Peermade , Deccan Herald.

The plantation town of Peermade

Tea estates in Peermade .. The long winding road on a misty morning.. The abundance of tons of oxygen is the greatest asset here..

Peermade hill station in Kerala was the favourite holiday destination of Travancore royalty, writes Susheela Nair.

The air is chilly and mist falls over the plantation town of Peermade in the evenings. At times nothing can be seen around, except the whiteness of mist and the next moment the mist would vanish unveiling the richness of the land. Once, the erstwhile summer retreat of Travancore Maharajas and the British planters, its present claim to fame are the tea plantations, the British bungalows and the mausoleum of a Sufi saint. It is off point the usually trodden tourist track and in the shadow of Munnar. Most tourists pass this town by. This, in some ways, is Peermade’s USP. We dropped anchor here for a truly blissful quiet weekend to explore the rest of the district’s highlights like Thekkady, Vagamon and Idukki. Peermade engages the senses not just on the strength of its natural beauty but also because of the charming tales spun around its most favoured points. A short trek up the Peeru Hills took us to the mausoleum dedicated to Peer Mohamed, a Sufi saint who is believed to be the first trader of spices in the region. Overgrown with weeds and creepers and surrounded by deep, endless gorges and waterfalls, it stands sans any epitaph. This quaint little hill station is also known as Peermedu (‘Peeru medu’ in local parlance means Peer’s valley) after him. When the British made it their summer station in the 1800s, the name was later anglicised to Peermade to suit their tongue. Just within walking distance is the huge Summer Palace of erstwhile Travancore Maharajas, ensconced amidst lush foliage. Stepping into this crumbling palace conjured visions of the times when the Maharaja sauntered down the endless corridors. The great underground escape passage, the prison cell, the stables, the durbar hall all hark back to the days when Peermade was the favourite rendezvous of the royalty. The other landmark of royalty in the vicinity is the Maharani’s Palace, the summer residence of Maharani Sethu Lakshmi Bhai, in the Glenrock Estate. Now, it is the private residence of the Kallivayalil family. Kuttikanam, the gateway to the hills of Peermade is an easy drive from Peermade. Just a hop away from Kuttikkanam junction is the Thrisangu Hills, a place used by the armed forces as a firing range. Its main allure lies in the fact that one can see the sunrise and sunset from this place besides having commanding views of the Peeru Hills, the Summer Palace of the erstwhile Maharajas, the pine forests and the organic tea factory of Peermade Development Society. An interesting halt is the stately CSI Church or the St George’s Church surrounded by cypress and pine trees in a country-churchyard in Pallikkunnu. Constructed by Rev. Henry Baker Junior, a CMS missionary, it is claimed to be the first church in the High Ranges. Reverence also lingers for Daniel Munroe, who was instrumental in the opening of various estates. Lost in a time warp are the graveyards of the British planters who lived and died here, their mortal remains marked by quaint crumbling tombstones with epitaphs. Even today their present generations come to pay respect to their ancestors who treaded this part of the world centuries back. Another imposing church is the granite Velankanni Matha Church, located in Pattumala (which means ‘hills draped in silk’), a picturesque place located amidst an undulating expanse of lush green tea plantations. A rickety jeep drive beyond Stagbrook Estate twist up your insides. It leads one to Madammakkulam, a natural pond encircled by deep woods on all sides. This idyllic place is evocative of the British regime when Madam Robinson, a British planter’s wife and her buddies went galloping on horseback to frolic in the pond, under a gushing waterfall. The locals were restricted from using the pond. Hence it came to be called Madammakkulam meaning ‘madam’s pond’ (Madamma’ is referred to any foreign lady). Now tourists make a dash to this place for a rejuvenating dip in the serene water of this natural pond. Just beyond the waterfalls is the Irumulachipara, two massive boulders. The hills around Peermade are bustling with picnic possibilities. Going up to Grampi or Parunthupara, (Eagle Rock), a sprawling rock spread over half a kilometre in diameter is a must-do. It offers a remarkable, panoramic view of the surrounding areas from its high peaks. We ventured to Panchalimedu, where the Pandavas are believed to have spent some time in exile. We were greeted with crosses, granite edicts, a cave and a pond here. It is equally significant to Christians who have put up crosses on the slopes of the hill. On Good Friday, people from all sections of life throng here in memory of Christ’s crucifixion. The trek to Amritha Medu, the highest peak in Kuttikkanam, can be a demanding climb and is not meant for the uninitiated and meek-hearted. From the pinnacle, one can have incredible views of the entire Peermade region. FACT FILE*Getting there: Air: Nearest airport: Nedumassery (Kochi) – 150 km Rail: Nearest railhead- Kottayam- 75 km Road: Thekkady- 35 km,Vagamon- 25 km, Kottayam-75 km, Munnar- 140 km. *When to go: September to May end. For a monsoon break, June, July and August would be ideal *Where to stay: Misty Mountain Resort, Henwoods Bungalow, Ashley Bungalow Email: gapage@sify.com Wood Palace Heritage Resort , Hotel Himarani International www.eastwesthospitalities.com KTDC Yatri Niwas. Website:www.ktdc.com

CETGuruvandanam speech, 31 july, 2011

Sent from Samsung Mobile

aerial panoramas from around the world .. - terrific views ..

www.airpano.com

excellent views ..

ge..

Pentacost st. gregorios bangalore

Dn. anish peter john from delhi, fourth year student at nagpur seminary,  who was the resource person at ovbs, spoke on the day ..

Espresso: The Great INDIAN Style

 

What an Innovation ??

Check out the neat screwdriver arrangement to shut off the steam

 

Coffee.......anyone?!! Think of pressure cooker and hot COSTA coffee ....... made in INDIA. Brilliant innovation!

Does lean production support Innovation or new product process development ?

This question has always bothered me for some time, now that I am getting ready to take a class on Lean Operations management for executive MBA students, have to find a solution to this.. Or carry out research to prove that lean system may or may not support innovation ..

Why I am putting this question is that, in lean system all efforts are to satisfy the customer. If the customer does not want any radical innovation ( or is not aware of radical innovations which can make his life better and easier), how will he support such moves ? Yes, lean supports incremental innovation, which can bring down costs, improve functionality etc..

That is the reason why US is still the innovation capital of the world, they do not have any problem in spending more on R & D which brings in occasional radical innovation, like the Internet etc , which can change generations itself..

This question I plan to ask many friends and await what they say about it.. And look out for my articles on this question soon ..

ge.

The threat from Marxists ...

The Marxists in Kerala even in this time of extreme crisis, has issued threats against the police and the media, threatening even to get on the offensive.

Being the torchbearers of dadagiri and machete(vadivaal) culture, quotation style, it is the sincere request to all malayalis to take this threat with all seriousness it deserves.

Being pushed to the corner with ractive CPIM members including dist. secy arrested for murdering TPC, and more senior members in line, this is norhing but a paper threat, to deflect public attention..

It is high time malayalis took these idiots by their collar and kick out their arrogance ..

"Kollaanum, kollikkanum madiyillathu ente naatil pokan enikku pediyakunnu" ( It is scary to go to my land where people have no qualms to kill others (by themselves) and get other people to be killed) - film actor Mohanlan

Thanks to the Marxists in our land.. They only believe in the language of blood .. They seem to forget the famous adage, "vaaleduthavan valaal.." ( those who use the sword to kill others, will also get killed by it..)

By terrorising the civilised people in society who desire peace, they continue throw their weight around .. How long can they continue scaring the people with their daadaagiri ?

It took just a single woman, Mamata Banerjee to chase these daadaas out of West bengal single handedly.. !!

Ge..

Even the Gods are fed up of Yeddyurappa ..

Having enjoyed power and the perks which come along with it like grabbing the poor farmers land and allowing plunder of public natural resources thru mining by private individuals, of course for a commission, Yeddy finds it very difficult to let go of the rope of power.

Somehow or other he wants to hold on to power and reverse or deflect all legal action against him by abuse of power. He wants to give the impression of his connection with people in corridors of power, be it Sonia Gandhi or anyone, some power, so that all pending cases against him will be handled with care and caution  !!  Whatever sins and corruption he indulged in during power should be seen lightly by the people of the state and pardon him, give him one more chance to govern the state. He has forgotten the fact that he is in politics to serve the people and not govern and make private gains !! Had it not been for the shock of IT dept raiding Congress RS MP from Andhra, actor Chiranjeevi's relative's house and confiscating unaccounted cash worth Rs 35 crore, Yeddyurappa would have made his mind yesterday itself to gravitate closer to Congress party to save him from the embarrassment and shame of his unaccounted wealth.

Globe trotting to all temples will not wash away and blind out his sins and shame of indulging in corruption for personal benefits .. Even the Gods have got fed up of him ..

True OPPORTUNIST ..!!

ge..

Checksheet for teaching community ..

We have heard of checksheets being implemented for industries and service setup. But have you heard of a checksheet for teacher. How can a teacher for Management continuously improve the learning teaching process and the teaching-delivery process.

1. You have prepared well for today's class ?    Strongly disagree(1)  Disagree(2)  Neutral(3)   Agree(4)    Stongly Agree(5)

2. Cases can help students understand business processes well  Strongly disagree(1)  Disagree(2)  Neutral(3)   Agree(4)    Stongly Agree(5)

3. Numericals help the student to quantify what he has studied and helps to grasp the basics better    Strongly disagree(1)  Disagree(2)  Neutral(3)   Agree(4)    Stongly Agree(5)

4. Experential acitivity helps students to understand concepts better.   Strongly disagree(1)  Disagree(2)  Neutral(3)   Agree(4)    Stongly Agree(5)

5. Simulation games are a good tool to teach concepts   Strongly disagree(1)  Disagree(2)  Neutral(3)   Agree(4)    Stongly Agree(5)

Value added activities : 

1. You are preparing for introducing a case in the class today.          YES / NO

a. If yes, have you taken copies of the case to be distributed in the class  YES / NO

b. Have you read the case well and ready to initiate the discussion  YES / NO

c. Students have been distributed the case and are informed of the discussion in the class ?  YES / NO

d. How are you motivating the students to come up with different perspectives of the case?  

e. How are you driving the students to discuss the case?  

f.  Are you planning to introduce the concept by first discussing the case among students ?  YES / NO

g. Are students recording their comments / observations ?  YES / NO

2.  Are you dressed well ?  YES / NO

3. Is your self confidence high ?   YES / NO

4. Have you read the newspaper of yesterday / today and recent magazines ?   YES / NO

5. Are you using chalk and blackboard or presentation through laptop ?

6. Have you prepared to present a brief intro to the class         YES / NO

7. Do you require any extra items to be taken to class           YES / NO

8. Have you prepared how you want to conclude todays session ?  YES / NO

9. Are you up-to-date with events in the field ? Strongly disagree(1)  Disagree(2)  Neutral(3)   Agree(4)    Stongly Agree(5)

10. how many Industrial visits have been arranged this semester ?

11. You continuously give students chance to  self evaluate themselves ? Strongly disagree(1)  Disagree(2)  Neutral(3)   Agree(4)    Stongly Agree(5)

12. Students are very comfortable to ask and clear their doubts to you ? Strongly disagree(1)  Disagree(2)  Neutral(3)   Agree(4)    Stongly Agree(5)

13. My classroom delivery this year has more value than what was delivered last year.Strongly disagree(1)  Disagree(2)  Neutral(3)   Agree(4)    Stongly Agree(5). 

All contents are original and is released under Open Documentation License. Users are free to use and redistribute this content for academic purpose only.

People holding govt leased land ..

Many cases are coming out thse days of people holdin onto public govt land given to them on leqase many years back and the present owners not retuning the land to the govt and usurping it for themselves..

It is a sad state of affairs.. But that is how people make quick money ( which also goes out as quickly as it came ..)

I am reminded of two cases, one of K M Cherian from Thayyil family of Tiruvalla. He had taken about 850 acres of temple land on lease for 60 years from the Zamorin of Calicut in 1943, before India got independence. The terms of th lease was this, for the first thirty years about Rs 300 will be paid each year to govt and for the next 30 years at the rate of Rs. 500 annually.

Do not know what happened whether it was selective amnesia or intentional, Instead of remembering to return the land back to govt of the Devaswam after 60 years, ie by 2003, K M Cherian distributed it among his children and sold part of it, as if the public govt land belonged to his father. Government land was usurped by members of the Kandathil family for their personal benefit and well being, in violation of the lease deed.

luckily reporters of India Vison got hold of the original lease deed of the Zamorin and took the matter to court. The Kerala High Court had ruled against the Kandathil family asking them to return the 850 acres of leased land to the Kerala State Dewaswom Board. http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/article3414348.ece

Do not know from where they will get the 850 cres of land, and how many people have bought land from KM Cherian and his sons and were deceived. What forgery has been committed by K M Cherian and his sons to sell temple land to private individuals.

In 1995,  T John, a MLC In Karnataka Govt and a Congress member had purchased about 450 acres of Jamma land , originally given on lease only to cultivate Cardamom from one Mr Emmanuel who claimed that the land belonged to him. T John already sold part of it and distributed the rest to his sons. The Karnataka Court after listening to a PIL filed against this, has asked that the land be taken over by Govt. http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/article2802822.ece

Why do people do such blunders knowing very well that any land deal has to be studied and restudied well before making any decision.

Or is it wilful negligence thinking that greasing some palms in future can "right" all such misdeeds ??

The strength and potential of democracy, rule of the people, by the people and for the people should not be forgotten .. Anybody trying to circumvent the system will be taken to task ..

ge..

Pinarayi and Karat, contented men ..

Having lost miserably and been kicked royally in Kerala, West Bengal and Tripura, CPIM will have some solace of having done something for the society and the people only with their militant "quotation" politics of  exterminating their opponents violently by the use of force, muscle power, vadivaal and vettukathi  ..

I felt very proud of Mamata when I read Ms Hillary Clinton talking so highly of her, though she is very unpredictable and haughty lady. It is now very publicly known how she alone built up a party and finally managed to dislodge the Left from Bengal after their misrule of 4 decades. Looks like she has kicked the Left from West Bengal for ever ..

The Marxists are such a divided, disgruntled, battered, beaten  and faceless group now not only in Bengal but also in kerala and Delhi, that never in their life, can they come back to power in West Bengal or Kerala ( if they are not ready to give up their quotation politics and work for the people ..).  They will never have the guts to meet the people and ask for votes, unless they change their dirty, violent ways.  Politics will never be kind to any one if they are not found to work with and for the people.

VS has opened a new chapter, now let us see how events take shape in the coming days in Kerala .. With the Nawaz murder, Kodiyeri was shouting on top of the rooftops that RSS was behind the murder .. When CBI was progressing in the investigation, Marxists cadres -  the fools, went marching to the CBI office, probably to show their might and the machetes with them. Yesterday, when CBI  got permission from the High Court to arrest the CPIM top office bearers of Kozhikode, Pinarayi and Kodiyeri have suddenly gone silent ..

Will the common man, looking for peace and a good rule, be able to lead a peaceful life in Kerala ??  Pinarayi and Karat are going to be very contented leaders having to get the good fortune to preside over the hitting of the final nail on the CPIM coffin, one of these days.

"As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy." : Abraham Lincoln ..

ge..

Let corruption in the defence forces be exposed ..

The cat's out of the bag !! Tejinder withdraws his petition in SC against Army Chief ..

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Tejinder-Singh-withdraws-from-SC-plea-against-Army-chief-Gen-V-K-Singh/articleshow/13077112.

Tejinder Singh, thought he could silence the Chief of Army Staff by taking the first mover advantage, but sadly found that his ploy got misfired .. The Chief had all proof with him to fix Tejinder. 

Slowly I am sure he will also withdraw his allegations against the Chief that the Chief was concocting facts by telling that he had offered a bribe of Rs 14 crores to the Chief for pushing thru Tatra purchases, in a trial court.

This is a welcome move from Tejinder as otherwise he would have had to  be in jail not only for the offence of offering Rs 14 crore bribe , but also for maligning the Chief..

Let all corruption in the Army / Defence and all tatras be exposed.. It is after all the common man's tax money that these people are playing around with .. The common man has a right to know the truth of how his tax money is being used by the Army ..

ge..

Implementing Lean systems ??

Dear all,

I am interested in knowing whether anyone reading this has personally been involved in the process of implementation of Lean systems, ie, reducing wastes and bringing a flow in the process ..

Your experiences from across the world may kindly be shared on this list or personally with me as I am planning to take up a research project in this area..

Thanks in advance ..

ge..

Who is sincere and who is not ?

News item : India is trying its level best to pressurise US into severing its ties with the failed state of Pakistan, which is the epicentre of terrorism in the world and is the refuge of some of the big names US is trying to smoke out , Zawahiri, as one instance. The constant threat to India from Pakistan trained terrorists have been highlighted and proof shown to US, asking it to repeatedly pressurise Pakistan into taking action against the terror mastermind, Hafiz Sayeed.  Even when US understands the gravity of moving and sleeping with Pakistan, against the wishes of the world community and against its own well being and that of its citizens, US is continuing to court Pakistan. India accuses US of not showing the earnestness to contain Pakistan nor terrorism in this part of the world.

Another news item : US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, now on a Asian tour was in the Indian capital, New Delhi talking to the PM, Foreign Minister and senior members of the Government , trying to convince them of the need to reduce its dependence on Iranian oil imports. She also stressed on the need to isolate Iran which is on a very advanced stage of making its own nuclear bomb, which could probably be used against Western countries and Israel. India finds Iranian oil, available in plenty, of good quality and with easy cheap transportation, as a vital component to ensure its energy security and an important tool in its efforts to raise millions of people above the poverty line. China and India are the two largest importers of Iranian crude, India accounting for almost $900 million imports annually. Though Indian refineries have been asked to reduce refining Iranian crude by almost 15%, US says India is not showing the earnestness in containing the growing threat Iran is globally.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Iran-a-key-country-for-Indias-energy-needs-SM-Krishna/articleshow/13059714.cms

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now you decide who is right and who is wrong, who is acting selfish ..

India and China are using their own currencies to buy Iranian oil, thus posing a threat to US dollar's continuing dominance of global commerce.

With global power and trade equations changing, with the global epicentre of commerce and power gravitating to Asia, it is high time countries stopped being selfish and instead look outward to watch how their actions impact other countries and their efforts to raise their people above poverty.

ge..

Texting that saves lives - TED talk ..

Texting is 11 times more powerful than email, with 100% open rate .. I get an immediate reply when I text my son than when I try to call him up. It is the same with almost every one of my colleagues too. 

An interesting TED talk ..

http://www.ted.com/talks/nancy_lublin_texting_that_saves_lives.html 

The venture of ours and our kids into the digital domain is irreversible .. Texting is an effective way of communicating with youngsters and helping them in the final run .. as how this talk details .. It helps in reducing crime rates and can help build a better society .... 

The potential is enormous, but we are slowly getting to understand the close link between this personal communication tool and technology and our social lives..

Pl give your views too on this ..

ge..

What ails Infosys now ? Is Infy facing tough times ?

Infosys, no.2 IT company in the country at $ 6.8 billion inn revenues and a respectable name in the Industry finds the going really tough. Even though the original founder Narayana Murthy put up his shoes two years back, the company has still not shed its conservative image regarding growth and deployment of funds, accelerated growth etc.

Is inability to move from the service to products costing Infosys dear ? Infy disinclination to inorganic growth through acquisitions and through it European markets is also costing the company dear.

Infy's reluctance to cut costs is giving loads of business for rivals Cognizant, iGate etc. and is eating into the bottom line of the company.

The Co. has been headed by its 7 member founder group over the past thirty years. This has prevented outside perspective from being considered in the company's growth. In  sellers market, with abundant quality human resources at cheap rates, Infosys could afford to be conservative in its decisions and growth plans.

T V Mohandas Pai one of the most popular officers of the co. left it a year back as there was a showdown for the CEO post between a founder and present CEO Shibulal and Mohandas Pai.

$ 4 billion in funds lying idle with it not being used to fund growth and instead insisting on organic growth is biting Infy's growth and prospects for the future very much.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/07/us-india-infosys-idUSBRE84606620120507 can throw more light on the same.

It is hoped that the overall positive growth predicted for the Indian industry as a whole should take this success story also to greater heights ..

ge..

Bangalore's BITTER water woes ..

Bangalore has grown as a city with people moving to this city for employment and a high quality of life. The standard of life has grown has grown over the years but has it matched with the quality of life ?

The endless commuting time from one end of the city to the other, the acute shortage of good accommodation units, the over bearing presence of real estate builders and land mafia to catch cut-throat profits and the scarcity of water staring at their face make Bangalore a difficult proposition to invest and setup businesses in the coming days .. The infusion of black money of almost 1200 crores INR into the Indian real estate industry over last year, a great proportion of it to the booming Bangalore city to catch the attention of Dept or Revenue Intelligence, Income Tax Dept are all issues that plague this city as much as it does any other in the country.

The scarcity of water is one fear that is immediately staring at the people of this city which houses the head offices of some of the biggest MNC names from within and outside the country.



In the Marathahalli and Whitefield areas ( North East Bangalore) where land is also precious and huge multiple high rises have come up, water scarcity is very acute. Some of the residential owners are even contemplating leaving their luxurious flats built by some of the finest names in real estate builders of South India and moving out to areas where Cauvery water ( South West of Bangalore city is Cauvery river) is available. These huge highrise buildings even though they have water treatment plants for sewage water treatment, have been unsuccessful in fully meeting their own recycling requirements, forget about the requirements elsewhere.

With the ever depleting water table with recharging done during the monsoon months from June to Sept.,  completely inadequate to charge up the water table to at least about 60% of the previous year, a deep sense of anxiety and fear looms large over the people of this city who have spent a fortune purchasing luxurious flats from builders falling innocent prey to their massive marketing and advertisement gimmicks and promises of access to huge reservoirs of freshwater all throughout the year.

These builders need to be taken to task for their false promises to ensure that future buyers do not get fooled any more.

Pl read this article .. http://www.deccanherald.com/content/247525/water-dearth-stares-22-lakh.html

Also it is said that the storm water drainage collection, to charge the water tables is completely inadequate in the city.

Effective water conservation strategies and cost based usage policies ( even for borewell water) for citizens across the city, coupled with strict implementation and monitoring of rain water harvesting systems across the city, effective water treatment plants in big high rises with more than 25 flats and Industries with heavy consumption of water like soft drinks bottling plants, there are a few in the city and suburbs, to treat and recycle sewage water, effectively utilising storm water drainage to charge the water table across the city and outside city limits are all matters which have to be taken up in right earnest by the civic authorities as well as the public to make Bangalore livable at least for the next ten years and beyond.

The extremely important role of NGOs along with the civic authot\rites to sensitise Industries and public of the importance of conserving water, its proper usage and recycling, monitor and sustain measures to conserve existing resources, is beyond any explanation.

Readers comments at improving this infrastructure is welcome.

ge..

Tom Jones and Green Green grass of home , over 40 years ..

One of the ever greens of Tom Jones ..



How in his home town he grew up, met his love and finally goes back to take the final rest, and is laid to rest under the old oak tree on which he used to play when he was young ..

The narration of the experience is very touching .. the song ends with the sad old padre coming to pray at his grave under the old oak tree beneath the green green grass of home !!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5IABqwVO2U&feature=related   1969 recording

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnGPmlXDJNI&NR=1&feature=endscreen   1989 recording

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EvUHnm43wY&feature=related   2009 recording ..

ge..

Rockefeller - the greatest philantropist of all time !!

We hear of lot of rich people in society who acquire wealth, legally , illegally, inherit from their parents, some make it fair with innovation  and so on. This article is on two individuals, one  a small fry and another a great individual..

I wish to mention of a spoilt brat from Bangalore, whose father used all dubious means including liquor to make money and who now isfacing a tough time protecting all the ill-gotten wealth.

Burdened by his lavish, glamorous lifestyle, the small time richie-rich from Bangalore, Vijay Mallya is about to sell his UB (United Breweries) Towers in the heart of the city.

His father Vithal Mallya, by manufacturing and selling liquor had made money and had grabbed prime property in different parts of the city. Quite natural, human weakness..

Now the law of nature has to catch up.. ie. the first generation innovates and makes wealth, the second generation just maintains and partly throws it off ( happening to Vijay) and the third generation squanders it and goes back to square one.

An exception is John D. Rockefeller (1839 to 1937), a teetotaller and firm believer in God ....   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_D._Rockefeller

Quote from wikipedia :
Rockefeller spent the last 40 years of his life in retirement. His fortune was mainly used to create the modern systematic approach of targeted philanthropy with foundations that had a major effect on medicine, education, and scientific research.

His foundations pioneered the development of medical research, and were instrumental in the eradication of hookworm and yellow fever. He is also the founder of both the University of Chicago and Rockefeller University. : unquote ..

Rockefeller made his first billion dollars in 1910, hundred years back (when there was no proper communications, transportation system, computers, Internet and comfort and convenience of today ..) and considering inflation, he is considered to be the richest person in history. ( at 2007 value his wealth is estimated to be $ 700 billion, he can buy Bill Gates and Buffet six times over..) Almost all his wealth he returned back to society. From age 58 to 98 he continued his targeted philanthropy ..

He supported India with the PL-470 programme in the late 60s and early 70s by giving free wheat, milk powder to Asia and Africa when we were faced with great famine and hunger.

A 1934 New York Times article on Rockefeller's philanthropy ..

The history of John D Rockefeller ..

The wikipedia link on John D Rockefeller .

In our society and in Kerala too, we see abkari, liquor salesmen, cashew merchants, real estate builder mafia, PWD Engineer-contractor nexus, coal mafia flaunting their newly acquired affluence, Nouveau_riche .. Law of nature has to catch up with them like it is to Vijay Mallya now..

ge..

Massacre of English language if Pranab Mukherjee becomes Indian President ..

It will truly be a sad day for the English language and the country if Pranab Mukherjee gets to be the Indian President.

Other than being a faithful follower of the ruling party and one who has stood by the party through times thick and thin, Pranab Mukherjee has no other qualities worth mentioning. Like Pratibha Patil, he also will be an extra baggage and liability for the country in its forward march to the forefront of the comity of nations.

If not his actions, his language will certainly floor his Western counterparts. It will definitely be a massacre of the English language with his own version of Benglish ( Bengali + English). It definitely will lead to a communication paralysis in the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

On the other hand, Hamid Ansari was an IFS officer and is the present Vice President. Padma Shri Dr Ansari is the author of the book, Travelling through conflict and has edited another book on Iran. Has very good international exposure and is a very reserved intellectual. Being from a minority community, some communal leaders have raised objection to his elevation as President. K R Narayanan, was the other retired IFS officer who served as an earlier Indian President. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammad_Hamid_Ansari

Politics should not be the criterion to decide on the post of President. On the other hand ability, reputation, intellectual prowess and personal integrity should be the qualities on which the next President is chosen. Political lineage will only be a burden to the country.

For the sake of the country and its people, hope the political parties will understand this. Why not Scientists U R Rao / C N R Rao or senior retired bureaucrats like T N Seshan KPS Menon or litterateurs or an Industrialist of integrity like Ratan Tata ?

ge ..

Threat by Cellphone Operators Association of India .

Responding to the recent decision by the Supreme Court and Govt to auction2G spectrum, the Cellphone Operators Association of India have threatened that this will raise the cellphone rates..

Spectrum is a national resource to be shared by the Indian public and not looted by the Cellphone operators. 

Hon Minister Kapil Sibal ji, pl go ahead with the recommendations of TRAI.

Cellphone Operators are just resorting to arm twisting tactics, please do not get unduly worried. If cellphone rates have to increase, let it for the time being. Someone among them, last time it was Tata Docomo, this time we do not know who, someone will resort to low cost innovation offering once again 1p/sec or 1p/2sec offer ..

let us take the bull by the horns .. !!

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Retired Defence officers, latest to join the corrupt trail ..

With the arrest of senior retd officers from the Army and Navy in the Adarsh case and questioning of Tejinder Singh in the Tatra case, the lid is about to be opened in the case of thousands crores of INR looted out of the country in defence scams which have plagued the nation over the years and sapped our country of resources to raise the poor from poverty.

The ongoing investigations into the 2G, CWG, tatra, Mining, real estate deals  and Adarsh, just the tip of the iceberg, has sent the right signals to the corrupt officials of the defence forces and the corrupt bureaucrats and politicians to refrain from such actions. It is a heartening fact to note that these corrupt officers will have to face the consequences of law and the law will chase them to their grave .. Beware ..

There is a limit to the hypocrisy one can play in the name of defending the country with one's blood and on the other side looting the nation dry and thin ..

Great going the legal system !! Judicial activism is sending the corrupt to run for cover .. Politicians are getting restless at Anna hazare and Baba ramdev getting to the limelight again and are getting upset at the truth and facts being spoken by them .. The Politicians are also getting scared of the thought of being the servants of the common man and are finding their new positions in society where they are treated with utter contempt and disdain, a bit too much to digest .. These self serving parasites of society are a bigger threat than either Pakistan or China to India .

Anna Hazare and Bab Ramdev will never run short of supporters in this scenario ! This is not meant to discourage sincere officers, but they should gather courage and expose corrupt elements in the Defence forces. See that they are court martialled and ejected out of the system early before they can do much damage to it. Whatever respect people had for defence officers is being wasted by these corrupt elements ..

An inactive good man will do the harm of a thousand active evil men ..

It is said that corruption eats 2% off our GDP. Can we allow that to happen, in the name of protecting the corrupt, rich, influential and famous. After all finally it is my or OUR MONEY which is running the whels of government administration ..

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Uru, calicut

Uru, beypore, calicut

Model of Uru at  home in Kochi ..

This is a model of Uru which was gifted to my brother in law Dr Vaidyan after he was transferred from Calicut to Chennai as Regional Manager in State Bank of India by the Calicut main branch SBI employees. 

Being such a big model, it remained at our place in Kochi for the past ten years or so.. 

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