My Musings

MILK – An Indian Success Story. Doodh, doodh, doodh - India is poised to produce a staggering 90 million tonnes of milk in year 2005. That will be 10 mn tonnes MORE than the second largest producer,USA. India produced 88 mn tonnes in 2004 and 84 mn in 2003. But, how was the condition in India 60 years ago? During early 1940s, India had an acute short supply of milk and the Govt had banned its use in hotels, and restaurants. One black coffee, please. The Bombay Presidency introduced special distribution centers to ration it to expectant mothers and young children. Milk supply was an urban nightmare those days. In Bombay alone there were thousands of cattle sheds scattered across the city and their dairying practices were both unhygienic and unscientific. A Parsi gentleman, Dara Khurody who was the milk commissioner of Bombay, took up the job of re-organising the milk supply. He established a huge milk colony in the village of Aarey near Bombay, which is today the largest state-owned mil...

NAVARATHRI (KOLU) Festivals in Hindu culture are aplenty all through the year – starting from Varuzha Pirappu, to Deepavali, to Pongal. But, no festival, not even Deepavali, can match Navarathri for the splendor and richness. In Bengal, it is THE POOJA. The entire State wears a festive look these ten days. In Mysore and Karnataka it is opulence personified. In Gujarat and Mumbai it is Dandia - garba time. In many cities like Delhi it is Ram Leela. Hyderabad will be shining during these 10 days. The entire country is decked up. No other festival can simply match Navarathri. The festival to celebrate the triumph of GOOD over evil. In TamilNadu we celebrate it as a private, not a community, festival. Decades ago the festival was simple, performed with bhakti-shradda. Steps (padi) were made with whatever available material, clay dolls of Gods and Goddesses in their purest form were only displayed, young girls going about personally inviting others, and SINGING in all the houses they visite...

COMMUNICATION Part 4 SURESH on 17 Oct 2004 Dear all, COMMUNICATION. In fact this mail from RC really probed me and the outcome is evident. Really it worked wonders with me to come out of shell. Thanks a lot RC for bringing out such a wonderful piece. As a matter of fact the credit goes to one and all in our GRS group. It is one habit that was deeply inculcated in me by Appa. He used to allow me to write at least 10 lines in all the letters which he wrote to all. I still remember that I got encouragement for those writings from all elders in our group. I can visualize the writings of Thatha, Patti. Last Year Ramamurthy Athimber gave one such copy of letter to Appa in which Patti wrote a beautiful letter to Saroja Atthai indicating to the minutest detail and listing things required after delivery. Similarly the running handwriting of thatha with those beautiful strokes spoke volumes of emotions. Even now, the folder system is being maintained by Appa. I used to read all those letters wh...

COMMUNICATION - Part 3 UMA wrote on 29 Sept 2004 Dear Mama Your mail on communication( and lack) is suberb. It brought back nostalgic memory of my childhood days of Allahabad. When we returned from school, Amma used to read to us letters written by Patti Thatha, Mama, Chitappas and others. It was a cherished moments for us. The internet and email though brought us in touching distance but _the personal touch_ of reading a hand written letter is missing now a days. The songs Sandeshe aate hain, chitti aathi hai and _dakia dak laya_ are living tribute to our postal system. After reading your mail I listened to these lovely songs many times. An apt song for people like us who are living far away from their loved ones. Keep mailing. Your mail reminds us of R K. Narayan writing. With Love Uma ********** Neeraja wrote on 30 Sep 2004. Dear Appa, A strong, thought-provoking, very nostalgic mail. And, equally nostalgic, thought-provoking replies. Just last week, Ashok and I were talkin...

COMMUNICATION - Part 2 Vasu on 28-09-2004: Dear RC "Puli Pathungiyathing" karanam therindhuvitttathu ( No mail from you in the past couple of days ! ). What a nice mail. Y'day night only myself and manni had spoken about you and when manni asked about any mail from you, I told there is no mail from you and said we may receive a big bang at any time. What you had written is the reallity and everyone is trying to hide ourself inside the constrain - NO Time for anything - and not ready to accept the reality. I want to share my feelings / rememberence even if it is not revelent to your subject. Going to Post office to see any letter came to our house at 0800 hours is one of my / Sridhar's main duty when we were at Babu Rao street and I was proud to see the post man answers me on priority to give the letter over others. Most interestingly when we get our school result through post card, I felt great to see my name on the post card rather than the result inside. (Ofcours...

** COMMUNICATION. (or, Lack of it ….) sent on 26 Sep 2004 by rajappa From the time of BIG BANG, Man has devised ways and means of communicating. From smokes and drums of Africans, from Kalidasa’s Sakuntala beckoning megh (cloud) to take her letter, from using pigeons to carry messages (as in Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahin), the human race was in continuous process of evolving better and more efficient methods to convey messages. Cut to 19th Century when British brought the Postal System to India – it was a revolution. Have you ever stopped to wonder that with just fifty paise, you can send your views and news across from one corner of India to another, maybe 3000km away? Not a joke, but real. Buy a postcard today; write a message; post it to me. Be convinced. People used the postal service with enthusiasm. “Sandeshe aate hain, chitti aathi hai ….” was a super-duper HIT because it touched the emotional chords of crores of Indians. The sight of the postman approaching your house pumped adrenalin...

*** Train No 6010. There was this article in HINDU in its magazine section on Sunday, June 5, titled “Train No 6010.” This train, Chennai-Mumbai Mail, leaves Chennai at 2155 hours daily. It reaches a small station en route called Hosigi, very near Karnataka-Andhra border, by 1000 AM next morning. The story starts at this station where a few women entered a sleeper coach with big baskets on their heads. Now, over to the author: “I felt myself besieged. How dare they get in? Did they have tickets? I did not know what to do. They would talk loudly, dirty the place, fight with the passengers.. I could picture a horrible scenario. The railways are doomed, I told myself, and so is the country.” “In the meanwhile, the old woman in a torn green sari sat on the floor and started to uncover her basket. Would she spread her bed sheet and lie down there? Would she take out her food and eat it, and mess up the place? How long would this group be on board? How long would one have to tolerate this?” ...