RANDOM THOUGHTS

                                ZOMBIE  JUST THE OTHER DAY I WAS INTO A GAME OF SCRABBLE WITH MY GRANDSON . HE HAD THE LETTERS Z , B, E , B , M  , L  AND I  WITH HIM AS HIS SEVEN LETTERS . THOSE WHO HAVE PLAYED A  THE GAME OF SCRABBLE I AM SURE ARE AWARE AS TO HOW DIFFICULT IT IS TO MAKE USE OF THE LETTER    " Z " . HOWEVER GOOD ONES VOCABULARY IS ,  MAKING USE OF Z WITH THE OTHER LETTERS IN HAND ON  THE BOARD IS ALWAYS A PROBLEM . THIS IS MORE SO AS  THERE ARE NOT TOO MANY WORDS WHICH  MAKES USE OF THE LETTER Z . MAKING USE OF THE FREE LETTER " O " ON THE BOARD , MY GRANDSON HAD FORMED THE WORD    --        ZOMBIE . IT IS ONLY FAIR TO ADMIT THAT I WAS RATHER SURPRISED AT MY GRANDSON FORMING THIS WORD  AND WAS NOT EVEN SURE IF THE WORD WAS THERE I N THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE . A QUICK GOOGLE CHECK GAVE ME THE ANSWER AND THE ...

         REPUBLIC DAY CELEBRATIONS 26 th  Jan  As I sit before the TV to watch the proceedings of the Republic Day Celebrations of 2025 here at Regina in Canada , many memories come rushing in . I begin by recollecting the various images that pass bye my eyes in the past years . The first picture that comes to mind is that of me as a BOY SCOUT in a Bhilai School  in my painstakingly Starched and Ironed Uniform whose sharp crease at the Shirt sleeves or the Short Trouser would put many a sharp edged weapon to shame . The march past was always a special feature and one felt proud of the Ceremony at the Jayanti Stadium .  One year that comes to mind here is during the Indo - China War , where to Raise Money for the benefit of those affected by the war , a raffle with Rs 1 - as ticket and Lambretta Scooter as the Prize was a big Draw . Each one especially little ones like me were pretty sure that they were going to be the Winners , but sadly it n...

       நான் என் அம்மா வீட்டுக்கு போறேன்      ( என்னோடய English , தமிழ் , हिंदी   750                     பிளாக் - வாட்ஸ் ஆப் பதிவு )  என்னாங்க... "சொன்னதெல்லாம் ஞாபகமிருக்கா... நான் ரயிலேறினப் பிறகு எதையும் மறந்துட மாட்டீங்களே"... "மாட்டேன்"... "எதச் சொன்னாலும் பூம் பூம் மாடு மாதிரி தலையாட்டுங்க"... "கவலை படாம போயிட்டு வாம்மா நாலே நாளுதானே நான் பாத்துக்கிறேன்"... "உங்கள நம்ப முடியாது எதுக்கும் இன்னொரு தடவ பாயிண்ட் பாயிண்ட்டா சொல்லிடுறேன்"... பாயிண்ட் நம்பர் 1. "வீட்டல வச்சது வச்சப்படி இருக்கனும் எதாவது எடம் மாறியிருந்ததுன்னா எக்கச்சக்கமா கடுப்பாயிடுவேன்"... பாயிண்ட் நம்பர் 2. "சமையல் கட்ட நீட்டா தொடச்சி வச்சிருக்கேன் காபி டீ போட்டு சாப்ட்டா டம்ளரையும் பால் காய்ச்சுன பாத்திரத்தையும் காய விடமா உடனே கழுவி கவுத்தி வச்சிடனும்"... "உத்தரவு"... பாயிண்ட் நம்பர் 3. "சோறு மட்டும் சமைச்சிக்குங்க பக்கத்து வீடுகள்ல இருக்கிற சுந்தரியக்காவும் மாலதியும் அவங்க வீட்டு கொழம்பு கூட்டுப் பொரியல கொண்டு வந...

     Dog and Master Having a Jolly Time  It is 9.30 AM on Jan 20  th at Regina in Canada  and it is Freezing Cold at ( -27* C Yes MINUS TWENTY SEVEN DEGREES CENTIGRADE )  . The Dog and it's Masters are in for an early morning stroll in the Chill Weather and seem to be enjoying their outing and oblivious to the Freezing Cold . Their run on the Snow filled ground suggest  only that . I am inside a closed and heated  warm room with the  temperature set at 24 * C Plus . You , meaning the Dog and it's Masters enjoy the Chill Weather while I do the same in the Warmth of my Room Watching You enjoy your stroll .

         Vizag - Vishakapatnam - Waltair  Some places have a lasting connect with you despite you never having stayed there over a length of time .  It is a  place which you visited often during your School Holidays .  VIZAG - VISHAKAPATNAM OR WALTAIR                   U ndoubtedly is one such place . It is not common for the same place to have three different place for it . My father started his career here initially before being transferred to Kharagpur in W Bengal . My Three Paternal Uncles as well as one Maternal Uncle were employed here . Two were employed in the Hindustan Shipyard and the other two elsewhere . With a whole bunch of cousins there and both my Brother and Sister doing their School studies and College there , visits to this place were quite frequent . The Beach and Seafront close to our place was a huge attraction and was a place where we spent all our evenings . The Second ...

        VISUALLY IMPAIRED SHOWED THE WAY Below is my Translation into English of a WhatsApp post in Tamil which I liked very much.  My English  with a few concessions here and there  could  be termed as passable  but my Tamil I am afraid  is woefully inadequate . I request you to bear with me for any mistakes that you might notice in my  narration of the original in Tamil . Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxcx                 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx It was one of those ordinary weekend days in Singapore . One of the Multi National Industrial Corporations who are also a part of a supply chain where I work had arranged a fund raising Campaign for the Visually Impaired . I too  got an invite for this show . Since it was on a weekend , I had my own second thoughts on visiting this show as I was sure that it would be one of those insipid shows  that hardly  had anything entertaining about it . I was mul...

                   IN SEARCH OF A NEW DAWN  MOUNT -  KAILASH  Certain names and personalities bring an instant sense of awe and admiration each time their name is  mentioned in passing during a casual conversation . For all you know you might never have met them at any time during your life .  The sheer awe of their personality , Intellectual , Sporting or Man Managing skill are always  the stand out features of  these great  souls . Just Consider these names : Usha Vance ( She is a Lawyer of Repute in US and now the Second Lady )   , Vivek Ramasamy  , S Jaishankar , Nirmala  Sitaraman , All four  are astute politicians who have made it to the top of the political ladder by virtue of their dedication and never say die attitude .   Sunder Pitchai and Indira Nooyi , both are at the pinnacle of the fortune 500 companies and are  leaders in their own rights . Shr...

              The Long Forgotten Easy Chair  The Easy Chair like so many other items of its times is now a thing of the past and is now in use as  part of the household furniture in a few homes only . Even in homes which still have them ,  it finds space mostly as an Antique Possession. Many in the current Millennium might not have even heard or  seen them .  In our times it occupied a prime place in the Verandah of the house , where the young or the old would would relax with THE HINDU Newspaper and  a HOT  CUP OF COFFEE for company . Sunday Siesta after a heavy lunch with the breeze swishing  past you from the palm trees was always a heavenly feel. Bungalow no 281 or 620 where I grew up in Kharagpur had trees all around and this accentuated the feel . Smaller Houses are now the preferred choice . Space being a premium in the Apartment  Complexes the Easy Chair has had to make way for the 3 Seater Sofa...

                Long and Short of Films  We Indians have a special connect with Movies or Films . For those above 50 or so , this was the only source of Entertainment back in those days .  This has been a Two way growth ,  we have Grown with the Films and the Films and it's Industry  have grown because of us . Jewel Thief Cap of Dev Anand , Short and Long Blue or White Kurta over a normal Black Trouser by Rajesh Khanna or the Famous Milk White Starched Shirt with Large Black Buttons and a shawl thrown over the shoulder of Rajkumar - Waqt  times or the Double Breasted Suits of Amitabh Bachchan in many of his  movies are all in our memory . The Female stars had a legion of followers. Sadhana Cut Hairstyle has come to stay as a Password in Hairdressing Parlance  . Asha Parekh in body clinging Churidar - Kameez which gave hardly any room for imagination of  the voluptuous figure wearing these chick dresses had a...

                     MURDER MOST FOUL  Surprisingly , it was a scorching hot afternoon when Shubhaan was making his way to catch the Bus . Due to the Festive Season ahead there were a lot of other people trying to catch a bus to their respective Places.  Shubaan heard his mobile phone ringing even as he was getting set to board the bus . He managed to steady himself and brought the phone close to his ears . Because of the crowd and the noise all  around , he put the phone on the speaker mode .  He could make out his assistant Muqaddar returning his earlier call  on the line , and passed on the following instruction . " Look Muqaddar, I have also been trying to reach you for quite some time , things are getting really complicated by the hour , the VK Puram party want the job to be completed urgently and  today itself if possible  . They are infact ready to pay double the agreed amount if  we fi...

 Two Ways of Looking at the Same Thing . ஒரே விஷயம் , இரு கோணங்கள் , येक ही विषय लेकिन दो अलग मायीने  A container with some  Water in it . One can look at it  as something Half Full or Half Empty . ஒரு கிண்ணத்தில் இருக்கும் தண்ணீர்  பாதி நிரம்பயதாகவும் பார்க்கலாம் அல்லது வெறும் பாதி உள்ளதாகவும் பார்க்கலாம்  येक कटोरे में रखे पानी को देखकर  उसे आधा भरा या आधा खाली भरा हुआ जैसे देख सकते हैं  Today is the worst day of my life and tomorrow is going to be still worse , Today is the Best Day of my Life and tomorrow is going to be still better , இன்று போல் மோசமான நாள் ஒன்றும் இல்லை , நாளை கண்டிப்பாக இதை விட மிக மோசமாக இருக்க போகிறது , இன்று தான் வாழ்கையின் இனிதான நாள் , நாளை இன்னும் இனிதாக இருக்க போகிறது . आज के जैसा बुरा दिन पहले कभी नही था और कल और भी बेकार हो सकता है  आज का दिन कितना शानदार रहा , और कल इससे भी शानदार होने वाला है , A person's failure or success depends on how you answer these questions. வாழ்கையில் உங்களின் வெற்றியும் , தோல்வியும்...

                  MY LOVE WITH RAILWAY                                    STATIONS        MY LOVE WITH RAILWAY                     STATIONS  இரயில் நிலையங்கள் என்றுமே என்னை ஈர்ப்பவை. இதைத் தொடர்வண்டி நிலையம் என்று தமிழில் சொன்னாலும் பேச்சு வழக்கில் இரயில்வே ஸ்டேஷன்தான். அந்தக்காலத்தில் ரயில் கெடி என்பார்கள். 'ஸ்' உச்சரிக்க முடியாதவர்களுக்கு இன்றும் 'டேசன்' தான்! இலங்கையில் 'புகையிரத நிலையம்!' என்னை வசீகரிப்பவை சிற்றூரில் உள்ள நிலையங்கள்தான்! வறட்சியான பகுதிகளில் கூட ரயில் நிலையங்கள் பசுமையாக மரங்களோடு காட்சி தரும்! நீளமான நடைமேடை, அமர்ந்து கொள்ள தடித்தடியான சிமெண்ட் பெஞ்சுகள்! அவை அளிக்கும் சுகம் பஞ்சு மெத்தையில் கூட கிடைக்காது! எல்லாவற்றுக்கும் மேலாக அங்கு இருக்கும் ஒரு அமானுஷ்யம்! இரவு நேரங்களில் தொலைவில் தெரியும் மின்விளக்குகளில் ஒளிர்ந்து தொலைவில் இருளில் மறையும் நீண்ட தண்டவாள...