Vishnu comes by.

We'd got up quite late around 7. The reason was the visit to the restroom in the wee hours of the morning and consequently, missing the alarm. We went about our chores, the weekly 'washing machinex' of the bed linen was resorted to and finally ready by a 20' past 9.

Lekha and Preetha had gone to the Guruvayur temple to have a 'darshan' of the good Lord. Vishnu had come by with the papers for signature by about a half past 10. Finally, the funds have been made available and the teaching faculty can concentrate on their work without worrying about their emoluments - all of them were working, till now, for the love of their work and the loyalty towards their organisation.

It was the day when Thomas Isaac had presented the state's annual budget in the Legislative Assembly. The highlights are as follows:-

     * 10 lakh electric vehicles, on the road, by 2022.
     * Major boost for the farm sector.
     * Energy Mission to ensure the entire power requirement of the state from roof top solar plants.
     * 6,000 km of designer roads over the next two years.
     * North-south parallel railway track on which trains will run at 180 km/hr reducing the running
        time from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod to four hours.
     * Twenty four rivers, with a length of 1,071 km, will be rejuvenated.
     * Another installment of Rs.1,000/- crores for Kuttanad.
     * Rehabilitation and restoration of the coast.
     * Rice parks - of international standards at Palakkad, Thrissur and Alappuzha.
     * Startups as the future of the state on the Chile, Estonia model plan.
     * 'Malabar Coffee' and 'Carbon Neutral Wayanad' initiatives proposed for global branding.
     * Major thrust to increase coconut production and for getting 20% higher price for coconut.

An interesting budget. What's to be seen is as to how each of the proposals take off.


Tailpiece.

1. Why's the central government still insisting on the implementation of the citizenship bill for the north eastern states despite the widespread dissent?

2. Will the three member committee comprising the PM, CJI and the LoP be able to zero in on the next CBI Director tomorrow?   

Can you show a modicum of decency, please?

Rahul Gandhi, before he'd reached Kerala earlier this week, had called on the ailing Manohar Parikkar, the Chief Minister of Goa and made a stunning statement that the latter had said that he'd nothing and was unaware of the Rafael aircraft agreement.

It was in the amplifying statement in which Mr. Parikkar had opened up saying that Rahul Gandhi was with him with for just five minutes and there was nothing discussed between the two of them. That he'd to say this in the Goan Assembly with the tubes, in tact on his body, shows to the extent to which the Congress leader had distorted the truth.

Please show a modicum of decency for a man who's sick!


Tailpiece.


Had got up with the alarm going off at 6, gone through our chores and we were ready on time. The prayers and the walk went off as usual.

Lekha, along with Preetha, had gone for their weekly visit to the Mammiyoor Siva kshethram. They'd returned by about a half past 11. 

Liaison Officer to the Raksha Mantri.

It was sometime in '98 or was it '99? My memory says it was in '98. I was the LO to the then Raksha Mantri, George Fernandez who visited Kochi for two days. We were going towards the Naval base after picking him up from the airport. As we were passing by the Medical Trust Hospital, he recalled his hero, the socialist Manohar Lohia's words, "Religion is long term politics".

Suddenly, it had become very clear to me as to why 'religious hot spots' were always a smoking cauldron kept alive by the political parties to suit their personal interests and many-a-time for achieving narrow political ends. This has been a bane of Indian politics!

We'd reached the VIP suite, overlooking the Ernakulam channel where he was to stay during that sojourn. He was enamoured by the sights and inquired about my personal particulars, over a cup of tea. As I was leaving, I'd informed him that the dhobhi was available to press his clothes that he would wear for the subsequent serials.

It was then that he had taken me into the bedroom, opened up his rather small overnighter, retrieved a pair of his trademark, kurta and pyjamas and placed them under the pillow and said with a wink, that it was the only manner in which he ensured that his clothes looked neat and tidy.

One of his engagements, while at Kochi, was to interact with the dockyard workers at the NSRY(Naval Ship Repair Yard) over a cup of tea. He looked very much at ease there and had played up to the gallery in his extempore speech to them.

When he was with us men, in uniform, I'd noticed him to be reserved and a man of few words.

I'd observed him to be equally at ease with the Christian clergy whom we'd gone to meet at their seminary on the Marine Drive!

Having said that I must say that I was impressed by his open admiration for the late Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh!

RIP Mr. George Fernandez.


Tailpiece.  

Had got up at 6, gone about our chores and were ready well in time. On perusing the What’sApp messages, saw Subbu – my course mate in the IN – making a frantic appeal to all of us to have his wife, Gowree in our prayers. Her heart had failed – it wasn’t pumping due to constricted arteries - Oxygen had to be pumped into her as complications had risen where her internal organs like the lungs and the kidneys had begun to function erratically. Had sent a terse reply and then, spoken to him and got the details. She was better.

Rema, meanwhile, had called up around a half past 8 to say that she her bus was traversing through the Thrissur bus stand. She’d started from Palakkad around 7 and would reach Pidavoor by a half past 3. Achu had gone off to his office at Perundurai and had reached there by a half past 8 while Padmakumar had left for his office.

Otherwise, a quiet day!

A Few Things That Amuse Me/Make Me Reflect These Days

A few happenings, of late, through falsehoods, innuendos and negative propaganda have taken place/is taking place which do not augur well for the country in the long run. I would like to share my misgivings about them with my readers. And so, here I go.

1. Irupathonnaam Noottandu. It makes me wonder as to how people can go to great lengths to              distort facts to give an extra advantage to the person that they are positively inclined to.                        'Irupathonnaam Noottaandu' starring Pranav Mohanlal(Mohanlal's son) and Gokul Suresh(Suresh        Gopi's son) was released last Friday. The publicity promos highlight only the former while the            latter is disregarded! It's damn sad!!

    I'm reminded of a movie that was released not very long ago, 'Kayankulam Kochunni' in which          Nivin Pauly played the lead role while Mohanlal played 'Ithikkara Pakki' - in the promos and in          almost all the publicity hoardings, it was the former who was lionised but the powerful acting of          the latter had neutralised the unfair publicity. Why are we, Malayalees, so selective in our                    admiration of the newcomers while being disgustingly patronising towards Mohanlal? 

    The movie is a take off on 'Irupathaam Noottandu'(Mohanlal and Suresh Gopi were the lead actors)
    and the people who've seen the new movie agree that Gokul Suresh has acted well in it. So, why is
    his performance being ignored and not being lauded?

2. Dileep in a higher dosage. Of late, Dileep's movies are aired on most of the television channels
    sometimes, simultaneously or at least one or two, almost every day. Are his supporters - of course,
    orchestrated by him - trying to whip up sympathy for him in the wake of the news that his case
    is coming up for hearing next month with a lady judge, in charge of the proceedings? "If he's really
    innocent, then, why's he worried", asks Mohanlal and I fully agree with him on that score!

3. The plight of DCP Chaithra Teresa John. The chief minister has said, pompously, that the
    police were expected to ensure conditions for the functioning of the political party offices which
    he went on to term as an integral part of democracy. The doubt that immediately conjures up in a
    layman is as to whether the law enforcers are supposed to uphold these places as holy cows! The        incident that triggered the controversy took place at 2345 hrs last Thursday, the 24th. A police
    team led by the DCP had searched the Thiruvananthapuram district committee office of the
    CPM in connection with a case on an attack on a police station.

     On the previous day, a group had tried to trespass the Medical College police station to 
     meet a few accused in a sexual harassment. Later, the same people had assembled near the
     police station, shouted slogans and pelted stones at the station building. Following the incident,       a case under relevant sections of the IPC and the Prevention of  Destruction to Public
     Properties Act was registered. Footage from CCTV near the station helped identify the
     attackers - four DYFI activists. The police had received information that the first accused,
     Nithin, was hiding in the party's district committee office and hence, the raid was conducted.

     How can the police carry out their job of enforcing the law if the government does not give
     them the autonomy to work fearlessly and independently? 

     A sad case of the powers-that-be coming down heavily on a no-nonsense-professional who'd
     gone about her work without fear or favour! DCP Chaithra Teresa John, cheers to your bold
     stand and do not worry, the truth will ultimately win!! You'll be vindicated!!!   


Tailpiece.
 
We'd got up a trifle after 6 this morning, gone through our chores and were ready on time. Preetha was a trifle late in coming by as she'd missed her usual bus! The rag picker had come by - not once but twice - but we couldn't use his services. Probably, it will bear fruition the next time.

The Prime Minister in Thrissur.

We'd got up half an hour late but went through our chores with gusto and were ready on time. The morning routine of walk, prayers and Rangoli was gone through without a hitch and breakfast was colonial, in that, we had porridge, eggs and bananas.

Preetha wasn't coming and therefore, it was Lekha's own show in the kitchen. Ismail had come by in the morning and a fresh stock of fish, cut by him and cleaned by Lekha, was stacked up in the fridge. The prawn fried rice, for lunch, was yummy.

Had the Sunday morning telephonic chat with Achu who had reached his mom at Palakkad last night, from Perundurai. Meanwhile, his dad, Padmakumar has gone visiting his mom at Pidavoor and will return tonight. Mini will start from Bangalore, for Kollam, on the 29th to be on time for Vichani kunjamma's 13th day ceremony on the 1st of Feb.

After having tended his mom - who's down with a fracture of the clavicle and her hand - for about three months, my friend, Commander MJ Paul sir is bracing himself to go to sea. His mother has progressed well and she'll be looked after by his wife, Jaya, during his absence.

The Prime Minister, after landing at INS Garuda, Kochi at around a quarter past 2, had taken off for the BPCL complex at Ambalamukal, for the following:-

  (a) Inauguration of the Integrated Refinery Expansion Complex.
  (b) Lay the foundation stone for a petrochemical complex at the refinery.
  (c) Lay the foundation stone for a Skill Development Institute at Ettumanoor, backed by the
       Ministry of Petrochemicals and Natural Gas.
  (d) Inauguration of a mounded storage vessel at the LPG bottling plant of the IOC Ltd which
       has a total storage capacity of 4,350 metric tonnes.

After that he was in Thrissur at the Thekkinkaadu Maidan for his meeting with the BJP's youth wing. Incidentally, saw my schoolmate, PC Thomas receiving the PM on the tarmac and felt glad.

Saw two movies, back-to-back, Mohanlal's 'Drama' and Dulquar Salman's 'Mahanadi' in the evening. The former was okay - it's all about relationships where an old mother expresses her desire to be buried beside her husband at Kattappana in Idukki before passing away at London and the reluctance her children have to 'spend money on such a wasteful(?) expenditure'! Mahanadi is a biopic on yesteryears' heroine of the tamil movies, the beautiful and talented Savithri Ganesan.

'Drama', starring Mohanlal, was dragging while the 'Mahanadi' was nice, with good performances from Dulquar and Keerthi Suresh. It was a quiet evening, thereafter!


Tailpiece.

Was reminded of my mom's desire to have her laid to rest next to dad's cremation spot at the backyard of Raj Nivas. Though I used to pull her leg saying that dad had told me many-a-time to keep mom as far away from him, as possible, when the time finally arrived I'd no hesitation in taking her back to Raj Nivas.......that was the least I could do for her! Their cremation spots have become a pilgrimage point for all of us!

It's my firm belief that mom and dad's eternal presence at the Raj Nivas is a cosmic truth!

      

Indian Republic @ 70.

Had got up groggily thanks to the late night last night, yet again, due to an interesting episode of the 'Crime Patrol' on the Sony channel. We went through our chores but I was a trifle late.

Preetha will not be coming in tomorrow as her son is here and he will be leaving for Thalasserry sometime tomorrow. So, Lekha had taken her along to do some sundry shopping at Mammiyoor to tide over the Sunday requirements. They had returned over an hour later and in the meanwhile, I was watching the Republic Day celebrations at the Raj Path, New Delhi which was a very colourful event, as usual!

The colourful pageantry associated with the Republic Day and the march past through the Rajpath have never failed to evoke a patriotic fervour in me, always and everytime.

A group of three gentlemen - Mr. Padmanabhan, Mr. Sunil Kumar and Mr. Anoop, at the behest of my friend, KR Narayanan - had dropped by and we'd a long chat over the recent happenings, connected with the entry of women in the Sabarimala shrine. In the process, I've also told them about my overall opinion of the RSS and its activities.

Had also touched upon the details of the Library and the Literacy movements of Kerala. They seemed to be adequately educated about Mr. PN Panicker's contributions towards the betterment of Kerala by the end of my monologue.

It was a quiet evening, thereafter.


Tailpiece.

TP Senkumar, the ex-DGP's outburst on ISRO scientist, Nambi Narayanan, getting the coveted Padmabhushan award was unnecessary and out of place......at least, I thought it to be so. Or is he privy to something that we are not aware of?

I was looking forward to a posthumous Bharath Ratna for the late Field Marshal SHFJ Maneckshaw. Our own, metroman, E Sreedharan is another strong contender for the highest civilian award!  

A short outing.

It was groggy when we'd got up in the morning as it was a late night last night and aggravated by an early morning trip to the rest room to ease the bladder. Anyways, we went around our chores and were ready on time.

The caretaker had to be sent the money for the cleaning of the Raj Nivas and to pay up our contribution towards the annual festivities of the Thrikkonnamarkodu Devi temple. However much I tried to transfer the sum of Rs. 2 grand, the end result was the same - the amount could not be transferred!

So, I'd to go to my bank. Vishnu was on a day's leave and hence couldn't meet him, though I was keen, especially after the input from Unnikrishnan that I'd received last evening. His assistant, Padmakumar had helped me out, though, by resorting to paper transaction because my cellphone was of an older vintage. Anyways, was able to complete both the transactions to Paulson and the caretaker!

Did Babu, the auto rickshaw driver, charge me more than he should have? Had charged me a hundred bucks!


Tailpiece.

The Supreme Court has reconstituted the 5-judge bench to look into the Ayodhya Ram Janambhoomi-Babri Masjid land title dispute from the 29th of this month and the new team is:-

    (a) The CJI Ranjan Gogoi.
    (b) Justice SA Bobde
    (c) Justice DY Chandrachud
    (d) Justice Ashok Bhushan and
    (e) Justice SA Nazeer.

Justices Bhushan and SA Nazeer are the new members, Justice NV Ramana is not in the new bench.