RANDOM THOUGHTS

            DAYLIGHT SAVING AND FOG  IT IS 2 PM ON SATURDAY THE 7TH OF MARCH 2026 AT AJAX IN CANADA . THE SAME TIME TOMORROW IT WILL BE 3 PM . AS A DAY LIGHT  SAVING MEASURE CLOCKS WILL BE PUT AHEAD BY AN HOUR . IT IS A PRACTICE IN THESE PARTS TO DO SO AT 2 AM ON THE SECOND SUNDAY EARLY MORNING IN MARCH EVERY YEAR . IT SUGGESTS AN END TO WINTER AND THE START OF THE SUMMER . ( The opposite is on the First Sunday at 2 AM each November )             Visibility Restricted to 20 Mts or so  WE ARE ON OUR WAY TO MARKHAM AT 2 IN THE AFTERNOON. THOUGH THE TEMPERATURE OUTSIDE IS VERY MUCH PLUS 14 DEGREES , AS CAN BE SEEN IN THE VIDEO THE MIST OR FOG IS SO HEAVY THAT VISIBILITY ON THE ROAD AHEAD IS VERY POOR . SURPRISING INDEED !!!!

     KARYA SIDDHI HANUMAR TEMPLE  As has become an almost a regular feature of our stay here Canada .  our Temple visit last Saturday was to the KARYA SIDDHI HANUMAR TEMPLE at Erin in Canada . This is some 120 KMS from our place of stay at Ajax . There was also that important T20 ICC WORLD CUP MATCH between Sri Lanka and Pakistan . We left home at 10.30 am for Erin . Pakistan had scored a very good 217 for 8 by then . Although I am a great fan of Cricket I must confess that I was looking forward to  Sri Lanka to at least first score the  147 Runs if not win the game as  this would have been curtains for  Pakistan' s place in their pursuit of  ICC T20 - 2026 WORLD CUP . The cricket was followed on the mobile . The good news was that though Pakistan had won the match by a small margin , they were out of the WORLD CUP . We reached the Temple around 12.30 and were surprised to see the large assembly of people majority of whom were Telugu Spe...

                    GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP              AND SUSTAINABILITY AWARD  SCHOOLS IN CANADA SEEM TO HAVE THEIR OWN UNIQUE WAYS TO MOTIVATE THEIR STUDENTS . MY GRANDSON ADHVAY STUDIES AT ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL SCHOOL AT AJAX.  THIS BEING A SCHOOL WHICH INCLUDE STUDENTS FROM BOTH THE REGULAR AND GIFTED STREAMS , THEY ENCOURAGE STUDENTS TO PARTICIPATE IN GROUP ACTIVITIES . ADHVAY S PARENTS WHICH IN TURN INCLUDED US , HIS GRANDPARENTS WERE INVITED FOR THEIR SCHOOL MORNING ASSEMBLY WHERE HE WAS AWARDED A  CERTIFICATE FOR "GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP AND SUSTAINABILITY "  THIS WAS PRECEDED BY A SMALL SKIT ENACTED BY THE STUDENTS  WHICH HIGHLIGHTED EFFECTIVE WAYS TO DISPOSE OFF THE ONE TIME USE PLASTIC BOTTLES AND ITS  LIKES WHICH ARE HARMING THE ENVIRONMENT ALL AROUND US .             A PROUD MOMENT INDEED 

         GETTING THE PRIORITIES RIGHT  A SOCIAL MEDIA POST OF SIX BANGLADESHIS ARRESTED IN TIRUPPUR IN TAMILNADU WITH TERRORIST LINKS TO ISI OF PAKISTAN TO TARGET PLACES OF WORSHIP  IN TAMILNADU CAME AS A SHOCKING NEWS . Here I am in TORONTO , Canada where I have access to many Online Indian Newspapers both in English and Tamil .  The Tamilnadu based Bangladeshi terror module caught my interest and I started scrolling through the Newspapers . It did not find even a mention in most Vernacular Newspapers . I had expected them to be as a  Frontline News in all the English Newspapers of National Repute in its various city Editions . DECCAN CHRONICLE CHENNAI EDITION , NEW INDIAN EXPRESS TIRUNELVELI EDITION, the not so Hindu , THE HINDU MADURAI EDITION  had ,  the  all too familiar face of Political Leaders showcasing their achievements!!!!! for the election around the corner . The news about the Terror Module required a lot of searc...

              ON WAY TO MY VILLAGE    நம்ம கிராமத்துக்கு போகும்  நேரம்                         हम चले अपने गांव  Calcutta / Kharagpur to Chennai and then to  Ravanasamudram as a School going kid was always special and a  most welcome annual  event .           22 Platform Howrah Train Station  Each year , during the Summer Holidays the  near 75 Hour Train Journey which included 15 hours of transit  at the then Madras and now Chennai Stations    (Central and Egmore ) and finally the long wait  at the Tirunelveli Junction station  to catch the connecting Shencottah Passenger train was always a much looked forward to Event . Single platform RAVANASAMUDRAM   Each year had its own share of new thrills and experiences . Travelling as we did in the super comfort of the British Era...

        IT IS BY FAR THE CHEAPEST HERE  AS ALL YOU FRIENDS MAY BE AWARE , BY A GOOD FORTUNE OF THE GRACE OF THE  GOOD LORD ABOVE  , I HAVE TRAVELLED FAR AND WIDE ACROSS THE GLOBE AND HAVE ALSO HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO TRAVEL BY TRAIN IN MANY OF THESE COUNTRIES . SITTING HERE IN CANADA I CAME ACROSS A BOARD WHICH WAS POSTED IN ANOTHER GROUP WHICH SHOWED THE PASSENGER TRAIN FARE DETAILS EX AMBAS TO VARIOUS PLACES . WE , WHICH INCLUDES ME , YOURS TRULY FOR SOME UNKNOWN REASON LIKE TO CRITICIZE THE SERVICE PROVIDERS BE IT FROM THE STATE OR CENTRAL AUSPICES FOR NO LOGICAL REASON AND DO A GREAT DISSERVICE TO OUR NATION BY PAINTING IT IN ALL THE WRONG COLOURS. TAKE FOR EXAMPLE THE PASSENGER TRAIN FARE FROM AMBASAMUDRAM TO KOVILPATTY . FOR THE 100 KM DISTANCE THE FARE ON THE INDIAN RAILWAYS IT  IS  Rs 25 OR 40 PAISE PER KILOMETER .              FORTY PAISE PER KILOMETER  WHEN YOU COMPARE THE SAME WITH THE TRAIN F...