Independence Day thoughts

Sixty four years .... and still one wonders whether this nation has repaid its freedom fighters their due.  As years roll on, it is but natural that memory fades and the generations start living focusing on their livelihood. This struggle was not mundane but unique in nature in that the domination of centuries by aliens were routed out with a ruthless determination, but without the use of any arms. So, it is essential that the great struggle is constantly kept at the back of our minds whenever we face challenges from within and outside, lest the posterity forget these . It is also important that the current generations are educated about the great leaders who were once humble citizens but fought with a fierce determination only to breathe our own fresh air in our own motherland. The customary screening of the films like Gandhi and debates on the popular television channels does serve towards this, to some extent.

While I was mulling over the struggle , I thought how much do we know or remember about our Independence struggle, the channels of protest, our leaders , their uniqueness in words & deeds, their sacrifices.. I just thought I could recollect some of these that come to my immediately when i think on the subject. Here are some:

Mahatma Gandhi- years at South Africa- spearheading freedom struggle- his belief in Non violence to the end -Salt Sathyagraha - his meeting with Mountbatten, Atlee- Winston's Churchill's quote on him (Half naked Fakir, why had not Gandhi died yet ?)- His book "My Experiments with Truth" and his famous quotes: "An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind " and " First they ignore you, then they laugh at you , then they fight you and then you win"

Bala Gangadhara Thilak- My remembrances of this great gentleman was his fierce writings to arouse the Indians, kept only Rs 40/- of his then salary of Rs 900/- and donated the rest to the cause of Indian freedom struggle. Supposed to be Gandhi's political Guru.

Sardhar Vallabhai Patel: Very able orator, who was arguing in a court of law, when informed about his wife's demise read the information slip , folded it into his pocket and continued his peroration without breaking off his sentence !

Kasturibha Gandhi: Her unwavering support to the Mahatma and her quote "the secret of my success is in following my husband"

Jawaharlal Nehru: " Tryst with Destiny" and "The light has gone out of our lives  and there is darkness everywhere..." Unforgettable utterances on the occasion of India's birth and Gandhiji's death.

 I am no authority on History and the above list is not at all exhaustive. But, these are things, as I said , that came to my mind immediately

There are also others such as Kattabomman, V.O.C, Bhagat Singh, Jhansi Rani, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Acharya Kriplani, Rabhindranath Tagore.

Let me wind up with an anecdote about Krishna Menon. He was told " The way you dress and go about, you look like a crack". Menon replied "I am glad. Let the light enter through the crack" !

Numero Uno- Not any more

August seems to be the month of battle for supremacy between India and England! India's year long sojourn at the top has ended and the better team of the day has claimed its rightful spot! Congratulations England. What is surprising at the turn of events is not the ruthless manner in which England went about claiming its rightful place, but the meek manner in which India conceded it, without a semblance of a fight. 

The year 2011 started with so much of expectations and India did live upto it by playing a very high quality game of cricket. Despite the occasional hiccups and anxious moments, India performed with a conviction of  "We can" and held aloft the coveted cup, much to the delight of the delirious millions of fans.

To expect the same thing to repeat every time is trifle overambitious. But, a true champion side not only climbs the pinnacle but also endeavor to sustain the supremacy by consistent performance drawn from the top drawer. A country of millions , giving up its daily chores and freeze before a TV screen- leaving aside the exam on the morrow, putting the client conference calls on hold due to that sudden "head ache" which afflicts only during the knockout stages of a championship, shouting from the roof & tree tops encouraging every shot and gasping at the false stroke and dropped chances" is a boon to any team and living up its expectations every time is a task by itself. At times, this support from the "millions " work the other way and become a pressure point as it is a double edged sword with a constant unrealistic expectation to win every time.

No doubt, I am also disappointed at what is happening in England for the past few weeks. It is a total shocker of performance from the famed side and the absence of a fight and  occasional brilliance is hurting. I have also seen enough writing in the print and electronic media crucifying our team which was a hero only in April'11, to be called a zero, questioning their abilities, suspecting whether it was a fluke victory, lack of rest, personal interest over the team, the involvement of betting.... it hurts more.

Let us understand that our heroes are also humans susceptible to the vagaries and cricket is a game of such glorious uncertainties that any team could be humbled on any given day, without prior warning. The last three words " without prior warning" is the key to the success of the game and its popularity. Perhaps, that explains as to why a diehard fan is not willing to stir away from the screen even at the 45th over, when the team's cause is lost as per the 'pundits' of the game. This uncertainty has given wings to the players too who have started believing of scoring 36 runs in the last three overs, an idea germinated out of 20-20 that has spread its tentacles to other forms of the game too.

The point I would like to emphasize is , in our disappointment let us not forget the realities. But for the uncertainties and turnaround the game is capable of , the world would not have got a shocker champion in 1983. No doubt It was no fluke- it was the belief, the conviction the winner had, perhaps not so much visible to the outside world, but the team would have really known. Imagine the plight of Steve Waugh and his team in 2001, when India came from behind to thwart Waugh's bid to conquer the final frontier. It was Miandad's belief that usurped the championship off the last ball to the heart break of so many Indians. How many times India has managed defeat from winning situations and clinched victory from lost causes. Of late, the latter option seem to have been more- precisely the  reason for the rising expectation of its fans. So, let us believe that the better of the team on the occasion took the cake. Let us not insinuate and castigate people who were our heroes only recently. Sachin, Shewag , Dravid , Laxman and the likes cannot become zeros overnight. Let us continue to live with them through this forgettable phase. Remember the 5-0 thrashing West Indies gave India immediately after their shock defeat and dropping the world cup ! It is the belief that matters and any game could be won, any peak could be scaled. In this endeavor, the support of the 'millions' is very essential and let us not desert them at this stage. The media claiming to be the mouth piece of this 'millions' also has a role to play here. Let us continue to enjoy the game and applaud whoever plays well, in this case England. History is replete with instances of India toppling the supremacy of the Crown and with the Independence Day around, let us not allow our morale to dip.

"RIP -  World's No. 1 Test team"- screamed a newspaper headline today. Yes, let us allow them to rest for a while and come up with fresh energy and ideas, to wrest the crown !

Swimming to Death ?

It is disheartening to notice the increasing number of deaths of those venturing into the sea,  mainly students-  getting drowned in Chennai beaches. Almost every week, one hears about some incident or other about drowning but more than the incident, the details surrounding these  seem to require more attention from the authorities concerned. In the latest incident at the Elliot Beach, an IIT student was noticed to be struggling for help for more than 30 minutes- but the by standers said for nearly an hour. It would be worthwhile going through the statistics of deaths due to drowning in beach goers and the steps taken in this regard.

We understand that swimming is banned off Chennai beaches due to strong undercurrents, although "there is no law to prosecute the offenders" reports Times of India, in its issue dated 9th August , 2011 ! "Swimming in the sea is not illegal and there is no law to punish the offenders", as per the officer at the nearest police station , reports TOI. The interview goes on to state " As policeman we can only patrol the beach and ask people to stay out of the water. However, it is not always easy to control young people...".  As a layman, not exposed to legal terminologies, I am confused here and would appreciate clarifications, from those who understand this.

When an activity is banned , how is that there is no law to prosecute the offenders? Then, what is the meaning of ban?

If smoking is banned or if consumption of some drugs is banned, I am under the impression that it is also punishable by law and that the Police is empowered to punish those involved in defying the ban- Am I right?  The report and the Interview seem to suggest otherwise. When Swimming is banned, how can one say that it is not illegal?

The Corporation Commissioner has said that they are planning a set  of danger signage for beaches and will also be putting up warning messages along the coast. Is that all the Corporation could do in this? I am truly aghast at the indifference and insensitivity of the authorities to human lives!

The report says that " when it comes to providing life guards to man the beaches, both the Corporation and the police pass the buck". When more than 200 lives have been saved by around 10 fisherman engaged by a private organization, why can't the authorities take the clue and responsibility?  If the state is unable to provide sufficient protection at places where it is considered  that the activities of the public could endanger their lives, the authorities cannot afford to just plant some warning signs and watch people die. One must have seen the programme in Television as to how the Australian authorities carefully choose and train  Life guards periodically to man the popular Bondi beach in Sydney. There, the authorities make sure that people get into the waters only with necessary gears and then keep a constant watch. On any sign of distress from the swimmer multiple whistle alarms are sounded and in no time , there is help to support the struggling person in the sea ! Their problems are compounded as they also need to look out for the occasional visitors like sharks that stray to the shore !

Whether in India or Australia, human lives have the same value. Back home, we are yet to stick to the basics and hence more prone to mishaps, as is evident from our (non)adherence to helmet and seat belt requirements while driving. It is for the authorities, to take precautions such as providing trained life guards, round the clock surveillance of sensitive spots on the shore  with modern communication equipments and also issue clear Dos and Don'ts to those venturing into the sea . Being a responsible arm of the state, the Corporation and others concerned cannot afford to provide some formal , sake-of- the-law efforts and watch people die with arms folded and plead their inability. Much more is expected.

Before I could publish this post, I read from today's  newspaper that one more student has drowned off the Marina, the third such incident in the past ten days. Let us not wait for anymore and it is time the authorities swing into actions, faster than the undercurrents at the sea.

Punishing cops behind fake encounters

Supreme court has come down rather heavily on fake encounters and has given a stinging observation that cops behind fake encounters should be hanged. This was no loose statement in that the highest court of the country has showed its frustration on the law enforcers taking the law into their hands and the court has clearly called them also as murderers, not withstanding their legal empowerment and rather for misusing the same.- "Fake encounter killings by cops are nothing but cold blooded brutal murder, which should be treated as the rarest of rare offense and police personnel responsible for this offence should be awarded death sentence". The Supreme court went on to clarify that "If crimes are committed by ordinary people, ordinary punishment should be given but if the offence is committed by policemen, much harsher punishment should be given to them because they do an act totally contrary to their duties".

While  this observation may  bring cheers to the relatives of innocent victims and is likely to act as a deterrent, it is surprising that Times of India has taken a different view on it. In its TIMES VIEW , published on 9th August, TOI says that though cops involved in  fake encounters need to be punished , it  should stop short of capital punishment. It is surprising as to why the TOI should play  the Judge here, when it is agreed that the act is punishable. Is this a misplaced support against capital punishment?  In an act of over enthusiasm and trying to uphold democracy, many a  times we  play more straight than required and this also at times tend to delay the justice, as is evident with so many cases of high profile crimes awaiting the final nod. Let us not forget the mental agony of the relatives of victims, who have been proved to have wrongly suffered under the cops. Much more is expected of TOI befitting its neutral fourth estate stance and leave the deliverance of justice to the judiciary!

Friendship

As I set out to reveal my thoughts , I noticed that this is the 50th post in my blog. What better topic to discuss than "Friendship", on this milestone post !

Few days back, I sensed an unusual traffic on all  social networks buzzing with emotional and at times tear jerking words about friendship and realized that it was on the occasion of the Friendship Day being observed on the 7th of August! True, everyone will pause , think and smile on the word "Friend" , as it will be very rare to find one who does not have a friend in life!

I just wanted to find out who are those friends that come to my mind immediately on hearing this word. Following are some:

Sai - My childhood neighbor in East Mada Street of Mylapore and the first friend I could remember. I believe he has set up his own watch repair shop and doing a good business

Nat of Mylapore . He is still there at the same place but the gap in years and diverse activities have so distanced our thoughts and memory that he even failed to recognize /acknowledge , when i smiled at him at the same old Mada street

Sachi & Swami - School mates from 6th to 11th standard. Both are well educated and well placed at Mumbai. Our Old boys association of the Alma Mater has managed to keep this thread alive

Murali, Raghavan and Ramanjum- Very thick during College days, where we had a memorable time. Murali , though has gone very high in education and by profession,  exhibited the  same warmth when we met few years back and revived the contacts

There was this studious guy, who jelled very well and was very close during my career forming years between College and first job. Unfortunately, fell out due to differing opinions and were separated. Despite the best of efforts , this could not be revived and whenever I travel back, there is still a sharp pain about this friendship !!

There were some friends, who contributed to where I am today.  Always interested in my welfare and supportive to my acts. When I was at the crossroads, one of these came as a Manna from the heaven and helped me to go after my pursuit. I can never forget this friend in my life. 


At the Bank, there were many and to mention some, its going to be difficult , as  its a long list. These are friends with whom I could maintain the same level of friendship even without meeting them for years. The discussions we had at Drive in, Kofe Te,  Gandhi statue and  RUNS are unforgettable ! These are friends who stood by the toughest phase of my life , advised, supported and encouraged. There were some who transported me back and forth to office, when I was immobilized due to an accident.  That we maintain this warmth and understanding even after 26 years is a tribute to the word "friendship".

The very thoughts of going down the memory lane with friends has made me happy and with this  happy thought and on this happy occasion, I would like to wind up with  some of the impressive quotes I came across on friendship.

"Stars has 5 ends
Square has 4 ends
Triangle has 3 ends
Line has 2 ends
but Circle of the friendship has no end..."

Wait for a friend and you will keep waiting. Go out to be a friend and you will find a whole new world waiting for you

We make friends...
Some become Dearest :)
Some become Special :)
We have crushes on some:)
Fall in love with someone :)
Some change their cities :(
Some leave us :(
We leave some :(
Some are in contact :)
Others are not :(
Wherever they are,
However they are,
We still remember them because the part they played made "MEMORIES" in our lives.

"Are you upset little friend? Have you been lying awake worrying? Well, don't worry...I'm here. The flood waters will recede, the famine will end, the sun will shine tomorrow, and I will always be here to take care of you.”

Thank you, friend, for reading this post !! For being with me through many of these 50 posts !!

Happy Friendship Day..... For friends, it is never too late.

Newspaper Reading

There was an interesting programme  today on a television channel about Newspaper reading and the discussions centered on the practices of reading Newspaper compulsorily every day, One of the panel members went on to say as to how it has become a fetish, that he used to collect the newspapers of the days when he was not in town and go through them, before dumping them for old paper sale.

This brought pleasant memories of one of the earliest advices of my father, when I was in school. "You must read THE HINDU newspaper from first to last page. Read the editorial carefully and note down all the words you find it difficult. Refer to a dictionary , grab the meaning and you must use that word within a week's time of your finding it". What a great piece of advice- this, one can give only from  experience. My dad was not a very highly educated person- i think he was only an old time SSLC, but had never failed to give the meaning of any word referred to him. We siblings always used to refer to him , until one day he said that we must also learn to use dictionary. Until then we never found the need for the two dictionaries we had at home- one from English to Tamil and the other English-English,  rather elaborately.

Towards his later years when his vision faded, he insisted me to read the news items for him and that was the opportunity for me to learn to pronounce the words properly. Being one of the most popular newspapers of the 1960s, we used to read through the pages of THE HINDU carefully and note down tough words- even now i remember looking for the meaning of words like "Opaque (I pronounced it as AAPAQUE" and the whole family had a field day) "and vicissitudes" . My scrap book had few pages allocated for new words and when i go through the dog eared pages of that book, I could still recall the day when i wrote them.

Newspaper has such a consolidated repository of happenings around the world that even in the current hi tech ages, I am unable to replace the hard copy pages with an Epaper. There were different starting  pages of reading for me- sometime Sports, sometimes first page, at times the third page, occasionally from the Bullion Market pages, some days from the Advertisement pages and this approach reflected my passing age at various times. I heard that there are people at advanced ages, who always look at the "Obituary " page first and heave a sigh of relief, when there are no known names ! When i read a Tweet "I always turn to the sports pages first, which records people's accomplishments. The front page has nothing but man's failures", I couldn't help smiling and relate myself to this !

I also recall the days in school, when the class teacher order each student to write on a corner of the black board, some important headlines of the day. That day will dawn anxiously waiting for the paper, hurriedly collect the Headline points, as perceived by me and when I take it to my dad for his confirmation, he would insist on my knowing not only the Headline points but also the full story of it, as he said the teacher could ask some related question. This gave me a valuable lesson for later years at the IT Industry, on the preparation prior to meeting the boss with any report and every time, I used to think how my dad said these things without ever bragging about his experiences !

People have their own signature way of handling it- some insist on reading it from the first to last page, some on priorities or as per the mood, as explained above, some use it at the rest room and it is also said that some seem to have constipation without the daily newspaper! This habit is taken to such heights that people also insist on how to fold the newspaper after using it

Yes, Newspaper reading is a habit and this only forced me to look for my favorite papers of THE HINDU and Times of India, even while I was away from India. Fortunately, the Epaper available on internet saved the day to quench my Desi news thirst!

The participants also discussed, rather lamented about , how  the younger generation of the current era is not focusing on this. True , to an extent they rarely look at the newspaper except for the news about the wedding of their film heroes/heroines, Sports and occasionally about the exam dates and results ! When you have all the Newspapers of the world at the touch of the button and also  get the meaning of the words  with some extra mouse clicks, it is difficult to blame them too. So far as they keep themselves abreast of the happening around- irrespective of the media , whether it is hard copy or electronic , let us be happy about it.

 But, there is a need to be concerned if they show lack of interest in this most powerful fourth estate, which has the capability to make or mar a Government. It is such a powerful media that the neglect of the same is considered not in the interest of the country.  Jefferson from USA , when asked which will he choose- A newspaper without a Government or a Government without a Newspaper - replied instantly that he will choose the former. It is such a powerful weapon that it can behave as per its owner. We have leaders like Mahathma Gandhi, Bal Gangadhara Thilak, Nehru who used this weapon to bring down the imperial assertion. In the recent past, the writings of some of the authors forced an Internal Emergency in India that went on to change path of the government. Down south in India , the powerful writings of great writers have helped to reach the masses and helped them to change their leaders and destiny.

Such a mighty weapon, if not we use it to change the history, at least let us be aware of who is using it and be a watchdog, so that we chalk out our own future by deriving the benefits out of these pages

House Robberies

Of late there are many news items in newspapers and television channels about the spate of robberies at homes. These are widely reported to have occurred when the inmates are away on a short trip or on the lonely women at home. It is surprising that these things continue to happen despite many discussions and suggestions by Police on the simple precautions to avoid these. In fact, the Police also visited some of the apartment complexes in Chennai , at the request of the Apartment Owners Association and explained to them on the preventive measures to be taken and gave some Dos and Don'ts. On the discussions that happen within the Association, it is disheartening to note that though people start with lofty ideas of round the clock security, electronic surveillance... the meetings  invariably end inconclusively and the ideas get into the cold storage.  It is also amazing to note as to how naive people could be on the need for such precautions.

About the robberies that happen when inmates are away, people always convince themselves that they will be away only for few days and nothing will happen in that time. Little do they realize that it takes only few hours to carry out a robbery.

On the lonely women at home, invariably, people at independent houses believe that they are living in that area  for years and that there is no question of theft or fear ! At the flats, the inmates keep the doors wide open and watch TV and also go inside the rooms at times, leaving the doors ajar. They also assume that the security at the entrance will filter the visitors little knowing that he will be happily sleeping after doing a night shift at a different apartment complex.

So, how can we take some preventive steps. Here are my tips:

• Keep all the Gold and silver items in a Bank locker, from where you can always take them during festivals. Somewhere, I have read that the cost of maintaining the gold and silver are high and so they had advised against investment in them. For the cost of jewellery , the annual rent for a Bank safe deposit locker is negligible. 

• When you are planning for a travel , short or long term, please keep your neighbors informed about it, giving your emergency contact details. This could also help at times of Gas leakage, Water pipe leakage, fire etc., 

• If in independent house, make sure that you inform the local police station with the above details. Also, make sure that some security guard is employed to be at the house at least during nights. 

• While you are away, cancel the milk supply and newspapers as papers strewn around are definite giveaways. One of the caught thieves when enquired, revealed that they used to go around the area in day time and look for such tell tale signs including the absence of Kolams , prevalent in many parts of India !
• Speak to the co-residents and arrange to install CCTV cameras in apartment complex, which have now become very affordable.
• Every residence must be fitted with an extra outer door , with provisions to receive posts and milk packets, so that people at home need not open the door at all.
• Request the Gas suppliers to come during those hours of the day, when you have more support at home.
• Never keep the door open and watch TV. Outer doors will be immense help to those who would like to have some natural breeze.
• Never invite unknown visitors, while you are alone at home. Particularly, be alert with decently attired sales people, looking for some enquiries from book selling to builders.
• Never encourage sales personnel between 9 AM and 6 PM and instruct  the security at the gate accordingly.
• Be careful about setting "Answering machines ON", as this could also be a giveaway.
• Also, insure your electronic goods and furniture with a General Insurance policy. Nowadays, the insurance also includes "Chain snatching". Please discuss with your insurance agent elaborately before taking a policy

In my opinion, the bottom line is alertness and anticipation.  Bank lockers and additional gate - these alone could avoid majority of losses.