World Heart Day!

Today is International Heart Day. A heart could be the most important organ in our body, pumping blood and oxygen and nutrients in our body and carrying the metabolic waste like carbon dioxide to the lungs.

The muscular organ pumps blood non-stop from a foetus stage until one ceases to live, that is when the heart stops. The heart pumps about 55-80 ml (1/3 cup) of blood with each beat for adults and around 25-85 ml per beat for children. Your heart beats about 100,000 times in one day and about 35 million times in a year. During an average lifetime, the human heart will beat more than 2.5 billion times. An adult heart pumps about 6,000-7,500 litres of blood daily. The average adult body contains almost five litres of blood, which continually circulates throughout the body.

In one day, the blood travels a total of 19,000 km that’s nearly six times the distance across India from end to end. The heart pumps about 1 million barrels of blood during an average lifetime—that’s enough to fill more than three supertankers or sixty swimming pools.  According to the Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA), a swimming pool for Olympic and world championship events must measure 50 m by 25 m with a depth of at least 2 m for a total volume of 16,000 oil barrels.

Heart transplants are not infrequent anymore and harvesting of hearts from the brain-dead, as like other organs common. Heart surgeries are more successful and the fatality or failures or lesser than in comparison to various other surgeries.

Be that as it may, besides the biological definition, the heart is also presumed for joining or breaking relationships. A failed love is described as heartbroken, and a rude lover, heartless, none blaming the brain, which controls the thinking.

The average heart is the size of a fist in an adult. The fairy fly, which is a kind of wasp, has the smallest heart of any living creature. The American pygmy shrew is the smallest mammal, but it has the fastest heartbeat at 1,200 beats per minute, turtles have 25 beats per minute and whales have the largest heart of any mammal, and a blue whale’s heart beats just twice a minute when it dives for food. The giraffe has a crooked heart, with their left ventricle being thicker than the right. This is because the left side has to get blood up the giraffe’s long neck to reach their brain. 

There are also numerous animals with no hearts at all, including starfish, sea cucumbers and coral. Jellyfish can grow quite large, but they also don’t have hearts, or brains, or central nervous systems. It’s working for them, though. They’ve been around at least 500 million years. 

What about world politicians?

Sampath Kumar

Intrépide Voix

Pic: Kamadeva, the Hindu God of love.

The disquieting politics!

JP Nadda, the President of the BJP, announced the much-awaited National Team of the Bhartiya Janata Party yesterday. It is significant in terms of the looming Assam, Bihar, Kerala, Pondicherry, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal elections, some as close as of Oct and until May 2021. There would be a by-poll in Madhya Pradesh as well.

BJP won the elections in 2014 primarily not on its strength or touting the history of governance through past the NDA coalition. It won straight over the plank of corruption in the UPA, the Congress party in particular and the members of the Gandhi family. BJP was not different in the voters’ mind than their political masters, the RSS, who were sticklers for strict discipline in public life.

Despite the loud accusations, no member of the Gandhi family is behind bars, despite the hardcore Sangh Parivar hoping that a few of them are incarcerated. Bungling over the demonetization and lacklustre job creation had added the woes of the party. Losing elections and winning a few opposition MLAs, like the BJP did in Madhya Pradesh may not help their cleaner party image. The party is struggling to keep up their momentum to increase their presence in the upcoming State Assembly elections. 

The long lingering Covid pandemic has caused more harm to the economy and has influenced the moods of the people. The government’s response to China over the disquiet on the northern borders may not yield many swings in the immediate elections. It is not surprising that the national party is vying to lean on the dead hero Sushant Singh Rajput as a poll mascot. The indisposed Lalu in jail and his son a poor comparison, JDU-BJP combination, led by Nitish Kumar would sail through despite the incumbency factor.

However, BJP’s image is seriously dented when they show their desperation and include a tainted leader like Mukul Roy as their Vice-President. The BJP’s old brigade and the dropped leaders like Rahul Sinha have come with scathing attacks over the altering philosophy of their once puritan party. Some, I hear, would quit and more will move back to Mamata’s TMC in West Bengal.

The other aspect of the committee is South India is poorly represented, confirming the party’s orientation and limitation as a Hindi-belt one. If the attempts to inaugurate the Ram temple before the 2024 elections can swing the elections in BJP’s favour, it will have little impact in the south. It seems that the BJP has virtually conceded the south to the regional outfits, relying on the powers of the investigative agencies to help during the crucial votes in parliament. Walkouts by political opponents besieged by scam-investigations by the CBI and the ED during crucial voting are becoming too familiar.

Pakistan will not ever repeat a mistake of provoking Modi and giving him an opportunity as they did in Pulwama. Despite the standoffs with China, I expect no war or even a limited battle, considering the implications. The BJP must therefore look closely into more earthly issues, rather than trusting in celestial patronage.

Rise of regional parties all over will also increase the rise the political din, forcing compromises that may not augur well for India.

Sampath Kumar

Intrépide Voix

The dark stars!

What seemed to be a simple case of suicide by Sushant Singh Rajput (SSR) is still not demystified even after nearly three months. Arnab Goswami led Republic Channel held on, apparently knowing more than what met the eyes. The episode has now emerged like the tentacles of octopuses into sex, drugs, mafia influence afflicting the world of celluloid. 

Rhea continues under detention and has named a few others, who in turn have named a few more, the list now including the A grade artists like Deepika Padukone, Shraddha Kapoor, Rakul Preet, Sara Ali Khan and the likes. In the centre is many from Kwan, its CEO Dhruv Chitgopekar and Madhu Mantena, Jaya Saha and Karishma- Deepika’s manager, the names most never would have heard before. 

The investigation which began as a suicide or murder case is now a full-blown drug racket, needing many agencies to co-ordinate and act together.

The proliferation of drugs into youths is not a secret at all.  Rave parties are rarely without hard drugs. The peddlers often push the drugs initially for free and succumb and enslave one. They, in turn, become pushers, and the circle expands. The addiction often results in a point of no return, where a son could kill his mother for refusing to part with money for buying drugs. 

Stars are celebrities and are keenly watched and imitated by the youths in the country. Most think that the movie image is real, unaware of a face behind the mask. If they were responsible, they would not have blatantly disregarded the laws and could be seen consuming with psychotropic substances openly before cameras. The drug mafia benefitted by such boisterous acts, as it beneficially impacted by luring many more into customers.  Drugs are no longer taboo and have become a status symbol for the party hosts to ensure steady supplies. It had to end.

I only have to quote one actor, Sanjay Dutt, who was the naughty boy of Bollywood. He was a criminal to the core by breaking many laws, from possessing offensive firearms, to the consumption of drugs and served a stiff term in the jail. He admitted his mistakes and came out a reformed human and the world forgave him and even making his comeback film yet another success.

Movie stars, most are bad examples in real life, and the roles they play in the movie is for the gullible viewers only. The huge revenues, shifting from the cheap standalone movie halls to glitzy cineplexes, have all made stardom more attractive than ever. Therefore, the mafia doesn’t want to loosen their stranglehold with money and drugs.

What the government doing is not a witch-hunt, but a much-needed cleanup of the dirt under the movie carpet. The gory tales of casting couches must end, the drugs mafia must be booted out, for now, and forever. SSR has died but helped in a massive sanitization of the industry for the benefit of all.

Sampath Kumar

Intrépide Voix

The standoff in the Parliament!

Rajya Sabha witnessed tumultuous scenes over the passage of the farm bills by a voice vote, despite the opposition demanding a division, which the deputy chairman of the House declined. It followed a rush into the well and throwing the rule book at the speaker. After the customary adjournment of the House, the speaker suspended seven MPs for a week. The MPs sat in dharna near the statue of Gandhi outside the Parliament. The sit-out is on.

Rule 378, 373 and 374A have very clearly laid down not only about the absolute powers of the speaker but also the automatic suspension for breaching into the well or abusing the rules of the House persistently and wilfully.

Such indiscretions are not the first time, though. A reformist PM Man Mohan Singh, suffering from the loss of majority and an abortive attempt of a no-confidence by a former ally Trinamool Congress. MMS pleaded, “We all have an obligation, in opposition as well as in government to work together to enable our parliamentary democracy.”

Earlier this year the BJP and the Congress members pushed and shoved each other in Lok Sabha over the communal riots in Delhi. The Parliament was repeatedly adjourned, and no business could be conducted.

The winter session of the 2010 Lok Sabha was the worst in terms of legislative performance in the last 25 years. The Rajya Sabha’s performance over the same period was even worse. The LS worked for barely 5.5% of the time available, and the Rajya Sabha worked for barely 2.4% of the time available. In Nov 1995 during the Sukhram telecom controversy and during 2004 when the opposition demanded the removal of the tainted ministers paralyzing the Parliament. Despite the lows, 40% of the legislative business was carried on even then.

The champion brawlers, however, could be the Taiwanese parliamentarians, who released their clenched fists at the opponents first in the 80s, the South Koreans running a close second registering their first parliamentary punch in 2004. The East European lawmakers also love to take on their opponents at the drop of a hat, the Ukrainians leading the pack.

The Australians are known for openness in their expressions, their former PM Paul Keating referring to opponents as ‘scumbags, brain-damaged of foul-mouth pugs.’ The backbenchers in the English Parliament are known boors, jeering at the opposition. While calling someone ‘liar’ is frowned upon in the English Parliament, Churchill coined the euphemism, ‘terminological inexactitude’ to circumvent the problem.

Merely for calling out, ‘you lie’ to President Obama during his address to the Congress, the US House of Representatives voted to admonish the offender, Rep Joe Wilson.

Parliament could be a fabulous place, of exchanges of wit and wisdom while enacting legislation in the interest of the nation, all in a spirit of camaraderie and tolerance.

Hmmm!

Sampath Kumar
Intrépide Voix

The farm Bills 2020!

The Indian farm sector is significant, providing employment to 42.38% population in 2019 and having a share of 16% of the Indian GDP. It is the seventh-largest Agri-exporter in the world and is the top milk producer and the second in wheat and rice production. However, the mismatch between inputs cost and realization in farm produce have regularly resulted in farmers taking to protests or committing suicides. If the lack of logistical support in reaching from farm to the platter is one cause, monopolization of middlemen, often politicians, have adversely affected the lives and fortunes of the farmers.

We need to look into the three farmer bills 2020 passed by Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha this week.

The first is the Bill on the agricultural market, giving liberty to the farmers to sell outside the States sponsored agricultural Mandis, including inter-state and intra-state free trade by the farmers. To provide e-platforms for trading by the farmers.

The second is The Farmer (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, among other benefits, would enable farmers to engage directly with corporates for future trades as contracted prices; for the smaller farmers to aggregate their units to enter into contracts with agribusiness firms, processors of wholesalers.

The third Bill, The essential commodities (Amendment) Bill 2020, does away with many draconian provisions earlier existed doing away with stockholding limits etc., to invite FDIs into the farming sector and to improve the farm infrastructure to optimize the yield to farmers.

The introduction of the Bill witnessed the resignation of Hasimrat Badal, a Union Cabinet Minister representing Shiromani AkaliDal and a long-time ally of the BJP. The apprehension of the farmers fed to the predatory corporates have fuelled fears and have resulted in prompt protest marches in many parts of Northern India. Not surprisingly, the Rajya Sabha witnessed tumultuous scenes with the opposition members converging on the well and tearing the bill copy.

Farmers’ lives in the seventy-three years of India’s independence, despite the phenomenal growth in the farming sector, has not improved at all. Politicians and large farmers largely usurp the Income-tax exemptions. The middlemen control the destiny of the farmers, be it abundance produce or the lack of it due to the vagaries of weather. The land size can never increase, but the output per acre can be increased if proper technology and machines, farming methods and inputs are introduced.

The opposing states, rather than outright rejecting the bills, merely because a politically intolerable government brings it, must try to explore the benefits that may accrue to the farmers in the long run. The unaltered provisions of Minimum Support Prices, which continue to stay has been conveniently overlooked by the opposing members. 

I have witnessed the cold storages, despite the ownerships, were managed by the party leaders, who would decide how much tonnage of produce, potatoes, could be accommodated. For those identified as opposition party sympathizers, they were forced to resort to distress selling. If the Bill could end such disorders, I would welcome, such without any hesitation. 

Cereal yield, kg per hectare in India, is 2647.2 as against the US 6624.4. Should we not try to reach three times more like the other?

Keeping farmers in perpetual poverty may be politically beneficial for a few, but for the nation, it may not be an ideal option.

We must move forward.

Sampath Kumar

Intrépide Voix

The busted dream of China and Xi.

Disturbances had started in China over the US trade embargo closing down many thousands of factories around their country and rendering millions jobless. The Communist leadership could not do another Tiananmen type crushing of the protestors. Simultaneously, Hong Kong youth were restive, and the six-month-long protests showed no abatement. The USA threatened further sanctions over HK, the UK and Australia offering citizenship to the HK Chinese and the EU too fuming at the abuse of the civil rights by the Chinese government.

The Doklam standoff with India went horribly wrong; China forced an ignominious retreat. The idea of China monopolizing the South China Seas was challenged from the US, Japan, Australia, India, Taiwan, Vietnam and the Philippines. The invincibility of President Xi came under severe threat, as his detractors within the party were waiting for an opportune time to pounce.

The Covid appearance on the scene could not have been in an inopportune time than now. The deaths could have been much more than official admissions. The migrant Chinese in millions, from rural China, thronging to the Chinese cities suffered the most. The Chinese Communist Party had to hurriedly restore the prestige of China among the world and more importantly, to revive the image of President Xi. Xi had to be returned as the undisputable leader among his Chinese detractors within the party.

China could be living in a time warp as far as India is concerned. The Chinese Communist Party did the predictable move, pushing the PLA to wage a battle in the Galwan valley on July 15th, 2020, where 20 Indian soldiers were killed. The encounter was in 45 years. The joy was short-lived for Xi, as the well-prepared Indian army refused to be bullied and decisively repulsed the Chinese army. The US intelligence leaks of the deaths of more than sixty Chinese soldiers further wounded the pride of the CCP, and in particular President Xi. Indian army is now well-positioned on all the vantage heights, giving it a strategic advantage.

The induction of the menacing Rafale jets in IAF and stationed at Ambala is no great news for China either. A fuming Xi had to make quick decisions and to make amends immediately. The Chinese trade scenario is full of quid pro quo sweet deals to nations under severe financial stress. If it continues the trend, the trillions in its tranche will melt too soon.

Xi, therefore, will do the next predictable move! Muster the artillery and air force to Ladakh and wager one more time an attack on India. Our army is better suited for the icy winters of Ladakh and is ready to take on the Chinese. A loss in the battle will be the end of Xi’s political career, which he cannot afford. He might turn towards their friend, Pakistan to engage in a second front for India.

It is not without reason that our EAM made an unscheduled stopover at Iran; to minimize the possibility of the use of Iranian port and facilities in case of a war with China. If there is a war, India will not be alone, and it will end the hegemonistic domination of the dragon once and for all. The dream of China becoming a global super-power will be decimated for long.

I hope India and China, both under severe economic stress, will try and avoid conflict, big or small, at this juncture. But if forced, it will be the tricolour that will flutter higher.

Jai Hind.

Sampath Kumar

Intrépide Voix

Shadowboxing!

Indian news watchers are torn into different segments, many who are saddened by the suicide of Sushant Singh Rajput. The second are those who are certain about the deep influence of the drugs mafia in Bollywood. The third are those who are certain that the death was a murder, and consequently starting a hunt for probable faces of the killer. Rhea Chakravarty, the girlfriend of Sushant, fitted the bill well. Soon emerged a new set of people, lamenting over the abuse of woman characterized as a drug pusher, stealer of Sushant’s fortunes, a crafty witch and what not.

And there was Arnab Goswami, who from his inherent investigative skills was more than sure that the Mumbai police were hiding the facts, ostensibly because of the involvement of State political leader. It is difficult to maintain a tempo on a story that would not have merited more than three or four repeats, and most other TV channels initially ignored the death of the star, beyond being dismissive and sad of the suicide. The TRPs of Republic TV Channel woke all from the slumber and rushed to the scene of the crime. We see now a non-stop eighty-six days of the telecast, extending to the dead actor’s cooks, servants, drivers, gym trainer, remotely connected village pals et al.

But for the media, this story would have been buried in the maze of another ‘suicide case and closed.’

True to the spirit of any ‘Sena,’ loosely translated as an army, Shiv Sena stood firm in attacking disparagingly the Bihar police, who came out to investigate the death of one of their natives. The Sena and the Mumbai police also threw their weight to support Rhea, the victimized soul. A competition channel was commissioned to do a lengthy interview of Sushant’s girlfriend.

The melee by the Mumbai Police, the Bihar cops, the CBI sleuths, the courts, the politicians and the Bollywood stars were not to be missed out as all and sundry gave bytes. Kangana Ranaut, another outspoken and daredevil actor, grabbed the limelight criticizing the druglords of Bollywood and the Sena Parivar. The Sena mandarins, in the most predictable and boorish manner, retorted, threatening Kangana if she dared to step into Maharashtra. The Sena stand was music to the ears of BJP, watching from the sidelines. The Congress leaders too were rattled by an unrepentant Sena, as the Centre announced a 24×7 ‘Y’ category security to Kangana. The demented Bombay Municipal Corporation, regardless of the political fallout, went berserk and today demolished a portion of Kangana’s Mumbai office, alleging illegal construction. The court has halted the demolition and has summoned the BMC seeing explanations.

Sushant suicide is momentarily forgotten as the scene has developed into an absorbing thriller. Bigger players from the shadows are stepping in as the stakes are becoming bigger. Kangana is an agent provocateur, and Shiv Sena has fallen victim by their characteristic arrogance.

It will be interesting to see how many of those championing free speech come out to comment against the blatant misuse of power by the Sainiks. The story has not ended, as more episodes are to come, keeping our dull, dormant Covid times spirited.

Sampath Kumar
Intrépide Voix

The trial by media- Sushant Singh Rajput’s!

I recall a real crime thriller hogging the limelight in 1994 in the USA, the O.J. Simpson murder trial. O.J. Simpson was an American celebrity, a former National Football League (NFL) player, broadcaster and an actor. Simpson was accused of killing his ex-wife and her boyfriend and pronounced ‘not-guilty’ by the jury, in a trial that lasted eight months with the examination of 150 witnesses. A civil suit was later filed in which the jury found Simpson responsible for the deaths and awarded $33.5 million in damages. The trials never for once lost the primetime slots in either the television channels or the print media as millions of Americans were intensely following the events. His attempted escape telecast live had 95 million Americans watching the episode.

Indian media, in particular, the television channels too are deep in the ‘O.J. Simpson- syndrome.’ The events started with the alleged suicide of a Bollywood star Sushant Singh Rajput (SSR), who shot to fame by his portrayal of the famous cricketer, M.S. Dhoni. His acting skills may be of irrelevance in this post. SSR was found hanging, when he did not respond to the knocks on his door, taken to the hospital, pronounced dead and a quick ‘no-foul play’ detected report filed by the Mumbai police.

The case was as much closed, but for an angry-bird T.V. anchor, who was summoned by the Mumbai police and grilled for long hours, puncturing his super-ego and presumed ‘conscience of the nation.’ It is election time in Bihar, and SSR, a Bihari’s death was a clincher for most politicians who swung into action. Soon a posse of police officers from Bihar landed in Mumbai to ascertain the ‘facts.’ The bruised Mumbai cops retorted by confining the top cop from Bihar into a ‘punitive quarantine.’

Bihar exploded, and for once political parties forgot their political conflicts and moved the court. The quarantine was lifted, and the court further permitted the Bihar Government’s request to hand over the investigation to the CBI. The media, by now had concluded that it was a murder and had to find a murderer. SSR’s girlfriend became the target of a vicious and scandalous attack, for the alleged killing as well as a drug trader. Soon, the waiting sleuths spread out and picked a few extra-actors from Goa and elsewhere, who were drug pushers to Bollywood.

The neglected enforcement Directorate too found a scope to chip in and did a forensic audit to nail transactions in crores, nothing unusual in an actor of SSR’s stature. The agencies are continuously interrogating many, the girlfriend of SSR in particular, who has supposedly admitted to procuring drugs. The T.V. channels are euphoric with a ‘We were the first to tell told you so.’ The show is on.

The Delhi gossip is that Bollywood was similar like the JNU and Aligarh Muslim University to the Central Government. Most abhorred BJP and PM Modi. Religious fundamentalism card was played at every by the Centre to peek a closer look at the film industry. The mafia funds Bollywood; monies flow in and out of the country through hawala channels and bogus film exports and revenues collected abroad. The new actors are sexually exploited and the use of drugs and psychotropic substances rampant. Political leaders are often honey-trapped, causing a breach of security to the country. SSR’s case has been a godsend to cleanse the murky world of films. No wonder, the bad boys of Bollywood are hiding and not seen zooming in their SUVs in the wee hours mowing people down.

SSR’s death is sad, and a young life was ended brutally, be it by killing or suicide. There is nothing wrong in getting to the logical ends to dig the truth out. However, the media should stop now and allow the investigative agencies to do their jobs.

Sampath Kumar

Intrépide Voix