Noise Pollution

The levels of noise pollution in our small town of Kottayam have to be heard to be believed! There is a temple near my house which begins blaring out supposedly 'holy' music and songs at the unearthly hour of 5.15 am. And of course, during the festive seasons (which in India seems to be almost all the time), there is hardly any respite. Loud music, bhajans and chants are perennial. The nearby church is slightly better, in the sense that there is no daily noise. Fortunately for us, there is no mosque close by.

If only the pujaris, priests and moulavis would realize that God is not deaf! How wonderful it would be for us citizens. But who is to bell the cat? Who will dare to tell the priestly classes that what they are inflicting upon the hapless public is nothing but torture?

Somebody has actually read my blog!

Yes, my friend Krishna Kumar has actually read my blog and has even requested me to write more often, as he enjoyed reading it. Wonderful! Now I have some incentive to write. The problem is time. But then, I suppose I can always find time if I really want it. Mid-NewYear Resolution? Will write more often. Thanks KK. Hope you and your wife are fine.






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Cheers to Obama

Hurray! It's now been more than a week since Barack Obama was elected next President of the United States. What an achievement, both for him as well as his country! Who would have thought that a black man would ever become the chief of the most powerful country in the world?
I am supremely happy, but also a little afraid for him. I am sure there are many ultra-radical whites out there, gunning for him. And does the Ku Klux Klan still exist? Obama should be very very careful.
Anyway, it's a great feeling, to know that a breath of fresh air is blowing through America. God bless America, and God bless India. And of course, Obama too. All my good wishes and prayers are for him.

The end of the road for the monarchy in Nepal

I am not ashamed to confess that I am an unabashed monarchist at heart. Kings, queens, titles, palaces, genealogies, and spectacular royal events fascinate me. Having said this however, I wonder if I would be really happy to be ruled over by a king or queen in this modern, 21st century.
Recent events in Nepal have saddened me. It’s not as if I have much sympathy for King Gyanendra. He behaved very foolishly, asking for trouble. And he got it. “Like the chewed end of a fag we spat that dynasty out,” said a revolutionary during the tumultuous days of the Russian Revolution. This is precisely what has happened in Nepal too. If only the King was more circumspect! He could have easily kept his throne and continued at least as a constitutional ruler. But that was not to be, and he has paid a heavy price, bringing his 240-year dynasty to an ignominious end.

My own experiences with royalty, though limited, have been very pleasant. I had a particularly emotional attachment to the last Maharaja of Travancore, His Highness Sri Chithira Thirunal Bala Rama Varma.

                                    

Two photographs of :
Major-General His Highness, Sri Padmanabha Dasa, Vanchi Pala,  Sir Bala Rama Varma, Kulasekhara Kiritapathi, Manney Sultan, Maharajaraja Rama Raja Bahadur, Shamsher Jung, GCSI, GCIE, Maharaja of Travancore

                                 

I can never forget this simple, humble man who was exceedingly kind to me, and often called me to Kaudiar Palace. In fact I once even wrote a small article about him in the Indian Express. If you are interested in reading it, please go to: http://www.expressindia.com/ie/daily/19980507/12750444.html
There have been other interesting brushes with royalty too. But of that, perhaps I will write another day…

Adios to Charlton Heston

Adios to my hero Charlton Heston, the star of unforgettable films such as The Ten Commandments, Ben Hur, and El Cid. Apart from being a great actor, he was also a great and decent human being, morally upright in every way. He was my childhood hero and I will surely miss him. Goodbye, my hero. May your soul rest in peace.

Hooray!!

Hooray!! I have won a minor battle with builders who were constructing 120 apartments near my house. I told them that I was worried about their bore-wells depleting all the water in the area and drying up our wells. I also brought together a lot of neighbours and requested them to join me in my fight. They did. And the result? The builders have agreed to cap the borewell as soon as they receive KWA (Kerala Water Authority) supply. Now, that's what I call a good beginning!

Frenetic building activities

The whole of Kerala seems to be in construction mode. There are buildings and buildings coming up all over, especially in towns and cities. Many of them are totally out of sync with the topography, climate and social life of the state. Of these, I think the worst are the so-called apartments which are mushrooming all over. Many of them are multi-storeyed monstrosities, with little or no thought spent on sewage, sanitation, water supply or parking space. Where three or four individual houses were built in the old days, now hundreds of such flats are coming up, putting great pressure on water, drainage and sewage.
A huge apartment is now coming up just next to my house. I think there are about 120 houses. I have already contacted their Commercial Manager and asked him how he plans to provide water. It seems they are going to sink bore wells. If bore wells are dug, it's a certainty that the water level in all our ordinary wells in the neighbourhood will go down, and one fine day there will be no water left. He has no answers to this.
What are we to do ? If things go on like this, God's Own country will soon be the Devil's Own country, with no water for anyone. Something has to be done fast!