such an ignominious outcome.

From then, started the discrediting campaign and he wasn't spared of criticism on anything and everything that he did, the witch hunt had begun. That his chosen men in the chief minister's office, who were nothing short of criminals - wonder why he'd them, there? The logic beat me, then. I mean, why didn't he surround himself with clean, well meaning guys? - hastened the beginning of the distrust among many people.

It's my fond hope that he comes out of this muddle, clean, through the vigilance probe. We, his admirers, will eagerly look forward to such an eventuality. As I sign off with this hope, I can't help but recall two of his acts that endeared him to me.

(a) Years back, he had just taken over as the youngest home minister of the state. He was visiting 
      Kottayam and reservations had been made for him and his accompanying staff at the government
      guest house. A few hours, prior to his arrival, PN Panicker had sought a room for himself . The
      manager, who knew him well and had initially denied accommodation, provided him with the
      room that was meant for the home minister with the rider that he had to vacate it prior to his
      arrival. PN Panicker, exhausted with his day's efforts and suffering from fever, was fast asleep
      and could not be woken up when the time had come, putting the manager into a state of panic.

      Soon after midnight, the home minister reached with his cavalcade and on being told about the
      situation, lauded the manager and said that the guest house was meant for people like PN 
      Panicker, who worked tirelessly for the people. He, then, went on to use another not-so-special
      room to spend the night!

 (b) The long time that he spent beside the body of PN Panicker, on his passing away, showed his
       tremendous respect to the people who were genuine workers.

Odd reasons to conclude that he hasn't done anything wrong, you might counter. I've just quoted two instances of him being a genuine person and therefore, would come clean off these dark days. I wish him the best.


Tailpiece.

The long drive from Guruvayur was trouble free except for the traffic blocks that we'd encountered towards the end. There was a comedy in not being able to open the boot which was eventually overcome. The evening was spent with three of my classmates along with their better halves. It was a late night!   

     

Limbering up.

I'd got up earlier than the alarm at 4 and went about my usual morning chores. Lekha, meanwhile, was busy preparing the morning coffee and breakfast of steaming idlis along with the coconut chutney. She used banana leaves, made soft, by warming them over the burner to pack the breakfast for the three of them. They had bathed much against their last night's decision of having it only after completion of the journey. We left soon after and by the time we'd reached the railway station, the queue was yet to form up and so, buying the tickets was easy.

We took the path through the first platform which was augmented with a concrete pathway, at ground level, cutting across the railway tracks of the station, went to the other extremity and finally, cut back on to the third platform in front of the train parked, ready for departure. Today, the driver seemed to be an uncouth fellow, in that, he'd parked the train ahead of its parking point, cutting off the thoroughfare. Wonder what his intentions were but I saw many passengers finding it difficult to negotiate the stones that supported the tracks. Damn mean of the blighter!

Saw the train receding from sight and returned home without much ado. I'd gone to town around a half past 10 to do certain pending jobs before our trip tomorrow like the bank work, picking up a telephone instrument, securing my right bridge at the dentist's - he wouldn't take a penny for his efforts, saying that I was his favourite patient, damn sweet of him - and top up the Chevy and check the tyre pressure. Selvam, the gentleman who came for pressing the clothes once every week, was half way through his work when I drove in. I could see the pride in his eyes when I'd queried him about his son.

The newspaper boy had to be told that he shouldn't put the newspapers from tomorrow morning - I'd seen him this morning but had forgotten to tell him then......forgetfulness is taking its toll, huh! The house had to be shut down ensuring that no window/door was left open. The walk was nice and from  Gopan and Oomeer at the medical shop, came to know that the condition of the highway through Kodungalloor had potholes . The other highway, through Thrissur, has the Janaraksha yatra of the BJP passing through Chalakkudy tomorrow morning.......will have to cross that stretch before 8 o'clock!



Tailpiece.

It's gonna be a long day tomorrow.        

A day with an aunt of mine.

My aunt, Santha kunjamma, her daughter-in-law and grand daughter had fetched up at 0140 hrs at the railway station. Earlier, I'd asked them to call me up on reaching Thrissur and therefore, I could be on time to receive them. Their's was a whirlwind tour and a lot had to be done.

After they'd caught up on sleep and breakfast, they're dropped at the temple by 10. They returned only by 1400 hrs because, though the crowd was comparatively less, it was the day of the 'Udayaasthamana pooja'(Prayers all through from sunrise to sunset) and hence, the regulation of the devotees to enter the sanctum sanctorum was on. They're, however, damn thrilled that they'd a good 'darshan' of the Guruvayoorappan.

After a quick lunch and siesta, we're off to Radhan chettan's house and to his daughter's house, thereafter. In the process of backing my vehicle at Radhan chettan's place, the rear bumper had touched a roadside hoarding but since it was made up of a bamboo-bunting combination, there was no visible damage! After leaving the mother-daughter combine at the Siva temple, Santha kunjamma and I returned home.

We'd a long chat about the events that had happened in her life and she seemed to be surprised about the fact that I knew the minute details of her life even though I was in class I those days.

    * On the death of her father(P Kesava Panicker) at 60 yrs in '57, Muthachhan had brought her and
       her younger sister, Sarala kunjamma to Thiruvananthapuram, to live with the family. After a few 
       years, she was married off to Mr. Pande, a Brahmin whose home town was in Matunga, 
       Bombay. He was tall, suave and handsome with hair, applied with cream and combed backwards.
    * She's extremely beautiful and he was possessive, to the extent that he viewed anyone and 
       anybody that she interacted with, with suspicion. He used to beat her up and I remember those 
       evenings when my grandmother and mom used to intervene and chide him
    * We'd gone off with dad to Bombay as he was posted on board a ship that was based there, in
       mid '60. I remember Pande chettan of being very fond of me and he'd given me a 200 page note
       book covered with a poster of the then popular radio - Murphy, with the magic eye - to list down
       the names of all the railway stations between Thiruvananthapuram and Bombay, with the
       promise that he'd peruse it on coming to his home town, on leave!   
    * I remember his visits, to our house a couple of times, but later on I'd heard dad telling that he
       died a wretched death thanks to his addiction to liquor.
    * Santha kunjamma and Pande chettan have a son, Unni who has been singularly unlucky in
       not having received his dad's love and it's due to this reason that I've a soft corner for him. He
       has not been keeping well because of the attendant problems caused by chain smoking. His
       wife, Valsala, works as the librarian of the 'Sananathan Dharma' Library, started by my 
       Muthachhan and their daughter, Sreelekshmi, is doing her studies at chartered accountancy,
       after graduation.
     *Muthachhan always rued the fact that the marriage that he'd arranged for her was a failure.
       He'd given her a piece of land next to his ancestral house, the Puthuvayil House, to build her 
       house in which she lives to this day. That possession was not backed up with title deed and 
       connected documents because PN Panicker's words were Gospel! No one dared question it!! The 
       deed and connected documents have now been made to formalise that transaction. He'd also
       financed the construction of the house.

It was during our recent visit to Neelamperoor on account of the temple's annual festival(Pooram) that Lekha and I'd invited them over to Guruvayur. This visit was consequent to that interaction and the young lady wanted to visit the temple to seek the Lord's blessings to do well in her forthcoming examination, commencing 02 Nov.



Tailpiece.

A nice day that was well spent and I'd kept all my personal work pending to make sure that I did not miss out on doing things for them! 

Hrithik Roshan's angst and other stories.

1. Hrithik Roshan Bares his Soul.

Have been watching the Hrithik Roshan interview with Arnab Goswami on the Republic television channel. He sounded earnest, looked lost like a kid and have restored a sense of semblance of sanity after the torture that he seemed to have gone through. It must have been a tough decision for him to open up before the media because he could get hauled over the coals. What I liked about the conversation was that:-

     (a) He was careful not to drag Kangana's name through infamy.
     (b) He doesn't have the superstar airs and reiterates that it's his fans, the cinema going public that
           has placed him on a high pedestal and he's just a commoner.
     (c) He looked extremely vulnerable.
     

So, was Kangana a stalker? She seems to be like a lady possessed by Hrithik Roshan from what I've seen from the gist of e-mails, messages supposedly sent by her as shown by the media and the statements made by her.

Or is it that there's someone else who's doing this mischief on her name? Her part of the story will reveal the whole truth, perhaps! It's become a necessity, now that we're privy to one side of the story.

2. Why Is This Negativity Being Bandied About? 

There has, generally, been a negative outlook about the country's economic state all over the media though as a commoner, I don't perceive it or is it that the small time traders/businessman that are going through the crunch ever since demonetisation and the introduction of GST as they make the bulk of the trading community?

Is it an opposition-led gimmick to show Modi in poor light? Or are the relevant indices showing an alarming outlook? Why I ask this is that I, as a commoner, have not felt the 'effect' except for the increase in prices of certain commodities which is something that everyone is used to, from time to time, as past trends show. My queries to the guys who're economic experts have given me a confusing opinion - a may or may not be kind of an explanation - depending upon their political affiliations. Hence, I reckon it to be a hoax!

To my mind, the answer seems to be simple. Every political party wants to win the general elections of 2019. Prime Minister Modi seems to have an edge over everybody as the nation realises that he's doing things for the betterment of the country. He has made many enemies as his governance has put a brake on many of the corrupt practices that have been going on till now with the general public's 'sab chaltha hai' attitude.

The winner of that election will benefit from the long term favourable effects of demonetisation and the introduction of the GST.



Tailpiece.

My new cellphone is slowly getting into stream the many hiccups, notwithstanding which I would, to some extent, attribute it to my clumsiness/inability to assimilate technology. It's a long haul but shall be overcome.