A magazine called Sport and Pastime

The Hindu is also probably the first to publish an exclusive magazine dedicated to sports. It started "Sport and Pastime" in 1947 under the leadership of S.K.Gurunathan...... (Read more..)

Five Yercaud Flowers

http://parayilat.blogspot.com/2012/01/five-yercaud-flowers.html

As birthdays go by…

http://parayilat.blogspot.com/2012/01/as-birthdays-go-by.html

Life goes on like this till one reaches an age when sometimes the image of one’s own garlanded photo hanging on the wall flashes through the mind.

 

Yes Madam Speaker.. have the AYES finally given the nation something?

Yes Madam Speaker.. have the AYES finally given the nation something?


The whole scene looked comical while Meira Kumar went on and on.

Neverthless, after years and years (42 long years) of deliberation, finally a version of the Lokpal bill has seen light and I would like to believe that it is an achievement for the nation.

http://under-the-tree-of-tranquility.blogspot.com/2011/12/i-think-ayes-have-it-ayes-have-it.html

Mango trees flower

http://parayilat.blogspot.com/2011/12/mango-trees-flower.html

Christmas – The Pan-religious Festival Meant For The Entire World

Officially Christmas may be just a religious festival of a certain religious community. But in reality it is a pan-religious festival, widely popular with and enthusiastically celebrated by people of all religions across the world.

Why is it so? Well, the reason lies in the pan-religious appeal of Christmas. More

Dam Business

http://parayilat.blogspot.com/2011/12/dam-business.html

Kerala Government is absolutely justified in its concern for the safety of its people. But the way the present government has gone about it is counter productive. The antics and one-upmanship by the Kerala parties over the issue have provoked the Tamilians. Keralites are at the losing end and further problems could arise for people living in Kerala and those Keralites in TN. Going into details would make this a long essay. As the Supreme Court said, “Both parties, instead of dousing the fire, are adding fuel to it.”

Lesson For India – UK Aims At Empowering Voters To Recall MPs With Questionable Activities

It is a development that offers a lesson and inspiration for all parliamentary democracies of the world, including India. More

Going bananas....

He got hold of some banana saplings and planted them, and tended them so sincerely. It was no wonder when one of them flowered. When we returned after our extended trip we were so happy to see the small fruits.
Read more here.

Putting FDI in retail on hold – sense or nonsense?

http://parayilat.blogspot.com/2011/12/putting-fdi-in-retail-on-hold-sense-or.html

BJP must realize that the party is very important to India. They would be/should be either running the government or sitting the opposition in a responsible manner. Seeing the BJP lining up with the left parties too often these days makes one worried. The Communists have opposed everything good for the country from Quit India to computers. That is why they are where they are today.

Is Tamilnadu in Pakistan?

An exasperated voice came from the TV in the living room while I was in the bedroom all warm and cozy since it is now winter here in Kuwait.

A tree of sorrow and its flowers that are teardrops

 http://parayilat.blogspot.com/

Once upon a time in a kingdom in India was a princess. Her name was  Parijathika. She fell in love with the Sun. After years of waiting and pleading, she realized that her wishes were in vain. She committed suicide. From her ashes arose a plant. It grew fast, and started flowering. The plant and its flowers were named parijatham, after the princess. The fragrant blossoms opened only at night so that they won’t have to see the Sun. They fall off in the morning. They are the teardrops of Parijathika. More...

Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaamn!

What is wrong with these people? Why can't they talk about something else?

Dam, dam, dam dam.. damn!

The above lines may go through the minds of anyone else, but not a single Keralite, even if he now resides in the North Pole.

Frankly speaking, I have never seen Kerala united in such a manner!

Go to

FDI in Retail in India

The debate rages on.
This is one area where ringing in the new may not be quite what the nation needs....
Instead of the friendly neighbourhood, dhoti-clad grocer selling you rice, atta and dal, you will be piling up all sorts of mostly superfluous items on to your shopping trolley and get checked out of store by young, suited and booted, extra-polite MBA degree holders.

Read the rest of this entry

I bellow my flames: An incident of fire

‘Hey, get down!! Get down NOW and head out to the front. We’re trying to control the fire.’ It was a Police Officer with his flashlight. As I rushed inside to let everyone know, my heart was throbbing. ‘Quick, fire, evacuate.’ What do you take with you?More..

Art and Wine

http://parayilat.blogspot.com/2011/11/art-and-wine.html
What is art? What is the connection between art and wine? These were some of the questions a few of us discussed some days back. It was at the Art & Wine event at Ramada Resort that was promoted by Paul George (on the right in photo), a well known art connoisseur and business man of Cochin, and Sulu Wines. The opening lamp was lit by Mr. K. Ramachandran Nair (on the left in photo), who has contributed so much for the promotion of art with his galleries.....

Is Team Anna a threat to democracy ?

Britain’s academic and a Labour peer Bhikhu Parekh, in a recent lecture on the crisis in Indian democracy, is reported as saying, a growing public support for Anna Hazare-style protests, led by unelected campaigners, bode ill for Indian democracy...More..

Indian Govt. Mulling Institutionalization Of Community Policing

It is undoubtedly a very significant development. It is now an established fact that appropriate involvement of community always enhances the quality of the governance. This explains why it has now become such a popular practice for governments across the world to partner with local community members for carrying out various tasks and activities (one notable example is that of “Community Forestry”). More

Talking books, unread & reread

The bookshelf in front of my desk has often had me wonder, ‘would I ever be able to read all those books before my time is up’. I am 73 . Browsing the Net and channel surfing have pushed reading books to a back-seat in my re-ordered daily routine...More

Shine On, Shorn Or Long!

Long or short, women are fascinated with the styling and grooming of hair. If it is curly, we want it straight. If straight, we want it wavy.

I used to long for wavy hair, I remember, and hated it when the ends of my plaits stuck out like broomsticks. While as children we suffered the weekly oil massage and following wash, we now realise now that it helps bring a rush of blood to the roots and stimulate them. During the days I was growing up, there was a biweekly ritual of massaging the head with coconut oil.I still do it, though the biweekly massage seems to have become bi annual! Well almost.

Thalai Diwali

This year’s Diwali was Danielle-Kartik’s Thalai Diwali, the Diwali they celebrate as a couple for the first time. I sent them a mail from which I quote two or three sentences:
“In those days – I am talking about 75 years back -- newly-married couples used to wait eagerly for Diwali, the reason being they had to wait a year or so to start living together as man and wife.

Gin and Tonic http://parayilat.blogspot.com/2011/11/gin-and-tonic.htmlGin and tonic

The midday drink of the sahibs when they ruled India was gin and tonic.... The British had a purpose in taking that drink other than alcoholic aspect. The ‘tonic’ is quinine water which prevents/cures malaria and is health wise beneficial in several ways

Petroleum products manufacturing and pricing policy

Three years back I had written a post titled Tackling the oil crisis. One point I failed mentioning then was that the vehicles should be kept in good condition. Anyway, let us have a look at what could be done to handle the situation:

Ms. Manusmriti Of India Becomes The 4th Generation Cop, Makes World Record

And now Manusmriti has lived up to the legacy of her family by joining the IPS. She has joined the Union Territory cadre. She and her father have also made the record of being the only serving father-daughter IPS duo. A bright student, Manusmriti is an alumnus of Delhi’s St. Stephens College and London School of Economics. More

The gentlemen of the highways...

I’ve been traveling extensively since I was a kid. When we were small we rarely spent a weekend at home. Weekends were synonymous with travel. We hit the road every weekend and I went to school on Mondays with a note to explain missed weekend homework. Karnataka has something called Dussehra holidays that comes as a welcome break during October. Dussera hols lasted ten days and we traveled a little further like Darjeeling or Jaipur or Kashmir. Summer break usually meant a holiday in Kerala or abroad. My Dad’s love for driving has seen us driving through pitch dark jungles roads, getting a puncture in deserted places and getting stranded on a mountain with a ruptured fuel pipe. But he was an experienced driver and had a remedy for every eventuality...more

AN EXPERIENCE

The young man just looked at my face and gave the girl a ‘thumbs up’ sign. The girl walked back and after a short time came back wearing another pair which did not suit her at all.

More here

THE LETTER I DID NOT SEND

We are back after spending six months with our children in Seattle and Newport. Our return trip on October 17, a Monday, from Seattle was also via London – a British Airways flight with a one hour stop. One hour to make the connecting flight to Chennai! When I realised that, panic master that I am, I started worrying about it – will we make the connection or not? What would happen if we did not? Read below

What actually happened

Two months of silence – relocation and cataract operation

Well, my keeping quiet on the blogosphere for two months was not because of any mouna vrutha. Such noble undertakings are only for people like our present day ‘Gandhian’ in creaseless clothes.

Hang Out There!

 

The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) is a World Heritage site.

The UNESCO World Heritage Committee describes it thus:
"The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway is the first, and still the most outstanding example of a hill passenger railway. Opened in 1881, it applied bold and ingenious engineering solutions to the problems of establishing an effective rail link cross a mountainous terrain of great beauty. It is still fully operational* and retains most of its original features intact."

Hello, darkness my old friend!

For some years now, I've enjoyed taking a solitary outing at nightfall. All those years ago, the loneliness was as frightening as the darkness. Over time, a love of solitude replaced the fear. Silence and darkness can become a rich environment for those who like to wander about in the spaces of the mind.