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% ?