Jayachandran

In the wake of attacks on Indians in Australia, Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray said his party would not allow the Down Under team to play cricket in Maharashtra state of India. Does his party own the entire state? Expressing anguish over the violence against Indians in Australia, this old man wrote in his party’s mouth-piece Saamna – “Our boys are being stabbed, burnt and shot at in that country and still our cricketers have no qualms in playing with them. Do they have any national pride?”.

Recent incidents in Australia are really shocking and scary. Australian government’s slow response and Indian government’s feeble reaction etc. are not something I accept. But when this old man talks, I just can’t ignore his double-standards. Why does he think all people as mentally retarded like him? Based on what he said above, North Indian states should stop engaging with Maharashtra state – right?

Indian Congress Party Sonia Gandhi kicked off 125th anniversary celebrations of the party today. Speaking on the occasion of the Congress’ 125th anniversary, Sonia Gandhi recalled the role of the party’s icons in the pre and post independence era as well as prime ministers it has given to the nation since 1947 – Jawahar Lal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. But the Congress president did not ever mention the name of P.V. Narasimha Rao, who as prime minister between 1991 and 1996 ushered in economic liberalization. Instead she termed the 1991-2004 era, including the first five years, when Rao headed the Congress-led government, as “difficult” times in the history of the party.

Sonia, you may continue twisting history for your convenience to promote the family to which you are married to. And, I can understand a bunch of so-called leaders around you, who tuned themselves to agree to all you say. But to others who see history as it is recorded, P.V. Narasimha Rao is always the “Father of Indian Economic Reforms”, one who will always be fondly remembered for launching free market reforms to rescue India from being bankrupt, economic collapse.

• Sep 18, 2009: An 11-year-old boy died after falling into a 21-feet-deep borewell at Rupal village in Sabarkantha district of Gujarat state. The boy, Kirtan, fell into the open borewell when he, along with other three children, was going to hand over the lunchbox to his father at a nearby farm. On learning about the incident, emergency services rushed to the spot and launched the rescue operation. They, however, could not save the boy, who had stopped responding to their calls two hours after falling into the well. The boy died due to suffocation much before the fire officials reached him, as mud had fallen over him.
• Dec 26, 2009: A 4-year-old boy fell into 120-feet deep borewell at Maurangi village in Amreli district of Gujarat state. The rescue operations lasted till next day morning but the boy died before he could be rescued.

Indian Penal Code (IPC) is a document containing code that applies to any offense committed by an Indian Citizen anywhere and on any Indian registered ship or aircraft. It is a piece of British colonial legislation dating from 1860. Its basis is the law of England. Suggestions were also taken from French Penal Code. It came into existence in 1862. IPC was even inherited by Pakstan, Bangladesh, Burma, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei … Quite impressive, huh? It has a total of 511 sections to deal with various aspects of Criminal Law. Wow! There is no way an accused, proved guilty, can escape with a soothing punishment. Sec 309 makes the unsuccessful attempt to suicide, punishable. Sec 497 deals with adultery, which punishes even consensual sex between adults. Perfect!

Here is a true story (taken from Indian Express newspaper, without permission). Ruchika Girhotra and her friend Aradhana Prakash were members of the Haryana Lawn Tennis Association (HLTA), of which S P S Rathore (then IGP, Haryana) was the president.
Aug 11, 1990: Rathore visits Ruchika’s house at noon. Persuades her father, S C Girhotra, a bank manager, not to send Ruchika to Canada. Promises special training for the teenager. Asks her father to tell Ruchika to visit his office-cum-residence the next day.
Aug 12, 1990: Ruchika and her friend Aradhana visit Rathore’s office. Rathore asks Aradhana to fetch the coach. Aradhana returns and finds Rathore molesting Ruchika. On seeing her, Rathore lets go Ruchika, who rushes out of the room. Rathore asks Aradhana to talk to Ruchika and that “he would do whatever she would say”. The girls decide not to talk about the incident to their parents, considering Rathore’s powerful position.
Aug 14, 1990: Ruchika and Aradhana go to the tennis court. Rathore calls Ruchika again to his office. This time, the girls decide to share it with the parents. Ruchika confides in Aradhana’s mother, Madhu Parkash.
Aug 15, 1990: Both families along with parents of other HLTA trainees hand over a written complaint to Home Secretary J S Duggal. The Chief Minister marks it to then DGP R R Singh.
Aug 26, 1990: The DGP summons Rathore. In retaliation, Rathore allegedly arranges 45-50 hoodlums who raise slogans against Ruchika and smash the windowpanes of her house.
Sep 03, 1990: DGP’s report finds the allegations true, recommends registration of case and investigation by CID.
Mar 11, 1991: Change of government brings new DGP, R K Hooda, who too recommends departmental action against Rathore.
Jul xx, 1992: Government agrees that an FIR can be registered against Rathore. Case transferred to Chief Secretary.
Aug 12, 1992: First of the six auto theft FIRs registered against Ashu, Ruchika’s brother.
Oct 23, 1993: Ashu arrested, kept in custody for two months. He was beaten up in custody and one day taken to his house, where Ruchika was told that her father would meet the same fate if she did not withdraw the complaint.
Dec 23, 1993: Ruchika consumes poison, dies next day. Ashu released.
Jan xx, 1994: Government withdraws all charges against Rathore.
Apr xx, 1997: Ashu discharged from all theft cases.
Nov xx, 1997: Aradhana’s mother files a petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. A year later, court directs CBI to conduct an inquiry.
Dec xx, 1997: Supreme Court upholds the order of High Court.
Jan xx, 2000: CBI files chargesheet against Rathore, recommends his removal in interest of “free and fair deposition”.
Jul xx, 2002: Rathore retires as DGP.
Nov xx, 2009: Case transferred to CBI Chandigarh.
Dec 11, 2009: Court closes all final arguments and sets the date for verdict.
Dec 19, 2009: CBI Court sentenced Rathore to six months’ imprisonment and a fine of Rs 1,000. He was immediately bailed out.

If you have time, read this list of controversial murder trials (don’t be surprised if IPC helps all those accused). Think twice before you utter “Mera Bharat Mahan“.

Never meant to hurt or offend. But this guy certainly has talent and may go places out there.

Monsoon … It finally reached my state and I am sad to be here, not experiencing it.

Old days … I remember the sound of approaching rain … as it came down with quite a brute force … some people scared and deserting what they were doing halfway and running for shelter … Mutthukka‘s hotel located at the bus-stop – that is the shelter everyone rushes to, where the sale of tea / coffee suddenly goes up. And before they could complete two full steps in the open, they were as wet as they ever knew. Each drop was the size of an ostrich’s egg (intentionally exaggerated). Some very pleasant, cliched, nostalgic, everlasting imageries from the monsoon season ..

• Kids going to school with their multi-colored umbrellas, splashing each other with water by rotating those…
• People wearing raincoats and riding on two-wheelers…
• Working woman in saree, balancing the umbrella between her shoulder and neck and holding up her saree from wetting …

The battle between my home state Kerala and neighboring state Tamilnadu, for Mulla Periyar Dam water, has reached a flash point. Supreme Court of India ordered for the water storage in the dam to be raised from 136 feet to 142 feet, based on the petition submitted by Tamilnadu state government. But Kerala State Government is not willing to raise the water level. That’s because the Kerala government is apprehensive over the safety of the 110-year-old dam, as raising the storage could endanger life in the adjoining Idukki district. In fact, it had even passed a bill to restrict the storage to 136 feet.

Although the Mullai Periyar dam is in Kerala state, according to an agreement signed during the British days between the Raja of Travancore and the then Madras Presidency, Tamil Nadu state has rights over this water for 999 years to irrigate five drought prone districts of southern region.