Kuppamma cribs

The family meets these days around the dining table. Surprised? I am sure you are. No we are not the ‘old fashioned’ family where dinner is served at 8.30 PM and every member assembles five minutes before time to receive the patriarch and be served by the ‘bahus’.  We are a ‘modern’ nuclear family with progressive ideas who dine buffet style with plate in hand and sitting wherever we can. The dining table is for work and recreation. I have arranged for a moveable multi rack for plugging in the five laptops (one couple, one resident girl and one girl and/or SIL whenever visiting). The house is on wifi. So it was that last Sunday, back from Golf at about 11.30 AM, I was at the dining table checking mail from. Kuppamma (the maid who belongs to Tamil Nadu but resides in Karnataka to make a living) was in conversation with the wife in the kitchen adjoining the dining area and within earshot of even whispers from there.

Kuppamma’s husband, Jaipal, is a tailor and a good one too. He specializes in ladies dresses and has even stitched the uniforms of lady employees of my company. He earns somewhere between ` 400 to 500 a day from his tailoring activities. He spends most of his earnings entertaining friends and generally having a good time. All that he gives to the household is the monthly rent of their house which is ` 1500 per month. Needless to say he has many friends and hence spends very little time with his family. Now Kuppamma is in possession of a BPL ration card. Jaipal is too proud to visit the ration shop with a BPL card. The ration shop tender shoos away Kuppamma whenever she goes to the shop to collect her rations. Kuppamma was asking my wife to tell me to intervene through the local Corporator and ensure she gets her entitlement of ration through PDS.

Grandma was having her pre noon nap.

The Wife (W):  I will tell him to speak to the corporator…but I can not assure you he will do so and instead he may speak to the PDC shopkeeper directly.

Kuppamma (K):  No amma. Then the fellow at the shop will harass me to no end and even complain to my husband who will beat me.

W:  Do not worry Kuppamma; in about a week’s time the Government will pass the food security bill championed by Sonia Gandhi and drafted by NAC.

K :   What is that again? ..…I do not understand a word you speak.

W:    You know our Government in the centre in Delhi…no?

K:    Yes amma where Raja and Kanimozhi became champions of the DMK and the people of TN by staying in jail unnecessarily put there by Chidambaram.

W:  (conceding) yes! Yes! The same government; they will bring in a law by which every person BPL will get 7Kg of rice at Rs 3 per kg per month. It is a big national news especially in UP.

K:   But amma, our Amma (Jayalalitha) is already giving 30 Kgs of rice at Re 1 per kg in Tamil Nadu. She also gave TVs, washing machines, cycles and mixie grinders free without passing any law. What is the big deal now? In Andhra and Kerala also the BPL families get rice at Re 1 a kg. With this bill the BPL families will be paying more for rice in these states.

I knew the Wife was in a fix and so I wandered into the kitchen and intervened. The Bill actually doesn’t deserve any discussion at any level. The Wife was just trying to humour poor Kuppamma and obviously was surprised by her simple logic!!!!

I:    The bill is still being debated. They will wait for Raja to come out of jail and consult him about how it is done in Tamil Nadu before passing it. Meanwhile I will talk to the corporator and see to it you get your rations.

K:   Thank you Anna.

A relieved Kuppamma then proceeded to do her chores.

Grandma’s tale

Jan Lokpal bill will create an independent ombudsman body called the Lokpal (protector of the people). It would be empowered to register and investigate complaints of corruption against politicians and bureaucrats without prior government approval. I got to discuss this Lokpal with my grandma (GM).

GM.      Son, what is this Lokpal?

I.          Grandma, Lokpal will be somebody selected to oversee the clean functioning of the Government, primarily to prevent pocketing of public money by corrupt officials.

GM.      Oh! You mean we will have somebody sitting on top of the elected representatives and the babus?

I.         Errr….grandma, in a sense yes.

GM.    How will the Lokpal do that?

I.        The Lokpal will be assisted by a Lokayukt in each state.

GM.     So there will be a sort of parallel authority.

I.      No Grandma, the Lok~ will not govern they will only wield the stick.

GM.   But son, I have used the stick on you many times, yet you have not grown into a gentleman. Even an ass does not care for the stick and goes after the carrot.

I.     These people who govern are supposed to be educated Grandma – learned chaps you know.

GM.   OK. Ok. But how will Lokpal function to locate the misdoings?

I.       Simple, Grandma. When something wrong is done somebody complains to Lokpal and she will get after the wrong doer.

GM.    Arrey! Now the job of the opposition will become simple.

I.       How?

GM.   Look here son, these days the opposition opposes all actions of the Government. Now they will just have to complain to the Lokpal to paralyse

Governance! Simple.

I.      Look here Gradma, it is not that simple….some investigations will be done by Lokpal.

GM.   Son, does that mean Lokpal will have an investigation agency of its own?

I.      Yes, Grandma.

GM.    You mean Lokpal will have a set up just like the government.

I.       Uh!!!  More or less…..

GM.  What a waste!

I.     No grandma. Look at the positives such as there will be no corruption. Whistle blowers will be protected at state’s expense. They will also be categorized from A-Z depending on threat perceptions et al, with so many witnesses coming up to make a living.

GM.   Then all politicians will join Lokpal and Lokayukt . Who will then fight the elections and form the government? What incentive will be there in the profession of politics?

I.    Oh Grandma….you are impossible and think nothing for the country….corruption is gnawing away at the Nation…and you do not understand. You want politicians to thrive!!!

GM.   Look here son, I have lived longer than you have; in my time came the CBI, CVC, CAG and I do not know what all with similar expectations and it seems none of these have delivered. How are you so sure that Lokpal will deliver and not paralyse governance all together? I know that there is no real governance even now as Lokpal has managed to paralyse the Government even at the stage of conceptualisation!!!! You see what I mean. The rupee is sliding, industrial output is at the lowest in the past five years, there is a squeeze in the availability of capital, inflation is at unacceptable levels, China is upping the ante in the neighborhood, Pakistan is cocking a snoop at US et al. But yes all this is due to corruption in the Government is it?

I.      Grandma you are so negative and think nothing of all the money these rulers are eating….

GM.    Son I have a better idea than Lokpal to achieve what you youngsters are hoping for - arrest corruption……

I.   Oh! Come off it grandma, now get back to your rocking chair and watch saas…….

GM.   (with a smile) That is exactly the problem…you chaps don’t want to listen and think your way is the only way…

I.   (irritatingly) OK. OK. Tell me about it…

GM.   Look here, this Lokpal and all that will be an autonomous extra constitutional body. It will be sort of an autocratic institution. Right?

I.     (hesitatingly) If you put it that way, yes sort of I suppose grandma.

GM.   Why have such complicated arrangements, which we are not even sure  will work, for an autocracy?

I.    I do not understand.

GM.  If autocracy is the answer, just for arguments’ sake, make Sonia Gandhi the queen of India and give her all the powers of the government and the Lokpal.

I.    Grandma!!!!! Have you gone mad?

GM.   Son, don’t get excited. In such an arrangement only one person (the Queen) will make money. She will ensure that nobody else makes money as besides being the autocratic ruler she will also have all the powers of the proposed Lokpal as well. If things do not work out with Lokpal in place who will we blame…in such a case we may have to introduce another bill for Janmahalokpal and so on……when the responsibility to govern and wield the stick is with the same individual (the Rani) she will ensure everybody else in the governance is not corrupt…and how much can one person make.

I.   Grandma….and all these days I thought you were dumb!!!!

The Siberian symphony on Gita.

The ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) temple is an important halt during ‘Bangalore darshan’ conducted clockwise or anticlockwise. Popularly known as the Hare Krishna movement, ISKCON belongs to the Gaudiya-Vaishnava sampradaya, a monotheistic tradition within Vedic, or Hindu, culture. ISKCON traces its spiritual lineage directly to the speaker of the sacred book, Lord Krishna, who is revered as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The text teaches that the goal of life is to develop love of God, or Krishna.   

Recently in a Siberian court, state prosecutors have petitioned that the Gita, distributed locally by ISKCON members, is "extremist" literature. The court in Siberia's Tomsk city is scheduled to deliver its verdict later this month.

This is a very interesting development that has ruffled the feathers of some Hindus in Russia, India and probably elsewhere in the world too.  Why, some Indian Members of Parliament have demanded diplomatic intervention to influence the Siberian courts. 

There is no God in the sense many of us perceive GOD. God is never born in the ordinary sense. Processes of birth, death and incarnation which imply limitation do not apply to Him. When the Lord is said to manifest Himself at a particular time, on a particular occasion, it only means that it takes place with reference to a finite being. It is all in the mind.  When any finite individual dwells on spirituality exhibiting charity and absolute selflessness, he sits in judgment on the world influencing human minds. In such a situation we say that God is born for the protection of good and destruction of the evil and the establishment of the kingdom of righteousness.

I feel India should just ignore these developments in Russia. So far as the teachings of the Bhagvadgita is concerned it is immaterial whether Krishna the teacher, is a historical individual or not. Gita does not actually require a Krishna movement to propagate its teachings. Nor does a Krishna movement require the BOOK ‘The Bhagwat Gita’ to sustain it. The teachings evinced in the Gita are universal so much so they can be detached from specific individuals. Just consider the protagonist (with a name Krishna) and the pupil (Arjuna) as any two individuals. They are just two characters – the teacher and the pupil.

Here is the first four stanzas of Chapter IV from the Gita where the teacher reveals the eternal truth of humanity…the soul is immortal and survives the mortal biological self…..

IV 1

Imam vivassvate yogam

  Proktavan aham avyayam

Vivasvan manave praha

 Manur iksvakve bravit

I proclaimed this imperishable yoga to Vivasvan; Vivasan told it to Manu ans Manu spoke it to Iksvaku

IV 2

evam paramparapraptam

   imam rajarsayo viduh

sa kalene ha mahata

  yogo nastah paramtapa

Thus handed down from one to another the royal sages knew it till that yoga was lost to the world through long lapse of time, O Oppresser of the foe (Arjuna).

IV 3

sa eva yam maya ate dya

   yogah proktah puratanah

bhakto si me sakha ce ti

  rahasyam hy etad uttamam

This same ancient yoga has been today declared to thee by Me; for thou art My devotee and My friend; and this is the supreme secret.

IV 4

Arjua uvcja

Aparnm bhavato janma

   Param janma vivasvata

Katham etad vijaniyam

  Tvam adau proktavan iti

Later was Thy birth and earlier was the birth of Vivasvat. How then am I to understand that thou didst declare it to him in the beginning?

IV 5

Sribhgvan uvaca

bahuni me vyatitani

   janmani tava ca rjuna

tany aham veda sarvani

  na tvam vettha paramtava

Many are My lives that are past, and thine also, O Arjuna; all of them I know but thou knowest not, O scourge of the foe (Arjuna).

Courts can’t shackle the spirit of humanity…..which is beyond all religions and man made laws…..

That fact of the matter is that the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) has in recent years been noted for bulking up its  membership in Eastern Europe. The organization has more than 400 centres across the world. Why not let Russia decide if they want them or not?

Staying Young

I was in God’s own country last week. Where there is God there are angels. At forenoon one day we, some of the family, were sitting out under the house mango tree and chitchatting. Every house stead in Kerala will generally have at least one mango tree. Where there are more trees the biggest one in the front yard will be nominated as the ‘head’ mango tree under which family meetings are held occasionally.  A little distance away from my house is a women’s college, where PT Usha and Shiny Abraham were once students. As we lazed enjoying the breeze coming in through the ‘Palghat gap’ in the Western Ghats, suddenly we heard a commotion from the small park outside the compound wall. The unmistakable giggles indicated some excited girls were onto something interesting and I decided to investigate. There were a bunch of girls and a couple of instructors with video and audio equipment and some assorted sophisticated digital cameras, available with the grocers these days, in the park.

The girls were students of ‘Mass communication’ in the college. They were on the prowl to catch unsuspecting passersby and record some interesting sequences for a lesson in documentary compilation and editing. Could I be a target for an interview on ‘today’s youth’, one young thing asked me with a disarming smile. I agreed and then realised I will have to do the frames in a mundu I was wearing and without makeup. What the heck it will still be fun, so thinking I sat down on a stone bench with the blue dress sitting across from me as the interviewer. The red dress was behind the camera and the green dress handled the audio. The clap was sounded by the one in pink and the interview rolled and was done to the satisfaction of the ‘students’. Every one was excited and it was time to break up. All the young smiles profusely thanked me and departed with a cute ‘Thank you ‘uncle’’ each. Throughout the proceedings of the previous 20 odd minutes I never once felt like an uncle. Why the uncle in the end? It would have been nice if they were to say ‘Thank You Kelly’ or ‘Thank you Vish’…Why this thank you uncle? That rankled and set me thinking.

Every human has two parts to him / her - the mind and the body. The body which is just a biological mass that degenerates with time and is often propped up with cosmetics and/or cosmetic surgery. The mind is different. If proper control over the mind is exercised it can never degenerate. It is the fear of aging which speeds the very decline some dread most. And it ultimately robs our life of any meaning. An alert mind is the key to stay young.

Getting back to my story - after prolonged agonizing, I knew why the uncle. The interview was on ‘youth of today’. In the course of my ‘interview’ I was unwittingly critical of the youth of today and I may have wandered on to something like ‘in my times….’ more times than required…That, in hind sight was utterly stupid. I should have done better and empathized with the ‘youth of today’. With a sharp mind such mistakes can be avoided and you can stay young for ever.

The day after

There is an ancient saying in Malayalam regarding an old Brahmin (like what I may be in some decades from now)…it goes this way ….…(eliye kollan illam kathicha namboodiri). It is about this Brahmin (Namboodiri) who burned down (kathicha) his house (illam) to kill (kollan) a troublesome and elusive rat (eli).

In the attempt he lost his house and was in doubt that the rat escaped.

This thing about the Lokpal has spiraled out of control. Vested interests are bend on getting a ‘strong’ Lokpal as a short term goal for electoral gains. Lokpal can not provide a one window solution to eradicate corruption. The knowledgeable will ask ‘who said so?’. Pray then what will Lokpal provide that is not already there? It does not matter that since independence we introduced a progressive constitution, strong democratically elected parliament, an ‘efficient’ bureaucracy, an impartial judiciary, a strong police force (including central, paramilitary and state forces), a strict and ‘neutral’ election commission, A professional and independent investigation agency (CBI), a vigilance commission to prevent corruption (CVC), a central auditing agency (CAG) et al. Of all these as on date only the Election Commission ( though with some controversies erupting now and then) is functioning with a modicum of impartiality due the initiative taken by one ‘maverick’  by the name TN Seshan, a couple of decades back.

Now this Lokpal s aimed to cleanse the system with one stroke and probably virtually paralyse all of the above. (Wonder why they do not want to bring in the Armed Forces under Lokpal as well, anybody?)

The aspect of subverting the constitution or parliamentary procedures should be non negotiable for seemingly short term goals whose effectiveness is suspect.  Any type of Lokpal bill is only a short term goal. In a democracy no institution with absolute powers (or even near-absolute) will work. Soon a Mahalokpal may have to come in.

The fact of the matter is that the country cannot create an institution in good faith, hoping that it will work.  As seen from experience, it will not work. There must be checks and balances to keep it within defined boundaries. This aspect deserves a lot more attention than it is being given. Big and far reaching decisions are being taken after discussions dominated by only rhetoric at street corners. Decisions at National level have to be taken with the head and not with the hearts and for votes playing on the sentiments of unsuspecting electorate. 

As I have always maintained Anna’s intentions are right, his methods and focus actually distracts from the ultimate goal. In the process nobody knows what is coming. Whether a very strong lokpal coming as it seems from a debate outside the parliament, will be a panacea for eradicating corruption or will it turn out to be a Frankenstein is a moot point.

Even then ‘killing the rat’ will be a long haul.

Are we missing a point?

With all the intelligence credited to us Indians, are we missing a point after all?

While the rulers are busy in and outside parliament in efforts to frame laws ostensibly to prevent corruption, the environment is daily throwing up indications that by the time the law gets a decent discussion in Parliament, the economy of the nation will be at a nadir. The ominous sign is in the figure of IIP (Index of Industrial Production) for October 2011 which is in the negative – minus 5%. This is not because of a policy paralysis but due to absence of governance for which the entire elected representatives are responsible. As by then there will no scope for corruption, the rulers will ‘work’ to get the economy back on track.  Implementation of Lokpal will be put on the back burner.

I am a compulsive dreamer If Anna had stayed on course of what he is good at and taken his best attributes across the length and breadth os our country, India would have been different today. Here is what he is good at :-


“The world bank has concluded that the village of Ralegan Siddhi was transformed from a highly degraded village ecosystem in a semi-arid region of extreme poverty to one of the richest in the country. The Ralegan Siddhi example, now 25 years old, by demonstrating that it is possible to rebuild natural capital in partnership with the local economy, is a model for the rest of the country. Since 1975, the village is headed by the noted Indian social activist Anna”


Now, why did that not happen? Surely if one village can transform more villages can follow suit…..Imagine the effect of scores of ‘Ralegan Siddhi’ in all states of the Federation. Our villages would be all like this…


“Ralegan Siddhi  is a village of an area of 982.31 ha (1991). It is considered a model of environmental conservation. The village has carried out programs like tree planting and terracing to reduce soil erosion and digging canals to retain rainwater. For energy, the village uses solar power, biogas (some generated from the community toilets) and a windmill.  The project is heralded as a sustainable model of a village republic.”  With many villages following this model a large part of energy needs would have been automatically addressed. India would have been at the threshold of superpower status if not already one by now.


All this makes me wonder….. the dreamer that I am!

Freedom of speech and Religion

I switch on news channels immediately on return form office to get done with all the ‘sensational’ and ‘breaking news’ once for all and concentrate on less sensational and unbreakable tidings closer home for the rest of the evening. One of ‘breaking news’ of the day is Kapil Sibal’s attempt to throw up another controversial proposal to censor contents before uploading, by the likes of facebook, google et al.  Hear!!! Hear!!!! Kapil S is rooting for the censor as some contents on these social networks are offensive to religious sentiments of a certain section of the society…In India religion is treated like sex with a difference….public discussions and debate of either are taboo but obscene exhibition of religion in public is OK but that of sex is taboo. It is beyond me to comprehend how a clear picture of religions will emerge unless there is a constant public discussion. Unless criticism of religious practices is encouraged India will remain in the dark ages even as a developed Nation.

Here is my take on the much touted religious sentiment.

Hurting religious sentiment is a misnomer.  Psychologically sentiment is an abnormal condition. While there can be a condition of religious sentiment, being abnormal it can not be hurt but only aggravated.  Sentimentality is an emotional state disproportionate to the situation, and thus replaces extreme and generally unthinking feeling for normal ethical and intellectual judgment 

Being critical of religion and religious practices is a must for an evolving society to free itself from archaic practices of the medieval era. Instead of shying away, discussions on religions and methods should be encouraged in a thinking and progressive society.

 A discussion need not be derogatory of individuals or groups. It is after prolonged discussions and consideration of differing opinions the Pope has now allowed the use of condoms – under certain circumstances. The change is a result of objecting to a belief in the first instance.

 In India I am afraid there are no public debates on religion because the politicians are afraid; the government is afraid; the media is afraid; the people are afraid; those that are not afraid are dissuaded by those who are afraid. Of course there are also those with vested interests who want to perpetuate ignorance. They are into exploitation and take shelter behind ‘religious sentiments’. The result is the proliferation of Nityanandas. Opinions on religions and beliefs have to be expressed. We do not have a right to debate the practices of an individual where only (s)he is involved. We definitely have a right to discuss what is practiced in public – because it affects society at large.

 Let us not be afraid of criticisms of religious practices.

Quiz therapy

The latest in medical discovery is that ‘a quiz a day keeps dementia away’. Soon after publishing of the report, Suresh Kalmadi’s mail box in Tihar was flooded with different kinds of Quiz books. The authorities invited Sidharth Basu to conduct four episodes of kaun bnega scampati over four weekends in Tihar. The programme was telecast on closed circuit TV to all jails in Tihar. The immediate effect was felt when all accused – well almost all- in the 2G scam immediately revealed all about their respective roles in the scam and subsequently got bail. A Raja being a lawyer smelt a rat and did not participate in the programme. It is reported that Suresh Kalmadi will be out from jail before 2012 Republic day, fully cured of dementia.

Quizzing has now become a must daily activity in all forums. In our e group we have Venu (the Quiz master) doling out lessons on Crossword solving, which has been medically classified in the category of Quizzes and a therapeutic procedure. Those who follow the lessons and practice will never be affected by dementia. There is also a proposal to introduce quiz sessions in the Parliament as some of its members often forget what they had said earlier and say things diametrically opposite on matters of National importance. Team Anna is already in the game as Anna utters a quote a day which requires great thinking abilities to decipher the real meaning. So we get various answers from different members of Team Anna. In the quiz therapy the process of thinking is more important than the answers.Wrong answers does not necessarily mean that the quiz therapy is ineffective.

If somebody asks you ‘what is blue, has a 1000 legs but never walks?’, don’t be surprised. She is only trying to help you with your health.

Trade Winds

Supply Chain

Horse latitudes lie between about 30° to 35° north and 30° to 35° south of the equator. Nobody is actually sure how this area got its name – horses at sea!!! Wow!!! English Dictionary claims the origin of the term "uncertain." The area is also commonly known as subtropical high. Blowing from the subtropical highs or horse latitudes toward the low pressure of the ITCZ are the trade winds, so named from their ability to quickly propel trading ships across the ocean. 

It is safe to assume that the East India Company, now owned by an Indian, may not have reached the shores on the Indian subcontinent but for these winds. One thing is certain that for existence and sustenance as also for luxury and pleasure mankind has resorted to trade from time immemorial. Trading then was only in non perishable goods. Trade is necessitated by the biodiversity and availability of natural resources only in each region. With improved modes of communication over the years, procurement and distribution of perishable farm produce has transcended the single path of farm to local mandi. Hence apples from Kashmir became available in Kanyakumari. The path from procurement of the apples to its reach to the consumer was given the name of supply chain by he mandarins of management. Thus supply chain management became a crucial issue in procurement and distribution of farm produce.

The Nukkad (Aggarwal) shop

When I moved into this locality of Vignananagar (loosely translated as ‘place of knowledge’) seven odd years back, it was a coming-up place with roads to rival the moon’s surface. The whole area and the surroundings as well (Tata’s, Adarsh et all also had build their colonies within 500m of my place) were serviced by two kirana dealers. One was a departmental store ((DS) a smaller version of those that will be serviced with FDI in retail if it comes through) and the other one was our good old Aggarwal stores(AS). Both afforded home delivery. While the AS had the usual cramped layout and the musty smell with all the grains et al in open sacks the DS had self service facilities with the items neatly laid out on shelves along alleys. DS also stored non-kirana items like chocolates, ice creams, bottled drinks and such strategically placed from where the unwary customer will always pick up a couple of those items on his way to the billing counter. There was not much to differentiate the quality of stuff sold at either places and we were as happy with AS as with DS. Until…..until we saw a rat scramble out from the open grain storage facilities at the AS. We have not visited AS since.

In the past seven years many DS and high end retail outlets such as More, Reliance, Nilgiris (arguably the oldest and best retail outlet in South India) have all come up in the area. Say when we include all AS, DS and other high end retail outlets there must be close to thirty of them to service the area done by two outlets seven years back. 

The larger picture

Once in 1986, I was traveling from Manali via Kulu to Udhampur wher my unit was stationed. We had gone to Manali in connection with the ‘Himalayan car rally’ whose route was from Udhampur via Srinagar, Kargil, Leh, Tangla la, Lungalacha, Baralacha and  over Rohtang pass to Manali. Along the way from Kulu I stopped at an apple orchard where the fruits were being packed in cardboard boxes to be ferried to Mumbai and other cities – the start of the supply chain. I bought 50 Kgs of nice and juicy Himachal apples at Rs 3.50/- per kg, direct from the farmer. I suppose the trader would also have paid a similar amount per kg for his trucks loads of the fruit. Even in the late 1980s cost of good quality apples was in the region of Rs 20-25 per kg in the market. The consumer price was 714 % more than what the farmer got – the farmer’s share was just 14% of the final price. The farmer had little option. His produce was being picked up from the orchard where he had to spend little for only the plucking. Sorting and packing, in his boxes, was done by the trader in the presence of the farmer. The supply chain was prevalent even then though we did not probably know it as the supply chain. So I presume that when we buy apples today we pay about 700% more than what the farmer gets. So who gets this 700% - every body along the supply cahin – an exmple is as follows

Sector	Income - Rupees per kg (Selling price Rs 25 per Kg)	% share of income
Farm labour	1.40	4
Farmer	2.10	10
Retailer	10.50	42
Middle man	1.75	7
Handling	1.75	7
Transportation	3.00	12
Transport and customs	1.50	6
Incidental labour and packaging	3.00	12

In the traditional supply chain the 42% made by the retailer is shared by the last mile link in the supply chain such as the local transporter, the rediwallah et al. In the event of allowing FDI into retail in India it is feared that the rediwallah will lose his job. Let me assure you as on date the AS in my locality and the innumerable handcarts occupying the sidewalk continue co-exist with the many DS establishments in the area. We can’t draw parallels in this world to anything Indian – we are like that only. The rediwallahs now stock local bananas, sappotas, papayas and perus!!! You see these days very few people eat apples regularly. That explains the mushrooming of ‘super-specialty’ hospitals in all localities. The aim of infusing capital and expertise in retail business is to ensure that the farmer gets substantially more than the 10% percent he gets now and the consumer pays much less than the 700% he pays now more than what the farmer gets. I feel that once we get the new systems in the mechanics of the supply chain will get established and steadied as it always usually happens in India.

The brouhaha 

Any new system will experience birth pangs. Even with all the pain in attendance about 255 babies are born in this world every minute! As in the case with everything ‘official’ in our great country matters come to the fore only when they become politically expedient. By that time the essence of the mater is obscured by the methods adopted or not adopted. The common flounders with a lack of knowledge. When a bandh is called traders shut shop the mention of a bandh call for fear of looting and arson on violation of the call. Political leaders go on dharna. Media supports all these actions because they say an election is around the corner and winning the elections is more important than Governing the Nation. 

Why can’t our system be proactive rather than reactive?

With all this I get fed up and in the absence any live sporting action on TV tune into a music channel to hear the olden Goldies while reaching for a mangosteen bought in the evening at the DS.

To fast or to feast

 “To fast or to feast” asked the modern day Hamlet, the Prince of Nomark. He waited for a while and staring at the hollow, sunken eyes of the old man lying on the pavement he repeated his question. The old man opened his eyes a wee bit and through parched lips said ‘son, fast if you are feasting and feast if you are fasting which alone will be good for your kingdom’. As Hamlet turned to walk away, the old man continued ‘and son if and when you fast please send me you feast’.

There is very little difference between fasting and feasting. So it is that in the east it is a feast to fast, as that is what is done to attain Nirvana.  Though there is no repast in a fast it is as enjoyable for those who revel in a fast. And those who fast do it of their free will. Others ho hungry because they do  not get anything to eat. Recently Bipasha Basu was on a partial fast so that she could don a bikini and lay out a feast for the eyes in an upcoming movie while her once acquaintance Christiano Ronaldo laid out a feast on the soccer field last Tuesday and took Real Madrid into the knockout stage of the Champions’ league. You do not have to fast to attend a talk fest for a feast to the ears will be laid out there – and high tea in the foyer? Fast, feast or fest are all the same when chosen by free will. 

The hungry in India are in the villages. States like Kerala, TN, Punjab, Delhi, Goa are almost completely sort of urbanized. It is beyond me to imagine that an Indian state (Manipur) has been under siege for more than forty days in this the twenty first century. Can somebody tell me if Manipur is an Indian state. If so, please also tell me if the year is 2011 or 1911 or the days of Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark.

Roads, airlines and kingfisher

I have been traveling to and fro, from  Bangalore to Chennai and Coimbatore the past two weeks. The journeys were by car mostly along well laid out toll roads with the attendant petrol stations, refreshment joints et al.  During one of these road journeys (I am still on the road) I was transported back in time to early 1960s to my days at the boarding school in Kannur.

The school was about 30 miles from my house. The mode of transport was by a modified Willys Jeep / Hindustan car / Bus. Mid-term travels to and from home were almost always by bus. There was no direct bus between Kannur and Kallachi (my town) necessitating a transfer at Tellichery at the mid point of travel. The interesting part of the travel was between Telllichery and Kallachi where we had to  cross a perennial river – in those days the rivers in Kerala were overflowing all through the year! What lend an adventure tone to the bus journey was there was no bridge over this river then. The bus along with its disembarked passengers was ferried across the river on a raft!!! The passengers debussed on the near bank and while they had a typical and tasty cuppa  while the bus was ‘loaded’ on to the raft. Depending on the current in the river, the raft took about 15-20 minutes to reach the far bank. The connoisseurs had the option to partake another cup of tea before the bus was readied for the second half of its journey. As an alternative route one could take the coastal road traveling for an additional couple of hours, an extra 15 miles alongside the sea and an additional 10 miles inland. Both journeys afforded an experience of a verdant country side and my favourite ‘ocean’, The Arabian Sea.

‘Seventy three rupees’; it was the driver announcing the charges to be paid at yet another toll gate we had cross.. The drive of about 350 kms took us about six hours. A major change from my school days. The bridge over that river came up when I was in the IMA. That was about the time,  possibly, when Vijay Mallya was burning his father’s hard money racing in racy cars on a disused airfield on the outskirts of Calcutta (now Kolkotta) (refer a forward from Bhadana on this matter). Because of some people like us Mallya’s inherited liquor business is flourishing. Frankly, with my knowledge of business et al as on day, I feel any of us would have done a lot better inheriting that business  - that is in itself is saying a lot.

With toll roads like the ones I travel on. a lot of air travel between B towns can be reduced and finally eliminated. Probably India can do without ‘Kingfisher’ – the airlines !!!

Horse sense

The only horse I was close to before joining NDA was chirutha which drew Chinnan’s carriage. When we visited our grandfather during summer holidays in the late 1950s, we were always received at the railway station in the wee hours of the morning by Chinnan with his carriage and Appukuttan with his cart drawn by a single bullock. While the former was for us to travel, the latter was for carrying our luggage. Chirutha was a perky skinny creature well looked after by Chinnan who would order us to alight and cross the river at the ford on foot to relieve the stress on the filly.

It was in NDA I saw a real good horse as seen in the movies. There we were seated in a semi circle in front of a huge horse tended by a burly ustad who was explaining the anatomy of a horse. Starting at the tip of the nose he traced the pointer along the complete length of the horse until the tip of the tail and beamed “cadets, isko pure ko kahatehain goda”. He then went on explain all body parts et al. I was impressed as this creature which was many times more magnificent than Chirutha – “Iska nam hain Ravan aur isse aap aur milenge” he concluded. How ominous was that ‘warning’, we realised only once we were well into our equitation training. Ravan was reserved for late arrivals and the errant pupils. This I suspect Ravan knew through his horse sense.

He would never hold on to a rider. After a couple of attempts this cadet (let us call him SS; he left the NDA in a later term) who was perpetually late with a punctured bike, could be seen holding the reins and going in circles along with Ravan. This became a constant sight in our first term equitation classes. SS parted ways with the course after the first term. Then he was probably never late for the classes. Ravan passed away in action during the following year…did he miss SS? One will never know. I too fail to recall vividly the last days of Ravan.

Though I did not excel in equestrian sports, I learnt a lot about horse sense in NDA.

What is in a name? II

“What is in a name?” the original bard asked. A rose is a rose call it by any name he opined. Who was I to oppose him? I just believed him as I believed that Caesar’s wife was the most beautiful woman to be born after eve and ghosts were for real.  The trouble with a name like Kalpathy Lakshmanan Viswanathan actually started with my ambition to join NDA. Let me explain. Some of us South Indians have half our address in our name. Kalpathy was the name of my village followed by my father’s name and finally my name. The UPSC form asked to fill in my first name, middle name and last name (or surname or whatever). Adding to the predicament was there was not enough space to write in my name in full capital letters while I did my best to fill it all in the space provided. If I went V,L,K as asked. it is more than likely I will be known as ‘Kalpathy’ and thereby lose my identity. If I went V, KL well a better option. But again I would lose my own name V. After all I had to fill in the form so I risked it all and went V, L, K. Then somewhere along the way I was asked “Name to be printed” or given some such option and I promptly wrote KL Viswanathan. Much better than a Sashimohan TV, I know. I have somehow managed to retain my identity and name since then. That I consider as an achievement below par (as in golf and not in real life). 

The next test was when I joined NDA. Firstly a lot of my course mates were annoyed at my name, what with having to spell it at the drop of a hat. I was down in the dumps to have annoyed those who would be my friends until they and I met CVSS Ratnakumar. My name was a lot easier. But yet I was called by many names, though nobody called me names. It was the effervescent Kuru Hasang (May he rest in peace) a dear friend, who christened me Kelly. He of course could not pronounce any portion of my name legibly. ‘KL’  was tried and discarded for its rigidity. ‘Vish’ sounded too subtle and hopeful (we were not in those days supposed to exhibit ‘hope’ publicly) as first month first termers. It was then probably we watched Clint Eastwood in Kelly’s heroes. Whatever, Kuru Hasang called me ‘Kelly’. The name stuck in the Academies in such a manner that many CMs even now possibly do not know my real name. This was true in service too where ‘Vish’ (we could be more hopeful after commission) overtook ‘Kelly’…but that did not change matters as I suspect a majority of my acquaintances still do not know my real name.

What the heck. The bard was right after all. What is in a name?