Sikkim

Sikkim is a paradise within India!
Its a good escape from the sweltering summer heat in chennai or for that matter anywhere in India.
People who are reluctant to go to Kashmir can find this place a good alternative.
There is a lake named changu which is frozen all through the year except in the month of may and june.
one can also go to see the chineese border and the army in Nathulla pass.
its a great place to visit and quite economical too!!
you have an air link up bagdogra airport from where you hire a taxi to go to Sikkim. the journey takes about 2 1/2 hours. You cross a river named Teesta which flows mighty powerful like the ganges in Rishikesh! Its a treat to watch nature and the climate keeps you and family in cool tempers! try it out??

Woh Subah Kabhi tho aayegi?(Hope to see light at the end of the tunnel?

This shoe shiner whom we call as Shoe polish wallah has been shining shoes of millions on the side walks of Ajmalkhan road, Karol Bagh, New Delhi ever since 1971 when I used to work in Bank of Maharashtra, Ajmalkhan rd branch. I was shocked beyond imagination when I found this guy polishing or shining shoes of people when i visited Delhi a month back. The only difference is that he used to charge Re 1/- in 1971 whereas he charges Rs10now. This sector is an unorganised one and there is no employment gurantee.

though he does not remember me or any of my then friends working in the Bank, he was much pleased to shine my shoes with lots of enthusiasm and interest. I did tip him a 100 bucks for this job which he has been doing to brighten the appearance of shoes but some thing inside me kept asking if it is a sin to be born Poor?

He has remained stationery in the same area for decades without any change in his life style and will leave this world as a road side shoe shiner. There is nothing that the governments which were in power for nearly 37 years could do to change the life style of this person? Isn't there something wrong with our economic policies or the program of Gharibi Hatao coined by the congress which remains only as a slogan?

The unfortunate thing about this great country is that the dividends of economic development is cornered by a few affluent class and there is no equality in distribution of prosperity. unless we address this grass root problem, the shoe shiners will remain as shoe shiners for ever and ever without seeing the dawn of the propsperous era.

Election results- fractured verdict

The Election process is over and India is eagerly awaiting results as to who is going to be our next PM and which party is going to take us ahead to the next prosperous century? The exit polls and other surveys are encouraging parties to woo various regional parties just to capture the seat of power! Those who have ideological differences are trying to come to an understanding with a common minimum program and take control of the country!

According to me, this election and the verdict to be has given an opportunity to the country and its law makers a chance to finish off all the regional parties at one go. Both the congress and the BJP can come together with a common minimum program or agenda and share the governance for a full term with each one ruling for 2 1/2 years and project their best! There could be some kind of understanding between the 2 parties that they would respect the decisions taken by the other and work only for the economic development of the country. This could be quite shocking to all the other mushroom parties who have a few seats for themselves and aspire to become national level ministers or even eye the post of the PM.

I think both congress and BJP should come together and keep the entire clout of regional parties away and govern the country. This way our country will be blessed and all the regional parties will be compelled to merge with one of them sooner or later. The Elections will be more effective and the people will not have confusion as to whom they should vote for??

The country will also save a major chunk of money which could be well spent on economical development programs.

The undercurrent in this topic is if the parties can come to an understanding keeping their principles and ideologies apart, why can't the Congress and the BJP come to-gather for the sake of the country and finish off all the small and tiny regional parties in the national interest. The common man will be happier to vote either for Congress or the BJP whoever has done good for the country and its people!

I request this thought to be circulated amongst all your friends and contacts as well so that everyone becomes aware of this option as well and voice them in the appropriate forums.

Polling during elections

I woke up fully charged and with a feeling that the destiny of Tamil Nadu is in my hands! yes, it was polling day and I pushed my wife and children to get ready for voting. I was in a bit of hurry. The last time when I went with my family to cast our votes a bit late after lunch, the officials remarked that I can not be voting for the second time!! yes, some one had already cast my vote!!

Luckily, we reached around 7.45 am and stood in the line for more than an hour and successfully cast our votes in the Electronic vending machines!! we sighed a sense of great relief and pride that our votes will count in the destiny of our nation!

Even while I was in the queue, i could see lots of heated exchanges between the voters and the officials as in many cases the names of the voters did not figure in the list or some one had already impersonated the voter and cast his vote! Despite issuance of Voter id cards, there were many complaining that their votes have been cast by someone else.An 80 year old man named Venkatraman Krishnamurthy who was escorted by his son to the polling booth was told that his vote was already cast and this poor old man who had taken the trouble of travelling from his house to the polling station was at great loss and shock that his valuable vote was already cast!! He was naturally very angry and murmured that he will not be surprised if someone else is found on his bed when he reaches home! Many of the voters standing in the queue understood the sense of humour in him and laughed. The reality is quite disturbing and makes one think if this is the kind of Democracy that our country deserved?

I distinctly remember the time during my school and college days in Delhi in the late 60s and 70s during the elections. Around 3PM some volunteers of parties used to come to the house and request the household to go over to the booth to cast their votes. this used to be the courtesy. In modern times, there are truck loads of impersonators available in any name as the situation warrants and who are ready to sell their conscience for a few hundred bucks and go to vote on behalf of somebody to bring electoral gains to a political party who is ready to spend the money for them. The degeneration of morale and cultural system is alarming and calls for attention and redress. I am sure there will be a few hundreds or even thousands of elderly people like Venkatraman Krishnamurthy who would be disillusioned by the erosion of values and virtues brought to our society by our leaders and people alike?

It is time that minds are applied to check this erosion of values and restore confidence in people of all ages who are eligible to vote that they will surely find their name on the voters list and will vote for sure. That will be a day when we proudly call ourselves the largest Democracy!!

sadabhishekam of my chitappa

Sadabishekam

Sadabihekam of my chitappa was well conducted @Mumbai on the 9th May, 2009. He is running 82 years and my chitti 78 years! the entire function was well attended by over 1000 people and looked like a marriage! so many friends and relatives, grand children etc... it was a great sight and i feel lucky to be blessed for witnessing such an event!

IPL vs Film Stars- who is the gainer?

The recent outburst of Sharukh against the KKR which has been consistently performing very bad this season only proves a point that how a successful film star can go wrong with unwise decisions by investing in IPL! Shahrukh, the king Khan who earns money by hours just for his appearance is made to look like a joker on the sidelines of the IPL clapping and cheering for the hero's of cricket playing for his team! shahrukh thought he would make big money by investing his accumulated and hard earned wealth and through this IPL game but forgot to understand that the IPL 2 is meant for cricketers and only cricketers and its them who will get more popularity than any of the bollywood stars, any day during the currency of the game. IPL has wisely enticed these actors and made use of them as and when they wanted free of cost!! all these stars get paid by the hour if and whenever they appear for any such function privately!! what these stars fail to understand is that it will be the cricketer who would get more popularity and name even if he is standing alongside sharukh and king khan will have to play the second fiddle, always! imagine players like ishant sharma and others being crowned and hugged by Shahrukh- it would have been a moment of dream come true for the players and a pride to boast off! Shahrukh and other bollywood celebrities should realise the truth behind and understand that they are being used by the IPL to forward their gains and popularity to make huge bucks in the name of cricket. they should follow south Indian actors who have cleverly understood this game and realised that it is not going to make them more popular than what they are and in the process may end up loosing their hard earned money!! The popularity of Bollywood stars lies in films and media and not on playing grounds and vice-verse for the cricketers. Let the stars and the players understand their Lakshman-Rekha and be wiser!!!

dog menace

I like going for an early morning walk with my wife primarily to keep fit and also during the walk we discuss so many things relating to our lives and throw off the emotional burden that we carry as we share our thoughts and discuss ways to tackle.

It is during this walk that we encounter hundreds of stray dogs loitering around in the areas that we walk around. As it is the roads are so uneven that you find it difficult to place your foot firmly on the road! added to this is the menance created by the dogs on the streets and roads due to which you have to literally steer around to find your way for an uninterupted smooth walk? added to this problem is the menance created by dogs whcih are privately owned and taken for a walk in the morning. invariably, the pet answers the nature's call only on the neighbours gates or on the wheels of the cars. This is a matter which has to be pondered over and discussed at forums. The corporation should tax the dog owners like they do when you purchase a car so that people are discouraged to rear pets. the ones who has a pet has to pay the tax!
Round up all the stray dogs and vaccinate them for family planning so that there is no future generation running around on the streets!
The watchmen in most of the buildings support these street dogs by giving them some kind of food and in turn, the dogs show their faithfullness by keeping guard at nights when the watchmen can slumber and get awakened as and when the dog barks seeing some stranger!! this is why street dogs are ever on the increase.

It is my suggestion that there are hundreds and thousands of human beings who are unable to get a square meal who can be supported rather than encourage stray dogs which are becoming a nuisance value for mankind. i know it is very hard to think of doing away with pets especially those who have them. I have vented my feelings aand thinking on this subject. bouquets and brickbats are welcome!