FLOODS, DAMS, RIVERS, DELUGE, DEVASTATION

Quoting from 'The Hindu' of 27 August 2018.
Excerpts from an interview with
Mr. M.Rajeevan, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences at
 New Delhi

"In Kerala the rivers are relatively small. For instance if it rains in a hilly region, it can flood within 25 minutes and in an hour the water will come. Rivers like Cauvery and Narmada have huge basins and such inundations are much slower.

As far as Kerala is concerned, in August we had two spells - on the 4th and the 14th - and both were captured by our short range weather prediction system.  Each of them were forecast three days in advance. We(The India Meteorological Department) gave a forecast for heavy rains district-wise - in the form of orange and red alerts.

A 'red alert' means that you must initiate action. It means that the IMD is expecting heavy rains, so State officials shouldn't just be waiting. "

To the question "Typically our authorities don't strongly react based on a red alert alone ..." the reply is in the inverted commas.

" That's a different issue but from the IMD's side, we've already warned. An 'orange' means be on alert and a 'red' means take action. So for instance, if a dam is full and you've been warned of heavy rains, then that means you should have been careful. Unfortunately, I have been given to understand that Kerala has no flood warning system. The Central Water Commission(CWC) doesn't have a flood warning station in Kerala.

Well it's said that this kind of a calamity hasn't happened in the past anywhere. As I said the focus (by the CWC) is on large rivers and especially those that traverse multiple states. The point is that, any river can be flooded and any place can be flooded.

I am not blaming individuals, institutions or government but it's a fact that in India, none of our reservoirs are managed using a scientific, decision - support system. It's left to a few individuals to take a decision.

Dams are managed by States and they worry about their own personal requirements such as hydro - power management.

You (dam managers) should know that (in the case of Kerala this year) it's July, the dams are full, there are two months of monsoon left ... I'll stop at that and don't want to interpret further.

Decisions should be made by talking to the meteorological office, factoring inputs. I don't think there's such a mechanism in place."

IT'S ME THAT MATTERS

WHEN NATURE GOES WILD

I am so used to flooding at Thalavady
And Kuttanad as a whole
And had battled it several times,
I measure floods
From those standards.

When I see people walking on the flooded roads
Evading
The unexpected under the water everywhere
My memories take me back to the number of times
I have done it.
Those were the days floods were confined to us alone.
No one ever thought of our hardships.
We had suffered in silence.
It had been a way of life for us.
It still is.

Now people of Kerala as a whole
Understand
What it is to be on
The epicenter of floods

I remember once when Papa was driving
We got into a flooded road after Neriamangalam
When we were on our way to Aluva and Ernakuam.
Papa somehow had managed to drive to safety
Though the car had flood water in it.

Landslips were a common feature
When we were in Munnar.
Merciless rain battered us.
The cold would bite into the bones.
We shivered.

The place had remained isolated for days together
With essential articles in short supply.
Nobody had ever given a hoot
For what we had been braving.
When I saw the  rivers in spate with water gushing wildly
And fear, the angry roar and the foam,  had aroused
I could see that the images  are already
Etched in my mind
Forever.

INDIAN ARMY TAKES CARE OF TRAFFIC DISRUPTION ON M C ROAD

Bailey Bridge at Enathu on the MCRoad near Kottarakkara, Kerala, India, built by the Indian Army when the road bridge over Kallada River was under repair. Once the repair was over the Army dismantled  the Bailey Bridge and took the parts away.

The Bailey Bridge was of  huge  assistance to motorists saving them many hours of detour.

Heavy vehicles were not permitted on the bridge.

Traffic was regulated  one way at a time by the Kerala Police leading to large queues of vehicles on both ends. When the queue of  vehicles grew large, vehicles were directed to take the deviation
where one had to keep on driving endlessly.

It was your tough luck if a VIP or a VVIP took the route. The one way restriction would be cast aside and you would be made to wait till the motorcade passed either way.

                     We thank the Indian Army for the wonderful intervention.



























Bailey Bridge at Enathu on the MCRoad near Kottarakkara, Kerala, India built by the Indian Army when the road bridge over Kallada River was under repair. Once the repair was over the Army dismantled  the Bailey bridge and took the parts away.

The Bailey Bridge was of  huge  assistance to motorists saving them many hours of detour.

Traffic was regulated  one way at a time by the Kerala Police leading to large queues of vehicles on both ends. When the queue of  vehicles grew large vehicles were directed to take the deviation
where one had to keep on driving endlessly.

It was your tough luck if a VIP or a VVIP took the route. The one way restriction would be cast aside and you would be made to wait till the motorcade passed. 

GRAPHIC NARRATION

We are on a visiting spree.

Now in Kadammanitta, Ann's place. Lila cuddles the baby for a change.

Will proceed to Tiruvalla where my aunt has returned for a month from Dubai. Uncle is no more. Their grand daughter recently was awarded her PhD by EFLU Hyderabad.
Her father is  Rev Prakash K  George,  Principal, MT Seminary,  Kottayam.

Then  we will proceed to Thalavady, stay there and return toTrivandrum tomorrow.

In between we will worship at CSI Church, Kunthirickal where our lineage from forefathers to the current crop have made their presence felt, visit relatives, buy certain things freely available in Trivandrum, that we  never bother to buy there.

Will worship at Parumala and Edathua churches.
Term us mavericks but we differ a lot from the conventional crowd.
We have faith that is absolute, strong and linear.

No net facility, no Whatsapp but mobile is active. We carry our Radio.and listen to FM from Kochi. No TV.

We manage food from wayside eateries and  a cousin's  place where the husband at home is an  excellent cook. His wife, my cousin is in Dubai on paltry earnings.
They are particular they share their food with us.
Quality confined to village folks. 
Something we do in two/ three months regularly.

Nomad's life. We cherish it.

We are awaiting  our nephew, wife and child - baby  girl- who are making it here from
Kanam, Kottayam to visit us before their departure to Hongkong on their new assignment.

KARADI TALES

KARADI TALES

In Mumbai's Dharavi - the world's third largest
slum - children have picked up English rather easily after they were introduced to the Karadi Tales interactive audiobooks in 2000. This was a huge learning experience for CPViswanath and Shobha Viswanath the couple who had launched the Karadi Tales series in the 1980s. They were convinced that learning a language need not involve teaching the meanings of words or the grammar as the Dharavi children had no exposure to them.
"We wanted to understand the environmental stimuli that leads to children learning the language", says Viswanath, cofounder, director and CEO of Karadi Path Education Company, which specialises in pedagogy for language acquisition. Beginning in 2000 it took them 12 years of trial and error to finally settle on a teaching method that was proved to be 11 times more effective than conventional methods

With the language seen as a passport to success the obsession with learning English is understandable in a country like India.
"Over 90 per cent of the content online is in English. We are living in a globalized world and if you have to expand your horizon you need to understand the language the world has adopted. A trader who knows only Marwari cannot dream of business beyond the Marwari speaking districts."
More and more parents even from rural areas want their children go to English medium schools. They feel it opens better opportunities for them.
But English language classes do not impart the fluency needed.
" In the best of circumstances when you learn a language only from the classroom you never learn it. You speak not because you went to English classes but you were in an environment that gave you exposure to English."
The Karadi Path methodology uses music, stories and physical activities to encourage the use of intuitive intelligence - namely the intelligence that comes into play when babies learn to walk, learn their mother tongue or learn to sing. " A child will understand much about a story without knowing the language or story". The challenge is to keep the child engaged with narration by making it enjoyable.
What is surprising is that enquiries are coming from far away South America on the programme for implementation there.

I wouldn't have believed  the concept possible if I had not seen a child pick up English, Malayalam and Hindi effortlessly and converse in the languages through interaction in the school and through watching  cartoons for children in Television.
What the child conveys is sensible and with proper accent.

Old Age is Just a Number - That No One Dials

Old Age is Just a Number - That No One Dials
-----------------------------------------
Old people yearn for company, for relevance, for touch, for love. Tragically that's exactly what they don't get, thanks to the increasing trend of nuclear families with demanding work and travel schedules and even more demanding children.
The majority of old people who have meagre or no source of income need to battle poverty along with their reduced mobility and debilitating disabilities.
The lucky few with money, property and supportive (or not) children have domestic staff or nurses to help them with their physical needs. That done, they are largely left to their on devices.
43% of the elderly in India face psychological problems owing to loneliness.
45% claim that their family members don't care about their needs and interests.
The Agewell report says elderly abuse is rampant in India.
In Japan which has the oldest population many old Japanese women have taken to petty crimes like shoplifting just so that they can go to prison where they say they find the care and sense of belonging that's missing from their every day life.
In prison there are always people around and they don't feel lonely. They have nutritious meals three times a day. Once let out they commit another crime to get back to prison.
May be Jania Joplin was right. May be freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose.

Shampa Dhar Kamath in The Sunday Magazine of The New Indian express of 01042018

DR. VIJAYAKUMAR KANDAMPULLY ON MALAYALI

" Malayali expends 90% of his energy to digest the food he absorbs. The left over is for the tasks he has."
Dr. Vijayakumar Kandampully (71)
of Thrissur Patturackal
Formerly of British Health Services and resident of Plymouth,
England.
Married to Janet of England, Dr. Vijayakumar divides an year between Thrissur - 6 months - England - 3 months- and Portugal - 3 months where he plays Golf spending Rs. 20000 a day.
He attends to patients for free while in Thrissur and England. He would even  travel in his own car to look after patients. The stint in Portugal is solely for recreation.
While in Thrissur he wears a dhoti alone and moves around.
Abroad it is formal dress.

SATNAM SINGH LEARNS IT THE HARD WAY

Satnam Singh, 22 year old, 7'2" made history in 2015 becoming the first Indian to be picked in the NBA - US Basketball - draft. He had played in the NBA's developmental  D - League.

He sat on the bench struggling for game time for the two seasons of his contract. He had featured in a total of 27 games, averaging 7.1 minutes per fixture. Satnam flew home disappointed.

While he warmed the bench desperate to play fretting over the future Satnam says he received nothing in the way of encouragement from his colleagues.

"Nobody does it. They all wish you get worse.... the worse you get the better it is for them. I'll say it straight. Nobody will help another player out. Everyone thinks, ' I want to go up first.' "

He says it is a cut - throat business.

The scenario is what we observe in every sphere of life and in families.
People have become so selfish that they don't bother about anyone else except their own selves.

Back home Satnam is fighting it out at present and enjoys himself.

ENGLISH BOLEGA

ENGLISH BOLEGA
In 2012 when Ravi Kumar Yadav graduated as the "best student' from the Asian Academy of Film and Television he was confident of making it big in Mumbai - the city of dreams. He set up Saavi Films for advertisement and video production in December that year but could not land a single assignment.

Yadav struggled to explain his business ideas in meetings where people spoke and claimed to understand only one language - English. "It was a heavy burden on me and I felt my education was being wasted," recollects this native of Alwar's Shahjahanpur  village in Rajasthan.

By June 2013 Yadav had had enough failures in the Maximum City and decided to head back home. He returned to do what he did previously in Alwar - teach at a computer institute. But alongside he began reading English content online to sharpen his language skills. He consumed more than 10000 hours of content ranging from text to audio-videos. He next began to try speaking the language with those who knew it. He also asked his students to attempt conversations in English and that helped him identify the areas in which they needed help to become more fluent.

By December 2017 through trial and error Yadav had developed a teaching model for spoken English. He then rolled out his specialised language classes English Bolega (Will speak English) to help rural students speak fluent English. It has become such a success that English Bolega is adding a new franchisee every two days.

BLink of BusinessLine of 10042018

ANAND NEELAKANTAN - CELEBRATION OF CONTRADICTIONS

The country (India) miraculously survived 70 years without going the way of USSR or
Pakistan -- Bangladesh because we told ourselves a beautiful story about unity in diversity where all the contradictions will be celebrated and all the languages, dresses, religions, customs, tradition and culture would be respected equally.

In the Doordarshan era the 'Mile sur mera tumhara' song created a sense of belonging in us.

Anand Neelakantan
in
The Sunday Magazine of
The New Indian Express of 01042018

Sonam Kapoot, Actress reveals

Sonam Kapoot, Actress reveals:
I don't wake up like this. Don't ever be sad you don't look like a celebrity. No one wakes up with a beautiful face. No actors including me does that.

The real deal:
I spent 90 minutes in the make up chair. Three to six people work hard to do my hair and make up. In between one shapes my nails. Even after all this, in  case there are any shortcomings, Photoshop does the rest.

It takes an army, a lot of money, and an incredible amount of time to make a female celebrity look the way she does when you see her. It isn't realistic and it isn't any thing.

NEVER WAVER

We cry a lot about
You know what.
We can only be onlookers
Who are incompetent
To save, help or retrieve.
You can see
That when everything seems lost
The saviour springs into action
In the most unlikely manner
Through
The most unexpected source.
Never forsake your faith.
Never waver.
Unknown to you
And your worldly
Commonsense
And intelligence,
Salvation is just
Close by.
Where and how
You may wonder
As it is inconceivable
For your eyes.
It is the moment
God chooses
To act.

QUOTES SOURCED FROM MANY SOURCES

Mentoring

"A lot of people have gone further than they thought they could because some one else thought they could"
Zig Zagler

"It's stupid not to be ambitious, but foolish to be blinded by ambition"
If you die rich you are a fool
Warren Buffet

Wake up to the beauty of giving

The clothes you wear are a huge part of who you are and it helps in building your self identity.


Pressure is a privilege

Billy Jean King

Don't skip topics that you think are 'infrequent'.

Life may not offer you the same chance twice
The Hindu ' Edge' of 20/11/2017 on Last minute prep.

Governments make policies, legislatures make the laws to give them effect and  bureaucracy frames rules usually to sabotage them both.
But while governments and legislatures get voted out from time to time, bureaucrats carry on.
TCA Sreenivasa - Raghavan
The fear of erratic and arbitrary government demands and hurdles handed out by ill trained and venal bureaucracy sets the economy on a tail spin.
Based on an article in 'rediff''  by
TCA Sreenivasa - Raghavan

WHAT CAN WE DO?

What can we do?
When you live in the past refusing to see the obvious
When you have fixed ideas that refuse to pass
When you are miserly to the hilt
When you hold tight all your resources
When you feel you need them for the afterlife
When you think the whole world is your enemy
When you feel you are always the aggrieved
When you feel taking good care of your dear ones
When they are beyond redemption
( according to your perception)
Is not worth it
When you feel you are always right
When you feel all you meet
Are your enemies
When you feel your siblings
Came into the world
To destroy
All your chances
When you forget
All that your dear ones did for you
When they were in their prime
When you sink in quicksand
All the time
Firmly believing
You are standing on ground
Rock solid

SOHA ALI KHAN ON HUMOUR

SOHA ALI KHAN daughter of Nawab of Pataudi and Sharmila Tagore says:
Humour is important because everything in life  is fun if you are able to  laugh. It is nice if you are able to make someone laugh or laugh at yourself, it is a sign of strength. It's also important to have the ability to laugh at a situation, withstand criticism and know what is real and what isn't.

BANGALORE MIDNIGHT MARATHON AND ANJALI S

"I realised I could do anything if I put my mind to it."

Anjali S

26th rank in the Civil Services result of 2018

Anjali discovered this when she had successfully completed the 21km Bangalore midnight marathon in 2017 after undergoing training for three months.

Anjali is an electronics engineer from Beypore, Kozhikode, Kerala, India.
She began nursing Civil Services hopes after joining Deloitte, Bengaluru as design consultant.

She failed in her first two attempts in the prelims. It was a narrow miss the second time. Failure had devastated her.

It was at that point she had decided it was the right time  to do something different. Running a marathon had always been a passion unfulfilled.

She went after it. It made her.

She wishes to join Indian Foreign Service. She says, "Most of India's problems need global solutions."

Hats off to Anjali. S.

RAJESH NAIR ON HIS FILM KALYANAM

Rajesh Nair maker of the film KALYANAM said on its realease:

Till a few decades ago a couple would struggle to meet each other, talk to one another or even express their feelings. It was an age of stolen glances hidden messages, wayside meetings and so on. I wonder how many love stories died an early death because the concerned people could not talk about it to each other.

Deepika Padukone's gyan for techies

BusinessLine on 22022018
Deepika Padukone's gyan for techies.
It's OK to fail, it's OK to cry.
She had once openly admitted that she had been suffering from depression and she was fighting it.
Recalling her fight with depression the actress said she was not afraid of being judged when she opened up about the problem.
"It's okay to have moments of weakness, okay to break down and okay to cry. It's okay if you don't look great all the time"
"I am at a stage in my life where I have been through everything"

She further said that depression is going to be the next big epidemic. It is important that people suffering from depression speak about it with near and dear ones and approach a counsellor and psychiatrist.

She further said that personal touch and feel are important to help the person who suffers from depression.

JACK MAA, DYNAMISM,,ZHEJIANG

Jack Maa founded Alibaba, one of the world's most valuable companies - rivalling Walmart and Amazon - in China.
Jack sums up the dynamism of his home province Zhejiang, " As entrepreneurs from Zhejiang our greatest advantages are that we are hardworking, courageous and good at seizing opportunities. We have these excellent qualities because we were given nothing. We are not like other provinces which have resources of coal and ore. We Zhejiang entrepreneurs have markets...... As long as we are in places where there are people we are always able to find opportunities. It will be the same in the future."

Suresh Menon in 'The Hindu' on 28022018

It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.
Mark Twain
A modern version might be:
It is better not to tweet an opinion and let people think you are not communal than to tweet and remove all doubt.
Suresh Menon in
'The Hindu' on 28022018

DAVID SOLOMON GEORGE and AKKI in CHINA

ഗവൺമെന്റ് സ്കൂളും കോൺവന്റ് സ്കൂളും


നാലാം ക്ലാസ്സിൽ പഠിക്കുമ്പോഴാണ് ഇംഗ്ലീഷ് എന്ന ഒരു ഭാഷ പഠിക്കുവാനുണ്ട് എന്ന കാര്യം ആദ്യമായി ഞാൻ മനസ്സിലാക്കുന്നത്. കൊല്ല പരീക്ഷയ്ക്ക് ആംഗലേയത്തിന് പരീക്ഷയുമുണ്ട് - നമ്മുടെ പൊതു വിദ്യാഭ്യാസത്തിന്റെ സിലബസ്സിൽ. ഭയാനകമായ പരീക്ഷയൊന്നുമല്ല, വെറും വാച്യം.  അങ്ങനെ ഞാൻ പഠിച്ചിരുന്ന കുതിരച്ചിറ മോഡൽ എൽ. പി. എസ്സിൽ വച്ച് ആദ്യമായി ഞാൻ ഇംഗ്ലീഷിൽ വിക്കി വിക്കി മൊഴിഞ്ഞു.
 "ദിസ് ഈസ് എ ബോൾ ".
ഒരു പന്ത് കാട്ടി "വാട്ടീസ് ദിസ് ? "
എന്ന് ശീമോനി ടീച്ചർ ചോദിച്ചതിനു മറുപടിയായിരുന്നു അത്. പന്തെന്നാൽ ബോൾ എന്നും പുസ്തകം എന്നാൽ ബുക്ക് എന്നും പറയുവാൻ അറിയുന്നവൻ ഇംഗ്ലീഷിൽ രാജാവ്.
"വാട്ടീസ് യുവർ നെയിം ? "
എന്ന ചോദ്യത്തിനു ശരിയായ ഉത്തരവും കൂടി പറഞ്ഞാൽ വിജയശ്രീലാളിതനായി....
ഇംഗ്ലീഷ് അക്ഷരങ്ങൾ പോലും പഠിച്ചു തുടങ്ങിയതു പിന്നീടാണ്. ആഗോള ഭാഷയായ ഇംഗ്ലീഷിൽ പ്രാവീണ്യം നേടുക എന്നത് ഒരു ശരാശരി പൊതു വിദ്യാഭ്യാസ മലയാളിയ്ക്ക് അന്ന് ഒരു വെല്ലുവിളി തന്നെയായിരുന്നു.

ഇതിനു നേരെ വിപരീതമാണ് എന്റെ ഭാര്യ അക്കിയുടെ അവസ്ഥ. പ്ലേ ക്ലാസ് മുതൽ ഇംഗ്ലീഷ് മീഡിയത്തിൽ. ഒന്നാം ക്ലാസ്സ് മുതൽ തിരുവനന്തപുരം ഹോളി ഏഞ്ചൽസ് കോൺവന്റ് സ്കൂളിൽ. അക്കാലത്ത് എല്ലാ വർഷവും എസ് എസ് എൽ സി റാങ്ക് വാങ്ങുന്ന സ്കൂൾ. ചുരുക്കി പറഞ്ഞാൽ നന്നായി ഇംഗ്ലീഷ് സംസാരിക്കുന്ന ഒരു 'സിറ്റി ബ്രെഡ് '. ഇതെല്ലാം ചരിത്രം. ഇനി കഥയിലേയ്ക്കു വ.രട്ടെ..

2012 മെയ് മാസത്തിലാണ് ഞങ്ങൾ രണ്ടു പേരും കൂടി ചൈനയിൽ പോയത്. എമ്മിയെയും രണ്ടര വയസുള്ള മാത്തുക്കുട്ടിയേയും തിരുവനന്തപുരത്ത് അമ്മച്ചിയെ ഏല്പിച്ചിട്ടായിരുന്നു യാത്ര.

"ഇംഗ്ലീഷ് പരിജ്ഞാനവും ചൈനയും  തമ്മിൽ എന്തു ബന്ധം?" എന്ന് ഇപ്പോൾ ആർക്കെങ്കിലും ചോദിക്കുവാൻ തോന്നിയാൽ
"ദയവായി ക്ഷമയോടെ മുഴുവൻ വായിക്കൂ" എന്നു മാത്രമേ ഇപ്പോൾ പറയുവാൻ സാധിക്കുന്നുള്ളൂ.

 IEEE യുടെ ISIE എന്ന കോൺഫ്രൻസ് ആ വർഷം അതിഥേയം വഹിച്ചത് ചൈനയിലെ ഹാൻഷൗ എന്ന നഗരമാണ്. അതിൽ റിസർച്ച് പേപ്പർ അവതരിപ്പിക എന്നതായിരുന്നു യാത്രയുടെ ലക്ഷ്യം. ഹാൻഷൗ എന്നത് അത്ര വലിയ പട്ടണമൊന്നുമല്ല. അതു കൊണ്ടു തന്നെ അധികം വിദേശികൾ സാധാരണയായി വരുന്ന ഒരു സ്ഥലവുമല്ല. ലാന്റ് ചെയ്തപ്പോൾ തന്നെ, ഇംഗ്ലീഷ് കൊണ്ട് വലിയ പ്രയോജനം ഒന്നുമില്ല എന്നു മനസ്സിലായി. നിമിത്തമായത് വിമാനത്താവളത്തിലെ കോഫീ ഷോപ്പുകാരനും ടാക്സിക്കാരനും. ഹോട്ടലിലെ അനുഭവവും വ്യത്യസ്ഥമല്ല. അതു വിശദമായി പിന്നീട്...

നാട്ടിൽ നിന്നു പുറപ്പെട്ടപ്പോൾ തന്നെ HDFC യുടെ ഒരു ഇന്റർനാഷണൽ കാർഡ് സംഘടിപ്പിച്ചിരുന്നു. അക്കിയുടെ കസിൻ ആണ് മാനേജർ അനൂപ്.
" അച്ചായാ ഈ കാർഡുണ്ടെങ്കിൽ മണി എക്സ്ചേഞ്ചിനൊന്നും മിനക്കെടേണ്ട, ചൈനയിലെ എ ടി എം ൽ നിന്ന് നേരിട്ടു യുവാൻ എടുക്കാം." അനൂപിന്റെ വാക്ക് കേട്ട് ഞങ്ങൾ ആഹ്ലാദ പുളകിതരായി.

ഹോട്ടലിലെ രാത്രി വിശ്രമത്തിനു ശേഷം രാവിലെ തന്നെ എടിഎം തേടി പുറത്തിറങ്ങി. പോക്കറ്റിൽ കാശില്ലാത്തതിനാൽ ഏതോ ഒരു മനഃസമാധാന ക്കുറവ് പോലെ... ഹോട്ടലിനോട് ചേർന്നു തന്നെ ഒരു ബാങ്കും എ ടി എം യന്ത്രവും. യന്ത്രത്തിന്റെ കെട്ടും മട്ടും ഭാവവുമെല്ലാം നാട്ടിലെപ്പോലെ തന്നെ. യുവാൻ എടുക്കുവാനായി ഓങ്ങിയതാണ്. പെട്ടെന്ന് സംശയങ്ങളുടെ ഒരു വേലിയേറ്റം. എ ടി എം മെഷീൻ നമ്മുടെ കാർഡങ്ങു വിഴുങ്ങിയാലോ? എഴുതിക്കാണിക്കുന്നത് ചൈനീസ് ഭാഷയാണെങ്കിൽ എന്തു ചെയ്യും? ഇനി കയ്യിൽ ഇരിക്കുന്ന കാർഡ് ഇൻവാലിഡ് ആയാൽ എന്താകും ചൈനീസ് ഭവിഷ്യത്ത്? ആകെക്കൂടെ ഒരു അങ്കലാപ്പ്. അവസാനം ബാങ്കിൽ കയറി കാര്യം പറഞ്ഞു മനസിലാക്കി അവരുടെ സാനിധ്യത്തിൽ കാശ്  എടുക്കാം എന്നു തീരുമാനിച്ചു. സെക്യൂരിറ്റിക്കാരനോട് ഇന്ത്യ, ഇംഗ്ലീഷ് എന്നെല്ലാം വിളിച്ചു പറഞ്ഞതിന്റെ ഫലമായി ഞങ്ങളെ ബാങ്കിന്റെ ഉള്ളിലേയ്ക്ക് ആനയിച്ചു. സെക്യൂരിറ്റിക്കാരന് ഇംഗ്ലീഷ് അറിയണം എന്ന് പ്രതീക്ഷിക്കുവാൻ ആവില്ലല്ലോ?ഞങ്ങൾ ചൈനാക്കാർ അല്ല എന്നും ചൈനീസ് ഞങ്ങൾക്കു വശമില്ല എന്നും അദ്ദേഹത്തിനു മനസ്സിലായി. തീർച്ച. അതുകൊണ്ടാണല്ലോ ഞങ്ങളെ ആ ബാങ്കിലെ ഏറ്റവും ഉയർന്ന ഉദ്യോഗസ്ഥയുടെ മുന്നിൽ എത്തിച്ചത്. ഒരു പക്ഷേ ബാങ്കിൽ ഏറ്റവും നന്നായി ഇംഗ്ലീഷ് അറിയാവുന്ന ആൾ ആയിരിക്കാം ആ മാന്യ വനിത.

ഇംഗ്ലീഷ് മനസിലാകുമോ എന്ന ചോദ്യത്തിന് അവർ യെസ് എന്നു മറുപടി പറഞ്ഞു. അതോടെ ഹോളി ഏഞ്ചൽസ് ഒരടി മുന്നോട്ടും കുതിരച്ചിറ എൽ പി എസ് ഒരടി പിന്നോട്ടും നീങ്ങി. ഞങ്ങളുടെ ന്യായമായ സംശയങ്ങളുടെ അനർഗളമായ പ്രവാഹമായിരുന്നു പിന്നീട്. ശുദ്ധമായ കോൺവന്റ് ആംഗലേയത്തിൽ. ആ വാഗ്ദ്ധോരണിയുടെ അന്ത്യത്തിൽ നിർവികാരമായ ഒരു മൃദു സ്വരം ഞങ്ങളുടെ കർണ്ണങ്ങളിൽ പതിച്ചു.
" ക്യാൻ യു സ്പീക്ക് ഇൻ ഇംഗ്ലീഷ്? " അജ്ഞാതമായ ഏതോ ഒരു ഭാഷയിൽ എന്തോ അരുതാത്തത് കേൾക്കേണ്ടി വന്നതിന്റെ ദയനീയത ആ ചൈനീസ് വനിതയുടെ മുഖത്തു ദൃശ്യമായിരുന്നു. ചുറ്റുമുള്ളവർ ഞങ്ങളെ അഭ്ഭുതത്തോടെ നോക്കുന്നു. ഞങ്ങൾ ഇടിവെട്ട് ഏറ്റതു പോലെ നിന്നു പോയി.

നന്ദി അനൂപ്... നന്ദി...

ഭാഷ എന്നത് ആശയ വിനിമയത്തിനാണ് എന്ന തത്വം അവിടെ നിൽക്കട്ടെ. ഞങ്ങൾക്കു വേണ്ടത് കാശാണ്. പിന്നീടങ്ങോട്ടു നടന്നത് കഥകളി, ചാക്യാർകൂത്ത് വിദ്വാന്മാരെ തോല്പിക്കുന്ന പ്രകടനമായിരുന്നു. കലാമണ്ഡലത്തിന്റെ നാട്ടിൽ നിന്നു വന്ന നമ്മളോടാണ് ചൈനാക്കാരന്റെ കളി !! ആംഗ്യ ഭാഷയുടെ ഇടയിൽ ഇടയ്ക്കിടയ്ക്ക് ഇന്ത്യ,  കാർഡ്, എ ടി എം, മണി തുടങ്ങിയ കടുപ്പമുള്ള അംഗലേയ വാക്കുകൾ ഉരുവിട്ടു. നാലാം ക്ലാസ്സിലെ ഇംഗ്ലീഷ് പരീക്ഷയ്ക്കു പോലും ഇത്രയും വിക്കിയിട്ടില്ല. ഏതായാലും സംഗതി ഏറ്റു. മാനേജരും പരിവാരങ്ങളും ഞങ്ങളെ എറ്റിഎം മെഷീനിലേയ്ക്ക് അനയിച്ചു. കാർഡ് ഇട്ടു,
പിൻ അടിച്ചു.
പിടയ്ക്കുന്ന യുവാൻ പുറത്തു ചാടി.
കഠിന പ്രയത്നത്തിന്റെ ഒടുവിൽ ഞങ്ങൾ ആഹ്ളാദത്താൽ ആനന്ദാശ്രു പൊഴിച്ചു.
ആനന്ദനൃത്തം ചെയ്തു. വല്ലവന്റെയും നാടല്ലേ.. എന്തുമാകാല്ലോ..

നന്ദി അനൂപ്... ശരിക്കും നന്ദി

അല്ല ഞാനൊന്നു ചോദിയ്ക്കട്ടെ...

ഇംഗ്ലീഷ് അറിയുന്നവർക്കെന്താണ് ചൈനയിൽ കാര്യം??

Composed by David Solomon George

FADING AWAY INTO HISTORY

Fading away into history
Fading away with a flourish
Fading away with a whimper
A mesmerizing fog
That makes you wonder

CMC VELLORE

I have just been through an article in the Sunday magazine section of 'The Hindu'
by Ms Sujata Sreenivasan on 15 July 2018 titled 'The Humanisation of Medicine'.

https://www.thehindu.com/society/the-humanisation-of-medicine/article24409560.ece

Ms Sujata is a journalist with the US non - profit Connecticut Health Investigation Team.

The article  is a true expose of CMC Vellore that too by a non Christian who has no compulsion to take up the cause of the famed institution.

In her article she dwells deeply on CMC Vellore where her critically injured mother had been admitted following a Car Crash.

Ms Sujata was moved by the commitment of the doctors, staff and the students at the CMC Vellore.
She writes,""

She quotes Dr.V.I.Mathen, Professor and a retired CMC Director," We look for character, aptitude and attitude. Our selection process is central to our culture and to the profession to which we commit our lives."

She closes the article, "But in the case of a non profit institution like  CMC  that have a proven track record some amount of autonomy in the selection process is not only necessary, it is vital to sustaining its culture of medical excellence which serves as an example to hospitals everywhere."

FLOODED KERALA - OUR HOUSE IN THALAVADY- KUTTANAD - FOUR FEET - WATER LEVEL

Not a flotilla.
This is our house Cholakathu Deepthi at Anaprampal Ambalam Bus Stop  on the Tiruvalla - Edathua Road surrounded by the risen flood waters that has submerged the entire property.

The house is located between the famous Bhagavathy temple at Chakulathkavu  and the celebrated
St George Forane Church Edathua,  two places of pilgrimage where lacs and lacs of believers converge
,
We are in Thalavady, Upper Kuttanad,   the Rice Bowl of Kerala in Alapuzha District, Kerala State, India.

The house had been built by our Pappa and Mummy after Pappa's retirement from KDHP Co Munnar in January 1975. Though begun in 1974 the house could be completed only in 1976 due to a lack of finance.  While Pappa had been a B Covenented official at the KDHP Co it was a real struggle as he had to send all the three children to hostels far away for  education. We had only upto the SSLC at Munnar at that time. When the house, 1500 sq ft, was finally completed we had to climb three steps from road level to enter it. Later on the road was raised several times with the result we had to go down more than three steps to step into it.

Water has merrily crept inside too. It is over one foot in the front room. The level is a little  low in the other rooms.It is several weeks since the floods. Flood waters enter the house at will. We have no idea when the inundation would finally recede. It is a tough call for the people of Kuttanad. Except for houses very recently built flood waters have entered  all the other houses in the area. A few of the houses are under six feet of water.

What I admire most is the unrelenting spirit of the people of Kuttanad. They never give up.They fight the elements that are against them all the time and not surprisingly they are the winners at the end.

After Pappa had passed away in 2008 the house belongs to Laji, my younger brother. He is at present staying at Kottayam. He maintains the house well and visits it once in a fortnight. We  visit the place bimonthly and spend a day or two there. A cousin's husband looks after the upkeep in our absence.
The house is kept just as Pappa had left it in 2008. It has all the facilities for our comfortable stay.
Mummy had passed away in 1978. Shorn of his companion of 29 years Papa had carried on gamely till nemesis had caught up with him. Losing both the parents was tough and it had left us stranded. The pain was unbearable. It still is.

Our visit takes us back to the good times we had in it. It is a journey back in a time machine. It keeps us  away from the hustle and bustle of our busy life for a while. It provides us some quiet moments to reflect. It lets  us connect with our relatives and with people who had held our parents in high esteem. It is an opportunity to remain incognito for a while. It is an occasion to think of  our parents and remember the love and affection they had showered upon us. The sacrifices they had made for us were phenomenal. We reap the benefits accruing  to us as a result of  their prayers. They had faith to sustain them. It was blind, absolute and strong. It was effective. We are nowhere near them on that score.

The deluge came after I had posted the earlier paragraphs. Water level  in the house went up to four feet. We can't reach the place as the whole area remain inundated. We had all the facilities there like Fridge,TV, Gas connection, Mixie, Vessels, costly Furniture, Pump set, beds, modern toilets,  and whatever one would need for a comfortable stay. All gone in a wink.

STARK TRAGEDY STARES AT A WELL TO DO FAMILY

What does one do when he has a  highly educated son, an architect by profession, who does no work, stays at home all the time and fights with the parents ? Tom in fact had been well employed. But he took every one by surprise when he  quit the job after twenty years of service. His wife had divorced him a few years ago as she could not suffer him for more than two years of married life. For her divorce was bliss. Fortunately there were no children.

Tom was  staying in his own house half a Kilometer from his parents' place. But he made the parents look after all his needs including food, non alcoholic beverages, essential articles and even money though he had tucked away  ten million Indian Rupees in his bank accounts. It was a pitiful sight when the parents trekked the distance four times a day to keep Tom well supplied with all his necessities  365 days a year.

In legal terms it is called cruelty to the elderly that  is a cognizable offence.

Tom relished the enforced hospitality. He enjoyed ringing up all the friends and relatives of his parents and siblings and speak ill of them without any let up.

Tom was an abject failure in stewardship. He did not take good care of the wonderful capabilities he had been  blessed with. In other terms he was not employing  the talents he had and was letting them rust. When you waste your talents  you are wasting your life. Is it not?

Tom was  the eldest son in the family and he had two younger brothers, Mark and Mathew, who along with their families  were staying with their parents. They were  senior officers in the State Government in their prime. The presence of Mark and Mathew kept the parents, both seventy five years of age  in a semblance of normalcy. Mark, an accountant  had a son, Phil and Mathew, a teacher had a son Dave.  Their wives were nurses in the District Hospital at Kollam 65 Km away from their residence. Fortunately they could commute and that kept the family going. As the eldest, Tom had  received  plenty of love and affection from the parents, the sole and lone recipient till the twins had  arrived, a couple of years later. Tom grew morose when he saw that he had to share everything with his siblings. He hated them even though the  siblings  loved him to the end of the world. The paradox was that he never even loved or respected the parents from whom he had unabashedly sourced love and affection.Tom never shared anything with his siblings. He never bought anything for his parents or flooded them with gifts from his earnings like most of the people did. He found joy in receiving and taking.  Though life is  a give and take affair Tom never gave anything away.

The truth was, the house where Tom resided, had been built by the parents. The demand Tom had been making on the parents consistently was that they had to turn the twins and their families out of their house. He was oblivious of the fact that the twins had been taking good care of the parents.

Exasperated, the parents sought help from Manoj, a counselor. Manoj, after a few sessions with the parents, Tom, Mark and Mathew could see that it was 'Helicopter parenting' that had played havoc in the family. 

Manoj assessed through protracted interactions that the parents had  deliberately kept self  confidence out of the children's system. They had felt they alone knew what was best for the children. They had thought the children  were incapable of taking decisions independently. They had appropriated decision making to themselves on behalf of their children.  The obedient children went along with the parents. It was quite convenient for the children. They never had to think or initiate any action on their own. It was wonderful for the children. But the outcome was terrible.   They became incompetent. Incompetent on every sphere projecting them as incapable on every count no matter their academic achievements. They  were never prepared to face the world. The parents forgot the major role in parenting. The fact that the children became  abject failures suited the parents well. They had the major role in all their decisions and their lives. Look at where it had landed the poor children when they grew up.  'Incompetence thy names are Tom, Mark and Mathew.'

Manoj knew he could alter the situation. He told Tom,  Mark and Mathew that he was there to give  them a hand. He said they could  retrieve the status. if they would be  with him. He told them life was to live.  He advised them not to saddle life with imponderables or perceived atrocities mounted on them with a vehemence or vengeance by people closer to them. 

He advised, "You can't live in the past. You can't redraw the past. It is the present that matters. Live in the present. Act to make it pleasant. Make the best of your life. I am  to give you a hand. I want you to do well in life."

Manoj carried on, "In the good old days everyone you came across could teach you

something that you had never been aware of. That was  how you had  learned. The more you learned you would  learn that you have more to learn. You would learn that you were prejudiced and blind. You would  learn that every person was different. You would  understand that the difference was to be celebrated and respected and not ridiculed. You would learn that nothing was  beyond an enthusiastic driver who refused to take no for an answer."

Although Tom had reservations Manoj somehow managed to fix up an interface with Tom after several attempts. Manoj had the shock of his life when Tom like he had been doing to all his visitors had locked him in.

Though Manoj feared for his own life,  he took courage in seeking out what was wrong with the odd family he had come across. It was a vitriolic out pour from Tom. He said he was sick of his parents,  the siblings and their families. They were all conspiring to destroy him physically, mentally  and financially. He dwelt on his favorite theme of banishment of  his siblings and their families from the parents' place. As he was unemployed he wanted his parents to transfer the title of the house that belonged to his parents to his name. While Manoj queried where the parents should stay after the transfer of the property Tom shirked his head and replied it was none of his business.

While Manoj could see that Tom's mental equilibrium was in tatters, he put a series of  questions to Tom in order to resolve the vexed issues that had plagued him. He asked whether Tom had at any point of time  returned  the love and affection  to his  parents or the siblings. Manoj put to Tom to think for a while and provide an honest answer and if the response  was positive Tom had to look inward to determine if it was really true. He further advised Tom that if it was  not, he had to look for where he had gone wrong and make amends.

Manoj quoted 'The Duchess of Malfi' a drama written by John Webster in 1612- 13 where the central characters are a Duke and a Duchess and where one doesn't come across the Duchess in it except through the monologues of the Duke. The Duke is autocratic. He brooks no competition. He steamrollers everyone he suspects. The Duchess was no exception meeting a gory end.

Manoj conveyed to Tom, "It tells you why you are what you are."

Tom had no answer to a series of questions from Manoj.

"Do you know you have two nephews? Do you know that their names are Philip and Dave? Do you know that Philip is Phil? Do you know that they are two adorable boys? Do you know where they are studying? Do you know the class they are in? Have you ever seen them face to face? Have you ever uttered a word to them? Have you ever expressed your love to them through words or deeds? Have you shown kindness to them? Have you ever gifted them even a piece of Chocolate ?What wrong had those little angels done to you to ignore them out and out?"

Manoj continued, "It may be you don't like their parents. But remember when you are in  dire straits -physical or mental- you would only have your own siblings to extend a hand to lift you up. Do not love them, do hate them  but keep in mind  there would be no one else to lend you a hand."

Tom responded, "God would be there."

The counselor reminded, " But God acts only through the chosen ones. For a human being they are the parents, siblings and close relatives in that order at the end."

Tom replied, " I don't care."

Manoj understood it was a lost cause and parted with a poser, " Would you ever be what you always have to be?"

Manoj heaved a sigh of relief when Tom unlocked the doors and the gate and allowed him to step into freedom. He advised the parents who were waiting anxiously that counseling alone would  be inadequate to cure Tom. Tom was in urgent need of medical attention.

As neither the parents nor Tom were in agreement with Manoj on the diagnosis,  status quo remained in the family.   

Manoj guaged the spirited evasion may only be  the forerunner  of  an all consuming explosion that no one could prevent. It could occur anytime without any notice as  the actors were all on a self destruct mode.

Manoj left for home after crossing his fingers hoping  nothing untoward would ever occur.

ON SELF DEVELOPMENT AND MOTIVATION

THE POWER OF POSITIVE THINKING
by

Norman Vincent Peale initiated my  transformation from what I had been to what I am.
Kind of before and after.

Published in 1952 I consider it the best todate for self development and motivation.

YOU ARE AWESOME
by
MATTHEW SYED

Great book. .
Recommending it for everyone that is if you have not come across it yet.

It is a must read
BOUNCE

by
the same author 

In 

YOU ARE AWESOME

MATTHEW SYED

narrates the history
of
J K Rowling
&

HARRY POTTER.
Probably the most

successful book series of all time.

MATTHEW SYED

Continues

Famous Failure 

JKRowling creator of Harry Potter says,

" Failure taught me things about myself that I could have learned no other way. I discovered that I had  a strong will and more discipline than I had suspected"

She spoke from her life.

At 32 before her first novel was published she was broke and unemployed.

She wrote her first novel in a coffee shop with her baby daughter asleep in a pram next to her.

After she had finished her book 12 publishers rejected her manuscript. 12 turned down Harry Potter!

She didn't give up. She believed in her work when nobody shared her vision.

Finally a small offer from an editor who could see something magical in the story saw her determination pay off.

The rest is history.

JKRowling  today is the best selling author, multimillionaire and philanthropist.

PHUBBING

For those who are ignorant.
'PHUBBING' isn't good for any one.
The word ' Phubbing' is derived from 'Phone' and 'Snubbing'.
The introduction of the Mobile Phone has coined the word 'Phubbing'.
In simple terms when you ignore a person sitting across and go on playing with your Phone or watch TV you are phubbing.
No doubt your bad manners are projected and displayed  prominently and you will lose your opportunities, friends and even your job due to your phubbing.
Phub is used as a verb also.
You can say ' I have phubbed you phubbing'.
Take care for your own future.

BIRTHDAY GREETINGS TO A VERY SPECIAL PERSON

We wish you a very very happy happy birthday.
We wish you have many many more.
We wish you have pleasant prosperous days ahead
We cherish the memories of your childhood
And the wonderful times
We have had and have
Grateful for the love, affection and care
You bestow upon us
And Aaron, Anoop and
Reshma
And not to forget
What you are to
Ammachi
And all our dear ones
We praise the Lord for your wonderful outlook and character
We are sanguine
Your ardent belief and
Faith in the Lord
Will let you cross all the Hurdles
That impede your path
We  pray for a fruitful long life and future for you
We pray that God lets
you
Banish the trying, hard
Times you  have been
Put through for good
For when the rain comes
And unleash its fury
With no let up
Sunshine is not
Far behind
We pray you have happy
Days
And happiness that are
Boundless
We pray that the Lord
Is with you in all your
Ventures
And leads you
And shows you the way
We praise the Lord for blessing you with Ann,
A wonderful companion, friend and guide
Who walked and walks with you in your hours of
Turmoil and turbulence
And Evana
Who we pray  make the best of her life
And grows to a beautiful
And an intelligent dame
Full of vigour, love, merriment,
Joy
Obedient with the fear of the Lord instilled in her
Making it meaningful
The struggles of
The doting parents

THE FINAL DESTRUCTION - APOCALYPSE

There was a forward in our family group highlighting the evils or to put it aptly disasters or calamities that had occurred  on   date 26 over a period of time. It threatened  that apocalypse is on on its way.

It made no sense.

I am posting excerpts from the forward and  my comments on it  as I firmly believe the idea of  harping on a particular date is  odd and repulsive. It  is  love alone that would  make this world a better place to live.

Excerpts

*Is it a Coincidence???*

 China Earthquake
 26th July 1976

 Gujrat Earthquake
 26 January 2001.

 Tsunami in Indian Ocean
 26th Dec 2004

 Mumbai attack 26/11
 26th November 2008

 Taiwan earthquake
 26th July 2010

 Japan Earthquake
 26th February 2010

 Now Nepal earthquake
 26th April 2015.

 *Why is it Always "26" ?*

A number of interesting facts that we'd think about it:

Do we realize ... ???

Aceh Tsunami 26-12-2004,

Jogja Quake
26-05-2006

Mount Merapi Eruption
26-10-2010

Tenggarong Bridge
Samarinda, Indonesia
Collapse
26-09-2013

26 Okt
Haiyan typhoon

Recent earthquakes in Nepal on 26-04-2015.

Why all this Occur on the date of 26th?

Is this a coincidence ??

Comments

Apocalypse - the final destruction is the favourite theme for all the prophets of doom or doomsday.

Ever since we grew up to little children we have been threatened with apocalypse.
Jesus never did that in His teachings or exhortations.

He taught us to pray and love each other.
Look into one's own self. Do we obey Him or follow Him?

Do we spend a very little fraction of our time, our effort or wealth for our  brethren that would include our own close relatives who are in acute necessity of financial or emotional support?

If the answer is yes, no apocalypse can ever touch or harm us.

Unfortunately we confine ourselves to the perceived safety of our own four walls.

The selfish conduct is the harbinger of our own apocalypse and not that of the world.

The world will go on and on as our God is the God of love and not  of hate or of the ultimate ruin and destruction.

While it may be true the events or the calamities had taken place on the 26th why not speak of the good things that had happened in the world since its origin. When the rain comes sunshine is not far behind.

Articulation of love than of apocalypse would do a world or host of good for the world.