Some miracles of Nature.

Had been to Kerala for a short 3-day X'mas vacation. The moment I reached home, wifey
asked me to grab the camera and have a look at some real strange phenomena observed
in our backyard.

With a Masters degree in Agriculture, if she finds some plant-related thing strange, then
I can bet it would be something that I never would have seen before. Got a chance to see
some really strange stuff. Surely amazing are the ways of nature.

1) Normally, Banana plants flower from the centre of the pseudostem of the plant. This
one flowers from the trunk of the plant itself. It started as a swelling of the stem (sort of
like pregnancy) and when we cut open the swelling (caesarean section ?), the flower was exposed.



2. Arecanut trees usually propogate via the nuts that fall to the ground. But here's a way of
propogation unusual to arecanut trees - new saplings sprouting from the roots of the mother tree.



3) And finally a coconut tree with the trunk branching into two individual trees. This has
been around at our place for a few years now and does not evoke much curiosity now.
But when it happened years ago, it was an amazing sight.

Kee Kee. Keeya Keeya.

Each language has different variants of it that are spoken in different places. Malayalam is
also no exception and depending on which place in Kerala you are from, your Malayalam
will be modelled accordingly.

Those from Thrissur are known to sing (not speak) Malayalam. It is infact quite interesting
to hear their version of Malayalam. Those from Central Travancore are supposed to speak
the correct version. OK, being from that region, I can pride on speaking correct Malayalam.

Those from Trivandrum speak some gibberish which they like to call as Malayalam, but
which essentially is quite amusing to others. Using plurals for things like water (Vellangal),
wrong pronunciation (jwali for Joli meaning work) etc.

Till last week, I was under the impression that no other region in Kerala speaks worser Malayalam. But that was only till I met a few guys (friends of my friend) from Kannur.
Man, these quys could talk to you in what they call Malayalam, but you would not be
able to make out most of it.

A few samples :

On odthu ?
" Avan endhiye ?" is the Malayalam equivalent, whose English is "Where is he?".

Idhu angittu chadikku.
"Idhu angottu kalayu" in Malayalam. The english version being "Throw this there".

The funniest part is the "Kee Kee. Keeya Keeya" incident that he mentioned and which
inspired this blog-post.

Two women from Kannur reach Trivandrum by bus. When they get to the stop where
they need to get off, one of them gets down from the bus. Due to the crowd blocking her
way, the other women is finding it difficult to get out.

The woman outside gets worried and says "Kee. Kee." The conductor and others in the
bus are perplexed. Then they hear a voice from inside the bus "Keeya Keeya" leading
the conductor to wonder aloud whether this is some kind of bird language.

For those who do not know bird language, "Kee" in Kannur Malayalam means "Irangu"
ie. "get down". And "Keeya" is "Keeyuwa" ie iranguva in Malayalam proper and "I am
getting down" in English.

There are instances where particular words in a language transform into something else,
like say the Tamil word "Kazhuthai". In the version of Tamil spoken in Madras, this is
said as "Kaidhe". Still, there can be seen some connection with the original. But where
is the connection between "Kee" and "Irangu", for God's sake ?

BTW, I have heard people from Kannur say that they are the most straight-forward of
all Malayalis and Malayalis elsewhere are cunning and crooked. I would agree with that,
but then also wonder why Kannur is also the hotbed of violence in Kerala - such a lot of
political killings happen there (mostly between RSS and Communist party cadres).

What would I not give to get back the old days?

Yes, the days when I was still a teen. The days when love was an innocent emotion, devoid
of lust. A girl was an object to worship and admire, not something to lust for. When all a girl
had to do was throw a glance at you (a smile would be a bonus) and your heart would pound madly with excitement.

I was 15 years old when we moved from Assam to Kerala. All my life till then was spent in
Gujarat & Assam. And Kerala was just a place where we went on a 1-month vacation every
year. A place that was raining forever, with a nice home in half-an-acre of land, with doting grandparents, a place that had mangoes, jackfruits, cashewnuts and all varieties of bananas.

A place where fishing was fun and easy - the fields behind our home would invariably get
flooded every year from the nearby river.

But, when the same place becomes home, it takes on an entirely different meaning. It was
no longer a place to vacation, but a place where I would be living, studying and growing up.
I discovered lots of things during my 2-year stay there and also took on a couple of bad
habits which are still with me.

But then I also learnt a lot during the 2 years there - the culture, the people and especially
the fact that the girls there are the best in the whole world. Yes, after having been in almost
all parts of India, some of Europe and a few states in the US, I can take the liberty of saying
that they are the best.

At that time, love was an emotion that was still unclear. You see it in the movies, but do not know what it is about. Every time you see a girl, you fall in love anew. You would go to the
inter-church cultural competitions and are watching the programmes. Suddenly, your eyes move from the stage and lock on the eyes of a pretty lass. That brief look from her is enough
to make you feel like Mr.Universe.

You do not know who she is, what her name is, where she is from. But those are trivial to
you - you are already in love. You act like you are watching the stage, whereas your eyes
keep darting to her every now and then. She also obliges you occasionally, making your day.
The eye-games last till the programme is over & you reluctantly leave the place - ofcourse
only after she has left. In all probability, to never see the girl again, but hoping against hope
that you will.

Do we see this excitement today when love is confused with lust and all that we think of is
to satisfy the body ? Where are those emotions that made you fly ? Is it that as we grow,
we keep losing the innocent pleasures and hanker after short-term pleasures ?

Is it still haraam ?

It was raining almost the whole weekend in Madras - atleast quite a bit on Saturday and
really good on Sunday. This year, the weather gods seem to have blessed Madras quite abundantly, as far as rains are concerned. On second thoughts, is it a blessing ? Because
Madras will not really be able to cope with such rains and the place would get flooded
creating problems for all. The last time I saw such rains was more than a decade ago
(electric train tracks flooded, no traffic etc).

So, what do you do on a weekend when it is pouring and without much that you can do ?
Well, if you are Mallus (the Tamilians too are catching up), you get a few friends together,
buy some nice liquor, order some great home-delivered and have a blast. That's exactly
what we did on Saturday evening. Initially planned to be a small group of just 3 friends,
it extended to double that number due to some friends dropping in.

The three new entrants were friends of my friend and not previously known to me. While
introductions were being made, I found that one of them is a Muslim. I have many Muslim
friends and what I have noticed among them is that a vast majority of them do not drink.
You could say around 95% do not drink. But, take Christians or Hindus and it is exactly
the opposite - you might not even find 5% that do not drink.

To my surprise, our friend (let's call him Ahmed) was the most impatient for the glasses
to go around. After a few rounds had gone around, I slowly put forward my doubt to him.

Me : Is it not haraam for you guys to drink ?
Ahmed : Which age are you living in, man ?

Me : Well, I have not seen many Muslim guys that drink.
Ahmed : Well, earlier they did not because it was haraam.

Me : So, what has changed now ?
Ahmed : Well, 3 years ago, a minor modification was made to the rule book and so it is OK
for us to drink too.

Me : What modification was done that makes it OK for you guys to drink ?
Ahmed : Instead of "Liquor is haraam", it has been modified to "Liquor is haram".

That was a good one that I heard in a long time.

P.S. : For those who don't know, "Haraam" means something that is forbidden & "Haram"
in Malayalam means "fantasy" or "desire".

A tribute to the Indian Jawan.

OUR TODAY FOR YOUR TOMORROW

Every day without fail,
we read in the papers;
The news that makes a family go pale,
‘Jawans shot dead by ultras’.

We, with rocks in place of hearts,
do calmly turn the page over;
Not a sob escapes our lips,
as we go about our daily chore.

With no time for a moment of silence,
as a mark of respect for our guardian angels;
Not a thought about the pain intense,
of the orphaned wives and kids.

They belong to the unfortunate ilk,
trained to protect the country from enemies;
Ending up with the unsavoury task,
of having to fight their own buddies.

Men with bravery and partriotism in their heart,
preferring to die than live as cowards;
Unlucky to be controlled by politicians corrupt,
and made pawns for their selfish needs.

Guarding the country in the North East,
from the cunning and greedy chinks;
And the mountainous North West,
from our troublesome erstwhile siblings.

Never the guys to say No,
even on the killing fields of Siachen;
Do we know what we owe,
to each and every Indian jawan ?

Those of us lucky to have seen the holy place,
known better as the Kohima War Memorial;
And after having read the inscribed message,
do leave with misty eyes, the ground of burial.

Is written there for us heartless,
“When you go back to your loved ones,
Tell them that we gave our Today,
For the sake of their tomorrow”.

------------------------------------------
© 1999 - 2005 Biju Rajan - Inca Red Creations.

Who will wipe her tears ?

The dawn wakes up to the cry of an infant in hunger,
the starving mother rushes to feed and wipe its tears.
Who is there to wipe the tears of this mother,
having a billion sons & daughters.

Men and women dressed in khadi on the stage,
talk about fifty years of her independence.
Does she feel any difference between her own & the English race?
It hurts more to be stabbed by her own sons.

The wheel is turning full circle once again,
with brother stabbing brother & the mother helpless.
In the Mahabharata, it was atleast for pecuniary gain,
her sons today die over meaningless caste and religious issues.

Her children grow up studying Science and Technology,
with no one to breath in them a whiff of Patriotism.
Growing up into adults ashamed to admit love for their country,
lacking the knowledge and will to stand up for the national anthem.

The star-spangled banner is an object of pride,
for every American worth his salt.
Can we say the same about our compatriots,
most of whom won’t know the Tricolor upside down ?

Never hesitating to fight for our selfish rights,
conveniently forgetting our duty towards her.
Ain’t it time we asked ourselves,
what we did for our Mother ?

For every hundred of us ready to fly to the land of dreams,
do we have atleast one to work for her advancement.
Or, have we turned away our eyes from her sorrows,
holding money and not our Mother important.

Can’t we make an example of the illiterate auto-driver,
proclaiming proudly on the back of his vehicle that,
“Eighty percent of Indians might be dishonest,
still my beloved India is the best”.

----------------------------------------------------
© 2000 - 2005 Biju Rajan - Inca Red Creations.

What is a friend to me ?

Someone whom I can trust,
With my most intimate secrets.
Whom I can look up to,
To hear my sob-story;
When I am down in the pits.

Someone who takes me for what I am,
Knowing me like I know myself.
Never expecting me to put on a false facade,
Who instinctively whistles along to my favourite songs.
Knowing the rush of emotions, it arouses in me.

Someone who is there to make me look brave,
When inside I am really trembling like a leaf;
At the prospect of proposing to my college crush.
Who then, convinces me ever so diplomatically;
That rejection by a girl, is not the end of the world.

Someone who always has the time,
To get drunk with me and stay up all night;
Talking girls, life and other trivia.
Who always has a solution for all the stupid problems,
That I get myself into, every now and then.

Someone who keeps in touch regularly,
Not being mad that I did not return his call;
That I did not mail him in a long time.
Who never lets his ego come in the way.
Of the relationship that I share with him.

Someone who makes me go wild with Joy;
Just by thinking that I have him as a friend;
Knowing that he'll be there for me, when it matters most.
Who gives my existence a reason to be happy about,
And my drab Life a whole new meaning.

Someone who knows that the value of a gift,
Is not in the amount of money it costs;
But in the precious time spent;
Arriving at the perfect present,
That he knows, will make my day memorable.

Someone, who makes me feel.
That there's nothing else I need;
To ask from the Creator.
That just having him as my Friend,
Makes me the richest person in the world.

P.S.: The "friend" here is referred to in the masculine gender.
But this in no way implies that only Guys make Good friends.

------------------------------------------------------
© 1999 - 2005 Biju Rajan - Inca Red Creations.

If only those who sent us to Iraq lay awake at night.

A gripping article (The Hindu 4-Dec-04), written by a US marine who was in Iraq (you
could say it's straight from the horse's mouth). Let the world know the true reason behind
this unwanted war & the thousands of innocent Iraqis who had to die for a few's greed.

Hopefully this will make some more Americans understand the real reason behind the war.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The civilians killed in Iraq
By Michael Hoffman

THE CHAOS of war should never be understated.
On the way to Baghdad, I saw bodies by the road, many in civilian clothing. Every time a
car got near my Humvee, everyone inside braced themselves, not knowing if gunfire would suddenly erupt out of it. When your enemy is unclear, everyone becomes your enemy.

I will not judge the marine who killed the wounded Iraqi. I do not know what was going on around him or what he experienced in the hours before. But I do know what the stress of
combat will do. I remember talking to a friend who told how, after a greatly loved lieutenant
was killed in Nassiriya, the unit started shooting anyone that got close. I remember when a pickup truck got too close to my convoy, the armoured vehicle up front shot the passenger
to get the message to the driver. Just as these marines should face charges, then those that
put us in these situations should have to answer for their actions.

In his book The Things They Carried, Tim O'Brien said: "You can tell a true war story by
its absolute and uncompromised allegiance to obscenity and evil." This is something people
in the United States have forgotten after years of watching CNN. War is dirty, is always
wrong, but sometimes unavoidable. That is why all these horrible things must rest on the shoulders of those leaders who supported a war that did not have to be fought.

I know the commitment it takes to serve your country, but I also know this war has
nothing to do with protecting my country. My sergeant put it best a week before we
left for the Middle East :
"Don't think you're going to be heroes. You're not going for weapons of mass destruction.
You're not going to get rid of Saddam, or to make Iraq safe for democracy. You're going
for one reason, and that's oil."

War for oil: is a term the troops in Iraq know well. That is the only reason left for this war, leaving those on the ground with only one reason to fight — get home alive. When this kind
of desperation sinks in, it is easy to make the person across from you less then human,
easier to do horrible things to them.

Did the soldiers who committed those acts in Abu Ghraib view Iraqis as equals?
Those who committed these acts will have to live with the memories — just as I wonder
how many Iraqi children were killed by my artillery battery, or how many Iraqis were
trapped in burning vehicles on the road to Baghdad.

These are the thoughts that keep me up at night: the bodies of children and the burned
remains of Iraqi troops that couldn't get out in time. But those who put all of us there will
never understand this. That is why they need to be judged. But they will never receive
the most just punishment: feeling what myself and all the other veterans of this hideous
war will deal with for the rest of our lives. —

© Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004
(Michael Hoffman took part in the invasion of Iraq as a U.S. marine and is co-founder of
Iraq Veterans Against the War, www.ivaw.net)

URL : http://www.hindu.com/2004/12/04/stories/2004120402451000.htm

Why is it so difficult ?

Why is it so difficult for our panchayats, municipalities and corporations to do even simple
things like maintaining a neat and clean bus stand or railway station or even an airport ?
I am not talking about having them like the immaculate ones in the developed world. But
atleast neat and tidy.

Is it that difficult a task to do ? Especially considering that these are the entry points for
visitors to our country and leave an impression that can be tough to erase. As I am at
Madras, let me take examples from Madras, though this is true about most cities and
towns in India.

Had been to the Madras Central railway station yesterday to see off my wife. Being the
rainy season, the whole campus was slushy and having puddles of rain water everywhere.
Is it an impossible task to concretize the whole campus and have means for the rainwater
to flow away ? It might be a short-term inconvenience to the users, but once done, it will
change an eyesore into a good and convenient public space.

Again, the parking areas for 2-wheelers are uneven and without a firm platform. When
the contractor can charge Rs.3/- for even parking a bike for a few minutes, why cannot
he channelise some of that money into having a proper parking space, which will make
parking an easier job for the users, instead of wading thru slush. And, why cannot the
authorities exert pressure on the contractor to provide value for money to the users ?

Even our airport is a mess. Stand on GST road and take a look at the airport and what
you will see is filth all around,unauthorised shops on the pavement, haphazardly parked
vehicles etc. Is it that tough to spruce up the surroundings ?

Are we, the public, the reason behind this disorder and complacency on the part of the authorities ? I would say yes. Apart from the fact that we contribute in a big way in
keeping our surroundings filthy, most of us do not care. We do not take the time or
effort to bring up such issues thereby encouraging the authorities to continue operating
with a don't-care attitude.

Bird watching (the feathered kind).

Visited the Vedanthangal bird sanctuary near Chengalpattu (some 85kms from Madras)
last Sunday with my wife. Another colleague and his family joined the trip. More than
watching the birds, what was more on my mind was a chance to rev up my Baleno on
the highway.

Apparently, this time of the year seems to be the best time/season to visit the sanctuary.
It is either raining or already rained a lot and thus the lake is full of water, attracting lots
of birds and also seems to be the nesting season. The drive was pretty good & we reached
there around 10AM.

Once inside the park, you have a pathway to walk on, lined with trees providing ample
shade. And when you look into the lake, all you see on the partly submerged trees/bushes
is birds. Lots of them in various hues of white, grey and a combination of both. If you have
a good binocular of your own, you can spend hours watching these 2-legged beauties. You
have the spoon bill, flat bill stork, egrets, and almost every known bird.











There is a tower with a fixed binocular that you can use for free. A guide there shows the
main birds out to you. The service is free, but then like anywhere else in India, it will not
hurt to tip.

A nice place to visit on the weekend with your family. An ideal location for singles too who
want to spend some quite time with their dates. And don't forget your binoculars, because
even if not used for watching birds, you could use it to hide yourself if your family happens
to drop in when you are with your date. :-)

Outside the sanctuary, you have a gang of really bold monkeys that run around on the buses
and vehicles parked there and treat you to some really nice tricks.

Tamil culture ... ??? What was that again ?

Over the past many weeks there has been such a big issue over some sane comments made
by cine actress Khusboo, that the lay man has most probably no idea of what it was that she actually said, which seems to have offended the so-called guardians of Tamil culture.

Much water has since flowed down the Cooum (or the Buckingham Canal as it is also known)
and there have been serious debates on this issue in all possible media. For those who came
in late or do not know, what she actually mentioned to a news magazine was something like :

>> Pre-marital sex per se is not a bad thing, but women should remember to take care to
avoid unwanted pregnancy and STDs.

>> No educated man should expect his wife to be a virgin.

Analysing these 2 comments, let us see where Tamil culture got hit.

Pre-marital sex (or for that matter extra-marital sex) has been here for ages and it is a phenomenon not only in the cities of Tamilnadu, but also in the villages. Guys and girls
making out in the fields or in the pump-set room or even in their houses when no one is
around, is common in the villages of Tamilnadu like anywhere else in India.

Also, we hear about this women running of with someone else's husband or this man
leaving his wife for another woman. So, this is no Khushboo's invention or contribution
to Tamil culture. She has only been correct in asking the young generation to avoid STDs
and pregnancies.

The 2nd comment is related to the first one. If people are going to have pre-marital sex,
then ofcourse they are going to lose their virginity. So, it will not be surprising if some guys
get married to women who have had some experience of their own. Well, what is the big
deal in that ?

Because when pre-marital sex happens, it is not just the girls that lose their virginity.
The guys also lose their virginity and the women whom they marry later are ending up
with non-virgin men.

And anyway, what is this culture that people are talking about ? We are from a country
that gave the Kamasutra to the world. Our temples (even those in Tamilnadu) have
depictions of all kinds of sexual activities (hetero, homo, whatever). How does sex become
a bad word in our culture. Or is it that Tamilians have not heard of pre-marital sex or
never had any Tamilian who did it ? Give me a break.

Having spent more than half my life in Madras, I have a pretty good understanding of the
way things are here. I speak Tamil as fluently as a Tamilian (picked up the language in a
matter of months), can read Tamil much better than the average Tamilian (self learnt),
have most of my friends as Tamilians and know for sure that Tamil film music is the best
in India.

But then you have to list out the other side too. Tamilians, as a rule, like to get on to the
rooftops and shout about how great and ancient a language Tamil is. Since I am proficient
in Hindi and Malayalam also, I can accept the "ancient" part, though Tamil is useless
compared to Hindi or Malayalam as far as flexibility is concerned.

Reason being that to ensure that it remained pure, they did not go ahead with the times
and modified it. English is so acceptable all over the world because it is open to new words
from other languages. Agreed that they come up with a Tamil word equivalent for every
thing eg. kanipori for computer, but then when did you last hear someone refer to the PC
as kanipori.

You know what, there was this guy who many decades ago went on a fast-until-death to
make Tamil the national language. What brains in action there ?

Then they complain about Tamil not being used anywhere. But these same guys when they meet others who know Tamil, would still use English or even Hindi. Compare this with Mallus who would break into Malayalam the moment they know that the other guy is Mallu.

Another problem with the average Tamilian is the need to force the language on others.
They seem to have forgotten their own struggle against what they felt was the imposition
of Hindi on them. As long as you are on home turf, that is fine. But the moment you are in another state, it is better not to flaunt your love for your language.

What is the need for having a statue of Tiruvalluvar in B'lore ? Especially considering the language related violence that happened between Tamilians and Kannadigas. I agree that
he was a great Tamil poet and I like his short 2-line poems. But, then there are other ways
to help people discover his writings than by installing statues.

Start using your language yourselves guys, instead of worrying about it becoming dead.

The Pearl Harbour attack on 7 Dec 1941

The 7th of December - a significant day in history for both Americans and the Japanese.
For the Americans because it would remind them of one of the biggest attacks ever on
American soil. Also because it would make them regret the fact that even though they
were technologically superior in war, they were caught napping and became sitting ducks
in the Japanese attack.

For the Japanese, it might be an occasion that they remember with pride, of a time way
back when the Japanese were known for military might, rather than for their Sonys,
Toyotas and Hondas.

The attack by Japanese kamikaze pilots on the American fleet at Pearl Harbor must be
the biggest attack before 9/11 on American soil (if you can call Hawaii that). It is a pity
that this happened in the past because if it was sometime recently and if it had happened
in mainland US, the Americans would have understood the pain and grief borne by the
people of Iraq and Afghanistan due to the reckless bombing by American planes there.

You should give it to the Japanese ...
The guts to meet the enemy in his own backyard. Man, that was awesome.
And hopefully a warning to the countries of the world that bully other countries.

The significance of Dec6th

The 6th of December - a significant day in history for India and Indians, due to an event of
far reaching implication that happened on that day.

Well, the event referred above would be known to all Indians - the demolition of the Babri Masjid by senseless & stupid people who are pawns in the game played by selfish politicians
in the name of GOD to gain political power. None of the s0-called Ram Bhakthas are really
bothered about where Ram was born or whether a temple comes up there or a masjid. All
they needed was a wave that would bring them to power.

As is rightly said, "Power corrupts and corrupts absolutely".

They goad man to kill man for the sake of some idol which each claims is the better GOD,
even though there is no proof (yet) that GOD does exist or even existed. Such stupidity on
the part of the people is only possible when they are kept illiterate and without jobs. No
wonder the politicians are not willing to further the cause of literacy because once people
are literate and start making sense of things, where will they get humans to sacrifice at the
altar of their political ambition ?

And add to this the neo-Hinduist - an educated man / woman having a good job & leading
a good middle-class life. They are vocal in their armchair support for the fundamentalists,
but only from the cosy comfort of their homes / offices. No real work for them involving
sweat, forget any blood letting. Well, for that you have the illiterates. So why bother ?

These guys talk about the minority communities being a threat to the majority community. Stupid assholes with crazy logic. Bunch together all the different types of minorities in India
and the grand total comes to 15%, with the remaining 85% being the majority.

How in the world can 15% be a threat to 85% ?

5 simple steps to a better Madras

Yes, I am among the minority who prefer to call my city by its erstwhile name of Madras
(instead of the new Chennai). Same goes for Bombay, Calcutta etc.

It's close to 19 years since I came to Madras and from the initial dislike of the city (mainly
the filth, garish posters, noise pollution etc), I slowly fell in love with this city. However, looks
like I am again at a stage where I have started to dislike the city (this time it is the traffic
mainly and ofcourse water scarcity and water logging) and even plan to move to a smaller
city or town. However, given a choice between any of the Metros in India, I would still rate
Madras the best (and I have actually stayed in almost all the metros, so this is no idle breast thumping for one's city).

I am surprised that we have a Municipal corporation with councillors for each ward, on top
of which we have a Legislative assembly with MLAs for each assembly constituency (which
would cover many wards) and finally MPs for parliamentary constituencies which would cover
many assembly segments and even with so many so-called people's representatives, the
city is degenerating by the day. So, the dream of Madras ever being like cities in the developed world, will I am sure, just remain what it is - a dream.

And to top it all, this is not exactly rocket science. City management is not something that
needs technology to be imported. Ofcourse, it will not hurt to study the way it is done in other countries. And don't pack your bags to the US yet. All the info you need is available on the
Internet. But that is more hi-level stuff and we can get to that later. For the moment, what would
help is road / traffic management for which there are lots of tried and tested approaches.

1. Have pavements for every road.
Yes, make this mandatory so that pedestrians do not spill out onto the road creating trouble
for motorists. Most of our roads do not have this simple feature and it is time we went ahead
and constructed them (could even include private participation for construction / maintenance).
And for those roads that currently do have pavements, remove encroachers (mainly shopkeepers) and make them available to the public.

2. Have medians for all roads.
And make them atleast 4-5 feet tall. I do see some initiative on this recently. And the way it
is being done should also be appreciated. They have these metal dies which are positioned
correctly and concrete poured into them. In 2 days or so, the concrete sets and you have a
median that is not only uniform looking, but also fast to build and less labour-intensive also.
I am not a traffic management expert, but I guess a pedestrian crossing every 500ms or so
would be more than enough. This would eliminate jaywalking and people crossing the road wherever they feel like. Will also speed up traffic and avoid traffic jams. It would also help to
locate bus stands near these pedestrian crossings.

3. Use rubberised / plasticised tar for laying roads.
This has been put to use in Kerala and has been a success. The rubber avoids the rains from damaging the roads as they do now. Another university in TN has been experimenting with waste plastic added to tar and serving the same purpose, with the added advantage that we need not worry about handling the tonnes of plastic waste that we produce. Also, it would reduce our crude import bill as tar is one of the byproducts of crude.

4. Encourage public transportation
Handover the MTC to a bright IAS kind of guy with ideas and it should not be long before we
wean people away from private transport to buses and also make a profit for MTC. Start with a detailed study of the busy routes, the peak times at those routes, approx. passengers. Spruce
up the existing buses, procure more (take a WB / AMF loan if required), cut / reduce services
on routes that do not have enough traffic to justify frequent service, introduce the new efforts to
the public and then sit back and reap the results. I am sure that most people who commute daily
by their own bike / car, would rather prefer to commute by bus, provided adequate services are available.

5. Proper traffic lights (correct sequence of lights + timers).
Ensure that all traffic lights work fin till atleast 11PM at night. Also, replace the older bulb based lights to the newer LED lights which are brighter. Ensure that the lights operate in the correct sequence ie. there should always be the yellow / ember light during the change from red to green and vice-versa. The ember light enables users to get prepared. Also, it would be useful to have timers fitted in conjunction with the lights which indicate the seconds remaining till the next change of light. Thus if you are at a red light and the timer indicates that there are 75 seconds till it becomes green, you could switch off the engine and relax. Saves you petrol too.

And ofcourse as road users, we could also put in our bit, by following the traffic rules and driving safely.

A kid's mind is like a sponge.

Am back in Chennai after spending 9 great days in paradise, oops Kerala. :-)
The weather was great in Kerala, had quite some work to be done around the
house which kept me busy, went around visiting some relatives and had nice
home food after around 2 months (esp. welcome after the one month that I
spent in the US eating lousy Pizzas, Hamburgers, etc).

As usual, no visit to Kerala is complete without a trip to Kollam to meet my
niece Divya. Also, had to give her the stuff that I brought for her from the US.
While there, my sister mentioned that the day before I was to reach Kerala,
she noticed Divya trying to eat much more than what she usually does. She had
more breakfast than she usually takes, tucked in more lunch and by dinner time,
she was unable to even eat what she usually eats. Still, she was trying to eat as
much as possible.

Having noticed this strange behaviour since morning, my sister asked her the reason.

It seems that during my last trip to Kerala, when I met Divya, I had mentioned that
she was growing in height, but looked very lean. And told her that when I see her next,
I want her to have put on some weight and look like a gundu mani. This was the impetus
behind her last minute attempt at eating more.

I was surprised at the impact of my comment made in jest on a young mind. We adults
are not aware of how much kids look up to us and how seriously they take our comments.
This incident will make me more careful in what I say around kids.

The good side of this is that since kids look up to us, we can use this opportunity to inculcate good behaviour and civic sense in them. All we have to do is do things properly and kids will follow without us having to even open our mouth to preach to them. Instead of lamenting
about the littering habits of people around us, all we need to do is look for the trash can the
next time we have the chocolate wrapper to dispose off. You can be sure that the young
mind that observes this, will automatically emulate you and grow up to be a better person.

No public transportation please. We are American.

Got an insight into yet another American way of thinking when I was in the US last Oct'05.

My friend who used to live in Baltimore had moved to a swanky new row-type home in
Virginia and I had gone to visit him during the weekend. He has a 30 minute drive to his workplace in D.C. from his residence.

Since the place where he lives was now a big community and with most of the residents
working in D.C., I was wondering why they did not have any means of public transportation (buses, MRTS, whatever) connecting both the places. What he replied gave me an idea as
to why there is almost nil public transportation in the US whereas almost all of Europe is
connected by train and within the different countries they have efficient public transportation by means of buses etc.

He said that the authorities had come up with a plan to provide a means of public
transportation to connect D.C. and this part of Virginia. And the idea that they proposed, sounded pretty good to me. What they wanted to do was to make use of the existing wide beltway and have a kind of train service running on the median of the beltway with stations
set every few miles or so. I assume that the plan was sort of like the MRTS (elevated rail)
in Madras which runs over the swampy land of the Buckingham Canal which has no use otherwise.

But, it seems this idea was vetoed by the current residents, to my surprise. In India, we
would always like to stay somewhere that is well connected by a public transportation
system.

The reason for the residents not warming up to this plan was quite simple. Currently the
people owning / renting a home in the community would definitely need to own a car due
to the commute involved. But, if a public transportation system comes in, this would mean
that even people without a car of their own (read low-income, mainly black) would move
into the community.

As per the residents, this has two fallouts. The property / rental valus will fall if the
community projects residents of the kind mentioned above. Also, the residents seem to
have reason to believe that the current peace and tranquility that is prevalent in the
community will be lost and would give way to violence, which they would not like to
expose their kids and family to.

So, they veto any suggestion by the government to build public transportation to their community, like buses, trains etc. And this is true not only for Virginia. I have heard the
same argument in Atlanta too.

All these years, I was thinking that it was the powerful car manufacturers lobby that was
behind poor public transportation in the US. Now I know better.

A chore made interesting

A normal, almost daily activity, that we all indulge in or have indulged in, during the
course of our life. A mundane activity that could have been either boring or interesting
or just avoidable, depending on our thought process at that point in life.

Well, we are not discussing any himalayan task to require any more build-up. It is the
chore of buying groceries from either the neighbourhood grocer or in today's scenario
from the supermarket.

Depending on the proximity of the shop and the economic status of the consumer, this
activity might require us to either walk or use a mode of transport like a motor cycle/
cycle/ car / SUV, whatever.

For a kid that has just got a brand new cycle, any opportunity to ride and show off is a
God-send - even if it means having to buy groceries in the bargain. And as we age, all
that changes is the toy that is currently our object of interest. Bicycles give way to bikes
and then to cars and so on and so forth, but man's fascination for the latest toy remains.
So depending on the age of the boy-man deputed for the task, the toy in use would vary.

OK, so what is the big deal in cycling or riding or driving to the grocer's, you might ask ?
Well, it's no big deal. But, imagine the following scenario. Your Mom / wife asks you to
move your ass from the comfy couch in front of the TV and asks you to go get some
groceries. You get the list of groceries and the cash from her and walk to the boat jetty
behind your home, untie your small boat (single/two seater kayak) from the coconut
tree to which it is tied and jump in. You row your way on the placid waters of the lake
/ river to the grocer whose shop is a few hundred metres away on the banks of the same
lake / river around which your home is situated. You tie your boat, get the groceries,
jump in and row back home.

An exciting, out-of-the-world experience, right ?

Well, for lots of families residing around the lakes and rivers of Kerala, this is just a routine
and boring chore.

Yeah, tell that to us city slickers, who would give an arm or leg for even a small pond near
our home, leave alone our own boat.

How many cars does one need ?

A few years ago, I happened to read an article about the Tamil filmstar Sarath Kumar
owning 20 cars. My reaction was, this guy is either nuts or wants to show off or likes a
vulgar display of wealth.

Well, now I think differently. Is it wrong to have different cars that serve different purposes ?
Infact, isn't it better to have a car for a specific purpose, instead of having just one car that
is used for all purposes ? Lets take a guy who owns an SUV, which in most cases is a fuel
guzzler. Since he has only 1 car, he would use it for even short drives to the grocery shop
when a smaller car would have served the purpose well.

This led me to draw up a list of cars that I would like to own - the rationale being only their
usefulness and not snob value. Most people, when asked to name their dream car, would
invariably come up with names like Benz, Rolls-Royce, Porche etc. However, as much as
I admire these cars, I never have felt the need to own one of them.

My dream car list would look like below :

1. A Benz Smart-type car - For city driving for going to office etc.
Can take only max 2 persons with some space for a few bags in the rear. We do not have
such a car in India yet, but I am sure we will have one soon - priced around 1lac, around
400 - 500 cc and with fantastic mileage.

P.S. : Please note that I do not want the Benz-Smart itself, bcos it is too pricey. Given at 1lac,
I would surely take it. Yeah, I know, its one big dream. :-)

2. A Maruti Omni - For weekend outings with 6-7 friends and space for a few cases of beer,
food etc. Or when many relatives drop in at the same time and one car is not enough to take
them out.

3. A WagonR - For outings with the family (wife & kids). Compact, yet more than enough for
3-4 people.

4. Baleno - Finally a real sedan for those highway drives when you need speed and power.

That would be a dream line-up of cars.

Trip to Paradise

Took the Thursday/Friday off to have a long weekend in Kerala. Its June and the
monsoon has sort of set in. Well, it's raining almost all the year round in Kerala, but
June/July is special - heavy rains, kids start school, the heavenly smell of mangoes
and jackfruits in the air.

All you need is a comfy chair near the window, a nice book to read and hot steaming
cups of tea. The feeling is beyond words & just pure bliss. I can just sit there for hours
watching the rain and taking in the exotic fragnance of rain on dry ground. And, the
afternoon nap takes on a whole new dimension in the rainy season. Getting out of the
covers can be a challenge.

If you are the adventurous type and don't want to sit indoors, there are lots of options
for you too. Take out your digicam / videocam and try to absorb the beauty of nature
in its wet form. Or, spend a few rupees to buy a few fishing hooks and plastic wire. Cut
off a nice bamboo branch and you have a fishing rod ready. Walk to the nearest pond,
lake, river or sea (you will never be far from a water body in Kerala) and indulge all
you want in fishing.

Evenings can also be lots of fun. Get around a few friends, buy some nice liquor, grab
some Mallu food (kappa, fish, beef) and have a nice session. This is more fun outdoors
than inside the home. Again, the best place would be the bathing ghat of the river with
a solitary tubelight providing just enough light. A few rounds down and the place
reverberates with Mallu movie/folk songs.

Man, I miss Kerala.

Reaction to adversity.

There are two basic ways in which humans react to an adversity in life. Actually three, if you count our first reaction of asking God, "Why me ?".

One is to do something so that others do not have to suffer like you had to. I have a friend
whose younger brother was attacked by polio as a kid. He is a handsome young man today except for the pronounced limp, thanks to polio. Every year, when the government announces the polio vaccination programme (Polio Plus) for kids, his family makes available the ground floor of their house for the cause. So that other kids don't have to live with the handicap caused by the disease. This is their way of reacting to an adversity.

In this context, I am reminded of what a friend told me about auto-drivers in Europe. If an oncoming driver flashes his light at you for no obvious reason, it usually means that there are cops ahead, who are stopping drivers going above the speed limit. It is the driver's way of warning you to slow down to the speed limit. He might have just paid a hefty fine for speeding, but still wants to warn others so that they do not end up paying the fine like him. He also believes in following the former approach.

On the other hand we have people who wish that others also are stricken by the adversity
that they were hit by, and derive some kind of crude pleasure by knowing that its not just
they that are suffering.

We do not gain anything by behaving either of the two ways. But if our reaction is the former, we have the satisfaction of knowing that we could do our bit to help others escape suffering.

Kiddy talk

Talking of kids and kid talk, my niece who is all of 5 years old talks stuff that makes us think.

My sister and brother-in-law are not the usual religious couple. They do pray and all that,
but do not go to church on Sundays or for special occasions. Instead, they prefer to go in the evenings when there is no function on and just sit and pray in the silent environment.

My niece had some idea about the concept of God - somebody who has supernatural powers
and listens to our prayers and someone to whom we can look upto in times of trouble. She
had this ritual of a daily bedtime prayer, when she would pray to Jesus to take care of and protect her parents, friends and loved ones.

Last Easter, my sister felt that it was time she had a chat with her daughter about God,
Jesus, the church, relevance of Good Friday, Easter etc. She talked about Jesus and how he
was crucified on Good Friday.

This was the first time when my niece became aware of the fact that Jesus was dead. And all that she had to say on knowing this was "What ? Is he dead ? If so, how is a dead person going
to save us ? "

I don't think my sister had an answer to that question and was left wondering about whether
it was a right thing to introduce the scriptures to her daughter.

Pretty logical thinking, right ? Well, I just hope she does not loose faith in a power above us. Hope/faith is the essence of life and I would like my niece to grow up with it.

Apartment living

Living in an apartment complex has its own pros and cons, though I see more cons than pros.
The only pro that I see is that the security is pretty good due to having a dedicated security staff round the clock.

Reached my flat around 8PM from work as is the case on most days. While unlocking the door,
I could hear a heated argument going on in the next door flat. A family of four stay there - Dad,
Mom, 3 year old son and a 12 year old daughter. I could make out that the argument was
between Mom and daughter and had something to do with the TV.

Well, next morning, I met the Mom in the parking lot and during our chat she mentioned about
the argument which went something like this.

Daughter : When are you getting the cable connection for our TV ? I am bored watching the DD programmes.

Mom : Sometime soon.

Daughter : Thats what you have been saying for the past 2 years.

Mom : Well, we will get it soon.

Daughter: And how soon will this be ? Ater I am dead and gone ???

Thats tough words from a kid's mouth. Kids of today seem to be more knowledgeable than we were at that age. And they know what they want and how to get it.

Needless to say that they got cable the next day itself.

Patriotism in USA

One thing that strikes you the moment you land in America is that Americans wear
their patriotism on their sleeves & the star-spangled banner is out there everywhere
- on their cars, in their homes, hotels, even their office cubicles.

It is a matter of pride for them and we as foreigners are either envious of their pride
or jealous that we don't see a similar attitude in our fellow countrymen for our country.
Though I can't be sure, I have this feeling that all these flags, spread-eagles etc came
out into the open after 9/11. Whatever be the case, its well & good that a country rallies
together in moral support when faced with problems.

The problem though is that just as they take pride in being citizens of a free country,
they don't understand that citizens of other countries also have the same desire to be
free of shackles and to be able to hold their head high and see their flag flying high.
Actually, I am wrong there. They do understand, but don't really give a damn about it.
All forms of life, including humans are self-centered (with only the extent varying), but Americans would take the cake. As far as they are concerned, only they exist in the
whole world.

It's surprising that a country which fought long and hard against colonialism to become a
free land, should seize any available opportunity to curtail the freedom of other people.
The examples are numerous to list, but a few prominent ones that come to mind are the
slave trade, Vietnam, Afghanistan and lately Iraq. At times I wonder how Bush & Co. can
sleep peacefully when they have the blood of so many innocent victims on their hands ?

It was the US that armed Saddam in the first place. Then they bomb the country to dust
on the pretext of disarming him. Well, its an open secret that the whole business was
about oil. They go to bed with dictators all around the world just to ensure safety of their interests and to create chaos in the world and to avoid the rising of any power that could
stand up to them.

Well, life is cyclical in nature. And I am a firm believer in the saying that we would reap according to what we sow. I see a day, not too far away, when we have someone coming
up who would stand up to the bully and give him a taste of his own medicine.
Two probables would be India and China.

"America is probably the only country in history to have moved directly from barbarianism
to degeneration, without the usual interval of civilisation in between."

Whoever said this about America was bang on target.

I am ...

I am curious. I experiment.
From experiments, I am lead to truth. Or so I believe.

I was part of a revolution. I gave roots to a concept - new to my nation, though not to the world.
I helped vote the first communist government in the world to power.

I rationalize, I think, I debate.
And I only accept what I believe to be the best, according to my rationalization.

I am well read. I am a linguistic minority compared to the many tongues spoken in my nation.
Still, the newspaper with the highest circulation in India comes out in my language.

My circle of interest is not limited to just my town or my state or even my country.
I am concerned about issues happening around the world and keep myself updated.

I am the true global citizen. You will find me all over the world.
The middle east, the Americas, Europe etc - you name the place, I am there.

Yet, wherever I go, I tune into the local culture and adapt to the conditions.
If I do stick out, its due to my hard work, efficiency and effectiveness.

I am above religion. What drives me is not what's written down over the ages,
but my acceptance of what's good & what's not.

I know that religion and politics are a potent mix and do not let them overlap.
My political leanings cannot be influenced by the highest authority of my religion & vice-versa.

I never give in to the arrogance of those who have power.
To me, power is about what I know, not about what I have.

I take my drink seriously. Well, a little too seriously.
Though I can't really say that I always practice sensible drinking. :-)

I accord equal importance to kids, irrespective of their gender.
Infact, I could be even accused of partiality towards baby girls.

While the rest of my country yearns for a male baby, and silences baby girls on birth itself,
mine is the only state in India with the male/female ratio in favour of females.

I see a movie as a work of art, with the director as creator - no blind hero worship for me.
And unlike other states, our movies emulate life and not vice versa.

I am extravagant when it comes to designing my home.
No wonder, you will find some of the most beautiful houses in my state.

Our women are known to be beautiful.
Infact, I might not be wrong in saying that they are the most beautiful on earth.

There is nothing to beat the sight of our women, at dawn in the temple or around the tulasi thara.
Their wet, long, black tresses held loosely by thin strands of hair.

To say that my state is blessed by Nature would be an understatement.
It would be more accurate to say that my state is in the lap of nature.

A carpet of lush greenery stretching from one end to the other,
with a seemingly never-ending canopy of coconut palms.



Who am I ?



I am ......... a Malayali.


A tribute to the indomitable Malayali spirit.
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© 2003 - 2007 - Inca Red Creations.