WANTED ANOTHER FORM “ JALLIKATTU” IN MARINA BEECH CHENNAI

“Jallikattu” was a popular sport in Tamil Nadu. The sport was conducted to encourage youth to tame bulls with bare hands by hugging and climbing on the bull holding it’s hump tightly. The winner was rewarded with money, marital alliance with the chosen bride etc.  

After Pongal Celebrations this year around 18^th Jan’17, there was a big fur over in Chennai ! The iconic Marina beech was besieged by youths from all walks of life and their demand was to allow controversial JALLIKATTU claimed to be a marital sport of Tamils. It was projected as an issue of restoration of “Tamil Pride”. As all political parties wanted to take active part in partaking the sensitive issue to their political gain center had to carefully handle the issue to avert any precipitation. Rest is history.

The past one week’s happening in Tamil Nadu are indeed very disgusting to put it too mildly. Elected representatives, so called M.L.As have to be huddled in a resort and kept in hostage condition to avert a political crisis by one section of the ruling party.

It was well known and foregone conclusion that the leader they were electing was bound to be declared an offender under disproportionate asset case. But still she was chosen as the leader of the party. Later she was  in a hurry to be nominated as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. The one who was warming up the Chief Minister’s chair for her was forced to tender resignation under duress.

The one who resigned woke up after a few days and revolted against the new chief minister. Thus enough fodder was provided or all TV channels to run these news as SASI KALA KAARI and what not with great captions, narrations, graphics, designs etc.

The most disgusting and disappointing points in this episode were the following:-

Police Personnel who are never available to render any help to the needy and wanting were thrown around the resorts were these elected representatives were housed and rapid action forces were also there on standby mode !

The number of SVUs in around Golden Beech resort were beyond anyone’s imagination.  See the pitiable condition of public transport buses in and around Tamil Nadu. These elected representatives are travelling all around in these high tech cars.     

There were claims and counter claims on how and who paid money for this jamboree wherein our elected representatives had a gala time. Going by very conservative estimate of they had stayed in MLA’s hostel not even one percent of that amount would have been spent on maintaining these elected representatives.

People were roaring like Lion initially and after the Supreme Court verdict the roar got completely silenced.

I as a “Tamilian” feel that Tamil’s pride has been seriously tarnished  by the following events:-

By having a proxy CMs again and again who are remote controlled by corrupt sentence serving politicians.

By having MLAs of this nature, who are easily prone for manipulation by their corrupt leaders.

By having seriously compromised on the image, status of one of the prosperous states in this country which literally went into a state of limbo!

By having elected representatives, who are nothing better than “Pawns” in the power game. With little respect and regard for the people who chose them they surrendered their self respect to a someone who took them into hostage!

By having CM’s who talk about spirits and ghosts to guide them whereas when they came to power they came on the plank of “ Rationalists” !

Thus to overcome these issues we need to bring all these MLAs to Marina beech. They have to be put into a Jallikattu game and the people from their respective constituency should catch them and question them for their acts of omissions and commissions.

Then only “Tamil Pride” shall be restored !!

Is there anyone from the youth brigade listening and willing to act !!!  

L. P. O...Local Purchase Orders

The word "Demonetization"  gained global publicity after the declaration of Indian Prime Minister on
8th Nov'16 regarding the high denomination notes INR 500 and INR 1000 ! Till that time no one would
have ever thought about the word. At least I was not in the habit of using this word.

But much before that, when I used to live in Malawi, a small country in Central African region wherein
I was precisely doing Demonetization without even aware of it. Looking back it made great sense to recollect the funny way we have been adhering to the principle of Demonetization !!

I landed in Malawi in May'1995. First overseas job and the expectations of the "Board" as the bosses always used to refer themselves were very high. Though the job was not at all difficult getting into the local nitty gritty was a bit tough. In MNC type organisations things were all defined in black and white. So you are expected to play your part in the orchestra and leave without even looking back. But in a small set up ( But for Malawi it was something like the empire of TATAs !) it was like that. You were expected to play not only your part of the music but also set the mike, organize the Chorus singers, check electrical connections and then ensure that there were no jarring notes !!

On arrival, I was given a book called as " L.P.O" book which was nothing but a purchase order. I was told that I could sign and leave the same with local hair dresser, restaurant, stationery shop, Petrol Bunk, Dairy, travel agent, Physician, Dentist and what not ! Apart from the above outside parties who were serving me in individual capacity, there were suppliers to company who were also happy with L.P.O !

Company felt that it was in an advantageous position as the L.P.Os always issued against 45 days to 60 days credit payment. Things were going well and as they say proverbial lull before the storm, one day the storm did break out !!

Whenever we sign L.P.O there was always a carbon copy in the book. One clever purchase assistant mastered the art of doing exactly my signature and that too in style ! On reconciliation the Financial Controller found out that the L.P.O of mine was being used in Big Bars and other related joints. As a teetotaler my presence in such joints was impossible. After a careful check the extra L.P.O book was found in the Purchase Assistant, that too with my Counterfeit signature !

The Purchase Assistant had to confess and got booted out the very same day !  

INDIAN MARRIAGES-Prospective " BRIDE" viewing

"Marriages are made in heaven" thus goes the common saying ! But all things remaining more or less equal, still in India by and large "ARRANGED MARRIAGES" are common ! Mostly people think that marriage is one of the biggest lottery and if every thing goes well in married life then life is made. If things do not turn out as anticipated then life becomes a hell.

In order to avoid these risks, plus in order to have a safety circle (SURAKSHA CHAKRA) people prefer an "ARRANGED MARRIAGE". By arranged marriage what I mean is one in which parents and elders of both sides boy and girl meet, discuss, deliberate and then conclude the alliance. In the eventuality of anything going wrong then both sides can sit and re-discuss and then try to do course correction.

As the Tamil poet Kannadasan penned in one of his Tamil film songs  " Getting a good wife is a boon from God !". I do not think anyone can say this anyway better than this. This is equally true for husband too ! As the cart of family is pulled by both male and female equally ... assuming that in the same direction !

There are many aunties, mamies who are specialists in marital net working. Their brain power is much sophisticated than any super computer in terms of storage, retrieval and matching alliances at the speed of light ! They sort, store, retrieve alliances based on Caste, Gothra, Sect, Region, Language, Place of residence, NRI ( Non Resident Indian) , RI ( Resident Indian), Green Card Holder, East Coast , West Coast etc.

Turn to any matrimonial column in leading dailies, weeklies you can see the plethora of advertisements that appear. Over and above that there are websites who specialize exclusively in various language matrimony !

After the initial match making by these aunties / Mamies then there is exchange of horoscopes. While some families swear by this, some families are not keen. After the vetting of horoscope by family astrologer and rating based on number of matching points then we come to the status of Bride Viewing !!

This is a very important stage of any Indian marriage. As this one gives an impression about the status of the bride's family, living condition, close relative circle, life style etc. Generally a date is selected by the prospective bride groom and informed to the bride's side. They are in a state of alert on that day. If the alliance is a local one there are no issues as they can drive down, meet and go. Otherwise the bride's family is expected to arrange for pick up, stay and transport for the family which is going to visit.

In Karnataka the bride is supposed to be taken to the bride groom's place for the initial meeting which is all the more complicated. As the lady will be feeling like fish out of water in an alien environment.

In order to make these things very comfortable now a days both families meet in a common place like a restaurant over a cup of tea or coffee and meet each other. My father used to boast that in his days the boy and girl just met each other on the day of the marriage and everything else was left to the full control of parents.

In early part of 80 s the prospective bride groom and bride got a chance to meet within the house for a few minutes to exchange a few words. During that time too some old lady or small boy / girl used to come and peep in to know what was transpiring.

There are special types of snacks and sweets for this ceremony known as Bazzi & SOZZI in South India (Type of Halwa made with Soozi ).

I knew a Tamil boy from US who used to come every year and view more than half a dozen girls in a span of a week or so moving from one metro to other. After enjoying the prospective bride's family's hospitality would go back to Bombay and contemplate how the girl would look in Jeans, How she would look in Punjabi Dress, How she would look in American Skirt etc. In the end he ended up marrying someone who did not look good any of the dresses !!

After the bride viewing then the the prospective groom's family should make the decision and revert. Now a days both the boy and girl take lead in deciding whether the match should progress further or not. There are cases when the girl chose to turn down the match just before the day of engagement after having undertaken a few dates with the boy !

So nothing is certain and confirmed until the proverbial three knots are tied !!

AMAR SEVA SANGAM ...A BEACON OF HOPE !!!

In this tough competitive world, people with 100 % full fitness, complete intellect, adequate disposable income, plus enormous surplus funds find it difficult to think about others, leave alone desiring and working for others.

 Rich man wants to amass further wealth for his generations to come, middle class man wants to move up in the social ladder so he can flaunt his new found status, lower middle class man wants to move up &  acquire at the least a few gadgets and accessories so that his life becomes a bit more comfortable. Down trodden and people in below  poverty line want to make their lives at the least comfortable enough to meet both ends and are able to have two square meals a day.

In such a tough world there are two people who despite getting confined to wheel chairs at the prime of their lives after having spent their early part of youth with full mobility including that of playing and having fun in their college and school days.

This is the story of Sri S Ramakrishnan who was a final Engineering student studying in one of the prestigious colleges in Coimbatore (Government College of Technology). In the final year he went to attend Staff Selection Board tests for Navy and while attempting a difficult maneuver fell down and became a paraplegic someone crippled from the neck and got confined to wheel chair due to the multiple spine injury leading to paralysis below his neck.  

He was taken to Pune for further treatment at rehabilitation center for spinal cord injured patients. But after a period of time the doctors gave up on him stating that he was beyond cure. Thus Ramakrishnan a bright young final year student of Engineering found his life at cross roads. Apart from his dreams, his lower middle class family’s dreams were also shattered on account of the accidental fall.  

Ramakrishnan was motivated by one of his doctors treating him in Pune Dr. Air Marshal  Amarjit  Singh Chalal  who told him that if God had spared his life, it was with a purpose which Ramakrishnan had to search and find out. The totally dejected Ramakrishnan started his life on wheel chair with total dependence on his family even for moving a page of a book he was reading apart from all day today activities in late seventies in his native village Ayikudy, in Thirunelveli district.

The rural setting of his native village Ayikudy gave him ample time to think. He was concerned of the educational facilities of the village. Therefore to guide and mentor the local students he started a tuition center with a few students. In 1981 Amar Seva Sangam was founded and Siva Saraswathi Vidyalays was also founded with 5 students.  This later became small elementary school for the local folks. From there the seed for a high school came.  If you trace the progress of education wing of Amar Seva Sangam Nursery school in 1981, Middle School in 1991, High School in 2009, Higher Secondary School in 2015. There are 700 students and of them nearly 10% are handicapped.

In 1992 Sri S Sankararaman a charted accountant by profession with a flourishing practice in Chennai moved and joined with Sri S Ramakrishnan. Shanakararaman is also wheel chair bound on account of Muscular Dystrophy. He functions as the Secretary of Amar Svea Sangam which is having an able President in Sri S Ramakrishnan.

Some of the commendable activities of Amar Seva Snagam are:-

1.       Home for Children between the age of 5 to 17 with free food, shelter, clothing, medicine and medical aid equipments etc. In 1981 there were 5 children and now the strength has gone up to 70 plus and most of them are having motor disability.

2.       Sangamam school for special children.

3.       Early Intervention center for children with disability.

4.       Orthopedics Center

5.       Medical Testing units.

6.       Spinal Cord Injured Post Acute care center

7.       Disabled youth training center

8.       Vocational Training centers for Tailoring, DTP, Typing, Home appliance repair training, Toy Making, Handicrafts.

Some of the leading institutions that have regular association with Amar Seva Sangam are:-

1.       Sir Dorabji Tata Trust,

2.       Handicare International Canada

3.       Give India Foundation

4.       Canada Star India

5.       Asha Foundation

6.       Sir Ratan Tata Trust

7.       Grand Calleyes Canada

8.       Kamakoti  Trust

There is no point in listing the awards and accolades won by Amar Seva Sangam and its founders as the same may run into a few pages.

The organization is run with a ISO Certification. Renowned and able patrons manage the activities as a board. Annual reports are available with complete transparency.

Please pay a visit to the website. If inspired please contribute your mite by way of donation or volunteering.

www. amarseva.org  is the website.  

SMILE

SMILE :-

“Smile” is the shortest distance between one end of the lip to the other end when the same forms a straight line!!

It has a bigger brother called “laughter” which comes out with too much of noise and reverberating into echoes if more than two people are involved.  A child smiles and laughs for no reason. As a man or woman ages the first thing they shred is smile. Whether it is part of growing up process or simply due to day today stress and strain we human beings give up smiling first and then we claim that we have grown up.

It is found that certain sections of population are more prone to serious type of faces than others. I have seen most of the people working in government sector, that too in areas, where they have to have people to people  contact on a daily basis…like banks, post offices etc. give up smiling first. Whether it is salary day or the last day of the month it becomes the same for them. On the contrary, they are expected to put up a genuine smile every time when they interact with a customer.

I have seen people in Bangalore, Karnataka, South India are found to smile most often. This I am writing after having travelled to most part of India. In the case of hearty burst out laughter no one can match people from Punjab !!

I like Bhutan as a country, because it is the only country, probably in the world to give importance to smiling faces and like GDP it measures happiness index every year!!

In my fairly long experience in Africa, one thing I have noticed with natives, is the smile. Most of them burst out into laughter most of the time. When they meet with even a stranger they smile and greet without any inhibitions.

Their lives may have many uncertainties, day to existence is very challenged, family size is very large as for most of them only recreation is “procreation”. Living conditions are very poor in most of the countries, there is no potable water despite vast lakes and rivers, Electricity is not available in most parts, most of them commute to work by foot that too running most of the time to reach their work place in time. By and large their bosses are mostly ”slave drivers” as they use abusive language and push them from one place to other in work.

Most of them are too preoccupied about their next meal. Salary is paltry and working conditions are pathetic and despite all this every African work Man when they meet each other there is so much of smiles, laughter and noise due to clasping of hands and high fives etc.  Whenever they find someone walking nearby when they are eating the entrant is invited to partake the food though the food may be too meager.

Take the case of Indians mostly working as expatriates working along with natives in Africa. Most of them are fairly well placed and earn many more times the natives. They have fairly large bank balance locally as well as overseas. Their life style is very good compared to locals as they stay in good houses in great communities under privileged security. Their children go to the best of best schools. They have paid holidays to home as well as to envied destinations. Despite all this how often do they smile leave aside laugh!

It is indeed a great blessing to laugh one’s heart out either for a joke, or on account of a funny episode or even just like that. Please sit and introspect the last time when you had a hearty laugh !!

As a matter of routine every morning, as I enter my work place, I have the habit of greeting each and every person on the shop- floor right from security, janitor, packers, machine operators, Technicians, Supervisors, Managers and then move to my chamber to get going with my routine. This I have been practicing for quite some time as it helps me to access the strength at the shop-floor, morale of the staff and workmen as well as to gauge the style of work going around.  If there are any course corrections to be made the same can be made then and there in time.  

The other day, I was a bit stressed on account of work pressure. I just moved into my office skipping the morning ritual of mine as I was busy with some pressing thing. After finishing the same, I moved in a hurried manner to shop floor. Then I felt a bit tired after few minutes of walking and I sat on a work bench by the side of a lady packer as there was some vacant space. I realized later the lady was the one who was pulled up a few weeks back for going out for a smoke early morning at the commencement of her shift by me. I looked at her and was about t enquire her well being. Before that she told me politely “ Papa…smile please !”.

Her words hit me like a ton of  bricks.  Well despite getting dressed up well and moving far and wide I forgot to wear the most important accessory that day ….SMILE !!

   

SINGH SHAIB

It is very difficult to impress a few people as they have X-ray in their eyes and scan through you thoroughly. My daughter is one such person, as she will always dig deeper to understand the reason for each and every utterance & actions. When some one like that was singing the praise of "Singh Shaib" I was doubly curious to meet that person. Ever since our daughter got married and whenever she visited her in laws she was always picked up and dropped by Singh Shaib.

Thus in my opinion Singh Shaib was a good taxi driver and probably because of his prompt service and courtesy he has won the heart of our daughter. It turned out that only after a year of waiting we were destined to meet Singh Shaib in Kolkatta when there was a party to celebrate the wedding anniversary of our daughter.

We were introduced to Singh Shaib ( SS) by our Sambandhi Prof. Roy. Singh Shaib was a bit of short man may be 5 feet 4 inches, well built and had a receding hairline. When I shook his hand I could understand the hard work they had done for years. We excused ourselves and moved to a corner away from other members of the party so that we could talk freely for some time. I am reproducing below the conversation and all that I had learnt in the one hour I spent with him !

SS was originally from a Godforsaken village in Bihar's Dharbangah district. He was forced out to migrate to Kolkatta as dependency on farming and agricultural oriented livelihood was not very encouraging due to failed crops, lack of rains etc. SS could get a job as an ambulance driver in Kolkatta Medical college hospital.  This gave him a small one bedroom flat to reside within the hospital premises. SS brought in his wife and two children from Bihar to Kolkatta. Despite a steady government job the monthly income was barely adequate to meet both ends. Children were put into schools and his wife started doing odd domestic work for the doctors residing in the premise.

It was from one of the doctor's house she got an old Doctor's kit bag and stethoscope which were discarded by the family. Since then it became a constant companion for the daughter of SS's family. She was always found to be wearing the stethoscope and testing who so ever came to home or with her playmates. SS found this very interesting.

As advised by one of the resident doctors SS took his wards to the office of The Principal of one of the leading Christian Convents nearby. Despite repeated pleas The Principal refused to entertain his requests for admitting his wards in that school. Heart broken SS returned home and was cursing his bad luck.

But lady luck had some other plans. There was an accident in the road and SS was returning after dropping someone in his ambulance. SS rushed the injured to the hospital and took great care to see to it that everything that was possible was done immediately. The injured was a teacher in the convent where SS was trying for admitting his wards. When the Principal came to visit the staff he was introduced to SS by the family of the teacher as Savior of their bread winner. The Principal then changed his mind and admitted the wards of SS in the convent.

In order to meet the growing family needs SS took to driving taxis in the free time and managed some extra money for the family. The children were bright and committed. Thus after topping in 10th and 12 th in Kolkatta SS's daughter got admission in medicine in the same place where they were living. This gave the girl extra time o spend in wards, library and in the company of other doctors. Thus when she was finishing her MBBS degree she was the topper of the university. She was chosen by AIIMS ( All India Institute Of Medical Sciences) New Delhi for Neurosurgeon course.

After the course she was chosen to go to Oxford for specialization in Micro Neuro-Surgery.  When she was awarded her degree there was an invitation for SS to attend the convocation. In his over enthusiasm SS suffered a mild stroke in the convocation hall itself. But there was timely treatment for him to recover fully.

SS's Daughter went on to study further in UK and after her courses now she has an office in Delhi and another one in London. She is supposed to be doing some special work in research in Neurosurgery field. SS became popular and there were stream of visitors form press, television etc. To meet them a flat has been purchased by his daughter. Now he stays and operates from there. This came in time when he got retired and had to vacate the quarters.

Now SS has a fleet of cars which are being used to ply as taxis. His son passed B.A in Economics and followed the same with a PG from IIM Kolkatta. He is now working in Thailand with some MNC company.

There were many alliances for his world renowned daughter. But SS left the choice to his daughter. She has chosen a family of doctors who are operation out of Gurgaon.

There is a proverb in Tamil which loosely if translated means " A farmers Karma / Poonya can be seen from the type of harvest he gets from the field" ! I strongly believe our Singh Shaib is certainly a truly blessed soul with bountiful of Poonya ( Good deeds) to children like this !!

I saluted him and took leave. But next day, when I was about to go to the air port, SS was in the driver's seat with his taxi. On enquiring, during the drive, he told me politely that that was his way of repaying the kindness and courtesy extended by my sambandhi who was a constant source of motivation when there was no light at the other end of tunnel !!!

A 1 & A 2 Milk ... An Indian Perspective !!

SYNOPSIS:-  With the recent happenings in Tamil Nadu in connection with JALLIKATTU, too much of social media activity encountered denigrating efforts taken in our country in enhancing milk production. There were repeated noises all was not well with breed development, dairy development and related extension work. We have also seen Pseudo specialists in the field of medicine attributing all ill health to A1 Milk which is found to be from exotic foreign breed. This article tries to dispel these myths and attributes the growth in the field of dairying to focused breed development work. It also emphasizes sustained efforts that are needed to study rigorously A 1 and A 2 Milk and reassures common man that there is no need to press the “ Emergency” button !

Dairying Scenario:-

Every scientific progress and development always bring along with it related controversies which may crop up as per the socio economical development of that region. This is true right from electricity, steam engine, nuclear fuel, atomic energy and what not. Dairy industry is no exception.  As someone with exposure to Indian Dairy Industry I wish to go through various facts and figures that are relevant to Indian Dairy Industry to reassure the common man that all s not lost due to exotic breeds of cattle.

Dairy Industry in India is not an organized one. It is still in evolving stage and it by and large complements agriculture industry.  Indian farmers rear cattle as a means to help them in their farming activities. Agricultural by products like straw are fed to cows and predominantly buffaloes to rear them. Bulls are used in the farm as draught animals in ploughing, hauling agricultural inputs and farm output.  As a predominantly Hindu populated country culling and slaughtering of cattle especially cows is considered sacrilege in India. Therefore cattle are more or less taken care as part of the family and revered.

Yield of milk of Indian breeds is not comparable to foreign breed. It is far too low and Dairying was not considered to be an income generation activity but more as a source of additional income to the housewives who took the trouble of taking care of the animals apart from taking care of the family needs only marketable surplus was sold to a few customers.

Average daily requirement of milk for a normal healthy human being in India was ……ml. This was hardly met by the poor milch animals of local origin. Thus as a prudent and long term vision oriented decision it was decided to enhance the breed quality of local milch animals and cross breeding was vastly encouraged. This was purely taking into the need of the hour when availability of milk was very poor, scarcity rampant. We were banking on various world food programmes to get aids in the form of inputs like milk powder, butter oil which were blended and marketed all over the country using various NDDB ( National Dairy Development Board ) initiated programmes. Mother Dairies were set up in major metros. The major focus was on enhancing availability of milk which is fresh, pure and wholesome to growing urban population. There used to be so much hulla holla about milk which was supposed to be feeding rural poor being brought and marketed in towns and cities thus depriving rural poor of nutrition.

But with success of AMUL’s model Dairy Development in India was said to have ushered in women empowerment, literacy among rural masses, awareness on social issues like family planning, Good House Keeping as clean milk production was a focus point. There were a few orgainsed MNCs and corporate houses involved in processing milk as every big business house was mainly focused in Dairy Products which was bringing in good returns. Thus liquid milk was being handled by Amul, Mother Dairies, State Federation, Rural Co-operatives etc.   

Despite massive efforts by AMUL, Mother Dairy and local co-operatives unorganized sector was also playing a major role in regulating milk supply to cities.

In this background, if you see the way we have grown in raising availability of milk in India, we have every reason to feel proud. Despite various hue and cry which are emanating when there is plenty of marketable surplus of milk and milk products which even makes way into export markets in the form of milk powder, ghee etc.

We need to appreciate the visionary leadership of Dr. C Subramaniam Former Finance Minister who was responsible for giving free hand to genetics and breeding scientists in the field of agriculture like Dr. M S Swaminathan for ushering in Green Revolution in India which gave food security to masses living in this great land  & Dr V Kurien who was instrumental in ushering in White Revolution by arranging and channelizing aids received in various forms.

The table below shows the trend of milk production in India and the per capita availability of milk in India.

Year                                       MMT ( Million Metric Tons)            Per Capita Availability / person/ day ( ml)

1991-92                                55.6                                                                        178

1992-93                                58.0                                                                       182

1993-94                                60.6                                                                        187

1994-95                                63.8                                                                        194

1995-96                                66.2                                                                        197

1996-97                                69.1                                                                        202

1997-98                                75.4                                                                        213

2012-13                              132.4                                                                        299

2013-14                              137.7                                                                        307

2014-15                              146.3                                                                        322

2015-16                              155.5                                                                        340

We can see from the above table sourced from NDDB there is a great leap in the volume of milk production in our country and this is made possible by cross breeding. This growth is 18.5 % of total milk production of the world and we rank No.1 in global production of milk. As compared to other countries our growth is 6.26% as against the global average growth of 3.1% year on year basis.

As per Nutritional requirement average adult requirement of milk per day per person is 200 ml to 248 ml depending on the physical and physiological condition. Thus there is enough milk made available by various initiatives of Indian scientists.

 Now coming to the crux of A1 & A2 milk after having made milk available to the masses this question can be addressed very easily.

India is predominantly a buffalo milk country 55 % of milk production is from buffaloes as the same seems to be very favorable for the farmers in terms of economics.  21% of the total milk production is from Indigenous breeds of cattle and 24% of the total milk production is from Cross bred cows. This is as per 2007 statistics.

If you go by this the issue of A1 & A2 milk crops up only with respect to the 24% of the milk received from Cross bred animals as Buffalo milk is purely A 2 milk, which is being praised as the elixir of good health. People now have issues with only A1 Milk. The research in this field is not very conclusive and scientific community still does not buy the claim of all bad things attributed to A1 Milk.

Some of the whatsapp messages like indigenous cow milk because of the hump is rich in vitamin and it absorbs sun light therefore yellow in color are dubious claim.  Cows because they do not metabolize all Carotein into vitamin A passes the same carotein into milk therefore it is yellow in color.

Another claim that A1 milk causes virtually all diseases in medical encyclopedia  like Down’s syndrome, spastic child, mental disorders, diabetes, Hypertension etc.  If we go by the per capita consumption of milk in some of the developed countries we would be wondering whether all the people in these countries who consume predominantly A1 milk should be sick and in death bed. This is not the case as these people are leading normal life !  Please find attached table of top ten milk consuming countries in the world.

CONCLUSION:-Let us celebrate the achievements made by dairy industry in India which is not a small order one. No breed local, imported, cross bred can be a permanent “ fool proof” solution. As things are very dynamic in nature, we need to constantly research and bring in good things from various countries. If Kangeyam cattle is bred and made as the draught animal in Brazil we should feel proud and encourage local farmers to appreciate the good things in local and breeds from abroad.  May be one day we will be exporting semen of our native breeds abroad as the same is being done with our Murrah buffaloes !!

Country                                                Annual Milk Consumption / Person / Annum

Luxemburg                                          266.0 Kg

Romania                                              266.2 Kg

Denmark                                              281.0 Kg

Lithuania                                              303.0 Kg

Montenegro                                         306.0 Kg

Greece                                                 315.0 Kg

Switzerland                                         316.0 Kg

Netherland                                           320.0 Kg

Sweden                                                356.0 Kg

Finland                                                 361.0 Kg                                              

GARDEN

Nothing gives so much excitement than creating something new all by oneself out of the blue!

For me the creation of  our kitchen garden is such an experience. We moved to Madagascar in June'15. We had a small patch of land right opposite to our bungalow and also on the side. Having lived most of the time in flats getting a piece of front yard and side patch was a great experience. We wanted to grown all sort of vegetables, fruits, flowers and all that. But the land was not fertile to say the least. It was full of gravel, building dust and sand. The first task was to give some live into the soil.

We hired a gardener by name Tan. Tan was found to be one of the laziest person on the world. He would come in the morning. Look for the first available opportunity to vanish in thin air. Language was another big handicap as he had no knowledge of English and our Malagasy language was as good as his English. Thus we had to communicate with each other using all sort of action and that did not result in any satisfaction.

But despite all these issues Tan arranged to plant two banana plants. To decide the location for that was a nightmare as Tan was worried that when the plant becomes big thieves would come to rob the bananas. With a firm foot we chose the corner most area for the plants. In one corner we planted a curry leaves plant. In the front yard we kept some flowering and ornamental plants. In the center we kept a few marigold plants.

We had a few Guava trees on the sides in an elevated area. They used to shed their leaves in autumn. Those leaves were spread in the patch of land for mulching. From India I had some seeds of Black Night Shade (Manathakaali) plant. These seeds started growing rapidly and we could get some greens for our cooking every week. There is a small patch for Pudhina.

We have planted plenty of Cassava cuttings. Now they have all grown up so tall and sturdy. We get to give away the leaves which the locals eat with great relish. Now we have also learnt to cook and enjoy the same.

Last week our Banana has given out its flower. I was so thrilled and started celebrating the same by putting extra water to the mother plant !

We have very unusual visitors to the garden...so many butterflies, birds and some special lizards too !!

ROOM MATES

There is an old film song in Tamil, which proclaims that getting a good wife is a boon from God ! If that is the case with Wife, in the case of a good room mate, it is a boon from hostel warden !

I was a day scholar for a long time and had to move into a hostel as the course was a residential course. Thus from 1978 to 82 I had to stay in the hostel of National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, Haryana, India. It was an experience in itself as the class was a combination of students from all over India, roughly 23 states and a few from abroad.

We had a lone lady member in the class, who stayed in the ladies hostel far, far away from the boy's hostel. The ladies hostel was well secluded and near the Director's residence. Those days it was a taboo to go to girl's hostel and vice verse. Boys and girls met in the class room and beyond that may be in the canteen that was it. There was a time we were supposed to have mixed doubles shuttle badminton match. The same was not approved by our hostel warden. On account of this he got the nick name "Ayatollah Khomeini" in the annual day celebrations.

For Annual Day functions, cultural events etc. rehearsals used to take place in boy's hostel and girls who used to come for such events used to sit in the common room and return !

Well, in 1978 when I entered the hostel, I was allocated a room with a person from Kerala, another one from Andhra Pradesh and the third slot was vacant. One evening a small puny looking boy with eyes shining like that of a cat entered the room. He was asking whether there was a vacant slot for him in our room. We all replied in the affirmative. Then he returned with the hostel warden, who advised us to take him as our fourth partner.

That evening we had a small discussion with the last entrant. He was found to be missing his home and was not very communicative. After a bid of prodding he opened up. He asked us whether we respected our mothers. We said yes. Then he told us that his mother had advised him to stay with people who have Hindi as their mother tongue. As we were all from South he was a bit apprehensive. We told him if he wanted, he could continue other wise he was free to go to any other room.

Our friend tried to open his " attache" as he called his suit case and he was shocked to find that it was not opening. With a bit of force, when it did open it was found that the same was belonging to someone else. His luggage had got exchanged in the bus and our friend had picked up someone's suit case. After searching we could find a Diary of the owner and using that we could get his office phone No. Those days there were no cell phones.

Next day using the college phone, we helped him to get in touch with the original owner of the suitcase and he promised to come to our hostel and hand over our friend's suitcase and collect his "attache". Dutifully he came on the same day evening. This instilled a sense of confidence in our room mate. He started getting comfortable with us. Thus our room truly become a center for AP, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

We were all driven towards studies and did quite well in our college work. One problem with our Himachali Room mate was he was becoming an addict for Television Programs. On returning from class he used to hit straight to common room and from 6 PM to 11 PM it was only TV for him. Those days there was a single Doordharshan Channel which used to telecast Delhi programs from Dehradun Kendra. Till the lady announcer in the TV said "Good Night" our friend would never budge from the common room.

On reaching the room he would ask me my notes as there used to be some test or the other everyday. He would pick it up from my pillow and go for night out. He was an owl and a night out was very common for him. By that time my room mate got a nick name as "Shimli"  as he was from Shimla !!

Everyday morning he used to make a to do list. That used to contain right from "brushing his teeth" to " watching TV" ! He used to get up late and still recite Gayathri Mantra before moving out of the bed every day. He was a strict vegetarian like me in college days.

Thus Himachali and Tamil combination was firmed up for four long years despite the fact that I got a single room based on merit in third year as well as final year as my room mate was apprehensive that he might fail with out my notes in exams !

When we used to go for evening walks in Karnal Thandi Sadak my room mate used to say that one must become a lawyer. The reason offered by him was all big bungalows on that road were that of lawyers. True to his advice, I guided my daughter to become a lawyer. She chose a lawyer as her life partner. My room mate was so thrilled to hear that !!

In the final year final semester he moved to his state for training and I went to Sharanpur for training. After our training the job hunt started. I was offered a job in Sharanpur as Quality Officer and I was willing to accept the same. But my room mate was without a job. We both applied for a job in response to an advertisement in "The Tribune". As I was likely to move to my home on vacation I had given my Tirunelveli address. Because of that I was not sent any interview letter. My room mate got an interview call and he was offered first class train fare from Karnal to Kapurthala in Punjab. I was requested to join him as he was willing to foot the travel bill.

We went and attended the interview. I was also advised to take the interview by the HR person. I had a great interview and offered a job in R&D/ Lab.  My friend was in waiting list. As luck would have it in the last semester in one paper my room mate failed. I declined my job offer from Kapurthala so that my friend could get the offer and therefore he was forced to settle in Kapurthala for a year.

After 1982 we met again in 2014. In between we got married raised children, moved places, grayed, lost hair etc. But the bonding between us still remains  strong and good.

After all one rarely finds a room mate who can be your friend, soul mate, companion and team member !!!

DHARMASHETRE.... KURUKSHETRA ( HOLY PLACE)

From 14^th January’17 we have entered into UTTARAYANA. This is considered to be a very auspicious period. Uttarayan is the period when Sun’s run in relation to Earth will shift from the Southern Run to Northern Run. Actually everyone knows that Sun is static, but it is only Earth which is rotating around the Sun apart from its own rotation in its own axis. This is basically due to Earth’s tilt this phenomenon takes place.

Uttarayan is considered to be the period when human consciousness blossom and maximum grace becomes available to hum beings. This is period when Gauthama became Buddha after attaining enlightenment on Uttarayan full moon day!

It is presumed that Dhakshinayan is for Purification and Uttarayan is for enlightenment of human beings.

In order to usher in Uttarayan the period when Sun enters the Sun Sign Capricorn, Mahara,  people celebrate Pongal, Mahara Shankaranthi, Maghi in Punjab, Kichri in Uttrapradesh, Bhigu in Bengal, Kite festival in Gujarat. 

This is precisely on Uttarayan it is stated that Bishma great old warrior saint of the greatest Indian Epic Mahabharat wanted to depart from mother Earth and enter into the heavenly kingdom. For this reason he was resting on the bed of arrows shedding his blood in the Karma Bhoomi Kururksehtra.

Kururkshetra is an important pilgrimage and tourist center in the state of Haryana located on Grand Trunk Road. Nearest biggest town is Karnal, which is named after another great Mahabharat   Hero Karan !

Kurukshetra is supposed to have derived its name from Kuru which is a lineage of both Pandavas and Kauravas and from the King Kuru, belonging to Bharata Dynasty ! It is called as Karma Bhoomi as it was the place for eighteen days war which gave to earth Bhavad Gita and Vishnu Shasranama. Bhavad Gita was recited to Arjuna to motivate him to take arms and fight after Vishwaroopa Dharshan on the day one of the war. Shasranama was recited by Bhishma for the benefit of Pandavas on tenth day, when Bhishma was in the bed of arrows and he was visited by Pandavas.  

On day ten of the war Bhishma was hit by Arjuna keeping Shikandi in the front. As arrows pierced his body he fell down, but his body was held afloat by the arrows. In order to support his head Arjuna made a make shift arrangement by keeping three arrows. To quench the great warriors thirst the arrow shot by Arjuna created a Khund from which water started gushing to the mouth of Ganga Putur Bhishma.

As Bhishma had “Ichcha Mitryu” ( Self wished death) he choose to shed all his blood on the Karma Bhoomi Kurukshetra and wanted to start his heavenly travel on Uttarayana ! From his bed of arrows he recited Vishnu Sahasranama in praise of Lord Vishnu who is none other than Lord Krishna.

Kurukshetra attracts lot of visitors on account of its mythological significance from people far and wide. It is known as Dharmashetra (Holy Place). There are trains from Delhi to Kurukshetra. There are innumerable busses. The place is easily accessible by road and the drive is pleasant as one gets to visit Karan Taal a lake in honor of Karna on the way. There are numerous restaurants and Dabhas offering good food and other amenities.

There is a Shiva temple in the name of Shtaneswar Temple. There is a village near by known as Amin Village said to be the place of origin of Abhimanyu who fought a brave battle for Pandavas.  There is a Bhrama Saravovar which is the largest man made Pond in the world. There is a Sri Krishna Museum to visit, Sannihit Sarovar to take holy dip on Ammavaysa and other Eclipse days as the dip is considered to be very auspicious.

One would never get disappointed when visiting Kurukshetra as the place is soaked in history, mythology and religious significance.    

KOLAM / ALPANA

KOLAM / ALPANA

The front yard of every house just before the main door is considered to be a very vital place in every household. As head is the vital organ for a human body , so is the role of front yard. Usually no unwanted material is stored there. It is always kept spic and span. Special care is taken to ensure that the area is cleaned twice a day in the early morning before sun rise and in the evening before sun set the place is swept, water is sprinkled and Rangoli / Alpana is placed signifying that all is well in the house hold and guests are welcome.

Though in olden days there used to be a special extension around the front yard called as THINNAI or portico where men folk stayed talking discussing local politics or events. Ladies, youngsters are not allowed to sit there and were generally driven away by adults. With the advent of nuclear household, apartment cultures these practices are given away.

If the usually Rangoli is not there in front of the house it is presumed that someone has passed away. If there is any birth in the family at any point of time even late night water mixed Haldhi ( Turmeric) and lime ( Calcium Carbonate powder) are mixed in water and sprinkled in front of the house signifying an auspicious occasion.

Similarly welcoming a bride, new born are always done though the front yard.  In case of welcoming an important guest / Vedic Scholar eldest members of the family wait for his arrival in front yard and offer welcoming slogans and wash the feet of the elder in the front yard and welcome them with Poorna Khumbam ,  Water in a pot and on top of it coconut is placed along with Mango leaves as a symbol of Su Swagatham ( Hearty Welcome).

Since time immemorial special ornamental patterns of Kolams are learnt by young girls from their elders. These patterns are drawn using rice flour, thus the Kolams serve a purpose of charity by allowing ants, squirrels et. al. to eat the powder. Now a days we are using special stone powder and other organic & inorganic colour powders to make special motifs.

In Kerala still there is a special practice of lighting a lamp and keeping the same in the evening in the front yard. The lady with a lamp is a master piece painting by Raja Ravi Varma which we can find in many old calendars. The lady after keeping the lamp used to say Deepam so that people sitting around can offer a prayer in their mind! The lamp is to guide passersby in the evening.

In Andhra Pradesh there is a special function known as Bonalu associated with Kolam. It is now taken to new level with the formation of Telengana state.

In Tamil Nadu during the month of Margazhi ( 15’Dec to 14^th Jan) girls used to pray and keep pumpkin flowers in cow dung as decoration. Later these cow dung and flowers together are dried. Pongal is cooked using this as fire wood.

Some master pieces of Kolam are given below.  

 

 

TOTAL EMPLOYEE INVOLVEMENT .....2

It is always nice to receive gifts ! Who does not like to be gifted. However when the gift comes from people who hold you in high esteem it makes all the more nice and gratifying !

A few days back as usual, I was about to call it a day. Wound up my work. Locked my cabin and was moving down to the exit. A few boys and girls were standing in the passage and from their movement I could make out that they were waiting for me. I approached them and as a routine told them in local Malagasy language " Veluma" meaning see you tomorrow. They requested me to wait. As someone who did not want to offend them I stayed put. After a few minutes there was a whole lot of members say around 200 of them.

I could make out that the plant which is expected to run 24x7 was running without any itch and key areas were manned. Thus I was reassured that there was no work stoppage etc. Then the HR Manager came followed by a team called as Delegates in local language.

They are basically opinion leaders of the unit and in other words chosen representatives / leaders.

There was a big circle by then and I was in the middle. The senior delegate who is lady No. 1 gave a long speech wishing me and my family well for the new year. Another girl spoke and sought our blessings for their happy new year.

Then a boy took the stage and stated that they liked me because I am the only Indian who greets them every single day without waiting in Malagasy language " Salama" ( Good Morning !!).

Then it was my turn. I had to apologize to them for speaking in English, which was duly translated by the Supervisor. I wished them well for the new year. I told them that me and my wife like them and their smiling faces which we see every evening when we go around the factory after work for regular walking. I also told them probably for the first time in my career spanning 34 years I get a gift from workmen on New Year. Generally it used to be gift which was handed over during resignation, transfer or such parting function.

Then the President of the delegate told that they have not brought any chicken as gift as I am strict vegetarian and apologized that they could not offer anything for me to eat. I thanked them for sparing the chicken !!!

 

INTERSTELLAR PARTY CADBURY DAIRY MILK CHOCOLATE ADVERTISEMENT

https://youhttps://youtu.be/faXIrIAz04Ytu.be/k8-JWBMcEzU

Advertisements are always interesting! A few advertisements and characters associated with them always remain very vivid in every viewers mind!

How can one forget Gabbar Singh who was standing tall with Britannia Glocuse D biscuit !

Can anyone forget the Amul Girl…Utterly Butterly delicious one with Polka Dotted Skirt !

Can anyone forget the jingle of Nirma, Vicco Vajrathanthi !

The smart old lady who used to endorse Ajantha Clocks !

Only Vimal Tag line which was endorsed by Vivan Richards, Ravi Shasthri, Alan Border etc. !

“Gattu” the painter Boy of Asian paints !

When you think of colours think of us ….Jehnson & Nicholson paints!

Neighbors envy owner’s pride…Onida !

A women expresses herself in many ways …Khatau Sarees !

The list is endless.

Cadbury India was all along known for its great campaign for Dairy Milk Chocolate!

From the very old days tag line “ Gift For Someone you love” to “ Kuch Mita Ho Jayee” every single advertisement of Cadbury India Dairy Milk Campaign evoked great response. 

When young girls were chosen as the prime target there were advertisements with a young cricket fan …girl virtually gyrating and dancing her way to the cricket stadium. There was an advertisement featuring a girl with handful of Mehandi trying to eat a bar of Cadbury Dairy Milk.

Many of Cadbury’s Dairy Milk advertisements featured permanently in best category. But the recent one which is being telecast as “ Interstellar Party” leaves a lot to be desired. Visuals of aliens, is totally a different concept for a brand focusing relationship and nurturing social encounters. The dance of aliens looks as if a tooth paste advertisement is aired and they are eroding and corroding teeth !

There is a milk can on the pack and visual. Cadbury’s famous visual impact is that of a Glass & Half of Milk !!

This I would rate as a way the brand is moving away from the loyal customers!!   

PONGAL / SHANKARANTHI /

Happy Pongal to all friends !

Pongal is the Harvest festival of India. It coincides with Mahara Shankaranti, Uttarayana Punya Kalm etc. This festival is basically celebrated as a Thanks Giving festival for Sun God as he is the sole provider of energy and prime importance for bountiful crops.

Pongal is celebrated for three days. First day is called Bhogi in Tamil, Telugu and Kanada. In North India it is celebrated as Lohri. Lohri is celebrated in the evening on a full moon day, with camp fire lit in front of house and people indulge in eating ground nuts, peanut candy, sesame candy etc. Jokes are told and pun songs are sung and people make merry !

In South India Bhogi is celebrated in the morning all unwanted items are thrown out giving room for new things to usher in. New crops, new vision, new hope and aspiration! Camp fire lit in the front yard and people play special drums. Fortune tellers come around houses with decorated cows or bulls asking for alms.

Modern day manifestation is on account of so much air pollution even aircrafts find it difficult to land in air ports due to poor visibility. Therefore people are advised not to lit fire and create nuisance.

For Tamils Pongal is ushering in new month known as Thai. The month preceding Thai is known as Margazhi and considered to be in auspicious for beginning any new activity like looking for marriage alliance etc. During the month of Margazhi girls decorate their front yards with special Rangoli and chant special prayers seeking for good alliance.

On Pongal day in new earthen pot decorated with fresh bunch of Turmeric plant and Ginger plant people boil milk and then cook Chakkra Pongal ( Sweetened Rice) and offer the same to Sun God. Sugar Cane etc. are kept by the side as a decoration and symbolizing sweet life ahead.

It is customary for people to buy new dresses, white wash the houses before Pongal. Brothers visit their sisters and share with them fresh harvest and its proceeds like rice, sugar cane, jaggery etc. Sisters on the day after Pongal worship Sun God and pray that their brothers should live happily.  

The day after Pongal is celebrated as Kannum Pongal & Mattu Pongal. Kannum Pongal is to visit friends, relatives, elders and seek their blessings. Mattu Pongal is to offer thanks to cattle and other farm animals who took active part in the working of that year in the farm. Special food cooked to cater to their needs and fed.

Farming must have gone fully mechanized. Farm animals must have been replaced. Many farm lands must have changed hands, shape and become skyscrapers. But the euphoria and enthusiasm behind Pongal remains same all these years !!

AFRICAN CULTURE

Africa is one of the vast continents of the world. With very diverse culture, history, tradition and values it presents a very enigmatic picture to someone who admires it at a distance. People are stuck in awe by its mystique nature. There are nature worshipers, Muslims, Christians and many diverse tribes. Languages change from place to place. Every country has got its dialect and some languages without scripts. Therefore everything about Africa is unique!

Generally the image portrayed outside is not a very rosy one about Africa. People who hail from Africa because of their well built physique present a picture which complements this very image! Over and above this African are by nature very vociferous! Thus, if we find any place very noisy, in any international air port you can presume that there are either Indians or Africans around that place!!

There are some customs and tradition which are very unique to Africans which we need to appreciate and if possible should copy and follow!

It is mandatory to attend any funeral function in a family. No one is excused. There is mandatory attendance and the system of tracking people in such function is very fool-proof. There is someone to collect all the contribution made by visitors for the funeral. Big or small every contribution is acknowledged.Africans believe in Voodoo or black magic, therefore if anybody misses these sort of funeral function it is generally presumed that the missing person was responsible for the death by doing some black magic.

After the formal completion of mourning period the family on returning to normalcy must offer a feast to the whole village / clan by sacrificing a goat or a bull. If the same is not done the family is traditionally boycotted by the local folks.  

If you are driving anywhere in Africa and if you happen to come across a funeral processing crossing the road, it is better to park your car at a distance and wait. Driving rashly or honking when you near a funeral procession are considered to be very bad behavior.

If anyone visits you in office, it is better to offer them a seat. It is considered to be bad manners to make people to stand and talk to you. They too feel uncomfortable as they are talking from a level higher than you as you are sitting and they are standing. 

There are many many ways of shaking hands in Africa. Shaking hands and bodily contact like hugging are very common. Handshakes are always done to show solidarity. There are different shakes for a happy occasion and different ones for funeral etc. Funeral handshakes are done with a murmur "sorry" in local dialect. Handshake among friends and colleagues is more informal. If a lady shakes hand she does so by slightly bending her knees as a mark of respect to the male counterpart.

If two people are talking and if you are constrained to cross their path you are expected to clasp your hands and say sorry while crossing their path. By clasping your hands you are showing that you have no weapons and you do not mean any harm to them.

By nature, Africans do not hide and eat their food. Food for them is to be shared. That is irrespective of the quantity, quality and crowd.  As a matter of policy they do even invite unknown strangers to part their food. Same is the case with drinks. Traditional African Beer is shared from same carton and the Tetra Pack of Beer gets circulated according to seniority.

If anything is offered and handed over the same is acknowledged with great reverence and respect.