MODI(FIED) VISITS

It was a spectacular treat to the eyes – the overflowing crowd of cheering Indian expatriates who poured into the Dubai Cricket Stadium to hear Prime Minister Sri. Narendra Modi, stands testimony to NaMo’s popularity among the  People of Indian Origin, all over the world. That the Ruler of United Arab Emirates  skipping  protocol,  accompanied by his brothers’ went to the airport to receive Sri.Narendra Modi goes to indicate his charisma and reach. His visit to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque at Abu Dhabi has been received well by all, ( including those who are skeptical about his secular credentials ). The decision of the Emirates Government to donate land for the construction of a Hindu Temple, towards respecting the religions feelings of the huge expatriate community, is another sweet diplomatic success.

Previously the Madison Square Garden in the United States,  saw a sea of humanity congregating to listen to the electrifying speech of the oratorical Prime Minister, which sent current waves not only among those present, but also for scores of others who viewed and heard him through television.

NaMo’s  speeches  are  indeed  mesmerizing. He  has  mastered  the  skill of  carrying the audience with him -  whatever  their  strata  and wherever the venue be.  The crowd goes gaga on seeing him, and applauds every  phrase and sentence spelt out by him. This overwhelming reception was never accorded to  any other Indian Prime Minister on foreign soil,  for some decades now.  Sri. Narendra  Modi  is  undoubtedly  the  most  popular  Prime    Minister  ( after Pandit Nehru )  among  the  People  of Indian Origin, and  has  emerged  as  a  highly  respectable  figure  in  the  eyes  of  other  Governmental  Heads,  spread  across  all  continents. 

Back home, lampooning cartoons and criticisms are doing the rounds criticizing NaMo’s constant foreign visits. The bottom line is that he is globe trotting  with the sole purpose of  bringing business investments into India, and  which  on materializing would usher a bountiful economic  reward  for  India,  India  Inc.,  and  its  subjects.

A sulking opposition unleashes verbal cannonade on Sri. Modi on various  issues, encompassing governance and non governance issues. The hue and cry raised on the Vyapam scam did not seem to have had any effect on the electorate of Madhya Pradesh where the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, headed by its Chief Minister Sri.Shivraj Singh Chauhan, has  swept  the  recently  concluded local body polls, decimating  the  Congress.

Now the litmus test for Sri.Narendra Modi  lies  in  the  state  of  Bihar, where elections are due shortly.  Whether  Bihar  will  get  seduced  by his  “ awaas “  and charm is to be seen. If it happens then the devastation caused by the NaMo Tsunami would leave the opposition battered. 

Let the people of Bihar decide and choose their “ netas “ purely on merit.  

Jai Hind.

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Honour the Bravehearts’

The time  has  come  for  the  Government  of  India  to  accept  the demand for One Rank One Pension (OROP) put forth by the members of the armed forces, ex servicemen. It is but strange to understand as to why this long pending claim has  not  been  approved  and  cleared  by the  Government,  which  is  just  and  very  reasonable.  

Our  military  is  one  of  the  most  well trained,  disciplined force  in the world, whose men serve the nation with true patriotism. Further  they perform  a  plethora  of  duties,  during  periods  of  war  and peace. Their  efforts  in rushing to the aid of people at times of natural calamities  like  floods,  earthquake,  tsunami  etc are beyond comparison  and  deserve  the  highest  praise.

It  is  true that  they  are  honoured  ( posthumously in some cases ) and their  services  recognized with  gallantry  awards  at  regular  intervals. That  would  go  to  satisfy  their  service  achievements, but  not  to cover  the extra mile of satiating their financial adequacy, post retirement.

Steering away from negativity, on a dispassionate perspective, we should agree in unison, even though with chagrin and dismay,  that hundreds of  crores of precious taxpayers’ money has been ( is being ) gobbled up by repeated scams of various hue and stature. Added to that is the siphoning of funds earmarked for developmental activities / projects at different bureaucratic levels. They have all gone down the drain and reached wrong destinations.  This undesirable practice, which is looked down with abhorrence by the  people  has  permeated  into our system for  some  decades  now,  showing  no  signs  of  abatement.

The slogan “ Jai Jawan ., Jai Kisan “ implies the principle that the members of the military and farming faculty should remain in good stead and be duly recognized and rewarded.  Unfortunately we are facing the inglorious  fact  of  hundreds of farmers committing suicide,  due  to diverse  reasons,  triggered  by  both  natural and  man made  factors. This  pitiable  state  is  an  affront  not  only  to  them, but  also  to  the nation.     

The Government of India should seize the opportunity now, see reasoning and rise above parochial political considerations and take a policy decision on implementing the One Rank One Pension for the service personnel to whom every Indian should bow with respect and regard, as our peaceful living is attributed to their stressful yet sincere service on the nation’s borders, safeguarding our boundaries from inimical external forces.

Give them their rightful due right now – is the clarion call of support from WE THE PEOPLE  OF THIS GREAT NATION  TO  IMPLEMENT  ONE  RANK  ONE   PENSION SCHEME ( OROP )

Jai Hind.                                          

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Peoples’ (Mis)representatives’

The ongoing Monsoon session of Parliament has so far  been  a washout,  with no business being transacted due to the disruptive tactics of the opposition parties. Nothing  but  imbroglio,  the  session  is  most   likely  to  be  a  naught,  a  total  logjam, The august  house which  has seen  stalwarts, selfless  patriots  and  statesmen  of  worth,  resembles  a  noisy grocery market, with  charges and counter charges being  hurled  from both the Treasury and Opposition benches.

The indecent, indignant  behaviour lowers the decorum of the house manifold. The Members of Parliament are indulging  in  literal  verbal  cannonade  on  the  floor of the house and  their conduct   is  rather  maladroit.

This unprecedented mayhem let loose on the well of the Parliament House by the “ respected, dignified  members of Parliament “  makes  a mockery of democracy and a betrayal of  trust  reposed  by the  citizens of this country on them. Seeing their audacious behaviour irritates and  angers the  common man.  Making  colossal waste of public money running to crores unabashedly, without a sense of responsibility and guilt  cannot  be  pardoned  by  any measure of  saner thinking.

Adding fuel to the fire is the demand by  the  MPs’ for increasing their salaries, when they already enjoy a host of perquisites and privileges. This  is  wholly  untenable  and  unjustified.  Is   it  a  bonus  for  their detestable  conduct?  

Congress, the  main opposition party takes extra pride in gloating over  the  disruption  of  the  proceedings, when  they  had  raised  a hue  and  cry  over  similar disruptive practice  resorted  to   by  the BJP led NDA, when  UPA  was  in  power. At  that   juncture, they had advocated observance of decency,  gave  sermons  on  upholding the dignity of the house. They had derided, denounced the then opposition members in strong terms, when they are unleashing pandemonium at  free will presently.  Can  there  be  a  better  example  of double  standard  in  letter  and  action  by  the  Congress?

If  the  grand  old  party  of  India  and  the  other  opposition  parties had  allowed  the  house  to  function  and  cornered  the  Government on vital issues through healthy discussions, then it could  have  been  a  turnaround  for  them  in  public  domain. But they do not practice what they preached to the BJP led NDA opposition,  while  occupying  the  reins  of  power.

To  sum up, Parliament is the highest temple of our democracy, which should witness healthy deliberations, constructive debates towards fostering the interests of the country and  the  wellbeing  of its  people. To obstruct its functioning is a sin ( whoever does it  ) against the nation and its subjects, which does not go well in the eyes of the masses, whose pent up anger will boomerang against them and will echo with virulent force in the ballot boxes.

Jai Hind.

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Tribute to Dr. A.P.J.Abdul Kalam

Dr. A.P.J.Abdul Kalam - A versatile person, true statesman  great visionary, possessed of impeccable character, indomitable spirit, unflinching integrity, respected and held in high esteem by people all over the world has departed to his eternal home after  a  commendable  earthly innings,  filled with achievements and crowned with accolades.

Like a multitude of others, I too received with profound shock and sorrow the news of the demise of former Indian President Dr.Abdul Kalam. He donned so many roles in his illustrious career – teacher, scholar, scientist, defence analyst, space and atomic expert, patriot, statesman, President of India. It is surprising to note that he was able to do justice  to all of them,  played each  to  perfection,  not  only  with  ease  but  also with  elan. A  towering  personality  who  discharged weighty assignments  with  a  light  frame.  Dr.A.P.J.Abdul Kalam was the most popular President of our great nation – a  Peoples’  President  and  a real  Bharat Ratna.  A  true  bare  fact -  res judicata. 

He played a pivotal role in making India an atomic power through the Pokhran explosion and was instrumental in developing an array of missile systems, thereby adding tremendous firepower to the country’s military arsenal, which earned him the sobriquet “ Missile Man “.

He remained a simpleton from birth to death and gave everything that he possessed – intellectually, materially and morally for the nation.  He was a darling of the student community who will dearly miss his absence, as he was their friend, philosopher and guide. His speeches and writings have enthralled and shaped the lives of millions all over the world. He ignited  wings  of  fire  among  the  youth,  encouraged them to dream,  set  lofty  goals  by  thinking  high  and  urged  them to work steadfast for the nation’s development. Among the various facets, he relished being called a teacher, as teaching  remained his passion. That he met his end amidst the company of students at IIM, Shillong, while delivering a lecture,  was the parting gift of the Almighty  to  Dr. Kalam.  “ Anaayaasa  Maranam “ – a  swift,  painless  death.

His  Presidential  tenure  was  the  most  eventful  one  as   the dignity  of  the  Presidential  Office  rose  to  great  levels.   As      a  “ Stithapragnya “, he remained unaffected by  the   vicissitudes  of life.  He was  an  “ Ajaatasatru “ – never  had  any  enemies,    befriended  everybody with  whom  he  moved,  interacted  and  got  associated  with.

From a humble beginning at Rameshwaram, he rose to become the President of India, the highest position of the land, and yet remained an icon of simplicity. From Rameshwaram to Delhi, from USA to Europe and to the foremost corners of the globe, the APJ Juggernaut rolled with speed and sheen, carrying everyone on the way.

Dr.Abdul Kalam’s demise is indeed an irreparable loss to India. He will live forever in the hearts and thoughts of millions,  continue to inspire the youth for  generations  to  come,  as  in  his  case  human  memory can  never  be  short.

He once said “ It  is  very  easy  to  defeat  another,  but  it  is  very  hard to  win someone “.  To lend credence to this,  he  had  an   inimitable  track record of easily winning everybody, with  his  approach and affection.

 

I close with a  verse from an old Tamil film number penned by Poet Vaali – “ Irundhalum Maraindhalum Per Solla Vendum, Ivar Pola Yaar  Endru  Oor  Solla  Vendum “ – One’s name should be spelt whether alive or dead, and he should be called unparalleled by the society “ 

Salutations  galore  to  you  Sir.   Rest  in  Peace  Dr. A.P.J.Abdul Kalam.

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That heart started beating again – “ Aa Hridayam Veendum Thudichu “

This was how a real life, emotional,  humanitarian story was reported in the “ Mathrubhumi “ newspaper of 26^th July 2015. It narrates the successful transplantation of heart from a brain dead person of Tiruvananthapuram to a heart patient waiting for a lease of life at Kochi.

Advocate Sri.Neelakanta Sarma (46),  had a fall in  his  bathroom on the 6^th of July 2015 and was undergoing treatment at Sri Chitra Thirunal Hospital at Tiruvananthapuram. Not responding to treatment the doctors’ declared him brain dead. His family members’ got over the catastrophic tragedy, mustered courage and rose to Himalayan heights by agreeing to donate his vital organs to ailing patients at various places in Kerala. It is reported that Sri.Neelakanta Sarma’s organs went on to give an extension of life to five people, who were waging a battle with destiny and time.

In a swift operation Sri. Neelakanta Sarma’s heart was flown from Tiruvananthapuram to Kochi where it was successfully transplanted to Sri.Mathew Antony (47), an autorickshaw driver of Chalakudi. The surgery was done at Lissy Hospital, Kochi, by a team of doctors’ headed by Dr.Jose Chacko Periappuram. Transcending financial, distance and other constraints the operation done on 25^th July 2015 went well,  as Sri.Neelakanta Sarma’s heart started functioning in Mathew Antony’s anatomy, without any hitch. Every beat of it should remind Mathew Antony and his family members’ of the supreme sacrifice, generosity, and maturity exhibited by Sri.Neelakanta Sarma’s family members’. While expressing her gratitude and thanks,  Bindu, wife of Mathew Antony stated thus – “ After God, we extend our thanks to Dr.Jose Chacko Periappuram and the family members’ of Sri.Neelakanta Sarma. They have not given a heart, but a life to us in totality. Even after our lifetime, we are indebted to them.

Another notable feature is that the Eram Group of companies, headed by its Chairman and Managing Director Dr.Siddique Ahmed, donated Rs.6 lakhs towards the hospital surgery expenses. Their timely service deserves a commendable pat, and God willing they  should pursue such noble causes and service to humanity for a long time to come. Accolades to their team.

Instances of organ donation are reported time and again across major cities of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, with the former state emerging as a forerunner in this commendable act. May this humanitarian story continue to save many more lives in future.  Films have also been shot on this subject matter and received well.

What is the crux of the event? The heart of an orthodox Hindu Brahmin was fitted to a God fearing Christian, with the financial assistance extended by a Corporate Group headed by a Muslim. Can there be a better picture perfect tell tale success story of compassion, affection and care? Humaneness and humanity won with top laurels, and mere words would not be sufficient to praise the family members of the departed Advocate, who is sure to find a deserving place in heaven, in the safe embrace of the Almighty.

Rest in peace Neelakanta Sarmaji. Hearty Salutations to your soul and appreciation to your family members’. You will continue to live not only in Mathew’s heart but also in peoples’ heart forever.

Have a peaceful, healthy life Mathew Antony and four others who live through the revered departed soul.

It would be befitting for the Kerala Government to institute a social service award in Sri.Neelakanta Sarma’s memory, as a rightful mark of respect.

Sarve Janaha Sukhino Bhavantu.

                               

Living at Ease

   

It is a boon to be blessed with a loving, affectionate family – a gift that every human being in this earth should possess. The answer to this question is overwhelmingly on the side of the “ Yeas ” than the “ Nays “  Some are born into one, grow up likewise, live it up stet till they exit from the earth. Some are blessed with the first and second components but are deprived of the third and fourth aspects, which are more vital and important. Some miss the bus in Toto –  chugging their entire existence in bickering and misery.

Born into an orthodox family over two and a half score years ago, it can be said with reasonable pride that I have been fortunate enough to affiliate myself to the former classification and stake a claim to a place in that coterie. Parental affection and care, bondage of siblings all flowed in regular stream and has somehow stood the test of time, with normal depreciation rate. 

Providential Diktat and a streak of good luck have associated me with some fine personalities, for which thanks are due to Him.  Friends,  do remember in life that it does not matter as to how such fine bonding gets evolved -  an act of God, by freak acquaintance, or through common friendly referrals. The underlying factor is that if such assimilation between humans turn out to be pristine in nature and placid in outlook, it’s journey will be long.  Transcending all barriers,  they  have  come  to  stay  put  with  me,  and  will  do  so  till  my  time  runs over.  The merits of friendship can never be expressed in words, but it’s charm  has to be experienced practically.

Fostering bondage and sharing of affection seems to be the most elated, precious gift that has been bestowed on living beings, more particularly humans. Nature has conferred on them  many advantages and privileges as when compared to other mortals, like application of mind, acquiring knowledge, accumulating wealth, alleviating pain, assimilating morality, through assiduous pursuit.  A combination of the said factors form the quintessence of life.

Professing Advocacy, we witness many family feuds driven by the clamour for wealth. It is the Casus Belli in any civil dispute. Rivalry and hatred among parents, siblings have torn families, as humans turn into epicureans in the long run. In legal offices such disturbing scenes get enacted on day to day basis, to which we have got hackneyed to.  Failure of  filial bonding is the rudimentary reason.

In a plain perspective try injecting simplicity in attitude, posture, owe steadfast allegiance to righteousness, subjugate anger, hatred, extend  whatever possible help, never disturb anyone, and most importantly – have a contented mind. Dedicated practice of the aforesaid would go to make life sublime. If not done so far, it’s time to start now. This will help us in presenting strong submissions before the Almighty  when the Divine subpoena is served. So be happy, helpful, cheerful and accommodative  for  leading  a “ Dolce Vita “.

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* Tribute to a Legend

Sri.M.S.Viswanathan ( MSV) as he was popularly called and known is no more. Even though death has snatched him away from us, he will continue to live in our hearts, for ages and generations to come. He was a legendary figure who strode the film music world like a colossus for nearly 4 decades. The evergreen melodies shelled out by the triumvirate Kavignar Kannadasan, Sri. M.S.Viswanathan and Sri.T.M.Soundararajan (TMS) can never, ever get erased from people’s mind and memory transcending generation gap. The meaningful content of Kannadasan’s lyrics, the melodious rendition of the same by TMS, under MSV’s enticing musical attunement have not only to be relished, but also to be cherished by the younger generations, who are unfortunately attracted and swayed by noisy, jarring, meaningless numbers, which are neither mellifluous nor mirthful. Having heard both, I can vouch on this point with confidence. Mention should be made about the innumerable duet numbers sung by the elite pair TMS and P.Susheela, which still make heads sway in awe and admiration.

That he was able to churn out repeated hits for MGR, Sivaji Ganesan, Gemini Ganesan and an array of other heroes,  aided by the soulful rendition by veterans like TMS, P.B.Srinivas, S.P.Balasubramaniam et al., is an acknowledged fact. People used to see their films over and over again at cinema halls ( when cassettes and CDs have not made a foray into the music world ), just for the sake of listening to the songs, stand testimony to MSVs prowess. In his glittering career he had produced innumerable magnum opus, which will stand the test of time. Mellisai Mannar   was  Nallisai  Mannar  too.

From a humble beginning he rose to the pinnacles of glory in his avocation, but yet remained a simpleton, both in stature and composure, till the very end. A rare  quality that is hard to witness today, where pomp and opulence rule the roost.  It can be said for sure that almost all present day music composers, directors, lyricists have MSVs cascading influence on them, signaling his repertoire and multifaceted talent. Under his tutelage playback singers like S.P.Balasubramaniam, Yesudas, Jayachandran, S.Janaki, Vani Jayaram, L.R.Easwari and a host of others rose to popularity, as he was a stepping stone for all who came in contact with him.

MSVs songs came very handy for yesteryear mothers’ ( and fathers’ too, including me ) as effective lullaby to put their children to sleep and believe me friends,  they slept within no time on hearing his melodious notes.

MSV has been declared out in mortal innings which as an act of nature is inevitable in life, but he will remain a Chiranjeevi amongst the hundreds of thousands of his fans, spread across the globe.

Adieu. Rest in Peace Maestro.

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P.S. – The Government of India earned the ignominy of not conferring any Padma Awards to Sri.MSV, recognizing his glorious career and invaluable contribution to the film industry.  Of course it can be said with certainty that the loss is not MSVs. It only exposes the hypocritical, insipid attitude of the bureaucracy in identifying  and  honouring   genuine,  valuable  talent.

* Written on 15-7-2015..