THE SOUNDS OF INDIA

About: India is a messy, noisy democracy and life can literally take you from the lowest depths of the ocean to the highest mountain peaks. This is my commentary on the sounds made in the process. But, in this article, I digress slightly to write about superhero bravery in the Air by an Indian Pilot, and I return to the sound of India’s Election Commission fighting back on attempts to tarnish its name.

Unbelievable Heroism in the Air

This 30 September 2026, Flydubai, Flight FZ1073, a United Arab Emirates (UAE) Government-owned Airline based in Dubai, was on a regular flight from UAE’s Dubai to Israel’s, Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport. It was a Boeing 737 MAX8 aircraft carrying 174 passengers – almost all Israeli – and 6 crew. The low-cost, non-stop flight normally takes about 3 hours and 25 minutes to reach Tel Aviv. The Captain and main Pilot was Indian National Smit Machchhar, and his co-pilot in the cockpit, was an Omani National Mohammed Hamam Al-Hammami.

The plane departed Dubai at about 6am local time flying west, towards Tel Aviv. About two hours into the flight, Hamam Al-Hammami told Smit Machchhar that he wanted to pray, and got up from his seat. This was not abnormal, and out of respect for the ‘praying’ co-pilot, Smit Machchhar kept looking forward, without turning around. After about five minutes a deadly blow landed on the back of his head sending him into a tizzy. For a moment he thought the aircraft itself had been hit: that something catastrophic had happened. Then the blows kept coming, one after another, and he understood it was the co-pilot who was repeatedly clobbering him with the cockpit emergency crash axe.

The blows blurred Smit Macchchhar’s vision almost completely. He blindly tried to stop the attacker, and could feel the aircraft pitching steeply downward; heard a whooshing sound and passengers screaming. He managed to open the cockpit door once; the co-pilot shut it again, and Smit ended up on the floor. Believing he would die if he did not act, he forced himself, in one last-ditch attempt, back to the door, twisted the inside knob, and opened it a second time, before collapsing. Passengers who sensed trouble, on the dive of the plane, had gathered outside the cockpit and when the door opened they quickly entered, for the rescue.

Captain Smit Machchhar later revealed that he kept chanting the Hindu hymn, Hanuman Chalisa, to keep him going during the brutal attack. The hymn is recited in praise of Lord Hanuman who symbolises strength, devotion, and courage.

In between, Smit managed to signal a General Emergency Code, squawk 7700 ‘general emergency’ before switching to squawk 7500 a code for reporting ‘unlawful interference (hijacking)’. Meanwhile, the aircraft which was cruising at an altitude of about 34,000 feet began rapidly losing altitude and turned sharply to the north. It descended 17,400 feet in just under two minutes.

A squawk is a four-digit International Civil Aviation Organization code that a pilot punches into an airplane’s transponder – that talks to the ground radar – so that Air Traffic Control can identify and track the flight. The word ‘squawk’ itself comes from the World War II identification-friend-or-foe system, code-named ‘Parrot.’During World War II, primary radar only showed a blip. It could not tell a friendly aircraft from an enemy one, which was a serious problem especially at night and on cloudy days. Britain developed an early Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) system: a ground station sent an interrogation signal, and a set in the aircraft replied with a coded signal so the radar operator could mark it as friendly. The British system was code-named Parrot, because it ‘repeated’ the signal back, the way a parrot mimics sound.

One of the first to enter the cockpit was Israel Plumber by profession, Yaniv Hayun who along with three other passengers subdued the co-pilot, put him in a chokehold and dragged him out of the cockpit, while he was shouting, “kill me, kill me”. Hayun then pulled the nose-up stick and steadied the diving plane, inspired by watching a TV show called ‘Air Crash Investigation’, which reconstructs real-life air disasters. Another passenger Dr. Shota Musaev, a Dentist and the only Doctor on board, along with others, tied the attacker up using headphone cords and plastic zip-ties. He then tended to the wounded pilot and this effort saved Smit’s life, who was by this time was bleeding profusely.

Two Flydubai pilots who were already on board as passengers-crew travelling to operate the return sector, often called ‘deadheading’-then took control of the plane. The flight briefly entered Jordanian airspace before looping back into Saudi Arabia and making an emergency landing at Tabuk Airport in north-western Saudi Arabia. A large part of the Aircraft’s tail was missing – the rudder was damaged presumably due to the extreme G-forces on the airframe.

This plane was orders of magnitude above the limits and beyond the calculated safety factors built into commercial aircraft and yet it managed to survive. This is genuinely a testament to the 737 Max and modern carbon composite airframes. US President Donald Trump was quick to call Boeing, “A Great Aircraft”. In virtually every historical incident where an airliner got anywhere close to these speeds the tail ripped off the entire rear of the plane. The inherent strength of the airframe is genuinely unbelievable, as are the excellent piloting skills of the Pilots who pulled it out of the dive, which recovery is as impressive as Captain Sully’s famous landing on the River Hudson.

Captain Smit’s skull was broken in the axe attack and he underwent emergency treatment in Saudi Arabia, where doctors reconstructed his skull, before he was flown to the UAE for intensive treatment.

He later spoke to Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi who hailed him as a hero, who acted with the greatest possible courage in saving lives and in avoiding what could have been a unimaginable disaster.

Call it a case of ‘Risk Migration’, that for 25 years, regulators have designed the aircraft cockpit door to stay shut and even had it reinforced after the 9/11 US Twin Tower suicide attacks. On Flight FZ1073, the outcome depended on its opening.

The co-pilot Mohammed Hamam Al-Hammami, 29 years old, was a radicalised Islamic jihadi who was previously sacked by Air-Oman in 2024–2025 for his extremist views and ideology, for regularly browsing extremist websites and expressing support for the Islamic State, jihad, and anti-non-Muslim sentiments during conversations with colleagues. It is absolutely clear that he underwent Islamist radical indoctrination and should never have been on that plane.

He seems to have been hired by FlyDubai without a background check. It never checked with Oman Air where he had worked there for about eight months.

His mother is of Syrian origin, and father is Omani. He visited Pakistan in August 2026 and Turkey in May 2026. His diary notes contained praise for several terrorists, including Osama bin Laden, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and Maulana Masood Azhar.

At the time he was a trainee first officer at Oman’s national carrier. The ban came in 2024, and he was moved into an administrative role. He left the airline in February 2025.

Hamam Al-Hammami filmed El Al and Arkia planes at Dubai Airport on 11 October 2023, just four days after the deadly 7th October attacks on Israel. He intended to carry out a terror attack by crashing a plane into Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport and planned the attack for months before FlyDubai hired him. “I searched and checked which company flies to Tel Aviv, and that’s why I chose Flydubai,” he said. He had planned to carry out the attack during an earlier flight, in July, but aborted the plan when he learnt that a crew member he knew was on board. A backup plan involved crashing the flight into a United States military base in Jordan.

One of the main questions being looked into is how the flight included a pilot from a country with which Israel does not have diplomatic relations.

Captain Smit sustained what doctors called a ‘depressed skull fracture-when a piece of skull has been pressed inward towards the brain it protects. During surgery Doctors made a careful incision to lift the pressed-in fragment, checked the protective membrane around the brain for tears and repaired/reconstructed damages. He is recovering and says he wants to fly again. Smit lives in Dubai with his wife Sonal Machchhar and two children. The 38 years old Captain has over 9750 flying hours including about 6400 hours as pilot-in command.

The outstanding act of Captain Smit Machchhar’s bravery will live on for time to come. It would have been an entirely different story if the plane with all 180 people on board had crashed into Israel or perhaps was shot-down as a defensive mechanism. And this was just a few days away from the anniversary of the brutal Hamas attack of 7 October 2023 when 1200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

One simple act of courage can mean so much and it conks all of us on the head to be alert, mindful, and show the best in us when the stakes are high. Meanwhile, conspiracy theories do the rounds – best left to people’s pig-headed imagination. Did this kind not say that the Man’s first landing on the moon was staged in a studio?

Election Commission of India

Once upon a time, from India’s independence in August 1947 up to 1990, the Election Commission of India (ECI)operated as a hand-maiden of the party ruling at the Centre- mostly the Indian National Congress. If Alice in Wonderland’s Queen of Hearts thundered, ‘off with their heads’, and heads rolled, India’s then Government(s) decided when to hold an Election and the ECI meekly obeyed.

Those were the days of stupendous election malpractices such as, booth-capturing, bribing and intimidating voters, impersonation, intoxicating voters with the ‘spirts of Ireland and Scotland’ -not to mention local, legal (and often illegal) brews- to keep them on a high, use of Government funds and machinery… a long list.

Why, India’s first Prime Minister(PM), Jawaharlal Nehru lost 0 – 12 to Sardar Vallabhai Patel and yet was made PM by Mahatma Gandhi, overruling the voting by members of the State Congress Committees. Hey Ram, that was the earliest instance of, call it Election malpractice, or stealing of votes to manifest one man’s idea! And Elections rolled on, unchecked in a way.

Indelible Ink-usually applied on the index finger of a voter to mark his/her having voted-was first introduced during the 1962 General Elections, and it brought some checks & balances into vote-cheating. Never mind the ink, Jawaharlal Nehru served as PM from 15 August 1947 until his death in May 1964 – 16 years and 286 days.

Then in December 1990, an ex-Indian Administrative Service (IAS) Officer, T N Seshan was appointed Chief Election Commissioner(CEC)- the 10th. He boldly overhauled the ECI bringing in much-needed, vital, path-breaking Electoral Reforms such as, introducing Voter Identification, enforcing election model code of conduct, limiting campaign expenses, etc. In fact, he did nothing but dust off and implement existing Rules. And ever since, subsequent CECs have built upon that foundation to make the ECI one of the best in the World in conducting elections. A mean machine delivering election after election, all these years, without interference from the Government.

Originally, the ECI had only a Chief Election Commissioner – hence the malleability. It currently consists of the CEC and two ‘plain’ Election Commissioners. In a first, two additional Commissioners were appointed in October 1989, but faced ‘sudden death’ in January 1990. Later, in October 1993, two Commissioners were again appointed and the three-member Commission has stuck ever since, with decision-making being unanimous, or in the event of disagreements among the three, deciding by a majority vote.

Over to a slice of history: The fiercely independent, ‘James Bond of the ECI’, T N Seshan famously challenged the equal status of the two other Election Commissioners who were added midway during his tenure from 1990 to 1996. The Supreme Court ruled, in 1996, that all three members hold equal voting power.

The next step in ensuring squeaky-clean elections in India was the introduction of Electronic Voting Machines (EVM). These are stand-alone, battery-powered machines that use write-once-read-many memory. This is basically an immutable system where, once data is recorded, the storage medium permanently locks the information so that it cannot be altered or overwritten – no edits or deletions can be done. They do not require network connectivity, and have no wireless or wired components that connect to the internet. The EVMs had iron-clad security features such as locking mechanisms, limits on the rate of voting per minute, and verification of thumb impressions.

Prior to electronic voting, paper ballots were used and counting was done manually. Printing paper ballots was expensive, required substantial resources and time to count. And was susceptible to fraudulent practices such as the use of pre-filled fake ballots. With the coming of the EVMs, elections costs reduced significantly, besides shortening the time required to count votes.

EVMs were first put-to-test in May 1982 in the By-Election of Paravur Assembly Constituency in Kerala in a limited number of polling stations. Nothing changes easily in India, and the use of EVMs was promptly challenged. The case found its way to the Supreme Court, which ruled that existing Rules specified only the usage of paper ballots and forbade the use of any new methods, including electronic voting. And that the manner in which the orders were issued for the use of EVMs was unconstitutional, and the usage of any alternate means must be specified under the Law. This called for an Amendment to the old Rules, which was passed by India’s Parliament in December 1988 and came into force in March 1989. Subsequently, in March 1992, necessary Rules changes were made to legally permit the usage of electronic voting. However, deployment was delayed as a general consensus could not be reached among the various political parties.

In the year 1998, EVMs were used on an experimental basis across 25 State Assembly constituencies during the Assembly Elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi. Result: It was an instant hit and declared an ‘unqualified success’.

In May 2001, EVMs were used in all constituencies for the State Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry, and West Bengal. In 2004, in the General Election, the EVMs were used in all 543 Parliamentary Constituencies for the first time. Since then, all State Assembly and Parliamentary Elections were held using EVMs.

To further plug loopholes in the system, in 2013, the Supreme Court directed the ECI to include a paper trail to help verify the vote cast using the EVMs. The ECI then developed EVMs with a Voter-Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT), which was tested for the first time in the 2014 General Elections. This closed the door on any doubts about the EVMs.

Now, the focus shifted to the voter himself, the Electoral Rolls – who actually votes?

Riding on the long road of Elections, today the ECI is facing a major credibility crisis- in another dimension- over its nationwide Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Electoral Rolls. This is an exercise periodically undertaken by the ECI to verify and revise Electoral Rolls through house-to-house enumeration, pre-filled forms, and verification of old data. A nationwide SIR process was announced on 27 October 2025; the previous SIR was carried out between 2002 and 2004 – about 20 years ago. And even before that, there were eight SIRs conducted.

For about a year now, Gyanesh Kumar, India’s CEC, has been under intense political pressure over the sweeping revision of the country’s Electoral Rolls under the SIR. The exercise, which began in the State of Bihar last year, has since been extended to cover most of India and more than 13 crore names – mostly dead, shifted to another location, or duplicate – have been struck from draft voter lists across 30 States and Union Territories – roughly 13% of India’s electorate.

The SIR process was challenged by the Opposition Parties (probably, fearing the loss of votes of dead voters – in those days even the dead voted!) in India’s Supreme Court. In May 2026, the Court supremely upheld the legitimacy of SIR and ruled it to be in consonance with India’s Constitution and that the ECI has a constitutional obligation to conduct free and fair elections.

The ECI explained that the SIR is intended to remove duplicate and ineligible entries while ensuring legitimate voters are included. Opposition parties and activists claimed that it disenfranchised eligible voters. The ECI outright rejected accusations that the process is being manipulated for political ends.

This September 2026, an Indian Express Newspaper investigation by journalist Ritika Chopra reported that other two Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi recorded written dissent at least 14 times, over 10 months. This was to decisions supposedly taken without their knowledge-including ‘unauthorised changes to Form 6’, for new voters and centralisation of voter data.

Since the SIR has deleted over 13 crore names from draft rolls, opposition parties cried that this was done unilaterally by CEC Gyanesh Kumar in a way that disproportionately affected minorities, the poor, and young voters. And they demanded his resignation. Protests to this effect were organised in the national Capital.

The ECI released a statement that all decisions were unanimous and lawful and any objections-made out as dissent notes-were merely suggestions in the course of a normal day’s work. It has ordered a software review, eased some verification processes, extended deadlines in certain States, and removed the disputed Form 6 Declaration in States where SIR is completed. It unequivocally said that even ‘a comma’ of Form 6 has not been changed.

Lets go deeper into the meat of the matter.

Form 6 is a statutory application form used by eligible Indian citizens to apply for inclusion in India’s Electoral Rolls. These may be first-time voters who turn 18 years of age, or others who have never enrolled themselves for voting. It requires basic details such as personal information, proof of age and residence, and declarations regarding citizenship and non-registration elsewhere. The form itself is straight-jacketed, prescribed by Rules that can only be amended by the Central Government after consulting the ECI, and notified in the Official Gazette-subject to parliamentary approval.

A controversy arose during the ECI’s SIR of Bihar. The ECI introduced an additional declaration to be submitted along with the ‘untouched’ Form 6 for SIR-related applications. This was not part of the printed/downloadable statutory Form 6, but was added to the online version on the ECINET (online) portal.

Key elements of the declaration involved focus on birth details and supporting documents (one of a list of documents to establish date/place of birth for the applicant and, depending on birth year brackets parents). Later versions (from around July 2026 onward on the online portal) shifted emphasis to linkage with the previous SIR rolls (from the early 2000s in many places). Applicants were asked to choose among options such as, their own name appeared in the last SIR roll; a parent’s or grandparent’s name appeared; neither appeared.

Selecting the first or second option required providing details such as the Assembly constituency, polling booth/part number, and serial number (and sometimes related identifiers like EPIC number or relationship). The field was not always marked mandatory, but online submission could not proceed without completing it. False statements carried warnings of penalties-up to one year imprisonment, fine, or both.

The ECI maintained that Form 6 itself was never amended: only an additional SIR specific declaration was attached for the duration of the exercise; the Bihar SIR order (including the initial declaration) had the full Commission’s approval and was upheld by the Supreme Court in its 27 May 2026 judgment; the declaration was an additional requirement, not a change to Form 6, and that ordinary statutory forms apply outside SIR periods.

On 5 October 2026, the Chief Justice of India clarified that the Court had not approved any modified Form 6. The bench said it would examine ECI records to determine who authorised any changes and what exactly was modified.

The ECI reiterated that it had not altered the original Form 6 and that the SIR declaration was separate; it also issued fact-checks describing certain opposition claims as misleading. It withdrew the additional declaration from the online portal in states where SIR had concluded, while it continued in places where the exercise was ongoing.

The ECI continues to distinguish between the unchanged statutory Form 6 and temporary SIR-linked additional requirements. Critics focus on the lack of formal rule amendment, internal objections, practical burdens on new voters, and the precise scope of what the Court previously upheld.

Whether attaching the SIR declaration (especially in its later online form) amounted to an unauthorised or illegal amendment of the statutory Form 6 is contested-internally within the ECI, by opposition parties and some former officials, and in petitions before the Supreme Court. No final judicial determination that it was illegal has been made; the matter is pending examination of the records and the validity of the specific requirements.

In these circumstances, it’s worthwhile to dig into the career of the CEC-Gyanesh Kumar. What does he bring to the table – to the ballot?

For most of his 36-year career in India’s bureaucracy, the 62-year-old Gyanesh Kumar built a reputation for getting difficult things done. Now he faces a rather different challenge: defending how his own institution makes decisions.

Gyanesh Kumar hails from the State of Uttar Pradesh. He completed his BTech in Civil Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology- Kanpur (one of the very best in the country) and then pursued Business Finance at the Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts of India before studying Environmental Economics at Harvard University, USA. He cleared the Civil Services Exam and entered the IAS in 1988, in the Kerala State cadre.

He began his career as an Assistant Collector in Ernakulam, then Sub-Collector of Adoor, followed Secretary of the Kerala Public Works Department. Leaving Kerala, he became Joint Secretary in the Department of Defence Production Secretary in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and Ministry of Co-operation.

In 2016, Gyanesh Kumar joined the Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) division of the Home Ministry. Three years later, in 2019, he was involved in drafting the J&K Reorganisation Bill which culminated in revoking Article 370 (recall, this gave J&K a special status, disjointed from the rest of India). J&K was bifurcated into two distinct Union territories: J&K – with a Legislative Assembly, and Ladakh – without a Legislative Assembly, hence directly administered by the Central Government.

In 2019, India’s Supreme Court cleared the way for a temple of Lord Ram to be built in Ayodhya at a site that had been disputed by Hindus and Muslims for decades. Gyanesh Kumar, who was then an additional secretary in the Home Ministry, headed the team responsible for implementing the court’s ruling, including setting up the Trust that would oversee the temple’s construction.

The assignments were very different, but both demanded a particular bureaucratic skill of taking decisions of enormous political consequence and working out how the machinery of government would put them into effect. Gyanesh Kumar retired from the Civil Services in January 2024. Less than two months later, he was appointed an Election Commissioner – a day before the timetable for India’s general election was announced. In February 2025, he became Chief Election Commissioner.

He was the first CEC appointed by the President of India under a new law in 2023 in which a three-member Selection Committee recommended a name to the President of India. A Search Committee headed by the Union Law Minister shortlists five candidates, which it puts forward to the Selection Committee. The Selection Committee consisting of the Prime Minister (Chairperson), Leader of the Opposition, and a Union Cabinet Minister(nominated by the PM) makes a final choice by majority vote.

In February 2025, Gyanesh Kumar was selected by such a panel, consisting of Narendra Modi- PM, Amit Shah-Union Home Minister, and Rahul Gandhi- Leader of the Opposition. Only Rahul Gandhi opposed Kumar’s appointment (he even asked for it to be deferred while the Supreme Court considered challenges to the new law). But the majority vote saw Gyanesh Kumar through.

The ECI is one of India’s best autonomous Institutions handling the awfully difficult task of conducting Elections, and it is being besmirched by a kind of people who want a return to the old ballot system in which they have been swimming all the years and presumably won Elections on their choice.

Three Cheers to Captain Smit Machchhar- for showing exemplary bravery and indomitable spirit in the skies; and to the Election Commission Of India – for working hard in the cesspool of Indian Politics to clean India’s dirty Electoral Rolls, where draining the swamp isn’t an option.

CAPTURED: WAR & PEACE

About: This is the fourth in my Captured Series, on stories that moved the World since Episode 3, when the world was on fire – blazes. This time I capture stories on what is turning out to be a never-ending war, the peace of the BRICS Summit, Sports, and a sensation called Jimothy the Raccoon.

WAR

Least we forget, try recalling what started the Russia-Ukraine War and it appears hazy, flimsy, and bizarre. A history of intertwining between these countries, yet fighting with each other. Old cave and tribal instincts of man rising to the surface?

Going back deep into History, once upon a time Ukraine was a founding republic of the Soviet Union (USSR) from 1922, until it declared independence in 1991 on the collapse of the USSR. Ukraine gave up all Soviet nuclear weapons and related military infrastructure, stationed on its land, to Russia over several years after independence -completing the last warhead transfer in 1996. However, it kept its civilian nuclear facilities and power plants.

Ukraine also holds the site of the terrible 1986 Chernobyl accident at a Soviet-built nuclear power plant, which is easily the worst disaster in the history of commercial nuclear power generation. An experiment designed to test the safety of the power plant went wrong and caused a fire which spewed radiation for 10 continuous days. Clouds carrying radioactive particles drifted thousands of miles, releasing toxic rain all over Europe. Deaths directly attributable to radiation exposure eventually climbed to a figure of over 9,000 people. About 116,000 people in the immediate vicinity of Chernobyl were quickly evacuated, and a 30 km Exclusion Zone was imposed, which was later expanded to cover more affected areas. Today, it is still illegal to live inside the Exclusion Zone. Despite this, about 130 to 150 people persisted: many of whom are women in their 70s and 80s, farming their ancestral land, maintaining their own way of life.

Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, after months of belligerent posturing to this effect, but officially the Russia-Ukraine War started in February 2014, when Russia captured and annexed the Crimean Peninsula, belonging to Ukraine. Hitting the History button again, during the Soviet Union days, Crimea was ‘internally transferred’ from Russia to Ukraine to commemorate the Union of Russia and Ukraine. Amidst the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, when Ukraine seceded, it continued to exercise sovereignty over Crimea-which seized the opportunity to call itself the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. Russia’s seemingly iron-clad argument of annexation of Crimea in 2014 was that it was getting back what actually belonged to Russia. And they cleanly got away with it. This was the first Annexation of another country after World War II.

Looks like February is a dangerous month for Ukraine, any year!

What are the reasons for Russia and Ukraine being at each other’s throats? Seems to be the usual verbose, complex geopolitical, historical, and security motivations asserted by Russia. The eastward expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is touted as an existential threat to mighty Russia. And Russia has all along been demanding legal guarantees that Ukraine would never be admitted into NATO. The full-scale invasion of the year 2022 was justified as some kind of ‘demilitarising’ and ‘denazifying’ Ukraine, which is nothing but unfounded propaganda. In the mind Russia still considers Ukraine as the blood running in its body!

Ukraine (it too has Russia, after all) fought back and even carried the fight into Russia in a strong calibrated counter-attack. By the year 2023 the front lines had largely stagnated, and the conflict became a war of attrition as it continued into 2026. The war has displaced a third of Ukraine’s population, with as many as 1.6 million Ukrainians forcibly transferred to Russian territories by Russian forces.

Over 4 years and 6 months has passed and the war is anything but over, stealing World War I’s run of 4 years 3 months and 14 days; and perhaps targeting World War II’s throw of 6 years and 1 day. It still remains a grinding war of attrition, with limited Russian territorial gains at high cost, Ukrainian long-range strikes deep into Russia, and no imminent peace deal. Russia occupies roughly 20% of Ukraine. Neither side has achieved a decisive breakthrough.

What needs to be done to stop the war? No one has an answer. Maybe until Russia’s President decides it’s done (whatever he had in mind) and enough is enough. In the process, Ukraine has become an expert in Drone Warfare and learnt to use modern weapons and perhaps use of ‘James Bond gadgets’ supplied by its Allies.

Maybe disbanding NATO- which is a defensive grouping of nations- would be the best offensive action at ending this Bloodline War. Well, was not The Warsaw Pact, the counter to NATO formally disestablished in July 1991? And isn’t the Cold War over?

Now, over to the other war which occupies the headlines. It too began in late February this year. What’s this thing with February for starting wars?

This other war is the United States and Israel fighting Iran. And Iran in turn trying its darnedest to ‘kick the backside of camels’ of nearby nations such as UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait to drag the Middle East -screaming and squealing – into the War, by itself and through its proxies in Lebanon and Yemen. The United States (US) achieved one of its goals by knocking off the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the first few days, but perhaps the ulterior motive of collapse of Iran and Regime Change, never happened and stays on the drawing board. Instead, it went straight to becoming a Strait of Hormuz drama. A badly wounded (how bad, no one knows) Mojtaba Khamenei succeeded his father as Supreme Leader and the Islamic show goes on.

Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen have intensified attacks on Saudi Arabia with missiles and drones striking airbases and infrastructure, disrupting the Red Sea as an alternative route and prompting Saudi pipeline issues. Saudi’s Prince Charming winked and asked Israel for Intelligence Information.

Multiple ceasefires and memoranda, including a June 2026 Pakistan-mediated one, have been signed and then collapsed over issues like Hormuz control, Iran’s nuclear programme, sanctions, and proxy activity. Fighting has settled into cycles of strikes, lulls, and renewed exchanges rather than an all-out conventional war.

Meanwhile, Israel continues to dismantle Hezbollah in Lebanon, terminating the lives of more and more Hezbollah and Hamas big shots. And wiping out a maze of tunnels. I get to know, when Israel posts ‘ELIMINATED’ stamped on the guy, on X. Wonder how many more are out there – new guys coming in faster than the old ones being shot-down to Hell.

Operations Epic Fury and Roaring Lion are moving on their own tracks while Iran is busy needling its neighbours, keeping the fires burning.

Wars a certainly big business for the Arms Manufacturers and Suppliers. And perhaps an opportunity to get rid of old and ageing weapons. And try out fresh new techniques of killing people? But, there is still something we can do!

I am reminded of Viktor E Frankl’s powerful concluding lines in, Man’s Search For Meaning, ”For the world is in a bad state, but everything will become still worse unless each one of us does his best. So, let us be alert – alert in a twofold sense: Since Auschwitz we know what man is capable of. And since Hiroshima we know what is at stake”.

PEACE: BRICS 2026

Then comes the BRICS Summit hosted by India and attended by Russia, Brazil, China, South Africa and many others – not living in the acronym. Over 20 years, the BRIC start-up became BRICS and got even better, building a colony of nations. Brick by brick? Hugs, handshakes, photo-shoots ruled while the media went mad discussing the Indian vegetarian menu.

On conclusion, the newspaper headlines screamed, ‘BRICS unanimously adopts landmark Delhi Declaration’. The focus continued to be on the so-called pragmatic goals of making it easier for member nations to promote trade settlements and investments in their own currencies to achieve faster, cheaper and safer cross-border payments, among other points. It called for nuclear disarmament, arms control, and non-proliferation; made a strong statement on the Palestine cause and even asked Israel to withdraw its occupying forces from Lebanese territory.

I was disappointed. Lots of lacklustre, invisible, unmeasurable goals. Russia was easily left off the hook.
My kind of visible action would be: Russia declaring its war with Ukraine over; Iran dealing with only directly responding to the US(and Israel), withdrawing support to its proxies in the Middle East, not attacking its neighbours; Gaza behaving itself and staying away from endlessly ‘irritating’ Israel – accepting Israel as a State; condemning Bangladesh’s harassment of Hindus; China accepting existing borders with India and declaring the Border War over…and the kind. Live and Let Live. Simple: one headline per day for the next week and more…until the next Summit.

India’s Prime Minister oiled the show very well in his trademark style. I would not have space on my walls to hammer the photo-frames!

China is set to chair the next BRICS Summit in 2027 and President Xi Jinping quickly left – perhaps to begin making arrangements.

Does anybody track the outcomes of these great Summits? Or are they only grandstanding glossy words on glossy paper?

SPORTS

India continues to gain muscle in sport, keeping the momentum of its many successes – across sport domains.

The Indian Women’s Cricket Team won a record-extending eighth Women’s Asia Cup title on 13 September, defeating Sri Lanka by 72 runs in the final in Dubai.

On the same day India’s Dhiraj Bommadevara made History by winning the 2026 Archery World Cup Final in Saltillo, Mexico. He won the men’s individual recurve gold medal becoming the first Indian man to claim the season-ending title.

Dhiraj Bommadevara an Indian Army Subedar and recurve archer from Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, delivered one of India’s standout individual results of the past two months. He beat Japan’s Junya Nakanishi 6-5 in a shoot-off after the five-set final finished level, sealing it with a 10 to Nakanishi’s 9. Earlier in the event, he defeated Olympic medallists Berkim Tumer of Turkey) and Jean-Charles Valladont of France.

India is the land of the Archer and Arjuna and Lord Rama would be proud.

Another heart-warming result was Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty winning the men’s doubles title at the 2026 China Masters Super 750 in Shenzhen on 6 September, becoming the first Indian pair to lift the trophy since the tournament began in 2005. They beat China’s He Jiting and Ren Xiangyu 11-21, 21-13, 21-17 in a 70-minute final after dropping the opening game. It was their third final at the event, after runner-up finishes in 2023 and 2025. Persistence pays!

Moving out of India to the United States.

Alexander Zverev won the 2026 US Open men’s singles title, beating American Ben Shelton 6–3, 7–6(7–2), 5–7, 6–2 in the final on 13 September. It was his second Grand Slam of 2026-after the French Open-and the first US Open men’s title by a German since Boris Becker won the title in 1989.

Kazakhstan’sElena Rybakina– the No 2 seed- won the women’s singles title beating two-time defending champion Belorussia’s Aryna Sabalenka 6–4, 5–7, 6–2 on 12 September. It was her first US Open title and third major overall (she also won the 2026 Australian Open). The result also confirmed her position as the new World No 1.

RACOON JIMOTHY

A Raccoon is a medium-sized, stocky mammal native to North America. It looks a bit like a small, hunched bear or a heavy-set cat, with a pointed muzzle, rounded ears edged in white, and short legs. The most recognisable features are the bold black ‘bandit’ mask across the eyes and a bushy tail. The body fur is dense and grizzled gray-brown. Front paws are hairless on the palms and unusually dexterous, almost hand-like, which lets raccoons manipulate objects, open latches, and feel for food. Raccoons have short necks – thick, and often hidden. A raccoon’s body is compact and somewhat hunched, with dense fur around the shoulders and a relatively broad head that sits close to the torso. That makes the neck less obvious than on a dog, cat, or deer. You still see it clearly when the animal stretches, looks up, turns its head, or walks with the head held forward.

Now, enter Jimothy the Raccoon.

A wild raccoon living in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood, Washington State, US, has captured the collective imagination of people, due to his unusual body shape. It was first spotted in July 2026, and has since gone viral on social media, and its fame has spread not only across the US, but globally as well.

The spark was a short Instagram video posted by a woman after she spotted him under a car on 13 July and thought he was a cat. She named him Jimothy because, “he just looked like a Jimothy to me. I don’t have any other explanation”. The clip exploded to millions of views and became an internet sensation. Neighbours then shared older footage, including a video of him as a clumsy kitten with his mother and siblings. Jimothy is a playful made-up portmanteau combining Jim and Timothy – a common piece of modern slang used in internet memes and comedy to poke fun at overly formal or corporate speech.

The look, plus the name, plus the “what am I looking at?” energy turned him into an instant mascot. Seattle embraced it as Jimothy Summer: city proclamations, murals, tattoos, a bobblehead, brand shout-outs, charity fundraising, even an honorary University of Washington mention. People compared him to a Cryptid (a fictional animal of folklore), Danny DeVito, or a living Koosh ball (a round toy made of soft rubber filaments attached to a central core).

Jimothy has a rare congenital spinal condition, called short spine syndrome. It shortens and compresses the spine so his head sits right on his shoulders, his body looks compact and rounded, and his gait is a distinctive lope. Jimothy is incredibly short, and an unusually round raccoon running through the neighbourhood.

Now his every movement is carefully mapped, multiple global news outlets are running stories on him and Seattle City Hall has already christened 2026, ‘The Summer of Jimothy’.

Wildlife officials have been clear: leave him alone. He is a healthy wild raccoon, not a pet. Approaching, feeding, or trying to catch him risks harm to both the animal and people.

Meanwhile, Jimothy is still around, and is often spotted in the neighbourhood.

HOUSE HUNTING IN ATTUR

About: Searching for rental accommodation for Staff from another State, in a small Town is painstaking and gets you entangled in a Spider’s web of half-truths, unwritten rules, and compromises. Over the past week, I found myself caught in various webs built by horny Spiders, and the kind, in the Town of Attur, Tamil Nadu.

(I will be using ‘k’ meaning 1,000 on numbers concerning Indian Rupees, INR, ₹, in this article; 1k means one thousand)

Attur

Attur, of Indian Postal Pincode 636 102, lies at the junction of National Highway 79-Salem to Ulundurpet, and National Highway 136 – Attur to Thanjavur, about 50km East of Salem City. It is a Municipality and a Taluk in the District of Salem. It has a population of 61,793 as per the Official 2011 Census and has over 228,153 registered voters as of early April 2026.

I did not do a head-count, but can confidently stick my head out and say that as of this year 2026, the population is well over 90,000. The Central Government has began the new National Census and we should have shapely figures by the end of the year 2027.

Attur serves as a regional hub: known for agriculture, small-scale industries, financing, and boasts of a Railway Station where some trains actually stop. You can be sure of running into a Harvester Machine, or someone talking loud about interest rates, on the streets. Attur has its own Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) and is part of the Kallakurichi Lok Sabha Constituency for the Member of Parliament (MP).

The Background

After years of commissioning, operating, and designing electricity-generation power plants, and building leak-free Airports (I swear) I settled down in Attur – out of necessity rather than choice – to start-up a Women’s Boutique with my wife. She is the Big Boss, the sole Proprietor and the Chief Designer. I squeezed through a relatable title of Chief Executive Office (CEO) – to look attractive on LinkedIN- even though my work-for-pay job days are over. My last job designation was Director-Projects and this is the only way I could give myself a swan-song promotion. Behind the scenes, I am the official Book-Keeper, Car Driver, Store-Keeper, Plumber, Electrician, Superstar Cleaner…and Man-Friday. Thank God we have a Cook!

It’s been over 10 years in the business of Decorating Lives. ‘We Decorate Your Life’ is our official tagline and thanks to a well-designed foundation (by the Rules) a suddenly waking-up Glacier or Avalanche, could not blow us off. Our reinforced columns are tough, the walls allowed to break free to contain the fury of the flow- of fabric. We pay our taxes diligently, enabling India’s Finance Minster to effortlessly walk through an Airport Terminal wearing a simple Kurta, Salwar & Dupatta set; pulling her own wheel-mounted suitcase; and without the typical paraphernalia of Black Cats, and the armed kind. We file our Income Tax so well that this year we got our refund within 3 days of filing – unbelievable (The Finance Minister heard us).

Being Good is a reward in itself.

We do bridal designs and have successfully launched the Wedding of many a beautiful bride, so much so that these days they promptly return after over 10 months, for maternity gowns. That’s a job well done for sure-both sides. We take care of the speed-breakers, bursts and bumps well into married life, without a hassle – our stitching definitely holds parts together.

To cut and sew the fabulous designs that the Customers demand, and the Big Boss thrashes out of her mind, we have a team of Master Cutters and Tailors from the States of Jharkhand and West Bengal. They are experts in the trade, stitching their lives together from the moment they could crawl on fours and walk on twos. We provide free accommodation and cooking gas for them, to fuel their body systems, and to efficiently burn on the job. They collaborate well with the locals who work with us, and Hindi, Tamil, and English effortlessly flies off the shelves.

Our Boutique is located opposite the Attur Railway Station on the Geeth Ragunath Hospital Road in Gandhi Nagar. In the mornings and evenings we overlook a stream of trying-to-stay-healthy folks, cat-walking to fitness, and many trying to straighten a bend, on the tree-lined, birds-tweeting road.

The Hunt

In the early days of our Boutique venture in Attur, we found ‘bachelor’ men-only accommodation against a firewall of: ‘no bachelor boys, please; only ones with family; no- to people from other States; no-to persons from a particular religion’…goes on. Then it’s the unreasonable rent and huge security deposits that comes with a deadly catch, ‘water to be fetched from the street – potable, as well as the so-called ‘salt water’ for washing and flushing.

Many houses do not have an own bore well and the potable water, fondly called ‘Mettur Water’, is supplied by a pipeline to an underground tank or to the street tap – for collecting and further processing! The Mettur Water begins its journey from Mettur Dam on the River Cauvery, about 180 km away, and is stored in the Municipality Water Storage & Supply Tank. It is released to the citizen on specific days for about two hours, once in about ten days – an ambulance sound-like cry announces its arrival. You capture the water, and use it until the next supply. Many houses have the piping made to their underground tanks; others grab them off the street, haggling for turns at the tap.

In the old days, the women folk gathered at the local well to draw water, fill their pots and headed home. The waiting time, between turns at the draw-pulley, rope & bucket system, was spent in the kind of gossip only women can engage in. There is a famous saying in Tamil, ‘When you go to see a girl (bride hunting) if you see her mother at the local well, you do not have to see the girl at her home’. It meant that mom’s behaviour would reflect in the girl. I wonder how many guys, actually saw the girl’s mother at the local well – and ran away!

Returning to the main story, this time the House Hunt was for my Tailoring Master Cutter, from Jharkhand, who had previously worked with us, then left to marry; produce a baby girl and return as a ‘Family Man’. Family meant mom, wife, daughter and two brothers. In his world, brother has a very broad meaning and I never asked questions beyond the father. Nevertheless, they will be working for us as Line-Tailors, under the Master Cutter brother. So, this time the challenge was finding a House for a family of five (plus one child).

The specification was, a House with two bedrooms-one with bath attached, a common bath-room, a Hall and a Kitchen- called 2BHK in these parts-within walking distance from our Boutique. We engaged the services of multiple Real Estate Agents – called Brokers- who dig-up, fetch information on the available houses and arrange for them to be shown to us in a physical walk-in visit.

The running rate of rent-which we slowly learnt- for such kind of a House was over ₹10k per month, and a security deposit of not less than ₹50k, often going up to ₹100k. The brokerage charges are one month’s full rent, or a noble soul kind enough to charge only half a month’s rent. My Administration Manager being down with a leg injury I took upon the job of running around with the Broker, hunting for a House.

The first look-in was an instant hit after convincing the Landlord, who turned out to be one of our Customers, to not mind the different State and different religion tag. The House met our specifications, it was close-by, water was in ample supply (Mettur effortlessly reached home) and the cleanliness was acceptable. A new bathroom had been added to a bedroom in addition to an old single common one, and the smells were welcoming.

We were expecting a monthly rent below ₹8k and the offer being for ₹11k it took a while to sink in, by which time someone else sneaked-in, paid a token advance (a small part of the Total advance, to confirm) and we lost it by a cat’s whisker.

Armed with a new figure of about ₹10k, in my mind, I charged into the next house. This came at quite a distance, on the outskirts, near the Railway Tracks, and consisted of two floors squeezed together to give us a house with almost two bedrooms along with the kitchen. Water sources were debatable and I left it at that. However, the rent met my target of ₹8k, but the distance was a factor and the street looked like the one in the Western Cowboy movies. Did I see a Bar and a Sheriff, or a Marshal in yonder street end?

The next, was opposite a School, but at the end of a desolate area-taking off from the main road into a mud-road. The house was expansive, the floors was so dark that I could not see any dirt; some rooms has three fans fighting for space and air; and when I lifted the Western Closet for a look I almost fainted. Hercules would have to be called to divert River Styx again to clean it up. The rent was touted as ₹15k. I showed a clean pair of heels and there was no looking back. Forget calling Hercules, or sons of Hercules, for the new labour.

Between these shows, came a House on the first-floor just behind our place. It was almost a double bedroom house with one large bathroom and space enough for a future bath-tub alongside what I call the Indian bath-tub (yesteryears kids will understand) of a small concrete tank- probably to store water during dry times. An enormous Kitchen sink drain pipe snaked its way through the wall and emptied right into the next-room bathroom floor. Wow, that’s food for thought while releasing the yellow spirits and mustard coloured cakes! I checked the water supply tank and found it broken, leaking precious water. It can be fixed said the Broker. Of course. The famous Mettur Water was available at the ground level and it was hinted that I buy my own motor-pump set to pull the water up. Said a wizened old Resident, ’You must see the sight when the Mettur Water arrives, to understand what it is like to live here – Sound of Music? And your time with the tap will be counted as others are in turn. I promptly pumped myself out of the place.

Then there was a real good one, awfully close-by and seemed a perfect fit. They offered me water and tea and I even got to play with their kid. The Landlord said ₹10,500 per month rent and 50k advance. But I argued that the Rules say it is illegal to demand more than 3 months rent as Security Deposit. He was a Government Employee and bluntly told me, ‘we make the rules here, and it has always been this way’. The Broker being away, after a lot of thought I hurried to him the next day only to be told that the house has been taken. Later, I learnt that it actually was not taken, the Landlord did not want to give it to a person from another State, of a different religion, and that too he cannot permit more than 4 members. He could have told me in the beginning, before the tea was offered to be served and the game with the kid could be played.

I was tired by now and my head began sagging. When I looked-up a Customer said that she has her own house-the floor above where she lives- that fits our design, but I should talk it over with her father-in-Law. I hurried to have a look and it met my stipulations. When I talked to the father-in-law, he gulped when I said, another State and another religion-but swallowed it- and then said meat is banned in the house. Strictly Vegetarian: ‘Non-Vegetarian’ is not allowed. For the heck of it, I told him you will understand when your grandchildren go North and someone refuses accommodation because he is a South Indian – eating idli, sambar, and curd rice. I ended the conversation and we looked in different directions: me, higher North; he, deeper South.

Then I sounded yet another Broker and he almost instantly guided me to a House down the long end of the street, about a kilometre’s walk, entering the twin Municipality of Attur-Narasingapuram. The House was on the first floor with considerable space and a frenzy of colours inside -green, pink, blue. It had been just vacated and the landlord was in the act of whitewashing the insides before letting-in the next tenant. The Broker had convinced him of my ancestry, the oozing goodness, and overlooked the different State and different religion factor. The rent was brought down from 12k to 11k due to my superb credentials – Corporate Guarantee, I said. Quick, the Broker told me, “many have given the looks and it’s who first comes with the Token Advance – 10k would be round and deciding”. I said I will decide in 24 hours time.

Meanwhile, a Customer led us to a Flat opposite theirs where a person from another State has been living for almost a decade, on the ground floor. The first floor was also occupied by one of their clan but due to a Game of Thrones fight, they vacated and the Iron Throne was now available for occupation. The 24 hour deadline was ticking and the Broker called again to remind and nudge me to making a decision. And I could not reach the Customer: ‘mobile is switched off’.

Finally, I made a physical dash to the three-floor Bungalow of the Customer opposite which stood the ‘Flat of Interest’ colourfully painted and looking fresh- perhaps the brightest in the Street. The Customer called me to the terrace, which had been transformed into an open-air Kitchen and where he was perched on a stool, bird-like. One of their twin daughters emerged from a room beneath the water tank on the terrace, saying, ‘Hi Uncle’ (I looked behind and could not find anyone. Must be me).

They cooed, ‘We love it here in the open terrace, but be rest assured that we have a wonderful house below and a fabulous well-equipped modular Kitchen. And since they are hunting for a groom for one of the twin daughters, she sleeps in what is called the Kubera Moolai (Kubera Corner) which astrologically brings wealth (and probably handsome grooms from all over the world). According to Vaastu Shastra, the Kubera corner represents the southwest direction of the house.

I joked that they are capturing all the pollution of Attur, cooking it and thrashing it down as mouth-watering dishes. Some kind of carbon-capture?

Despite living opposite, the Customer could not find the mobile number of the possible Landlord. I suggested he call his wife, but she was out of Town, and anyway would not know. And after a lot of mobile searching he found the number, got through to him and set-up a tryst at 12 noon – just when the other deadline was expiring.

Meanwhile, yet another Broker calls for looking at a couple of houses. After seeing one-dark floored and double-bath (one outside, neatly tucked beneath the stairs), in front of the Girls High School, he takes me to one near the Town Park located in a lovely area and about 5 minutes walk from our Boutique. It could have been more clean, but the sunlight, water and other natural resources seemed aplenty and the house was freshly painted – deep pink. And an acceptable downside was Monkeys find the place Home and often make a visit. Something told me my hunt ends here and I had a word with the Big Boss and quickly struck a deal. The Landlord climbed down from ₹75k advance to ₹65k and a rent of ₹9k per month. I pay a token advance of 5k and later followed it up with a digital UPI payment (cleverly for the records) of ₹60k. The Landlord even had a Rental Agreement ready for signature, within an hour.

It was almost 12 noon and the Deadline Broker called and I graciously informed him that I am not interested: he may do as he pleases. And then dashed to the Kubera Moolai Customer’s place to visit the Flat, opposite. It was a decent place and the Landlord and Landlady were wonderful people, grinning from ear-to-ear, and down to Earth. What would the rent be? I ask. The Landlord tells me, “I need to call my brother to decide”. I said, “take your time and pass on the information”. The House was indeed damn good, but almost 1.5 km from our Boutique. I met the Kubera Moolai Customer, by which time his wife had returned and they insisted I see their modern Kitchen and well-furnished house, which they had given-up to live like birds in a Tree House on the terrace-overlooking the Kubera Moolai. I joked that the staircase to the terrace was so narrow that I doubted the lady of the House-with her magnificent dimensions-would be able to squeeze through without walking sideways in crab style. I could not believe people live like out-of-the-mind ascetics just to keep their beautiful house unusually clean forever-by not using it. I suggested it would be great if they brought the cooked food down to the dining room and enjoyed their food in a clean fulfilling environment, instead of the tree-house style. Hope the pigeons and crows are listening.

With energy and cash thus spent and a Rental Agreement in my hands I sat back and smiled like a Cheshire Cat. The Big Boss wasn’t satisfied and we walked down for a visit and decided to engage professional Cleaners to clean the bathroom and kitchen tiles. I ‘groked’ and came upon a ‘Tile Doctor’ in nearby Salem who promptly dispatched a chemically armed-to-the-bike Cleaner. He took over 6 six hours to bring a mirror-finish – well almost. A few spots were beyond cleaning and had become part of the landscape. The Landlord looked nonchalantly: he should have cleaned it and handed over in the first place. Never mind, I leave everything better than when I first get them.

Government Rules: Enforce Them

While all this was happening I hurried to read the Rules of the Tamil Nadu Regulation of Rights and Responsibilities of Landlords and Tenants Act, 2017 (TNRRRLT Act), under Section 11.

The exact wording of Section 11(1) is: “Save an agreement to the contrary, it shall be unlawful to charge a security deposit in excess of three times the monthly rent.”

But the Brokers advised me against talking rules – saying it would be foolish. ‘He talks Rules, if I rent the House to him it will be Rules all the way’. And no-one is willing to listen. Whatever, I did talk Rules to stir the Tenancy waters. I am a Rules guy, following Rules to the dot. Imagine the chaos if people do not follow Road Rules – it’s already happening. You become an alien, from another Planet, when you talk about Laws & Rules and how it makes sense to diligently follow them. When I met the Kubera Moolai Customer, I was carrying a Helmet having come riding a two-wheeler, and the girl was laughing, “Uncle, a helmet for such a short distance?” I said I am a different kind.

Going further, the Central Government’s Model Tenancy Act suggests two months rent as Security Deposit for private residences and six months for commercial places.

Oh, of what use is a Law if it cannot be enforced? Is anybody listening?

Wisdom of the Ages

Ancient Chinese philosopher Zhuang Zhou wrote, “A straight tree is cut for lumber, while the twisted tree lives on, untouched and free”. While nearer home, the Indian wisdom of Chanakya says, “It is the straight trees that are chopped first because they provide useful timber”. Well, I intend to wake them from their respective graves and shout out, “A straight tree proves to be useful and lives on (forever)in the timber of the house or structure, whereas a crooked tree invariable ends up being burnt as firewood. At best it enables a meal, provides some warmth, or perhaps becomes a twisted museum piece in some fancy House”. And the wood lives out its dharma.

A RETURN TO ANIMALS

About: We assume that we know a lot about animals: birds, insects, fish, reptiles, amphibians, etc. Are you certain? This is to clear some cobwebs of myths about them and learn many a lesson; maybe apply animal instincts in our lives. Call it Part-I: I have more coming. Meanwhile, I have fallen in love with Dragonflies, Wolves, Sloths and Sharks – in that order![Image Credit: Canva AI]

WOLVES

The ‘two wolves’ story is a popular parable about the battle between positive and negative minds within a person. The classic version is: an old man tells his grandson, a fight is going on inside me-and inside every person. It is a terrible fight between two wolves. One is dark-evil: anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, guilt, resentment, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other is light-good: joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The grandson asks which wolf wins. The old man replies, “the one you feed.”

That’s the story of wolves that we have been fed, but actually wolves are in a league of their own and we can learn a lot from them. Let’s hunt them down.

A Wolf is generally a monogamous animal spending its entire life dedicated to a single partner. It does not mate with its mother or its sister; it does not cheat. If its partner dies, the wolf often remains alone for the rest of its life-though some, ‘out of necessity’, do find another partner. They are opportunistic carnivores, eating dead animals-scavenging-only out of necessity, but mainly feeding on hoofed herbivores such as moose, elk, and deer. They prey occasionally on domestic livestock and pets-a conflict with some people, that has earned wolves a bad reputation. They generally keep away from humans and rarely eat dead humans. And it’s a myth that wolves do not eat dead animals – they eat carrion if they have to, for survival.

Wolves recognize their young, and is perhaps the best example of an animal that cares for aging parents who can no longer keep up with hunting. Younger adults bring food for them and often regurgitates meat for the older or injured ones in the pack. Other animals that look after the elderly are Elephants and Chimpanzees, working as a cooperative community.

Wolf pups are born blind, deaf, and with blue eyes that typically change to yellow-amber as they mature. They share about 99.8% of their DNA with domestic dogs. Wolves have an extraordinary sense of smell-about 100 times better than humans. They can detect prey or other animals from over a mile away, under clear conditions. Their hearing is also highly acute, capable of picking up faint sounds over long distances.

Wild wolf packs function more like nuclear families than rigid-dominance-hierarchies. The so-called, ‘Alphas’ are typically just the breeding parents, and the rest of the pack consists of their offspring from recent years. Younger wolves usually disperse to form their own packs rather than fight for leadership. The breeding pair mates for life and stays very close-within about 100 meters of each other, much of the time. That’s unmatched intimacy, all through. Howling is a sophisticated long-distance communication. And not directed at the moon, as is made out to be! Individual howls can help pack members identify one another, and the sound can carry 6–10 miles or more, depending on conditions. It serves to locate pack-mates, reinforce bonds, and advertise territory.

A hungry adult wolf can consume up to about 9 kg of meat in a single feeding and can survive without food for a few weeks, or longer. Wolves can manipulate objects in ways that may qualify as simple tool use, such as pulling on ropes and buoys attached to crab traps to access bait.

Wolves remind me of Lee Falk’s famous comic-strip about the masked vigilante crime-fighter, Phantom (the Ghost who walks)- My favourite childhood hero. Devil is the loyal Gray Mountain Wolf companion of the Phantom. The 21st Phantom found him as a cub-under his dead mother’s body after hunters killed her-and raised him. Devil’s father was a feared wolf named Satan(rightfully). He chose to stay with the Phantom rather than lead a wolf pack, becoming his constant, highly intelligent, and fiercely protective partner who has saves his life many a time. Devil travels with the Phantom on all his adventures and is one of his most reliable allies alongside Phantom’s horse, Hero.

Then there are the Direwolves – an enormous and intelligent species of canine, genuine Ice-Age animals, made famous in modern culture by the popular Television Series, ‘Game of Thrones’, but they have been extinct for over 10,000 years. Recently, in April 2025, using gene-editing and ancient DNA, Scientists produced (not ‘brought-back’) three Direwolf pups naming them Romulus, Remus, and Khaleesi. They genetically modified Gray Wolves to resemble the traits of Direwolves- that’s the closest they could get to ‘bringing back’ Direwolves.

BULLS

Bulls, and cattle in general, are partially colour-blind, specifically to red. They had what we call dichromatic vision. They have only two types of colour-detecting cone cells in their retinas which is blue and yellow (unlike humans who typically, have three – red, green, and blue). Their cones are mainly sensitive to shorter wavelengths of blue/violet. They lack the long-wavelength cones needed to perceive red distinctly. To a bull, red appears as a muted shade of gray, yellowish-gray, or dull brown-similar to how a person with red-green colour blindness might see it. Bulls can distinguish blues and yellows reasonably well, but do not see red as a vivid colour.

The red cloth used in bullfights is mainly for the human spectators rather than to provoke the animal. Then, what actually makes the Bull to charge? The bull reacts to movement, not colour. The matador’s waving, flapping cape creates a moving target that the bull perceives as a threat or challenge. Fighting bulls are selectively bred for aggression and will charge almost any rapidly moving object in the arena.

We have been cheated all along, in the movies, showing a bull unleashed on a beautiful red-saree wearing woman – wish I could tell her!

Dogs too have dichromatic vision with only two types of colour – blue and yellow- seeing cone cells in their eyes, similar to Bulls.

ELEPHANTS

Elephants, the largest living land animals, are packed with ‘tons of features’. They have the largest brain of any living land mammal: 3 to 4 timers the size of the human brain. They are highly intelligent, passing the self-awareness-mirror test with flying colours. They have empathy and can grieve over a loss; can use tools, have social learning, long-term memory, including recognizing individuals and locations after years, and complex problem-solving skills.

Elephants have massive molar-teeth that are ridged for grinding tough vegetation. They use a horizontal-conveyor-belt-tooth replacement technique: new molars emerge at the back of the jaw and move forward as worn ones fall out at the front. They replenish about six sets, over a lifetime.

Columnar, pillar-like legs support enormous weight with relatively little muscular effort. Feet have a unique fibrous fatty pad-with a shock-absorbing kind of heel-under the toes. This enables nearly silent walking and helps detect seismic vibrations from the ground. That means Elephants can tip-toe effortlessly and sneak-up behind you.

Elephants (the African ones) have the largest ears of any animal: a dense network of blood vessels allows heat dissipation when the ears are flapped-acting like radiators. Elephants also use mud-bathing, dusting, and specialized skin ‘thermal windows’ for cooling given that they have limited sweat glands.

Elephants live in highly complex, matriarchal family groups with multi-tiered social networks; strong lifelong bonds and cooperative care of calves. Remember, an Elephant remembers!

OTHERS

Polar Bears aren’t truly white: they only appear white. Their fur consists of hollow, transparent hairs that scatter light making it appear white, while their skin is actually jet black, to absorb heat. Polar bear cubs are born with pink skin that turns black as they grow. Polar bears spend more time on ice than land. They have a clever way of hunting a herd of walruses: causing a stampede resulting in the young and the old left behind, for them to coolly walk-over for the kill.

Horned lizards, often called horned toads, are small, spiny reptiles that have flattened, rounded bodies, short tails, and prominent horn-like spines on their heads and backs that provide camouflage and defense. Horned Lizards can squirt foul-tasting blood from their eyes, up to several feet, as a defense mechanism. The blood can confuse or irritate predators. Another means of defence is, they can swallow air to puff up to twice their normal size making them look like a sharp, un-swallowable shiny balloon. They harvest rain water through microscopic skin channels and flatten their toad-like bodies for desert camouflage. They can eat up to 100 harvester ants per day and possess tolerance to ant venom.

Star-Nosed Moles-a small semi-aquatic mammal- have one of the fastest foraging systems. Their nose has 22 fleshy appendages/tentacles that can identify and decide on prey in a fraction of a second-faster than a human blink. Its touch system is about 100 times more sensitive than human fingertips. The tentacles radiating from its snout, like a star, make them unique and one of the most weird looking animals in the world. They have a rare capability of ‘smelling underwater’ by blowing air bubbles onto objects and re-inhaling them to track scents.

Sloths are sloth is almost every sense. They are special because of their ‘odd’ upside-down lifestyle, ultra-slow metabolism and their fur that acts as home(sweet home) for green algae and moths -a living, breathing microcosm. Their multi-chambered stomach works like a slow cooker; it can take up to a month to digest a single meal!

They are incredibly fussy about personal hygiene and climb down from their trees to poop about once a week. While pooping upside down seems so easy, they make a slow arduous journey from the tree they hang, to the bottom of the same tree in order to defecate or urinate on the forest floor.

They are surprisingly good swimmers and can hold their breath for up to 40 minutes by slowing their heart rate. They spend most of their lives in ‘suspended animation’, hanging motionless or slowly moving between tree branches using their long, curved claws. Everything about them happens in the trees (except the pooping part).

Fish

Octopuses are the closest to aliens, on Earth and are fascinating creatures. They have three hearts: two of them pump blood to the gills, and third to the body; and a systemic heart, which stops when they swim. Their blood is blue, being copper-based, compared to the red, iron-based of humans. They have a lot of brain: effectively nine brains -a central one plus a mini-brain in each arm that can act somewhat independently. They can also change colour or texture in milliseconds and squeeze through any opening as long as it is larger than its beak. Yes, they have a hard, sharp parrot-like beak hidden in the centre of their tentacles on the underside of their body. You did not know this, did you?

Pistol Shrimp, a tiny crustacean, also called the ‘snapping shrimp’ is among the loudest animals. Its claw snap creates a cavitation bubble that collapses (speeds reaching 100 km per hour) with a sonic boom up to about 230dB and generates temperatures (4,000 degrees centigrade) nearly as hot as the surface of the sun for a split second-enough to stun or kill prey. Despite being only about 2 inches long, it is the most formidable and loudest creature in the Ocean.

Then there is this Immortal Jellyfish that can reverse its life cycle and potentially avoid death from aging. When stressed or aging, it transforms back into an early stage-polyp- and potentially restarts, theoretically allowing indefinite regeneration, However, it can still die from injury or disease. It retracts its tentacles, reabsorbs its body, sinks, and forms an unstructured cyst-a blob of tissue. Through transdifferentiation, specialized adult cells transform into different cell types needed for the polyp stage. Within roughly 1–3 days, a new polyp colony develops, which can later bud new, genetically identical Jellyfish. This process can theoretically repeat indefinitely, making the species biologically immortal.

SHARKS

The Shark is a kind of encyclopaedia. Shark ancestors date back about 450 million years: before trees, Dinosaurs, Saturn’s rings, or the North Star as we know it. They survived all five of Planet Earth’s major mass extinctions and they have been around, perhaps the longest. Their basic body plan has proven highly successful and adaptable, carrying them along this far.

They have six senses, and they can, sort of sense electricity in the atmosphere. They can smell blood from miles away. The five senses of, Smell, Hearing, Sight, Taste, Touch, and the Sixth of Electroreception -tiny jelly-filled pores on their snouts, called the ampullae of Lorenzini, detect faint electrical fields from muscle movements, heartbeats, and the Earth’s magnetic field.

Sharks do not have bones. Instead, they have a cartilaginous skeleton, which is lightweight and flexible, made of cartilage-the same tissue as in human ears and nose tips. This reduces weight, improves manoeuvrability, and allows more body mass for muscle.

Their skin is covered in dermal denticles (skin teeth)-tiny, tooth-like scales that provide armour, and feel like sandpaper; the scales point towards the tail, reducing drag for efficient swimming (inspiring designs for boats and aircraft).

Sharks are capable of endless tooth replacement they have multiple rows of teeth that act like a conveyor belt-new ones move forward as old ones are lost or worn. A single shark may go through tens of thousands of teeth in its lifetime. Some have fluoride-rich enamel that resists cavities. No need for a Dentist Shark!

In many species, the upper jaw can move independently and protrude, enabling powerful bites or suction feeding. They lack a swim bladder and instead rely on a large, oil-filled liver for controlling buoyancy.

Sharks use internal fertilization for breeding. Some species practice intrauterine cannibalism, where the strongest embryos eat their siblings. Certain females can reproduce by asexual cloning in captivity. Some live-bearing species even have temporary ‘belly buttons’ from an umbilical cord.

Sharks play vital ecological roles as apex predators that help maintain healthy ocean ecosystems. Most are not aggressive toward humans; unprovoked bites are extremely rare.

Steven Spielberg’s 1975 blockbuster movie – Jaws-, based on Peter Benchley’s Novel portrayed a great white shark as a deliberate, relentless man-eater terrorizing a beach town. This created or greatly amplified the ‘Jaws effect’—widespread irrational fear of sharks as mindless killers. And gave the Sharks an awfully bad reputation. Both Spielberg and Benchley later expressed regret over the real-world harm. Benchley became an advocate of conservation.

Over recent decades, attitudes have shifted toward greater respect, interest in coexistence, and conservation efforts, though negative stereotypes and media sensationalism persist.

Birds

Hummingbirds are the only birds that can fly backwards, hover, and fly sideways in flight. Their wings beat extremely fast, and they can enter a state of torpor at night that drastically slows down metabolism.

Woodpeckers can endure extreme forces without brain damage. Pecking generates G-forces far higher than what would injure humans, yet specialized skull features, a tongue that acts partly like a safety belt, and other adaptations protect them-even with thousands of pecks per day.

Most male birds lack a penis. About 97% transfer sperm via a brief ‘cloacal kiss’ – with some exceptions. The cloaca is a single, multi-use opening for waste, urine, and reproduction. During mating season, the cloacal tissues swell and move close to the surface. The male balances on the female’s back.They touch their openings together to pass sperm.The entire contact takes just a fraction of a second. And we wondered all the time about how birds mated!

Lyrebirds are extraordinary mimics-they can copy other birds, machinery, human sounds, and more, sometimes for hours during the mating season.

INSECTS

These days, Cockroaches are in the limelight and have become extremely popular, especially in India. Some People call themselves cockroaches and are trying to steal their super powers. They even named a kind of Political Party after them. Big Brother is watching!

Cockroaches stand out for their extreme resilience, generalist adaptations, ancient evolutionary success, and a suite of biological traits that let them thrive in diverse, often harsh, environments-qualities that have earned them a reputation as ultimate survivors. Most of the about 4,500 to 7,000 species are not household pests; and only about 30 species commonly live with humans; the rest occupy forests, caves, deserts, mountains, and other wild habitats, often playing ecological roles as scavengers and recyclers.

Cockroach-like insects, called ‘roachoid’ existed for roughly 315–320 million years, while the lineage leading to modern cockroaches dates back about 140–235 million years.

Their rapid escape response is legendary: sensory cerci (appendages) at the rear detect minute air-current changes, triggering a sprint in just a few milliseconds. Relative to size, they rank among the fastest invertebrates, reaching speeds of up to about 50 body lengths per second. Cockroaches can survive for days, sometimes longer, without a head. Their open circulatory system and ability to breathe through spiracles allow this; they eventually die of thirst. Hard to digest?

A quick round-up of what other insects are capable of.

Houseflies taste with their feet, which are roughly 10 million times more sensitive to sugar than a human tongue. Caterpillars have around 4,000 muscles enabling precise, coordinated movement. Some Aphids(Green Fly) – a small sap-sucking insect- are born already pregnant (‘telescoping generations’), allowing extremely rapid population growth. Ants often ‘farm’ aphids for their sugary honeydew, protecting them and even restricting their movement or wings. A fruit fly species produces the longest sperm relative to body size-nearly 6 cm long, about 20 times the fly’s length. Termite Queens can lay tens of thousands of eggs per day (over 40,000 in some species) and may live for decades. Mayflies as adults often live only about a day (or less in some cases), existing primarily to reproduce. Certain Beetles are extraordinarily strong relative to size. The Hercules Beetle can lift hundreds of times its own weight-estimated about 850x in some cases.

DRAGONFLIES

Be warned, you may have never known about this.

The humble Dragonfly is one of the most remarkable insects in the natural world, operating with an evolutionary design that has remained effective for over 300 million years. The ancestors of the dragonflies of today, thrived in a period of biological plenty. They were the original sentinels of a greening planet, a reminder that Earth’s history is one of vibrant, booming life. Dragonflies 3 times the size of today’s lived for 47 million years from about 298 million to 251 million years ago. One of their ancestors even had a wingspan of up to 28 inches! Don’t take them lightly.

The Dragonfly is more than an insect, it is the world’s apex predator in miniature.

Hard to believe, but the Dragonfly remains the most efficient killer in history, with a hunting success rate of over 95%. It does not merely chase prey, it intercepts it. Using a biological ‘on-board computer’ and four independent wings, it calculates trajectories and executes omnidirectional manoeuvres in real-time.

Just one dragonfly can consume over 100 mosquitos in a day; they can fly backwards; they have nearly 360 degree vision. Their wings made of an ultra-thin, flexible sheet of pure translucent chitin (a long-chain polymer-second most abundant in nature only behind cellulose) are unmatched engineering, combining a fingerprint-like geometric vein pattern, a corrugated structural profile, and direct muscle connection that allows all four wings to move completely independently. And their wings inhibit bacterial growth due to their natural structure.

Long before the first bird took flight or the first Dinosaur walked the Earth, the Dragonfly had perfected the physics of the hunt. It is perhaps the ultimate success story of life. While we debate our future using computer simulations, this ancient masterpiece harmlessly zooms over us. When we see them darting through the ghostly yellow light of a moonlit evening, we are not looking at a fragile relic. We’re looking at a champion of endurance. Give it a flying-kiss!

The dragonfly belongs to an ancient kingdom that tells us the Earth is not falling apart. It’s a resilient, self-correcting orchestration of beauty and power. They are actually beautiful. We should keep them around to take them with us to the next Planet we hope to inhabit -Mars? Provided they do not learn to eat us, and increase their body-weight and wingspan!

I HAVE A DREAM

About: This is my dream of seeing India climb out of the noisy democracy that it is and quietly gets itself in order. And becomes a civilisational developed country, tapping into its diversity to stay united as a nation and inspiring every person to discover his potential to make India Great again. India is a free country but real freedom is yet to be achieved and my dream is about this freedom. I am writing this with my roots in Tamil Nadu-the State where I live today.

Ever since my school days, I’ve been inspired by Martin Luther King’s iconic speech, ‘I Have a Dream’ in the year 1963, delivered during the ‘March on Washington Protest’. It all the more sunk deep and stayed when it was spoken by the best speakers in School in Literary Association Contests (another favourite was, ‘Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me you ears’ – by Mark Anthony in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar).

Those were the days when the black-white skin discrimination in the United States of America was horrific and visible at every level. What, with the blacks brought into America as slaves from Africa, brutally-chained to work, on the Cotton Plantations and Ranches, whiplashed to build the America we see today. ’Uncle Tom’s Cabin’ and ‘Roots’ – two of the best (anti)slavery novels said it all.

Martin Luther King fought for racial equality and an end to systemic discrimination. And a future ‘where individuals are judged by the content of their character rather than the colour of their skin’. His was a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. A dream that one day this nation will rise-up, live out the true meaning of its creed. He said, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal”.

Now, in these times I have my own dream-and I’m sure, Martin Luther King would not mind. A dream for India.

We were once one of the world’s greatest civilisations ever, but along the way we lost the plot and ended-up being conquered and subjugated only because we failed to collaborate, watch each other’s backs, and stay united as one nation. The idea of India-Bharat -was always there, but it was too loose to be a deterrent to infighting, foreign invasion, manipulation, and colonisation. And we had some of the best Kings, warriors, and fighters, any country would be proud to have. Diversity became the fault line the Conquerers pounced upon to keep people divided – Divide and Rule, was the slogan. We obtained freedom from colonial rule on 15 August 1947. But now, 79 years later, we need another kind of freedom: real freedom; to do the things we want to, the things we can, and are inherently capable of, riding on the shoulders of our wonderful ancestors. And fully supported by a Government, which acts as a clever Facilitator rather than a regressive Obstructor.

I have a dream that, one day the sinister Reservation System, which had a time-limit written in India’s Constitution and has been stretched beyond limit-acquiring a permanent set-by wily Politicians, is scrapped. That opportunity is based solely on merit coming off education, talent, and skills so that the best in every domain reach the very top and decide further direction and progress. That mediocrity is banned; that we become outcomes/results based rather than tenure or caste and creed based; what works best matters more than anything else. That meritocracy gets the merit, the respect, and the honours it inherently deserves – in all walks of life.

I have a dream, that we are able to differentiate before we integrate –like in mathematics– and take along diverse races, cultures, practices, religions, castes, languages, and people of the various States of India as one united Bharat. That with so many languages spoken in India, we study the mother tongue (plus another Indian language if the mother tongue is Hindi) and at least two other languages: Hindi-compulsory, and maybe English. About 43.63% of Indians have Hindi as their mother tongue and about 57.11% speak Hindi (only about 10.60% speak English). That we do not waste a single holy moment in debating, which language is superior, or should be learnt or spoken (or ’tarred’-blacked out); that Hindi is not treated as an enemy, while the colonisation language of English is considered a friend with benefits.

I have a dream that, we have clean streets, well-maintained public spaces, no litter, and impressive civic discipline. That, every street has a brightly-lit, clear, wide footpath, guarded by verdant trees, for me to walk freely, holding hands with my wife-and my kids dancing around-without bumping into an unauthorised street-vendor; without being run over by a motor vehicle-especially 17-year-olds driving BMWs; without being chased by a street-dog; without stepping into an open sewer, infested with mosquitoes and every kind of ‘deep world’ creature waiting for a chance to get some blood off me; without being swallowed by an open manhole; without being begged for money by a beggar sitting in a hot spot I have seen him for years… there is one living down the street, and I’m unable to do anything about it. When it rains, his home becomes the nearest ATM; at other times someone pulls him out, gives him a hair-cut and deposits him – with interest – at the exact spot!

I have a dream that, when I drive on the roads, everyone follows the Rules. That, I do not look like a fool-the only one wearing a helmet or a seat belt or religiously keeping a lane. That signals are keenly watched and diligently obeyed: now it is, Red-charge, Orange-get ready to charge, Green-suddenly stop. That, left and right turn signals are signalled not by the hands of the driver (no hand signal, please), but by the light indicators on the vehicle. That, when I drive on the superb National or State Highways, lane discipline is kept and the illuminated white and yellow lines are respected: now, I zig-zag effortlessly cutting lanes before crashing into the lousy rear -Horn OK Please or Blow Horn-of a dirty Heavy Vehicle. That, speed-breakers are removed or are a minimum, and along with its cousin -pot-holes-does not try to kill the precious life I have or make me count the bones I never counted before.

I have a dream that, I can without fear enter a Police Station to freely discuss a disturbance to my peace, to report a crime, or to make a complaint. That a Policeman is a friend and I can feel safe when he is around or when I seen him on a street. That the Police actually prevent crime, rather than rush-in when the movie is over, or wears an intimidating stance. That, we have smart Sherlock Holmes-kind-of-Detectives who investigate the crime deeply and actually catch real criminals. That, thieves, murderers, rapists, corrupt officials are caught and quickly punished so that the honest man can continue to be, and live his honest best.

I have a dream that, should I, in the unfortunate event of having to go to a Court for Justice, my case is quickly resolved-with reasonable time frames- instead of dragging on for years, becoming an Odyssey to get home (and for someone to make a movie about it, or a write a book on it). Recently, it took Actress Sukanya, in Tamil Nadu, exactly 30 years to get justice in a defamation case regarding unverified, derogatory remarks about her, freely aired on a sunny Television network. And I am writing about it!

I have a dream that, we have 24×7 uninterrupted electricity-no electricity generators to buy or backup battery systems to charge – and when it rains I do not wish that I should have bought a boat, or feel helpless not knowing how to swim, or regret not knowing how to navigate through stormy weather, like on the high seas.

I have a dream that, I do not have to go to a Government Office to get some work done and if at all I need to go, it’s a pleasant experience – offered a seat and I would not mind hot coffee or tea delightfully served. The farther the Government is away from the citizen the better: Government Services must be delivered invisibly.

I have a dream that, when I decide to start a business, the Government comes gushing forth to offer every kind of assistance – without favour of a bribe -and with such transparency, that I can see myself thinking of starting yet another business.

I have a dream that, we have such sensibly designed public transport systems that I can use to go to the Office on time, every day; and that I have no need for a personal vehicle to drive me around. And in my own way contribute to Pollution Control – and cooling the Planet!

I have dream that, the Politicians are true representatives of the people. That they give an ear to those who elected them. That, they do things that are necessary without being told or approached with a Complaint. That they are part of the community, easily accessible rather than being some kind of God, dispensing favours. That, they meet the people often, and become an integral part of them – not some monuments or statues to garland on a birthday.

I have a dream that, to inculcate a sense of discipline, nationalism, and respect for Authority and Command, every adolescent spends time in the Armed Forces. That every citizen follows the Rules-without being told- and even does better than the Rules. If some Rules are impractical, then every attempt should be made to change them by legislation, through elected legislators. We should over a period of time grow wise enough to migrate to having less Rules and Regulations.

I have a dream that, the Members of Parliament and the Members of Legislative Assemblies are persons of integrity and moral values, who win their seats by their own name, by their own education, skills, and capabilities; by what they bring to the table of governance; by the sweat of their brow, rather than that of a symbol or a single person representing that symbol. That Elections are held without a symbol, but a name. That, we have lively brain-storming discussions in legislatures to improve our state of affairs, with honour and dignity, instead of the parochial objectives effortlessly thrown around. That decisions made by the Law-Making Bodies are respected, instead of endless dissent, and any protest is done orderly and peacefully without the slightest hindrance to public life – life must go on.

I have a dream that, Government Schools are the best that there is and is the norm for our kids, than an exception. That even home in the locality sends their children to the nearest school to build a ‘rooted community’ – among other things. That everyone is given equal opportunity to sit for a competitive exam applying equal standards. That, we have a sound National Education Policy adopted by every State in the country with sufficient freedom to add-on to the base template depending on the culture of the State.

I have a dream that, Government Hospitals treat the deserving, equal to any Private-run Hospital; that Health standards are maintained at the highest level.

I have a dream that all freebies promised to people – to win their votes in an Election – are removed and only the basics, say, Education and Healthcare is made free – with necessary checks and balances.

I have a dream that, the Governance system is so benignly tight that there is no scope or need for any kind of corruption in any delivery of a Government service.

I have a dream that, we become a fabulous Sporting Nation winning worthy medals in the Olympics and other Games. That we ‘fight’ and challenge nations in Sport. That Sports is made an integral part of schooling as much as book-learning. And careers can be easily built upon them.

I have a dream that, one day India wins the FIFA Football World Cup. That, an Indian slams the Grand Slam Tennis tournaments – and especially wins the Wimbledon Singles Titles – Men’s and the Women’s.

I have a dream that, people practice religion for self-improvement and use their faith to set an example in everyday life. That people are ‘religious’ in their work and in their assigned duties. That they avoid practicing their religion loudly – menacing all of us with loudspeakers and other noisy jingles.

I have a dream that, Indians drop the loud argumentative Indian streak in them at the Indian Airport of departure, and when arriving in another country, on holiday or otherwise, are the best behaved anywhere in the world. So quiet that they can hear the sounds of their beard growing!

I have a dream that, people learn to listen-with all ears- to understand rather than to reply; that they watch their words and comprehend the fact that, “between what is said and not meant, and what is meant and not said, most of love is lost” (Thanks, Kahlil Gibran).

I have a dream that, people from all walks of life, region, religion, caste, creed, will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood and celebrate their successes, analyse their failures – how to do things better- and celebrate their festival days like their own, yet maintain their own identities, without dissolving them.

I have a dream that, everyone from the northern most State of Jammu & Kashmir to the southern most of Kerala and Tamil Nadu – from Kashmir to Kanyakumari- joins hands together as one nation and sings and dances to the music of India. And sings, “Free at last, free at last, God Almighty, we are free at last.”

Happy Independence Day.

Tomorrow is Another Day!

CAPTURED: BLAZES

About: This is the third in my Captured series; about capturing various stories that blazed the world. Call it Season 1, Episode 3. While actual Wild Fires engulfed Europe – especially in France and Spain, India was blazing on another level – in Transport, Space, and Sport. And a quick short story about Independent India’s first scandal. (Image Credit: Canva AI, 1 August 2026).

WILD FIRES

The month of July 2026 has gone-up in flames, with Wild Fires ignited in France and Spain getting out of control. The reason behind the French fires is accidental -with one linked to a brush-clearing machine; Spanish origins were, extreme heat, drought, dry vegetation, and winds that rapidly spread the fires. Nothing to do with the heat of Spain winning the FIFA Football World Cup 2026 or France losing to Spain in the semi-finals.

Successive, sweltering heatwaves since late May, and a very hot June in Western Europe severely dried vegetation, perhaps inviting the Fire Gods for sumptuous meals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner served. The previous wet winter and spring season promoted abundant plant growth that then became ready fuel, on drying. Strong, shifting winds and low moisture accelerated the spread.

‘Rounding up the usual suspects’ of the ‘fire weather’ conditions is, human-caused climate change.

Typically, these fires become so extreme they create their own giant fire thunderstorm. A rare weather event, storms like these are formed when heat from the wildfires makes the air above the fire rise rapidly, carrying smoke, ash and water vapour high into the atmosphere. As the air rises, it cools, and the water vapour condenses into a cloud. If the fire is powerful enough and the atmosphere is unstable, that cloud can grow into the same type of cloud associated with thunderstorms.

This year’s Wild Fires were centred in southwestern France, especially Gironde near Bordeaux/Cap-Ferret and Landes; and Central Spain, west of Madrid, including Avila and related areas. The fires smoked-out over 200,000–300,000 people forcing them to evacuate, ravaged tens of thousands of hectares, and prompted European Union aid, military support, and emergency declarations.

Fires are also burning in Portugal, in the north-eastern district of Vila Real and also in Greece, on the island of Paros in the Aegean Sea and the southern town of Trifylia on the Greek mainland.

Both France and Spain are now seeing another sharp rise in temperatures, with peaks of 41 to 42 Degrees Centigrade expected in France.

In the United Kingdom, the London Fire Brigade had its busiest 24 hours of 2026 on 29 July, tackling 63 grass fires across the capital as temperatures topped 30 degrees centigrade. Control officers took over 1,300 emergency calls and crews rushed to more than 500 incidents. Almost 1,000 calls about grass fires have been made in the past week. It’s a European rage.

Investigations into the exact causes continue. Most wildfires require an initial spark-lightning is possible, but less common here than human causes, which then becomes catastrophic under the dry weather and plant fuel conditions.

The vast blazes that ripped through southwestern France burned so intensely they created a powerful, fire-generated thunderstorm. This rare phenomenon is sometimes seen in the Megafires that afflict the United States and Canada, but was unprecedented in France, until now. And it’s just one sign that Europe is entering a new fire era.

Europe has always had Wild Fires, but they are becoming increasingly frequent and extreme. Firefighters in France and Spain are currently trying to tame blazes more ferocious and more erratic than anything they have tackled before.

This follows the Europe’s record-breaking fire season last year and enduring back-to-back extreme fire seasons is becoming the norm. Experts say, “We have entered an era of fires that cannot be extinguished. These are fires that burn with the intensity of several atomic bombs.” Who needs Atom Bombs?

A BLAZING INDIA

There was a different kind of fire in normally ‘heat-friendly’ India, with a standout period in mid-to-late July 2026, during which India made spectacular advances in clean transport, private spaceflight, and women’s sports. Fuelling the tracks, burning the courts, blazing the field, and scorching the skies!These triumphs will be etched in India’s history, forever.

On 17 July 2026, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated India’s first indigenously designed and built hydrogen-powered passenger train under India’s Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) mission. It is a 10-coach hydrogen fuel-cell based trainset powered by a 1,200 kW hydrogen fuel cell propulsion system, and currently the world’s longest of its kind. The fuel cells combine hydrogen and oxygen to generate the train’s own in-house electricity, with water vapour (and heat) as the primary emission-making it a zero-carbon alternative. The system rides with a dedicated hydrogen storage, refuelling and other necessary technical systems. It is especially useful for routes that are hard to fully electrify.

The ‘hydrogen train’ ran on the about 89 km Jind–Sonipat section of the Northern Railway in Haryana, covering the route in about two hours with intermediate stops. It has a passenger carrying capacity of 2600 people and operates at a speed of 75 kmph -the top design speed being 110 kmph.

From tracks on land to the free Space above.

On 18 July 2026 Skyroot Aerospace successfully launched Vikram-1, India’s first privately developed orbital-class rocket, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, in its very first attempt. The mission was called Aagaman (meaning ‘arrival’ in Sanskrit) and Vikram-1 lifted off around midday Indian Standard Time and effortlessly reached the designated Low Earth Orbit- about 450km from the Earth’s surface. It then perfectly deployed technology demonstration payloads from over three customers, and Skyroot’s own satellite.

This made India only the third country (after the US and China) to successfully build a private orbital launch capability. And announced its ‘arrival’ into the commercial space business.

The name Vikram is in honour of Vikram Sarabhai, the father of India’s Space Programme.

Vikram-1 is mostly manufactured from carbon composites, which is five times lighter and stronger than the best rocket steel. Each stage is powered by the Kalam-series of Engines with a single Kalam-1200 engine being used for the first stage. The engines are named after India’s top Rocket Scientist and inspirational Ex-President of India, Dr A P J Abdul Kalam. The engine of the orbital vehicle, that enables orbital insertion, is 100% 3-D printed. The rocket stages are perhaps the longest monolithic carbon composite made in India, and combines with the first of the kind ultra-low-shock pneumatic separation systems. They all worked to perfection.

Skyroot Aerospace is a Hyderabad-based startup, founded in the year 2018 by two scientists-turned-entrepreneurs Pawan Kumar Chandana and Naga Bharath Daka. They asked themselves a simple question, “What if launching into space could be as accessible and routine as commercial air travel?” Skyroot was born from this vision.

A highlight of ‘team Skyroot’ is that the average age of its engineering team is 28 reflecting blazing young talent – Pretty Young Things, rooted to the ground but aiming for the skies.

Skyroot plans to increase launch frequency to one mission every month from next year onwards, while developing heavier launch vehicles and eventually, reusable rockets. And they hope, to be in the next wave of the space economy beyond satellite launches to include satellite broadband, direct-to-mobile communication and space-based computing. Elon Musk has ‘X, to the power India’, competition. Mind it!

Women’s Sports

Several high-profile successes by Indian women athletes clustered around the last weeks of July and called for a bonfire celebration.

On 19 July, India’s ace badminton player P V Sindhu won the Japan Open 2026 women’s singles title (a Super 750 event), defeating Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi in straight games. She became the first Indian shuttler to win the Japan Open crown.

Then on 26 July, in a rare moment, 18-years-old Anahat Singh hailing from Delhi, who is also the top seed, won the 2026 World Junior Squash Championships women’s singles title in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Canada. She defeated Egypt’s Ruqayya Salem 3-0 becoming the first Indian ever to win the junior world title and ending 15 unbroken years of Egyptian dominance in the event. Egypt climbs down from its pyramid top!

A day earlier, 31-years-old Manipuri Mirabai Chanu completed a hat-trick of Gold at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, claiming her third consecutive title in the women’s 48 kg weightlifting event with a record-breaking total lift of 190 kg. It was also India’s first at the ongoing Games.

Then came Sharmila Dhankar, who at age 40, won Gold in the women’s shot put with a season’s-best throw of 9.81 m, becoming India’s first-ever Commonwealth Games gold medallist in Para-Athletics. She ended a 20-year wait for a Para-Athletics medal at the Games. Her climb to fame is heart-wrenching: a trail burnt with fire.

Sharmila Dhankar grew up in a poor farming family in a drought-prone Chitrauli village, Mahendragarh District, Haryana. Her father was a small-time farmer, and her mother was visually impaired. At age 2, a high fever led to polio that permanently affected one of her legs, leaving her with a lasting physical impairment. It was an extremely difficult childhood marked by poverty and limited opportunities.

Like many girls in her region, she was married off young at 18 years. The marriage involved severe domestic abuse, including physical violence linked to dowry demands and pressure for giving birth to two daughters, rather than sons. She was beaten for hours (one episode was from 11 pm to 3 am) and thrown out of the house at night. Thereafter, reaching a peak of despair, she left her husband’s house and returned to her parents’ home clutching her daughters.

To support her family she took various jobs, including as a maid, cleaner, and security guard; she briefly worked as a bus conductor during a transport strike.

She later remarried Ajit Singh, a businessman from Rewari, who encouraged her to venture into Para-Athletics, after learning about the immense opportunities. Sharmila then began training in shot-put and discus throw. Financial pressures continued; in the year 2023, the family sold their house in Rewari to fund her training and career. Sport gave her a ‘second birth’ and she hopes to buy a home again while providing better opportunities for her daughters-who are themselves budding athletes in javelin and long jump.

Earlier in the month, the Indian women’s cricket team achieved a landmark 270-run victory over England in the one-off Test at Lord’s—the first women’s Test win for India at the historic ground. Maybe, that heat was too hot for England to handle!

India is now powered by a new Nari Sakthi, which is blazing the tracks of progress and development. Bharat knows to handle its fire.

India’s First Scandal

With Glasgow becoming a Sports Inferno hosting the Commonwealth Games, there is another sidetrack story. I digress to another topic – nothing connected with Sports- that burned well in the late 1940s and early 1950s.

India’s first High Commissioner to the United Kingdom(UK), V K Krishna Menon earned, among other degrees, a Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Glasgow during his extensive higher education in the UK. And once upon a time he was the centre of Independent India’s first scandal, called the Jeep Scandal of 1948.

During the first Indo-Pakistan war, over the ownership of Jammu & Kashmir, the Indian Army found itself in urgent need of 2000 battle-ready Jeeps. India’s then High Commissioner in the UK, V K Krishna Menon bypassed standard procurement protocols to sign a ₹80 lakh contract with a small dubious, little-known firm, Anti-Mistantes, which had a capital of just £600. And India went out of the way to pay 65% of the total amount, upfront. Ultimately only 155 Jeeps were delivered and none were in usable condition. The best part is, then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru shielded the fire than came upon Menon; the case was officially ‘dozed with water’ in 1955, and V K Menon was later appointed (rewarded?) as India’s Defence Minister. Strange are the ways of India’s Grand Old Party -the Indian National Congress (INC).

Today with the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)- supported by the INC- firing up New Delhi’s streets, protesting ‘Exam paper leaks’ and calling for accountability, demanding (and obtaining) the resignation of India’s Education Minister, the hypocrisy is there for all to see.

After the Blaze come cooler things to capture. Tomorrow is another day.

ABOUT TAGLINES

About: Advertisement taglines, straplines-often with an attached logo- are short, memorable phrases that hope to capture a brand’s distilled essence; some becoming cultural touchstones. Many endure and linger for decades due to their simplicity, emotional resonance, aspirational tone, or clever wordplay. Others achieve massive cultural impact with strong emotional bonding or humorous recall. Here’s an exploration of some of the most iconic ones in India and the world, and also some that have gone horribly wrong. I’m not going too deep into the Agencies- with some exceptions- behind the creations, but the products they advertise. Let’s, Just Do It (credit: Nike).

Product advertisements are delightful examples of human ingenuity, and clever expression: like a juicy worm that draws a bird to swallow it whole, or perhaps pick it up and serve it as a meal to fledgling chicks; or, in these modern times, share on the ‘Bird WhatsApp Group’. Often the advertisement is better than the product itself. And we worm towards making buying decisions influenced by them in mysterious ways. Smell the coffee?

INDIA

Amul stands out with its cheeky one-liners, almost always showing a little girl dipping her paws into butter, cheese, or ice cream, with her tongue curled into the taste, and enjoying the moment. The Amul Girl is a staple mascot, since the 1960s, evoking national pride and buttery joy, and has become as epochal as the silent, watching-from-behind-the-scenes, ‘Common Man’ of the irresistible R K Laxman Cartoons.

The Amul Girl was created in 1966 by advertising executive Sylvester da Cunha and art director Eustace Fernandes as a witty, playful counterpoint to a competitor brand. Known for her red polka-dotted frock, blue hair, it was a response to rival, Polson’s more ‘proper’ butter-girl mascot. Amul’s then Chairman, Verghese Kurien wanted a mischievous child that was easy to draw, and memorable for outdoor hoardings. And he gave the creators complete slippery freedom to do mouth-watering campaigns.

Polson’s butter is no longer available in the market-disappearing in the early 1970’s- losing its monopoly to Amul. These days, Mother Dairy – ‘Like a Mother, and Happy Food, Happy People’- is one of Amul’s biggest rivals in the packaged milk and daily dairy segment.

Amul is an acronym for Anand Milk Union Limited, a cooperative society based in Anand, Gujarat, India, which has become the world’s largest milk producer through the White Revolution (Operation Flood). Amul was founded in 1946 and is the brand name used by the Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd., (GCMMF), which is India’s largest dairy of its kind.

Its classic advertisement Amul -‘The Taste of India’ or ‘Utterly Butterly Delicious’-coined on a prompt by Sylvester da Cunha’s wife, Nisha, teases us to this day. Amul’s first advertisement showed the Amul Girl kneeling in prayer, ‘Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread’, alongside the slogan, ‘Utterly Butterly Delicious’ buttered on the pack.

These days Amul comes out with frequent advertisements, on various media, to reflect the times and events. I caught a recent one, ‘Your ODYSSEY to Great Butter Ends Here. Amul in Every Homer’. It showed film director Christopher Nolan and Actor Matt Demon (dressed as Ulysses) eating a slice of buttered bread, but sadly I missed the Amul Girl-they could have ‘peneloped her’ into the scene, showing her waiting at Ithaca -loaded with tons of butter.Despite being born in 1966, the Amul Girl has not aged at all. Wonder what is the secret of her youth? Your guess is as good as mine!

Adding salt to the butter, India’s sleeping giant, the Tata Group, came up with its iodised salt brand, plainly called Tata Salt, ‘Desh Ka Namak’- declaring it, ‘The Nation’s Salt’. It was simple patriotism tied to an everyday essential.

Evolving with the milk, Cadbury’s Dairy Milk Chocolate ran the line, ‘Kuch Meetha Ho Jaaye’ (Let Something Sweet Happen)- which linked chocolate to celebrations and everyday happiness. Mind the tooth!

In the days before Coca-Cola and Pepsi ‘cola-ed’ into India, Thums Up ruled with its slogan, ‘Happy Days are Here Again’. But when Coca-Cola entered (actually re-entered) India, it drank-up the brand – to counter Pepsi- and came up with the fiery slogan, ‘Taste The Thunder’ and its, ‘Aaj Kuch Toofani Akrte Hain’ (Let’s Do Something Stormy Today) kicked up many a nerve. Then, Coca-Cola swallowed success and rolled out fun and youthful punchlines such as, ‘Thanda Matlab Coca-Cola’ (Cold Means Coca-Cola). It made ‘thanda’ synonymous with refreshment.

If Coca-Cola is near, Pepsi cannot be far behind, and it yelled, ‘Yeh Dil Maange More’ (The Heart Wants More) and ‘Yeh Hai Right Choice Baby’ (This is The Right Choice, Baby)- making an energetic appeal to the youth of India.

After eating butter, chocolates, tasting thunder, and doing stormy things, eventually something spills on to your clothes. India’s washing detergent King, Hindustan Unilever’s, Surf Excel spotted the ‘dirty opportunity’ and actually said, ‘Daag Achhe Hain’ (Stains Are Good): clean reverse psychology that turned messy play into positive parenting moments (the advertisement showed kids returning home to their Moms, dirty from playing). It completely transformed detergent advertising by shifting the focus from a ‘cleaning power’ to emotional storytelling and positive values. Surf Excel became an enabler allowing kids to live freely, because the brand will handle the mess afterward.

Today, Surf rules again, but once upon a time, between the late 1960s and early 1970s, it was challenged by a brand new ‘dirt-cheap’ brand called ‘Nirma’.

Surf had positioned itself as premium, a high-quality, detergent powder and a convenient alternative to traditional washing soaps. It was expensive, making it unaffordable for most middle and lower-income households. Detergent powders were still a somewhat premium category, and Surf enjoyed a near-monopoly among those who could afford it…until Nirma walked in, well actually danced in.

Karsanbhai Patel, a chemist, founded Nirma in 1969 in his backyard-all great things happen in the backyard– in Gujarat. He named it after his daughter Nirupama, who died in a tragic road accident. Karsanbhai Patel developed a phosphate-free synthetic detergent that cleaned well, without being too harsh on hands, and was affordable for the low and middle-class.

The game-changing advertisement, ‘Washing Powder Nirma’, the classic jingle that first on radio in 1975 and Television in 1982, was a real disruptor. ‘Washing Powder Nirma, Doodh Si Safedi Nirma Se Aaye… (Milk-white Brightness Comes from Nirma) featuring a joyful, dancing little girl (in a white frock) and happy housewives spilling its benefits in an upbeat, filmy style with singing and dancing-completely different from Surf’s serious, functional advertisements. It made washing clothes look fun and turned Nirma into a cultural phenomenon. The jingle became one of India’s longest-running and most memorable advertisements, creating massive brand recall and emotional connection across all income groups.

Nirma dominated through the 1990s but declined later due to competition from Surf Excel, Tide, Ariel (better technology), and changing consumer preferences toward premium products including the advent of Washing Machines. Nirma stuck too long to its low-price positioning without enough innovation – missed many dance steps.

Moving to something more solid and stain-free.

The ‘Dimag Ki Batti Jala De’ (Light up Your Brain) campaign is one of India’s most celebrated and long-running advertisement series for Mentos, launched by Perfetti Van Melle-a global leader in the confectionery and gum industry. It transformed the brand from a simple mint into a cultural symbol of clever, quick thinking and witty problem-solving. Imagine the Amul Girl quitting butter, popping a Mentos, and suddenly growing-up!

Mentos entered India in 1999 as ‘The Freshmaker’-its global positioning- focusing on refreshment. It struggled initially in a competitive market. In 2003, the Advertisement Agency, Ogilvy, Mumbai, adapted the global idea into a locally resonant, famous slogan, ‘Dimag Ki Batti Jala De’ . This shifted the focus from physical freshness to mental sharpness.

The core concept became, ‘Aam Zindagi versus Mentos Zindagi’ (Ordinary life versus Mentos life): showing the same problem solved in a dull way, versus a clever, humorous way, after popping a Mentos. A catchy jingle and a glowing lightbulb visual reinforced the brain spark idea.

In the year 2005, it ran the brilliant classroom advertisement: a student arrives late to class and as he tries to sneak in, the teaches catches him and yells, “Coming Now? Get Out”! How often we, or our friends, typically in College, have been in this situation. The student leaves defeated by ‘Aam Zindagi logic’. In the exact situation the student pops a Mentos mint, sparking a moment of genius-Mentos Zindagi logic. Instead of walking-in forward, he walks backward in the classroom. The teacher spots him and thinking he is sneaking out (this time) shouts, “Where are you going? Sit down”! It went viral, boosted sales dramatically, and gave Mentos entry into many a mouth, in India.

Then in the year 2008, evolved another stunning Mentos advertisement, based on Evolution. A monkey, which is bullied by a donkey eats Mentos, evolves through human history (hunting, fire, wheel…), and returns smarter to make the donkey pull a cart. It perfectly captured, ‘Evolution Through Smart Thinking’.

Fevicol — ‘Fevicol ka Mazboot Jod Hai, Tootega Nahi!’ (Fevicol’s Strong Bond Won’t Break) — Humorous, unbreakable glue advertisements made this a household phrase for anything solid. The sticking 1999 Fevi Kwik (instant adhesive from Pidilite-same family as Fevicol) is the most legendary.

The setting is a peaceful lakeside showing a Camping Tent. A well-dressed, Urban-looking man with a fancy fishing rod, reel, bait, etc. sits patiently for a long time, looking frustrated and tired. He hasn’t caught anything despite all his flashy equipment. He even shushes anyone making noise to avoid disturbing the fish.

A simple, local villager-in dhoti and exposed torso with a towel strung on his shoulders, looking excited and carefree-arrives, humming to himself. This irritates the urban man who asks him to stay quiet.

The villager takes a steel rod-with a round at one end, pulls out a Fevi Kwik tube, which he had tucked behind his right ear, and applies four small dots on the rod while cheerfully counting, one, two, three, four… (in the vernacular). He casually dips the rod into the water. Within seconds, the rod starts vibrating wildly. He pulls it out-and four live fish are instantly stuck to the exact spots where he applied the glue! The sophisticated Urban guy looks on in complete shock and disbelief. The villager happily walks away with his catch. Tagline (voice-over): “Chutki Mein Chipkaaye, Fevi Kwik”! (Sticks In A Snap / Sticks Instantly, Fevi Kwik!)

Other stand-out taglines are: Raymond Suiting’s, ‘The Complete Man’- defined aspirational masculinity for generations. Life Insurance Corporation’s, ‘Zindagi Ke Saath Bhi, Zindagi Ke Baad Bhi’ (During Life And After Life Too), captured security and legacy perfectly. Hero MotoCorp (formerly Hero Honda)-‘Desh Ki Dhadkan’ (The Heartbeat Of The Nation) or ‘Hum Mein Hai Hero” (There’s a Hero in Us). Airtel’s, ‘Express Yourself’ or ‘Har Ek Friend Zaroori Hota Hai (Every Friend is Necessary) actually made people rush to stay connected. But Idea Cellular, captivated with its brilliant ideas, when it said, ‘An Idea Can Change Your Life’ or ‘What an Idea Sirji’!

Once there was a vibrant airline called Kingfisher Airlines, which called itself, ‘the King of Good Times’ with its Owner claiming that he personally selected every air-hostess. And no one doubted his extensive knowledge of women.

Most of these lines succeeded due to simplicity, cultural resonance-emotions, patriotism, humour-and consistent advertisement campaigns. Many, like Surf Excel and Fevicol, became part of everyday Indian conversation. Indian advertising excelled at blending wit, heart, and relatability, in just a few words.

Now, let’s look at how the world is doing.

THE WORLD

Without doubt, Nike’s catchy and inspirational ‘Just Do It’ instantly comes to mind when thinking about a global tagline. It’s a call to overcome inertia; one of the most recognized slogans ever, symbolising Nike’s global dominance.

Let’s swoosh into the interesting story of Nike’s logo and tagline.

Nike is the world’s largest supplier of athletic shoes, sports apparel, and maker of sports equipment based in Oregon, the United States of America. It was originally known as Blue Ribbon Sports (BRS) and was founded by University of Oregon track athlete Phil Knight and his coach Bill Bowerman, in 1964. BRS officially became Nike, Inc., in 1971.

Nike’s iconic ‘swoosh’ (often called the tick mark) logo was designed in 1971 by a graphic design student, Carolyn Davidson. Blue Ribbon Sports was transitioning from importing Onitsuka Tiger shoes-a Japanese luxury footwear brand started in 1949- to creating its own products. Phil Knight needed a distinctive ‘stripe’ (the industry term for a shoe side logo) that suggested motion, stood out from Adidas’s three stripes, and worked on a shoe profile. Knight, who was teaching an accounting class part-time at Portland State University, had previously hired Carolyn for freelance work after overhearing she needed money for an oil painting class. He ticked her for the job. Carolyn sketched several options, drawing on tissue paper overlaid on shoe sketches. One was a curved, wing-like checkmark that evoked movement and the wings of the Greek Goddess Nike. Knight reviewed them: none were loved, but the Swoosh was chosen as the ‘least awful’ due to tight production deadlines for a new shoe in Mexico. Knight famously said: “Well, I don’t love it, but it will grow on me.”

The ‘Just Do It’ slogan was coined in 1988 by Dan Wieden of the Advertising Agency Wieden+Kennedy for Nike’s first major TV campaign. It was inspired by the last words, “Let’s do it”, of convicted murderer Gary Gilmore before his execution by a firing squad, in 1977. Wieden adapted it by killing the “Let’s” and adding ‘Just’.

Nike, the name, comes directly from Nike, the ancient Greek goddess of victory in war and peaceful competition. She is often depicted as a winged goddess, symbolizing triumph in battle, sports, or competitions. In Green mythology, Nike is daughter of the titan Pallas and the underworld River Goddess Styx and famously ‘ran’ as Zeus’s charioteer.

While Nike was running its shoes, Steve Jobs had just returned to Apple in 1977 and wanted to revive its declining fortunes, especially with IBM thinking it ruled the world of computers. Apple’s, ‘Think Different’ celebrating rebels and innovators, helped to revive the brand.

Art Director Craig Tanimoto created the tagline as a playful contrast to IBM’s ‘Think’ (and ThinkPad) slogan. He paired ‘Think Different’ with black-and-white portraits of visionary people like Albert Einstein, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., and others who ‘changed things’ by defying the status quo.

Apple’s current logo is the simple, bitten apple silhouette (often in monochrome, today), designed in 1977 by graphic designer Rob Janoff, of the Regis McKenna Agency. The original logo of 1976-used briefly-was a detailed, old-fashioned illustration showing Isaac Newton sitting under an apple tree, with a quote from William Wordsworth: “A mind forever voyaging through strange seas of thought… alone.” It was created by Apple’s short-lived third co-founder, Ronald Wayne.

In 1977, for Apple’s first personal computer with a colour display, Steve Jobs commissioned Rob Janoff. The goal was a friendly, approachable, colourful logo to appeal to everyday people. Janoff bought apples from a market, sketched many versions, and simplified to a clean silhouette. The bite was added purely for scale-so it wouldn’t look like a cherry or tomato when small. The logo has evolved (e.g., rainbow until 1998, then simplified), but the core bitten apple shape has remained iconic for nearly 50 years. It’s a story of practical design choices rather than deep symbolism.

Much like the Coca-Cola and Pepsi of the cola-drink world we have the Nike and Adidas in the shoe and sports apparel world.

Adidas’s, ‘Impossible is Nothing’ emphasizes overcoming limits and is inspired by Heavyweight Boxing Champion Muhammad Ali. It has been used for years as the brand’s defining philosophy. Adidas’s current global slogan is ‘You Got This’, introduced in 2024 as a shift from the long-running ‘Impossible is Nothing’. The new slogan focuses on overcoming pressure, building self-belief, support from others, and reclaiming the joy in sports for all kinds of athletes.

Adidas was founded in 1949 by German shoemaker Adolf (Adi) Dassler in Germany. Adolf started Adidas after splitting from his brother Rudolf (Rudi), who went on to start Puma(formerly Ruda).

Adidas is a portmanteau derived from the Adolf’s nickname ‘Adi’ added to ‘Das’ (from Dassler) to make it Adidas. He experimented with leather straps on the sides of shoes for reinforcement and stability. After testing different numbers, three stripes showed up best in photographs-key for visibility from the stands and marketing. Adi even called his company ‘The Three-Stripes Company.’ The design wasn’t entirely original: a Finnish brand called Karhu Sports had used three stripes earlier. In 1952 Adidas bought the rights from Karhu, in one of the best deals in branding history.

People often joke that Adidas stands for things like: ‘All Day I Dream About Sports’ or the more sexy, ‘All Day I Dream About Sex’.

USA, McDonald’s, “I’m Lovin’ It” shows simple, upbeat joy that refreshed the brand globally. KFC’s “Finger Lickin’ Good” was sensory and indulgent. M&M’s (USA): ‘Melts in Your Mouth, not in Your Hands’ was practical humour about mess-free chocolate.

Another scintillating tagline is South Africa’s Diamond major, De Beers, with its, ‘A Diamond is Forever’ slogan. It transformed diamonds into symbols of eternal love; one of the 20th century’s forever best ‘shines’.

Driving back to Germany, BMW’s ‘The Ultimate Driving Machine’ highlighted performance and driving pleasure, while Mercedes-Benz said, ‘The Best or Nothing’ positioning itself on uncompromising excellence. Audi’s ‘Vorsprung Durch Technik’ (Advancement Through Technology) spelt technical superiority, kept in German for prestige. Then of course Volkswagen came up with, ‘Think Small’ — Honest humility that revolutionized car advertisements and was named the best campaign of the 20th century.

To buy big and small things we may need Credit Cards along with some cash, and Visa said, ‘Everywhere You Want to Be’ about ubiquity and convenience, while Master Card chipped-in with, ‘There Are Some Things Money Can’t Buy. For Everything Else, There’s MasterCard’, which valued priceless moments.

And finally, not to be left behind, Disneyland declared itself, ‘The Happiest Place on Earth’.

GONE WRONG: INDIA & THE WORLD

Some of the worst advertisement taglines and campaigns have backfired spectacularly due to poor taste, cultural insensitivity, bad translations, unintended double meanings, or tone-deaf messaging. These examples from India and the world often went viral for the wrong reasons, leading to bans, boycotts, sales drops, or brand damage.

Amul Macho (a popular Indian men’s inner-wear brand, and nothing to do with Amul butter) wore the slogan, “Ye Toh Dada Toing Hai”, which loosely translates to, “Wow, This Is Quite Bouncy”. In the advertisement, the phrase was used as a cheeky double-entendre to imply that the product enhances a man’s attractiveness and confidence. It featured a woman suggestively washing and stretching a man’s underwear with exaggerated ‘toing’ (repeated movement) sound effects and sensual expressions. It was widely criticised as being vulgar and objectifying, leading to bans and heavy backlash from customers.

Hindustan Unilever’s cosmetics brand, Fair & Lovely (now, Unilever’s Glow & Lovely) spent decades on promoting, ‘Fair Is Beautiful’, for success and marriage, reinforcing colourism and faced massive criticism for promoting harmful beauty standards.

Maruti Suzuki’s hatchback car, Wagon R Stingray was wheeled as ‘My Thing Everything’, which was awkward and vague and actually made no sense at all, as did, of all cars, Mahindra Verito Vibe’s (a non-sporty car) which tried a sporty, ‘Everybody Loves A Sport’. Toyota Etios called itself, ‘The Real Sedan’ – implying others are fake?

Nothing beats the Washing Machine brand Electrolux’s tagline, ‘Nothing sucks like an Electrolux’ – Intended to highlight vacuum power in the US market, but ‘sucks’ as slang for ‘terrible’ made it a punchline.The slogan highlighted powerful suction and worked as a pun in the UK market. In the US, ‘sucks’ commonly means ‘is terrible’, turning the boast into an accidental self-goal.

In China, KFC’s, “Finger-lickin’ good” was translated as, ‘Eat your fingers off’ (or similar cannibalistic phrasing). The iconic slogan became grotesque rather than appetizing. Banking giant, HSBC’s ‘Assume Nothing’, translated to ‘Do Nothing’ in multiple languages. The intended message of precision and diligence flipped into apathy. This reportedly cost the bank around $10 million to fix through rebranding.

When Ford launched its car ‘Pinto’ in Brazil, the car’s name became a running joke. ‘Pinto’ is local slang for small male genitalia. Hurriedly, Ford renamed it Corcel (horse) in that market.

Perfectionist, Mercedes-Benzalso messed-up big, in China. Initially its name was ‘Bensi’ translated roughly to, ‘Rush To Die’ or ‘Rush To Your Death’. It was quickly changed to something more positive, ‘Ben Chi’ (dashing speed).

While India is now grappling with Exam-Paper leaks, the most famous Parker Pen advertisement regarding leaks is a legendary 1980s marketing blunder. Aimed at the Mexican market, the campaign’s English slogan was, ‘It Won’t Leak In Your Pocket And Embarrass You’, but translators mistakenly used the Spanish word ‘embarazar’ (get someone pregnant/impregnate) leading to the tagline, ‘It Won’t Leak In Your Pocket And Make You Pregnant.’

In today’s tightly connected world-with social media amplifying gaffes instantly-what is emblematic or works in one place- in once culture, may not work in another. Getting into the skin of local languages and cultures is awfully important. Else, we may end-up remembering a brand and the tagline for all the wrong reasons. Here’s wishing that you, Think Different.

CABO VERDE

About: The 23rd FIFA World Cup 2026, is being jointly hosted by three countries-a first in the history of the game-The United States, Canada, and Mexico. To measure the vastness of the game, this time the quadrennial men’s football event expanded into a 48 team format, with matches hosted in 16 cities, across the three countries. The first ball of the Tournament was kicked on 11 June 2026, in Mexico City and the kicking and heading will go-on until the final on 19 July 2026 in New Jersey, US. It is here that I discovered a tiny country called Cabo Verde -which I never heard about until now-skilfully playing the game and winning my heart: this is the story of the country, and how it got here (Image credit: Canva AI)

GEOGRAPHY & HISTORY

In geography, a ‘Cape’ is a stretch of land that juts-out into the sea from the mainland. It marks a sudden, sharp change in the direction of a coastline, hence it is a critical landmark for navigation. Capes are typically smaller and more pointed than ‘their cousins’, the Peninsulas: a Cape can appear on a Peninsula, but the reverse is not typical. Perhaps, the most popular Cape we know is the Cape of Good Hope-the southern-most tip of South Africa- and Cape Town, the city build around it.

The Cape of Good Hope was originally named the ‘Cape of Storms’ by Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias in 1488 due to its treacherous waters. Thankfully, it was renamed ‘Cape of Good Hope’ by King John II of Portugal to give hope to a newly discovered sea route to India and the East. Bend it like the Portuguese?

With all good hope, when you navigate along the Western Coast of Africa you would bump into many more Capes and when you reach Senegal, you hit Cape Verde (French: Cap Vert, meaning Green Cape) the Western most Cape of mainland Africa. Pointe des Almadies, located on the Cap-Vert peninsula in Dakar, Senegal is the exact westernmost tip of Africa.

About 570 kilometres from this point- farther west- is Cabo Verde (or Cape Verde) a 10-Island volcanic archipelago with an area of about 4,035 square kilometres, and these days holding a population of around 530,000. It is named after-you guessed it-Cape Verde. It forms part of the Macaronesia ecoregion along with the Azores and Maderia (belonging to Portugal), and the Canary Islands (belonging to Spain), in the North Atlantic Ocean.

The islands of Cabo Verde are divided into, Barlavento group of islands to the north, consisting of Santo Antao, Sao Vicente, Santa Luzia, Sao Nicolau, Sal, and Boa Vista; and Sotavento Islands to the south, consisting of Maio, Santiago, Fogo, and Brava and the three islets called the Rombos-Grande, Luis Carneiro, and Cima. Nine of the ten islands are inhabited; only Santa Luzia-the smallest-has no permanent population.

Geologically, the islands are volcanic and relatively young-formed over millions of years on the Cape Verde Rise-a swell in the central Atlantic Ocean that elevates the seafloor. The terrain varies significantly across the islands, with the older eastern islands tending to be flatter, sandier, wind-eroded, and arid-ideal for beaches and tourism. The western islands are mountainous, rugged and rocky, with greater elevation leading to more vegetation in the higher areas due to what is called ‘orographic rainfall’. The islands thereby offer a striking contrast: from desert-like beaches to volcanic ‘moonscapes’ and fertile green highlands, all within a compact archipelago. The islands have a year-round tropical weather.

The Cabo Verde islands were mostly uninhabited until they were first colonised by Portugal in the mid 15th century. After centuries of Portuguese rule, Cabo Verde won its independence in 1975 and Praia, on the island of Santiago, became the country’s capital.

Cabo Verde was discovered in 1460 by Italian and Portuguese navigators. Santiago being the most favourable for settlement, colonisation began on this island in 1462. The largest Port is located at Mindelo on Sao Vincente, which is a deepwater harbour and had been used as a fuelling station since the 19th century.

Around the time of the discovery of Cabo Verde, lived Prince Henry, the third son of King John I of Portugal. Prince Henry was driven by a mixture of motives: crusading against Muslims, seeking trade-gold, slaves, spices-and finding the legendary Christian King, Prester John-who is considered a descendant of the ‘Three Magi’(Three Kings or Wise Men from the east who visited the infant Jesus) and ruled a Kingdom full of riches, marvels, and strange creatures. Though Prince Henry rarely sailed himself, his patronage transformed Portugal into a leading maritime power. He died in 1460, and rightfully earned the nickname ‘Prince Henry The Navigator’. The explorations he started continued and helped launch Europe’s global expansion.

Genoa, in Italy, is renowned for its long and influential maritime past. During the Middle Ages, it was one of the most powerful Maritime Republics, alongside Venice, Pisa, and Amalfi-all Italian Towns. Genoese sailors, merchants, and explorers dominated trade routes across the Mediterranean and beyond. Genoese navigators played a supporting, significant role in the maritime expansion sponsored by Prince Henry even though the expeditions were primarily Portuguese-led. Genoa had skilled sailors, shipbuilders, and merchants who often worked for other powers due to political rivalries at home and the then growing opportunities created by Portugal.

One such Genoese nobleman and navigator was Antonio de Noli who was exiled from Genoa due to political conflicts. About 1447, he sailed to Portugal with his family and entered into the service of Prince Henry, for exploring the African coastline. Then in the year 1456 Venetian Explorer Alvise Cadamosto, also working for Prince Henry, along with Genoese captain Antoniotto Usodimare, sighted some islands while sailing towards Africa’s Gambia River. This was probably the first inspiration to find Cabo Verde, lying westward.

Around 1460, Antonio de Noli accompanied by Portuguese captain Diogo Gomes were the first to discover the Cabo Verde archipelago. They explored the main islands, and founded a settlement at Ribeira Grande on Santiago—the earliest European overseas colony in Sub-Saharan Africa. Antonio de Noli was later appointed Governor, and continued as such, for decades.

In the period between the 16th and 18th centuries, Cabo Verde became a key hub for the transatlantic slave trade, due to its strategic location. Enslaved Africans were brought from the mainland, processed, and shipped to the Americas; the islands also served as a provisioning stop. The economy relied primarily on trade, with some agriculture thrown-in, though hampered by the arid climate. Attacks by pirates and rival powers occurred periodically (the famous explorer, navigator and privateer, Sir Francis Drake attacked Cabo Verde in November 1585 during his expedition to the West Indies). The first settlement of Ribeira Grande gradually declined, and Praia, on the island of Santiago, grew to become the largest city and present day modern capital of Cabo Verde.

In the 19th century following the end of the slave trade (fully abolished in the 1870s) Cabo Verde’s economy went into decline and it became a poor subsistence economy.

Meanwhile, the islands having no indigenous people or ancient Kingdoms(with tons of gold), a ‘Creole’ (a blend of community) society, language, and culture emerged from the mixing of Portuguese settlers and Africans. Free Europeans and enslaved people from the African coast merged into a single people, Cape Verdeans, with a unique way of being and living, and Creole emerged as the language of the predominantly mixed-race community. Emigration out of the Islands began due to repeated droughts and famines experienced while the economy was trying to grow.

In 1879, the joint administration of Cabo Verde with the Portuguese Guinea-Bissau ended, making Cabo Verde a separate colony. It stayed a subsistence economy while serving as a coaling and resupply station: coal-which arrived from other countries-was stored in the port of Mindelo on Sao Vicente island, for resale to passing ships.

In the 20th century, up to 1956, Portugal maintained control amid growing African nationalism. In 1951, Cabo Verde’s status changed to an ‘overseas province’, and full Portuguese citizenship was granted in 1961, but this was superficial and could not contain the desire for independence.

In 1956, Amilcar Lopes Cabral, a Bissau-Guinean and Cape Verdean revolutionary leader, agronomist, political theorist, and poet, founded the African Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cabo Verde (PAIGC), in Bissau. This marked the start of organized resistance that would lead to full independence in 1975. Amilcar Cabral is one of the outstanding anti-colonial persons of the 20th century and the PAIGC that he founded and led, waged a successful armed struggle against Portuguese colonialism. He is revered as a national hero in both Guinea-Bissau and Cabo Verde.

On 20 January 1973, Cabral was assassinated in Conakry, Guinea-where PAIGC had its headquarters-by disgruntled PAIGC members. He was shot at a roadblock while returning from a reception with his wife. He was 48 years old – and left behind an ex-wife, a wife, and two daughters.

On 19 December 1974 an agreement was signed between PAIGC and Portugal establishing a Transitional Government. This Government would go on to prepare and hold elections for a National People’s Assembly, which on 5 July 1975 proclaimed independence.

Cabral’s ideas and example outlived him. On Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde gaining independence he is honoured as a founding father in both nations. In Cabo Verde, Amilcar Cabral International Airport, on Sal island, is named after him. There are monuments, streets, the Amilcar Cabral Foundation in Praia, and ongoing cultural tributes. Heroes’ Day (20 January ) commemorates his assassination alongside other freedom fighters.

One of Cabral’s memorable quotes, goes like this:

“Hide nothing from the masses of our people. Tell no lies. Expose lies whenever they are told. Mask no difficulties, mistakes, failures. Claim no easy victories”. Cabral remains a symbol of principled anti-colonial struggle, intellectual rigour, and the fight for dignity and self-determination for African peoples—particularly resonant in Cabo Verde due to his personal and familial ties to the islands. His life bridged two nations and helped forge their paths to freedom.

After Cabo Verde gained independence from Portugal, it transitioned to a multi-party democracy in the early 1990s and has since been one of Africa’s most stable and developed nations. While Portuguese remains the sole official language, Cape Verdean Creole (Crioulo) functions as the national/vernacular language spoken by most people and used in everyday life.

The National Assembly -72 members, elected every 5 years by proportional representation- holds legislative power. The judiciary is independent. The country has a strong record of democratic stability, peaceful power transfers, free elections, and high rankings in governance and freedom indices in Africa. Major parties include the PAIGC and MpD (Movement for Democracy). It maintains a policy of non-alignment while fostering ties with Portugal, the European Union, African Union, and others.

A large diaspora -exceeding the resident population- lives mainly in the United States, Portugal, and elsewhere; remittances are economically important.

Cabo Verde has a unique Creole blend of African and Portuguese influences and is famous for ‘morna music’- the national music and dance of Cabo Verde. Morna music is deeply melancholic and poetic, characterized by themes of separation, migration, and a profound longing for home. Cesaria Evora, often referred to as the ‘Barefoot Diva’ is the most celebrated morna singer, globally. She took the soulful island music to international prominence and is a global ambassador.

The dominant religion of Cabo Verde is Catholic, with about 85% of the population identifying with the faith. Religion is generally moderate and tolerant; the Catholic Church plays a visible role in culture, festivals, and social life, with many traditional Catholic saints’ days and processions being celebrated.

Today, Cabo Verde’s economy is predominantly service-oriented, with services accounting for roughly 70-75% of GDP. Tourism is the standout sector and main economic driver along with agriculture, fishing, light industry, and remittances. It has limited natural resources and imports much of its food. It has graduated from least-developed country status and focuses on renewables and tourism. Challenges include drought, climate vulnerability, and limited arable land, but it boasts high stability and development metrics for the region.

Cabo Verde relies on a mix of thermal (fossil fuel-based) and renewable energy sources for its electricity, with a total installed capacity of around 160 to 220 MW. The country is a net energy importer with no domestic fossil fuel resources, so all petroleum products for electricity generation and transport are imported. Electricity access is high, though costs remain relatively elevated due to import dependence. Cabo Verde has no petroleum refineries. It only has storage and distribution facilities for imported fuels-diesel, gasoline, jet fuel, etc. All refined petroleum products come from abroad, primarily through companies such as Enacol.

Cabo Verde’s first President was Aristides Pereira- a founding member and Secretary-General of PAIGC. He was a close associate of Amilcar Cabral and played a key leadership role in the independence struggle. He led the country when it was a one-party state initially, before multiparty democracy was introduced. The first Prime Minister was Pedro Pires – a military commander and an important figure in the PAIGC. Pires worked closely with Pereira and Cabral. He later became President of Cabo Verde and is widely respected for his role in the independence movement and the country’s democratic transition.

In 2013, the country’s delegation informed the United Nations that only Cabo Verde (Portuguese pronunciation: ‘kabu verdi’ )and not other translations should be used for official purposes.

With this illuminated background lets go on to play football, with Cabo Verde.

FOOTBALL: THE 11th ISLAND PROJECT

Football has been played in the Cabo Verde islands since the early 20th century, introduced during Portuguese colonial times. The oldest and most successful football club is Clube Sportivo Mindelense (CS Mindelense), founded in 1919 and based in Mindelo on the island of Sao Vicente. A formal national football team emerged post-independence in 1975, nicknamed the ‘Blue Sharks’.

The team played its first international match in April 1978, losing 0–1 to Guinea in a tournament in Guinea-Bissau. The Cabo Verdean Football Federation (FCF) was established in 1982. It affiliated with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and joined the International Association Football Federation (FIFA) in 1986, enabling official international participation.

In the early years, the Blue Sharks remained low-profile (in the deep waters), with limited matches and poor FIFA rankings-as low as 182nd in the year 2000. They entered Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers in 1992 and World Cup qualifiers in 2003, but progress was gradual. Success grew later through diaspora players and smart thinking, leading to their first real breakthrough at AFCON in 2013 and eventual World Cup qualification.

The Blue Sharks made one of the most remarkable underdog stories in recent football history by qualifying for the FIFA World Cup 2026, which is currently underway. This is their first-ever appearance-and advancing to the knockout stages as the smallest nation ever to do so.

Cabo Verde’s strong diaspora and its brilliant recruitment strategy is the cornerstone of the national football team’s remarkable rise, often called the ‘11th Island’ Project. With a population of only about 530,000 people, the country has a larger diaspora, which is estimated at 1 to 2 million people, living abroad, primarily in Portugal, the Netherlands (especially Rotterdam), the United States (mainly Massachusetts and Rhode Island), France, Brazil, and elsewhere. Many players with Cabo Verdean heritage play in Portugal, Brazil, Major League Soccer (MLS), and other leagues.This global community-shaped by historical emigration due to droughts, seafaring traditions, and colonial ties-has become a vital talent pool for the Blue Sharks – literally, hunting down blood.

The Cabo Verdean Football Federation formalized talent identification and recruitment strategies around the early 2000s, accelerating it after their first AFCON qualification in 2013. They built a competitive squad by scouting talent globally, including through unconventional methods such as LinkedIn.

Global Scouting Networks of the FCF, coaches, agents, and community figures actively track players of Cabo Verdean heritage (by birth, parentage, or ancestry) in foreign leagues. This includes second- and third-generation emigrants playing in Europe and beyond. FIFA funding supported the endeavour.

Under coaches like Bubista, who is in charge since 2020, emphasis was on resilience, organization, and leveraging dual-national players: many are dual nationals or eligible through ancestry. Recruiters emphasized national pride, cultural connection, and the opportunity to represent their roots.

A standout example is defender Roberto Lopes(Pico) (Dublin-born, who played in Ireland’s league and worked in a bank). He was contacted via LinkedIn around 2019; he initially thought it was spam, but joined and became a principal player.

Bubista focused on blending diaspora and homegrown talent into a cohesive unit, fostering brotherhood and shared identity. Many squad members play in European leagues bringing higher-level talent and experience to team Cabo Verde. In the squad for the 2026 World Cup, about 14 of 26 players were born abroad. In one major group-stage lineup, 6 of 11 starters were diaspora players (e.g., several from the Netherlands, plus others from Ireland, France, and Portugal).

Goalkeeper Vozinha (Josimar Jose Evora Dias) is a notable contributor. Players like Ryan Mendes, and others with roots in diaspora hubs made assists – towards the goal of selection.

This approach turned a tiny nation into a competitive side capable of drawing with Spain and Uruguay, reaching the knockouts, and nearly upsetting Argentina. Emigration waves created strong ties and early challenges helped in attracting top talent, but persistence paid off around 2013 onward. The strategy leveraged diaspora communities for not just players but also fan support.

While strong team spirit and tactical discipline Cabo Verde emerged as an impressive football team; recent AFCON performances added momentum. The expanded 2026 format of FIFA was a catalyst, but their group-topping qualification showed genuine merit.

Path to Football World Cup 2026 Qualification:

In the 2026 CAF qualifiers (Group D: Cape Verde, Cameroon, Angola, Libya, Eswatini, Mauritius), Cape Verde topped the group with 23 points from 10 matches (7 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss). Key results included: a decisive 3–0 win over Eswatini in October 2025, in Praia that sealed qualification. Beating Cameroon (a football powerhouse) 1–0. They finished ahead of fancied Cameroon.

Performance at the World Cup 2026:

Cabo Verde was drawn into Group-H with Spain, Uruguay, and Saudi Arabia, and defied expectations in their debut tournament: 0–0 draw vs. Spain – a stunning result against favourites. 2–2 draw vs. Uruguay. 0–0 draw vs. Saudi Arabia. They finished second in the Group with 3 points (all draws) and advanced to the Round of 32 — becoming the smallest nation ever to reach the World Cup knockouts.

In the Round of 32, they faced defending champions Argentina. It was an edge-of-the-seat thriller of a match and one of the finest in this World Cup. Argentina opened the score, but Cabo Verde promptly equalised. Argentina scored again and Carbo equalised, yet again. The match was stretched to extra time and Carbo Verde faced a 2-3 defeat with Argentina scoring to decide the winner. Throughout the match it was a heroic performance by veteran goalkeeper Vozinha, aged 40, who made standout saves. One of the greatest players of all time, Lionel Messi, scored a record goal, but Cabo Verde earned global admiration as neutrals’ favourites.

Cape Verde’s story symbolises pride of a tiny island nation, inspiring fans worldwide and large diaspora communities in the US and Europe. Players like Vozinha have become legends, and the run has put ‘where Cabo Verde is’ on the map for millions. It’s a classic World Cup fairy tale of planning, resilience and joy, from an underdog.

Cabo Verde’s strategy could well serve as a template for other small nations: smart, resourceful recruitment, combined with investment in identity and infrastructure can punch above population weight. The 11th Island has given Cabo Verde global visibility far beyond football-and of many things, pulled me into writing this article.

Cabo Verde, Curacao, Jordan, and Uzbekistan made their World Cup debut in this 2026 event and it’s pulsating to see the world – small and big – join together to celebrate the human endeavour in Sport. Nothing bridges people ‘of all makes’ better than Sports. Three Cheers Cabo Verde!

Good Bye, for now. Te logu / Ti manham.

UNDERSTANDING FOOD

About: This is to bite into a better understanding of the food we eat. Of what goes down the hatch, through our digestive tract, and exits peacefully-and sometimes with the sounds of thunder, and gas to light up the world. And perhaps eat with wisdom to live another day. We have learnt about all of them, in bits and pieces, at school, and this is a grown-up, graduate view of the fundamentals, without much of scientific jargon. This is also to bust certain myths-especially about Proteins and Cholesterol. You can unfasten your belt and eat into the meat of the matter. We are doing this together.

The human body needs to be fed with nutritive food for it to be kept well-oiled, to function efficiently, and keep us alive; with the least amount of destabilising forces-diseases. We have come a long way from the hunter-gatherer mode of living, when we obtained our daily bread as foragers-running all over the place- to the present day method of producing food by quiet farming and clever cultivation. Now, the food we require arrives on our table from every corner of the world, labelled and packed with names of the nutrients, the energy they provide, and much more-if we dare to thoroughly read the Lables stuck on them.

When man first learnt to make and use Fire, things changed like never before: cooking was born, which gave us all kinds of benefits such as, killing toxins in the food, improving taste, making tough substances easy to digest…and the kind. Cooking freed up a lot of time for us humans, while other animals in the Kingdom spend as many as seven hours a day just chewing food-wish they could learn to cook?

We do not need to eat constantly to survive. Unfortunately, we eat more of less constantly anyway-and that’s another big story in itself. The objective, after all that chewing is to mix it with enzymes in the saliva, and other ‘juices’ down the tract, which the body itself makes, to digest the food and break it down into a form the body can handle. And provide energy for us to walk, run, and dance, and fight each other and other kinds of animals, on dear Planet Earth.

To drive on the road ahead, here are a few science basics we need to refresh ourselves about. Everything in the Universe, including us, is made of Atoms – the smallest unit of matter with a central dense nucleus of protons(and neutrons) and a cloud of electrons spinning around. And going even higher, we can say we are all made up of ‘star dust’. What we call ‘element’ is made up of only one kind of atom – elementary? There are about 118 known elements, but our body is constructed from just 59, and 6 of them account for 99.1%. When two or more atoms are chemically bonded they form a molecule, which can be of the same element or different elements. A compound is a molecule made up of two or more different elements chemically bonded in a fixed ratio. Our body is built with such compounds.

Moving back to Food, let’s strip-down it down, peel-off the layers and see it gloriously naked.

The fundamental components of the food – call it nutrients- we eat, is divided into two broad categories, 1-Macronutrients: Water, Proteins, Carbohydrates, and Fats, and the 2-Micronutrients: Vitamins, Minerals, and elusive Trace Elements. The macro food is required in larger quantities; the micro food is required in smaller quantities and is essential in keeping us living the good life. Let’s digest them one by one. I am leaving-out the water we drink, and the air we breathe, which need space of their own. Let’s drink, and smoke to that!

PROTEINS

Proteins are large, complex molecules that are indispensable for life. A fifth of our body weight is made up of them. They are the ‘building blocks’ of our body and also the hard-working craftsmen- mending and repairing wear and tear. Basically, Proteins are long chains of tiny building blocks called amino-acids. Think of them like different coloured beads strung together into a beautiful necklace.

Proteins are made from just 20 amino acids-organic compounds-even through hundreds of amino acids exist in nature, which can do the job just as well. It is a mystery why evolution has married us, for life, to just these 20. And we simply cannot divorce them! And the best part is, we break down all the proteins we consume only to reassemble them again, into new proteins. LEGO toys of the body?

Eight, out of the twenty, amino acids cannot be made -synthesised-in the body and we must find and consume them from the outside world. And the factor to consider is their digestibility. In general, proteins from uncooked vegetable foods are less digestible than those from animal foods. Hence, cooking is awfully important. Glad we know how to start a fire.

There is a never ending debate about Plant-based proteins and Animal-based proteins: which one is best for us. Animal proteins are typically complete proteins-contain all essential amino acids-with very high digestibility and bioavailability. Plant proteins are often incomplete: missing or low in one or more essential amino acids, but we can achieve complete profiles by combining different sources, e.g., rice & beans. Animal World or Plant World, we can achieve great protein balance, but we need to work harder and wider on the plant side.

Common protein foods are: eggs-with near-perfect amino acid make-up; fish-salmon, sardines, mackerel; meat-chicken, pork; organ meat-liver, heart, kidney. On the plant side we have soy products, lentils, chickpeas, nuts & seeds, almonds, peanuts, beans, brown rice, legumes, pumpkin seeds, and others.

CARBOHYDRATES

Carbohydrates are compounds of Carbon, Hydrogen, and Oxygen, which are bound together to from a variety of sugars: glucose, fructose, maltose, sucrose, deoxyribose(the stuff found in DNA), and so on. Some of these are chemically simple such as monosaccharides, some are complex known as polysaccharides, and some in between known as disaccharides. Carbohydrates are basically a class of energy yielding substances and almost all of them come from plants, with one exception: lactose-from milk. Foods like cane sugar and table sugar are simple carbohydrates, and those like starch are a complex. These are completely digested by the body, and the end product is sugar-glucose-which is absorbed and metabolised to provide the energy required for all body functions.

Besides the digestible carbohydrates of sugar and starch, there are other non-digestible carbohydrates like cellulose, hemicellulose, gums, pectins and lignins ‘legally designated’ as ‘Dietary Fibre’. They are necessary superfluous food, as most of them are not digested and sent marching out, through the stools. We do not have the enzymes to crack and break them down, though the bacteria in our gut can feast upon many of them. Why then the Fibre? They facilitate the process of digestion and elimination of waste. The contraction of muscular walls of the digestive tract is stimulated by fibre counteracting the tendency to constipation. They cause food to linger in the stomach for longer periods, helping wholesome digestion. And to alleviate hunger and prolonging the feeling of satiety. When food without fibre is consumed it gets processed too quickly, leading to ill effects such as spiking in blood sugar. Fibre acts like a sponge, absorbing and holding water, making us feel full, with a lesser quantity of food.

Back to some definitions: Constipation is a condition wherein stools are hard, dry, or painful to pass and leave a feeling that not all stools have passed. Enzymes are biological catalysts: molecules that accelerate chemical reactions without being consumed or permanently altered themselves. They are mostly proteins.

Common carbohydrate foods: whole grains, legumes, fruits, starchy vegetables, and some dairy. Others in the whole grain family are oats, brown rice. And Legumes-beans, chickpeas, peas. Starch Vegetables-potatoes, corn, and Fruits- Bananas, Apples, berries, oranges, mangoes, melons, are other sources.

FATS

Fats are also made up of Carbon, Hydrogen, and Oxygen, but in different proportions – in a more clever way than the ‘serious looking’ carbohydrates – making it easier for fat to be stored in the body. Helping us get fat? Looking at it in another way, fat is a concentrated source of energy, and it supplies per unit weight more than twice the energy than can be supplied by proteins or carbohydrates.

Words such as Oils, Fats, and Lipids are used interchangeably to describe Fats. Broadly, we use the term Oils for liquids, and Fats for solids at room temperature. And we talk about oil or fat in relation to the food we consume; and Lipids while talking about them inside the body. To give more meaning to Lipids, think about Neurons- the cells that make up the central nervous system of the body- they have a layer of lipids called the myelin sheath, which protects the delicate nerve cells and helps electrical impulses travel quickly between them. If this sheath is damaged, we can go crazy. About 60% of our Brain is made up of fat. Hence, we have to make sure we treat fats with respect.

Oils and fats are made up of units called fatty acids, like bricks in a wall-much like amino-acids are the building blocks of Proteins. Fats are broadly classified as: Saturated Fats, mostly solid at room temperature-predominate in animal based fats, and Unsaturated Fats-mostly liquid at room temperature- predominate in vegetable based. Fats derived from vegetable sources provide what is known as Essential Fatty Acids, which has Vitamin(that’s coming up ahead) like functions in the body.

There is another kind of fat we often read about: Trans Fats, also known as hydrogenated oils, which are artificially produced. They are created when vegetable oils, typically in liquid form, are processed (hydrogenated) to become solid fats. They were touted as a healthy alternative to butter or animal fat, but we now know the opposite to be true. To put it bluntly, Trans fats are essentially a form of slow-acting poison. Do not look in their direction.

Then there is Cholesterol, a waxy, fat-like molecule that is vital for life and present in every cell, giving it its structure through the cell membranes. It also enables production of certain Hormones and Bile Acids-to digest food, and for synthesis of Vitamin D. The Liver, the largest organ in the human body, produces almost all the cholesterol required by the body. Other body cells produce some and anything else required is from the food we intake. Cholesterol is not strictly classified as a fat. And it is not found in plants. Cholesterol has earned a bad name, for the wrong reasons, and I am out to pin some medals on its chest.

Getting to the fat of fats, something called Triglycerides makes up 95% of the fat we eat. They consist of one glycerol molecule attached to three fatty acid chains. In the body, they store unused energy and release them when needed. The remaining 5% consists of other types of Lipids. When you see ‘total fat’ on a nutrition label, it’s mostly triglycerides. The other lipids are present in much smaller quantities and often have important roles.

When fats are broken down in the body, they team-up with cholesterol and proteins in a new molecular avatar called Lipoproteins, which act like delivery trucks for distributing fats and cholesterol through the bloodstream. Fats cannot dissolve in the blood, hence they need to be carried by this cleverly designed transport mechanism. Lipoproteins consist of cholesterol and triglycerides in equal proportions.

Fats in the food that we eat are primarily digested in the small intestine and converted into fatty acids, among others. Intestinal cells reassemble them again into triglycerides and hitch them to cholesterol to form the lipoproteins. And due to their low density-when first formed, innocently- they are called Very Low Density Lipoproteins (VLDL). Fats made in the liver are then loaded on to the VLDL truck and sent for circulation in the bloodstream, delivering triglycerides and cholesterol to all parts of the body. As the VLDL loses triglycerides, the lipid-to-protein ratio changes, becoming denser and the VLDL becomes Intermediate Density Lipoproteins (IDL). As the process continues and triglycerides and cholesterol are delivered to further cells in the body, IDL is gradually converted into Low Density Lipoproteins (LDL). This LDL returns to the liver to be reloaded and sent again for circulation. The liver then sends High Density Lipoproteins (HDL), that it produces, along with some support from the small intestine, to collect any ‘spilled’, remnants, or excess cholesterol and triglycerides and bring them back to use for the next circulation, or for disposal. We can call HDL a scavenging or recovery truck. They do it by a process called Reverse Cholesterol Transport. Its structure, especially its high protein-to-lipid ratio enables this function, making it denser and smaller than LDL. Talk about sending the good guys to catch and jail the bad guys – that’s what ‘Sheriff Liver’ does in the Body County.

Keep in mind the fact that the Liver is the ‘super-man’ of the body performing over 500 mighty, vital functions. And it has this insane ability to regenerate itself: if up to 70% is damaged or surgically removed, it can grow back to its full size and function within weeks. Wow! We never look under the hood, do we? And how clever! The home lizard must be envious: it easily lets go of its tail -to sidetrack a predator-and then cooly grows it back. What the lizard does externally we do internally-but for healthier reasons!

Most of the cholesterol in our bodies is locked up in our cells where it is doing useful work. Just a small part, about 7%, floats around in the blood, out of which one-third is good and two-third is bad. Though we call LDL, bad cholesterol- the bad guy- and HDL good cholesterol- the good guy-Cholesterol is not fundamentally evil as we tend to think about it. It is vital for a healthy life and the trick is to maintain it at a balanced level. One way is to eat a lot of Fibre, which contains no energy or vitamins, but helps to lowering cholesterol and slows the rate at which sugar gets in to the blood and then turned into fat by the Liver.

The best food sources of fat are unsaturated fats and a limited amount of saturated fats. Some are, Avocados, Olive oil, Nuts- Almonds, Hazelnuts, Walnuts, Peanuts, Seeds-Pumpkin, sesame. Others-Canola oil, Peanut oil, Olives, Soyabean, whole Eggs, Dark Chocolate.

VITAMINS

Vitamins are simply organic compounds- from things that are or were once alive, like plants and animals. They are quite a new concept, becoming famous only in the 1920s, when naming them in a kindergarten style alphabetical order began. Somewhere down the line numerals stuck to them. Now we are swarmed with, A, B, B1, B2,…B12, C, E, D, K… etc.

Vitamins play a vital role in utilising the proteins, carbohydrates, and fats we intake as food. They mostly act as co-enzymes. Our body uses vitamins to convert food into energy, build and repair tissues, support immune function, enable nerve signaling, maintain vision and bone health, among other functions. Unlike carbohydrates, or proteins, vitamins are needed only in tiny amounts, but without them, normal metabolism stops or becomes inefficient, leading to deficiency diseases.

Vitamins do not provide energy or building blocks themselves, instead they are the tiny ‘keys’ that unlock and drive the body’s various compartments of the core metabolic machinery.

Vitamins are broadly classified as Water Soluble and Fat Soluble. Water soluble are not accumulated in the body and are easily excreted, while fat soluble ones are stored. B-Complex Vitamins and Vitamin C- Ascorbic Acid are Water Soluble, while Vitamins A, D, E, K are Fat Soluble.

Common Vitamin Foods: whole, minimally processed foods like fruits, vegetables, leafy greens, nuts, seeds, legumes, whole grains, lean proteins, and dairy or fortified alternatives. Citrus fruits (oranges, grapefruits), Strawberries, Kiwi, Bell peppers (red or green), Broccoli, Tomatoes, Potatoes.

MINERALS

Minerals are inorganic, and come from soil or water. Let’s call them the cousins of Vitamins. Altogether there are about 40 of them that we must get from our foods because we cannot produce them in the body.

Minerals perform critical structural and regulatory roles. Unlike vitamins, minerals often serve as building blocks, electrolytes, and catalysts. E.g., Calcium, Phosphorus, Magnesium build and maintain bones & teeth (99% of calcium is in the skeleton); provide rigidity and strength. Iron is the core of haemoglobin-carries oxygen in blood- and myoglobin-in muscles; essential for energy production.

Common Mineral Foods: this is Home Work No-1, search them out and keep them.

Dairy, canned fish with bones, leafy greens, fortified plant milks and orange juice, and almonds, are some sources.

TRACE ELEMENTS

Beyond the Big THREE and the smaller TWO of Vitamins and Minerals, completing the list, a large number of elements are required in trace amounts for a wide range of functions, to keep the body in ‘top condition’. They are mainly, Iodine,Zinc, Copper, Chromium, Manganese, Molybdenum, Fluoride. And finally, there are many unknowns, such as Selenium, Cobalt, Silicon, Arsenic, Nickel and Vanadium, which use is yet to be established. For sure we know arsenic is a toxic element and whether it indeed has any nutritional value is yet to be discovered – at our peril?

Common Trace Element Foods: This is Home Work No-2, we have to hunt them down. I suggest you consult ‘Doctor Know’ and perhaps a Bounty-Hunter too.

The problem with the micronutrients of Vitamins, Minerals, and Trace elements is that the risk of taking in too much is a great as the risk of taking too little. To give examples: Vitamin A is needed for vision, healthy skin and fighting infections. Eggs and dairy products have a lot of them, hence easy to obtain. The recommended daily level is 700 micrograms for women and 900 for men; the upper limit for both is about 3000 micrograms, and exceeding that ceiling can become risky. Vitamin A is fat-soluble, so excess gets stored in the liver and can accumulate, leading to acute or chronic toxicity. Iron similarly, is vital for healthy red blood cells. Too little iron, and we become anaemic, but too much is toxic, leading to lethargy. Too much of iron can accumulate in our tissues causing our organs ‘literally to rust’.

Armed with this understanding – and after testing the state of parts under the body bonnet-we must challenge ourselves, our Spouses, Partners, Cooks, Doctors, Dieticians, and Nutritionists… to eminently balance the food we eat. Spare parts are not an option-with exceptions. We are not House Lizards.

Ultimately, I can sign off saying, “We Built This Body”.

Bibliography: The Body, by Bill Bryson; Craft your Wellness, by Dr Gauri Rokkam; Nutritive Value of Indian Foods, by C Gopalan, B V Rama Sastri,and S C Balasubramanaian, Indian Council of Medical Research, National Institution of Nutrition, Hyderabad. These are excellent reads with lots of ‘nutritive value’-for the brain.