Santa, Banta & the Coat

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152795038874830&set=a.10151188634064830.454018.571654829&type=1&theater

Abrupt sacking of the Foreign Secretary

Abrupt sacking of the Foreign Secretary is sad and may demoralize not only the IFS but the entire Indian bureaucracy.

'Did motor-cycle stunts during the 26th January 2015 Parade violate the law?' by K.J.S.Chatrath

Government of India may have organised it and the US President Mr. Obama may have liked it but I have a doubt.


I feel that driving a motor-cycle on a public road with more than two persons is a violation of the Motor Vehicle Act and Rules.

Well?

Shri L K Advani- Padma award

Shri L K Advani has been awarded the prestigious Padma Award. I wonder what has been his contribution to the country besides going  on Rath Yatras.

R.K.Laxman, R.I.P.

R.K.Laxman, R.I.P.

'Fooling around' Series by K.J.S.Chatrath

                                   Posing with a cut-out of Rajni Sir, at Marina Beach, Chennai, January, 2015

'First name calling' by K.J.S.Chatrath

Indian Prime Minister Modi addressing the American President as 'Barak' was splashed over Indian Tv channels. It reminded me of an old whisper which used to be told about the imperial sounding late French President Francois Mitterand.

As the story goes, President Mitterand was not fond of being called by his first name. So when a person asked him 'Est-ce que on peut tutoyer?', his reported reply was a wry 'Si vous voulez'!

'Chemistry takes nuclear deal forward'- Headline in The Hindu

Et tu, The Hindu?
What a simplistic way of looking at diplomacy!

Lo Phir Basant Aayee...Tahira Syed

Yes a tad late, but it brings freshness and happines  as always.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jq3bb33sElU

'Prof Manjul Bhargava' by K J S Chatrath

Watched Pronnoy Roy interviewing Princeton's Prof Manjul Bhargava on TV...Now I have a new icon...No, not Pronnoy Roy, silly...it is Prof. Bhargava...brilliant and disarmingly modest....At ease equally in mathematics as in music...Pronoy Roy at best came out as a mere human ...

Lack of grace

I am not an Arvind Kejriwal fan, but do feel that not inviting him to the Republic Day Parade shows a certain lack of grace on the part of the Organisers.

'Close encounter of the Biryani type' by K J S Chatrath

My first encounter with Hyderabadi Biryani has been disappointing.

Hi from Hyderabad (Hi-derabad)

Hi from Hyderabad (Hi-derabad)

Get well soon, Sir...by K. j.S. Chatrath

R.K.Laxman unwell (news)...

Get well soon, Sir.....India adores your wit.

Oh how much I hate such smarty cliches!

Q: So what are you doing this Sunday?

A: I am spending some  quality  time with my family.

Oh how much I hate such smarty cliches!

Salute to a living legend

Still on birthdays, A.R. Rahman's birthday was on 6th January...Salute to a living legend

O.P. Nayyar's Birthday

Today is O P Nayyar's birthday. His music is incomparable and lives on.  More on him a little later.

Anita Ekberg, R.I.P. By K.J.S. Chatrath

Anita Ekberg, R.I.P.

And you do not know who she was? God help you!

'Rare cold wave grips city [Bengaluru]'-says today's Deccan Herald

Where to go now? Chennai? Yes, Chennai is warmer. So moving over to Chennai day after tomorrow morning... ...

'let the retired IAS officers enjoy their well earned rest' by KJS Chatrath

Cabinet Secretary gets an extension...A retired IAS officer is appointed as the Principal Secretary to the PM...A retired IAS officer is appointed as CEO of the Niti Ayog....Why not choose from amongst the serving IAS officers?

Ah, these NGOs...

"India has one cop for every 94 persons, an NGO for 530"... (The Times of India, January 6, 2015)

'Gaushalas to get aid, says Minister' (News)

The state government will provide monetary aid to gaushalas as per number of cows.... (The Tribune, January 6, 2015)

'Heritage Furniture'

Some heritage lovers of this 55 year old city think that everything that Le Corbusier or Jeanneret touched qualifies to be worshipped as a heritage article.

Look at the above chairs. I would call them ordinary. Just very, very ordinary. Chairs of this design are being made by local carpenters in various parts of India since long before we first heard of Le Corbusier and Jeanneret.

Why should we go over board in our praise just because some foreigner "designed"/ or sat in these chairs?

Utrakhand Sewa Nidhi Pariyavaran Shiksha Sansthan at Almora

I do not think much of most of the NGOs. And I am not a fan of Mr. Kailash Satyarthi.

However there is one NGO which has really impressed me with its excellent work. It is the Utrakhand Sewa Nidhi Pariyavaran Shiksha Sansthan (www.ueec.org.in; email:usnpss@sancharnet.in;)at Almora led by Dr. Lalit Pande and his wife Mrs. Anuradha Pande. I have been seeing their work since the last 25 years and have pure praise for their self less work. I wish India had more people like them.

Here are two photographs from their latest Annual Report. These photos say it all.

'Now that is original research!' by K.J.S.Chatrath

"A University scholar's published research article concludes that*:

(i) Hybrid governance is a trend in governance, and

(ii) this trend is not going to fade away!"


(*PU scholar's research article published, The Times of India, January 5, 2015.)

Mr. Shashi Tharoor

It appears quite obvious that Mr. Shashi Tharoor is going to switch over to the BJP...

Pythagoras's theorum actually an Indian discovery: Vardhan

"Pythagoras's theorum actually an Indian discovery: Vardhan" (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Pythagorass-theorem-actually-an-Indian-discovery-Harsh-Vardhan/articleshow/45746060.cms)

For the uninitiated, Dr. Harsh Vardhan is a medical doctor and was Health Minister in BJP's Government for a few weeks.

Worrying about stuff is a sign of intelligence- So Keep on worrying!

Le Penseur by Rodin. Photo source: Wikipedia

'Worrying about stuff is a sign of intelligence say medical researchers'- news

Great news...So Keep on Worrying!