Thursday, December 31, 2015

Wednesday, December 30, 2015

'What I dread most in the New Year...' by K.J.S.Chatrath


What I dread most in the New Year is receiving numerous quotations of Paulo Coelho and innumerable insipid, smarty, 'inspirational' quotes from C Grade American nobodies on the Facebook....

Wishing you all a 'quoteless' New Year......

 . . . 


May I invite you to visit my websites & blogs?

'Pappa, Pappu & the rolling stones' - by K.J.S.Chatrath

Pappa: (Reading the newspaper aloud) 'BJP has no hand in collecting stones at Ayodhya' says the Hon'ble Culture Minister Mr. Sharma...
Pappu: Ah...So the stones are collecting themselves and have started rolling towards Ayodhya?
Pappa: (Shouting loudly) Quiet. Go and attend to your school homework.

 . . . 


May I invite you to visit my websites & blogs?

'Pappa, Pappu, Mark Zuckerberg & Rahul' - by K.J.S.Chatrath

Pappu: Pappa, Pappa

Pappa: Yes Pappu.

Pappu: Have you seen todays's newspaper?

Pappa: No. What does it say?

Pappu: There is a two page advertisement by Mr. Mark Zuckerberg exhorting all to support Rahul & digital equality.

Pappa: What? Really?

Pappu: Yes...A particular political party must be fuming from all sides.

Pappa: Quiet ...No politics! Go and finish your homework.

 . . . 


May I invite you to visit my websites & blogs?

Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Monday, December 28, 2015

'Is God merciful, just, kind and omnipotent? - by K.J.S.Chatrath '




God is merciful, just, kind and omnipotent.

Is that really so?

My basic take: There is no God.

Even if we agree, for the sake of argument that there is a God, it is highly contestable if he is just, kind and omnipotent.

If that were so then he would reduce the suffering of those who are of good conduct and remember him.
Or he really does want to help them but has no power to do so.

What did you say ‘Karma’...we suffer because of bad things done by us  in the last birth and are happy & healthy in this birth because of good deeds of last birth? Please don’t give me that story!

That is a yarn woven by the rich and the powerful for keeping the poor and the under privileged 'in their place'.

I do salute those who have faith.

Friday, December 25, 2015

“Rs 5 cr for cow memorial in ‘bankrupt’ Punjab”- news;



“Rs 5 cr for cow memorial in ‘bankrupt’ Punjab”- news; http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/rs-5-cr-for-cow-memorial-in-bankrupt-punjab/175452.html

कुछ न कहो, बस कुछ भी न कहो ! 

 . . . 


May I invite you to visit my websites & blogs?

'250th item posted on www.francophilesonly.blogspot.in' - K.J.S.Chatrath

I don't know if it is correct French, but let me say it none the less: 'Permettez-moi de feliciter moi-meme'

I am happy to share that I have just posted 250th item on my blog www.francophilesonly.blogspot.in

So now it is your turn to say: 'Permettez-moi de vous feliciter'

 . . . 


May I invite you to visit my websites & blogs?

 

'For fans of O.P.Nayyar' - K.J.S.Chatrath


For fans of O.P.Nayyar....https://youtu.be/FxTCN0Ado_I
                                         https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxCJUCGb2_c

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

'Designer flower pots installed in Sector 15 market (Chandigarh)'- news

The Tribune Chandigarh has, in its edition dated 23rd December 2015 carried a news item with a photo, 'Designer flower pots installed in Sector 15 market'.

My take:- What a waste of tax payers money! Municipality may do well to spend money on items which improve functional aspects of the municipal area and not on such cosmetic wasteful ideas. 

Sunday, December 20, 2015

'The labyrinthine process of a bill becoming a law' by K.J.S.Chatrath

While there is frustration and anger in the media and social media at the non-passing of the bill to amend the Act relating to juvenile offenders, I found this cartoon in the New Yorker (November 9, 2015) quite telling.

Thursday, December 17, 2015

'Holidays in government offices in Punjab in 2016'- by K.J.S.Chatrath

It appears that every third day would be a holiday in Punjab during the calender year 2016 (Source: The Tribune, December 16, 2015).

Apart from 52 gazetted and restricted holidays, there will be 52 Sundays and Saturdays.

Oye Balle Balle ji!

Friday, December 11, 2015

‘Writing my obituary’ – by K.J.S.Chatrath



 Not noticing any new post by me on the Facebook for 10 long days, half a dozen of my friends got together on a conference call.

‘Well, our friend Chat used to be very active on the Facebook- about 10 posts a day and now there has been no new post for ten full days, so one must conclude that the inevitable has happened’  said the oldest of my friends initiating the conference. 

‘Oh merde’, exclaimed my friend who was learning French at the local Aliance Francaise.

‘He was quite a rummy, that chappie Chat’, said one of my friends who is an avid fan of P.G. Wodehouse. 

‘Another vintage model gone’ sighed  my friend involved with the activities of INTACH. 

‘Since he was an atheist, he couldn’t have been admitted in ‘hell’, though I personally feel he was fully qualified for it, and of course he was under qualified for an entry to heaven’ said another  one of my ‘friends’ and added, ‘Wonder where do such fellows go after death.’

‘Good heavens’, was all that my holy religious type friend could say. 

‘What the hell’ was what another disappointed  friend added.  

‘The chappie hadn’t lost it yet but the poor thing had started losing things lately-  you know, passport, suitcase and that sort of rummy. Yes but one thing the old scoundrel didn’t lose till the end was his sense of humour’,  interjected the Wodehouse admirer friend. 

‘Tut, tut, said the politically correct type reminding all of the old limerick ‘Of the gone and the dead, nothing but the good shall be said’!

And then there was a dead silence. The friend chairing the conference call said, ‘Friends, a new entry on FB by Chat has been just noticed’ he divulged. 

‘What! Does it mean that he has managed to get an FB connection up there’ queried a friend.

‘Hell  no. It means that he is travelling and having a chilled beer some where in the world and here we are trying desperately to find some good things to say about the rogue’  said the friend chairing the meeting  and concluded  by announcing that the meeting was over but thoughtfully added, ‘Let’s have a drink to it!’

Sunday, November 29, 2015

'Bravo P.V. Sindhu' by K.J.S. Chatrath

" Kudos to Mr. Manoj Bhargava"- by K.J.S.Chatrath

Mr. Manoj Bhargava
I had not heard of Mr. Manoj Bhargava till about a week back. And good heavens how ignorant was I!
Imagine a person coming out with three mind blowing ideas- a bicycle pedalling of which for one hour generates enough electricity to run 24 bulbs for 24 hours, an idea to provide safe inexpensive drinking water and an idea to improve heart/health care. Kudos to Mr. Manoj Bhargava for coming out with these. Take a look at the following: http://billionsinchange.in/?gclid=CNK03Zr2tckCFQsfaAod1YsOzg

If these ideas really start working, Mr. Bhargava would have earned the the gratitude of entire humanity.



Later.... on 30.11.2015

Mr. Bhargava Sir,
May I request you to correct the map of India as shown in an electric bulb on your website. It does not show the external boundries of the Indian state of Jammu & Kashmir correctly and part of the area of the state seems to have been left out.........KJS Chatrath


Saturday, November 28, 2015

'Hindu mythology made easy' - K.J.S.Chatrath



 

Visiting a friend two days back, I was attracted towards this statue of Lord Ganesha on the very first sight. I found the colour of Lord's dhoti quite different from the way it is normally portrayed. I was informed that this impressive statue was procured from around Sidhi Vinayak Temple in Mumbai.

Then yesterday when I switched on the TV, I was in for a nice surprise. Yes, I have stopped viewing the so called news channels on the TV after they became too loud and their bias become too obvious.  So instead I watch my favourite show 'Devlok with Devdutt Pattnaik' on Epic TV channel. The discussion last evening was on Lord Ganesha. It was highly informative. And if you have not watched 'Devlok with Devdutt Pattnaik, I would strongly recommend it to you.

 A few words of introduction about Mr. Devdutt Pattnaik (born 1970) . He is from Odisha and is a man of many, many parts. He is a medical doctor by training and profession turned leadership consultant, mythologist and author whose works focus largely on the areas of myth, mythology, and also management. He has written over 600 articles and 30 books on the relevance of sacred stories, symbols and rituals in modern times, including Myth = Mithya: A Handbook of Hindu Mythology, Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata, Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana, Business Sutra: An Indian Approach to Management, Shikhandi: And Other Tales they Don't Tell You.

What really glues me to his show is the pleasant ease with which he explains the very difficult subject of mythology. He has a smiling face and is so very soft-spoken. And one last point- he makes interesting comparisons with other religions. Such comparisons are knowledgable and respectful.

Thank you Dr. Pattnaik for making an atheist like me get deeply interested in Hindu mythology.