Humour in uniform.

"Well", snarled the drill sergeant to the miserable recruit doing push-ups in the rain, "I suppose after you're discharged you'll just be waiting for me to die so you can spit on my grave". "Not me", replied the recruit. "Once I get out of the Marines, I'm never standing in line again". Pete E Murphy

       *      *      *

During basic training one lesson stood out from all the others : keep your mouth shut unless given permission to talk. But I didn't realise how well our instructors had hammered this point home until one evening when we sat down to eat. My table mate started her evening prayer with, "God, request permission to pray". Gail Hayes

        *      *      *

Short and baby-faced, my buddy Wiggins had trouble being taken seriously in the Army. A moustache, he assumed, would fix that. He was wrong. "Wiggins!" bellowed our drill instructor after spotting the growth during inspection.

"What's so special about your nose that it's got to be underlined?" K Trott

          *      *      *

Basic training has a way of making a soldier feel that he or she is being worked like a dog. Now I have proof. While on KP duty at fort Leonard Wood in Missouri, I was hauling containers of vegetables. On the side of one box was this : "FOR ANIMAL OR MILITARY USE ONLY". Lori Montgomery

           *      *      *

During basic training, my platoon was given a choice of going either to the gym or the PX. By a show of hands, we opted for the PX. "Uh-uh" said our sergeant. "You're all going to the gym". "But, Sarge", whined our recruited, "we took a vote". "Boys, let me explain", he said, :We're here to defend democracy, not practice it". Warren Pansire

Tailpiece.

Got up a trifle before 6, the chores and was ready leisurely. It was a rainy day.

The caretaker and two workers cut the massive tree on the southern side of Raj Nivas. This action was taken to prevent reptiles from entering our attic from the enclosed market next door.  

Our Chevy was brought back by Monish amid rain. She returns after 13 days!  

Caring for the environment.

The Environment Day Oath

Plastic is precious. Stop littering around. Conserve Plastic under Waste2Wealth Terms.

      *      *      *

Encourage start-ups

* Promoting show cased products and services

* Promoting any particular technology

* Promoting any value added developments

* Promoting any particular collection system like umbrella rod ( kodakkambi hook)

* Promoting the start-up and for looking or searching for a catalyst to convert into fuel technology

* Promoting granuling or shredding or segregation

* Promoting start-up discovered technology or services in the designated areas or elsewhere

* Promoting outcome products and services marketing

* Promoting concept selling

         *       *       *

World Green Roof Day is celebrated on 06 Jun every year to appreciate the beautiful green roofs that contribute to a better environment and raise awareness about their importance to climate change. 

Did you know the first record green roofing was the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, planted in Iraq in 500 BC? Also known as living roofs, they consist of vegetation that partially or completely covers a waterproofing system. Green roofing lowers the cost of cooling and reduces stormwater runoff. 

World Green Roof Day is an initiative by Chris Bridgman and Dusty Gedge, experts in sustainable green roofs. 

Tailpiece.

Got up at a trifle before 6, the chores and was ready leisurely.

Lekha had gone to the More outlet, around 11, in Kunjumon's auto rickshaw and returned an hour later.

Rain in the evening. 

On the occasion of World Environment Day

Today is World Environment Day.

The eight ways to celebrate World Environment Day everyday:-

     * Start a community garden

     * Host a community clean-up

     * Employ the 3 Rs (Even on unconventional items)

     * Focus on energy

     * Conservation

     * Organise a spring-cleaning event

     * Donate to an environmental nonprofit organisation

     * Get rid of your used clothes (sustainably)

     * Take care of your things

Reduce, reuse and recycle.

Reducing, reusing and recycling plastic is key in countering the devastation wreaked by climate change.

Tailpiece.

Got up a trifle past 6, the chores and got ready at a leisurely pace.

Mini had undergone all tests prior to her forthcoming surgery.

A lingering doubt.

The train accident at Balasore, Orissa.

The Bahanaga bazar station where the accident happened has two mainline tracks for trains to pass through (called Up Main and Down Main) and two side tracks called 'loops' used for stopping trains temporarily.

A train is accepted into loop by moving a switch which moves a piece of track. Some time before the accident, a freight train was accepted into the loop. One the train is in, the switch is moved back to point to mainline from a route relay panel. Signals along the tracks are interlinked to panel to guide the loco pilot whether to slow down or continue. In this case, the switch did not move back correctly, thus was still pointing towards loop but relayed to panel that it is set back to mainline.

Accordingly, the signals on mainline turn green showing all clear.

The loco pilot of 12841 oromandel Express sees green signals on mainline so continues driving at its maximum permitted speed of 130 km/hr. However, since the switch is set towards loop, the train tries to enter loop at this high speed and in the process, derails. The locomotive and several coaches of Coromandel Express smash into the freight train while some coaches spill over to the adjacent Down Main track. This impact causes a lot of casualties. To make things worse, exactly at this time, Down Main line has its signals green for 12864 Bangalore (SMVT) Howrah Express to go in opposite direction, also at 130 km/hr.

Would having Kavach anti collision device prevented this? No! Kavach is meant to stop a train when it senses another train on same track. It cannot sense a switch set wrong nor can it stop a train from derailing. This was a freak accident.

How could the switch be set wrong and show green signal? Is there no failsafe? There are failsafes, we don't know why and how this happened. Route interlocked signaling works fine millions of times every day across India.

Why it failed this ONE time? We don't know yet.

Tailpiece.

Got up a trifle before 6, the chores and was ready leisurely.

A quiet Sunday; heard the Rangoli.

A short trip.

A short trip to Thiruvananthapuram to attend the PN Panicker Foundation's state committee meeting.

The journey seemed to be jinxed right from the start. Stood in front of Raj Nivas to board one of the rtc buses. But the first guy who passed gave me the miss, wonder why? Then, I'd walked to the nearby bus stop, 'Shappu mukku' and boarded the ordinary bus to Kottarakkara and was in time for the 8 'o clock low floor bus to Tvpm as there was one every hour, the local in-charge very smilingly said.

Anyways, there was no trace of the bus even by 9 and then I'd hopped on to a superfast. I made the mistake of taking permission of the conductor to sit next to him who pointed to the seat behind his. The fellow traveler, who sat next to me was 'Brilliant' - on my enquiry about such a name, he told me that his dad's elder brother named his son, Bright and him, Brilliant!

Reached the Foundation by 11 and I was just in time for the state committee meeting of the PN Panicker Foundation. Everyone was briefed about the activities that will be carried out during this year's Reading Month from 19 Jun to 18 Jul. Finances have also been allotted.

The ceremonial lunch was sponsored by our district secretary, Nazir, from Pathanamthitta.

Spoke to the entire bunch of staff.

The 623rd episode of 'Aazhchakkoottam' started late at a half past 4 where Rahul Eshwar spoke on 'Politics and Religion'. Quite impressive and must say that he reads.

Left the Foundation by a half past 7, got a 'Swift' of the rtc and reached Raj Nivas by a half past 9. A bad accident on the road between a tanker lorry and a car; the latter looked badly mauled.

A quiet evening and hit the sack at our usual time.

Tailpiece.

The 'Vaayana Dinam/Maasam' vilambhara jatha will commence from Muthachchan's statue at Poojappura on 10 Jun at 1600 hrs.  

Major changes.

Five major changes have taken place in the country from yesterday.

1. Banks will return your money.

    The RBI said that banks will start the '100 Days 100 Pay' campaign, where they will return the

    top 100 unclaimed deposits of each bank in each district within 100 days.

2. Your favourite cars have become expensive.

    Honda has been added to the list of those who have increased the price of their cars due to the

    rising input cost. The popular models City and Amaze will be up by 1%.

3. Electric scooters have become expensive.

    This is because the discount given to the customers in the form of incentive has now been reduced

    from 40% to 15%.

4. Big change related to cough medicines.

    After raising questions on the cough medicines of Indian Pharma companies worldwide, the 

    government has asked the exporters of cough syrup to test their products in a government lab before 

    exporting them.

5.  New prices of LPG cooking gas cylinders.

     The big government companies of the country have released new prices of LPG cooking gas

     cylinders.

Tailpiece.

Got up a trifle before 6, the chores and was ready in a leisurely manner.

Subi comes by 3 and we returned to Raj Nivas. Enroute, had dropped by at the mechanic to know that the Chevy will be back with us only by Tuesday.  

Sad!

Yet another iconic landmark for the NDA cadet has disappeared from a cadet's lexicon.

A note from The NDA Adjutant and I quote,

     "Endurance Hike to Singarh has been discontinued owing to the increased traffic enroute, posing 

      threat to the cadet's safety. For a suitable replacement with similar terrain and difficulty, a new 

      route from the NDA to Pt 988 and back was approved by the Commandant for the conduct of 

      Endurance hike. It will be termed "KARPA HIKE".

I remember my Sundays when I used to go on Singarh hikes, on punishment, due to 'disciplinary lapses'.

The day began early morning at 6, the FSMO (Field Service Marching Order) contents were checked and rechecked - God forbid if any of the contents was missing; one could get another hike or more as punishment - fell in at the PT fields from where the entire lot was flagged off, without much ado.

The entire duration took about six hours and one was back in one's Squadron lines after a final muster at the starting point, around 12.

Tailpiece.

Mini was taken to the KIMS hospital for another blood test but they had to return without meeting up with the doctor.

A quiet day.