Mohanthetwin

Customer is King

2008-11-13T19:13:00.000-08:00

After the sari shopping episode (see previous post), the next day we went shopping for 'costume jewellery'. The reason I am writing this piece is to tell you the experience we had in three different shops. The first Shop we went to was "Jhilmil" in T. Nagar. The shop was spacious and well lit up. This was the only good thing about this shop. In spite of standing at the counter for more than five minutes, not one of the 'Sales Girls' bothered to ask us what we wanted. They had gathered in a group behind the counter and were having a 'gossip session' and the Customer be damned seemed to be there attitude. After minimal shopping in this shop we went two shops further away to a shop called "Narayana Pearls".

We expected similar treatment here and we were in for a pleasant shock. What a difference in attitude! The 'Sales Girls' were treating each and every customer who walked in as visiting Royalty! They were cheerful, ever smiling and tried their best to see that the Customers got what they wanted. The difference was clearly evident as Customers kept thronging the shop. They realised that the most men who came along with the Ladies for shopping were not a happy lot and ensured their happiness by offering delicious coffee. All in all it was a wonderful experience. Similarly, we went further away to a shop called "City Gold Palace". Here too the Salesman tried his best to please and was prepared for a bit of good natured bargaining. No prizes for guessing which shops had more Customers and sales. In today's world, the Customer is not merely a King, he is an Emperor!

Of Twins and Sari shopping

2008-11-07T00:48:00.000-08:00

Shobha, my sister-in-law and my twin Jay came down from USA for a sari shopping binge as my niece was getting married. Shobha insisted that Chhaya and I also join them. So on that fateful morning, we set off to Kumaran Silks in T. Nagar, Chennai. Now if there are any two things on earth that I thoroughly dislike it is Sari and Jewellery shopping.

As soon as we entered, Jayan and I put on the looks of 'two wise Owls' and dutifully sat beside the two ladies as they started looking at the Saris. Within five minutes both of us were bored silly, but discretion being the better part of valour, we kept still. A few minutes more and in spite of our best efforts a fit of 'yawning' started off. Initially, we managed to disguise it as 'Owl hoots', but in due course the 'dirty looks' from the ladies became more murderous. At least in our defence I must say that we sat through the whole ordeal without our usual acidic comments. Around fifty or sixty saris were selected for all and sundry and I must say I was impressed with Shobha's generosity in bestowing saris to all the helpers of the marriage. Our crowning glory came unexpectedly. Shobha was to purchase a sari for her friend in Chicago, Satya. Now Satya is a certified 'Sari Nut'. She loves purchasing Saris, not by the dozen, but by the gross! My twin and I insisted on a particular sari for Satya and after a lot of discussion, modelling and comparison, our sage advice (remember we were owls for the day) was accepted. Yesterday Shobha phoned me and said that Satya simply loved the sari and said that it was fabulous and thanks be to us. In spite of my 'Sari phobia' I must confess I was strangely pleased. Finally in the evening, the women decided to call it a day and we left for our abode. I was dozing off in the car, dreaming of a nice shot of scotch as soon as we reached, when just short of the house we stopped at another exclusive Sari shop called 'Rangoli'. 'Pfft' went my dream, plus two additional hours of life in this shop, with the usual 'whirligig' of shopping. I must say when we reached home I was a nervous wreck and on a short fuse. I once again felt pleased when my sister-in-law told my Aunt that "the twins were on their best behaviour throughout" as this is one compliment I do not ever remember having received!! The next day was devoted to Jewellery shopping........... :( :( :( ................... words fail me and hence I shall stop.

Friends

2008-10-20T22:55:00.000-07:00

Friends, true not fairweather, are one of the greatest assets anyone can have. I have a whole lot of friends with whom I can confide, laugh, fight etc. without any pretences. With a good friend one need not be politically correct or needlessly polite. If his butt is looking big you can definitely refer to him as 'Lardass' or some such terms of 'endearment' without offence. When a group of friends meet, conversation generally tends to jump from topic to topic, without structure, and may be inter spaced with periods of silence with no embarrassment. They will be there to console you and share your happiness. How true the saying "Friendship redoubleth joys and cutteth grieves in halves". So I am dedicating this epistle to all my friends, past, present and future just to say thank you for being there.

'Mamtha Mia" - What a Lady!

2008-09-24T02:09:00.000-07:00

Of all the obdurate politicians I have seen, Mamtha takes the cake. She has every right to agitate on behalf of the unwilling dispossessed farmers. However, when a large project is in full swing and nearing completion, it is too much to expect that 400 acres of land will be returned from within the project site. She should have negotiated a better compensation deal plus what ever land they could give from within the project area. Instead she painted herself into a corner. Now she is stuck with the "400 acres or else......" situation. Even though she is fast becoming unpopular in Singur, she is unable to climb down without tremendous loss of face and for a politician like Mamtha that is akin to committing political 'harakiri'. In the given situation I doubt if the Tata's would continue with the project. the people of Bengal in general and the people of Singur in particular will be the losers. In future, I doubt if any large Industrial House will touch Bengal with a barge pole.

Of all the large industrial houses in India, Tata's have the best track record in Corporate social responsibility. They would have given jobs to thousands of local people, both directly and indirectly. They would have taken the lead in developing the area. Hospitals, schools, agriculture etc. would have benefited. In a short span, an undeveloped place of West Bengal would have been turned into an island of prosperity.

Except for a lust for power at any cost, no politician has the interest of the nation or the common man at heart. It is a pity that we have such politicians in our country. I also wish to state that the Left Front too should bear part of the blame. They were not transparent in the deal. They should have made the deal public, that would have deflected the criticism to some extent. I hope in future land acquisition deals, the compensation offered is substantially higher than the market value and also they compensate for 'loss of livelihood' with cash or jobs for family members.

I request all Politicians to stop 'grandstanding'. For the country to develop, industrialisation is necessary and for that land is required. Some amount of give and take from all stakeholders is the need of the hour.

The Death Penalty

2008-09-06T01:37:00.000-07:00

George, my friend, is a strong proponent for abolishing the Death penalty. I agree with his views for most of the cases. By all means let them sentence those who deserve the death penalty with life imprisonemt. In these cases it should be for Life without possibility of parole. However in the case of Children, I disagree with George, the Death penalty is a must and it should be carried out swiftly and mercilessly. This is one instance in which I feel that an 'eye for an eye' is justified. In India, the present trend is to impose the Death penalty only for the 'rarest of the rare' cases. Murder, rape etc. involving children are being treated as the 'rarest of the rare' and the convict is sentenced to death and rightly so. I feel they have got their 'just deserts'.

Bundhs, Strikes, Hartals and such...

2008-09-05T23:55:00.000-07:00

India must have one of the lousiest work cultures in the world. Doing eight hours of honest work seems completely alien to our psyche. However, many of us do take work seriously and slog it out. What upsets and agonizes me is the culture of Bundhs, strikes and hartals etc. In Kerala it is not a 'cottage industry' but a 'Public Sector' behemoth. Can you believe , last year, Kerala had about two hundred hartals, either partial or full. Work comes to a standstill, and the most affected are the daily wage earners and the poor. The Kerala High Court wisely banned 'bundhs' and our ever innovative politicians promptly renamed them 'Hartals' and said they were voluntary. However in practice it was anything but voluntary. Only the foolhardy was stupid enough to attempt to go to work or keep his shop open. Party goons would arrive and give you a friendly warning to shut shop or else....... after all didn't you know you were "voluntarily" participating in the hartal?? Some of the reasons for calling the Hartal are ridiculous, petty and just a case of 'oneupmanship' between political parties. What galls me most is that those who have nothing productive to do prevent those who are trying to earn a living honestly from doing so and the sad fact is that they get away with it in the name of "democracy" and "politics". Why don't they go on a 'fast unto death' for their demands. The public will wholeheartedly support them because if they succeed in the 'death' part it is one less nuisance to tolerate. No politician gives a damn about the crores of lost revenue or production. This revenue would have gone into infrastructure etc. It is high time the High Courts intervene and put an end to this nonsense. The Court should impose exemplary fines on the Party and its Office Bearers. A stiff penalty will cure them of their Hartal fetish. The general public should also add their mite. Walk to work or at least come out of your houses in droves. Write letters of protest to the Political parties. Remind them that they have to get back to the people for votes and this will be held against them. Politicians should be taught a lesson that in a democracy it is the 'People' who are supreme.

The Fledgeling Leaves the Nest

2008-06-25T10:12:00.000-07:00

It is indeed a sad but proud day when your Son or Daughter leaves home to take up a job. One more string that ties you to him/her is lost. It shifts from "My Dad is an ATM Machine" to "I am an ATM Machine" thus cutting the financial string that binds parents and children. Now only the strings of love that bind the Parents and Children remain, but this I feel is the strongest and no matter what or how old your child is he will always remain a child in the your eyes (at times much to the annoyance of the Child - imagine being told be "be careful how you drive or cross the road etc. etc." especially when you are in the "know all" age of the twenties!!"). Memories of how a tiny little baby grew up to be the strapping lad he is today will always be fond and evergreen, every moment treasured always. So all I and his mother can say are 'thank you Son', you are well on the path to Manhood and Independence and sad though we are we are proud of you.

Why things get lost and the inability of Men to find them.

2008-06-18T20:07:00.000-07:00

Over the years I have noticed one puzzling fact. Whenever something gets misplaced (as they do whenever a guy is looking for it), why is it that it will never turn up when a Man is searching for it?? Finally when the poor old Man gives up and hollers to his wife that it is positively lost for ever, along comes the Wifey who finds it in a 'Jiffy'. Sensing their advantage the wife goes 'hammer and tongs' at the poor old guy for not being able to find it. There must be some unexplained law of nature for this to happen time and again. Men, after all, being diligent creatures, search for it high and low to no avail and yet when a women searches for it 'hey presto' there it is. My twin Jay told me once that he wanted something to eat for dinner and was told by Shobha that there is a 'Paratha' in the fridge. My twin opened the door of the fridge and searched for it in every nook and cranny (including the freezer box, chill tray and vegetable tray) but no sign of any Paratha. He then committed the cardinal mistake all Men make in such a situation, he declared that no such Paratha existed. Along came Wifey and found it in a 'Jiffy'. I do not know how long he was in the 'dog house', but I certainly hope he was fed Parathas there! I hope some one who reads this blog, does research and comes up with an answer. All manner of Men will benefit from this, including yous truly, who is currently in the 'dog house' over a missing coaster!

The Bride Blushed Pink

2008-06-05T22:38:00.000-07:00

This incident happened more than twenty years ago in Asensol. My Twin had just got married and we had all gone to the Registrar's Office for the registration process. Just as we finished and came out, Shobha, my Twin's bride, asked him "Which of you is taller?" My Twin replied (deliberately misunderstanding her) "Longer? We haven't measured it yet!!!" I will never forget the deep pink colour of Shobha's cheeks. :)

I am a Candle............but why??

2008-05-24T21:34:00.000-07:00

My parents had four children. The first two were Sons. Seven years after the birth of their second son, they decided a Girl was needed to complete the family. In due course Mummy was in the 'family way' and she did the rounds of all the temples in Sri Lanka ( and being a firm believer in all religions, she did the rounds of Buddhist Temples and Churches too) to seek blessings for a Girl. When the big day arrived on November 19th., she delivered a pair of twins..............boys!! Mum and Dad were the butt of many jokes for years to come. Till she passed away she always regretted she did not have a daughter.

There is an old German proverb (since German is a jaw breaking language I shall stick to English) which says "A Couple who go to bed early to save on Candles will end up having Twins!!". I am that Candle :) .

The Emotional Quotient as one get older.

2008-05-20T20:05:00.000-07:00

I am fifty four years old and in reasonably good shape. I yet have the ability to laugh and humour is a very important ingredient in my life. Till the age of forty or so, I was unmoved when I read about or saw any disaster such as accidents, earthquakes, cyclones etc. I slowly noticed a change in my attitude. Years ago when some English football hooligans caused many deaths in a stadium in Europe, my twin Jayan called me and said that the sight of this incident caused him to have disturbed sleep for days. I too felt upset and had the same problem. Since then I noticed that disaster scenes were increasingly upsetting me. The day I saw the film Titanic I cried. It was a sheer waste of human lives. The ship stayed afloat for more than one hour. All the life boats were successfully launched. Yes, there were sufficient lifeboats only for half the passengers. This was due to the fact that the law at that time did not specify the lifeboat capacity and also the sheer arrogance of the builders and the owners that the Titanic was unsinkable. What is unforgivable is that some life boats were launched with as little as a dozen first class passengers. Why?? The upper class Ladies did not wish to sit with the third class Lady passengers!! If the life boats were filled to capacity another couple of hundred passengers could have been saved. If this disaster had happened today, most of the passengers would have been saved as the safety regulations say that the life boat capacity on each side, Port and Starboard, should be sufficient for all the passengers. Having a marine Engineering background, the stupidity of it all hit me like a sledge hammer.

I always thought that as one grows older one gets inured to disasters, deaths etc. and would become stone hearted. In my case I seem to be going in the other direction. I wonder if it is the same with everyone.

Christopher Columbus

2008-05-17T02:39:00.000-07:00

He is my favourite character from History. In the good old days, the standard accepted belief was that the Earth was flat. If one went over the edge he would fall off into space. Yet here was a man, who believed in the theory that the earth was round and set sail with a crew (who did not believe in his theory, but went for the good money on offer) in a ship, weighing only 200 Tonnes, which by today's standards would be considered puny. He had only the basic navigational aids such as compass and sextant to find the direction and latitude. He had no means of finding the Longitude. He did not have any accurate charts to help him either. He did not have a refrigerator room to keep food fresh. He did not have any means of communication whilst at sea. The only fresh water on board was the supply they loaded up at their home port and from Rain water. In spite of all this, he set sail boldly to find another route to India, armed with nothing but faith in himself and his ideas. As the weeks turned into months, his supplies ran low and there were rumblings of mutiny from his crew, yet he pressed forward and eventually found the Americas. He was truly a great person.

Further Teenage Stories

2008-05-11T22:48:00.000-07:00

This was a good tale related to me by my Son, Vinod. A couple of years ago, when he was in 12th., he and many of his friends used to go for tuition in the evenings. They return home by about 8.30 p.m. or so. One of his friends, as usual, was going home on his 'moped' when he was stopped by a Cop. The Cop (who must have been looking out for some money for dinner) discovered a fault and demanded fifty bucks. The quick thinking young man pleaded poverty and told the Cop (in woebegone tones I am sure) the he had only ten bucks and that too it was his dinner money, but since the Cop needed it more than him (judging by his 'pot belly'), he was willing to give it. The Cop gave in and told him to give the ten bucks, whereupon the young man pulls out a fifty rupee note, gives it to the Cop and asked for the forty rupees change. Needless to say the Cop pocketed the note and told him to get lost. Only a teenager can do something so innocent in this wicked wicked world.

All Teenagers are Engineers

2008-05-09T11:19:00.000-07:00

This is common to the whole world. As soon as a kid becomes a Teenager and acquires a cell phone he/she becomes an Engineer as a default setting. They all acquire the common degree B.Tech (MCT). MCT?? Yes 'Missed Call Technology'. By instinct or teenage 'Bush Telegraph', they seem to know that a missed call to the Daddy's or Mummy's phone will immediately trigger the 'return call' reflex, especially if the 'poor ole tyke' is in a Hostel. Parent: "Hello Son, why did you call? Any problem?" Son: "No everything is fine I had nothing better to do so I decided to buzz you." Parent: "Oh" (It takes a while for the parents tubelight to figure out that their son has more interesting people to call, but called them out of sheer boredom.") Son: "Anyhow since you are on the line could you deposit Rs.500 in my account, I want to go out to dinner. Surely you do not want me to starve?". This is usally directed at Mummy as her "mother goose" instinct kicks in and she will oblige. If he tries this stunt with his father i.e. the 'Surely you do not want me to starve' bit, the reply will be "I sure do."

What will the world do without Teenagers? They are the ones that make the 24 hour day seem like 25. Thank god for the degree B.Tech (MCT).

Honesty in the face of Adversity

2008-05-08T02:47:00.000-07:00

In the year 2000, I used to travel frequently to the city of Vellore and nearby areas. On one such trip, I had taken a break for lunch in a roadside hotel. After a filling meal I was walking towards my car when an old man with a walking stick, torn clothes, ruemy eyes approached me and said that he hadn't eaten since morning and if I could spare him money for a biscuit. Seeing his state I gave him a five rupee coin. He accepted it with a grateful smile and walked upto a petty shop nearby and asked for a biscuit. When he paid for it, the shopkeeper handed him Rs.4.50 as change. He looked surprised as he thought I had given him a fifty paise coin. He promptly walked upto me and said "Sir, I think by mistake you have given me a five rupee coin instead of a fifty paise coin, here is the change." I thanked him and said that I had given him five rupees and to keep the change. He was extremely grateful and thanked me profusely. At that moment my faith in humanity was restored. Here was a person, steeped in poverty, with hunger a constant companion and for whom a five rupee coin was a small fortune, having the honesty to return it as he believed that I had made a mistake! How many of us can do that? He may be no more, but I am sure he is under the protection of the Lord.

Vinod the Son. The Crown Prince of the Pillai Dynasty

2008-05-07T09:57:00.000-07:00

Vinod my son and my wife have an eduring commonality. They have small eyes. Both of them can either see or smile and are unable to do both at the same time. As I suspect there may have been a Mallu 'Chinaman' on some vague branch of the family tree.

When Vinod was studying in Bhavan's school in Chennai, we had to go once a term for a 'Parent - Teachers' meet. There we used to hear a litany of complaints about Vinod. How he creates some mischief, be inattentive etc. etc. and they are unable to punish him because the moment they try to do so, he beguiles them with a saintly smile and they do not have the heart to punish him. Clearly they were not happy with the situation. I mentally decided to berate him the moment we were alone. On the way back I turned around to face Vinod, with my face a mask of 'put-on' fury, but Vinod slipped out of my grasp, he had the same beautific 'sightless' smile on his face and my heart melted. I turned around towards his mother... she was 'sightless' too! The Mallu 'Chinaman' where ever he is, must have been smiling too!

Sri Lanka

2008-05-07T00:43:00.000-07:00

The education we received at Royal College was simply superb. The school had every facility imaginable. We had two huge playgrounds, a swimming pool, a rifle range etc. etc. There was only a fee for the facilities provided and that too it was only Rs.15.00 per year. In this school, the classes were mixed and for many subjects Sinhalese, Tamil and English medium students used to study in the same class and would separate out only for some of the subjects. It was a far sighted policy. Sinhalese, Tamil and other children all mixed together. The other benefit was that all the students learned to speak good English and acquired proficiency to some degree in Sinhalese and Tamil. Being a twin it is very difficult to be anonymous in school. All the teachers would know you. On top of that, many Staff Members owned Ford cars and since my father was working in a Company which were the agents for Ford cars, they used to go to meet him for spare parts etc. Hence my Father used to get a regular feedback about us. Schooldays were some of the happiest days of my life and we enjoyed it to the hilt.

Sri Lanka

2008-05-05T03:05:00.000-07:00

My twin and I were born and brought up in Sri Lanka. It was certainly a Paradise on Earth. The place is beautiful, education level is high, plenty of water, very little poverty and a welfare state which used to provide essentials to all families, through a relatively well run public distribution system. Where did it all go wrong? Why is the Paradise on Earth now known for all the wrong reasons? Sri Lanka was unfortunate in having too many Politicians and too few Statesmen. Politicians who believed in divisive politics, splitting the Sinhalese and Tamils. There were no Statesmen who could tell the people that no community should have all the benefits and the other none. Instead, the majority Sinhalese, gave themselves all the benefits and created a sense of alienation among the Tamils. The tragic results are there for all to see. Even today if the middle path is followed by all in the spirit of give and take, Sri Lanka can be restored to its lost glory. I hope the killing stops. Nothing can justify the use of mindless violence in which hapless civilians bear the brunt. In Sri Lanka, some of my best friends were Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims. My Mother's favourite among my friends was Azmeth Sulaiman. I had Sinhalese neighbours on either side and yet we never had any problem. Many of them dropped in at home to eat 'Sambar', which was a favourite with them. On auspicious Bhuddist holidays, 'Kiribath' (sweetened rice) would inveriable be sent by one of our neighbours. Before leaving Sri Lanka for good, my Mother donated her 'Jasmine' tree growing in our garden to the nearby Buddhist temple and the head priest was extremely touched by the gesture and blessed all of us. So many happy memories. In all honesty I can say that I had one of the happiest childhoods and if reborn I would like to have the same childhood repeated once more. being a Twin in Sri Lanka entailed you to some priviledges which other children did not have. The Sinhalese believed that Twins were a gift of God with curative powers. Therefore Twins were treated with lots of love and tolerance. You could create maximum mischief and yet only be gently chided, which suited my twin and I to boot. The only downside was that any Sinhalese with a sprain would turn up at our doorstep with some evil smelling, gooy oil to be rubbed on the affected part. After a lot of grumbling and persuasion we used to do it (ofcourse the offer of sweets as bribes helped). [To be continued....]

The Big Match

2008-04-28T02:53:00.000-07:00

On the big match day, the excitement reaches a crescendo. You can see boys going around in gaily decorated trucks with a band playing loud music, lusty songs, cheers etc. rent the air. Right though the match the crowd keep up its chant in support of its team. During lunch, each school takes out a parade which goes around the ground in opposite direction. briefly meet head on, merge and go past each other. Bailas, dancing, music and loud cheers can be heard. This high spirited support is to be seen to be believed. All good things must come to an end and after three days of fun and frolic, its back to the books. This is the second oldest cricket series in the world after the Oxford - Cambridge series. It is older than even the Ashes. All boys, past and present, display fierce pride in being called 'Royalist'. [....to be continued :=) ]

School in Sri Lanka

2008-04-27T10:49:00.000-07:00

My Twin and I were born and brought up in Sri Lanka (in the good old days it was Ceylon). We went to a school called Royal College. This school was founded in the year 1835 and is one of the premier institutions of Sri Lanka. It had many distinguished alumni, to name a few J.R. Jayawardene, Anura Dias Bandaranayake, Ranil Wickremasenghe etc. In Sri Lanka you are sort of identified by the school you studied in. We were called 'Royalist', a tag we were and are proud to carry to this day.

Our rivals in the sports field was St. Thomas College, another premier institution who have produced distinguished alumni too. The rivalry between the two colleges has to be seen to be believed. They have been playing a cricket encounter from 1879 onwards without any break. Weeks before the big match (Royal - Thomian as it is called, or the battle of the Blues, from the Flag Colours - Blue Gold and Blue for Royal and Blue Black and Blue for St. Thomas). Weeks before the big match is played around the second week end of March, the excitement starts. Academics slowly fade into the back ground and the only topic discussed is the Royal - Thomian. A few days before the match, classes come to a grinding halt and a fever pitch of excitement is in the air. Cars and cycles of both schools will sport the college flag. Snatching a flag of your opponent is an accepted practice, provided seniors to do not 'flick' it from a small kid and stick to boys their own size. Girls tend to support the school in which their sibling or father supports and generally it is lifelong. The day before the match a bunch of Royalists will go on a 'Lantern Parade' by cycle to the Captains house to wish him good luck. However deviations are taken to go past girls schools and and some boistrousness is on display (within limits however)...all in good fun. [to be continued...............:=) ].

Railway Stations

2008-04-25T20:15:00.000-07:00

The three best things the British Raj did for India were a. They gave us the English Language - a distinct advantage in today's globalized world. b. An independent judicial system - someone to protect you when 'Big Brother' weilds the stick without justification and c. The Railway system.

Just think of it. Indian Railways is the worlds largest employer. The Railways moves millions of passengers a day, cheaply and in relative comfort. It had a surplus of Rs.25,000 crores (US$ 6.25 billion) in the last year of operations. For a Govt. organization it is simply fantastic. Most Govt. Railways in the world operate at a loss and are heavily subsidized. The most striking advance in Railway operations is the ticketing. One does not need to stand in a queue any longer. A click of the mouse and you are done. What's more the system is being refined and upgraded regularly. They have lots of new plans on their drawing boards and I am certain they will fructify shortly. One of the most important things the Railways did was to foster a spirit of 'Indianness' in us. Travel by train and you will be next to someone from a totally different background and culture and yet within minutes, friendship blooms, food exchanged (biscuit bandits not withstanding) and animated conversation fills the air. These small encounters in the Railway system go a long way in helping Indians understand each other.

A couple of weeks back I had been to the Railway station in Salem, Tamil Nadu. It was not too crowded. Due to some leak a small river of water flowed from the Station building onto the platform and thence to the railway track. Two families, one Tamilian and the other Kannadiga were milling around, jostling for space under a ceiling fan on the platform and happened to be standing on either side of the flowing water. You could see that each was not happy with the other for ursurping the space under the fan. It looked like a Cauvary problem in the making. Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and the Cauvary water in between. Fortunately the Indian Railways rose to the occassion and sent the train to the platform, diverting the attention of the families concerned. I wonder when the Salem Station 'Cauvary' was 'damed'. On my last visit I did not see the leak.

I stand by what I said, Indian Railways takes the lead in unifying the nation!

Walking

2008-04-24T19:55:00.000-07:00

I am a regular walker. I generally walk in the evenings. Till a few days ago I used to walk mechanically. These days I make it a point to have a careful 'looksee' around me while walking. I am surprised at the number of people who walk daily for exercise. Most go at a reasonable clip. Two of the Walkers have really caught my eye. The first, a gentlemen of about two scrore five years. He is impeccably dressed, armed with the latest in 'Reebok' and he always wears a long sleeve shirt with nary a wrinkle, buttoned upto the top. He walks with measured elegent steps, which would put any self respecting snail to shame. I do not know what benefit he gets out of the walk at such a slow speed, but I do see him on most days ambling along. Next is a lady of gargantuan proportions, about 65 years, give or take a 'kilo' or two. Dressed in a rag tag Sari, worn out chappals, mouth full of Paan, with generous 'spitting cobra' habits at regular intervals. What a march! Like a soldier going to battle.. hup, toop, threep, hup, toop, threep... on and on she marches, shoulders upright without any sign of strain. It takes me considerable effort to overtake her. Lady, who ever you are, hats off to you. May your tribe increase.

Pitfalls of belonging to the Jurassic age

2008-04-23T22:54:00.000-07:00

We older folks (I am 54 yrs. - State Secret) need to update our vocabulary e.g.:
Virus: (then) An infection of the body (now) a computer infection
Mouse: (then) a Rodent (now) a computer device.
The list is endless and the more I write the more depressed I will become. I wonder how may of the under 25's know how to climb a tree, flick a mango, use a catapult etc. etc.? All free time seems to be spent in front of a Computer. No wonder obesity stalks the young as well as the 'middle aged'. When I was a kid, I had only one or two classmates who were obese. These days many of the kids I see have the makings of a 'pot belly'. Where will it all end? When I message some one, I use English as she should be written. See the comparison with what my Son would write 'See you later' - CUL8R, Ok - K, Good - Gud. In the good old days such spelling would have invited a rap on the knuckles.

Two Peas in a Pod

2008-04-23T21:50:00.000-07:00

I am an identical twin. My twin Jay lives thusands of kilometers away. We interact frequently. We have a lot of uncanny similarities:
a. We used to fall sick together.
b. Though hundreds of kilometers apart, we both injured our knees and informed our Dad (without knowing the others injury) on the same day. Needless to say our parents were stunned.
c. If my twin starts a sentence, I instinctively know what he is going to say.
d. Both of us do not require much sleep and can awake at any time without a problem. (Certified Night Owls I guess).
e. Both of us like to shower frequently.
f. My twin and I have above average General Knowledge.
g. We believe in fair play and a fair deal in interacting with others.
h. Both of us are not very religious and feel it is a private individual matter. We do not like people who define all relationships with religion.
i. We used to have our usual share of 'Sibling rivalry', but no one could divide us.
j. We had one of the happiest childhoods imaginable.
I would like to hear from other twins as well as others about your sibling relationship. I had a funny incident happening to me. A couple of days ago I had gone with my wife out for dinner. When I entered the wash room and happened to glance in the mirror, I suddenly thought to my self 'What's Jay doing here' till I realized I was looking at my own reflection!