Three Plus

About: A travelogue, catching-up with permanent old friends of the Work-Place, after over 20 years, commingled with the history of the region we met-three of us, plus a revolutionary hero.

Over the years, you make friends in School, in College, and in your Work or Business Place: some close, many of the ‘Hi-Hello’ fleeting type. Call the ‘some’ permanent, and the ‘many’ temporary. I’m glad I had cultivated small circles of School and College permanent friends with, who I can just pick-up the phone and call, or meet, as if it was yesterday-never mind the gap, no questions asked!

The Work-Place friends are a leaner lot, as the relationship needs to expand beyond the office routine and enter the home. And the fact is, I have made better neighbour-friends, more than Work-Place friends – at the various places, all over India and abroad, where I lived, driven by the Job.

One such Work-Place, in India’s Tata Group, saw me catch, plant, and grow two friends-among others: one I call Bush and the other I call Monk. The three of us were Power-Plant Engineers at that time, making designs to pull electricity out of machines, now ‘officially’ retired. And surprisingly, we have been keeping in touch with each other through all kinds of ‘heedless’ ways, except physical, for near about twenty years!

Bush is now a successful Entrepreneur in Mancherial, Telangana. He runs a welding-electrode manufacturing Factory besides managing his farms spread over the region. Monk used to live in Koramangala, Bengaluru (‘his House still lives’ there) but now he lives ‘everywhere’: his biggest possession being a Nexa Blue, Suzuki Baleno car, stuffed with all his earthly belongings. And when he is not running his car and worshipping various Gods, he stays put in a one-room house somewhere in Mysuru. Having given it all up, including a wife and two sons (may be they have given him up?), he had grown a flowing beard, maintains a shinning top, and visits various Ramakrishna Mission Temples and Ashrams all over India. He is often on a Parikrama keeping and growing his faith in Hinduism. And at the same time he is an ambassador for his wife’s ‘Craft Your Wellness’ Plant-food based Regime, balancing mind, body, and spirit. That sure is one helluva job! He cleverly enticed me to buying his wife’s ‘Wellness’ book, of the name – on the return.

Bush’s son married about a year ago, and I could not be there, to sight the Pune-based bride before his son whisked her away to far-away Australia where they live. It was on short notice and too far to drive down quickly. I left a plan hanging, that perhaps one day we should meet at his newly built expansive mansion in Mancherial, Telangana – I called it Bush’s White House. Ever since, I have been looking at doors to open in that direction.

On a quiet Sunday afternoon, in the middle of July, Monk calls saying he will be in Telangana during his Everywhere Trip heading through the East, to the North Eastern States. And why not ‘have a three-state ( Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Telangana) summit at Bush’s White House in Mancherial? I looked up the Trains to Mancherial and found a comfortable ride on 29th July with a return booking available on 1st August. Bush then calls to confirm and without a second thought, I booked ‘em tickets, after which I told my wife that this is a Gentlemen’s Get-Together (she better stay at Home and manage our Women’s Boutique Business on her own). We then formed a Group-of-3 WhatsApp Group called ‘Bush GK(me) RSS(Monk)’ to synchronise, during the trip.

During our job days, Bush and I dreamed of starting our own manufacturing factories sometime in the future, and we made it: he runs a welding-electrode factory and I, a ‘blouse manufacturing’ factory!

It then flashed on that inward eye that about three months ago, I did another awesome Group-Of-3 Trip with permanent friends commissioned at the first Public Sector Company I joined as a Graduate Engineer Trainee in Neyveli, Tamil Nadu. That summit was in the picturesque Anchal, Kerala, and we, called the ‘three musketeers’ or sometimes ‘Terrorists’, at that time (because of our ruthless straightness in getting the job done) were meeting over the passing of the wife of the Kerala Musketeer. I could not attend the Funeral, and the trip was to make amends, share the sorrow, and re-tell the stories of the good and bad times. That was a Dilip-Kumar-GK Group and Kumar & I just jumped onto a Train, with the bookings done by Kumar, and tracked to Kerala. That was an unforgettable meeting, and I hoped this one too would top the charts!

Photos: The Three Musketeers; GK-Bush-Monk; and, the Triveni Sangamam

Coming back to this Trip, on the day of journey, from Salem Junction to Mancherial Station, the train arrived a whooping 8 hours late, which the Railways elegantly and smartly called ‘Rescheduling’. Instead of boarding at 10.20am, I boarded at 7pm and reached Mancherial the next day at about 1.30pm. It was ear-to-ear smiles and bear-hug time with Bush and Monk waiting on the Platform, and carrying me to a comfortable room in Bush’s White House. In that flash of a moment we closed the 20-year gap and spent the next two days cementing it.

Bush once won a competition of eating the most number of boiled eggs at one sitting and, I was hoping he would have a ton of eggs on the lunch table. He did not disappoint and served chicken instead-with just one boiled egg. Mrs Bush was a superb hostess, and she made sure we were well-fed for the time we stayed at Mancherial. And she struggled to meet Monk’s Food plan.

After a well-boiled lunch, we made a quick visit to Bush’s Welding-Electrode Factory, which wasn’t working that day, and just to mark attendance.

We then drove in Bush’s Tata Tiago hatchback, to Kaleshwaram, Triveni Sangaman, the confluence of River Praanahitha, River Godavari, and the mythical underground River Saraswathi. We could see the ‘shades of colour’ where the two mighty Rivers bumped into each other, while the other one silently flowed underneath. Near this spot there is a Temple – Muktheswara Alayam- which holds a Shiva Temple with a double-sivalingam. It was near about 6pm and the Temple had just closed. But we ‘prayed hard, on the double’ and mighty impressed by our devotion, the Priest opened the Gates for a quick glimpse of the sacred sivalingams. We had the Priest in our eyes and God in our minds -that made our day!

On the return, we spied a well-dressed lone-star lady running a road-side restaurant who, though the fires were yet to be lighted, promised to cook-up poori and chappati using fresh dough. We fell for it, and while Monk indulged himself in chappati, and sweet banter with the host (even handsomely tipping her in the end), Bush & I stuck to the poori-masala. It was late evening when we returned to the White House, and we called it a day and hit the bed.

The next day we started early 6.30am first trying to visit Bush’s farm(s). He tried his best to show-off his land holdings, but we could not get near as the road was too slushy after the previous night’s rain. And we saw his fields from a safe distance and measured it up.

We then left for the nearby Jodeghat Village, in Komaram Bheem District, to see Gond Tribal, Revolutionary Leader, lesser known Freedom-Fighter, Komaram Bheem’s Museum, which Bush said is a must-see (he himself had not visited until today). It was a wonderful drive through the sylvan forest road and the Museum itself was nestled among the dense greenery of the Hills, featuring a more than life-size statue of Komaram Bheem holding a rifle, at the entrance. ‘Gond’ means hill and the Gonds are essentially traditional hill and forest people.

I was flabbergasted to find that all the descriptions engraved or written about Komaram Bheem were only in Telugu-and there was no translation available in another language. Imagine if it were in the original Gondi language, would the people in the State understand? Should it not be in Hindi and English too, so that Tourists can read for themselves and live the story of Komaram Bheem? Language politics is awfully parochial and must be eschewed. On my front, thankfully Telugu-speaking Bush did the translation.

I was disappointed that we suddenly discover forgotten heroes, quickly build a memorial for them and even faster fail to upkeep them. It was disgusting to see a tooth-brush sticking out of a urinal in the Museum and this part was in abysmal condition. Wonder who brushes with what?

Photos: Komaram Bheem; a Tribal Dance; a Tribal Meeting; Bheem, his wife; and Bush’s waterfall.

The story goes that Komaram Bheem, of the Gond tribe lived in the Hyderabad State of British India and fought for tribal rights, along with other Gond leaders, leading a protracted low intensity guerrilla rebellion against the feudal Nizams of Hyderabad during the 1930s, which contributed in the culmination of the Telangana Rebellion of 1946. This could also be a precursor to Telangana Statehood achieved in June 2014 when the State of Andra Pradesh was bifurcated into Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

During the 1900s, pre-Independence era, under the Nizam and British Rule, there was expansion of mining activities and tightening of state authority in the Tribal Gond region of what is present day Telangana. Rules & Regulations that were enforced hampered the traditional subsistence activities of the Gonds, who lived off the Forest. Zamindars were granted ownership of lands in their regions who in turn imposed taxes on Gond farming activities. Non-compliance often resulted in extreme punishment measures such as forced amputations: cutting of fingers and hands. In fear, Gonds began migrating from their traditional villages and settling in barren lands, which also turned out to be owned by these Zamindars. This led to rebellion, retaliations, and protests. Bheem’s father was killed by the Nizam’s law enforcement in one such incident. And in a confrontation in October 1920, Bheem killed a Nizam official who was sent to confiscate crops during harvest time-in lieu of taxes.

To avoid capture, Bheem showed a clear pair of heels, running away on foot to a nearby city where he was granted refuge by a local publisher who also ran a printing press. Eventually, through the gateway of Mancherial Railway Station, he escaped to Assam where he worked in the tea-plantations for over four years. During this time, he involved and engrained himself in labour union activities, and was arrested and jailed. Bheem escaped jail within four days of his jail term, boarded a goods train, and returned to his native land-to make history.

Bheem married a woman named Som Bai and moved to the interior of the Gond lands to settle down and engage in farming. During the time of harvest, he was again taunted by forest officials who tried to force him to quit the area, arguing that the land belonged to the State. Bheem then unsuccessfully tried to lobby the Nizam directly and present the grievances of the Adivasis.

Inspired by a childhood hero Ramji Gond, Bheem decided enough was enough and began to engage in armed revolution, for the rights of the Adivasis and Tribals. He formed clandestine associations with the banned Communist Party of India, and mobilised the Adivasi population at Jodeghat, calling a Council of tribal leaders from the twelve traditional districts of the region. The Gond uprising began in 1928 with the Council deciding to form a guerilla army to protect their lands. And they attacked the Zamindars in Babejhari and Jodeghat. Bheem also proposed they declare themselves an independent Gond kingdom. Perhaps this was a predecessor to attempts to form an autonomous Gondwana State.

In response, the Nizam recognised Bheem as leader of the Gond rebels and sent the Collector of the region to negotiate with him, assuring land grants to the Gonds. Bheem rejected the offer and instead sought justice and demanded regional autonomy for the Gonds, eviction of the forest officials and zamindars, and the release of all Gond prisoners held by Hyderabad state. The demands were rejected by the Nizam and the conflict continued as a guerilla campaign for over a decade. Bheem directly commanded an ‘army’ of 300 men under him and operated out of Jodeghat.

Bheem’s whereabouts were finally discovered, due to betrayal (there are so many in Indian History) and he was killed in an ambush encounter with armed policemen, along with fifteen others, in October 1940.

His death anniversary is commemorated by the Gonds every year on ‘Aswayuja Powrnami’, where an event is organised at Jodeghat, the place of his death and the centre of operations during the rebellion. That’s where his Memorial stands today. Bheem is ‘deified as a pen’ in Gond culture and is credited for coining the slogan Jal, Jangal, Zameen (Water, Forest, Land) which, symbolised and evoked a sentiment against encroachment and exploitation, has been adopted by Adivasi movements as a call to action.

The Komaram Bheem district named after the Tribal Chieftain was created from the former Adilabad district and was previously known as Komaram Bheem Asifabad district before becoming the current Komaram Bheem district.

Bheem’s grandson, Komaram Sone Rao carries the legacy, and I did read about him protesting about how his grandfather was represented in the blockbuster movie RRR, where another Bheem was loosely based on the original. RRR is an entirely fictitious story incorporating the lives of two real-life Indian revolutionaries, Alluri Sitarama Raju and Komaram Bheem, who fought against the British Raj and the Nizam of Hyderabad respectively.

On the return, as Bush was harping that there was a famous ‘Mandakini’ waterfall (I dreamt of a ‘Liril’ one), but we found a common relative, navigating through a maze of ‘blind-snakes’ (Gond poop, I guess)while Monk stayed in the car. Bush and I gave it a splash-a poor stream trying its best to fall.

On the return, we visited Bush’s Welding Electrode manufacturing Factory. And this time I could see the assembly line working in full flow: plain rods at one end and coated electrodes at the other heading to be crowded into neat little packets stamped with all kinds of technical stuff. It sure must be able to join broken parts. Bush was also making simple nails in a noisy little room with women folk doing the job with effortless ease.

We then had lunch at a multi-cuisine restaurant, which had concept dining rooms; such as Goa-beach, Railway Station… We found ourselves in a ‘Jail Room’ locked inside and served Dum Briyani with spicy hot Chicken 65.

A trip to Telugu land is incomplete without watching a Telugu ‘masala’ movie. And after a ‘power-nap’ and we sat around Bush’s smart TV to watch the Mahesh Babu starrer, ‘Maharishi’ where the hero easily bashes the bad-guys to pulp with a stylish flick of the hand or a leg. And balancing the looks of the eyelash-filled heroine at a distance. Thank God we were ‘outside the TV’!

The next day, it was time for goodbyes and warmer hugs. True to nature of the Railways-on this Trip-the return train was also ‘rescheduled’ to be late by over 2 hours. When the train chugged in to Mancherial Station, Monk instinctively looked for a Chart, which would mention F-16’s, and could not find one-no charts these days. Though through the corner of my eye, I did see one sneak into my coach.

Remember the days when charts used to be pasted on Train coaches giving out the name of the traveller, berth no, male/‘F’emale, and age. It was definitely not a sin, and almost a ‘right’ to wish that an F-16 occupied a seat near about yours. Those were the days! Expectations were ‘peak’-high, and Monk helped bring it back!

I love the Number 3 and at the moment, I’m high on it. Let’s say, Three Cheers!

RADIO Blaa Blaa

About: a look back at the times of vintage Valve Radios in Tamil Nadu, India. And sounds of that time.

Many decades ago, in the 1970s and 1980s, in the bygone days, when Television was yet to happen, and modern-day radios and transistors were just beginning to find space on the Store shelves, I recall the simple pleasures of listening to the vintage ‘Valve Radios’. You had to switch it on and wait for donkey years for it to warm up when a beautiful fluorescent green glow indicator tells you that it is ‘on air’. Then you tune it with a knob, which pulls an indicator across a AM/SW, KHz/MHz wavelength lighted scale-screen. You also had press keyboard buttons or turn-switches to choose a Radio band. The only brands available then were, PHILIPS, MURPHY, BUSH…and the kind.

I first started listening to the radio during the school holidays in my native village in Tamil Nadu. The radio waves were mercilessly controlled by the State Government with prime slots being full of farmer friendly programmes. How to grow your crops, what fertiliser to use, how to identify pests and crop diseases: experts dishing out all kind of cow dung and buffalo-wash advice. Awfully boring stuff for a kid like me studying in a happening English-medium Boarding School and with the sound of music ringing in my ears. Films songs occupied the next best slots with dedicated timings, which were not too many. And you had to look-up the local Newspaper to find the schedule.

The influence of cinema, as the only means of entertainment, was loud and film songs were always in the air. Yesteryear Tamil Hero M G Ramachandran (MGR) and Shivaji Ganesan film songs rendered by the iconic TMS (T M Soundararajan) were ‘top-of –the-valve chart’ stuff. TMS used to change his voice to suit MGR and Shivaji and by the tone I could guess whether it was an MGR or a Shivaji film. We had memorable song lyrics those days with likes of Poet Kannadasan being extremely popular. Two types of Film songs were played on the Radio: one whatever the Radio Station chose and the other -listener’s song requests. Hit songs had many listeners queuing-up for them to be played and one could guess the song, based on the movie name and the huge request wish list.

Radio Ceylon – Rupavahini– effortlessly beamed from nearby Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) out-witted the Local Stations – All India Radio – and had Tamil households in a swoon. They had at a very early stage mastered the art of commercial radio broadcasting with various ear-capturing programmes. I still remember the name of Radio Jockey K S Raja who was perhaps the first kind of such ‘Wave Superstars’. And his opening of the day with Birthday Wishes (Pirantha naal vazthukal) and songs had a never-ending fan following.

Meanwhile, years rolled by valve radios were hitting the attics and transistor radios and tape-recorders were flooding the markets. MGR & Shivaji made way for Actors Rajinikant & Kamal Hassan and TMS was overrun by the likes of singers S P Balasubramanian and Yesudas. ‘Foreign made’ was becoming fashionable and Japanese Radios available in the smuggled goods markets did roaring business. It was almost mandatory for any Indian travelling to Ceylon to return with a National Panasonic Transistor Radio cum tape-recorder.

I bought my first National Panasonic in the late 1970’s and thanks to my thinking in English became an addict of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). The Voice of America – though around – could not be heard and it sounded almost seriously iron-clad Russian. I religiously listened to the hourly news bulletins – sometimes perched on top of my pet Buffalo – book readings, story-telling, plays, and of course ‘Musical shows’ – The Gloria Hunniford Show being my all time favourite. She had a fabulous soft-as-silk, warm, and mesmerising voice, which prompted me to write to her with a song request. She replied with a signed photograph (it did not disappoint) and played my song request all the way from England! I still treasure that black & white photograph, which arrived by monkey-mail.

Oh, those were the Radio blaa blaa times!

Kaakkaa Thukkikittu Poochi

About: a light-hearted look at a failed to take-off arranged marriage adventure, in Tamil Nadu, India in the 1990s.

It’s been one of my favourite childhood lines, ‘Kaakkaa Thukkikittu Poochi’ (The Crow Lifted it Away). When something goes missing – inexplicably or explicably – and someone asks where it is gone, my childhood fantasy reply has always been, ‘Kaakkaa Thukkikittu Poochi’.

These days, when someone asks where my wife is, or someone, or something else for that manner, I jokingly say the same thing. Often it brings forth a bewildering look, an ear-to-ear smile, or a deep sigh, Oh?

Over the years there are many things that have gone missing – down the rabbit hole – allowing the crow to fly-in and do its lifting-off job.

It was the 1990s, in the early days of bride-hunting, in the world of Boy-See-Girl Arranged Marriages, I had just settled into my job in an Indian Government Public Sector Company at Neyveli, Tamilnadu. I had joined as a Graduate Engineer Trainee and powered myself to Executive Engineer level when the family decided I should get married. Of course, with me giving the electric green signal. I had in my possession a nice little new two-bedroom Flat – Company Quarters – they call it, in the Neyveli Township. And my batch of Engineer colleagues were quick to bring their brand-new wives for the living and filling-in the spaces, some had already progressed to having kids. It was my turn.

One day, I was summoned by my family to see a Girl, living in the nearby city of Salem. Her father worked in Dubai or Oman (I’m not sure) and she was an Arts Graduate ‘fully equipped’ to get married. She had one younger brother.

My Mom, Dad, maternal Uncle and Aunt – a whole troupe was ready for the seeing, and we all filed into the Girl’s House at the auspicious time. After the introductions, exchanges of pleasantries, and serving of coffee, I had my chance to talk to the Girl – privately – for a one-to-one unchaperoned chat. It was a pre-condition I had laid for such adventures.

I had built-up a simple dream figure of my future wife: must have long lustrous hair, look reasonably good, and talk fluent English (I reckoned some education comes with that), among other essentials. I was put in an English Boarding School from the age of three, initially staying as a paying guest in an Anglo-Indian family in the nearby hill station of Yercaud and then into boarding in the dormitory. My thinking was wholly in English. And I translated it to Tamil, my mother tongue, whenever I spoke in Tamil resulting in many calling me a Malayalee from the State of Kerala due to my ‘fish smelling’ accent. To top it up, I talked in hypersonic speed!

Well, the girl had long hair cascading to her hips, looked good – in my opinion- and spoke decent English – though not Shakespearean. I am unable to recall the conversation, but I felt awfully good about it and there wasn’t the slightest hesitation in saying a ‘yes’ to the Girl – assuming other matching aspects will be taken care off by the family (and I reckon she understood what I spoke).

When we decided to leave, I wanted to just go over and say, ‘I like the girl, let’s go ahead with finalising the match’. But my family pulled me aside and said let’s not hurry, we can tell them afterward, when all of us have discussed what we saw.

A few days later, my Dad says, the ‘Girl is not fair-enough – she is on the darker side’. I said that cannot be a reason – unacceptable – if there is any other worthwhile reason I can consider it. We were building a new house at that time in our ancestral Village, and Dad was insistent that we order dark-brown wash basins and WCs for the washrooms. I shot it down, saying, ‘nothing doing – we’ll go for the white coloured ones’. He then argues, you are alright with white ceramic basins, but not a ‘white’ bride? Those were the white colour obsessed days. Any my Dad lived up to it.

With no other reasonable objections coming from the family, beyond inaudible grunts and murmurs, I said let’s go ahead. Meanwhile, I made my own enquires through a cousin of mine, known to the Girl’s family, and was satisfied with what I had gathered-Sherlock Holmes would have been proud. And I was assured that the girl is not of the ‘dangerous kind’.

I had to go on a six-month Company work stay in Haridwar in the North of India and left it to the family to ‘finalise the relationship’ and make Wedding plans.

It turned out that, being unable to convince me against the alliance, the family made another trip to the Girl’s House to see her ‘fully’ once again. They listed more skin, eye, and ear faults, which I did not take with a pinch of salt. But seeing the unholy resistance and not knowing more about the Girl, and not yet in love with her, to make a firm decision, I gave up. My family said ‘No’ to the Girl’s family and we moved on.

With the acquired experience, my family was more cautious and I was successful in the next adventure bringing home my now wife (though, I had to cut down the length of the hair – being richly endowed in other departments).

Over the years, I have always wondered what happened to that Girl, who did she marry? Where does she live? How does she look like now? It’s just a foggy memory I have of her, and I am not sure I would recognise her should I run into her again. There is too much dust on the mirror- and I only remember a smiling oval face and long hair – a dusky beauty. The world is certainly round but still not round enough for us to meet again!

A classic, Kaakkaa Thukkikittu Poochi tale?

On My Front Gate

About: a light-hearted morning musing, on a normal day.

It’s become a morning ritual. Soon after waking-up, brushing, downing two glasses of water, and sipping a strong cup of filter-coffee, I walk over to unlock my Flat Door security grill-gate, then the main Front Gate. And then switch-off the night-safety lights, allowing the sunlight to sizzle. Often, a lovely morning breeze welcomes me into the open.

My almost decade old Honda City car-I call it Ertugrul-spends the night resting inside the narrow porch, with just enough space, on one side, for me to crab-walk to unlock the Front Gate. Ertugrul is bound on the sides by a boundary steel fence and a ‘boundary-less open fence’, the Front Gate, and a flight of stairs. And has a galvanised steel roof to provide some protection from nature’s Greta Thunberg un-inspired climate change forces, standing on a firm tiled floor.

On wide-opening the Front Gate, I start-up Ertugrul and use the superb wide steering angle designed by Mr. Honda to manoeuvre to a mid-way position so that I can access the car all around. This is to give it a daily morning wash, brush Ertugrul’s teeth, as if it were.

I live in a three-storey building in a small Town near Salem, Tamil Nadu, overlooking the Railway Station- which, though fully-electrified recently, has not started wearing a Mumbai-like Station foot-fall. My Front Gate is on a reasonably wide road, cut-off from the Railway premises by a concrete boundary wall, separating the residential area that I live in. Initially, there wasn’t a wall, but a Hospital situated at one end began ‘operating’ on the Railway land injecting its medical waste on the broken fault line. The Railways suddenly woke up, became awfully possessive and built a two-metre high wall, first at the Hospital end, and then taking it all along its precious land. Two mighty Gates was installed to prevent the tax-paying citizen from claiming any movement rights. In the process, I lost a great expanse of land in front of my Gate.

In recent times, the Hospital started eyeing the space over the wall, and the Railways being ‘physically challenged’ put-up a one-metre high sheet-fence on top of the wall to completely cut-off the Hospital vision and line of sight.

The boundary wall then grew wild bushes on either side and became a tourist spot for the great Indian citizen to fertilise the lush vegetation and kill plant parasites with acid water spray.

The Railways were still mindful. Enough is enough: they built a beautiful pavement on their side of their road, beyond the boundary wall and also a Public Toilet, sponsored by a Government of India Navratna Company, at the Station entrance. That was two years ago, and the handsome toilet is yet to be commissioned for want of ‘this and that’ – could be that the Railway Minister is unable to find time to inaugurate the facility?Meanwhile, the Toilet’s walls took the full force of the Homo Sapiens water spray, has slightly buckled under pressure, and the grey outside has transformed to a light yellow colour.

The Railways did a fantastic job of asphalt-carpeting the entire area, hoping that the soil of the Earth would be safe from human chemical warfare. But the other day I caught a Lawyer, who I had picked up a conversation with and be-friended, and religiously does his morning walk on this stretch, do a doggie at one corner. I whacked him on his brain and after a helpless stare he moved on to greener pastures.

Coming back to my three-storey building, my wife and I run a Boutique on the ground-floor, board on the first, and furiously cut, sew, and steam-iron on the third – the production unit of our business.

Now, continuing with the morning ritual, after washing Ertugrul, I drive it outside the Front Gate and neatly park it under a mostly-green Tree, which also spreads its branches on to the Railway Station Space (no fence for that).

While washing, the neighbour on my right-side who runs a Jewellery Business in Town comes over to inspect his dilapidated, termite infested old concrete and tiled house, overgrown grass covered plot, and pick flowers for his morning pooja. We engage in sweet nothing conversations while he plucks flowers and I wash the car. The road outside the Gate is in a poor state had lost its top marble gravel, and every time a vehicle passes, it generates a ton of dust (which I clean-up the next day on Ertugrul).

On this road, the morning traffic is a sight to behold. It’s mandatory that you should not wear a helmet on a two-wheeler; must have a phone in one hand with head tilted in an acute angle; and hold at least three persons- at times growing up to five -riding on one scooter or bike. School girls drive their Government freely-gifted bi-cycles to the next-door Municipality School or to the nearby Girls High School. Exactly at 8.30am I see a uniformed young girl with double pleated braided hair riding her cycle to school with a boy on a bike tracking and riding in parallel with her, better than a GPS. Once they stopped in front of my Gate and the boy took a selfie with the girl leaning on his motorcycle. This twining ride happens almost every day. Is it a brother, or is it budding young love- a Romeo and Juliet in the making, I wonder?

The other day, it was well past 10 pm when a gang of mad-max bike riders crushed into one another at my Front Rate with a loud screeching thud – when one of them skidded while suddenly braking on the loose gravel. He wasn’t wearing a helmet, and the fall broke his nose with a stream of blood finding its way to his mouth. He struggled to find his feet, found he had lost one tooth, and declared, “ I’m dead”. I showed the bike gang the nearby Hospital to find life and live.

Another day, after the lovers had twined past, I parked Ertugrul on the other side under the usual tree, and when I returned for work found the rear glass had been shattered to smithereens. I suddenly became Sherlock Holmes, grew new antennae, and tried his kind of detective work. I carefully studied the broken glass, any objects inside the car, tracks outside, marks on the body of the car. And concluded that a vehicle with a protruding object must have hit the glass while backing down during a reverse turn. The next-but one neighbour is building a new House and I often see machinery and extended ladder-laden jeeps or vans delivering mechanical, electrical and plumbing services. I confronted the Builder, and he turns red in the face and stalks off. And sends his brother to ask if I suspect them?

They say, the best is saved for the last. Well, a man just did that after saving all his water and releasing it in full glory. A car pulls up in front of my Gate, almost crashing head-on in to a silently napping Ertugrul. The driver jumps out and using the cover of his car and mine, neatly pees on the lush bushes occupying this side of the Railways built wall – undercover peeing, I call it. He gets back into his car, while Ertugrul gives a deadly stare, and vanishes into the dusty road. I silently watch through the glass door from inside the Office.

At the end of the day, I tuck back Ertugrul on the porch, pat him on the bonnet, lock the gate and look up to tomorrow, again.

PS: I wrote this article about a year ago and submitted it for a Writing Competition – did not win prizes, but was appreciated. The broken, dust generating road on my front gate has since been repaired. And the dust has moved to other places. The Toilet at the Station Entrance is still not opened for public use and has probably fallen into ‘criminal’ disrepair. And the Indian citizen continues to spray the walls with his graffiti – on a yellow background.

WORLD INTHAVAARAM, 2021-16

About: The story of the world this week; of one at war with itself, and attempts to fly in other Planets.

Everywhere

The Guns of the United States of America (USA)

This Sunday, in Brooklyn Centre, Minnesota, USA, Afro-American Daunte Wright, 20 years old, was pulled over for a traffic violation by a woman Police Officer, but there was a struggle when Wright tried getting back into his car while officers were trying to handcuff him. Wright does get back into his car and drives away, but not before been shot by a Police Office who shouted out, ‘Taser, Taser, Taser… ‘(an electric gun which incapacitates a person with a high voltage electric shock), but instead pulls out a gun and fires a bullet. Fatally wounded, Wright driving his car, crashed a few streets away. The Officer mistook the Gun for a Taser, pulling out the wrong one, but nevertheless the damage was done and the shooting sparked wild protests leading to declaration of a curfew and a local state of emergency.

The Police have admitted that the shooting was accidental, but the incident shoots many questions:How can an Officer mistake a Pistol for a Taser when they look and feel different and there are protocols to prevent a mix-up? But before that, why guns for a traffic violation? This is not the case of a criminal running away from a ‘deadly’ crime scene to warrant drawing a weapon!

On the other hand, why did Wright run away, precipitating Police action? He should have allowed himself to be arrested and faced the music. In a deeply divided America these are tough questions to find answers. Meanwhile, the Police Officer and her Chief have resigned-owning up.

While we are on the last legs of this week, there is yet another mass shooting, late Thursday, in the US City of Indianapolis, at a FedEx Facility near the main Airport. Eight people have been killed and many injured, when a man, seemingly without any kind of provocation, started firing an automatic weapon. The gunman, said to be acting alone, killed himself soon after the shooting. The motive is unclear.

What the hell has become of US? This is a never-ending story!

Look up at India: imagine a gun in the hand of every citizen and every policeman too? They get the job done with the fiery bamboo lathi, and the guns are reserved, while people go about their chores with hands in their pockets.

A Full-Blown Conflict: A Failed State?

The United Nations is seeing the big picture, and has warned that Myanmar is heading towards a full-blown conflict with clear echos of Syria in 2011, unless the International Community steps in with immediate, decisive and impactful measures to push Myanmar’s military leadership into halting its campaign of repression and heart-wrenching slaughter of its own people.

The World is standing by and watching Myanmar become a failed State. Time to cross some boundaries and stop being a by-stander?

Jallianwala Bagh and Ram Mohammad Singh Azad

This week brought back piercing memories of the brutal Jallianwala Bagh Massacre, which happened 102 years ago, this month.

On 13th April 1919, when India was under British Rule, Brigadier General Reginald Dyer, the acting military commander of Punjab ordered his troops to fire into a peaceful unarmed crowd, which had assembled in an open ground, in Jallianwala Bagh, Amristar, Punjab, to celebrate the Festival of Baishaki, New Year’s Day, and protest the Rowlatt Act and arrest of two freedom fighters from Amristar. It was a bloody slaughter and one of the most blood-chilling events in India’s fight for freedom from the British. Over 350 ordinary civilians were mercilessly butchered and over a thousand injured that deadly day. Firing continued uninterrupted for about 10 minutes and stopped only when they ran out of ammunition-about 1,650 rounds were spent.

The impact it had on 19 years old Udham Singh, a revolutionary freedom fighter was unimaginable. He was driven by a burning rage to avenge the death of innocent Indians, and taking a handful of the blood-soaked soil he vowed that no matter how long it took or how far he had to go, he would hunt down the persons who did this to his people, and kill them. He swore revenge for every man, woman, and child killed that day.

Twenty-one years later on 13th March 1940, Udham Singh shot and killed Sir Michael O’Dwyer-who was the Lieutenant Governor of Punjab at the time of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre-point-blank, in faraway London, in a crowded Caxton Hall, where O’Dwyer arrived to make a speech. Udham Singh had hidden the pistol in a book with pages cut-out to accommodate the gun.

Two days later after a quick trial Udham Singh was sentenced and later hanged to death on 31st July 1940 at the Pentonville Prison, United Kingdom.

There are two British responsible, with similar sounding names: Dwyer and Dyer. The latter, General Dyer, was discharged from the Army, never punished for his crimes, and died unrepentant in 1927. The former, Sir Michael O’Dwyer, had approved of General Dyer’s actions and is believed to be the main planner-to teach Indians a lesson.

Udham Singh surrendered after assassinating O’Dwyer and during his incarceration until his hanging, said his name was Ram Mohammad Singh Azad-signifying the major religions in India, and freedom.

The Udham Singh story was kept under strict wraps by the British, being in a delicate phase of the Indian Independence movement. However, it’s hard to hide such a story of martyrdom, and eventually it surfaced. And following an outcry, in 1974 his remains was brought back to India and buried in his home town of Sunam, Sangrur District, Punjab.

Today, a ten-foot high statue of Udham Singh stands at the entrance of Jallianwala Bagh with his outstretched right hand holding blood-soaked soil in his palm. Many statues have been erected in his hometown to commemorate his memory.

They say, if we forget the lessons of History we are bound to repeat them. Let’s read and learn our History well. Such spine-chilling killing of unarmed people cannot be forgotten, ever.

Freebies

India, and Tamil Nadu in particular, is famous for showering freebies on ‘the ever hungry electorate’ to win over their minds, through their stomachs, into voting for them. We have seen a mind-boggling array of goodies such as table fans, mixies, grinders, cycles, scooters, buffaloes, cows, laptops… being offered free with the intention of uplifting the poor. Most of us think that this makes people lazy and that we are creating a useless, skill-dropping workforce. We better rethink!

Economist and Nobel laureate, Abjijit Vinayak Banerjee has trashed this ideology saying there is no evidence whatsoever that such ‘Government injections’ make people lazy-putting them to sleep. He said that his own research on the subject across diverse economies in Asia, Africa and Latin America in the past decade and more, shows no evidence of this effect anywhere, not even in India; instead what he has seen everywhere is only improvements. The Nobel laureate says that when the poor become better off, they become more creative in generating more wealth and leading better lives including by sending their kids to competitive schools far away from their villages.

Economists are always challenging us with their peculiar data-based findings. And they may not always be right. I reckon we can increase our wealth-and probably the Wealth of Nations-by cogitating over how best to deploy whatever we receive from the Government, not necessarily free.

Ingenuity: Still Trying to Fly

America’s National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) had its Mars Rover, Perseverance, drop the mini-helicopter, Ingenuity, on the Martian surface on 4th April to get charged and prepare of its first ever flight in Mars. Last Thursday Ingenuity unlocked its blades and did a slow spin test to get the feel of rotation (yesterday they did a full-spin-test). And this Sunday we expected history to be made, but it did not happen as the superbly cautious NASA decided that Ingenuity needs a software update, much like our mobile phones do all the time.

Ingenuity’s guidance, navigation, and control systems will do the piloting for the almost autonomous flight attempt, mostly because radio signals will take 15 minutes and 27 seconds to bridge the 278 million kilometre gap between Mars and Earth.

The Martian atmosphere is 99% less dense than Earth’s, which makes it difficult to achieve enough lift. Successful flights of Ingenuity could provide an ambitious aerial dimension to future Mars exploration.

Meanwhile, the Wright Brothers are waiting and watching, from somewhere close by.

The Pandemic’s Second Wave in India

India is presently ‘doing lines’ instead of curves, with every new day edging past the previous day’s record of the number of positive coronavirus cases-it’s frightening, this almost vertical, a straight line.

The number of cases has gone up from about 11,794 in the first week of February 2021 to over 2 lakhs cases this week, spiking all records. Forget bending the curve we need to first bend the line into a curve.

The term lockdown being overused, Authorities are clamping down with measures to break the chain of infections, with lookalikes of Lockdowns and curfew like restrictions, well almost. Maharashtra is doing it and other States are hoping to follow soon. If the coronavirus can mutate so can the Lockdown. In Mumbai you just cannot go everywhere and anywhere-as you please-and it isn’t called a lockdown!

The Vaccination drive is gathering speed-about 12 crore vaccinations done in India-but it cannot do much in a surging state of infection spread. We need to hold on to the basics of what we have learnt over the past year: masking-up, physical distancing, and hand-washing. Experts say we should avoid public gatherings of over 10 people and limit the unavoidable Events such as Weddings and Funerals to under 50 people, and avoid travel as best as we can. I suggest we keep at it until the cases crawl down to zero and stay grounded for at least a month.

Over the week, India approved Russia’s, Gamaleya National Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology developed Vaccine, Sputnik V (It’s the letter V, not the Roman Letter for 5) for emergency use. With this India has three vaccines at hand: Covishield, Covaxin, and now the Sputnik V.

In other Vaccine news, Johnson & Johnson’s single shot vaccine has been temporarily paused in America as ‘abundance of caution’, following concerns that the vaccine may be linked to a rare but severe type of blood clotting-reported as after-effects, in a few cases.

India, after a reasonable success in keeping coronavirus infections at bay has definitely been caught napping and complacency has crept-in. And has mentally declared a victory over the pandemic, when cases were cleverly and stealthily climbing up a rusty ladder. The Assembly Elections in five States saw large gatherings kick up a lot of dust; Weddings and Family get-togethers almost returned to the normal attendance level, religious festivals were back with a bang and too many things were simply ‘left in the hands of God’. The triennial Hindu Festival Kumbh Mela, when devotees take a holy dip in the Holy River Ganges, in Haridwar, is a huge draw and should have been avoided. Sins apart, the waters may find it hard to wash away the virus.

Stealing Giant Rabbits

Darius, a continental giant rabbit, which holds the Guinness World Record for being the world’s longest rabbit at 4 feet and 23 inches, was stolen last Saturday from its owner, Annette Edwards’ garden in Stoulton, Worcestershire, in the West Midlands region of the United Kingdom. The bunny is Edwards’ fourth record-breaking rabbit and took the title from its mom.

Annette Edwards has offered a £1,000 reward for finding Darius, which she claims is too old to breed-if that was the intent of the theft.

Growing Brains at Will

Imagine being able to shrink the size of your brain, and re-grow it at will? Brainy?

Researchers have found that a certain species of Indian Jumping Ants are able to do exactly that.

Unlike other kinds of ants, colonies of Jumping Ants do not perish once their Queen dies. Instead chosen worker-ants, which have expanded ovaries and shrunken brains take the Queen’s place to produce offspring. The Queen’s job being, to only reproduce-and hardly think, her ovaries are large and the brain is small. On the other hand, worker ants need large brains to think and get work done and not waste energy in reproduction, hence small ovaries. Now, if at some point, the Queen status is revoked their bodies can bounce back to the state of small ovaries and large brains-Researchers have found.

Typically, in all Ant Colonies, an ant becoming a worker or a queen is decided at the larval stage. If fed generously and given the right hormones, the ant has the chance to become a queen. If not, then it is stuck with a career as a sterile worker deprived of the opportunity to switch-unless it’s part of a species such as the Indian Jumping Ant.

I can’t help jump every time a new mystery of nature is unravelled, and grow my brain in the process. Amazing!

Please Yourself: Dynamite

South Korean Band Group, BTS (Bangtan Boys) is a seven-member group of men, Suga, Jin, RM, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook – names, which to me appear to be splinters of Dynamite- who write and produce much of their own output. Originally a hip-hop group, their musical style has evolved to include a wide range of genres.

BTS’s global smash hit ‘Dynamite’, which is the group’s first song made entirely in English, just crossed one billion views on YouTube, in less than eight months since its debut, making it the newest entry in YouTube’s Billion Views Club.

The ‘Dynamite’ video on YouTube premiered in August 2020. It garnered over 101.1 million views in its first 24 hours, making it the biggest music video debut on the video platform to date. The video also set a record for the biggest YouTube Premiere with over three million peak concurrent views. It opened at No. 1 on the YouTube Global Top Songs chart, and has remained on the chart for 32 straight weeks

I listened to ‘Dynamite’ before writing this piece and I was blasted by its beauty. However, here I’m alive, and in one piece, to tell this story.

More dynamite and jumping stories coming up in the weeks ahead.

WORLD INTHAVAARAM, 2021-15

About: The story of the world this week, new forces in the making, and old ones becoming more forceful and bullying too.

Everywhere

Move on: A new Force of Nature is here

Scientists say that all of the forces of nature we experience every day can be simply skinned-down to four categories of fundamental forces: Gravity, Electromagnetism, the Strong Nuclear Force, and the Weak Nuclear Force. The last two dominate only at the level of the sub-atomic particle and are effective over close ranges.

Now, Physicists say they have found possible signs of a fifth fundamental force.

While the four ‘grand old forces’ govern how all the objects and particles in the Universe interact with each other, this new fifth, is trying to squeeze-in, and force its (rightful?) place in the scheme of things in the Universe.

The findings come from research carried out at a laboratory near Chicago, United States (US), which is the latest in a string of promising results from particle physics experiments in the US, Japan, and most recently from the Large Hadron-Collider on the Swiss-French border.

Results provide strong evidence for the existence of an undiscovered sub-atomic particle or new force while studying particles, which are the building blocks of our world. Some of these smaller-than-the-atom-particles are made up of even smaller constituents, while others cannot be broken down into anything else, called fundamental particles. The muon is one of these fundamental particles. It is similar to the electron, but more than 200 times heavier. Some call it a ‘fat electron’.

The current experiment involved sending the particles around a 14 metre ring and then applying a magnetic field. Under the current laws of physics, of the Standard Model, this should make the muons wobble at a certain rate. Instead, the scientists found that muons wobbled at a faster rate than expected. This might be caused by a force of nature that is completely new to science.

One of the Scientists commented on the finding, ‘It is quite mind-boggling. It has the potential to turn physics on its head. We have a number of mysteries that remain unsolved. And this could give us the key answers to solve these mysteries’

The Universe is indeed a force to reckon with…and we humans are unravelling one mystery after another, for sure.

Belfast, Belfast

Northern Ireland, a part of the United Kingdom (UK), is burning with violence-rioting-in areas of Derry, Belfast, and other towns in County Antrim over six successive nights-a level of unrest not seen in years.

The reason for the unrest seems to be the exploding anger over the UK’s post-Brexit trading Agreements with the European Union (EU)-known as the Northern Ireland Protocol-which loyalists believe has created barriers between the region and the rest of Britain. Under this protocol a de-facto border was created in the Irish Sea with goods entering Northern Ireland from mainland Britain subject to EU checks, which angered the Loyalists. I smell a rotten fish here-movement between parts of a United Kingdom subject to external checks by an outsider?

Loyalists, or Unionists as they are called, are part of a political movement that wishes to keep Northern Ireland within the United Kingdom and attached to the British monarchy.

Unrest first broke out over anger on the decision by the Northern Ireland Police not to prosecute leaders of the Irish Nationalist Party, Sinn Fein, for breaking coronavirus restrictions, during the funeral of a former Irish Republican Army (IRA) figure.

Looks like people are forever looking for a reason to get violent and release pent-up feelings. Easy to get angry on one’s nose?

To me, Belfast, the Capital of Northern Ireland brings back memories of the Titanic, which considered to be an unsinkable ship, famously stuck an iceberg and sank on its maiden journey, in 1912. The Titanic was constructed in Belfast, which they say, is perfectly situated for ship building.

Belfast also brings to the air, yesteryear Music Group, Boney M’s, hit song ‘Belfast, Belfast’, which was inspired by previous violent incidents in Northern Ireland. It is a significant reminder that when people utterly fail to live in peace together, such conflicts reverberate far and wide.

A Pillar Falls

Prince Philip, aged 99, The Duke of Edinburg, and the husband for 73 years, of Britain’s reigning Queen Elizabeth-II, passed away peacefully on Friday morning at Windsor Castle. He was the longest serving consort in British History.

When the Queen, then Princess Elizabeth, married her third cousin, the Duke of Edinburgh in November 1947, Winston Churchill said it was like a ‘flash of colour’ in the grey post-war Britain.

Prince Philip remained a die-hard supporter of his wife, the Queen, throughout their long life together, which saw many turbulent events in the shifting sands of time, causing the Queen to remark, ‘he was my strength & stay’.

Prince Philip had to grudgingly give up many things, including his Mountbatten name to fit into the harness of Royal Life. And to stay and be a pillar of strength to the Queen.

The BBC said of him, ‘He outlived nearly everyone who knew him and might explain him. This is why Prince Philip lived an extraordinary life’

Beauty and the Beast

If the beast was the marauding Myanmar Junta, the beauty was, Han Lay, Miss Grand Myanmar, who spoke out last week against atrocities committed by her country’s military beast. Her speech turned heads.

“Today in my country Myanmar, there are so many people dying,” she said at the Miss Grand International 2020 event in Thailand. “Please help Myanmar. We need your urgent international help right now.”

A little over a month ago, Han Lay, 22 years old, was on the streets of Yangon, Myanmar, protesting against the military. She is now concerned that her two-minute speech could possibly put her on the cross-hairs of the military’s many targets. She has decided to stay put in Thailand for at least the next three months. I guess that’s the most beautiful thing to do in these ugly times.

Meanwhile, model and Actor, Paing Takhon, one of Myanmar’s most popular celebrities was arrested on Thursday for being active in online and offline protests. And in the United Kingdom (UK) Myanmar’s Ambassador to the UK, was locked out the Embassy after a Military Attache ‘forcefully’ occupied his place and stole all his powers. He spent the night in his car outside the Embassy and felt bullied for being supportive of Democracy in Myanmar.

More than 500 civilians have been killed since the Military Coup of 1st February and the world cannot stand by watching.

It’s time countries ratchet-up sanctions on Myanmar’s Military to bring them to heel and restrain them from murdering their own people. They ought to be locked up inside their barracks and keys thrown into the sea?

India’s Naxalite Challenge

Former Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh, once described Naxalism as India’s greatest internal security challenge. In hindsight looks like he had great foresight.

This Sunday, Naxalites killed at least 22 State Police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel in the Bijapur region of Chattisgarh State. This is the second highest, since 6th April 2010, when 76 security personnel were gunned down in nearby Dantewada. All this, since India first started its Naxalite counter-insurgency operations in the year 1947.

What is Naxalism, and what do they want?

The term Naxal comes from the name of the village, Naxalbari, in West Bengal, which was the epicentre of a tribal uprising against land-owning Landlords in the year 1967. Naxalites are considered far-left communists, supportive of Maoism, described as militant insurgents, and living with separatist ambitions.

The rise of Naxalism corresponded to the growth of militant communism in India, particularly the creation of the Communist Party of India-Marxist-Leninist (CPI-ML) and the emergence of rebel groups such as the Maoist Communist Centre (MCC) and the People’s War Group (PWG). The MCC and the PWG merged to form the CPI-M(Maoist), which is designated as a terrorist organisation and banned by the Government of India. We need to draw a boundary here: while the CPI-M(Maoist) is the banned party, the parent CPI and CPI-M(Marxist) are ‘accepted’ political parties working within the political system in India.

Naxalites claim to represent the poorest and most socially marginalised members of Indian society-the tribals and outcasts, and adopt the Maoist doctrine of sustained peasant-led revolution against the State: waging guerrilla warfare against Landlords, Businessmen, Politicians and Security Forces, who they consider a threat to their native land and livelihood. They aspire to get back land, which they think, belongs to them, as a right.

Since the beginning of the history of humankind, natives of a particular region of land have always wanted an unfettered hold on them, for the bountiful natural resources they yield-as a possessive right- and their unspoilt nature and beauty. Invaders, on the other hand, had sought to grab as much of rich and fertile land as possible and exploit the wealth of resources including beneath-the-earth minerals for commercial purposes and the progress of themselves and mankind. Over centuries, this ever-present tussle set man against man and has changed the course of history and fractured the geography of the land we live in.

In India, tribals expected the Indian Constitution to deliver to them a certain degree of autonomy in the land they have lived in from birth, and restrain ‘invading’ Landlords from grabbing huge swathes of ‘their land’. Historically, the original mission of Naxalites was to seize land from Oppressors-who had taken over their lands, during India’s Independence struggle and soon after Independence-and redistribute it among the peasants. They took it upon themselves to disrupt infrastructure, communication, and modernisation. And ensured they remain in splendid isolation, away from civilisation-staying marginalised, to exercise their kind of power in a Kingdom of their making.

When did such a movement begin in India?

In July of the year 1948, almost a year after India gained independence from the British, the first spikes of communist activity began to manifest in the State of Telengana (then part of the state of Andhra Pradesh). A major event known as the Telangana Struggle occurred in which the lower-classes and peasants of 2,500 villages of the former Hyderabad State started an armed revolt under the leadership of the Communist Party of India (formed in 1925,India), against oppressive landlordism, patronised by the autocratic rule of the Nizam of Hyderabad.

By the 1970’s Naxalism spread to almost all of India’s States except Western India. In the 1980’s when Naxalism was rearing its head in Tamil Nadu, in the region of Vellore, Tiruppathur, and Dharmapuri, it took the sagacity of the then Chief Minister M G Ramachandran (MGR) to give a free hand to then Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police, Walter Devaram to deal with the growing insurgency. Devaram was an Army soldier and had cracked the Indian Police Service (IPS) exams with flying colours to slide in the role of a lifetime.

MGR named the task, ‘Operation Ajanta’, after Police Inspector Palanisamy’s six years old daughter, Ajanta. Inspector Palanisamy and two head constables of Tamil Nadu Special Police were killed in a Naxal bomb attack in August 1980, setting the stage for decisive action against Naxalism. Walter Devaram is hugely responsible for having successfully exterminated the menace and driven any remnants out of the State. Many movies have been made on his heroics… and he is Legend!

The idea of Naxalism is a lost cause, with rapid development, industrialisation, progress happening all across India, and citizens fortified with better laws. However, sensitive regions endowed with natural resources have to be tackled in a meaningful manner, with least possible disruption and dislocation of native people living in these regions. Attacking the State and the Indian Republic-its Law-keepers and makers-is unacceptable and must be dealt with an iron hand.

A Helicopter in Mars

America’s National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) had successfully landed its Perseverance Rover on Planet Mars, on 18th February, with the mini-helicopter, Ingenuity, neatly tucked underneath its belly. It has been sight-seeing in Mars all these days, and finally on 4th April, it gently dropped Ingenuity on the surface of Mars to prepare for the first ever man-made helicopter flight on Mars. Ingenuity is carrying a small piece of cloth that once covered one of the wings of the Wright Brothers’ aircraft which achieved the first powered flight on Earth at Kitty Hawk in 1903, to pay tribute to that milestone.

Like a butterfly would dry its wings, soon after emerging from the cocoon, and shake-it up to allow the blood run, before taking its first flight, Ingenuity is following in these small butterfly steps to take the giant leap of its first flight. Ingenuity’s solar panels and systems would also be cranked-up in the coming days, besides getting used to the Martian atmosphere, and NASA is planning the helicopter show before 11th April. The Wright Brothers are on standby, watching closely, somewhere nearby.

Voting in India’s State Assembly Elections

Elections in the States of Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Kerala, to elect respective Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) saw a single phase one-day voting happen on the 6th April. Once elected, the majority MLA’s in turn elect one of their own as the Chief Minister of their State.

The door on Election campaigning was slammed at 7pm, on 4th April, and I breathed a sigh of relief over the hum-drum of 36 days of election cacophony. However, this time a lot many issues were brought-up by candidates, in thundering speeches, in their inimitable styles, in addition to the mandatory bursts of emotions with tears wetting cheeks and towels, and some even watering the ground.

I thoroughly enjoyed the voting process, in my place of work, Attur, Tamil Nadu. The Polling Station, a Government Middle-level Municipality School, spotlessly clean, was about 100 steps away from home and I walked over, proudly showing-off my new Voters Identification Card, which arrived only about a week ago – culmination of an online Change-of-Address request. A small crowd had gathered, and Party Workers stationed at a distance were furiously looking to mine mind votes, while an armed Police Guard looked-on, guarding the entrance and sending eye signals to other troops inside.

My wife and I got our fingers inked and casted our votes early at 7.45am following separate Ladies and Gentlemen queues. My queue was miniskirt short and I quickly punched the button of my choice on the Electronic Voting Machine, while my wife’s queue was longer than a sari, and she took time to find and hook that button.

The central, open-to-the-atmosphere courtyard of the school had an umbrella of flame-of-the forest trees shading us from the cruel summer, with a gentle breeze singing a lullaby. And I lingered a while longer allowing Wordsworthian beauty to sink-in. I wished I could vote more often: even become an Election Poet.

Maybe, 105 years old Marappa Gounder, a farmer from Karupparayanpalayam in Coimbatore District, Tamil Nadu, heard me-he had about the same thoughts walking through his mind. He has voted without-break in all State Assembly elections since the creation of Tamil Nadu State. On voting day he walks down to the Polling Booth, which is near his Home and casts his vote, urging people to vote for those who do good for the people. What a fine example he is setting, of exercising one’s democratic rights through the voting process!

Considering the pandemic times, voting was thrown open between 7am and 7pm.

It is a dampener that the results will be known only on 2nd May with counting to be taken up on that day. I wish they could count sooner. But with Elections being simultaneously held in many States, the thinking was that the results of one could influence the outcome of another.

COVID-19 to 22?

India is in the throes of a second wave of coronavirus infections and looking back at the same month of the year 2020 it appears worser, with over 1,40,000 cases per day and climbing steeply-almost vertical.

The rate of increase in cases is the worst India has seen and it’s not even peaked, as yet. This is concerning, as more variants could develop and further affect the trajectory of this pandemic.

Tracking the vaccination campaign across the world, more than 726 million shots have been given across 154 countries at a rate of about 17 million doses per day.

India has administered near about 94.3 million vaccine doses till date.

I had my first vaccine shot last Saturday and through Sunday I could feel my body rising-up to the challenge of a possible invader!

More of ‘less frightening’ and hopefully less forceful stories coming up in the weeks ahead.

WORLD INTHAVAARAM, 2021-14

About: The story of how we shipped ourselves and got stung this week, in our World

Everywhere

Delhi Heat

The heat is on India’s capital New Delhi and the surrounding National Capital Region (NCR). Temperatures touched 40.1 degrees celsius on the day of Holi, this week making it the hottest day in March in over 76 years. Delhi had previously hit 40.5 degrees celsius on 31st March 1945.

Counting on a few more degrees to better the record? Blame it on that climate-change fellow?

I can recall other Delhi months having reported even hotter days, but this is the highest in March and this may well be a bellwether of how hot the other months are going to be: more record breaking, for sure!

I lived in the NCR for over six years and the extreme weather conditions, running between severely hot summers to freezing cold winters, makes you crack-up once in a while. Layered living, during cold times-with room heaters on, and un-layered living during the hot times-with the air-conditioning on, was the overall climate of things. And my electricity bills always stayed on a high, hitting different uneven peaks during both seasons!

Myanmar’s Reign of Terror – Continues

I’m trying my best to shoot this story off my headlines but it refuses to go away.

Last Saturday saw one of the deadliest killings by the Military that took control of Myanmar in a coup in early February this year. The world was horrified by the killing of over 100 protestors in a single day – the deadliest since the coup.

The lethal crackdown against all kinds of civilians came as protesters defied warnings and took to the streets in towns and cities across the country.

What was the provocation, on that day?

Coup leader Min Aung Hlaing, in a show-of-strength-parade by the military on Army Day, made a speech about safeguarding democracy and warned against violent acts. Anti-coup activists had called for peaceful protests but they soon turned violent as the security forces opened fire in more than 40 locations. The commercial centre, Yangon, saw dozens of deaths, but killings were recorded from Kachin in the North to Taninthartharyi in the far South.

A resident remarked, ‘they are killing us like birds and chickens, even in our homes’.

The birds are watching. And something needs to be done here!

India’s Slippery State Elections

The five Indian States of West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry are in the Election mode doing the dance of democracy. And the multi-day, phased ones have already begun in West Bengal and Assam. The others are the one-day affair Sates and people in them, including me, come out to vote on 6th April.

The campaigning is at its loudest decibel level in Tamil Nadu, with comparisons to prices of slippers, illicit relationships & premature deliveries by dead Moms, size of women’s hips in relation to ‘foreign cows’ milk, and past stories of hair-pulling and ‘tugging at saris’…abuses being thrown about liberally. Wonder, on whose feet the slippers are, and who wears them saris? In the melee, an ex-supercop popularly known as singham (Lion) in his policing days threatened to smash the teeth of an opponent. The Election Commission is finding it tough listening to the music and conducting the proceedings.

Tamil Nadu once famous for awe-inspiring, jaw-dropping oratory by its leaders, has now changed course and re-wired the soundbox. People find that they can finally make some sense of the talk and relate to what is being said. With two head-strong parties hogging the headlines, and endlessly charging at each other, it remains to be seen who leaves the battlefield with tail between the legs and who rises to shine. It’s been an unalloyed ‘entertainment’ thus far.

The Seized Canal

Last week, a sky-scraper Container Ship fooled by tough high winds and a sandstorm found itself loosing sight and got nicely wedged in the Suez Canal blocking traffic both ways. However, experts weighed-in that the reasons may not be as easy as, ‘simple and main’, as that touted: tugging at possibilities of technical and human errors. Another investigation on yet another mishap in our world could tilt the balance, off the forces of nature.

Meanwhile, the world-from children to the oldies-went overboard in trying to offer solutions to unblock the canal. Some kids suggested using ‘hundreds of helicopters’ to lift the ship out its misery, while another said, pour buckets of water and raise the water lever to float the ship. If that was the kids, an oldie-that’s me- said, call Superman or Hanuman to simply pick it up and place it in the right direction on the water. Wonder where the kids meet the oldies?

Finally, the giant Ship was able to float straight again on Monday, six days since it found a sand bank to deposit its hull. And all other ships horned a sign of relief.

On another dimension, advertisers were quick to seize the moment and I particularly liked a Durex advertisement-widely circulated on WhatsApp-showing a Durex pill wedged across the canal and ‘sperm boats’ frantically looking for an opening. There is no limit to man’s imagination, is there? We can always find a way – sperms included!

Lockdown

We have rubbed the word ‘Lockdown’ to such a degree that a new bone had to be found.

Late this week America’s Capitol Hill area went into a quick lockdown over fears of a security breach. A lone-star ranger rammed his vehicle into a police barricade at a Vehicle Access Point, then got out brandishing a knife and ran towards the Officers. One Police Officer was killed and another injured in the incident.

The suspect was quickly neutralised-shot down and killed. That sure is super-quick action. Later it was revealed that the suspect had lost his job, had medical ailments and feared that the Government was using ‘mind control’ on him.

Weird thoughts!

Sports

The Indian cricket team is on a colourful swing. After dark brown-washing England 3-1 in the Test Series and light brown-washing it in the Twenty-20’s (T-20), India dealt a ‘trinity blow’ by clear brown-washing the English in the One-Day Internationals (ODI), 2-1. Multiple colourful catches were spilled, maybe due to the rains in Australia and that ship-wedge stuck (now released) in the Suez Canal, Ha!

This during a time when India celebrated Holi – the festival of colours.

The COVID-19 Pandemic

We heard about the World Health Organization (WHO) flying to China to discover the origin of the coronavirus that stayed famous throughout 2020 and maybe well into 2021. WHO says the wildlife trade in China is the most likely path that the coronavirus took to spread from the original animal source, possibly bats, to humans, through an intermediary animal. However, the possible ways in which the novel coronavirus could have emerged in Wuhan is still unclear. And WHO ruled out a laboratory leak. There’s nothing novel about this, right? At best, they confirm what most of us already know, thanks to the tons of reading and seeing we have done during the lockdowns. Many ‘wished’ it was a Laboratory Leak. China is still in the cross-hairs.

Let’s remember that Covid-19 has killed more than 2.7 million people worldwide in the 15 months, since it emerged.

Tracking the vaccination campaign across the world, more than 628 million shots have been given across 150 countries at a rate of about 16.3 million doses per day.

India has administered near about 73 million vaccine doses till date. I hope to join the vaccinated ranks and have scheduled mine, this Saturday afternoon.

Meanwhile, a rapid growth of positive cases is waving at India; and is having Authorities worried. Signs of micro-lockdowns are being put up!

The Hand of the Octopus

Australia just let go of the stranglehold that rains and floods had on them over the past weeks, which saw swarms of animals find newer ground.

Back in the water, an Octopus peacefully living on one of Australia’s Western Beaches in Geographe Bay decided to test the power of its mighty tentacles. A Geologist wanting to take a dip near the Resort where he was staying with his family, was taking a stroll on the beach when he thought he saw what looked like the tail of a string-ray striking at a seagull. On taking a closer look, along with his 2 years old daughter, and while filming a video, an Octopus suddenly lashed out in their direction and vanished into the deep waters. Stung by the suddenness he left the spot, and later when he returned to go into the water alone, the Octopus found and hunted him down. It stuck him on the arm, and then whipped him on the neck and upper arm. It did leave a mighty impression and I reckon Octopuses have strong emotions, can get angry, when someone enters their territory.

The preferred treatment for sea animal attacks is applying vinegar and since the Geologist did not have anything on him at that time he tried used Coca-Cola ‘Turns out, it worked’.

I guess we need to stretch out on our beaches with lots of vinegar or cola, within the reach of our own tentacles. Welcome to the beach!

Please Yourself

While we wait for the Academy of Motion Pictures to reveal the Oscars Winners at the fag end of April, India went ahead and announced its highest honour for cinema artists-the Dadasaheb Phalke Award. The 51st recipient was named as South Indian Superstar Rajinikanth, all of seventy years. I’ll flip a cigarette to that!

Rajinikant, the humble and God-fearing person that he is, thanked bus driver Raj Bahadur, his partner, in the Bus Conductor days in the city of Bengaluru, who discovered hidden acting and style talent in him and pushed him into the head-lights of a movie career. And, of course he mentioned his elder brother who provided the foundation-keeping food on the table- and late Film Director K Balachander who gave him his first break in the movies.

Rajinikant has acted in about 167 films in many Indian languages, but mostly in Tamil. He was hurrying-up the shooting for his 168th film ‘Annaatthe’ (Elder Brother) hampered by the pandemic, when he fell ill, spending quality time in Hospital. God must have talked to him during that time as he decided against entering politics-on God’s sign: he had announced starting a brand new Political outfit last December but gave it up. We sorely miss a style quotient and the famous punch dialogue one-liners in the Tamil Nadu Election Circuit.

More real acting stories coming up in the weeks ahead.

WORLD INTHAVAARAM, 2021-13

About: The story of how we stayed afloat this week, in our World, and how we got beneath the surface of a lot many things.

Everywhere

Wisdom

A little foolishness, enough to enjoy life, and a little wisdom to avoid the errors, that will do.” ― Osho

Down Under Water

Last year, in January, Australia was bush-whacked by the largest bushfires on record and the country became smoking hot. This followed a prolonged period of drought: of course we can blame the effects of climate change as ‘arsonist-in-chief’.

Now, this year, Australia is experiencing a once-in-a-century deluge and one of the worst floods in 50 years, as torrential rain relentlessly lashed Eastern Australia. Parts of New South Wales have seen almost one metre of rain flooding hundreds of homes and severing roads: the Town of Windsor being one of the worst affected.

Rains have been inundating places since last Thursday, but then a major Dam-the Warragamba Dam-overflowed adding to the already swollen rivers and causing flash-flooding in many parts. This has forced people to evacuate, sometimes at midnight, as the waters stealthily entered their homes under the cover of darkness. About 18,000 people have been evacuated and another 15,000 are expected to join and swell these ranks. Luckily, not many lives have been lost.

People living in these places say they have never seen anything like this. And the Australian Government has declared a national disaster in many of the affected areas.

Meanwhile, the record-breaking rains have spawned another problem: a mass animal exodus to higher ground, with spiders in particular surging into people’s homes and lands. Close behind are snakes, with a resident remarking, ‘the trees are full of snakes’, trying to coil on to something dry.

The happenings in Australia must be closely watched as these bewildering natural calamities will surely have lots of hidden messages and lessons to learn with an entire gamut of living species affected in one way or the other.

America’s Guns

Quick on the heels of last week’s shootings in Atlanta, another shooting massacre happened at ‘King Soopers’ a Colorado Supermarket in the University City of Boulder. A shooter gunned down at least one person with a semi-automatic rifle in the parking lot before entering the Main Building through an entrance earmarked for handicapped people, and then going on a shooting spree inside the store.

The shooting left 10 people-aged between 20 and 65-dead, including a store manager and a police officer.

A ‘person of interest-a suspect-of Arvada, near Denver, has been arrested, and it appears that he was operating alone. Motives are unknown at this stage.

The shooting incident fires the question, ‘why isn’t America still ambivalent on Gun Control?’ Yes, its Constitution allows it as a right and maybe this was necessary in the Wild West Days. But not any longer as of the original intent. America is advanced enough to deal with any problem, without having to draw that gun from its holster!

The only way to honour the victims of these senseless massacres is action. Let’s do it – wake up America.

Myanmar Killings

There is not the slightest sign of any abatement in the Army and Security Forces crack-down against protestors in Myanmar where daily protests have been ongoing in towns and cities across the country, ever since the military seized control, in a Coup, on 1st February.

Myanmar’s security forces shot dead a 7 years old girl in the city of Mandalay on Tuesday, the youngest victim yet in the military’s bloody crackdown on civilian opposition. The young girl named Khin Myo Chit was shot and killed in her home during a military raid, while sitting in her father’s lap after security forces kicked down the door to the family’s home. Soldiers asked the father if everyone in the family was present in the house. When the father said yes, they accused him of lying and shot at him, missing and hitting the girl instead.

During the week, the military released about 600 people imprisoned for protesting the coup, hoping to cool temperatures. However, protestors tried a new tactic called a ‘Silence Strike’-The Loudest Scream-calling on people to stay at home and Businesses to close for the day.

I wonder why the United Nations is unable to show any muscle or teeth? Maybe we should better define its role in a fast evolving World punctuated with violence. Shouldn’t they get nations together, on the same page, to shoot down the actions of the Myanmar Junta?

Fires in Bangladesh

In other news linked to Myanmar, the already tormented Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh saw their settlements engulfed by a deadly fire that ripped through a Rohingya Refugee Camp in the Coxs Bazaar area. At least 15 people died and over 400 remain missing. It was massive and devastating.

The Camp roughly houses about 1 million people living in cramped and squalid conditions, the vast majority of who fled Myanmar in the year 2017 amid a military led crackdown on the Rohingya.

Some 40,000 huts and shelters in the camp burned down. And the barbed wire fencing around the Camp trapped many people causing many casualties.

Bangladesh, on its part had been pushing refugees to relocate to a remote island in the Bay of Bengal, until such time they can return to Myanmar, as the camp had become overcrowded.

The reasons for the fire outbreak is unclear at this stage.

The Rohingya Refugees is a humanitarian crisis and this is another reason why the United Nations and the rest of the World have to step-in and push for solutions to ending the misery of millions of people in these camps.

Iceland Volcano

Last week I talked about the over 50,000 ‘Earth shakes’ over a period of three weeks, in Iceland and how it ‘tested positive’ for a Volcano pregnancy. This week it delivered: the Fagradalsfjall volcano woke up after almost 700 years and is putting on a mesmerising ‘lava show’. Volcanic eruptions are not often referred to as ‘cute,’ but some people are saying that about Fagradalsfjall. They are calling it a Disneyland eruption. Time, someone starts issuing rock-solid tickets for the show.

The volcano has stirred a stream of visitors and some of them have been clever to use the heat of the lava to cook hot-dogs, buns and eggs. The taste must have been epic and volcanic!

Doomsday Plans, Lunar Ark

Man has been studying the Moon intensely and tired of seeing the surface, has decided to look beneath the surface of things. Literally, Scientists have uncovered a network of around 200 lava tubes-100 meters in diameter, beneath the surface of the Moon, which formed when streams of lava melted through soft rock to form underground tunnels, billions of years ago. So, what about them?

Scientists have proposed a Lunar Ark, dubbed a ‘modern global insurance policy’ for species from Earth, cryogenically preserved and hidden in these underground tunnels and caves. The Ark will hold millions of seed, spore, sperm and egg samples from Earth’s species to provide a genetic backup for the planet in the event of a doomsday scenario-a total annihilation of the Earth. These tubes could provide the perfect shelter for the precious cargo, protecting it from solar radiation, surface temperature changes and micrometeorites.

Powered by solar panels, the underground Lunar Ark would be accessed by elevator shafts, which would lead to a facility storing cryogenic preservation modules.

Scientists believe that about 250 rocket launches would be required to transport about 50 samples from each of the about 6.7 million species to the moon.

The move to stock-up such a bunker is still a long way off.

A Traffic Jam in the Sea

A gigantic Japanese owned container ship, 400 meters (m) length and 59m wide, weighting 224,000 tons, fully-loaded with containers, called the MV Ever Given- painted Evergreen across- ran aground at the southern end of the Suez Canal on 23rd March wedging itself across the width of the canal blocking movement of ships in both directions.

The cargo ship was knocked off-course by strong winds and a sandstorm that caused low visibility and poor navigation resulting in the now ‘stuck situation’.

Authorities attempted to re-float the vessel but were not successful. Dislodging the vessel could take days, even weeks. A first step would be to remove fuel oil and ballast water from the ship, try to move it at high tide. If that doesn’t work, staff will have to remove containers and try to dig or flush away the sand banks in which the ship is now lodged. Imagine dredging over 20,000 cubic meters of sand to get to the bottom of things.

Meanwhile ships are piled-up at both ends and could cause severe disruptions of oil, Liquefied Petroleum Gas, clothing, auto-parts and essential commodities to countries depending on them. The famous Shipping Journal, Lloyd’s List, estimates that goods worth $9.6 billion pass through the canal every day. Lloyd’s says about $5.1 billion of that traffic is westbound and $4.5 billion is eastbound.

The Suez Canal-since 1869-is a sea-level waterway running north-south across the Isthmus of Suez in Egypt connecting the Mediterranean and the Red seas. And is controlled and operated by Egypt. The canal provides the shortest maritime route between Europe and the lands lying around the Indian and western Pacific oceans. It is one of the world’s most heavily used shipping lanes. The canal extends 193 km between Port Said in the north and Suez in the south. The original canal did not permit two-way traffic, and ships would stop in a passing bay to allow the passage of ships in the other direction. But now it allows movement in both directions.

This is a real lock-jam for World trade, bottlenecked in a canal. Time to start digging the sea, to stay afloat. Maybe Install better traffic signals?

COVID-19 Shots

Tracking the biggest vaccination campaign in history, more than 518 million shots have been given across 140 countries at a rate of about 13 million doses per day.

India has administered near about 56 million vaccine doses till date. It may have managed to give a vaccine dose only to 3.4% of the overall population, but about 22% of the elderly-over 60 years-population have already received a dose.

The coronavirus has been quietly working on ways and means to penetrate the great immunity defence systems of India. Over the past week, Indian Scientists have uncovered over 771 variants of the coronavirus including a unique double mutant coronavirus variant with a combination of mutations not seen anywhere in the world. These are based on samples taken from the States of Maharashtra, Gujarat, and New Delhi.

What does mutation and variant mean in the context of the coronavirus?

Most of us know that viruses cannot replicate and spread on their own. They need a host, whose cells they hijack-turning it into a virus Factory-to replicate. And when they replicate, often they are unable to make a perfect duplicate of themselves-their genetic material- meaning this is an error-ridden process resulting in their offspring not being exact copies of the original ‘Mom virus’. These errors are called mutations, and viruses with these mutations are called variants.

Viruses mutate has a habit and there is nothing extraordinary about it, except when these mutations become what Experts call a ‘Variant Of Concern’ (VOC). Till date, all over the World, only three variants have been declared as VOC: a Variant found in the UK, B1.1.7, a Variant found in South Africa, B.1.351, and Variant found in Brazil, P.1 lineage. It remains to be seen if the Variant found in India reaches the VOC level.

Meanwhile, coronavirus infection cases are sprinting in India, over 60,000 yesterday highest since last October, in what is being called a second wave. But Authorities are fully prepared. The Government has declared that anybody above 45 years of age can get a Vaccine jab from 1st April onwards – a much needed directive.

With five States going to polls on 6th April and election campaigning by various parties, in the heat & dust of India’s Cities, Towns, Villages seeing large crowds, India is in the cusp of an intense phase. I hope this passes without incident, with basic coronavirus-infection-prevention-rules being adhered to, religiously.

A Kind Of Spark

Over the last weekend I read Elle McNicoll’s book, ‘A Kind of Spark’ and found myself caught in the spell of a charming, bewitching story. I allowed the words, in the about 187 pages, ‘wash over me’.

It’s about an eleven years old autistic girl, Addie, who conquers her world and builds a monument to it; all the while staying different, going to the same school as everyone, and making and breaking friends. She strengthens every-day bonds with the family of an understanding Mom & Dad, a super-supportive autistic sister, Keedie – her fighting twin Nina, who after initial differences learns to sink them and integrate with Addie.

Keedie, is always behind her like a rock and tells Addie, ‘Other people’s minds are small. Your mind is enormous. You don’t want to be like them’.

Thanks to a spark from a school lesson, Addie is ignited and overwhelmed by the Witch Trials that happened in her hometown centuries ago. She is convinced that people in that period in time never fully understood how certain people experience the world differently (as she was in today’s world), and lazily or conveniently branded them as witches. This, for simply being able to see things that others could not. Clairvoyance! Witches in those days were wrongly found guilty and executed, often burnt at the stake.

Addie takes it upon herself that past wrongs must be corrected and in what better manner than building a Memorial to ‘honour’ them. The story is, among other things, how she ultimately, in a never-say die attitude, convinces her Small Town to build that memorial despite outright rejections at the start.

Addie is a regular at the School Library, reading a ton of books, guided by an understanding Librarian. She finds Sharks more interesting than dull Dolphins, and I quote her in the novel, ‘Sharks can sense the electricity of life itself. It’s their superpower. But someone made a horror film about them, and now millions of them are killed each year. Like the Witches for no reason’.

She says at the end of a speech at the Village Meeting – in a final attempt to convince them, ‘I like myself the way I am. A lot’. That speech broke my heart. Applying it ‘differently’, I can confidently agree with the much said line, ‘everyone of us is an original of which there is no copy, in this world’.

This is a must-read for parents, teachers, and doctors handling differently-abled children. And it’s awfully inspirational. Opinions on perceived wrong-doings can always change-often for the better-when we learn more, ask the right questions, and understand, especially people’s needs. We just need to open ourselves and embrace the different!

On my own spark, I decided I like witches… and sharks.

More pages with witchy, shark teaser stories coming up in the weeks ahead: build your own memorials.

WORLD INTHAVAARAM, 2021-12

About: The story of how we fired on all our guns this week, in our World.

Everywhere

United Kingdom: The Case For A Return Of Sherlock Holmes

On 3rd March, Sarah Everard, a 33 years old marketing executive vanished into the proverbial thin air, while walking home to Brixton after visiting a friend in Clapham. Both places are about 50 minutes away from each other on foot. A typical walk from Clapham to Brixton takes one through some of London’s most populated, brightly lit, and well-walked parts. Hundreds of people pound these pavements every day and consider the streets in and around them as home.

Sarah left Clapham at 9 pm, and is believed to have walked through Clapham Common, a large park on the route. Soon after she left, Sarah spoke to her boyfriend on her mobile phone for about 15 minutes, and was last spotted in the footage of a doorbell camera at about 9.30pm. A day later, Sarah’s boyfriend contacted the police to report that she was missing. The police then sought public help in tracing her whereabouts, and made ‘missing person’ posts on social media to elicit responses.

A dead body was found, a week later, inside a builder’s bag, in a woodland in Ashford, Kent. Two days later the Police confirmed, through the use of dental records, that it belonged to Sarah Everard.

Then, this week on Tuesday, the police made two arrests – the first was a Scotland Yard police constable, on suspicion of kidnapping, and the second a woman on the suspicion of assisting an offender. Detectives are investigating, and we should be getting a clearer picture in the coming weeks.

Many Londoners shared their own experiences of harassment on streets or public transport and are demanding better protection. Much of the conversation has revolved around what men can do to make women feel more safe. I think this is an important lead to work on. And I hope the case is solved in the manner Sherlock Holmes does, to throw the best possible light on how it happened. Maybe, the fear of getting caught could act as crime-deterrent.

Australia Too

In another Commonwealth, beyond the Oceans, in Australia, tens of thousands of people across the country protested against sexual violence harassment and gender inequality after a wave of sexual assault allegations involving politicians surfaced.

Worlds apart there is about the same problem, which needs urgent attention.

Earth Shakes

When was the last time we heard about an Earthquake, leave alone experiencing one, near us? Give me a break…seems long ago.

Iceland, an Island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, known for its stunning natural beauty, has recorded a whooping 50,000 earthquakes, and more, in the past three weeks, perhaps signalling that a volcanic eruption could be heating-up and melting its way to the surface.

Think about Iceland, and what scorches my mind is its capital Reykjavik-where over 60% of the population live-and where the Reykjavik Summit meeting between the then US President Ronald Reagan and the then Soviet Union’s General Secretary, Mikhail Gorbachev, was held in 1986. They came awfully close to agreeing to a complete elimination of nuclear weapons: of course it wasn’t to be and has remained in history as the nearest successful attempt of leaders of nuclear powers to do so.That itself was earth-shaking.

They say that Iceland is a land of contrasts: ice and fire, glaciers and volcanoes, mountains and lakes, waterfalls and geysers. I cannot agree more!

Meanwhile, Scientists are baffled, putting together the beauty and all the pieces of quake information, tying to make ‘breaking news’ out of it. And Icelanders are learning to live with the ‘Earth shakes’.

The Guns Of Myanmar

Myanmar has been tightly gripped by severe protests since the military seized control on 1st February and detained Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the National League for Democracy (NLD) party, the winner of the General Elections.

Mahn Win Khaing Than, the leader of a group of Myanmar politicians has vowed to press on with a ‘revolution’ against the illegal coup by the military, saying ‘this is the darkest moment of the nation and the moment that dawn is close’.

This Sunday 38 people were killed in one of the deadliest retaliation by the Military and martial was declared in six areas after Chinese-funded factories were set on fire. The death count has risen, to at least 138 people being killed, till date, in the ongoing protests.

Over the past weeks the turmoil in Myanmar has been heart-wrenching as new shots of over-the-bar violence by the Ruling Military Junta snakes its way up the headlines every day. India, as a powerful neighbour, and the United Nations (UN) as a far-sighted neutral observer can do more-speak up, defend democracy, and boldly order the Military to hand power back to the people.

America Is Still Shooting, Wild

On 16th March there was yet another deadly shooting incident in the United States of America, in the State of Georgia. Shootings in two massage parlours in Atlanta and one in the suburbs left eight people dead-at least six of them were women of Asian origin.

Police have arrested one man, suspected to be behind all the three shootings. The motive is unclear and investigators are trying to get to the bottom of the muscle.

The shootings are sending shockwaves throughout the Asian American Community as hate-related incidents have increased since the start of the pandemic.

This is not how America should look like, and the recurring shootings bring the issue of Gun Control into the cross-hairs. America must act…before the next shooting engulfs the country, again. This is a tragedy beyond measure.

Should we completely ban guns and return to the bow & arrow mode, or better still, armless combat?

Lifting The Veil, Again.

Sri Lanka has taken a significant step towards banning the burka and other face coverings in public, on grounds of national security. A cabinet order has been signed, which now needs parliamentary approval. A ban can be expected anytime now.

The Government is also planning to ban more than 1,000 madrassa Islamic schools, which flout the national education policy, teaching in their own way.

The move comes nearly two years after a wave of co-ordinated attacks on hotels and churches, on Easter Sunday, brought back bitter memories of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam’s (LTTE) brand of terrorism. Suicide bombers had targeted Catholic churches and tourist hotels, killing more than 250 people in April 2019. The Islamic State militant group said it had carried out the attacks.

For over two decades Sri Lanka suffered terribly under the ‘wild, militant, separatist presence’ of the LTTE, which controlled and ruled the North Eastern part of the country. It was a Herculean effort that Sri Lanka made to wipe out the LTTE, gunning down its top leaders and scoring a decisive military victory. And they cannot allow other extremists to take the country for a ride, again.

India’s Five State Assembly Elections

After the recent rains of water, it’s now preparing to rain washing machines, solar stoves, cooking gas cylinders, mosquito nets, and other freebies in India’s Tamil Nadu State, which is going to the Polls on 6th April. People have already been drenched with television sets, mixies, grinders, table fans, scooters, cycles, laptops, gold for mangalsutra, milch cows… and they don’t seem to be catching a cold. Housewives maybe paid to do their homework, one in a family given a Government Job, and the swing of cash flows is a tsunami in the making. With dominating charismatic leaders either dead or out-of-action this is a high octane Election campaign.

In Kerala a wizened old ‘Metro-Man’, seething with national fervour, hopes to build rails to a better future, and run the State like he did the Metro Rail System in Delhi and other Cities. In West Bengal a ‘forever-scowling’ white Tigress slipped and fell hurting herself, breaking bones, and blamed the lotus-eating-Lions for attacking her. Now she gets to be pushed around the campaign trail. In Assam it’s free dole time too, with scooters for girls students and agricultural tools for farmers. We can expect something similar in Puducherry, with about the same parties playing the same political game yonder too.

India’s State Elections offer one of the best entertainment anybody can get anywhere in the world. Try looking at it!

On the COVID-19 Trail

Tracking the great Vaccination drive, more than 413 million shots have been given across 132 countries at a rate of about 9.94 million doses per day.

Israel has showed that vaccinations have a nation-wide effect. By February more than 84% of people of age 70 and above had received two doses and severe COVID-19 cases have declined rapidly. And life is returning to near normalcy. The United Kingdom experienced similar results.

India has administered near about about 40 million vaccine doses till date, and needs to change gears and drive even faster. India, being the Vaccine Factory of the World is in the forefront of delivering Vaccines to other nations as well, earning enormous goodwill in the process. A case is being made for opening the vaccination to anybody who wants it. The Government is yet to decide. Recent spikes in COVID-19 cases are alarming, with a high of over 40,000 cases yesterday, generating fears for a second wave of infections.

Music’s Biggest Night: The Grammys 2021

This year, the 63rd Grammys Awards were held on a different kind of stage and tuned to a different kind of music, as well, heavily influenced by the pandemic.

There was no audience, and performers were separated into five stages, arranged in a circle inside the Los Angeles Convention Centre to maintain social distancing. In another break with tradition, the awards were handed out by bartenders, security guards and cleaners from concert venues that have been forced to close due to Covid-19. Comedian Trevor Noah hosted the ceremony for the first time.

Taylor Swift’s surprise lockdown Album, Folklore, which was a front-runner in the run-up to the Grammys, fearlessly walked away with the Album of the Year prize making her the first woman to win the Best Album Award, three times. She swiftly joins ‘three other folks’ who had done it before – Frank Sinatra, Paul Simon and Stevie Wonder.

The Grammy Awards Night may well be called the ‘Musilacious Beyonce Night’ as she aced the Awards breaking the record for the most Grammys won by a woman and any singer, male or female, with 28 awards-also tying the record with the great Quincy Jones, as the living person with the most Grammys.

Enter Blue Ivy Carter, 9 years old, the daughter of Beyonce and Jay-Z who became the second youngest artist to win a Grammy Award, her first, for Best Music Video for ‘Brown Skin Girl’. The record for the youngest is held by Leah Peasall, who won in 2001 at the age of 8 years.

Beyonce and fellow Houston native, Best New Artist, Megan Thee Stallion, also made history as the first pair of women to ever win best rap performance with the remix of Megan Thee Stallion’s ‘Savage’. The pair then went on to win best rap song for the same tune. But it was Beyonce’s win for best R&B performance for ‘Black Parade’ that put her over the top.

Find the other winners from the wildcards below.

‘I can’t breathe’ without saying that the Song of the Year was won by Dernst Emile II, H.E.R. And ‘Future Nostalgia’, Dua Lipa, stayed high on Pop Vocal Album of the year. It ‘Rain-ed on Me’ that the Best Pop Duo was Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande. I decided it was ‘Everything I wanted’ of Bille Eilish for Record of the Year, but not before shooting ‘No Time To Die’ as the best song for visual media. Watch it in the yet to be released James Bond movie.

I just gulped a solo Harry Styles, ‘Watermelon Sugar’ drink to rock to ‘The New Abnormal’ of The Strokes before going traditional pop vocal with James Taylor’s, ‘American Standard’. ‘Anything for For You’ sang Ledisi in a traditional R&B best performance.

Oops, I’m still out of breath, and hope to find it soon!

The Oscar Nominations

Actor and Producer Priyanka Chopra Jonas along with her husband, Nick Jonas, announced the nominations-which had many surprises-for this year’s Academy Awards.

The movie ‘Mank’, directed by David Fincher, starring Academy Award winner Gary Oldman and Amanda Seyfried, bagged 10 nominations under different categories. The second highest number of nominations was bagged by, The Trial Of The Chicago 7, Sound of Metal, Nomadland, Minari, Judas and the Black Messiah, and The Father, with six nominations each.

Mank is an American biographical film about screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz who wrote the screenplay for one for the finest movies of our time, Citizen Kane. Recall, Gary Oldman is the honest Police Officer in the Batman movie, Dark Knight, and has previously won Best Actor Oscar for being Winston Churchill in the 2018 movie, Darkest Hour. Amanda Seyfried is nominated for Best Supporting Actress and this is her first Oscar nomination-without doubt, she is thrilled!

The Indian movies I talked about last week did to make it to the final nominations. But a Priyanka Chopra starrer (she is also one for the Producers), ‘The White Tiger’ held on to its stripes with a nomination for Writing-Best Adapted Screenplay, written for the screen by Ramin Bahrani who has also directed the film. Bahrani is an Iranian-American director and screenwriter.

The White Tiger, is based on author Arvind Adiga’s novel-a New York Times Bestseller and winner of the Man Booker prize-of the same name, and is the story of a self-made man growing from a tea-shop worker in a village to a successful entrepreneur in a big city (call it Bengaluru).

Look out for the Oscar Awards Ceremony happening at the end of March 2021.

More scenes set to great tunes coming up in the weeks ahead.

This is my Blog where I essay stories on life about and around me, on subjects that stir and shake me up, as I turn, and make life's pages count: hoping to inspire you to live your own story!

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The Oscar Nominations

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