SALESMAN’S DIARY 3=’text/javascript’ src=

KADAMPUZHA
I had gone there to attend a marriage. As I didn’t know any one there, I decided to go to a Higher Secondary School, some five miles away, along the route to Kottakal, through hilly area.
The school has an array of buses to transport the students and teachers from the temple township Kadampuzha.
I was unlucky, because all the teachers were taken to the marriage hall in the town, at lunch time and could sell only two shares that day.
When I was about to return, it started raining very heavily. I waited till about 1 P.M. and decided to go out in the rain (I did not have an umbrella), which slackened a little.
I had to walk for a few minutes to reach the road, where I had noticed a tea shop etc. The shop owner excused, saying he was busy making chapatis for the students who had thronged the place.
I was hungry too but waited patiently for the bus. As the bus stop was at a spot, some 200 yards away, I was forced to stand in the rain. Some student held an umbrella over my head.
There were many students waiting in the open, almost drenched in rain. It was a bright sun lit morning and they did not care to carry an umrella. Occasionally, an autorickshaw will appear and immediately it will be filled with students, and grind its way back.
At last, the bus came and I managed to get in. I took out a five rupee note and held it in my hand to give to the conductor, till we reached Kadampuzha, still the conductor did not appear. Soon the bus became empty. The driver and conductor too went away. Apparently no one paid any fare.
When I reached the hall where dinner was served after marriage, it was 2.30 P.M. My wife was very much annoyed. She had dined and was waiting for me for four hours!

AYYAPPA DEVOTEES – SOCIAL NETWORKING IN REAL LIFE=’text/javascript’ src=

You can easily spot them: they wear a uniform, consisting of black lungi (cloth) and shout slogans ” Swamiye Sharanamayyappa”.
Fortyone days, beginning from the first of Vrischikam (this time it was 17-11-10) the Shabarimala temple in the thick forests of the Western Ghats near Kottayam, remain open for devotees, who come from neighbouring States too, bringing with them enormous amounts of money, making this temple the richest in Kerala State.
Women in reproductive age are not allowed in this temple. Men have to observe strict routine, keeping away from alcohol, non-veg. food and women. They carry rice and other items in a black cloth on their head, which they cook in temporary hearths, during the fourteen mile trek in the forests, infested with tigers; and very often, they come across wild elephants.
In olden days, tiger killing and carrying away the victims were not rare.
It is adventurous and thrilling!
During the shooting of the film Coolie, Amtab Bachan met with a serious accident. It is said that he offered Darshan at Shabarimala temple and goes there frquently.

SUPREME COURT CRACKS THE WHIP =’text/javascript’ src=

The Supreme Court is the only functional arm of the Indian Sate. It asked the Central Bureau of Investigation to submit a report about spectrum G2 telecom. scandal, within five days. Indirectly, it is asking Manmohan Singh to wake up.
It reminded him that the CONTROLLER AND AUDITOR GENERAL is a highly respected constitutional authority whose report should carry weight and should not be thrown in waste paper basket, as our Prime Minister wanted to do. There is enough evidence in the report, to prosecute the former Minister Raja.
The Auditor General is doing audit, on behalf of the people. We have every right to know what he has reported.
It should be published as a document.

VALLACHIRA POST OFFICE =’text/javascript’ src=

I had never seen the Post Office
The Centre of the village is a cross roads.
The East-West road connects Poochunnipadam in the West and Chathakudam Sastha temple in the East The road cutting it, goes towards the Vaidyarathnam H.Q in the North and Sharikal Durga temple in the opposite direction. You can easily spot the State Bank of India, the Panchayath office, Community hall etc, but never the Post Office, which is still the life line of the villages surrounding it.
So, when I wanted to post a letter, I had to make enquiries.
At last, some guy took me to the Krishi Bhavan and the to a small room, where a lady was busily writing and a man who was collecting dak for distribution. I cold not believe it is the Post Office
I waited for some ten minutes before she finished her writing.
I want a envelop for sending a registered letter, I told her.
Not available, was the reply.
Ordinary envelop?
Again No.
My humble request to whoever may be, is that the Post Office be shifted to the main street in the Centre, where rooms are available.

CALM BEFORE THE STORM- THE WEST IS FACING ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL STORM=’text/javascript’ src=

Reports coming from England and the United States, indicate that a crisis is imminent.
Economic advisers of capitalist countries of the West, recommended financial packages to continue production in automobile industries; this was agreed and there was a temporary halt to the downward slide in economy, which gave rise to optimism.
As the money was not sufficient, as more and more countries of Europe, clamoured for more money, it became necessary to cut wages. Then the working class of France and now, students of universities in England, came out into the streets, something unknown in the recent past, to protest against government policies.
American observers have pointed out that more than fifty thousand workers are losing their job every month. Production can somehow be continued, but not indefinitely, without sales. Obama is not having the courage of Roosewelt who created jobs, by developing infrastructure
These are symptoms of the coming days.

THINKING MEN, WHY ARE WE UNHAPPY?’=text/javascript’ src=

There are those who do not care about any damn thing! They are happy.
I know several of my friends who have never read a newspaper or watched the idiot box.
If I say India is doomed, they will retort: Can we help?
Most people are busy attending to their home or business, unconcerned with all else. I envy them and all those who sleep soundly, through the night.
I worry about those unfortunate men and women who are jailed in lunatic asylum, home for old people, children in Anathalayam (orphanage), under-trials in countless jails etc. Who will hear their voice?
People who do not think, get easily excited about any issue and are manipulated by unscrupulous politicians. It is these innocent category who cause mob violence
Lay people are used by politicians to create vote banks so that they can rule, not for doing any good, but to amass wealth. Hindus and Muslims are made to fight each other, so they can get their votes. They are exploited by all religious leaders, who manage to become rich.
Thinkers are fascinated by the stars in the sky. If you watch the sky regularly, you will start recognizing them and notice changes in their position in the sky; thus astronomy was born. Naturally, numbering became necessary and mathematics was the result.
Among common people were adventurers, who developed navigation and sports. Unlike in our times, there was plenty of leisure in those days. Some began drawing forms in the cave walls and started using natural colours obtained from plants, for painting them.
Singing and poetry developed as the earliest form of literature.
Commoners had nothing to do in all these diverse fields; they tended cattle and tilled the land and produced food. Their manual labour was exploited by the thinkers and artists.
Thinker started questioning the very purpose of life itself.
Why are we born?
Why should we live? Is there any purpose in life? Thus religion and philosophy came into existence almost simultaneously. Philosophers were ignored by all; but commoners found solace in religion, which has some hypnotic effect, and calms the mind, at least temporarily.
Thinkers do not like chaos. They try to find some sort of order, or invent it where none exists.
Philosophy is the result, including theoretical physics. Newton, Marx, Hegel…….. there are thousands of them who tried in vain to crack the secret of nature and our existence.
Agnostics believe that truth cannot be revealed to Man

MANMOHAN SINGH GOVERNMENT CASTIGATED BY THE COURT AND AUDITOR GENERAL=’text/javascript’ src=

This is the first time in the history of our Parliament, that the whole Government is in the dock.
Comptroller and Auditor General has severely criticised the Telecom. Ministry for causing big financial loss, to favour a particular firm. The party to which the Minister belongs, has considerable political clout at the Centre.
A specific complaint was brought to the notice of the Prime Minister’s Office, by the indomitable Subramanya Swamy; the PMO ignored it.
Now Sonia Gandhi has openly stated that democracy is in danger of collapsing under the weight of corruption.
Proceedings of Parliament has been stalled for a week. Yet, the ruling party is remorseless and refuses a joint Parliamentary probe.

NEW HOME, NEW HORIZON=’text/javascript’ src=’

On the first day of the month of Vrischikam, 17-11-2010, we occupied our new home, a dream of my wife fulfilled.
When I woke up in the morning today, I felt as if I am in a strange house, as a guest.
I am used to my rented house; here I do not know which switch is for the light in the drawing room and which one for the balcony.
Voltage is hopelessly low and I am unable to use my net.
I went up to the terrace to see the orange sun rising in the eastern horizon, but was disappointed because the trees obstructed the view. Even the sun’s rays coming through, was wet because of the rains in the night.

The rail line from Trichur to Ernakulam is so near that we can see trains from our gate. I never fail to enjoy the sight.
This is land’s end, rice fields submerged in water, between us and the rail line.

SALESMAN’S DIARY- 2 =’text/javascript’ src=

SAHRDAYAM ENGINEERING COLLEGE
Some one told me about this college and so I decided to go there.
I got down at Kodakara and boarded another bus towards the west. When the conductor announced the name of the college, about which I had told him, I got down and took an autorickshaw which took some time, meandering through upcountry roads, before it stopped, in front of the imposing gate, guarded by uniformed guards. When I told them about my mission to sell my books, they gave a form in which my name etc. was written by them, to the driver of the auto and I reached the building, housing the college.
What struck me, were the neat and tidy lawns inside the campus, protected by walls on all sides. Not a single dry leaf or bit of paper anywhere on the lawns, which looked like green carpets spread on the ground.
The pavements have hedges with occasional palms which have red stalks of leaves

A number of women, all uniformed, were seen with brooms and moppers, which indicated an obsession with cleanliness. In fact, I could hardly believe I am in India, where we are used to dust and dirt, plastic bags and broken glass etc. The technically superb web site reminded me of universities in the West
I had to wait, as the Principal was in the class room. When she came (a beautiful young lady) and received me, I showed my book which she studied carefully and directed me to the librarian, a young chap who did all the formalities to buy the book. He bought shares for my newspaper, to help me, as he expressed the fact that I probably spent more money for the autorickshaw than I got for my book, which was a fact.

Return journey was a problem, as buses were rare in that interior road. Luckily, an auto came and was stopped by the tea shop owner, where I was having very hot tea which I liked very much.
I was taken direct to Kodakara, where I sold several shares in a Government school and compensated my losses.

TERRORISTS WHO HAVE COLONISED OUR BODY =’text/javascript’ src=

The number of worms staying comfortably in our intestines, especially children, is too much. Though things have improved in towns, villagers still use any ground as a latrine and germs are carried away by water in the rainy season.
Thread worms etc, are still present in children. Deworming is necessary every alternate months.
Lice in the scalp of girls can never be removed by combs, though mothers do it every day.
In my childhood, when I was Brahmachary, I was not allowed to shave off the hair which grow to great length; a breeding ground for lice. When I grew up, I frequently asked the barber to remove all hair; now God has graciously done that, but baldness does not reach the periphery!
Fungus make our skin their habitat. It is very tenacious and medicines are not effective. Some have made my finger nail-root their home. Even after removing the nail, it is still there.