Protection Mechanism For Whistleblowers – A Positive Development

Personally I feel these are very significant development. It is an open secret that the corporate world is very vulnerable to irregularities of various types, and practices that cannot be called fair. Under such circumstances, whistleblowers are likely to play a very significant role, and it is a must to ensure that they are able to share their findings/doubts without any hesitation. More

“New/Social Media” – The Emerging Specialized Field Within The Communications Domain

And this clearly highlights the emergence of New/Social Media Communications as a specialized field within the domain of Public Relations/Communications. Quite naturally, I find many people bagging lucrative jobs with prestigious organizations simply by virtue of their experience in New/Social Media tools, while being virtually rookie in the fields of Media Relations, Government Relations, and other PR/Communications areas. More

Shyamala goes digital

Shyamala is on Facebook, but she rarely accesses it. A message I had left on her page several weeks back still remains unread. She has an e-mail account, but she doesn’t check mail for days at a stretch. Shaymala’s case that she doesn’t have time for networking may have merit...More...

Compulsions of urban livelihoods

City dwelling mynahs probably adapt themselves in myriad ways to their surroundings. After all, trees and shrubs are hard to come by in concrete jungles. Here is how two different families have settled in a bustling highway. Family One - our immediate neighbours - have a small dwelling, and the address line 1 reads - Telephone Post No 2, Road No 220 North. More...

Commemorating the 6th of August

It's now six decades and a half since Hiroshima-Nagasaki. It appears that this person is the only surviving member of the 12-member crew on Enola Gay that brought hell on Earth.
Apparently he has no regrets over what he did - "I've never found a way to fight a war without killing people. If you ever find that out, let me know." More...

Kalash – The non-Muslim Tribe Of North-Western Pakistan

Just today I came across an interesting Wikipedia piece on the Kalash people, an indigenous community residing in the Hindu Kush mountain range in the Chitral district of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (formerly North Western Frontier Province) province of Pakistan. More

United Nations Lends Strong Support For Right To Water

Nobody needs to be an expert or exceptionally rational to know how true it is. Potable water and sanitation are two quintessential components of human civilization. And it is extremely painful that even in the 21st century a huge number of people are deprived of these basic amenities. More

The Possible Hike In EMI On Bank Loans – My Question For The Indian Banking Fraternity

Despite being a layman with little grasp of financial issues, I had no problem in understanding the direct relationship between a hike in Repo Rate and a hike in the rates of interest for the loans provided by banks. In fact it is an issue that anybody will find to be crystal clear.

However, there is something that I will like the banking sector mandarins to take note of. More

A Juhu mechanic and Shekar Kapur’s Blackberry

Mr Kapur, unable to find a service centre that could repair his handset, was on way to buy a new one when he spotted a fading signboard that read – ‘Cellphoon reapars’ - at Juhu Market. On impulse, he stopped the car in front of this 6′x’6′ hole in the wall, to ask the boy minding the store, ”Can you fix a blackberry ?”. . .More ...

The typewriter

The one thing that fascinated me in his office was the typist who 'click-clacked' on the machine with some speed but with some pauses as he looked into the document beside him to decipher some words . Sometimes my grandfather would take me and others .... Read more...

The irrepressible "Congress groundnuts"

Pointing to the bottle, he would say "Give me 250 grams of this." There were other bottles containing whole nuts coated with salt and red chilli and spiced-puffed rice (mandakki puri and avalakki puri). This 'Congress' comes with the seed separated into its two halves and the recipe suited this. Read more...

Yeh Bambai meri Jaan....

How does one understand the city, Mumbai? You will never really understand it. It will surprise you each time you try to paraphrase it; you cut it open to decipher it; it will open into something else.

The Chinese fishing nets at Kochi

Now and then a question comes up – about the origins of the Cheena Vala or the Chinese fishing net in Cochin. Some opine firmly that they are of ancient Chinese origin, dating to Kublai Khan’s times (mid 13th century); some others say it arrived even before that and others grandly announce they actually date to Zheng He’s arrival (early 15th century). To get to a factual answer, one has to try & search hard and long, possibly fruitlessly, even though the very name of the net signifies that the connection had to be Chinese. My own introduction to the Cheena Vala came by a (non detail) textbook which we studied in school titled so and written by our lecturer CKC Nair (I did not see one though until much later). A wonderful collection of short stories, this specific story detailed the life of a Cheena vala operator in Cochin and I still remember the laborious attempts of his in placing a Petromax gas lamp into position before he retired for the night, near the net, for fishes to get drawn to. Though I had forgotten the story, the net remained in my mind, a majestic but forlorn contraption, which remains operational to this day even after so many hundred years (I am not saying the wooden poles or nets date that long back and I do not know if at all that is the case anyway), now an object of intense tourist scrutiny. These nets can be found only around Cochin and people look at them with much curiosity and awe and walk away consigning them into their notes and diaries written about their fascinating trip to the backwaters, penning in memories of the ‘karimeen’ fish fry, the local ‘kallu’ coconut liquor and the boatmen in the covered house boats as they traversed the backwaters. All this time, these Chinese cantilever fishing nets, suspended like giant webs along the tip of Fort Cochin, silently watched millions pass by.

What are they, where did they come from? We will find out. Are they indeed centuries old? Possibly the only surviving 800 year old machinery, man made? Are they found in China? We had never seen a picture of an installation in china in recent times, mind you - said a friend. Unable to resist the challenge, I donned my research cap (like an ancient Viking with his helmet) and set about into the not so dusty digital annals of history with my trusty weapons, the PC and the mouse, right hand clad in a special glove making it look like a medieval gladiators hand (though it is actually meant to tackle telltale signs of a carpal tunnel issue cropping up) holding a trusty sword. Ah, you can see that I am losing it, must be age catching up..

read on

Homestays in Coorg

That three out of every four homestays in Coorg haven’t gone in for registration with the department conveys its own message. The tourism dept. would have us believe that registration ensures upkeep of standards laid down by the department. But then there are well-maintained homestays that are not registered with the dept., says a newspaper report. . . more. . .

Olan - A Dish to Remember

I suddenly remembered the day of the solar eclipse in 1944. My mother cooked the simplest of meals that day – but my father’s favourite one, Arachu kalaki and Olan.

The Olan I prepared today tasted exactly the same as the one my mother made that day for I have never forgotten that day or the taste of that Olan.

English translation of Gujarati gazal 'Divaso judaai na'..

It has been immensely challenging to even attempt a translation of Gujarati poet Gani Dahiwala's gazal Divaso judaai na jaay chhe. This translation is a super-micro effort to make Gujarati poets / works more accessible on the net. It was disappointing that there aren't many online archives to document Gujarati poets and authors. This observation, though, I admit, is limited to the Google search I did for Dhoomketu, Gani Dahiwala and Kavi Kalapi... But I take the risk of assuming that yes, database on Gujarati works is limited — translations rarer.

Read the translation along with the song in Md. Rafi's voice here

Why ‘ gas- from-kitchen-waste’ hasn’t caught on

Was surprised to learn that banks don’t give loan for installing bio-gas units that produce cooking gas from household units. The govt. gives subsidy for those going in for it. There hasn’t been much demand, it appears. This doesn’t mean there is lack of interest on the the part of prospective users and business promoters. . .More .. .

Greed and cowardice "cooked the planet"

....For a change, today's piece (a part of it placed below), "Who cooked the planet?" is more globally relevant than the other pieces in that column thus far.
"....it wasn’t the science, the scientists, or the economics that killed action on climate change. What was it?

The answer is, the usual suspects: greed and cowardice.
More....

Yahoo and … cricket?

Two decades or so years ago, when I first came to the USA, not too many people here would have said that cricket was anything but an insect. I bet the situation has not changed much since then. What has changed, though, is that there is something called the internet, the great leveller, something that has flattened the world even. . .More

Volunteering at a US hospital

” I have a singing volunteer, a couple of clowns and pet therapists whose trained dogs wear official hospital ID tags”, writes Joan Perry, hospital director of volunteers and my new-found blogger friend in South Carolina. . . More. . .

Tewari is Lucknow's 'Gurukar'

He plants on any available space. Besides, he goes door-to-door in residential localities handing out saplings and bags to residents. The cloth-bag goes with a plea, asking them give up using polythene bags.. .. .More. . .

Should Tulu Be Made The Second Official Language Of Karnataka?

I am not a native of Karnataka, and therefore probably do not have the right to make any remark on this issue.

However, on the basis of common sense I feel that the Tulu language should be made the second official language of Karnataka. The state has sizeable Tulu speakers, mainly concentrated in the districts of Udupi and Dakshina Kannada. More

Key To Language Survival – Let’s Make One Another Feel Proud Of Our Native Tongues

It is a common knowledge that many languages of the world are now facing existential threat. And the reason for the same is also well known. Actually the young speakers of many languages are now more into speaking English and/or other major languages, for both professional as well as social reasons. And this is naturally resulting in a reduction in the use of their mother languages, eventually resulting in a threat for their existence. More

China’s Emergence As The World’s Top Aid Donor – Warning Bell For India?

On one hand the USA – a prominent source of international aid – is suffering from a weakening economy. On the other hand another key international aid donor Japan has decided to restraint its supply of aids to the developing world. This combined development has resulted in an ample room for China to establish itself as a top international aid donor, with the Asian and the African regions in its focus area. In fact, it has already become a key aid donor to the developing nations of the African continent. More

At the Tanjore temple

Sang a few Abhangs and Bhajans in addition to a few Tamil compositions and somehow the locals sat through the entire rendition of about 2 1/2 hours +... I experienced the feeling that music really does not know language and the thought is communicated, regardless of anything...More...

More stuff from 'The Story of Stuff' team

...... "Herbal", "Natural", "Organic" carried on labels may turn out to be meaningless.
Beware! Be Aware!. More ....

Left Behind

I stared from my little nook, the one which wasn’t a vantage point. On the loose soil in the untamed wild, I saw a perfectly still world. Silence, apart from a few distant bird calls. Unchanging trees, that would always stay, fixed and firmly rooted. Secure and timeless. Everything that I ever wanted....More

Pictures from/around home

Phishing

It was like a punch in the stomach. My eyes widened in shock as I read the mail from a blogger friend who lives in the US. He and his family had gone on holiday and lost everything except their passports after being mugged. More here

An Engagement in the Family

It has been quite a while since there has been a wedding in our family. The last one was a nephew’s, almost three years ago. So it was very exciting when we learnt that my brother’s son Kartik was getting married soon to Danielle. More here