ADAM & EVE - Jeffrey Archer writes to his readers

 "After fifty years of story telling, I have decided the time has come to write my final novel.

Adam & Eve has now proved to be my most satisfying writing endeavour and I can only hope you will feel the same way.

Please allow me end by thanking all my readers from around the world in 119 countries.

It has allowed this simple story teller the privilege of spending so many hours in your company.

I should have been Prime Minister, Captain of the England Cricket team or won an Olympic Gold for the Hundred metres, but then we can all dream.

As Marcel Proust reminded us:

'We always end up doing the thing we're second best at'

I can only hope that you've discovered what you're second best at.

Farewell and thank you

Jeffrey Archer"

Excerpts from the forward in Adam & Eve by the author 

HARRY KANE - Ballon D'Or, 2026 - Men's Football

 It's about the journey.

Work hard when nobody is watching.

I wasn't the kid who went straight to the top.

I had to experience the downs.

I had to find my way

To be the very best right now.

ALEXIA PUTELLAS - Ballon d'Or Feminin 2026 - Women's Football

 Don't listen to those who tell you no. 

Just do it.

If you have a dream, pursue it, even if you have to start from Zero. 

The most important thing is to do it with love and passion

NAGGING COUGH

Nagging Cough even after infection has gone?
Antibiotics won't solve it

Airways could still be inflamed, pollution could make it worse or it could point to other respiratory conditions.

Solution

1. Find cause

a. Persistent cough needs assessment. Treatment differs for allergies, asthma, COPD and viral infections.

b. Get checked for tuberculosis if cough comes with fever, weight loss, breathlessness, wheezing, chest pain or blood in sputum

c. Sometimes asthma and vocal cord dysfunction can together cause  voice loss - (Please consult an ENT doctor or a Pulmonologist at the earliest)

2. Treat nasal allergies

If there is a running nose or post-nasal drip, anti allegy tablets or nasal sprays may be prescribed.

3. Use Inhalers

For wheezing or cough-variant asthma where cough can be the only symptom - (But only under the doctor's supervision)

4. Cut pollution exposure

Avoid outdoor exercise on high pollution days. Wear N95 masks outside.

5. Soothe Throat

Warm water may ease irritation. Cough syrups offer temporary relief at best.

6. Avoid self prescribed antibiotics

They do not treat pollution triggered cough. Unnecessary use leads to antibiotic resistance.

Source

The Times of India, 28 October 2026

AUTHORITARIANISM

Dhananjay Nahapatra reports Justice Ujjal Bhuyan's speech at the convocation ceremony of of University of Science and technology, Meghalaya in The Times of India of 1st November 2026        

Justice Ujjal Bhuyan

"Authoritarianism sets in when society fears questions.

A society that fears questions becomes vulnerable to authoritarianism.

A society that treats tradition as beyond scrutiny may fail to reform unjust practices.

Article 51A of the Constitution of India  does not merely ask us to acquire scientific knowledge. 

It asks us to cultivate a temperament which is based on reason. It tells us to question, to examine and where necessary, to reform.

I believe, scientific temperament lays the foundation for the rule of law. This is because arbitrary power thrives on ignorance, fear and unexamined belief. A society that accepts claims without evidence is susceptible to superstitious beliefs and becomes vulnerable to misinformation.

Willingness to  reason together through a meaningful debate alone can make a society stronger.

Circulation of information and scrutiny by public reasoning becomes part of the due process by which democratic society resonates with justice.

For a more just and humane society, it is important that we move away from the destructive binary of 'us' and 'they' and embrace the idea of oneness. 

Not for nothing, the Preamble  to the Constitution of India starts with the expression - 'We, the People of India'. The Constitution speaks to all citizens of India as equal members of the constitutional order. Therefore, "we' represents a larger idea of belonging in which our individual identities  or group  identities do not diminish our shared constitutional unity."

Though Justice Bhuyan's exhortation is  to the citizens of India as a whole, it is hoped the leaders of a Church based in South India and its members would thoroughly imbibe its spirit. For the Church has been embroiled in controversies and litigation for more than a decade.

            

RETIRE RETIREMENT - OTIS D'SOUZA, 63

 Otis D'Souza is the co-founder of an event management company. He's now an intern at a startup.

He calls himself an intern. He says it gives him a purpose in life. 

He realised this after he watched the 2015 film 'The Intern' with Robert De Niro in the title role.

 He found the film beautiful, where the 70 year old Intern advises the MD of the Startup,      "You are never wrong to do the right thing," 

His philosophy:

"If you can build the picture in your head, you can build it."

"Never set out to make money. Set out for purpose, legacy and execution."

"I am a professional at making mistakes. Every mistake you can think of, I've made."

"I retired with money, but I hadn't planned for retirement."

"Money is the biggest trap of life."

A 22 year old asked him how to deal with parents who wanted him to live life their way.

He replied, "Honour your parents now. You are 22. Your time will come soon."

He advises young people, "Valuation is the new buzzword. But first look to build value."

He likes the term 'Intern' very much. 

"It means to be of service. I'm very proud of being an intern."

He has enough money. What he didn't have was a reason to go somewhere every morning.The internship provides him the opportunity for that..

He prefers the word 'partner' and dislikes the word 'founder.'

When his event management  company made money, he bought a Harley-Davidson. He rode it everywhere from the Himalayas to Mangaluru. He admits , "It tried to kill me a few times."

The retired entrepreneur, met Joshua Salins who owned the startup, HobbyTribe, working from an incubation centre in Bandra. They bonded well. He works as an intern in the start up. He always had a penchant for reinvention.

Otis D'Souza's wisdom comes from a lifetime of missteps. To escape the tedium of studies as a teenager, D'Souza , the son of an Air India Pilot, dropped out of school and joined a helicopter company as a cleaner.. After three years, he decided to obtain a degree. He drew  courage from his father who told him, he too could become an engineer if he worked hard..    

He aced every subject in his aircraft maintenance course. 

When he was 30, he joined a college for an MBA. Afterwards he had set up a business that never took off. It was at this point, he co-founded the event management company in 1994. 

And money flowed.

Retirement to Otis D'Souza isn't the end of a career, but the beginning of a different kind of working life.

He has successfully retired retirement.

It certainly is an art.

M. ANNADURAI, 68 - RETIREMENT DIDNOT MEAN STEPPING AWAY

M.Annadurai, 'Moon Man of India,' retired from ISRO in 2018.  He had been very busy till the date of retirement. The morning after that day , the Sun rose as usual. But for the first time in four decades, his calendar was blank. Then, suddenly there was nowhere he had to be. He found it very difficult to sit idle. 

He began to help others build their careers. 

He has become a student again. 

He says, "My days now are definitely more satisfying to me. Life has given me an opportunity to learn more, understand people, face problems and develop India specific solutions."

And adds, "More than infrastructure, we need to invest in bringing up the younger generation."

He mentors.

He emphasises, "Every day is a gift. Every gift should have a return gift. The return gift is what I am giving back to the system."

He enjoys the satisfaction he derives from his second innings where he helps all those who need an assist..

The satisfaction appears to come less from  revisiting his own achievements than from visualising what can be built with the knowledge they gave him.

Who is M. Annadurai.

He is a Padma Shri awardee.

He had worked on two of the defining missions of India's space programme.

He was project director of Chandrayaan-1, India's first mission to the moon.

He was closely associated with the Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM)

He had headed the Isro Satellite Centre which is now the U R Rao Satellite Centre.