Happy new year 2024

 2023 paves way to year 2024 - a New Year we perpetually wish to be better than the previous one. The coming year is going to be unique, a leap year, with a date of February, 29 which comes once in every 4 years, enabling those born on this unique day the rare opportunity to celebrate their birthdays on the actual day. Also it is the year of the Olympics scheduled to be held in Paris in summer of 2024.

I am reminded of Morarjee Desai, who in year 1977 became India's Prime minister at the age of 84. When a reporter questioned him about his old age, the witty PM answered - "I am just 21", alluding to his date of birth. His birthday occured once every four years as he was a leap year child, born on February 29.

While stepping into the New Year of 2024, thousands of Nostadamus and Malika predictions from our ubiquitous Whatsapp University are circulating on social media. Yet we don't know for sure what lies ahead of us and what's in store for us next year in an age of unpredictability. No Nostadamus or Malika predicted Covid Pandemic 4 years ago as we stepped into 2020, something which came with cataclysmic events associated with it.

As the old man 2023 bends his spine to extend his hand to open the door to welcome the New Year, it is now time for some retrospection. The passing year 2023 will be forever be remembered for several reasons. The Coronavirus pandemic which was a scourge for past several years is now passe. Economic uncertainties and wars at hotspots of the world still continue. World Cup Cricket,  a once in 4 years sporting jamboree was held in India, a Sports considered as a religion in the host country and religiously followed. 

The game of Cricket is a great unifying factor in a nation of 1.4 billion. The English say "God save the Queen", the Americans say "God Bless America". I say 'God bless Cricket". Arguably our national passion, the game of Cricket, unites every Indian from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, Bengal to Baroda. When India plays Cricket, we feels ourselves as an Indian rather than a Punjabi, Tamil, Marathi or Odia.

A la getting rid off old cloths for the new ones and the soul moving from one body to another as famously extolled by Lord SriKrishna in  BHAGWAT GITA, our Hindu Scriptue, year 2024 will be reborn yet again at midnight tonight as the soul of 2023 passes away. The year dawns with the cherubic smile of a newborn, as another number is added to its age in the form of New Year. But hardly anything else ever changes with the arrival of the New Year. For me the mundane life trudges ahead as the same shit, different day - with different color and texture. Hardly anything worthwhile difference occurs, the status quo is maintained more or less.

The antonym of "Happy New Year" is "Unhappy Old Year". Year 2023 was pretty close to that for me due to various reasons. I lost a few close friends and relatives who passed away to a different realm. This year came and went with a mixed bag of good, bad and ugly, with additional baggage of  memories gently rolling into next year. Made new friends, revived old ones and lost a few near and dear ones once and for all. I may sound nihilist, yet the year comes with this stark reminder to me - life goes downhill from here, tasks become uphill and years are numbered before we go over the hill. 

I do not make any New Year's resolution. As usual I don't and can't keep them. Resolutions like promises are made to be broken. I simply roll over to the year ahead of me. We may forget history but we repeat it year after year, similar to this starting stanza of Kishore Kumar's song :

EK RUUT AYE, EK RUUT JAYE PHIR,
MOUSAM BADLENA, BADLE NASEEB.

"One season comes and another goes,
Seasons don't change, fate does". 

To me, almost all New Year wishes expressed over the years have been too pleasant to be forgettable. The Homo Sapien species has this inherent instinct to remember the unpleasant ones and I am no exception. I remember this one from 1st January, 1982. On the first New Year after his marriage to princess Diana, when the nosey British Paparazzi got a scent that her marriage with Prince Charles wasn't going too well, he wished them - "Have a Nasty New Year".

But I don't have to be nasty and negative. So let me repeat the forgettable wish, as I do not forget to do at the end of every year - HAVE A WONDERFUL NEW YEAR ahead and stay blessed.

Commercialization of Jagannath Culture

 We Odias have a connection to Lord Jagannath. Visit any Odia home, you will see a picture or idol of the Deity, mostly in the living room (in local lingo called drawing room) or in Puja (worship) room, sometimes in both. Sri Jagannath is universally considered as our "ARADHYA DEVATA or the most propitiated God. No auspicious occasion starts without taking His name. In all Hindu marriages in the state, the first invitation goes to Him. In a state where the people have a reputation of being mild and docile, who abhor religious bigotry, Lord Jagannath is uniquely close to the heart of all of us Odias, big or small, beggar or sorcerer, rich or poor, in home or abroad.

Lord Jagannath who always resides in the heart of Odias have helped their race for centuries. A legend which every Odia from my generation has grown up with has it - Jagannath, along with His elder brother Balabhadra, riding a black and white horse respectively has assisted King Purusottam Deb of Puri in defeating his opponent, the King of Kanchi. 

The word Jagannath is formed as the conjoint (SANDHI) of two words, JAGAT (Universe) + NATH (meaning Lord of the Universe) = Jagannath. He is also addressed by many other names - CHAKADOLA (Circular eyeballs), KAALIAA (for his Amber complexion), JAGABANDHU (Friend of Universe), PAITAPABAN and myriads of other names by his devotees. Sri Jagannath is considered as a form of Lord Vishnu. Inside the temple his soul resides in his idol made from DAARU (wood). He is invariably accosted by his elder brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra on his side.

What is Jagannath culture ? To keep it simple - it is a way of life, our way of life. It denotes the wonderful culture and traditions of Odias and the great state of Odisha. Jagannath culture envisages devotion and respect for elders, love and affection for the younger, compassion for all. The Lord invokes us to do the right things and follow the path of righteousness and justice. It is as simple as that, need not be any more complex to comprehend or visualize.

In its realms the Jagannath culture sees God in every object, in its endless and infinite form. It is just not limited to any national or international boundary. As His name indicates, Jagannath belongs to the whole universe - He is not limited of any particular caste, creed, nation, community or person. Believers, atheists and agnostics alike agree on one thing, i.e, Lord Jagannath is our window to the world. It is our export which does not bring us any foreign exchange, but tons of gems in the form of goodwill and joy.

I have a personal connection to the famous Sri Jagannath temple of Puri, as my ancestral village is located few miles away from the temple city. Puri and its neighboring villages have a reputation of still preserving old temple culture that involves SANGA, BHANGA, SANGEETA and PANGATA (Friend, Cannabis paste, Music sessions and Sumptuous Meals), which simply defines their laid-back life as devotees. Devoted to the Lord, they hold him close to their heart ❤. 

Sri Jagannath is offered CHAPPAN BHOG (56 kinds of foods) as offerings, but the MAHAPRASAD (the great food offering) also colloquially known as ABHADA tops it all. It is cooked on huge earthen pots fueled by fire woods. No garlic, onions or vegetable of foreign origin - Potato, Tomato, Cauliflowers, Chillies, Cabbages, Papaya etc are ever used as ingredients. This is the favored meal of all religious occasions and post death rituals like DASAH (10th Day after death ceremony) and SHRADDHA (Annual Death Anniversary prayers). It has a unique appetizing smell and taste which is attributed to Lord's MAHIMA (miracle). Inside the temple there is a place named ANANDA BAZAAR (The Market of Happiness) where all devotees irrespective of caste, creed or class can seat and eat together. It is a profound aspect of our culture where all are considered equal in the abode of the Lord. 

Of late, stark commercialization of our Jagannath culture, at least a part of it had commenced. In this context, I am presenting the recent saga of a 35 year old girl Kamiya Jani, a well known YouTuber who was promoting the MAHAPRASAD of Sri Jagannath on her video Channel along with a powerful BJD leader on the Puri temple premises. But soon controversy broke out after a video the same girl earlier promoting Beef curry in one prior YouTube videos went viral. 

The girl has gone public denying eating beef. Regardless of her eating habits which I believe is purely someone's personal menu to choose from, what bothers many lovers of Jagannath temple and its culture, including me is the crass commercialization associated with it. Is MAHAPRASAD a commodity to be marketed by a food blogger or otherwise ? Does the Lord Himself needs advertising ? It is also said that the Lord saved himself from the marauding KALAPAHADA the JAVANA (the outcaste outsider), an euphemism for the Muslim General who desecrated the temple in the 16th century by temporarily escaping to nearby Khurda. So Sri Jagannath or His culture and legacy doesn't need the endorsement of sundry food bloggers for survival.

Years ago when I was inside the temple,  a Panda (priest) next to me, with his voice being slurry post consumption of a liberal dosage of Bhang (Cannabis paste) was heard praying - "HAIRE JAGA (his affectionate way of addressing Sri Jagannath). Rice costs Rs.50 per Kilogram, Daal costs Rs.100, Bhanga costs Rs.5 per serving. PELE**PUA (son of a bitch), how can we live ?" This is a glimpse of the classic Puri town culture of small talk giving big pleasure. Unwarranted commercialization of the milieu will take these innocence out of the local culture, as bee socks out the nectar from a flower or juice is sucked out from a piece of lemon.

Per my friends from Puri, these kind of GULLI - KHATTI (light discussion) ridden laid back lifestyle is vanishing. The area surrounding famous Jagannath temple bustling with life where the shops, kiosks, carts, flower sellers along with Bulls, Pandas (temple priests) and visitors lived in peaceful coexistence had been cleared and relocated. The place has been robbed off its heart and soul that defined the milieu of Puri.

Per my friends familiar with Puri and its vicinity the authorities are constructing a 100 plus meter Air Conditioning make shift path on the Badadanda linking to "Garuda Stambha (pillar)" located close to the main entrance of the temple. It is dividing the road and making life by of locals miserable, causing growing resentment amongst them.

It is a price to pay associated with the growth in the number of visitors along with population growth, to make the temple visit streamlined, cleaning the congestion surrounding it. Yet chaos and disorder brings the fun and frolic out of life rather than orderly tidiness. The quintessential soul of the town is missing. Perestroika in name of embellishment seems to have altered its culture. The vivacity attached to it  forever gone.

Merry Christmas 2023

Holiday season and Christmas reminds me of my childhood days, when back home in my home state of Odisha in India, Chistmas was popularly known as BADA DINA (The Big Day). I always wondered why we call it a big day, as the day being close to the Northern Solstice is one of the shortest in the Northern Hemisphere which includes India. I felt it should have been christened as BADA RATI (long night).

Eventually I found why. The festival of Christmas used to be a fun filled time for the British when they ruled India for couple of centuries. SAHIBs (Lords) and MEMSAHIBs (Ladies) as they were addressed obsequiously by the natives geared up several days before the occasion in preparation for a Merry Christmas. The Englishmen threw lavish parties, wined, dined and danced late into the night. 

Unlike us Indians who celebrate 13 festivals in 12 months, the British focused on one day of the year. They reserved December 25 of the year, the birthday of Lord Jesus, for their annual grand gala time. The locals described the Christmas day as a big day, a BADA DINA for their BILAYATI (English) rulers. Many Odias still use the lingo to describe the Christmas 🎄 day. It is also called BADAA DIN in Hindi, meaning the same.

Unlike West where it is cold at this time of year, Christmas comes at a cool time in Odisha. The time is close to New Year when schools and colleges are closed for holidays. The weather is salubrious, the ubiquitous scorching heat is absent, though it can get occasionally chilly when cold wave from north accompanied by gusty winds brings the sweaters and mufflers out. On balmy days it was time to play the game of Badminton🏸 in night. Women gave finishing touches to knitting woolen garments for their near and dear ones (Not sure if any one knits woolen garments these days in the era of ready -made clothings). 

Fresh winter vegetables were cheap and plentiful during this time. New Year Day was celebrated on the New Year, i.e, 1st of January, rather than on its eve. It was time to get warm and fuzzy. I used to wait for the Boxing Day Cricket test match invariably held at the MCG, Melbourne, Australia on December 26, a day after the Christmas. Before the days of live telecast, I used to catch those Boxing Day Cricket by tuning in to Radio Australia while clutching on to blanket to escape from the morning chill. Post live telecast days it was funny and titillating for the teenager in me to watch scantily clad tall women turning over in Aussie stadiums, sunbathing in the summer of the Southern Hemisphere.

A Christian family known to my family used to present us a nice home made fruit cake during the holiday season of Christmas at a time when good quality cake was a luxury in Odisha. Those available in a handful of stores tasted more like sugar laced bread than the real stuff. We used to wait eagerly for the once in a year luxury to savor a bite of the soft, pound cake.

One person in our house who was not so excited was my deeply suspicious grandmother. She always had this feeling there could be GORU MANSA (beef) stuffed inside the cake, especially the dark colored KISMIS (Raisins) which looked suspicious to her. A conservative Brahmin widow from Puri, she got this perception that Christians and Muslims were perennial beef eaters - so whatever they imbibe contained beef.

She warned me of my PAITA (sacred thread worn by Brahmins) going MARAA (loss of sanctity) upon eating that cake  for which I need to do penance by taking bath in cow dung laced water sprinkled with a liberal dosage of GANGAJAL (water from river Ganga), followed by multiple trips to the Puri Jagannath temple near my village for self cleansing. Going through this ordeal for just eating a piece of cake hardly sounded exciting.

Fortunately I could religiously have my cake and eat it too without going through these reclamation rituals. Now I live in a land which happens to be the largest producer and consumer of Bovine meat. Childhood memories are forever etched in our memory and die hard. The curious cat in me always takes a peek at the ingredients of all food items I purchase by doing an additional scan to ensure that beef isn't printed on the label.

Avoiding the stigma of eating beef is no piece of cake. But till date I haven't encountered a single cake that has beef as an ingredient. So the beef of the story is this Holiday season you can have your cake and eat it too. Enjoy the festivities and the Cakes and drink responsibly. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

The man who knew Infinity - Srinivasa Ramanujan

 The other day I saw the movie "THE MAN WHO KNEW INFINITY". It is based on life story of an Indian Mathematical genius - Srinivas Ramanujan, played by Dev Patel and the role of his mentor Professor Hardy played by non other than the connoisseur British actor Jeremy Irons.

Ramanujan, an extraordinarily brilliant mind, rather a Math genius was born in an orthodox Brahmin family in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. A child prodigy, he vindicated that geniuses are born, rarely made - solving complex mathematical problems which were unsolved for eons using his fingertips without any help. 

His early days were spent in abject poverty with little support or formal education. But he exceled in the subject of Mathematics and his work didn't go unnoticed for long. The man didn't live long either - for he died at an young age of 32. Can't fathom what he could have done if he lived a full life. His letters to Professor Hardy in Cambridge made the later wonder about the papers either as the works of a genuis or stolen by some fraud. 

The West is known for nurturing talents. Professor Hardy didn't want to see a genius continue as a clerk in Madras Port. The British realized Ramanujan's potential and offered him a seat at The Trinity College and later in Cambridge University in UK. Soon he boarded a ship to England, a decision not supported by his conservative Iyengar family for whom travelling across the seven seas was a taboo, which those days was tantamount to loss of caste, ultimately one's religion.

In a way, Ramanujan stole somebody's work. It was from some supernatural power. He admitted Goddess Namagiri coming to him in his dreams, providing solutions to complex theorems which was instantly crystallized in his memory. When awake, he felt the Goddess taking over his tongue - for at tip of his tongue lied solutions to complex numbers which he solved like simple equations, uttering the uniqueness about those numbers. It was something which was humanly impossible and can only be attributed to the hand of God - Goddess Namagiri in his case. Long before Diego Maradona mesmerized the English soccer team using his famous "Hand of God", Ramanujan impressed the British his his "Hand of Goddess".

He continued to amaze the Cambride Academics by solving the theory of Partitions and found the prime number closest to Infinity, for which he was billed as "The man who saw Infinity". Soon he was conferred with the coveted FRS (Fellow of Royal Society) - the youngest person to get it. Ramanujan was barely 30 years old at that time.

But fairy tales don't last long. Taking regular bath in the cold water of River Thames in London to fulfill his Brahmin rituals took its toll. He often fell sick and eventually contracted Tuberculosis - a dreaded, incurable disease of the time. A stickler to Brahmin traditions he refused to take modern medicine, aggravating his illness further. He was consumed by the dreaded consumption at the age of 32 - with the solace of breathing his last after coming back home to India.

Prof Hardy upon receiving the news of Ramanujan's dying stage rushed to the hospital and casualy told the later the cab number which brought him to his friend who was about to breathe his last. He thought it to be a mundane number. But Ramanujan, then on his death bed told him, "Wait a minute. What's the number again" ? The professor responded - 1729. Impromptu came the answer from the genius, "This is not an ordinary number. It's the smallest number which can be expressed as sum of 2 cubes in two different ways". 1729 = 8^3+9^3 = 12^3 +1^3. He didn't leave long after this incident.

We should be glad that he left India for England where his work was recognized and recorded for posterity. Otherwise, the man who was working as a Clerk in Madras Port before his voyage to London would have retired as a Head Clerk, lost in the labyrinth of Indian Babudom, incognito and unrecognized. He would have faced the fate of the proverbial "BANA MALLI" (the fragrance of the Jasmine Flower of the Forest stays inside there, forever unknown to the outsiders) - No body would ever have known him, no movie ever made on his name as the man who knew infinity. My tribute to the man on his 136th Birthday. He was born this day December 22 in the year 1887.

Controversial election of WFI's President

 The BJP Member of Parliament (MP) and Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) Chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, a well known history-sheeter, muscleman and goon found himself earlier this year pinned down to the mat after several women wrestlers came out accusing him of sexual harassment. He is an influential MP from the State of UP from BJP, our "Sanskari" political party with a difference, which leaves no stone unturned preaching ethics and morality.

Now yesterday's election of Brij Bhushan Singh's aide Sanjay Singh to the post of Wrestling Federation of India has prompted Olympic medal winner Sakshi Malik to quit the sport. In a press conference, the champion wrestler put her shoe on the table to show her protest and later cried on camera. Reacting to Sanjay Singh's election to the body that controls wrestling in India, BJP MP Brij Bhushan assured there won't be any vendetta politics against wrestlers who accused him of sexual harassment or protest to demand his removal as the WFI chief.

The widespread protest held during last summer against the accused sexual molester had been brewing for a while and is supported by India’s top women wrestlers, including Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik. Those agitating, sitting on "Dharna", many of them young girls who accused Brij Bhushan of molesting them had campaigned day and night in Delhi's "Jantar Mantar", facing the summer heat and heat from vested interests trying to silence their voice by threatening them.

It is astounding that the BJP led government at the center, party leaders and its supporters are conspicuously silent on this. Being a member of RSS and VHP he is probably a "Sanskari" (cultured) rapist. Mainstream media and the authorities slept for a while before social media picked up the cause, women organizations stepped in and the protest started gaining enough steam to get noticed. 

Ironically a campaign named "Beti Bachao Beti Padhao" (Save the daughter, Educate the Daughter) was inaugurated on January 22, 2015, by Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi who is the undisputed leader of BJP. It also exposes the hypocrisy of the Bhakts (a term ascribed to the blind supporters of Modi, BJP and RSS) who lose no opportunity to proclaim BJP as a party which respects women and proudly boast about women's safety. This incident is a tight slap on their face. Their silence isn't golden, rather speaks volume. The vociferous Bhakts on social media now have their mouth sealed and gone into hibernation with their tails well tucked behind their hind legs. 

With due respect to them here is my message to Bhakts - you may think "Caesar's wife is above suspicion", but BJP is no lily white. It is just another political party. The party is now in power for quite some time at the center and several states. Power leads to corruption and absolute power corrupts absolutely. We are now just beginning to see the symptoms of a disease called power. 

BJP has its political compulsions. Brij Bhushan is a powerful "Bahubali" (Don) of the politically important state of UP which is the the state that supplies maximum number of MPs to the Parliament. The Bahubalis control a good chunk of votes in the badlands of the North India's cowbelt and no political party, BJP or otherwise, can afford to piss them off when the Election is just round the corner.

And to add some pun by a friend on social media espoused by some Bhakts -

"Women wrestlers are quite capable of thrashing Brij Bhushan if he had attempted to molest/ paw them, THEREFORE as per bhakt, since the female wrestlers did not thrash Brij Bhushan, so he is innocent ! 

God bless Bhakts.

Dawood's death

Recently there was a rumor of India's most wanted fugitive Dawood Ibrahim dying from poisoning in a hospital of Karachi, Pakistan. The stories surrounding his anticipated death is nothing new. In 2016 he supposedly died. He died a 2nd time in 2020. He must be muttering in his Karachi hidehouse- "If you can't kill me, rumor me". 

In late 1970s and early 1980s, the Pathan gang, followers who carried the legacy of the legendary smugglers Haji Mastan and Karim Lala were dominating Bombay underworld. Their rivals in both smuggling and police used a rookie Dawood, the son of a Muslim constable to checkmate the Pathan gang. Well, Dawood not only checkmated the gang, he managed to eliminate all one by one. 

Dawood knew that the Pathan gang members had serious weakness for women. So, he tracked them and eliminated at least one of them, named Alamzeb Khan, who was literally caught pants down with a prostitute. Another one killed by Dawood was a Pathan gang member Samad Khan, who famously proclaimed that he would bed all pretty Call Girls of Bombay before he died. Not sure how far he succeeded in achieving his mission, in 1984 he was gunned down soon after coming out of a Bombay flat after having sex with a girl for the last time in his life. 

When Dawood's enemies were baying for his blood and things become too hot for him in Bombay, he escaped to Dubai. Then ISI, Pakistan's intelligence agency caused the serial Bombay blast in 1993 using Dawood who by the time has grown too large for the boots of his handlers in India. He is living incognito in Pakistan ever since, rumors of his death not withstanding. 

The other day I was watching a dubbed Telugu movie where the popular actor Ram Charan was playing the role of a dedicated policeman in British era. Following the orders of his Gora officials, Ram Charan goes deep inside a hostile crowd of several hundred violent protesters. In spite of getting hit by the mob multiple times, he manages to drag the culprit out of the melee and brings him to the front of the British Officers. One of the Officers exclaimed - "That was simply outstanding. I am so impressed". But his compatriot, the other British Officer spoke on a cautionary note - "But am scared". He was worried that in case the table gets turned in future, such a person is capable of being a big pain in the British ass, which he eventually becomes. 

This might be the storyline from a movie. But like Dawood, we have several examples of monsters who once thought as useful idiots to serve a person or nation's purpose, went rogue, backfiring big time. Mishandling by the then Congress government in the 1980s catapulted Sant Bhindranwale, a Sikh with a flowing beard and aquiline nose from a small time preacher into a big time martyr. His speech in parts of Punjab, especially in the rural areas caught the imagination of the Sikh youth of the time. His simple slogan 'JO DARTA WOH SIKH NAHI AUR JO SIKH HAI WOH DARTA NAHI' (one who fears is not a Sikh, one who is a Sikh never fears) inspired many to take up gun and became terrorists.  

As Khushwant Singh mentioned in his autobiography, Giani Zail Singh, ex Home Minister and President of India famously described Bhindranwale as SADDE DANDA "our stick" to beat the Akalis with. Congress party wanted to use him as an useful idiot to settle score against opposition Akali Dal. Eventually the genie escaped from the bottle and the DANDA became a huge stick to cause pain to Congress and the nation's backside.   

Same goes with Osama Bin Laden who was trained by CIA to fight against the invading Soviet Army in Afghanistan. Bin Laden was an expert in firing shoulder fire missiles which led to the loss of several Russian Aircrafts. But no sooner the Russians beat a hasty retreat from Afghanistan, than Bin Laden turned his attention to the USA who was once his patron and benefactor, culminating in the terrible incident of 9/11. 

Examples are plenty of such examples and mentioning them is beyond the scope of this blog. I can think of a song for Dawood - "Abhi Na Jao Chhod Kar, Yeh Dil Abhi Bhara Nahi" (Don't leave us now, our heart is still unfulfilled). You have already died in 2016 from Heart attack, from Covid in 2020 and now died a victim of poisoning in 2023. You can die yet again in 2026 from Diabetics. Bhakts will give credit to Modi and Doval for feeding you with a lot of sweets and dying a natural death from sugar. 

Adjust and Saare

Adjust is a very commonly used word by commoners in my home state back home. A frequently used phrase one comes across - "TIKE ADJUST KARANTU" (in Odia) or "THODA ADJUCT KIJIYE" (HIndi), both meaning, "Please adjust a little bit". In many instances it simply means, please squeeze in more than 5 people in a seat made for 3 persons inside a car or any mode of public transport. Or a polite way of saying, "Bear the inconvenience".

The word adjust is ubiquitous and can fit to multiple scenarios. An NRI visiting India once went shopping for Toilet paper. The store was out of it. Said the furious NRI, "What kind of store you have, you don't carry a necessity item like Toilet Paper ?" "Sorry Sir" - the storekeeper responded politely. We don't have toilet paper but we have plenty of Sand papers. TIKE ADJUST KARANTU or THODA ADJUCT KIJIYE ("Please adjust a little bit)".

A request for "Adjust", can be preceded by the word SIR to expedite it. In the Southern part of US, one is often addressed as Sir as a matter of respect and gratitude, no matter what you are and what you do. It is considered as an integral part of Southern hospitality and mannerism in the Southern States of US. In Britain you need to go an extra mile for the same. You need to command respect to earn it. SIR is usually associated with the coveted Knighthood, reserved only for persons with extraordinary abilities - in Sports, Literature or Politics.

In India the word "Sir" is used too loosely. During my growing up days the word Sir was sparingly used only to address Teachers and high level officials who sipped "Teachers". Now a days, any dumb addresses the dumber as Sir, a perfect example is me addressed as Sir on multiple occasions in India without hardly doing anything noteworthy to deserve such an accolade. Often sugar coated, wrapped in obsequiousness and delivered with a bended spine posture, it often comes in form of "SIR Jee" as if just SIR is not enough. 

This is also invariably followed by the character assassination of the Sir behind his back. As soon as Sir steps away, the Sir turns into a "SALAA" - which means wife's brother but in a derogatory way it alludes "I am the seducer of your sister".

I met a friend who came late to a friendly gathering no long ago. His excuse - he had to drop his SAARE (The word Sir pronounced in Oriya accent) at the Airport. Fair enough. I sarcastically asked him "You have been dropping your SIRs at Airport since time immemorial. Is it not high time for you now to be a Sir ?" Nodding in approval were those who were around and had a hearty laugh. Hope his turn to be at the receiving end of the coveted Sir status, the ultimate dream of many arrives sooner than later. 

82nd Anniversary of Pearl Harbor

 78 years ago on a bright sunny summer morning of August 6, 1945 a tiny US plane carrying a nuclear bomb of enormous power flew over the city of Hiroshima in Japan. The bolt from the blue sky came literally form of the pilot dropping the bomb, the first of its kind in the world, causing huge, permanent damage to the city. This bomb, an Atom bomb effectively put the final nail in World War II's coffin and Japan's war campaign in the Far East. Before Japan could recover from the bombing aftershock, it was followed by another one on another city of Nagasaki only 3 days later, on August 9. 

This bombing incident which happened that fine morning in August marked the close of the curtains of a chain of events which commenced following another bombing on a bright winter morning of December 7, 1941, exactly 82 years ago which forced America to enter into the World War II, a little late in the game after its Pearl Harbor Naval base in idyllic Hawaii came under attack by Japan on the wee hours. The swift devastating blitzkrieg by the Japanese fighter planes completely caught the Americans unaware.

The main architech of the attack, the Japanese Admiral Yamamoto was not so inclined to attack the Pearl Harbor Naval base fearing its consequences. Educated in Harvard, he had some idea of American capability and he knew the retaliation will be fierce and could lead to gotterdamerung. But drunk by success in Indo-China, the Japanese military junta headed by General Tojo vetoed the prudent Admiral's concerns and gave the go ahead order.

The calm, sunny morning in picturesque Pacific island of Hawaii was shattered when there were clear blips on the Radar announcing the approach of a string of airplanes on the horizon. It was promptly conveyed to the Headquarters who dismissed it with the now famous four words - "DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT", dismissing the fighter planes as routine flights which fly from California to Hawaii on regular basis.

The Japanese meticulously planned their mission. They were successful in fooling the Americans, cruising their Aircraft Career incognito for thousands of miles on endless Pacific Ocean, traveling only during the day to avoid getting detected by light in the night and choosing to launch the strike on a Sunday morning when the Sailors were expected to be resting after a late Saturday night party and the officers would be busy playing Sunday morning Golf. Perfect time to make the Americans look like foxes frozen by searchlight.

A la a swarm of killer bees moments later the Japanese bombers stung the Naval base, sinking one battle ship after another and taking thousands of young sailors only in their late teens and earning 20s who barely started their career in US Navy. It was the first attack on the American soil by a foreign power, completely catching it off guard. The entire American naval fleet at Pearl Harbor was destroyed.

The same evening President Roosevelt declared war against Japan, marking the opening of a new front and chapter in World War II. Admiral Yamamoto knew very well that there must be an element of surprise in the attack to destroy US's superior Battleships before they could recoup and launch any counter attack. But it was no surprise when the US's Pacific fleet tracked Yamamoto when the later was on a hopping flight between the islands and shot down his plane straight into the jungles of one of the uninhabited Islands in the endless Pacific.

Ironically, few years after Yamamoto's death, his prior concern belittled by his superiors was vindicated when the American G.I.s spectacularly fought back recapturing one Pacific island after another held by Japan. Their de facto leader, General Tojo anticipated an attack by US on the Japanese islands and was preparing for it. He didn't anticipate a nuclear attack. USA's surprise return gift to Pearl Harbor attack culminated in the dropping of "Little Boy", the new kid in the block in the form of an Atom Bomb on Japan, forcing the later to surrender unconditionally.

World has moved ahead since then, with nations like Pakistan and North Korea already possessing nuclear weapons. Many say the nuclear weapons serve as deterrent. There is some truth to it. I believe India and Pakistan would have fought a 4th war if both were not part of the Nuclear club. Yet, this day 82 years ago saw the addition of a new chapter in the history of a war, the extent of its impact still unknown.

Socrates - the maverick Brazilian Soccer star

The legend of Brazilian soccer, Socrates died this day, this month 12 years ago. He was unique of his kind, a rare multifaceted, contradictory and controversial talent. Apart from being a brilliant swift dribbler of the ball and a dangerous player to Brazil's opponents, he was also a qualified doctor, yet a smoker who loved to get soaked in alcohol, a rarity amongst sportsmen. Socrates was a maverick man, a player of caliber who happened to have captained a highly talented Brazilian World Cup squad in 1982 and a key player in 1986 - a team who should have won both the Cups but couldn't.

If you followed soccer in the 1980s, Socrates was the slim, bearded, bandana wearing, curly haired captain of the 1982 and 1986 Brazilian squad which was probably the best soccer team which never won the World Cup. 

Though eclipsed by the likes of his better known compatriots Pele, Zico, Romario, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Neymar et all from a nation who produces soccer players of class dime a dozen, this midfielder carved his niche with his swift, devastating counter attacks. A gifted midfielder Socrates could be of dangerous proposition to any opponent with his unpredictable moves catching opponents unguarded.

I remember him being the captain of 1982 Brazillian World Cup Soccer Team when as a 13 year old I started following international football seriously. The team was managed by the legendary chain smoking Tele Santana who believed that attack is the best method of defense. The star studded Brazilian team with the likes of Zico, Socrates, Falcao, Eder, Junior breezed into the quarters. The legendary Pele boasted "Playing like this we are going to win the Cup". And everyone thought so, similar to Indian cricket team was expected by most to win the just concluded Cricket World Cup held in India.

The Quarterfinals of the 1982 World Cup was in a league format with Argentina (with a promising 21 year old Maradona in their side), Brazil and Italy clubbed together in one group of death, with one team to qualify for the semifinals. In the all important match Brazil, the overwhelming favorite Samba team needed just a draw against a struggling Italy to qualify for semifinals. 

But Paolo Rossi crashed the Brazilian dream with a hat trick as Italy narrowly won the match 3-2. Italy eventually went on to win the Cup. Clearly the marauding Brazilians let their defense down while focusing too much on blitzkrieg and paid the price. Believing too much on attack, the Brazilians left loopholes in their defense for Rossi to capitalize.

In the1986 version of the Cup in Mexico city, famously known as "Maradona's hand of God" World Cup, Brazil was every one's favorite dream team. In the match against Poland, Socrates scored a philosophical goal, when he took the penalty shot looking aloof, pointing his fingers in one direction, putting the ball inside the net on the other side. He confused the goalkeeper with his guile, as the goalkeeper moved in the direction of Socrates's finger as the later netted the ball into the goal.

But in the crucial Quarterfinals against France, Socrates tried repeating the same, but it turned out to be a mistake repeated. This time the French goalie read him right, blocking the ball. It cost the Brazilians the match and the Cup. A world cup win, which would've been a fitting finale to a genius's marvelous career remained elusive.

Socrates continued to practice medicine after he retired from the game, a genius who was a world class soccer player as well as a medico, who later dabbled in politics. He wrote blogs and was often seen on TV panels to discuss soccer and politics.

He was 57 when he died of complication due to his long stint with alcoholism, on December 5, 2011. A tragic fallacy of human weakness - a doctor who succumbed to something he must have advised others not to do, whose ill effects he must been well aware of. RIP, the maverick genius.

The 4 state elections 2023

 The much awaited results of the just concluded state elections in India are out. As there already 367,588 analysts out there on the social media analyzing the results, I didn't want to be left behind, opting to become the 367,589th one. 

Congress won only one and BJP the rest of the major states. This election proved that it is no more BJP, it is unequivocally Modi's party now. Until he is alive this is a hard truth one has to live with, same as during Indira Gandhi's heydays when Congress and its hand symbol was synonymous with Indira Gandhi, not the party. At one point of time it was called Congress (I) or Indira Congress as she hijacked the party as her family fiefdom. BJP, still a Cadre based party, at least officially is not yet BJP (M), but de facto Modi's BJP. The results of the recently finished state elections, considered as prequel to India's national Parliamentary election next year, just vindicated the fact. 

A popular quip during the 1970s and 80s when the Congress Party was in power almost all over India, was the Congress Party will win as long as "ALLI and COOLIE" (Muslims and poor people) vote for the party. It wasn't far from truth. Both the minorities and majority poor stuck to Congress party as an infant clutches to mother's breast. Congress is currently ailing as ALLIs (Muslims) have long since moved to other parties, followed by COOLIES (poor folks) no longer votes for overwhelmingly vote for Congress. 

These days, BJP matched by its grass-root organization, money power coupled with its star campaigner Modi has successfully stolen the thunder from Congress. The election was supposed to be close in MP, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan. But some last moment campaign by Prime Minister Modi contributed to a small but valuable voting gain of couple of percentage, large enough in Indian political context to swing the Election in the favor of BJP. Best example is Rajasthan where the vote share of BJP is 41% versus 39% secured by Congress. Those vital difference of 2% can be attributed to Modi's active rallies in the state. However, BJP is yet to expand its footsteps beyond the South of Bindhyas other than Karnataka. Congress won a consolation prize by winning Telengana. 

Politics is a matter of perception. BJP has mastered the art of event management with portraying its leader Modi as the man of the future. On the other hand, the Gandhi family is already past its sell by expiry date. India is a young country where more than 70% of its voters are born after 1984 when Indira Gandhi, the last Gandhi with politics in her blood died. The party can't run on inertia and just win elections by expecting BJP to lose. Unless a change in leadership is made at top and fresh blood is infused into the moribund leadership, the party is going to shrink further. And this is not good for democracy. Power is the best aphrodisiac. Power leads to corruption and absolute power can corrupt absolutely. Long term stay in power by a single party can very well sow seeds of dictatorship whose harvest may not be quite palatable.

Viruses hate alcohol

Last Tuesday morning when I entered my workplace, after going through the rotating turnstile, the next stop was the temperature check by a device put near the entrance, a new set up post Covid. As I passed through, the scanner talked loud and clear - "Your temperature is normal" displaying my body temperature of 97.6°F. After settling down at my desk, as usual I grabbed my morning cuppa Coffee. It felt soothing to my slightly itchy throat.

Soon I had this odd feeling of my throat getting sore and starting to itch more. By noontime I could sense coming down with something. This is not uncommon at this time of the year, the beginning of flu season. Post lunch I sneezed couple of times as my nostrils started to get warmer and wetter, as my breathing was beginning to give my nose a burning sensation. My spine, knees and slowly my entire body started aching badly.

Rather than hanging around and spreading my infection to the slim workforce on a Thanksgiving week and putting the rest of my coworkers at risk, I took rest of the days off and headed back home. Skipping my usual afternoon walk, I told my wife make a "Kada Chai" (strong tea) boiled with a liberal dosage of ginger slices and black pepper. It certainly was soothing to my aching throat. But the relief was temporary as it began to get worse.

Fortunately the next day was the day before Thanksgiving, a short day at work from home. I was feeling weak and tired, so took an afternoon siesta. By evening I was starting to get chills all over my body. It prompted me to gulp down Extra Strength Tylenol and retire early to bed. Normally I get up around 6 AM in the morning. But on this Thanksgiving day,  a holiday here, when I opened my eyes it was already 9 O'clock in the morning. My entire body from tip to toe was hurting like hell. I told my wife - "My voice sounds like our legendary singer Saigal". She replied sarcastically - "To me it sounds more like the course croak of a Bull Frog on a rainy summer night". We ordered some hot Thai food for dinner, which felt good to my tasteless taste bud.

The first thing I did after getting up on this Thanksgiving morning was do a Covid test using my home test kit. Thankfully it came negative. But flu like symptoms persisted, though I have already taken the seasonal flu shot weeks ago. I continued to lie on bed like a horizontal version Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the legendary medieval time  preacher in Odisha and Bengal during the Bhakti movement. After a frugal lunch of hot chicken soup and lightly toasted bread I took a long afternoon nap on Thanksgiving day, thanks to the drowsy extra strength Tylenol. 

On Thanksgiving evening the feeling was horrible. Never felt like this for a long time. I was constantly getting chills and flu like symptoms. After excusing my wife and son for dinner, I went on sleep on an empty stomach. The next day, the day following Thanksgiving was hardly any better. The virus continued to torment me. It was a challenge for me to walk barely 30 feet to the mailbox on Friday afternoon to fetch mails as my legs refused oblige. The flu like symptoms won't relent. I was feeling hungry but hardly left with any energy or desire to eat. I drank hot ginger, black pepper tea which made me feel a little better after all. Yet it barely helped as the relief was temporary. By evening it was again starting to get worse.

I read somewhere that Viruses hate Alcohol. So I poured myself two stiff, large pegs of Vodka. My wife made me a double egg Omlete with freshly plucked chopped red chillies still growing in my backyard with cilantro on top. I washed the hot Omlete down with the sharp tasting Vodka. Alcohol shrugged off my jaded nerves. I slumped on bed to fade into deep slumber.

I woke up Saturday morning fresh and refreshed, feeling a whole lot better. I was still sneezing and coughing, but the worst seemed to be over. The body ache and weakness had reduced to a manageable level by not making me feel any worse. What various medications couldn't do, couple of Vodka shots could. No wonder viruses hate alcohol.

Bodyline series

 As the semifinals are ready to begin in this Cricket World Cup campaign in few hours, today it is worth remembering Harold Larwood on his birthday today, his tryst with the famous or rather infamous Bodyline series of 1932-33 nearby 80 years ago. The English bowler of the day, bowling at an estimated blistering speed of 90-100 mph, which was considered very high those days totally decimated his Australian opponents. Today happens to be his 119th birthday.

But more importantly he was accused of bowling bouncers on the leg side targeting the body of the batsmen, especially at his opponent star batsman Sir Donald  Bradman, a thorn on the English side. For the first time in the history of cricket, a new term was coined - "BODYLINE".

Larwood created havoc in the Australian dressing room when he managed to break the skull of one of their batsmen and injuring several others. He was widely blamed for his unsportsmanlike conduct but had no regret, ascribing his action to following the orders of his wily skipper Douglas Jardine, the protagonist of this idea of Bodyline bowling well within the rules of cricket. The captain defended his tactics, proclaiming that he was too well within the rules laid out in cricket those days - a gentleman's game where aggression was an alien notion.

Needless to say England won the series Down Under. But more importantly, it managed to put a spanner into the wheels of Bradman's juggernaut. The famous Australian who till then scored runs at an average of 100 plus, could manage only a 56 for average in that series, quite unlikely of him.

Many from our generation might remember the TV serial based on the same series, aptly named as BODYLINE and shown on DOORDARSHAN, the only TV channel available in India in the year 1987. This controversial strategy adopted by the English captain Jardine was very unpopular, though well within the rules of the game. It was probably the first blotch in the gentleman's game, which until that point was lily white like the flannels worn by the cricketers.

The English team also had an Indian batsman (India was a British colony at that time) named Nawab of Pataudi Sr., an useful cricketer who incidentally scored a century in that series. I starkly remember a scene where Ashok Banthia playing Nawab Pataudi gets emotional in front of his captain Jardine, "Now Sun must be setting in my motherland India" to which his captain responded - "Sun never sets over the British Empire". It was true during that time. Alas, gone are those days of British glory. Ironically it was the same English who initiated Bodyline bowling to curb Bradman, after being battered by the battery of West Indian and Australian fast bowlers introduced the rule to restrict the number of bouncers per over.

Jardine didn't live very long and died of cancer in 1955. Larwood lived longer, dying in 1995. Jardine came to India, did some Tiger hunting and posed himself in pictures taken before a fallen tigers, a fad of the time high and mighty in India. He too died soon. Bradman lived much longer and missed the 100 batting average by a whisker - which he could have easily got but for his meager by his standards average of 56 in that famous BODYLINE series. Almost 100 years since, Cricket has come a long way from its origin England to India to its current epicenter India.

Money is the greatest leveller

 Money can be the greatest leveler. Even Communists, the champion hypocrites they are and who are known to protray frugality, have immense love for money.

Few years ago I volunteered to file Income Tax Returns for the lower income group organized by VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) of Goodwill, a local Charity Organization with tie up with IRS (Internal Revenue Services). It gave me immense pleasure of working for the community and the accompanied opportunity to interact with folks from different walks of life, not to mention the immense satisfaction from serving the Community.

During my chitchat with the Tax filers I often stumbled upon some interesting anecdotes. From the saga of a 95 year old lady, who as a teenager drove a Ford in the 1930s (then 90% of the American households had access to car) and how she flirted with her beau on telephone, a fancy gadget and the new kid in block (Americans then had 4 times more phones per person than the British, 6 times more than the Germans), to the story of an 18 year old kid, a first time tax file accompanied by his mother who never returned to her Indian husband after moving to the United States and settling down for good.

But nothing trumps this encounter. Money certainly can be a great leveler, the proof of which I saw in my own eyes. Like every tax season, one fine spring morning I was doing my Volunteer Tax Preparation for the low income people. A couple who were filing jointly, were seating across me as usual, while I prepared their taxes. As I was busy going through their documents, entering them on the IRS Website on the computer and asking them tax related question, I was frequently interrupted as the couple were busy bickering among themselves on some trivial matter.

Their verbal cat fight, a ritual amongst all married couples, was reaching its zenith. Nothing unusual, as every couple fight. The only exceptions probably could be Mrinalini Devi and her spiritual husband Sri Aurobindo of Aurville fame or Sri Ramakrishna Paramhans and his wife Sarada Devi. Otherwise those couples who say they never fight are certainly lying. Anyway, tax preparation needs utmost attention with zero scope for errors, so the couple's rambling was an irritating drag on my work.

My cup of patience was full. I was about to mildly reprimand them when all of a sudden their Refund Amount popped up on the screen. They were getting about $3,600 back which was a hefty sum proportionate to their income. I interrupted their bickering, announcing the Refund amount which is going to land up in their Bank Account in 2-3 weeks after I e-file their return. Their face suddenly glowed, words turned sweeter. The husband now started calling his wife Sweetie. The wife reciprocated with calling her hubby Honey. They high-fived and praised Good Lord for being graceful to them that morning. (Little they understood that it's their own money they are getting back from IRS who holds on to it for more than a year with 0% interest. But it's in human nature to get elated at the news of sudden, unexpected arrival of money). 

The animosity that existed between the squabbling couple a few moments ago was long gone. With a smiling face they warmly shook my hands and bid adieu. It was a heroic gesture to someone who had done nothing but was the bearer of the news of their tax return which they were entitled to anyway. I enjoyed my 2 minutes of fame, thanks to money which can certainly be a great leveler. Their reaction made me remember the good Ole rhyme :

"Money money money.

Brighter than sunshine,

Sweeter than Honey".

The timeout dismissal of Angelo Matthews

Today Sri Lankan player Angelo Matthews was given out for "Time Out" based upon the appeal by the Sakib Al Hasan, the Bangladesh team captain for the delay by the Lankan batsman for arriving at the crease due to a broken strap in his helmet. It was perhaps the first such decision in the history of international cricket. So shameful and unsportsmanlike of Bangladesh cricket team, though perfectly within the boundaries of the existing cricket rules. 

Rule vs Sportsmanship - a question which has plauged Cricket, known as a gentleman's game. Douglas Jardine was well within the rules when he instructed Larwood to bowl bouncers in the infamous Body line series. The purpose was to contain Don Bradman who had become a scourge for English cricket team. Jardine partially successful in his mission, considering Bradman who averaged more than 100 until then, ended up with an average of 56 something. That series was responsible for him to stay stuck at the average of 99.99. It was an unsportsmanlike gesture, but Jardine was well within the rules at that time when there was no restriction on bouncers to be bowled. 

Fast forward to 1981 when New Zealand was 6 runs away from victory with only 1 ball remaining. Greg Chappel, the Australian skipper instructed his younger brother to bown an underarm delivery to the hapless Kiwi batsman. Chappel was perfectly within the rules and Australian won the match and the triangular series. Kiwi press screamed next day - "Chappell's underarm stinks". A Kiwi company offered Chappell brothers free  deodorants for rest of their lives ! 

In 1980, during the Jubilee test match between England and India at Bombay, Kapil Dev was polishing off the English batsmen when Bob Taylor was given out caught behind. England was perhaps 5 wickets down for 50 something. Taylor complained to India's captain Vishwanath who called back Taylor to bat again. Botham who was at the other end scored a memorable century, later took 10 wickets to win the test for England. 

During the 1987 World Cup match against Pakistan, Abdul Qadir was feets away from the non-stricker end when bowler Courtney Walsh gently reminded him to get back into the crease. Walsh could easily ran Qadir out. This decision of Walsh cost West Indies the game and a place in the WC semifinals. 

It might have cost India the Jubilee test in 1980 and West Indies the World Cup in 1987, yet Vishwanath and Walsh will go down in history of cricket as epitomes of sportsmanship. Shame on you Bangladesh cricketers, hard luck Angelo Matthews.

Supernatural experience from 1857 Mutiny

Halloween reminds me of a Supernatural incident I read in a book a while back. Normally I don't give a whole lot of credence to these, but I couldn't ignore this in its historical context. One is free to believe it or not, but let me narrate it in my own words.

This was personally experienced by the daughter of Raja Ram Mohan Roy (King reformer of 19th century Bengal), who later became the MAHARANI (Queen) of Cooch Bihar. She encountered it when she was barely 10 years old. The time this incident took place was soon after Sepoy Mutiny in 1857. 

One summer she was doing what her renowned reformist father used to do - travelling around, teaching people to reform themselves from social evils prevalent widely in India those days. One evening their travelling entourage which included the young princess decided to stay overnight in a Bungalow near Kanpur in the present day UP.

After a long tiring day and evening meal the servants put on hammocks inside the long hallway before deciding to call it a day. Earlier that evening the girl had noticed stains of dried blood on the wall close to the floor but did not pay much attention to it. After midnight the princess was suddenly awake after she felt abnormally cold around her, very unusual for a North Indian summer.

She opened her eyes and looked around. Everybody was in deep sleep. She started hearing foot steps moving towards the wall. There was sound of marauding invaders, clanking of swords, followed by muffled cry from women and children begging for mercy. This continued for a while and finally stopped. The room was pitch dark and see did not see a thing. She lay still, was too afraid to close her eyes or call anyone.

Next morning she narrated this experience to folks around her. After some inquiry they found that during the Sepoy Mutiny barely a year ago, a group of English women and children took shelter in that hall in the night when they were trying to escape Kanpur. They were soon discovered and mercilessly butchered. All the sound she heard and the dried blood stains on the wall spoke for itself.

The Super Cyclone of 1999

 Touched by Bay Of Bengal on its Eastern frontier, Odisha, my state back home in India is prone to Cyclones (counterpart of Hurricanes in North America) which come churning their way through Indian Ocean before making landfall anywhere on the vast Eastern Coromondel Coast.

It took my memory back to this day in the month of October, 1999 exactly 24 years ago when arguably the worst cyclone of my lifetime to hit Odisha in the form of Category 5 winds close to 150 miles per hour knocking out trees, houses, killing humans and livestocks in several thousands. 

Caught pants down, the inept and corrupt administration in Odisha was unprepared for such an eventuality. It was completely caught by surprise, like a fox in front of searchlight - completely stunned, stoned and clueless. By the time the hapless authority could recover and gather strength and resources to launch some semblance of relief and rescue operation, the damage was already done in terms of life, property and reputation.

On that day in America, I was travelling on a new Consulting assignment to the state of Arkansas and just arrived at my hotel when my sister called and blasted me in one breath conveying the bad news from home. I rang up my father in Bhubaneswar expecting my call not to go through. It was a pleasant surprised to hear his voice at the other end, as our home phone was back working less than 24 hours after the storm. I was glad my folks were safe and sound, sans couple of fallen Papaya trees in our backyard and lot of coconut branches on ground.

There was no smartphone or Wifi those days. Face and book were two separate words - juxtaposing them into one entity was strictly fantasy. My hotel lobby had a few computers where I promptly logged into internet via now defunct AOL (America Online). There was a handful of Odia websites those days, but they were yet to carry any news of damage. Probably they were not in a position to carry news due to the power outage. Only a few web editions of national  newspapers provided some glimpse of the horrendous loss of life and property.

The picture got clearer after couple of days, as the weather cleared up. National media carried clear pictures of bloated corpses of humans and livestock floating in swamps created by retreating sea water, flies swarming around. Stuck in the debris, there were no dogs, only jackals, crows or vultures left to feed on them. The sight was gross and ghastly, still etched in my memory.

It was rumored that Giridhari Gomango, the Chief Minister of Odisha (equivalent of a Governor in US) at that time ignored the warning about Cyclone based on the advice of his personal Astrologers who sooth-sayed him with confidence not to worry, as the the Cyclone would skip his state. But the Super Cyclone hit the heart of Odisha with full force. Gomango took the brunt of widespread criticism on the aftermath of devastation and was subseqently forced out of his job. 

The powerful and disgruntled Congress leader JB Patnaik, the man Gomango replaced not long ago supposedly played some deliberate politics to accentuate the later's removal. Previously in power for 14 years he activated his widespread contacts and sleeper cells inside the all powerful Bureaucracy calling shots in Odisha to indulge in tardy distribution of relief materials, causing further damage to the reputation of CM Gomango who was unceremoniously removed. 

Since then things have changed a lot over the last two decades. Lessons were learnt from the mistake of 1999. The subsequent administrations have been doing a commendable job in disaster management. In meantime technology has grown leaps and bound. Modern day satellites are able to predict the path of Cyclones days ahead of landfall with accuracy. Time being the essence, prior anticipation and tracking of this behemoth single eyed monster has led to evacuation of public en masse, drastically reducing the casualty. This time prior to Fani hitting the Odisha shore, a million have been evacuated to Cyclone shelters. Though damages to property was extensive but valuable human lives were saved.

What hasn't changed is the corruption in the post cyclone relief distribution which may have gone from bad to worse. As my friend, young man Pravat Pruseth questioned - ୧୯୯୯ ମହାବାତ୍ୟାରେ ଆମେରିକା ସରକାର ପଠେଇ ଥିବା ପାଞ୍ଚ ହଜାର ଟଙ୍କା ମୂଲ୍ଯର ଗୋଟିଏ ଗୋଟିଏ କମ୍ବଳ  ଫାଇଭ ଷ୍ଟାର ହୋଟେଲ ଗୁଡିକରେ ପହଞ୍ଚିଲା କେମିତି ? (How come the blankets sent by the US government during super Cyclone 1999 manage to reach the 5 Star Hotels) ?

There were talks of some of the high quality tarpolenes donated from America to act as shelter cover ended up covering the cars of the BADA BADIA (Big Shots) in Bhubaneswar. The relief somehow manages to reach the greedy, not the needy. Good luck to my folks in Odisha. Take care and Stay safe from Cyclone season 🌀 this season.

Turbulent time in America

 Politically it is turbulent time in America as the politics in the country seem to be in a mess these days. Fatigue had set in the House of Representatives as the house Republicans, forget being bipartisan, couldn't even agree among themselves for weeks when America is heading towards a debt defaulting crisis as the holiday season approaches. 

Donald Trump, the prospective Republican nominee for 2024 Presidential Elections and battling multiple court cases has virtually hijacked the GOP (another name for the Republican party). Stretching loyalty over Republican party's core principles, Trump has set the cat amongst the pigeons by supporting one candidate or the other for the position of House Speaker so that he can extend his control to the house Republicans. Finally, the candidate whom Trump perceives as most loyal to him managed to become the Republican speaker of the House.

Democrats aren't looking great. They are no lily white either. Bob Menendez, a Democratic Senator from New Jersey has been caught pants down, literally, as he was soliciting prostitutes. Per a joke shared by Comedian Bill Maher, Mendez had his rendezvous with a prostitute who alleged him for not paying her dues. Mendez justified his action - "I am socially liberal, but fiscally conservative". 

Menendez was found hoarding stashes of cash and gold bars all over his house, a phenomenon common in 3rd world countries. Joe Biden's leadership doesn't look very inspiring as he is managing an economy which looks wobbly. Wall Street might be doing well, but on ground, the Main Street doesn't see anything like that on the ground. For a commoner like me, everything from the intems in grocery stores to restaurants seem more expensive these days with no immediate relief in sight. 

The January 6 insurrection is now almost forgotten with anyone yet to be made fully accountable. 70% Republicans believe the 2020 Election was stolen. These kind of internal bickering between the Democrats and Republicans has resulted in hampering America's image as a global Superpower. China and Russia have started taking US for granted as American is no more perceived as the Global Policeman. Israel has attacked by Hamas as the terrorist organization at a time it pervasives America getting weaker. The middle eastern countries no more take the US leadership for granted. 

I believe in America's resilience. It has came out of the tumultuous 1960s and 1970s when a President was assassinated, followed by phases of bad economy and Watergate scandal. Hope the current downslide is arrested and America gets back to where it belongs.

RIP Bishen Singh Bedi

 He was an integral part of the famous of the spin quadret of India along with Chandra, Prasanna and Ventakragahavan who weaved magic on the field and weaved India's bowling attack for years in the days when India didn't possess a medium pacer of quality until the arrival of Kapil Dev in 1978. Bishen Singh Bedi, India's ex cricketer and Test captain in the 1970s, a prominent bowler, a great asset to India's cricket passed away earlier today at the age of 77.

He was a talented cricketer, aggressive captain and bit controversial too. A Punjabi, popularly known as Bishen Paaji, post retirement Bedi also played number of roles in cricket administration. During the 1990 tour of England when he was the manager of the team, he said - "Every housewife wants to seduce Sachin Tendulkar".

After losing the Test Series in Pakistan in 1978, India's witty Captain Bishen Singh Bedi gave three reasons for India's loss - the Cricketers, the Footballer and the Outsiders. Imran Khan was the Cricketers who played well against their arch rival, Footballer was alluded to Javed Miandad who padded all the deliveries from our spinners whereas the outsiders, apltly named for the Umpires looked the other way. India lost the series 2-0, leading to Bedi's outster as Captain. This was an illi fated tour when the visitors believed their rooms were bugged and from the day one started counting the remaining days to go back to India.

Mike Brearley, the scholarly English cricket captain, an average cricketer but a fantastic cricketing responsible for many English victories, had just one word to describe Bishan Singh Bedi’s bowling - “Beautiful.” Kapil Dev, India's best all arounder under whose leadership India famously won its first ever World Cup defeating the overwhelming favorite West Indies, said that Bedi was the best captain he played under, because unlike Sunil Gavaskar who was defensive both as a cricketer and captain, Bishen Singh Bedi believed that attack is the best method of defense. Bedi took the Captainship from Ajit Wadekar post India's infamous tour to England in 1974 summer when India was not only whitewashed but faced the ignominy of getting all out for a paltry 42 at Lord's, the Mecca of Cricket. He was an able captain who proved his mettle after series after series.

And Bedi was a pragmatic skipper too. During the West Indies tour in 1976 he declared India's innings in the middle when a fiery bowling attack led by Michael Holding and Andy Roberts sent at least couple of Indian batters injured, declared hurt and unable to bat again. It was the era without batters going to bat without the luxury of having a helmet. Bedi promptly declared the innings and surrendered the match. He was far from a coward, but prudent enough not to send the tail enders, his prized spinners to get injured and surrender the series. His decision proved to be wise. The 4 test match series ended in  1-1 draw, a respectable outcome against West Indies in West Indies those days, thanks to Bedi's practical thinking as a captain.

Several anecdotes attributed to him which Bedi had mentioned after the legendary writer Khushwant Singh passed away in 2014. Both Sardars used to meet regularly at the Bombay Gymkhana Club in the 1970s. Khushwant Singh mentioned Bedi as the first Sikh cricket captain in his book "History of Sikhs" and both were good friends. Every time they would meet Khushwant Singh would ask Bedi to tell him one Dirty Punjabi joke and in return the writer will buy India's cricket captain a drink. Bedi obliged under the condition of secrecy. He didn't want the nation to know that the Captain of Indian cricket team, that too a Sardar telling dirty Punjabi jokes.

Cricket, Controversies or Cricketing Controversies apart - Bishen Singh Bedi had carved his niche and left his indelible mark in the history of the game. RIP Bedi. Om Shanti.

My key to embarrassment

 A few years back, one fine afternoon I came out of a local Grocery Store and opened a vehicle's front door using my car key. It was my car, or so I thought. As I was about to get in, I had this weird feeling as if something is missing, something seemed very unfamiliar to me. I saw an open Cigarette pack and a lipstick on the passenger side seat. 

Instantly I realized that I have keyed into the wrong car. A car exactly same as mine - the same model, brand and color which was parked right next to my car. It was similar but not the same car. I could feel my heart pounding as I got out of it, looking around to make sure that no one was noticing in order to save myself from embarrassment.

On my drive back home on my car, I wondered how could I enter into another car using my own car key ? Is this an undetected defect with Honda, a renowned car maker known for its outstanding quality ? Even if it was an old car, I shouldn't have been able to unlock another car using my own keys. Has this happened to anybody in US before ? I apparently turned in my key to embarrassment as these thoughts were doing gymnastics inside by dumb mind.

Thankfully I drove my own car back home. Otherwise, if I drove home with the wrong car and my wife would have found the lipstick on the passenger side - I can't fathom the depth of her fury. I don't smoke. But I could have explained about the Cigarettes. But I couldn't have come with an alibi to explain the lipstic on the passenger side. My explanation - "It's not what it looks like, I can explain it" blah blah would have fallen into deaf ears, making me to look for shelters for the Homeless in my city. "Whew" - I was so relieved that nothing of that sort happened. It was definitely a close call.

I am now reminded of this joke. A man suddenly started wearing earrings. When asked since when he started wearing earrings, his answer was - "Since my wife found it inside my car". Glad I haven't started wearing lipstic.

Happy birthday Dr. Kalam

 Exactly 21 years go, in the month July 2002, K R Narayanan completed an uneventful stint as the President of India. Politically, it was a unique time in the country. The BJP led government was in power at the center by a slim majority supported by regional parties, whereas many politically important states had parties opposed to the ruling coalition of BJP. In the event of an electoral college based contest, the BJP led government at center wasn't confident of getting its candidate elected for the highest office of the land, though a ceremonial one.

Politics was simmering, as every party wanted to have a piece of the Presidential Pie. Though ceremonial, the Presidency of India is a prestigious post which comes a huge Bunglow at heart of Lutyen's Delhi along with myriads of perks at the tax payers expense. Also a President might come in handy if a party doesn't get a majority on its own in the age of coalition politics at that time). Some one came with the name of Dr. Abdul Kalam, a retired scientist and the brain behind India's indigenous missile technology for the coveted post. 

Lo behold, almost all parties fell in line for his candidacy (of course except the Communists who blindly oppose anything or anybody supported by BJP). Dr. Kalam did the unthinkable, where  parties as polarized as Shiv Sena and MIM, Muslim League agreed to support him (one probably have to point gun at their heads to make them agree on something). 

Such was the stature of the man who commands tremendous respect in a nation which is divided across multiple spectrum of politics, caste, creed, religion, language, sex and what not ! A man of unparalleled ethics, non controversial, workaholic and known as the man who forgot to marry (probably it contributed to stay focused in his mission).

People loved him out of respect and sheer trust, based upon his achievement and his unassuming, a down to the earth personality. When you are led down inside the earth in July 2015, you carried the burden of tears and great wishes of more than a billion people. RIP Dr. KALAM - my tribute to the man on his 92nd birthday.

Hamas's attack on Israel - October 2023

 It is the ides of October. This month is known to have its share of turbulence in history - from the famous October revolution in Russia in 1917, to the epic Wall Street crashes in 1929, 1987 and 2008 in the same month. This October, Hamas, Israel's bête noire, launched massive terror attacks in Gaza from land, sea and air, killing hundreds and taking scores of women and children as hostage. Israel's response has been swift. The nation has retaliated forcefully. This imbroglio has put the Middle East into crisis mode once again. And month of October isn't done yet. 

I am reminded of the famous cat eating bird story, one of the episodes from the epic Indian short story collection of "PANCHA TANTRA" (The Five Treatises). A bird was trying to make cat see sense with reasoning, proselytizing it to follow a peaceful, pious path. The cat feigned listening to the story in rapt attention. No sooner it got closer to the bird, than it jumped on it, killed and ate the bird. Moral of the story - Don't try to inculcate empathy, sense and righteousness into those who are unreceptive to such message. It is not only futile, it can backfire big time. No wonder, scores from a music festival in the quest peace, including one pro-peace American academic in Israel was amongst those killed in the Hamas attack. So much to senseless wokeism. 

Terrorists are terrorists - regardless of their religion, caste, creed or color. No matter what, shooting unarmed people in a music festival, taking women and children into captivity is a crime. Period. Also this is a rare but major intelligence failure of Israel's famed secret services Mossad which otherwise has many spectacular successes under its belt. Israel has already started striking back pretty hard. They aren't paper tigers soiled in unrealist belligerence and soaked in fake jingoism. It responses in kind to any attack on its interest without any hesitation. I can foresee Israel doing more harsh things in Gaza as United States has already extended it its blank support to the Jewish state. 

America's support to Israel is nothing new and unwavering. In 1948, when the state of Israel was formed, Harry Truman, then the President of the United States, a Democrat, immediately recognized it risking Arab backlash. Since then US has unequivocally backed Israel. Apart from perfunctory American aids and grants, Israel invariably gets the latest arms, ammunition and equipments from Uncle Sam. Whenever there is a resolution against Israel in Security Council, the nation gets the blanket support from the United States. You may very well say that Israel is the undeclared 51st state of the United States. More jews live in USA than Israel and are known to be traditionally rich and influential. 

United Nations (UN), an useless bloated bureaucracy has urged restraint and peace from both sides. As if Hamas and Israel care a hoot about its appeal ! In June 1981 when the Israeli F-16s bombarded Baghdad to permanently end Saddam Hussain's nuclear ambition, Menachem Begin, Israeli Prime Minister at that time was condemned by the United Nations. US promptly vetoed the resolution. I am now reminded of a cartoon by the eminent cartoonist R.K. Laxman on  newspaper "Times of India" depicting the UN Secretary General admonishing a defiant Menachem Begin, the Israeli Prime Minister - "If you attack again, you will be condemned more severely". 

Meanwhile, India has opted to extend its support to Israel and a Palestinian state, though it has denounced Hamas's action as terror. Whereas China, a country Israel holds in much higher esteem due to its business interests has urged calm. This symbolizes that Foreign policy doesn't run on raw emotions, but rather on pragmatism and harsh realities where protection of self interest based realpolitic rules the roost. This latest crisis shouldn't be viewed in the simplicistic prism of another religion conflict. Middle East is much more complex. 

I have seen a few Right wing supporters in India who never held a gun in their life, volunteering themselves to fight for Israel. Relax folks. It is fine to extend your moral support, but it is a different thing to fight an actual war. Israel can take care of itself and doesn't need any unsolicited, untrained mercenaries. No wonder China, which puts religion into back burner before its national security has urged restraint without taking any sides. Let our government's foreign policy do the whatever is appropriate in the interest of our country. Whatsapp University graduates, fighting wars is not your forte. Please stay away from this.

Trip to New Jersey - October 2023

 The drive from New Hampshire to New Jersey wasn't too bad. We hit the New York - New Jersey border at the asjunction of I-87/I-287 around 4 O'clock during peak traffic hour on a Friday afternoon, expecting heavy traffic as I lived in that area for a year during 1999 - 2000 and familiar with it. Though the interstates were packed with vehicles, yet it was still moving at a reasonable pace. Later, I discovered the real reason behind it. Post pandemic, many these days are teleworking, especially on Fridays, having found the pleasure and efficacy of working from home. It explained the lesser than usual traffic on  Friday peak commuting hour. 

There are too many big and small sized states in the North - Eastern USA bordering each other. We drove 250 miles covering 6 states in less than 5 hours - New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York and New Jersey. This area is densely populated and congested. On the roads you can see signs for Moose alert, similar to the deer alert we see on the roadways in South. While driving during night time, we saw a bunch of tiny Foxes, trudging behind Mama Fox crossing a local highway and giving us a curious look in their glittering, golden eyes, foxed by our car's headlights staring at them. 

New Jersey was chilly today, at least for someone who is visiting from warm South. In a span of 5 days we have seen a gradual drop of temperature from 84 degrees (28°C) to 39 degrees (3°C). That's typical of Fall when weather can swing like Pendulum. It might be Fall here, for me it was any normal winter day in Columbus, Georgia. Not much sightseeing, rather socializing to do with my old friends, we mostly stayed indoors, keeping ourselves warm and fuzzy. 

New Jersey has a sizable expatriate population, especially the "Desis", a popular slang in America to depicts the Persons of Indian Origin. The gas station we stopped by the fill my tank was filled with Desis. Whenever we stopped our car at a red light stop (we hit quite a lot of those due to heavy traffic here), you look left, you see a Desi in car, you look right, you see another Desi. 

75% of the occupants of the Community where my friend lives in Hackettstown in North-western New Jersey are Desis. So much so that many have planted LAUKI (Bottle Gourd), KAKHARU (Pumpkin) plants in front of their home, rather than in backyards where we normally have our kitchen garden. I asked my friend what makes our Desi Bros and Sisters to have their kitchen gardens in front rather than in their backyard ? He replied - "First of all, the backyards here are relatively smal compared to what you have in Georgia, too small to plant veggies. Only the front yard has some space to spare and some use it to their advantage. Secondly, few get greedy, looking to harvest veggies from both front, backyard and sides of their home, making the optimal use of available space". I asked him - "Doesn't your HOA (Home Owners Association) complain about bottle gourds hanging over Mail boxes ? Though a huge fan of gardening, I don't like the idea of planting Kalara (Bitter gourd) and Lauki (Bitter Gourd) in front of house. It spoils the aesthetic value of the milieu". My friend replied - "The HOA here is spineless". 

Today morning in New Jersey was cloudy, windy and chilly followed by intermittent rains throughout the day. In late afternoon the sun showed up, peeking downwards through the clouds to have a bird's eye view of the mountains, sluttering streams and fall foliage, scattering its luke warn rays to sparkle the yellow leaves. New Jersey is filled with trees, hence know as "Garden State" which is proudly displayed on car tags. The leaves here are still yellow and getting into shades of brown before turning red. The cold mountain air barged through the fall foliage, its rustling though mountains sounded like roar of waves crashing on a sea shore. The howling wind from the northern Appalachian mountain range made the multi color leaves fall on the ground, as if trinkets and color papers fall on the stage marking a popular Miss World event show on TV or Democratic/Republican party convention in a Presidential Election year. We, from South scared of the cold looked at the splendid sight from the balcony well ensconced in the comfort of home. 

I heard many complaints about the inordinately high cost of living in this area, about the exorbitant tax and spend policies of subsequent liberal governments for long time is making these North Eastern states more and more unlivable. Many are considering migrating South to escape from high sales, income and property taxes as well as unaffordable insurance costs. The rising income inequality is conspicuous. Nevertheless, loved the pictures of fall foliage, the pictures of paintings and sculptors of Museum of Fine Arts - overall a picture perfect vacation.

Trip to New England Day II - October 2023

 Beautiful Boston. Today we are Boston Brahmins (The term Boston Brahmin denotes Boston's traditional elite upper caste, we are no way close to them, we are just two poor Brahmins visiting Boston). Today, my wife and I went to visit the Museum of Fine Arts, a major attraction in the historic city of Boston in the United States which was the center of patriot independence movement when the Americans drove their English colonial masters away from their homeland. 

I am a poor artist. Forget art, I am very bad at drawing objects, but it hasn't stopped me from appreciating art. Art and artists always fascinate me. Like art, I tried my hands in writing poetry and failed miserably there too. But I love reading poetry, Keats and Shelley being my two most favorite English poets, Ghalib and Gulzar their favorite Urdu counterparts. Similarly I admire the great artists from Leonardo Da Vinci, Vincent Van Gogh to Picasso of Guernica fame and our own Indian counterpart, Raja Ravi Verma. 

During my school days my talented friend Bishnu Rath used to seat next to me during our Exams (a brilliant guy who was my junior in Computer Science in NIT Rourkela, topping his class). In my Biology paper I had to draw the picture of a Frog. How many times I tried to draw the animal, the frog looked more and more like a dog. Bishnu, a brilliant artist who was sitting next to me could sense my discomfiture. When the invigilator went out to get some fresh air on that hot, steamy day, he bent over and drew a quick sketch of a frog on my paper. I just had to connect the dots on the outline and lo behold, a beautiful frog just jumped out of my Exams paper. It was a picture perfect experience. 

My futile attempt to draw didn't end there. In early 1990s we had a pet dog and wanted to put up a signboard in Odia displaying "କୁକୁର ପ୍ରତି ସାବଧାନ" (Beware of Dogs) in front of our house for the benefit of unsuspecting guests. Until we had painted it on a tin platter by a contractor, I thought of putting a temporary placard handwriting on a thick piece of paper. So I wrote "କୁକୁର ପ୍ରତି ସାବଧାନ" in big, bold Odia alphabets and drew a picture of a Doggie. 

No sooner I put the board in front of our gate than our neighbor stopped by and remarked that my sketch of a dog looked more like a "ବାଛୁରୀ" (calf). Then couple of more neighbors remarked the same. We have this Odia DHAGA (proverb) "TINI TUNDA RE CHHELI KUKURA", meaning, "Three mouths can turn a goat into dog". In my case, the remarks of our three neighbors conveted my hand drawing of a dog into a calf. It was the final nail in the coffin of my artistic endeavor. 

But it never stopped me from appreciating art, figures and figurines. I admired all things of beauty as pieces of art. I follow the art masterpieces on social media shared by my artistic friends and can't stop admiring their talents. The forests I saw yesterday in New England filled with red, fiery trees full of hues are nature's greatest piece of art. Writing, which for me has become an habit from hobby is also an art. In this context my visit to the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) in Boston was quite significant. 

On our drive to Boston we were floored by the fallen leaves sweeping the floor of the road. We passed by topsy turvy mountain roads interspersed with lakes on both sides, stars glittering on crystal clear water on a sunny Fall day. Downtown Boston looked archaic but full of trees and people riding bikes all over the city. We entered into the Museum of Fine Arts an hour past noon. 

The Museum had a wide collection from ancient Egypt, Greek, Mesopotamia, Chinese and Indian Civilization to modern European and American art and culture. The most prominent one was a painting of Picasso. I also saw sculptors of Yakhi, Yakhini, Buddha. Their were several by American Revolution era painter John Singleton Copley who made  portraits of his rich patrons, business tycoons Nathaniel Sparhawk, Isaac Royal and lawyer Edmund Quincy. The hardly smile on their painting, the reason being their bad teeth in an era sans modern dental care. Also the subjects proudly displayed their plumpy and rotund figures as they were considered as healthy sign, a sign of prosperity those days. 

New England is expensive compared to Georgia, starting from the price of gas to everything else except the locally produced Maple syrup which is cheaper than what we get in Georgia. A few locals I talked to have never been to Georgia, some even said that the last time they heard about it when they were in high school. A gentleman exclaimed - "You are far away from home, my friend. I had been once to Atlanta in month of August. The place is too hot and muggy to live there". I replied - "Same here. I will be a frozen Turkey if I live here". Grass is always greener on the other side, same as we say in Odia - "DOORA PAHADA SUNDARA" - the far hills looked beautiful as we are preparing to bid adieu to New England. See you again soon...