A Tribute To My Plant Loving Friends.

This morning when I went to my backyard, I saw this new plant (The one with a red mark around it). It is called 'Dodda patre' in kannada. I understand that the English name is 'Mexican Mint'. It is the latest addition to the plants which our domestic help Shabana has planted in our compound. The others which she had/has planted are Papaya, Lemon, Chillies, Pineapple, Maize, Aloe vera, and few leafy vegetables like Methi, Dhaniya etc etc.

Shabana is an inveterate planter. In the little bit of space available around our house, she plants any sapling that she can lay her hands upon. She plants them, waters them and leaves the rest to god almighty. Some survive and some do not. She is happy if they come up. If they wither away, for whatever reason, she will plant something else in the place. She never informs us what she has planted, never expects any returns from her plants, never expresses happiness or sorrow about them thriving/ dying!
As far as plants are concerned, she is a 'Karmayogi'!

Similarly there are many other plants around our house, which have been planted by people who were associated with us as helpers, either in my clinic or in the house.

Vasanti, Rajashree, Savita and Ajja are some of the names which come to my mind. All the plants, the pictures of which you see posted here are planted by these people. Their names are there on the pictures.

I wonder why they do it? The space does not belong to them. They are not paid for the job. They are not sure if they would be around to enjoy the fruits of their labour. They have nothing to gain from the activity. But they do it - just for the pleasure of bringing up a plant !

I consider them real lovers of plants/nature. They found a place where a plant could grow, they found a plant and they planted it. Just so that a plant comes up and thrives. Absolutely selfless service to nature!

We, ie my social group POP, did some service too. We planted about eighty plants around the walking track in our sports grounds. Not just planted them, watered and manured them over the last three years. Now they have grown tall and are trees ! Sixty five of them ! It is a very satisfying work. One of the pictures here, show me tying a number on one of them some six months after planting, nearly three years ago.

Incidentally this year we planted new saplings in places where our plants did not survive. What we have done is for the benefit of the society of which we are a part. We got credit for the work and some pats on the back. And it is a pleasure to walk on the track next to the trees and we are free to enjoy it like all others. I can’t call our work entirely selfless.

But no one noticed the work of those I have named above. They did not get any credit for their efforts. I just accepted their work as a matter of fact and did not even utter a word of appreciation. A lapse on my part.
I feel that these are the really selfless, well meaning lot. This post is to acknowledge their efforts. My tribute to all of them and their selfless act.

Corrupt Politician ? Corrupt Society ?

What I have written below has been churning around in my mind for a

longtime. The latest political drama being staged in Goa and Karnataka

has brought them out. Unlike my usual short bits, this turned out to be a

little long. They are just my thoughts which one may or may not agree with.

You may even ignore it entirely. Nothing would be lost !

The dramas mentioned above, running for the last few days, have provided

considerable entertainment and material for ‘time pass’. I call it entertainment

and time pass because nobody takes these things seriously anymore. We

enjoy the drama without realising the fact that it is being enacted at our cost,

figuratively and literally. 

The congress party in Karnataka is fuming (since it still has some MLAs in the

party and is capable of fuming) and playing ‘tug of war’ for power, fortified by

the speaker’s strength on its side. 

The congress in Goa is capable of neither fuming nor playing tug of war.

Having been reduced to ashes, it is just giving out the last few wisps of smoke. 

There has been considerable out pour of disgust and anguish and there is a

sense of betrayal amongst many voters in Goa. It is very much visible on the

‘social media’ and is  being expressed without any restraints. 

This is not the first time that our politicians are evoking such responses from the

voters. Our leaders have thrown the morals out long back. Their party hopping,

corrupt practices, involvement in crime and so on have evoked very strong

reactions, rather abuses, from the voters.  

But what surprises me is that the same leaders, who are freely cursed and against

whom abuses are heaped, contest the elections within weeks/months, much before

the memory of their wrongdoing is erased, and win comfortably. Just look at the

very recent happenings in Goa and the happenings just a year or two ago, elsewhere. 

Sriramulu, Reddy brothers, Jayalalitha and Sashikala were not just accused but

convicted and put in jail to serve terms. But they themselves won the subsequent

elections or when they could not contest, people put up by them, have won. Not

barely won, won by thumping majority. 

Vishwajit Rane, Shirodkar and Sopte elicited aversion amongst the voters for their

cunning and changing of colours but all of them won the elections. (Elections

entirely for their benefit, for which we paid)

Babush is facing trial for serious crimes, but he contested the election and won !!

(Congress leaders campaigned for him and celebrated his winning -  now repenting

the same, too late !)

How does it happen? If you look at the reaction of the society immediately after

the wrongdoing of the politician comes to light, you would feel that he/she would

never ever be able to move freely in the society, let alone win an election. But

he/she does win. Nobody seems to rue their winning. On the other hand their

supporters celebrate and others watch !

It is very intriguing. I am not sure if any of my friends have given a thought to this.

I am sure that our politicians know what makes them win and are certain that they

would win again. That is the reason why they don’t care for the public opinion or

image and do what they please. What matters to them are their convenience and profit.  

I feel that most of the supporters/voters of a particular politician will have usually

obtained favours (mostly un due) in some form or the other. With the power and

money at the disposal of our leaders, it is not difficult for them to dish out such f

avours. It could be direct financial help, help in getting jobs, handing out local

body/government contracts, dishing out government freebies  (undue or out of turn),

arranging for government permissions, overcoming official hurdles and so on. 

By doing so, the leaders would have in their pockets hundreds or thousands of

voters who just care for their personal gain. These voters just ignore the wrong

doings of their politicians or even tacitly support the same. They want him/her in

power - morals and ethics be damned! 

These people are not unknown, faceless characters. They may be very well known

to me and you or even be me and you ! 

What I am coming to is, we as a society have become corrupt. Since we do not

want to accept ourselves as corrupt, we blame the politicians. Of course, they

( I mean most of them) are the personification of everything corrupt around us.

All our comments of disgust, talks about morality etc etc are for exhibition and

hence, our votes do not reflect these feelings !

So it is time to face it and accept the fact that we, as a society are corrupt - in some

form or the other and hence we keep electing our corrupt politicians again and again.

‘Yatha praja - Tatha Raaja’ !!  Whatever is happening on the stage is happening

because it has our backing. So let us not blame the politicians. Four fingers are

pointing towards us !! 

Monsoon Greenery

Monsoon was delayed this year and I was worried. That is one season

I enjoy the most. As I have mentioned earlier, it cleans the roads, eliminates

dust, washes away the trash and the abundant overgrowth of wild greenery

makes the surroundings green and beautiful. And most important, I am

assured of my water supply for another year. 

Two to three weeks into the season, everything around me is green. I get

excited and carried away. I take pictures of the roadside bushes, creepers

and wild plants and post them everywhere !  

Here I am, getting excited about the wild creepers grown around me which

have formed a festoon of green over the  fences, electric poles, tree trunks,

metal grills, cement balustrades and everything. Nothing great, just very

ordinary things which you may see all around you, all the time

but not notice !! 

I am just sharing my excitement.

Can't Set A Deadline !

We will restart mining. - (as soon as we get all clearances) - Ex CM Late Sri Parrikar
When is that sir ?
Can't set a deadline. Depends on central government.

We will hot mix all Ponda roads - (as soon as sewarage work is completed) - Ex PWD

 Minister Sri Dhavalikar
When is that sir?
Can't set a deadline. Depends on contractor.

We will shift all casinos to Mopa - (as soon as the place is notified and casino 

policy put in place) - CM Sri Sawant
When is that sir ?
Can't set a deadline. Depends on various factors.

I will stop writing these posts - (as soon as our politicians stop making these 

stupid statements) - Raghunandan
When is that sir ?
Can't set a deadline. Depends on politicians. Probably not in my lifetime !

Krishnarpana and the Wildlife act !

I was talking to a relative yesterday. It was Ekadashi.  I enquired casually

 " ಏನು ತಿಂಡಿ ಆಯ್ತಾ ?"  (did you have your breakfast ?)

 "ಓ ಆಯ್ತು. ಎರಡೇ ಎರಡು ಇಡ್ಲಿ ಲೈಟಾಗಿ. ಏಕಾದಶಿ ಅಲ್ವ ?" (Had just two idlis. Ekadashi today)

"ಕೃಷ್ಣಾರ್ಪಣ ಅಂದಿ ತಾನೇ ?"  (did you say Krishnarpana after eating ?)

" ಏ ಇವತ್ತು ಏಕಾದಶಿ. ಕೃಷ್ಣಾರ್ಪಣ ಅನ್ನಬಾರ್ದು " (Oh no. Shouldn't say Krishnarpana on Ekadashi day)

I had to explain to him that "ಕೃಷ್ಣಾರ್ಪಣ ಅನ್ನಬಾರದು ಅಂದ್ರೆ, ಏನೂ ತಿನ್ನ್ನಬಾರದು ಅಂತ ಅರ್ಥ. ಅದನ್ನು ಮೀರಿ ನೀನು ತಿನ್ನುವುದಾದರೆ 'ಕೃಷ್ಣಾರ್ಪಣ' ಅನ್ನುವುದು ತಪ್ಪಲ್ಲ.  ಏಕಾದಶಿ ನಿನಗೆ. ಕೃಷ್ಣನಿಗಲ್ಲ ! "  (not saying Krishnarpana on Ekadashi means, not eating anything. If you still eat something, atleast say Krishnarpana !)

Reminds me of our Goa Government's implementation of forest rules. The path from Kule in south Goa to Dudhsaagar Falls is about 12 kms and runs through a wild life reserve.  Running jeeps on the route to take tourists to Dudhsaagar  and back is a business (they call it livelihood) for the local people. They have a strong lobby and have obtained permission to run the jeeps through the reserve forest. There are 450 jeeps registered for the purpose. The track is open from 6 am to 4 pm or so and hundreds of trips are made every day.  It is a narrow mud track and lumps of stone are haphazardly strewn on it all the away so that the wheels get some grip. If you walk on the track, you find a jeep passing you every thirty seconds.

When questioned as to why that road is not properly built and asphalted when hundreds of jeeps are running there, the answer is "Making road inside a wildlife sanctuary is prohibited by wild life act"

Now the act prohibits making a road because the traffic on the road would cause disturbance to wildlife. The intention is to prevent vehicles running in the forest.

The Goa government has not constructed the road but has issued permission for 450 jeeps are  to run through the reserved forest everyday !

Godse, Gandhi and us.

Kamal Hassan stated :  “Nathuram Godse was independent India’s first terrorist”.  

Stupid of him. He is a good actor but that’s about it. He doesn’t know the difference

between an assassin and a terrorist. His statement should have been ignored.

But we have a tendency to attach some value to every thing our stupid celebrities utter.

Sadhwi Pragya reacted : “Godse was a patriot”.  Personally, I don’t find anything wrong

in her statement. That is HER opinion.

I read that BJP forced her to apologise for making that statement. I can understand.

Here, votes are involved. One phase of election is still pending. There are voters

whose fingers may shift to other buttons on hearing a BJP person speaking in

support of Godse.

Now what is surprising is our PM getting wild and saying “can’t forgive Pragya for

Godse remark”. Does he really mean it ? I was under the impression that he has

better mental abilities.  Or, did he make that statement with the pending phase of

election in mind ?

Gandhi is a great man. Agreed. We call him father of our country and revere him.

Right. And he deserves the respect and reverence. But can’t someone - Godse in this case

- for whatever reason - hate Gandhi but love India ?  

Why are we mixing up things?

Mangalore - In Summer ??

Our walking/Swimming group made a trip to Mangalore last week end.

No one in their senses will plan a trip to Mangalore in the middle of summer.

And Mangalore is not such a great holiday destination. But we went anyway.

Because, for this group, it is the company that matters. Not the place !

My friends would have a good time even if lodged in Aguada jail !!

I don't mean that they are likely to be lodged there sometime. Don't read me wrong.

I enjoy all the trips organised by our group. I love going somewhere but hate

1. Deciding where to go 2. Making arrangements for travel. 3. Arranging

accommodation 4. Planning what to do once you get there.

Here, I am not involved in any of these activities.

Some of them join together and decide the place. Someone makes travel

plans and arrangements. Some one else takes care of accommodation.

And while being there, all activities are planned similarly and I just have to

follow others! I have an absolutely stress free trip and I love it !!

So it was, this time too. As I said Mangalore is not a great destination but I liked the

city. It is reasonably clean, roads are good and wide, traffic tolerable and prices

reasonable. As I have mentioned earlier, we had a very good time!

My blog www.dentaldiaries.blogspot.com is a sort of record of all my activities and

I have posted some pictures with captions. All in random order.

As It happened most of the Mangalore trip seemed to be centered up on Fish, Chicken and Ice cream and we did roam around a bit when not engaged with the above three !

Group goes gaga with the varieties of Dosas on offer. Khali dosa, Masala Dosa, Ghee dosa, Onion dosa, Neer Dosa, Tomato dosa to name a few. The picture here is neer dosa. 

Durgaparameshwari Temple at Kateel. Having nothing else to do, we visited umpteen temples and earned enough goodwill of all gods to last two lifetimes !!

Machali restaurant - The high point of Mangalore trip.

Though it looks like any place in Goa, It is mangalore. Bengre beach to be precise. 

Usual day and usual Sunset, posted here to fill pages. 

Gadbad icecream in Pabba's ice cream parlour. Biggest ice cream parlour I ever stepped in ! Unfortunately, at that moment I wasn't capable of eating that.  

Gokarnanatheshwar temple, Kudroli, Mangalore.  Picture above and a few below. A very old temple, in the present shape after a political renovation to play to the galleries ! All marble, all gold and all gods ! Janardhan Poojari of Cong  has left no stone un turned! We have Gokarnanath of course and then the goddess, Krishna, Hanuman, Ganapathi, Navagrah ( the nine planets), Ganga, Saibaba and Narayanaguru. Each one in his/her own Golden abode !! Could have very well included Our Lady and a Sufi saint !

The tired pilgrims from Goa. Left to right Rajaneesh, Triambak, Virendra, Raghunandan, Sandesh and Rajesh 

We visited so many temples, that I lost count. Venkataramana, Ganapati, Mahammaaya, Narayani, Katyayani, Hanuman to name a few. This should be Rajarajeshwari at Polali. 

The Fish god 'Visvan' at the temple called 'Machali'.  You eat the visvan prasad, ask for the bill and offer a prayer ! A Goan's pilgrimage to Mangalore is not complete without a visit to 'Machali'.

Hanuman at Gokarnanatheshwar complex

This is Polali for sure. No mistaking the 'dhwajasthambh'

My friends in a plaintive mood after booking a five seater car for six people and for half a day instead of full day !