Thursday 9 February 2017

Haldi ghati

The Haldi Ghati battle is immortalised in a poem I learnt in school. If I remember right, there were some verses dedicated to his horse Chetak.
This battle, where Rana Pratap fought valiantly, however resulted in his being forced to retreat.

Just like some valiant saviours of Rajputs did not like the imagined imaginary scene between Padmavati and Allahuddin, the minister for higher education govt of Rajasthan doesn't like this fact about the battle.
He has decided that Rana Prathap won the battle of Haldighati decisively and this version will now be in the history books used by the University.
While you are at it sir, can we please please have my great great great grandfather a Rajput warrior (I am a Tambram, but let's not nitpick) who decimated Akbar or Aurangzeb's army (it doesn't matter who) and ruled over the whole of India and never let the British set foot in India.
Incidentally, as a bonus for you, we can then do away with Gandhi and Nehru and other such people you don't like..no British rule, no freedom fighters.

A footnote, should you have one prescribed textbook for college students? If you don't, maybe they will read too much and become JNU types.

our kid politicians

In Tamil Nadu, MLA s are "being kept in luxury with fine food and water sports" at a resort by Sasikala to prevent them from going over to OPS camp.
How old are they? You can buy their allegiance with a water slide and mutton biryani?
It happened in AP some 15 years ago I think .. MLAs  kept holed up in Viceroy hotel to prevent defection.

Even their debates on TV are like pre teens arguing with mom..."you did not say anything to him(brother) when he did the same thing last week....why are you scolding me now? You are always partial, if he does, it's Ok but when I do you shout and scream...." accompanied by copious tears.

We seem to elect pre-teens to our legislature and parliament. 

Friday 3 February 2017

As education and literacy spreads, people should be more aware of the world around and be able to appreciate abstract concepts like larger interests, greater good, delayed but greater benefits, cause and effect . But it seems to be the opposite.
We are all now circling the wagons and loading our guns. World over this seems to be the norm.
Maybe democracy is a failing idea.

Thursday 2 February 2017

What little I understand of economics is through anecdotes. Most middle aged women have dealt with maids whose husbands take away their money to drink or worse to buy goodies for his mistress.
The concept of going cashless and giving everything through banks, makes such women very vulnerable. At present, such women usually hide cash in the rice dabba or leave money with the "memsahibs" to be used later when children's fees are due. They are able to save some money from their husbands. If all money goes into the bank, the husband is sure to get hold of it one way or another and drink it off.
The money transfers to be given through various government schemes in lieu of subsidies or food will eventually be drunk in many cases. 
All over the world, it seems to be the same. The duly elected members of the opposition seem to have outsourced their jobs to the common people. See the debate/lack thereof in the previous parliament session in India  and in the USA, where are the democrats?

Ceiling fan

 I read somewhere that as a solution for student suicides, IISc has decided to remove fans from hostel rooms. No fan, no suicide. This shoul...