Musings from the airport!

I guess I am destined to go for pilgrimages in the most unplanned manner, all of a sudden and the recent visit to Shirdi was no exception.

I could not stop sharing a few incidents. Pune airport is bursting at its seams with pressure, the city becoming an essential destination for the IT sector. I looked around for a seat, and there was none, though many seats were ‘occupied’ by backpacks of the adjacent seats. It seems they leave al their pretentious work on their laptops, to ogle at every passing lady if one would approach and seek to vacate the bag to sit for a while. I can’t miss their faces turning away from disparaging males like me, their fingers fiercely tapping the keyboard, to keep busy. I approach one to say, “if this is your bag, it could enjoy the comfort of your lap,” as I drop the bag and grab the seat. I can see the apparent disharmony and a spirit of intolerance that immediately sunk, building a high wall between us. What should I call these chaps, Idiots? Should they be penalised!

The airlines have increased the cost of excess baggage, even as they have reduced the permissible limit of luggage, just a few months ago. From 20 kgs. checked in and 7 carry bags permitted earlier, now it is 15 kgs. checked in and ‘strictly’ 7 kgs. for the checked in. There is no point smiling at the ground staff manning the check-in counters. I guess they get a cut from robbing the passengers.

Everyone seems to target the fliers, stealing in whatever they can. One glaring item has been the mineral water bottles. The courts would have none of this nonsense and had declared that the MRP had to be respected. Lo and presto, a ‘specially packed for so and so’ print started appearing on the bottles, thus thumb their nose. The courts get angrier and chide (beyond which they can do little). Another Lo and presto, as favourite brands like Bisleri and Kinley, do a vanishing trick, as the companies pop out a new brand unheard of with the black-market rates. Why in the heck, favourite brands with MRPs as available outside are not permitted in the airports? I repeatedly write about the water-woes, as the MNCs have settled in controlling the essentials and holding us in ransom.

The coffee from the Udipi and others were no different, save, it cost then between Rs.5 and 10 No coffee is less than Rs.25 and could go up to Rs.200 depending on the ingredients added, including the golden cow urine.

The upset passenger couldn’t match my tenacity and quit. I am now alone in a three seater, as I hurriedly take my bag and place it on my left seat and put my books and laptop on the left one, as I begin looking at charming ladies to dove my hat and rise to offer my next seat!

Penalty? You must be kidding!

Sampath Kumar
Intrépide voix

I hate circuses!

Being non-partisan and sane is difficult. Either you must be a supporter of Modi or Rahul Gandhi. One’s posts are seen merely as to whether they are supportive of one or the other, or attacking either of the duos.

My post captioned comedy, of Rahul equating Coca-Cola owners as Shikanji sellers and many famous car company founders as mechanics promptly was met with snide remarks, and a respected friend wondered why I have not reacted to PM Modi’s comment on Ganesha’s as being the first head transplant on earth. I had promptly responded in my usual way, expressing my anguish at the absurdities, including those of a CSIR lab spending much of their resources on finding gold in cow’s urine, or Baba Ramdev trying to generate power from buffaloes. I have also severely criticised our bizarre claims of being the first to invent aeroplanes and that the Pushpak Viman mentioned in our epics being clear proof of same.

Idiosyncrasies are abounding in our country, where science is questioned, and myths are cherished. It’s not uncommon when religion plays a prominent role in guiding lifestyles of the citizens.

Be that as it may, my reprimanding the many embarrassing and avoidable statements of the BJP leaders, does not change my stand on Rahul Gandhi a bit. He is a comedian and dreams of being the Prime Minister of India. It is sycophancy at its best display when congress supporters refuse to realise the steep downfall of the party under the Gandhis. Congress had and now too, has many able leaders beyond Gandhi, that’s only if the supporters decide to revive the party.

The like of Dig Vijay Singh, Ashok Gehlot (who in an address states that rivers lose their power as electricity is extracted from it!), the incorrigible Mani Shankar Iyer, or the long list of corrupt elements headed by P Chidambaram Chettiar have all become the liability to the party. As long the party cannot look beyond Gandhi’s, BJP could by default, win the elections.

I wrote earlier, I do not hold the brief for BJP, but elect a comedian, and you can watch a circus, free!

Sampath Kumar
Intrépide voix

pic courtesy: times of india

The handshake that shook the world!

The much-publicised meeting between the US President Donald Trump and the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un did take place in Singapore yesterday, after a virtual flower petal game by the US president, to call off the summit and to keep it alive, alternatively at the same time. Such postures of the POTUS are hardly surprising, knowing Trump’s predictable unpredictability.

Kim seems an extraordinary leader of a nation, a rogue for the west just until the other day and a sudden friend of the US president after the summit. The Korean leader, who managed to keep the world on tenterhooks with his threat of bombing South Korea, Japan and even the USA and suddenly mellowing down to the extent of ‘looking forward’ for the summit with the US President, has surprised many.

China virtually controls North Korea’s economy and the success of the summit and Kim’s offer to denuclearise the Korean Peninsula must surely be a shock to China. The POTUS flying down to Singapore to meet Kim may not be merely for a peace Nobel for another president but has much greater ramification on the Pacific and to China.

China has been flexing its muscles on the South China Sea, the passage which controls trillions of dollars’ worth of maritime trade. China has also usurped large tracts of offshore properties, rich in oil and mineral resources, causing heartburn in several nations like Indonesia, Vietnam etc. It has built an air force base on a disputed island and menacingly growling the seas with its aircraft carrier and other armadas on the waters.

A concerned US, Japan, Australia and India have joined ranks to decry the Chinese manoeuvres and India has also started regularly participating in joint naval exercises to counter China’s threats. The US was looking to defang China and what better option could it have had than weaning Kim away, at least for the moment.

While Japan and South Korea could be heaving a sigh of relief, welcoming the developments, the Chinese have maintained a studied silence so far. Kim has demanded safety of his reign and has seemingly extracted an assurance from the American president, though the latter’s poor record in keeping his words are well known.

As far as India is concerned, we should be one of the first nations to strengthen our diplomatic relations and should revive our trade with North Korea. Malaysia has already announced to reopen its embassy in North Korea, and many would follow soon.

I guess it is the best achievement by Trump so far in his tenure, pushing the ticking atomic clock substantially away. If two nations, which just the other week called each other names and threatened to pulverise one another could meet and shake hands, it shows that diplomacy and statesmanship are still alive. When they could make peace, can we, with our recalcitrant neighbour ever? The Singapore summit plainly says the day may not be far off!

Sampath Kumar
Intrépide voix

Pic courtesy: nbc news

Status, what is?

Men, from time immemorial, have tried to stand out in their outlandish quest to be outstanding.

In the 16-17 centuries possessing pineapples were a status symbol and those who had wouldn’t eat and were happy even exhibiting rotten pineapples. Renting out a pineapple for an evening to impress their guests wasn’t uncommon. If board games were gifted to show status at some period, wearing long pointed shoes was considered a rank in the 16th century. Tip of the boots often extended up to 2 feet. Edward III of England even restricted shoe length to six inches for commoners, fifteen inches for gentlemen, and more extended tips for the nobility.

Nobility in Europe picked up from Africa and the Middle East to display massive quantities of sugar to show their enormous power of wealth. Sugar assets were considered a luxury and befitting only the wealthy. Followed by sugar was teeth rotting, apparently from over-consumption of sugar, and such rotten teeth became a symbol of status. If the Japanese women blackened their teeth to show their maturity, the Mayans sharpened their teeth like fangs to show their fierceness.

Wealthy Victorians would buy up mummies to unwrap before their dinner guests, and Chinese women would cripple their feet to small and pointed forms as a symbol of high status. Early twentieth century men flaunted their wealth by being obese, a few tribes across Africa and Latin America deforming their skull into long and flat to show their upper-crest.

Collars and cuffs became a symbol of the rich, to prove that they need not work for a living. With the invention of radium, people queued up in front of the x-ray machines to have a ‘photo’ of their bones or skeletons. Only the very rich could afford one, and it was a status symbol to display it prominently at their homes.

Silk, Headgears, moustaches have all found a place to flaunt their exalted positions in the society as did inhaling a pinch of snuff for women in England. India too had its share, Namboodris of Kerala flaunting their tress on the right top of the head, vocal heraldry preceded higher caste Brahmins to ensure the shadow of the lower caste people does not fall on their masters.

Today, however, black-cat commandoes are a specific status symbol, politicians demanding at least one. Income raids elevated one’s social standing as selfies with leaders are (this around the world). Managing an invitation and be seen in conspicuous seats are cravings for many, as frequent appearances in media by greasing the palm of the presspersons. Wearing white starched ‘veshti,’ stiff over-sized shirts and adorning long ‘angavasthrams’ of appropriate lengths and party colours propel one as unique in the south of India. In North India, it is Modi coat, even if it is sweltering heat!

In West Bengal however, display of party badges of events on the dashboards keeps police away and gives the owner free parking. For commoners, it is wearing a Pyjama and half-sleeved Kurta invariably with a shining new sports shoes symbolises that one is in the ‘league.’

In the pic is a car, belonging to a contractor, parked in my locality! Jai Hind!

Sampath Kumar
Intrépide voix