Snippets.

1. Adieu D Babu Paul sir.

    Orator, columnist and former Additional Chief Secretary, D Babu Paul had passed away on Friday.
    He was 77. The media has covered his work extensively and hence, I don't intend to carry coal to
    Newcastle. I've interacted with him many times during the functions related to the Foundation and
    I always felt that I imbibed something new from him and I used to look forward to those
    interactions. We'd spent sentimental time when I'd gone across to offer condolences on the passing
    away of his wife, nineteen years back.

    RIP sir. My tears and prayers. We, in the Foundation will miss your presence and I have lost a
    learned Guru.

2. Digvijaya Singh's Latest Stunt.

    Digvijaya Singh, of the Congress has offered land owned by his party in Bhopal city for the
    construction of the Ram temple. This is his latest act remove the 'anti-Hindu' image for all his
    utterances thus far!



Tailpiece.

Started off from 'The Quarterdeck' by a quarter past 6. The Chevy was smooth and I didn't expect
any problems. But at Mayithara, near Cherthala, the accelerator had failed to respond. Being Palm Sunday and the run up to Vishu, none of the repair facilities were available. Finally, I'd entered a Maruti Servicing Station and its Assistant Manager, Krishna Kumar and his young team went of their way to help. After parking the Chevy, they got me a Swift Desire, on a rent-a-car basis. Reached Kottarakkara by a half past 3.

We were at the Raj Nivas by 4 and I was at my parents' grave sites for my usual conversation. Rema, Padmakumar and Achu along with the caretaker, Ria and her mother fetched up together and it was a tight schedule in the evening.

After dinner, Lekha and I had prepared the 'kani' and hit the sack comparatively early.

During electioneering...

1. Congress Party's Latest Allegation.

    The French national newspaper Le Monde has reported that the French authorities had waived off
    taxes worth 143.7 million Euros in favour of Anil Ambani's France based telecom company called
    Reliance Atlantic Flag France. It was cleared a few months after the Rafael deal was announced. It
    has been reported by Kapil Sibal with Sam Pitroda, in the wings!

    Reliance Communications has since issued a clarification and said that the tax dispute pertains to
    2008!

    Note the timing of the allegation, the second phase of elections is on 16 Apr, Tuesday.

2. Yasin Malik Finally Under the Scanner!

    He is one of the most dreaded persons in the Valley and his crimes range from the killing of IAF
    officials, the genocide of Kashmiri Pandits, the killing of Rubaiya Saeed, sister of Mehbooba
    Mufti.

    Mehbooba's angst at his custody by the NIA for trial, seems strange.

3. The Bhejipadar Village Boycotts Lok Sabha Polls.

    Bhejipadar in Kalahandi, Orissa has boycotted the Lok Sabha elections. Totalling 666 voters, they
    sat outside the booth but did not cast their votes. They are protesting for the construction of an
    easier road connectivity to the town.

    People have realised the tremendous power that they wield against the politicians!


Tailpiece.

Had got up with the alarm, gone through our chores and were ready well in time. Wished Ammu many happy returns as it was her birthday as per the Malayalam calendar. Lekha had gone to both, the Guruvayur and Mammiyur temples by about 1000 hrs. Had gone to the Rajah Petrol pump to top up fuel in our Chevy. 

Election stories.

1. Smriti Irani's Educational Qualification.

    This time, Smriti Irani has shown that she has not completed her graduation (Completed only the
    first year of her graduation) in the affidavit that she has submitted while filing her candidature in
    Amethi. Last time she'd got into a lot of trouble for having declared herself as a graduate! Wonder
    why such slip ups happen? The Congress has gone to town over it and have even come out with a
    parody on her educational qualification. Well, that's another extreme!

    These politicians fight like dogs over silly things!!

2. Maneka Gandhi's Call.

    During electioneering in her constituency, Sultanpur, Maneka Gandhi asked the Muslims to vote
    for her for the following reasons:-

        (a) We're not Mahatma Gandhi's children that we keep giving and not get anything in return.
        (b) She's all set to win and the Muslims would require her tomorrow.
        (c) I've sanctioned crores of rupees for the sake of the Muslims.

     This interaction of her's was in the Muslim-dominated Turabkhani area.

     Can someone be so blatant?

3. All About the Veterans' Letter.

    There was sudden news that over 150 military veterans had signed a letter, complaining against the
    politicisation of the armed forces, and forwarded it to the President of India. They cited political
    leaders - read, the Prime Minister - taking credit for the cross-border strikes. Well, the decision
    was his, wasn't it? It was amusing to see the entire range of opposition leaders congratulating the
    IAF for the Balakot strikes, fully well knowing that the PM was the one who had to give the go
    ahead! And the very same guys have asked for proof because they're convinced that the IAF had
    missed the target because Pakistan says so.

    Pakistan's stand does not stand scrutiny. If I were its PM, then I'd have taken the entire
    diplomatic corps, stationed within the country along with the international press to Balakot
    on 27 Feb itself, to show how the IAF had missed it completely and thereby made a laughing
    stock of India and Modi. A potent weapon in an election year!

    Coming back to the letter, ex-Army Chief SF Rodrigues and ex-Air Chief NC Suri have declared
    that they aren't party to it which has made it amply clear that it's the handiwork of the ex-Naval
    Chief Ramdas who's craving for attention. He's a compulsive liar and has proved it yet again. The
    joke is that the Rashtrapathi Bhavan has confirmed that it's yet to receive such a letter!


Tailpiece.

Got up with the alarm, went through the chores and we were ready well within time. It was a quiet day with not much of activity.  

Viewing of events/factors during the elections.

1. The Administration of the Temples.

    The Kerala state government has suggested the setting up of an eight-member panel, to administer
    the Padmanabhaswamy temple at Thiruvananthapuram, to the Supreme Court. The proposal gives
    the ruling government the right to nominate five members into the Temple Administrative Board,
    apart from the temple executive officer who is also appointed by the government. The Supreme
    Court had, recently, questioned the role of governments in the administration of temples in the
    country.

    It needs to be understood that the ruling governments have never, ever shown a corresponding
    inclination to take over the administration of the religious places of other religions. Why this
    set of double standards is the doubt that gets into the mind of an impartial observer!

2. The Factors that Differ in UP from the '14 Elections.

    (a) The elections, then, were held in a communally charged atmosphere just six months after the
         Muzaffarnagar riots of Sep '13. Ajit Singh and his son have tried to reduce the consequent
         differences between the Jats and the Muslims through extensive 'sadbhavana yatras'.
    (b) There was anti-incumbency against the Akhilesh Yadav government. Nor has Yogi Adityanath's
          government covered itself with glory with its governance, thus far.
    (c) A united opposition, though the Congress is not part of it, is another change this time.
    (d) Most of the BJP candidates, then, were fresh faces and they could, now, face anti-incumbency.
    (e) Though the polarisation pitch has been raised, the Muslims and the Dalits have maintained a
         strategic silence.

     The BJP, therefore, faces challenges!

3. 'Green Light' Pointed at Rahul Gandhi.

     A 'green light' pointed at the Congress president during his roadshow in Amethi created a scare.
     The party had alleged a security breach but it was later found out to be the light from a camera -
     that of a mobile phone used by one of his own AICC photographers! Realising its faux pas, the
     Congress party quietly retracted their allegations sooner than they were raised.

4. Clashes During Polling in Andhra Pradesh.

    An impressive turnout of 73% voters was recorded in the single phase Assembly and Lok Sabha
    elections in Andhra Pradesh. Stray violence between the ruling TDP and the YSRC were
    reported in which three were killed. This was the first election after the bifurcation of the state.


Tailpiece.

Got up with the alarm, went through our chores and we were ready well in time. I'd made a trip to the Geeyem Motors for the free airbag replacement in my Cruze as per the Chevrolet company's latest directives. Was back much before lunch time and it was a quiet day, thereafter.  

Viewing events dispassionately.

1. Lekha's Father's Third Remembrance Day.

    Today is Lekha's father's third remembrance day as per the Malayalam calendar. A thila homam
    was carried out in his memory at the Perunthatta Siva kshetram.

2. Fake News on the Eve of Elections.

    There was a news item in the ToI that Modi had said that he was willing to tie up with the fiercest
    of his political opponents, post polls, to form a government at the centre. Seeing the screaming
    headlines, its hollowness hit me because he has neither toed such a line during electioneering nor
    has he said so in his interviews. Realised that it could be yet another prank from the opposition,
    rattled by the surveys that give him and his party an edge.

3. Rafael Deal Kept Afloat.

    A government-to-government agreement has been brought under the scanner to have some handle
    against Modi during the elections. Lawyer Prashant Bhushan, the disgruntled Yashwant Sinha and
    Arun Shourie had filed the review petition against the clean chit given, earlier, by the Supreme
    Court. And the Hindu had yet another article published about the subject today - a subtle
    influencing of the Court or to bring it alive on the eve of the first phase of elections?

4. The Election Commission's Right Decisions.

    By stalling the biopic on Narendra Modi and the order against the broadcasting of the NaMo
    television channel, the Election Commission has taken the right decision to ensure the conduct of
    the elections on a level playing field. The biopic will be released post-elections and the airing of
    the NaMo channel will also resume then. To attribute this decision of the EC as a triple blow to
    Modi - along with the Rafael deal judgement - as the media was going ga ga over today only
    as to how Modi is being bashed from all around.

    And if a philosopher were to be believed, "If people gang up against one individual in a political
    process, then that individual should be the one that should be supported to the hilt".


Tailpiece.

Got up with the alarm, went through our chores and we were ready well in time. Went about our work systematically and watered the plants in the evening, that has become mandatory in this heat.

Existing trends and other stories.

1. Existing Trends.

    I've never been a habitual viewer of soaps on television and especially, the Malayalam ones, during
    prime time. It was not because of any bias but was due to my involvement in the evening fitness
    regime that I'd chosen to follow and consequently, never found the time. I used to be amused with
    a few of my family members who were avid watchers. Snatches of their conversations, invariably,
    touched upon the protagonists of their favourite soaps.

    But thanks to the bout of jaundice and since vigorous physical exercises are taboo to me, for the
    present, I've ample time to be part of these prime time serials. Many of them are on the same
    thread but what amazes me are the following trends:-

           (a) There's an array of scheming, wicked men and women who are willing to even kill for
                 money.
           (b) Extra marital affairs seem to be common without any feeling of compunction and it seems
                 to happen in a cyclic!

     No, I ain't trying to be a prude. Cupid strikes in certain situations and it can never be forecast.
     But are we not bothered about the younger generation who might carry wrong lessons after
     watching these television 'extravaganzas'?

2. KM Mani Passes Away.

    KM Mani, who has many firsts in his political life, passed into the mist of time at 1657 hrs this
    evening. The media is covering his life and times minutely and hence, I shan't say anything on
    that score. But I would like to highlight his liking and tremendous respect for the late PN Panicker
    and never missed a function in the great man's memory and was very keen to know about the
    activities undertaken by the Foundation.

    RIP Mani sir. Our tears and prayers!

3. The Elections Are On.

    Electioneering came to an end in 91 Lok Sabha seats, spread across 20 states and Union
    Territories and four Legislative Assemblies of Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and
    Orissa(28 out of 147 seats). The first phase of elections takes place in these areas on 11 Apr.


Tailpiece.

Got up with the alarm, went through our chores and were ready on time. I'd gone to the Perunthatta Siva kshetram to tie up the 'Thil Homam' tomorrow being Lekha's father's third remembrance day. Thereafter, did some sundry purchases from the National Supermarket during my return. 
    

A nice story.

In September of 2005, on the first day of school, Martha Cothren, a History teacher at Robinson High School in Little Rock, did something not to be forgotten. On the first day of school, with the permission of the school superintendent, the principal and the building supervisor, she removed all the desks in her classroom. When the first period kids entered the room they discovered that there were no desks.

"Ms. Cothren, where are our desks?"

She replied, "You can't have a desk until you tell me how you earn the right to sit at a desk".
They thought, "Well, maybe it's our grades". "No". she said.
"Maybe it's our behaviour". She told them, "No, it's not even your behaviour".

And so, they came and went, the first period, second period, third period.
Still no desks in the classroom.
Kids called their parents to tell them what was happening and by early afternoon television crews had started gathering at the school to report about this crazy teacher who had taken all the desks out of her room.

The final period of the day came and as the puzzled students found seats on the floor of the desk-less classroom, Martha Cothren said, "Throughout the day no one has been able to tell me just what he or she has done to earn the right to sit at the desks that are ordinarily found in this classroom. Now I am going to tell you".

At this point, Martha Cothren went over to the door of her classroom and opened it. Twenty-seven (27) US Veterans, all in uniform, walked into that classroom, each one carrying a school desk. The Veterans began placing the school desks in rows and then would walk over and stand alongside the wall. By the time the last soldier had set the final desk in place those kids started to understand, perhaps for the first time in their lives, just how the right to sit at those desks had been earned.

Martha said, "You didn't earn the right to sit at these desks. These heroes did it for you. They placed the desks here for you. They went halfway around the world, giving up their education and interrupting their careers and families so you could have the freedom you have. Now it's up to you to sit in them. It is your responsibility to learn, to be good students. They paid the price so that you could have the freedom to get an education. Don't ever forget it".

By the way, this is a true story. And this teacher was awarded the Veterans of Foreign Wars Teacher of the Year for the State of Arkansas in 2006. She is the daughter of a World War II Prisoner of War.


Tailpiece.

Got up with the alarm, went through our chores and were ready well in time. The day was unbearably hot. We'd wished Indira kunjamma many happy returns in the morning itself and wasn't she thrilled? In the evening, both Lekha and I watered the plants with the municipality water.