COLD HUMOUR IN REPORTING

 When I searched for the schedule of World Cup matches today, I came across this paragraph in the report.

The humour speaks volumes on the exhilaration of the winners and the frustration of the losers.

"With the FIFA World Cup now in the knockout stage, every match is a do-or-die battle. The winners move one step closer to lifting the trophy, while the losers head home."

"A ruthless finish crushes one team and convinces the other, it is chosen."

"For the loser it is devastating. For the winner it is restoration."

TEAM SPIRIT

 

For a vibrant team spirit 

and eventual elevation, 

the team needs to be teeming with people  

who love to get on with their 

work or assignments or responsibilities.

Nothing  stops them 

when they  combine well together.

CHALLENGES UPON YOU

 

As challenges are upon you,

what matters is not how you begin, 

but how you finish

BEST OF BEST

 The best of best always find a way to improve,

 no matter how gruelling 

 the challenges are

BASKING IN COMFORT

 

Parents today, rich, rich beyond imagination, middle class or poor raise their children in comfort.

The children inherit comfort before they earn or gain independence. They revel in comfort.

They never learn to lead their life the hard way. They take everything for granted.

But financial dependence makes emotional independence much harder.

They do not develop the hunger or drive to exert themselves.  Curiosity has no place in their build.. 

They cannot lead their life without their support system. They are utterly dependent on that. 

They never learn how to be uncomfortable and succeed. They never know how the real world works.

Let the children evolve. Let them find their own space themselves.

The world will then be a better place.

MASTER TACTICIAN // CARLO ANCELLOTTI //BRAZIL'S ITALIAN - REAL MADRID COACH

MASTER TACTICIAN

BRAZIL'S ITALIAN - REAL MADRID COACH 

Carlo Michelangelo Ancelotti widely known in professional football as Carlo Ancelotti

A master tactician knows how to make the most of a team when it is not playing at its absolute best.

He sheperds his wards to the gold standard of greatness.

He knows how to deal with situations. He has the ability to understand the formation necessary for the team he manages.

He keeps the members of his team happy and maintains their morale.

He converts everyone to stars. He doesnot ignore anyone.

Forging excellent relationships with all the members of his team, he establishes mutual trust with them. He makes their composure and maturity shine.

He never criticises members of the team in public. He guards them. He protects them. He defends them. But he doesnot hesitate to be open with them, one to one. Ancellotti was heard telling Vinicious Junior, "I'll replace you if you don't run," in a hard fought La Liga game. But when he faced the press there was not a word against Vinicious.

Even if the members his team are temperamental and do not  perform in  accordance with their potential, instead of taking them to task, he instills self belief in them. He imbues them  with affection.

In the end,  he manages to turn them around. They respond raising their lackluster performance to exalted elevations.

The team really performs.

What Ancellotti has done or is doing is exactly what a manager, a teacher or  those in authority anywhere have to carry out to make their team as whole and especiially each member of their team  perform well and realise or even exceed their full potenial.

Based in part on a presentation in The Times of India of 26 June 2026 (Sports folio)

FEW DISTINCT MATTERS THAT REQUIRE THE ATTENTION OF THE CHIEF MINISTER OF KERALA

 

The Chief Minister 
Govt. of Kerala
Govt Secretariat
Thiruvananthapuram                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      24June 2026

Respected Sir,

May I present the following for your kind attention

1. We learn that creation of new districts in Kerala is being contemplated.

Tiruvalla needs to be included in the scheme. Among all the places in Central Kerala, Tiruvalla has grown beyond all proportions.. Please create Tiruvalla district, bifurcating Tiruvalla from Pathanamthitta and bifurcating Kuttanad and Chengannur from Alapuzha. It would benefit the entire population of the three Taluks as they have to travel far to reach their respective district head quarters.

2. Please convert the Overbridge at Pettah, Trivandrum to 4 lane. The traffic congestion at Pettah is mainly due to the two lane bridge there. You will have to overcome strong objection to the widening of the bridge..

3. Pettah Junction , Trivandrum needs a fly over for better traffic management
.
4. The Pettah - Venpalavattom Road under reconstruction is dragging on. At this rate, the work could be completed only in more than 12 months..

5.The Pettah -Venpalavattom road widening was conceived at 18 metres width. But at the intervetion of a senior politician, the width was reduced to 14 metres. It was the worst decsion any government could have taken. There was no vision for the future in this arbitrary decision..

6. The widening of Pettah - Venpalavattom road  has become ineffective as vehicles are parked on both sides of the raod. It has made the widening ineffectual.

I  will be happy if these points are attended to, if possible. If not the people will continue to suffer. 

There is nothing wrong if they are ignored as people have been suffering with no recourse for long and they will go on with the way they have been going on till now.

Yours sincerely
sd/-
 

DHAKSHINESWAR SURESH // INDIA'S DISCOVERY IN TENNIS

 

 DHAKSHINESWAR SURESH 
 INDIA'S DISCOVERY IN TENNIS

Dhakshineswar Suresh is India's newest Davis Cup star. A late bloomer, at 26, mid career by tennis standards, he is beginning his journey in professional tennis. 

6 ft 6 in tall, Dhakshineswar had to battle a debilitating lower back injury. It had cost him two crucial years of his career. He had managed to outwit the disability through physiotherapy. He reflects, "It was 30 weeks of torture. Those days were awful."

In the Davis Cup fixture against Netherlands in 2026, India could sail through because he had won his two singles matches and on account of his excellent performance in the doubles. His coach, Tony Bresky, revealed, "He's got an explosive game. a very big serve, a big forehand and he comes to the net a lot. He has great hands too, which made him stand out in the doubles."

Dhakshinaswar dreams of breaking into the top 250 at first. It would earn him a place in the qualifying draws of the Grand Slams. His ambitions extend beyond that. "The next step is the top 100. That would be a big achievement. I have big dtreams. But obviously it's very very tough in tennis. I'll take it step by step."

If there is one thing that Dhakshineswar understands, it's the distance between adversity and achievement.

He had travelled that path - the years 2018,2019 and the pandemic were brutal - in mind, body and tennis. It took him from a debilitating lower back injury - a disc bulge - that left him unable to sit or stand for 30 weeks, to serving aces to seal India's Davis Cup tie.

Suresh, his father, had been a former third division cricketer from Dindigul. He was a part time actor as well. Suresh sold his cable TV business at Dindgul and shifted the family of three - himself, Bano, his wife and Dhakshineswar to Chennai. He perceived his son had to be there for a solid  future. 

They survived at the city because Bano had found a job as an accountant. She was the sole breadwinner for the family, while Suresh was taking care of their son's venture into tennis and tournaments.

Suresh had introduced his son to tennis with the belief that he should "shine individually."

He says, " When he was born, I told my wife in the hospital itself that our son wasn't going to be a doctor or an engineer, he was going to be a sportsman."

Ten years ago he was spotted in a camp organised for players  by Somdev Devvarman, who had turned to coaching aftter climbing to career high ranking of 62. He was struck by Dakshineswar's work ethic. The hard yards didnot scare him. At 16, he was competing with professionals in the camp. He had even outperformed them in some of the drills. It was at Somdev's insistence, "Uncle, better send him to college. You don't have a penny in your pocket and he needs to grow as player,"  Suresh was  convinced to send his son to US. 

Dakshineswar had joined the Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina for his graduate studies and to further his prospects in tennis.

According to him, he has improved a lot as a player over the past four years. 

He reminisces, "I have seen how it works. That's why I'll be based in the US. It'll definitely help me become a better player."

There is no visible rush in his approach. But he exhibits a quiet conviction that his path does not have to mirror anyone else's timeline.

Tennis in India had all time greats, Ramanathan Krishnan, Ramesh Krishnan, Vijay Amritraj and many others. They had taken the country forward when they were on the court.  Their departure had left India with a persistent dearth of talent on the world stage. 

Dakshineswar Suresh has the makings to be their  worthy successor.

He is an eye opener to the teeming millions in India who struggle to do well in life.

Prajwal Hegde in The Times of India of 23 June 2026 raises the question,"Can India's late-blooming giant crack tennis's top 100?"

ALL TIME VIEWS CROSS 150000

 

When all time views of this blog crossed 150000 mark on 18 June 2026, Wednesday,   the happy news  was relayed to my mentors, Rev. Dr. C.I.David Joy and Rev.Dr.Santy.S.Paul, the Principal and the Registrar of the KUT Seminary, Kannammoola, Trivandrum, Kerala, India. Rev.Dr. C.I. David Joy is the President of the Senate of Serampore. 

"All time views, today, at the moment, are 150762. I am indeed grateful to my viewers, when I observe that  all time views have surged to 150762 on June 18, 2026.

The journey had taken 15 years to reach the 50000 mark.

However, from 50000 to 100000 it was a 6 months' hop.

Capping it, in a leap of 44 days, the views have exploded from 100000 to 150000

I praise God for enabling me travel this far.

I am indebted to the viewers for accepting me"

It evoked this wonderful response from Rev.Dr.Santy.S.Paul

That's indeed a recognition that what you share makes sense to those who read and hence it is  well received.

1.5 Lakh views for a blog is not that easy (even for a video content, it is difficult)

I am really happy for you.

Keep going.

You are indeed an inspiration

And I replied

"You are indeed an inspiration," has bowled me over.  Thank you for the elevating and invigorating compliment. I had no idea on the probabilities of blog viewership when I had commenced.  I was pleasantly surprised when it began to rise across the globe. It's the encouragement you have given that urges me to prod on with vigour

Prof. Babu Zacharia had recently told me, he liked what he had read. He said he found it conveying from heart to  heart. 

The well known Professor had taught English at the Marthoma College, Tiruvalla. 

CABO VERDE IN FIFA WORLD CUP 2026

 CABO VERDE IN FIFA WORLD CUP 2026

Cabo Verde's exploits have become a universal moment of inspiration for ordinary people.

When Cabo Verde, ranked 67, played Spain,.ranked 3, in the World Cup, it was like eleven men playing with the passion of outgunned soldiers taking a last stand. It brought back  the rapture of romance and power of dreams to the World Cup. Spain emerged from the game with a point and an early lesson. 

Never underestimate your opponent.

The game had unfolded like a thriller.

Cabo Verde proved that talent is omnipresent. They committed just one foul in the 90 minutes, the lowest in a World Cup game since 1966. .They showed poise with the ball. They attacked with gusto to the best of their ability. They achieved their goal without scoring one. No neutral fan needed goals in the goalless game. 

Cabo Verde forgot that their opponents were tipped to win the World Cup.They forgot that their opponents were elites from Barcelona, PSG and Man City.They played rivals, not million dollar babies. They replaced productive algorithms with unpredictable heat. There was more to their game than despertately guarding their citadel. There was a rising degree of desperation in the Spanish team. 

Cabo Verde's dream run continued on Sunday, 21st June 2026. Their players were again undaunted by the reputation of their opponent. They scored first in the match. They held the two time world champions, Uruguay, to a 2 - 2 draw. 

Helio Varela, who scored the final goal in the match to make it 2 - 2 said,"I had dreamed of this. But I never imagined it would happen this way.. Scoring my first goal for the national team on my World Cup debut is incredible. I have no words."

Cabo Verde coach summarised the teams's attitude, " Once you are on the pitch, a lot of things become equal."

Weaving magic in their two appearances on the World Cup stage, Cabo Verde teaches us that the challenges in life are never insurmountable.

They are there to bring the best out of us. 

The composition has as its base the wonderful article'World Cup's Already  Found Romance' by Avijit Ghosh in the Times of India of June 20,2026 and reports in The Times of India of 21,22 and 23 of June 2026.                 

FEASTING ON SCAPEGOATS

 

Barbosa was the Brazilian goalkeeper who conceded the decisive goal that led to Uruguay's 2 - 1 triumph over hosts Brazil in the 1950 World Cup final.

50 years after the game, a woman in a shop spotted him. 

"Look at him", she told her son, "He is the man that made all of Brazil cry."

Unfortunately, the newspapers and  the TV news channels in Kerala are moving heaven and earth on a drive to feast on scapegoats. For them, the rulers of the State on date are the convenient scapegoats.

They feed on negative news. They feed negative news. The gullible public toe their line. They depend on ventriloquism. They make people sing their songs. 

Since the supposedly  have nots far exceed the haves - though have nots are no longer have nots - the have nots are happy to vent their intolerance of rulers of the day through the media.

The media thrive on the ratings.

Sans scapegoats they can't ever do that.

TRANSFORMING YOURSELF

 

Inspire people

Improvise

Find the purpose of your life

Success is non-negotiable 

Never try to impress people

Pursue satisfaction

If you have a spiritual outlook towards life, you will be able to accomplish whatever you set out for.

IF SHE IS TALLER

 

What if she's taller, richer, older or better educated

Happy is the man who ignores it and listens to his heart

Gulf in stature is never a deterrent for those who strive without inhibition 

QUALITY // ADAM GRANT // THINK AGAIN

 

Quality means rethinking, reworking, and polishing.

One should not be ridiculed for going back to the drawing board.

He  must feel he is celebrated for that.

You have to revise your thinking based on inputs from others.

Critique the work rather than the author.

Avoid preaching and prosecuting

Show humility and curiosity.

Upgrade your own criteria 

Redefine your standards 

Discuss and debate how excellence should unveil itself.

Education is not the information we accummulate. It's the habits we develop as we keep revising our drafts and the skills we build to keep learning.

Good teachers introduce new thoughts, great teachers introduce new ways of thinking. 

Collecting a teacher's knowledge may help us solve the challenges of the day.

But understanding how a teacher thinks can help us navigate the challenges of a lifetime.

Quality alone delivers a dynamic metamorphosis.

AGNOSTIC // EXAM - AGNOSTIC

 The headline of an article in The Times of India of June 20, 2026 read "NTA goes exam-agnostic, 'blinds' its paper setters."

The sub-heading was "Deploys Larger Question Pools To Stop Leaks."

NTA is National Testing Agency.

Quoting here the first paragraph of the article by Manash Gohain

"A large question bank, more paper-setters and restrictions ensuring nobody can know or see the final question paper formed the core of the redesigned question-setting  system for the June 21 NEET-UG retest - a part of the high security process undertaken following a leak that led to the medical entrance exam's cancellation in May."

(It seems Indians as a whole wish to become Doctors and if they don't suceed in that, they wish to become Engineers through the JEE Main and the JEE Advanced)

The term exam-agnostic made me search it out as it was beyond comprehension.

Agnostic, I was familiar through enlightened debates with my friends at Sagar. We all had ended up there since we were no good for admission to the few PG seats available in Kerala at that time.

We were of three categories: 

Atheists, Agnostics and Theists

I belonged to the last.

Our debates were healthy and arguments were strong. Once we were done with we used to climb into the six wheeled tempos to reach the city and troop into a cinema theatre to watch a movie.

Our debate would go on and reach nowhere and it would go on for days together, just as the current day debates in Kerala that end nowhere.

Internet on AGNOSTIC and EXAM-AGNOSTIC:

AGNOSTIC

A person who is not sure if God exists or not.

EXAM-AGNOSTIC

The term "exam-agnostic" refers to content, platforms, or tools that are not tied to any single specific test or curriculum.

 It means the resource is designed to teach foundational skills or deliver services that apply universally, regardless of the test you are preparing to take.

Depending on the context, here is how the concept is applied:

1. Education & Prep Materials Definition:

Resources—like books, AI platforms, or coaching portals—that teach core concepts rather than memorizing answers for a specific test like the JEE, NEET, or UPSC.

Benefit: 

Allows students to build fundamental skills (like reading comprehension or math principles) that translate to any examination they face.

Examples: 

Platforms like SATHEE provide access to curriculum-agnostic learning modules and competitive exam prep via the Ministry of Education.

2. Job & Platform Matching Definition: 

In technology and data science, it means an algorithm or matching system that operates successfully without relying on predefined "examination functions" to evaluate candidates or match them (e.g., job postings on LinkedIn or dating platforms).

Benefit: 

Creates fairer bilateral matches between two parties by looking at mutual preferences rather than rigid, formulaic test results.

3. Medical & Diagnostic Context Definition:

A medical exam (like a physical checkup or an MRI review) conducted without the doctor or radiologist knowing the patient's prior history or prior test results.

Benefit: 

Prevents bias. By remaining "agnostic," a physician evaluates physical symptoms or imaging scans completely objectively, without preconceived notions.

The conclusion is left to the viewers.

READING HAS BUILT ME UP

 

I have been reading since I was a child. I can't remember a time when I wasn't reading. Papa had nurtured my love for books, newspapers and periodicals.

Reading has given me the courage to be who I am. It helps me make sense of the world. It allows me to step into lives apart from my own. It builds empathy in me. It helps me express myself with clarity.

Books have sparked my imagination. Reading is invaluable as it assists us in understanding people and their emotions. Growing up with books has instilled in  me an impetus to familiarise myself with the art of storytelling.

Reading has enlarged my horizon. It has developed my personality.

I love books that explore relationships, identity and complexities of life. Fiction has been the platform that has brought them alive.

There was a time when I used to read three books a day. I had been searching for a job. I was staying at home. My siblings had been away in their college hostels. After Papa left for his work, Mummy and I were the two at home. I would be immersed in my books - fiction, western and thillers -  and Mummy on  finishing her tasks in the kitchen would spend hours together reading the bible, praying  and singing spirituals in praise of  God. The exact count of books I had been through those two years is beyond recall.

Later on my favourite spot for reading  became my travels. When you travel you have to spend a long time over it.  And it  helps you catch up with  reading as nothing can replace the experience of getting lost in a good book.

One thing I am sanguine. 

Reading has transformed me.

Reading has built me up.

I composed this, drawing inspiration partially from the reflections of Indian actors Andrea Jeremiah and Kalyani Priyadarshan in Trivandrum Times, The Times of India of June 19, 2026 on the influence of books and reading  in their lives. For me, they were depicting my own life. I have taken the liberty of interjecting what I had been through here apart from reframing a few  words,  phrases and sentences in the articles.

ASK WHAT PEOPLE CAN DO, NOT WHAT DEGREE THEY HOLD

 ASK WHAT PEOPLE CAN DO, NOT WHAT DEGREE THEY HOLD

The things worth doing rarely fit neatly into a planning cycle.

The deepest shift needed in selection of people for recruitment is the simplest.

We have to stop asking what certificate someone holds.

We have to start asking what they can actually do. Project based assessment, demonstrated competency, applied evaluation- these have been on the reform agenda for years. They keep getting deferred as they are hard to standardise. That difficulty is exactly why they matter

The things worth doing rarely fit neatly into a planning cycle

Ipsita Gauba in Times of India 18June2026

ARGENTINE FOOTBALLING TRADITION

 

Argentine footballing tradition

It is flexible with their formations and tactics, keen on passing and fluidity.

It is also capable of fast sprints and hoofs, if circumstances require it.

A system has been created by Argentine players where in one match alone we are just as likely to see a hundred touches in 20 minutes followed by 20 minutes without touching the ball. 

It is a cobweb of synchronized players who can slip in and out of different roles.

Each one  thinks and acts all the time.

The entire squad is like a brain in action, neural networks triggering each other, creating infinite relationships.

Marcela Mora y Araujo in Times of India 18June2026

IN FOOTBALL YOU HAVE SPLIT SECONDS

 

In football you have split seconds to make important decisions, 

and 

intelligence is the ability to make the right choice at speed.

When I found this in the newspaper I started thinking.

It applies everywhere.

When you drive, when you cook, when you write an exam,

when you work in a bank, when you teach, 

when you spend your hard earned money

when you prescribe a medicine

when you conduct a surgery

the list is extensive. 

there is no end to it

To an extent, you can premeditate

but you can't go far

I have found taking a decision itself 

is the most challenging task in the world

You can go wrong

And you can't board a time machine

and travel back in time

What is lost is lost forever

Your gains are transient7

the bar is raised forever

Inch by inch

till you falter

Still there is no way out

You, you have to decide

Quick

WHY MESSI CAN STILL BE MESSI

 

Why Messi can still be Messi?
Because, even close to 40, he still possesses the footballing intelligence to make right decisions at speed.
Let's enjoy it while it lasts
Messi feels like he's closer to closing night just as he has put three past, Luca Zidane, Zinedine Zidane's son.
Let's enjoy that he's still playing, that he's bowing out playing.
Marcela Mora y Araujo in Times of India 18June2026

"It's an advantage to have Messi because of how he handles the group and pushes it forward.
Because of whom he is.
He doesn't care about individual records. He prioritizes the group and for us it's incredible"

Rodrigo De Paul 
Argentina 

And Messi says:
Everything I am experiencing is bonus. I've been fortunate enough to achieve all my dreams or even more than I ever dreamed of achieving, both professionally and personally.

Times of India reports on 18June2026
Messi is the first man to appear in six world cups
It is a tale of perseverance, heartbreak, redemption and enduring excellence.
While his left foot has set the bar and benchmark of footballing excellence,it's amazing that he began his 16 goal journey with his right foot,
The world waits for him, to get another moment of thrill

GAYA IN BIHAR

 

                                                     GAYA IN BIHAR           

Gaya achieved yet another distinction when Shubham Kumar, son of a hardware shop owner, achieved the No.1 rank in this year's (2026) JEE, Advanced. He resides in the densely populated Nadiraganj, 3 km away from Patwa Toli, known as the IIT factory. 

Around 200 of the 1000 households in the village boast of an IITian.

Shubhman had moved to Rajsthan's coaching hub, Kota for coaching.

However, most of the students in Gaya are attending coaching at the free coaching centres at Gaya itself. It is a silent revolution in South Bihar. The free coaching centres provide space, material and mentorship to hundreds of students.

Students who have cleared IIT return the favour by supporting newer batches, creating a cycle of mentorship and empowerment.

The local community has embraced the idea of collective progress.

Parents have no hesitation to invest in children's education despite financial constraints. Former IITians happily support upcoming students.. 

Villagers work in powerlooms to fund tuition and educational requirements of their children. They are committed to ensuring that the past or poverty doesnot bar talent from flourishing.

Gaya was earlier famous for the enlightening of the Budha. It had also been well known for the ancestral salvation of the Hindus. But, during 1990s, the Magadh region of which Gaya was a part was notorious for bloody clashes between the Ranveer sena, a defunct private militia of upper caste landlords.and landless labourers supported by Maoist factions. Massacres had marred the lanscape for a long time. 

What is visible today is that families once trapped in a cycle of violence and fear are nutruring engineers and doctors now.

Gaya is a symbol.

The magical transformation in Gaya is before us. We can see that  former students from the free coaching centres who have made it big in the world have no hesitation in lending a hand for  the upscaling of their own brethren. 

Guess what will happen if Gaya is replicated everywhere? 

From fear to IIT dreams, Gaya's quiet revolution
writes Manoj Chaurasia in Times of india of 12 June 2026

RAM MANOHAR LOHIA IN GOA

 

Ram Manohar Lohia in Goa on June 18,1946

"Even if we cannot at once attain our freedom, we must at least think and speak of freedom and build up the strength to strive for it.

Our hope is the strength of the people, that is ever piling up. It will create freedom, no matter the unending trials we may have to crisscross."

(Redone in part)

The Indian Army had liberated Goa from the Portuguese on December 19, 1961.

PRAKASH AMRITRAJ

 PRAKASH AMRITRAJ

For years Prakash Amritraj lived in his father Vijay's long shadow. Today, the former player of tennis has become one of television's most perceptive and distinctive voices.

Prakash Amritraj, son of Vijay Amritraj, stepped away from Tennis in 2010, about a year after reaching a career high ranking of 154. He had felt his passion for the sport was on the wane. 

Two years later, while attending Wimbledon as a spectator, a conversation with Richard Williams altered the way he thought about himself and his career. 

"They (Richard's daughters Serena and Venus Williams) don't even process what other people think about them, especially the negative stuff."

Prakash speaks of the lessons he took from that afternoon, " I thought to myself, what a magical way to exist. Because then, you can focus on what you nactually need to do."

Though he took hiself seriously into tennis again, a shoulder injury at 30 had halted his come back. It was the first heartbreak in his life. 

Heartbreak, in time became motivation. He refused to leave his potential unrealised. After tennis broke his heart,  Amritraj found his courtside voice active.

He rebuilt himself with patience and purpose. He trusted his inner voice. He chased fitness relentlessly. Training was an obsession to him. 

He states his biggest asset is listening. 

He goes by the principle, "When people see someone who looks like them succeed on merit, it expands the boundaries of what is possibe."

And you get the best out of your life....

courtesy Prajwal Hegde Times of India 12June2026

OVERHAUL FOOTBALL IN INDIA

Kota in Rajasthan is well known for its coaching centres. Students accompanied by their parents flock to Kota to prepare for entrance examinations and secure admission in the premier engineering and medical colleges in India. The parents leave everything behind and stay with their children to provide them support in the  endeavour of the children.

When the FIFA World Cup fever sweeps across the world India  has not made it to the tournament. India with a population of 1.47 billion - No. 1 in the world in population -  finds it extremely difficult to put together a team of footballers to compete with the best in the world. It is a tournament where 39 year old Lionel Messi scores a hatrick in the first game Argentina has played. It is a tournament where 40 year old Vozinha, the Cabo Verde goalkeeper, made 7 stellar saves to hold off tournament favourites Spain to a draw in the 90 minutes encounter. 

Indians truly lack the fighting spirit on the football field that they display at Kota.

Football in India is top heavy. The AIFF - All India Football Federation - does not know how to manage the game in India. Indian football is in need of a Kota like approach.

India at the moment is incomparable with debutants, Cabo Verde and Curacao, two teams whose exploits in the current World Cup far exceed expectations.

Cabo Verde with a population of 530000,  is an Island country and archipelago in the Central Atlantic Ocean off Western Africa.

In a thrilling game, they shocked  Spain, 2010 World Champions and current European Champions, with a goalless draw  

Curacao with a population of 158000, is an island  in the southern Caribbean Sea,  north of Venezuela. 

Curacao, rank outsiders, had shocked Germany and the entire world when they had scored the equaliser after Germany's first goal against them. Though they lost out 7 - 1 at the end, they showed they knew how to play the game.

Perhaps, India will be able to compete in the World Cup to be held four years from now if the AIFF is dismantled and Football is brought under the direct control of our dynamic Prime Minister who knows how to get things done. 

A drastic overhaul of football in India alone can raise the level of the game in India. Football must be nurtured from grassroot levels. Discover them young must be the constant call. 

If teams from a population of 530000 and 158000 can debut at the World Cup, it is apparent,  the team from a population of 1.47 billion can certainly make its debut there. 

Till it happens, we can draw solace from the happy news that four footballers of Indian origin are representing their adopted nations at the current tournament. 

Sarpreet Singh (New Zealand): An attacking midfielder of Punjabi descent, he made history by becoming the first player of Indian origin to start a FIFA World Cup match

Tahsin Mohammed Jamshid (Qatar): A 19-year-old winger born in Doha to parents from Kerala.

Nishan Velupillay (Australia): A 25-year-old winger of Tamil descent who made his World Cup debut for the Socceroos (Australian National Football Team).

Samuel Moutoussamy (DR Congo): A midfielder tracing roots to the Indian diaspora, representing the Congolese national team. He controlled the game in the match against Portugal.

It is obvious, we have the talent. But we have to emigrate.

LECTURES NOT THE BEST METHOD OF LEARNING

 

LECTURES NOT THE BEST METHOD OF LEARNING

ADAM GRANT
THINK AGAIN

Lectures are not always the best method of learning. They are not enough to develop students into lifelong learners. 

If you spend all of your school years being fed information and are never given the opportunity to question it you won't develop the tools for rethinking that you need in life.

While a boring lecture would fail, even captivating lectures can fall short for a less obvious, more valid reason.

Lectures aren't designed to accommodate dialogue or disagreement. They turn students into passive receivers of information rather than making them active thinkers. 

Lecturing becomes ineffective when it doesnot propel students to think.

True, lectures preach new thoughts. But they rarely aid the students in developing their own thinking process..

Charismatic speakers can put us under a spell. But we should be persuaded by the substance of an argument and not by its shiny packaging. 

Experiments have shown that when a speaker delivers an inspiring message, the audience scrutinizes the material less carefully and forgets the content, even  as  they claim they remember most of it.

CREDIT CARDS NOT FOR IMPULSIVE BUYERS

 

PRANAV SAKHADEO SHARES ON CREDIT CARDS

in Times of India 16June2026 

Money matters

First understand your income and expenses.

A credit card is not an income

It is not free money

It is not a tool

If there is no discipline credit cards are dangerous.

In the wrong hands it can become debt

In disciplined hands it can reduce the cost of everyday life

Making the most of every Rupee is just part of survival

You need buffers, planning and discipline.

Do not buy something simply because a card offer is available. 

Ask yourself whether you really need it.

Financial planning should become routine

Perhaps it may be a little boring

Never miss a credit card bill

Never pay interest for credit card purchases

Never withdraw cash from a credit card

Never spend beyond the avilable limit. 

You would be charged for going above the limit

Check your credit score intermittently

Keep your credit card utilisation low

This works only with discipline

Before a large purchase compare offline and online prices. 

Check bank offers and decide.

This is how the savings add up.

Not through a magical card, but through repeated small decisions

Choose cards according to your spending

Do not spend according to your cards

Review your cards whenever there a devaluation.

Credit Card devaluation happens when your card issuer reduces the value, perks, or rewards your card offers. It means you would receive fewer benefits than what was originally promised when you had signed up for the card, making it harder to obtain the same return on your spending. 

Do not accept all upgrade offers, if the card does not suit your spending pattern

Do not count fee waivers as savings. 

Treat them as cost control

Impulsive buyers, people who don't track bills, people who spend future income and expenses, people who use EMIs often, people who withdraw cash and people who shop just because an offer exists - these categories of people should not use credit cards at all.

If you wish to hold multiple credit cards, do not start with several at once.

At the beginning of every financial year, sit with your wife or your husband, if you are married and prepare a detailed expenses sheet. If you are not married please do it alone. Factor in inflation.

The annual planning takes about two hours.

After that daily spending mostly runs on autopilot.

Money certainly matters

Pranav holds  21 credit cards
Judicious deployment generates substantial savings

Avoids additional charges

 

.

MUSIC COMPOSER PRITAM

 

Music Composer Pritam

Shares a reflective note on his 55th birthday on 14June2026

"Today, I have decided to gift myself a few years to live life differently. To catch up on what I have missed.

Time to set off on new journeys, which have been kept on the back burner for long. 

Mainstream is a great ride.

But I've always been more curious about the roads unexplored."

.....................

In this mad world where people hedge and nudge to go ahead, to be always on the ascent, to put down everyone else and strive to grow materially and impose their own stamp of hegemony over rest of the world, Music Composer Pritam chooses an untreaded path  many do not dare to traverse to enliven the future years his life .

 He is putting at rest his pursuit of worldly gain. 

ECOLOGY SUNDAY AT CSI CHRIST CHURCH TRIVANDRUM

 

It was Ecology Sunday at CSI Christ Church, Trivandrum on 14 June 2026.

The message at the Worship was delivered by a special guest. He is the son of  a great friend of ours.

We could observe that the young boy we knew was not a boy anymore. Evident was  the wonderful transformation in him. The articulation was flawless.

Since I did not have the contact information on the speaker, a message commending him with an evaluation was sent to  his father  who had promply  forwarded it to his son.

It is placed here.

"We see our children as little children only. We see them as the toddlers who had hung on to us, who had rested their heads over our shoulders and whom  we had led on.

When they grow up, when they come into their own, we fail at times to see that. 

We are afraid they'd falter at each and every step, and it makes us walk with them exerting an extra effort to steady them. 

We don't acknowledge they have grown up, they are grown ups.

If parents assert they are far removed from these emotions, I can only define them as hypocrites.

The youngster was very good in his presentation yesterday. It needed courage to stand at the lectern. It needs superhuman effort to open  the mouth and deliver the address to literally  an august audience whose combined IQ level is unimaginable.

He touched all the parameters effectively. The diction was excellent.

The topic was wide. The boundaries keep on shifting even as you delberate. 

Eco disruption is so familiar to each and everyone as we are reminded of it through events that occur abruptly and discourses that are lively or dull and drab.

Congratulations to the young man for the effort he took to prepare and the courage he displayed to deliver.

A critique has to navigate the horizon. 

The message was long.

10 or 15 minutes is the maximum you can command the attention.

There was no need to read out the verses of the song beginning with "All things bright and beautiful."

The relegation of the presentation of the activities of the ecology forum to the conclusive phase was an error in judgement.  It made the interest of the audience wane.

When you mention you are concluding, you have to wind up in one or two sentences. Unfortunately the conclusion was prolonged beyond that. 

He ought to have modulated the delivery of the message. It was monotone.  Monotone lulls the listeners into deep slumber. To counter this effectively, you have to read out the material you have prepared loudly in the privacy of the four walls of your own room at least four or five times. It makes you present your presentation confidently.

Messages become lively when they are linked to life. Quoting verses from the Bible extensively can only lengthen the speech. It does not convey.

Speakers fail when they fail to convey. What you convey has to reach the audience. 

What normally happens is, we are happy with our own presentation. But we can see with a look at the eyes of the audience or their responses, we are not reaching them. 

The effort goes in vain.

Recently a medical representative, a non Christian, whom I met casually, learning I was from KUTS, told me he passes by that campus everyday. He added the view from the road was beautiful - scenic beauty, something out of the world.

Ecology opens such doors. We just have to observe them and link them to our message. 

It makes the audience to walk with us.

Regret, I have loaded you with a drab discourse. 

Please forgive me for that.

Grateful for  your patience to stay this far."

ECOLOGY SUNDAY AT CSI CHRIST CHURCH TRIVANDRUM

It was Ecology Sunday at CSI Christ Church, Trivandrum on 14 June 2026.

The message at the Worship was delivered by a special guest. He is the son of  a great friend of ours.

We could observe that the young boy we knew was not a boy anymore. Evident was  the wonderful transformation in him. The articulation was excellent.

Since I did not have the contact information on the speaker, a message commending him with an evaluation was sent to  his father  who had promply  forwarded it to his son.

It is placed here.

"We see our children as little children only. We see them as the toddlers who had hung on to us, who had rested their heads over our shoulders and whom  we had led on.

When they grow up, when they come into their own, we fail at times to see that. 

We are afraid they'd falter at each and every step, and it makes us walk with them exerting an extra effort to steady them. 

We don't acknowledge they have grown up, they are grown ups.

If parents assert they are far removed from these emotions, I can only define them as hypocrites.

The youngster was very good in his presentation yesterday. It needed courage to stand at the lectern. It needs superhuman effort to open  the mouth and deliver the address to literally  an august audience whose combined IQ level is unimaginable.

He touched all the parameters effectively. The diction was excellent.

The topic was wide. The boundaries keep on shifting even as you delberate. 

Eco disruption is so familiar to each and everyone as we are reminded of it through events that occur abruptly and discourses that are lively or dull and drab.

Congratulations to the young man for the effort he took to prepare and the courage he displayed to deliver.

A critique has to navigate the horizon. 

The message was long.

10 or 15 minutes is the maximum you can command the attention.

There was no need to read out the verses of the song beginning with "All things bright and beautiful."

The relegation of the presentation of the activities of the ecology forum to the conclusive phase was an error in judgement.  It made the interest of the audience wane.

When you mention you are concluding, you have to wind up in one or two sentences. Unfortunately the conclusion was prolonged beyond that. 

He ought to have modulated the delivery of the message. It was monotone.  Monotone lulls the listeners into deep slumber. To counter this effectively, you have to read out the material you have prepared loudly in the privacy of the four walls of your own room at least four or five times. It makes you present your presentation confidently.

Messages become lively when they are linked to life. Quoting verses from the Bible can only lengthen the speech. It does not convey.

Speakers fail when they fail to convey. What you convey has to reach the audience. 

What normally happens is, we are happy with our own presentation. But we can see with a look at the eyes of the audience or their responses, we are not reaching them. 

The effort goes in vain.

Recently a medical representative, a non Christian, whom I met casually, learning I was from KUTS, told me he passes by that campus everyday. He added the view from the road was beautiful - scenic beauty, something out of the world.

Ecology opens such doors. We just have to observe them and link them to our message. 

It makes the audience to walk with us.

Regret, I have loaded you with a drab discourse. 

Please forgive me for that.

Grateful for  your patience to stay this far."

ADAM GRANT ON THE BEST WAY

 

The best way 

to learn is 

to teach

ADAM GRANT ON GRADES

 

Grades are never 

a strong predictor 

of job performance

ADAM GRANT ON EXTRAORDINARY EDUCATORS

 

Extraordinary educators

foster rethinking cycles 

by instilling intellectual humility. 

It disseminate  doubts 

and cultivate curiosity.

ADAM GRANT ON FOCUS OF LEARNING

 

Learning has to be focussed 

less on being right 

and more on building the skills 

to consider different views 

and argue productively about them.

ADAM GRANT ON LECTURES

 ADAM GRANT ON LECTURES

IN

THINK AGAIN

Lectures are not always the best method of learning. They are not enough to develop students into lifelong learners.

If you spend all your student days being fed information and are never given the opportunity to question it, you won't develop the tools for rethinking that you need in life.

Valedictorian

 Valedictorian      

             

valɪdɪkˈtɔːriən

A valedictorian is the highest-ranking academic student in graduating class. Typically selected based on having the highest Grade Point Average (GPA), this student is awarded the honor of delivering the farewell speech (the "valedictory" address) at the graduation ceremony.

Etymology and Origin

Latin Roots: 

The term originates from the Latin phrase vale dicere, which simply translates to "to say farewell".

Tradition: 

The practice dates back to 1750 at Harvard University, where the student chosen to deliver the farewell was initially selected for their speaking ability to keep ceremonies entertaining, before it became strictly an academic award.

How They Are Chosen

While GPA is the primary metric in high schools and colleges across North America, the selection process can sometimes factor in other achievements that the Institutions might consider.

POPE LEO

 

Pope Leo

Life is not a race to show off on our own, but a path we learn to walk together.

Anyone who doesnot know how to live with  and for others has not yet understood life.

RELATIONSHIPS

 

We were born in the 1950s.

We grew up in the 1950s and 1960s. They were decades of shortages. No one had anything except a few. The nation had just woken up into independence on August 15, 1947. The British had left after dividing India into two nations. It triggered a violent strife that killed  200000 to 2 million of the population of undivided India.  It was quite unfortnate that the partition of the country  into India and Pakistan had been accompanied  by mass violence and refugee crisis of  unprecedented levels the world had never experienced before. The chaotic period had displaced an estimated 12 to 15 million people as they fled across the newly drawn borders.

In that era of unfulfilled desires, people had somehow survived. The members of the families had bonded together with love and affection. They slept on the floor on mats. The kitchen was always busy where all the women in the house had exerted themselves together. Men would go out to work in the fields. Since there had been no other option people lived in joint families. They were happy though they didn't have enough. It was  an agrarian economy.

Gradually the scene shifted. Job opportunities at different locations in the state or country or even abroad broke up the joint families. People moved out to wherever they were employed. However the family ties were so strong that all of them had made it a point to come together on holidays or vacations at the family house. For a couple of weeks it would be just  like the good old days before they had left for greener pastures 

Tourism of those days were visits to the places where members of the family stayed in various localities due to their posting there. The children looked forward to such visits as they brought them closer. It made family ties stronger. People were more than willing to help each other in times of need. They welcomed visitors, be it relatives, friends or at times even total strangers wholeheartedly to their households. Sharing and caring were the essence of relationships. 

Then we awoke into the 1970s, 1980s.and 1990s.  It was the Gulf. US. Europe. Anywhere. Everywhere.  Emigration was on in a large scale. The economy became dependent on foreign inward remittances, not to forget money orders from locations within the country. Though unemployment was very high, there was improvement in job opportunities within the country.

It was the dawn of nuclear families. With that, joint families were disrupted. They are now almost extinct.   

Now no one welcome anyone. You are not expected to stay when you make visits. The first question that you invariably face is, "When did you arrive?" 

The next is quite interesting. "When are you leaving?"

Between these two questions, you get the silent message that you have no place there. At the best, you would be offered tea or coffee or soft drinks and a few biscuits. You are expected to leave soon after that. In case you mention that you don't take the drink placed before you and request for a glass of plain hot water, you can be certain that it would reach you after 45 minutes. The message is explicit. "You are not welcome."

Relationships have lost their place in human lives. You secure yourselves within the four walls. Except for your own nuclear family, you don't think of anyone else.

No one cares. No one shares.

MISSIONARY AT BANDIREVU BHADRACHALAM

There were two eminent personalities in an organisation, one senior and one junior.

Initially the senior went around telling everyone that the junior had  a very low pay. Then the junior left. Afterwards the senior went around telling everyone he had a very low pay. The senior too  left  later.

Now listen to the story of Sreekanth. He has been posted as a missionary at:

CSI Bhadrachalam Mission 

Mission compound, Bandirevu, Bandirevu. P. O Nellipakka, Bhadrachalam, Telangana

Pin. 533352

He is awaiting the results of the BD exam he wrote in April 2026.

He had been working in the mission field before he enrolled for  the BD course.

He may be ordained as a Pastor in about two months. The salary he expects is Rs.12000.00 per month

The mission he has joined is sponsored by the Women's Fellowship of the CSI South Kerala Diocese.

When he reported at the mission, the previous missionary had left on transfer for higher studies. The mission house is a two room kitchen, sheeted house. Adjacent to it, there is a sheeted church. 

The mission runs an approved English Medium UP School. It has students upto 6th standard.

The temperature at the place is 47 degree. 

Sreekanth has a co-worker from Vellarada who is new to the Mission field.

The mission has two cabs to bring children to the school. 

When Sreekanth reached there, the vehicles could not be started as the batteries were down. Further, one of the vehicles, eaten away by rust, is unserviceable.

There are teachers at the School. But they have to be compensated with a decent salary.

A compound wall enclosing the area is absolutely essential as the School is populated by children. Their safety is paramount.

They have a local market around 7kms away. Bhadrachalam at 40kms is the nearest place for major supplies.

The missionaries cook their food. There is no Fridge. It means the left overs  cannot be preserved for consumption later.

Sreenath has no complaints. He says God will take care. He expects his first salary after one month of reporting at the mission.

He has left his wife and two daughters at his house at Dhanuvachapuram. The wife is unemployed. She has a chronic back ache for which she gets admitted off and on for addressing the ailment. The girls have been enrolled at a primary school close to the residence. 

Sreekanth reached the mission on a Friday. He had a day to clean up the Church for worship. While cleaning up he encountered a black cobra that he had to dipose off.

The worship was conducted in Telugu, a language in which he is not proficient. But technology helped him traverse the issue.

There is a bore well that provides hard water. He buys drinking water.

River fish and meat are available along with vegetables in the local market.

A mason charges Rs.1300.00 per day and the assistant Rs.1000.00 per day for masonry work.

Sreekanth is cheerful.He is happy he had a stint in the mission field earlier. He says it had taken him to Kashmir, Kulu Manali and many other places.

Sreekanth is happy he has chosen to serve the Lord. 

He maintains God will lead him on, in his journey.

MASSIVE HEART ATTACK AND 100% BLOCK IN ALL ARTERIES

The wife, a very close relative, wrote:

"My huband is in a very bad situation. He had a massive heart attack and is hospitalized 100%block in all arteries. They put one stent on. They got a heartbeat for a while.

 I am in the hospital waiting room"

(The husband is an excellent gentleman)

Concerned, I wrote to her.

"When Papa had a Cardiac arrest, soon after Prostratectomy  in June 1980, the doctor said he'd be gone in half an hour at the most.

He was 62.

After CPR he was  on the Ventilator for 48 hours.

When the doctor said half an hour, it was around 10 pm that night.

I sat on the floor outside. 

Medical College Hospital, Trivandrum.

B-Theatre - no benches or seats there - and I began praying. 

I prayed just one sentence repeatedly staying awake the whole night.

"Daivame ente Papa ye ee rathri kondupokaruthe"

(Oh God, please don't take away my Papa, this night)

I could have been naive. But a thought, a crazy one, was in me. That God would let him be in this world if Papa had survived till 6 am  the next morning.

The supplication was relentless 

Morning around 8 AM next day, word was, he was alive. 

The doctor told me there was some improvement.

God gave him back

He lived on 28 years.

Miracle.

I understood one thing. 

God acts at the right time.

To this day, it has been true in my life, our life.

It will be in yours too."

A LEAF FROM LIFE

                  

                    A LEAF FROM LIFE

Papa had retired from KDHP CoLtd - it was James Finlay for a while - on 31January1975.

We left Munnar on 30 January 1975.

Papa's retirement had led the family into a turmoil. Unfortunately Mummy had passed away in 1978. As Papa was staying alone in our house at Thalavady, we had applied for a telephone connection at the house for accessing him through phone. Several years went by. The phone connection did not materialise. Exasperated we withdrew the application. It was BSNL or its predecessor.

Years later when Laji with his family was staying with Papa, they felt acutely the necessity of a telephone connection at home. An application for the connection was submitted again. In about two years the phone was allotted and it was installed at our house in no time.

The fun began there.

Those were the days when mobile phone was yet to make its entry in the country. But there was a solace. One could access anyone in the country through the STD (Subscriber Trunk Dialling) facility. It had made communication smooth and fast.

Earlier one had to book a call at the local telephone exchange. You would be placed in the waiting list. They would put your call through when you move up in the queue and reach the number one slot on the waiting list. It was a cumbersome procedure where you might have to wait for pretty long a time.

Naturally, when you make STD calls your telephone bill would leap frog.

The question is, when you obtain a telephone connection after a long wait, what would a sane person do. In the normal run, he would surprise his dear ones and friends with calls from the newly installed phone.

I just wonder, who gave the odd idea to Papa. 

He took out several Inland Letter forms and wrote out to everyone - son, daughter, relatives and friends - that he had been allotted a new telephone connection and that the phone had been installed at the house. He inscribed the phone number in the letter. Fortunately there was a letter box in front of our house and it meant he did not have to walk far to post  the Inland Letters.

Then he sat at  home.

He was happy, many of the people on receipt of the Inland letters had phoned him up.

At home, in Trivandrum, we had all been busy with our heavy schedules. We expected Papa to ring us up from Thalavady, expressing his happinsee on the obtention of the new telephone connection. Phones at home were a rarity at that time.

After a while, when there had not been any phone call from Papa we surmised he was not going to call us from his new phone.

We called him. He was full of rancour. He said he had advised many people that he had a telephone installed in his house and they were  provided  the number. He had a grouse that I was the only person who did not call him at once though I was his son. He was very angry.

I kept quiet. I didn't know what to make of it. As I looked at it, being his son, Papa ought to have called me on the phone the moment it was installed.

Those days telephones were a luxury. People were overjoyed when they were allotted a phone connection.

I told Papa when I met him later, instead of writing a letter inscribing the phone number,  how wonderful it would have been if he had surprised me with a call from the new phone.

Well, Papa kept an iconic inscrutable face and the issue ended there.