RANDOM THOUGHTS

                   इनमे पुष्पा कौन है ? रामपुर की अदालत में पुष्पा और उनके पती के बीच की तलाक़ का मुकदमा बड़ी जोरों से चल रहा था . वकील : आपका नाम क्या है ? औरत : जी , सब मुझे पुष्पा के नाम से पुकारते हैं . वकील : आप अपने पती को क्यों तलाक़ देना चाहतीं हैं  औरत : जी , बात ज़रा नाज़ुक है , मेरे पती , रात में अपनी नींद में भी घर की नौकरानी का नाम लिया करते हैं . वकील : आपकी नौकरानी का नाम क्या है ? औरत : जी , अजीब बात है , लेकिन उनका नाम भी पुष्पा ही है . वकील : ये तो वाकै अजीब की बात है , दोनों का नाम पुष्पा है , आप कैसे यकीन से केह सकतें हैं की आपके पती आपका नहीं बल्कि घर की नौकरानी का नाम ले रहे हैं ?  औरत : अब आप को क्या बतायेँ , उनमे इतनी हिम्मत कहाँ की वो पुष्पा कह कर मेरा नाम , जागते समय तो दूर , नींद में भी लेने की सोचें , हमारी शादी हुवे ५ साल में उन्होने ऐक बार भी मेरा नाम नहीं लिया है . न्यायादीश  : अदालत में नौकरानी पुष्पा को बुलाया जाय  वकील : आपका नाम क्या है ? नौकरानी : सरकार , हमें सब पुष्पा बुलावत है ,  वकील : क्या आप मानते हैं की कुमार नींद में भी आपका ही नाम लेते हैं ?  नौक

 Waterfalls and Me Seem to Follow Each                                             Other Just as the RAILWAYS , I SEEM to be having a very close and lasting relationship with many of the  Waterfalls across varied locations . Closer Home , the Agasthiyar , Manimuthar and multiple Waterfalls at Courtallam have all kept me company all through my life. .                             Old Courtallam  Five Falls Courtallam  Agasthiar Falls , Papanasam Manimuthar Falls  Some 5000 Kms away , My Daughter/SIL  were working and stationed at Makati - Manila in the Philippines  . During one of my visits to their place , I have had the chance to visit the Pagsanjan Falls there . The ride on the canoe and then the on the wooden raft right through and around the falls , clinging for your dear life on the raft is a most thrilling experience .            PAGSANJAN FALLS IN PHILIPPINES                           On the Canoe Video      Precariously poised on the Raft Video                   PAGSANJAN FALLS

                               श्रीमती  मै बिस्तर से उठने की कोशिश कर रहां हूँ और तुम वहाँ रसोई के धुवें से  उलझ रही हो १  मै अपनी दांत साफ़ कर रहा हूँ और तुम वहाँ बरतन साफ़ कर रही हो १  मै यहां अखबार देख रहा हूँ और तुम वहाँ कचड़े इकट्ठे कर रही हो १  मैं यहां नहा कर अपनी बदन साफ़ कर रहा हूँ और तुम वहाँ कपड़ों की सफाई कर रही हो १  मैं यहां अपनी पेठ भर रहां हूँ और तुम वहाँ बर्तनों में पानी भर रही हो १  मैं दफ्तर निकल रहा हूँ , तुम बच्चों को स्कूल भेजनेकी तैयारी कर रही हो १  मैं काम के बाद घर आ चुका हूँ और तुम अभी तक रसोई घर में काम कर रही हो १  मैं बिस्तर पर सोने की तैयारी कर रहा हूँ और तुम बच्चों की चादर ठीख कर रही हो १  त्योहारों में हमें छुट्टी मिलती है , लेकिन तुम्हे  ?  शादी या रिश्तेदारों के यहां सिर्फ तुम जाती हो  ,  बच्चों के स्कूल मीटिंगों में सर्फ तुम जाती हो ,  किसी  के गुज़रजानपर सिर्फ तुम जाती हो  इन सभी चीज़ों के बावजूद , सरकारी अफसरों के पूछ के समय तुम कहती हो कि तुम बेकार हो और किसी काम पर नहीं जाती हो १  अब भी देर नहीं हुवी है , अपनी घरवाली की असली रूप को पेहचानो और उसे सराहो १

                  पेगासस हमारे काम आ सकता है  जी नमस्कार , क्या ये पेगासस की दफ्तर है ? सुना है की आप आम जनता की आपस की बात चीत पर काफी रूची रखतें हैं १ कई लोग आप की इस रूची से बहुत नाराज़ हैं , लेकिन मेरा मानना कुछ और ही है १ आप हम जैसे निक्काम्मों के काम आ सकतें हैं १  मेरी घरवाली ने बाज़ार से चार चीज़ों को खरीद कर लाने को कहा था , लेकिन मुझे तीन ही याद आ रहें हैं , क्या आप मुझे उस चौथे का याद दिला सकतें हैं , बड़ी मेहरबानी होगी , वरना घरवाली की मीठी आवाज़ का शिकार बनना पडेगा १   

 Our Fascination with Names Starting with                                       "    A   " Call it Astrology , Numerology , Respect for the  elders in the family or a combination of all three ,  we explore all possible ways of finding a name for the newborn starting with the letter " A "  in the family . A sizable number of the newborns  of  this Millennium have their names starting with the letter " A " . This seems to be even more pronounced on this side of the Vindhyas . My own 4 Grandchildren , 2 from each sex have their names starting with an " A " . Interestingly , just across the shore on the other side of the Palk Straits is our Neighbor Sri Lanka.  Here , it is almost a reversal of  sorts . Most people here have their names ending with the letter " A " . The playing Eleven of the recent ODI is a fair sample . No fewer than Eight out of the Eleven have their names ending with an" A " Avishka Fernando , MINOD BHANUKA ,

                VERY FREQUENT POWER CUTS  I make use of a SONY PHOTO FRAME and use it as a Digital Clock in my  Bedroom . There is however  one small problem with this . Each time when there is a POWER SHUT DOWN OR A TRIPPING , the Calender goes back to 2001 and the time to 12 Noon and the device has to be reset again to the current Date and Time . Over the last nearly 2 Months , there are have been atleast one power shut down every single day if not more . The duration could be anywhere between 15 minutes to a couple of hours .  This business of setting the clock again after each such power cut is most annoying . In fact , many times I have just about restrained myself from throwing the gadget into the dustbin out of disgust . Which brings me to the more pertinent and important question ,  which is  ,  How do the Industries and Manufacturing Complexes manage this  issue . Someone , somewhere up or down the line  must be held responsible for this . It hardly serves any purpose to beat

         TV MAKING ITS FIRST APPEARANCE IN                                     OUR LIVES                                Certain things or items become a part of our lives and it becomes increasingly impossible to imagine a life without them . One such item is the TELEVISION set . We were all residing at the Madura Coats  Company   Quarters  at VK PURAM in  Papanasam .  In the early 1980 s , we would envy the people of the Metro Cities who had access to DOORDARSHAN Programs on their TV . A sizeable proportion  of them even had Coloured Television Sets . News started trickling in of Srilanka s ROOPAVAHINI being available with very high antennas and powerful double boosters . The higher the mast or post , clearer the reception. A joke was often doing the rounds that one could literally See Sri Lanka if one could somehow reach the top the Antenna Mast . My nephew Ravi  from Russia was gracious enough to present me  with a Black and White Television Set with a screen Size all of FOUR INCHES

                      CONDOLENCE MESSAGES  WhatsApp is undoubtedly a very useful App which has changed the very way we now operate . Till some time back , it was almost a rule that we visit the bereaved family when someone passes away and offer our condolences . A Sunday or a Thursday  was considered the most appropriate day of the week to do so .  More recently the Mobile phone came in very handy and one could just Text their message to someone in the family . Currently it is the WhatsApp  that acts as the redeeming mantra on such occasions . The restricted movement in these Covid days also plays a part on the use of this App . But I do wish a better choice of words are used to express the loss . RIP , REST IN PEACE, MAY THE SOUL REST IN PEACE are the very common words used . Although this may suit a  section , it fails to evoke a meaning in many who consider that the SOUL is endless and gets reborn as another person in the next generation . So the apt words should be to "PRAY TO

 DO NOT GO ONLY BY THE LOOK OF A PERSON . The  fact that you  stand erect with your legs apart and head held high and straight when you are in your circle of friends does not always make you one bit more accomplished than the friends in whose company you stand . Much to your annoyance , the sad truth is something totally different . At the very  back of your mind is the lingering thought that the current situation could have been easily  avoided if only you had been a bit  more pro active . Better planning could have saved you from the embarrassing situation that you now  find yourself to be in . It does not take too much of your time to  realize that you are the only one in the crowd who has exhausted the DATA LIMIT  on your MOBILE PHONE  while the other members of your circle of friends are busy exhausting their data plan on their respective mobile phones .  It is only incidental that they have a studied stoop of their head and shoulder to have a better view of the mobile phone held

  TO ANYONE WHO FEELS A PANG OF GUILT                       WHILE READING THIS  1 ) You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity.  2 ) What one person recieves without working for , another person must work without recieving . 3 ) The Governament cannot give to anybody anything that the Government does not take from some other  unfortunate person . The Government by itself does not produce a SINGLE RUPEE on its own .  4 ) You cannot simply  multiply wealth by dividing it  . 5 ) When one half the people get the idea that they do not have to do any  work because the other half is going to take care of them , and when that other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for , that is the beginning of the end of any nation . THINK ABOUT IT FOR YOUR OWN GOOD AND THE GOOD OF FUTURE GENERATIONS 

         SOMETHING SURELY AMISS WITH MY                            MORNING COFFEE       For more than 3 decades now , it has always been me who has had the pleasure of making that invigorating cup of early morning Coffee . Something surely must be wrong with the ,  TASTE , FLAVOUR OR COLOUR OF MY COFFEE  It never seems to evoke the same response from my better half as the more than happy couple in the Advertisement for the LEVISTA COFFEE which is being Telecast umpteen number of times every day . The lady of the house in the Ad seems to be on cloud 9 after the very first sip of the heavenly concoction prepared by her husband and is not one bit shy of exhibiting the same . Bravo Brother , you do seem to have an uncanny and amazing knack of  doing an extremely good job with your Coffee preparation . PS : IN A PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL MAIL  THE MASTER COFFEE MAKER INFORMS ME THAT THE SMILE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE TASTE OR FLAVOUR OF THE COFFEE . THE SMILE IS FOR THE GREENBACKS MAKING I

                                  कौन किसे काटेगा  दर्जी दुकान के मालिक सुभान की मोबाइल उनके बस पर चढ़ते हुवे ही बजने लगी . अपने आप को किसी तरह संभालते हुवे उन्होने मोबाइल को कान में लगा ली . किसी के बात करने की आवाज़ सुनायी दे रही थी . भीड़ कुछ ज्यादा होने के कारण वे ऊंची आवाज़ में बोलने लगे , " देख मुकद्दर , बात ज़रा गंभीर हो गयी है , वो लोग चाहते हैं की काम आज शाम तक पूरी हो जाना चाहिये , मैं वहाँ जल्द पहुँच रहां हूँ , तू हाथ काट कर रख ,मैं आ कर गला काट लूंगा " . इसे सुनने के ही देरी थी , अगले बस स्टॉप पर सारा बस खाली हो गया !!! . The names SHUBHAAN AND MUKADDAR have a special connect with me . These are names of our Tailor and His Assistant who were the dress makers for both myself and Appa during the many long years of our stay at KHARAGPUR IN W BENGAL and they had been my outfitter from the time I was a small boy in my Shorts to my late teens in 20  inches Bell Bottoms . 

           Nellai to Shenkottah Broad Gauge  The Nellai to Shenkottah Broadgauge line Inauguration seems a very recent event . It is hard to realize that nearly 9 years have passed after that landmark event .  It was on the 21 st of August 2012 that this line was inaugurated with great fanfare by the present Speaker of the Tamilnadu  Assembly Shri Appavoo . Kadayam Subramaniam , Suganthiah and yours truely were at the Ambasamudram Station to welcome the first Broad Gauge Train in this Section which was accompanied with flags , festoons and Nadaswaram Music . For posterity and for remembrance sake , I had bought a ticket for the inaugural ride on this train from  Ambasamudram to Ravanasamudram  Costing , guess what , all of of Rs 2/- for a travel of 14 Kms , which works out to around 15 Paise per Kilomter . I have had the good fortune of travelling by train in quite a few countries and I must proudly confess that this must be about the cheapest by a fair distance from anywhere else in t

 G 11 Meet of a Different Kind These days the Newspapers and the Visual Media report the Virtual Meet Online of the leaders of Various Countries to discuss the issues confronting them at that moment . OUR OWN FAMILY MEET WAS ON THESE LINES :  The Family Tree of my Maternal Grandfather,  finally found shape due to the efforts of the Tech Savvy younger ones in the clan and the  enthusiastic support of others members . The numbers involved are staggering .                                       SONS    9                                       DAUGHTERS   3                            GRANDSONS   20                         GRANDDAUGHTERS 25              GREAT GRANDSONS   47               GREAT G DAUGHTERS   30 G G GRANDCHILDREN   50        G G G GRANDCHILDREN    4        and counting  The family is now spread across the Globe . Leave the others down the generations  , there are many First Cousins who have never physically met each other . With the Technology now available , the younger ones i

Isay Padhkar Hasen Yaa Royen  ये कहानी ऐक बुढिये की है जो अपने पोते के साथ ऐक गाँव में रहा करती थी . पिछले कई दिनों से बुढ़िया अपने पाँव के ऐक घाव से बहुत परेशान थी . बुढिये की इस हालत को पोते से देखा ना गया . उसने अपने सभी जान पेहचान वालों से सलाह लेने के बाद अपने सबसे करीब के दोस्त की सलाह को आज़माने का फैसला लिया . उसके दोस्त की सलाह ये थी की पास के सागर के पानी से पाँव धोने पर घाव जल्द ही ठीक हो जायेगी . सागर के पानी की नमक के साथ की मिलावट घाव  को जल्द ठीक कर देगी .  पोता खुशी खुशी घर आ गया . कुछ देर बाद उसे ऐक बात सताने लगी . सागर की पानी आम जनों की अमानत है . उसे किसी से पूछे बिना घर लाना ठीक नहीं होगा . उसने फैसला किया की वो गाँव के मुखिये को चिट्टी लिख कर अनुमति लेना ठीक रहेगा . अब गाँव के मुखिये को इस तरह की बातों से बिल्कुल ना वाकिफ होने के कारण उसने उस चिट्टी को उस इलाके के विधायक को भेज दिया .  विधायक फ़ौरन सोचने लगा , भेजने वाला कौन से दल का है , अपने या उन लोगों का . इसे पता लगाना मुश्किल होने के कारण उसने उसे अपने मंत्री को भेज दिया . राज्य मंत्री , सोचने लगे , सागर का पान

        WHY JULY THE 4 TH WILL ALWAYS                              BE IN MEMORY ( Inspite and Despite all the sorrow inflicted by the Pandemic , one more year has passed bye , in a hurry for a very few and at a rather slow pace for most )         Certain Dates remain etched in mind for very specific reasons . July the 4th is one such Date . Americans Celebrate their Independence Day on this day . My close relatives from both my father's and mother's side have made it their home there . Best wishes to all of them . My Daughter Anoobala and Kamesh got married on this day in the year 2004  at the AVRMV KALYANA MANDAPAM , AMBASAMUDRAM . It was and it still is by far one of the most well Attended , Talked About , Well Organized and Enjoyed Weddings in and around this  place . Many who attended the Wedding still recall the lovely and happy time they had during the function. I leave it to you to judge as to who Lost or Gained His or Her Independence on this day post the Wedding !! Jul

                       कौन असली में अमीर है ?  @  अपने बेटे कि शादी में पूरी तरह व्यस्थ थी नीलमा . शहर के सबसे बड़े दुकान जाकर अपने रिश्तेदारों के लिये साड़ियां खरीद रहीं थी . आखिर में अपने घर की कामवाली के लिये सस्ते से सस्ते दाम पर बिकने वाली साडी दिखाने के लिये कह रह थी दुकानदार को . @ ठीक उसी समय नीलिमा की कामवाली दुर्गाबाई अपने पास के दुकान जाकर कह रही थी  " भाईसाब हमारी मालकिन के बेटे की शादी है , इतने साल उनके साथ रेहने के कारण मै जानती हूँ कि वो अपने लिये छोड़कर बाकी सब के लिये साड़ियां खरीद rahee  hongi  , इस लिये उनके लिये ऐक अच्छी मेहंगी साडी दिखाइये . अब प्रश्न ये उठता है कि इन दोनों में अमीर कौन है  नीलिमा या दुर्गा बाई ? @ शिमला में घूम फिरने के लिये श्रीमान और श्रीमती रंजन ने अपने ६ महीने के साथ ठहरने के लिये ऐक ३ स्टार होटल में कमरा बुक किया था . पहुँचते समय काफी देर हो चुकी थी और बच्चे के लिये दूध की ज़रुरत थी . मैनेजर से पूछने से पता चला की दूध तो मिल जायेगी लेकिन सिर्फ पैसे देने के बाद . @ अगले दिन सैर सपाट के बाद , दोपहर को बच्चे के लिये वापस दूध की ज़रुरत पडी , और क

                  JULY 1 st Canada Day  Each Year the 1 st of July is Celebrated with Great Fanfare in Canada . It is in more ways than one , similar to our own Independence  Day Celebrations .  Now a question might arise in your mind as to what has this got to do with a person in  Agasthiarpatty in India .  This  does need some explaining to be done on my part . My Daughter and family are already Canadian Citizens and my Son and Family are almost on the verge of being granted the Canadian Citizenship anytime now  . Plans are also afoot for a Permanent  Residentship for us now . So Canada does come a very close second as far as National  Loyalties are concerned , this more so because we have spent quite a sizable proportion of days in Canada during the last 10 Years . The accompanying Video is the Dazzling Fireworks Display during one such Celebrations  at the Wascana Park at Regina which is where my Daughter stays and where we were  also a part of the Celebrations . HAPPY CANADA DAY