An Orator par Excellence !

I am sure all of you might be interested to know the one whom I would call 'The Orator par Excellence'. The world has seen many eminent speakers, all of whom are spectacular in their own way. I do not intend to compare them all. Instead, this post is meant to jot down just a few thoughts about one great orator-Mark Anthony.

Anyone who is interested in public speaking or attracted by the way the eloquent greats deliver their speeches, would not have missed out on Mark Anthony's famous speech, delivered after the death of Julius Caesar. Caesar was a close friend of Mark Anthony. 

Why do we consider Mark Anthony's speech with high respect ? What is special about it ? Yes, Mark Anthony is too good an orator, though he says 'I am no orator'. For me, the most striking aspect is the context of his speech. Before Mark Anthony started speaking, the whole crowd was against Caesar. Brutus and co had made the public believe that Caesar was ambitious. And everyone knew that Mark Anthony was a close friend of Caesar. The mob wouldn't listen to Mark Anthony either !

To speak out the truth and to make the public realise the truth is a tough job. He had to grab the attention of people. And then he had to frame his words in such a way that the public doesn't turn against him and Caesar. And he did that in style. That is the skill of Mark Anthony, the orator. That is why, we all respect Mark Anthony and his speech. Undoubtedly, he is too good an orator.

A TWIST IN THE TALE

The elections to decide the representatives of our hostel were held day before yesterday and the results of the same were declared yesterday. I thought I would share with you a ‘tale’ that happened during the election.

Let me start the story. The central character here is Mr.A (not to disclose his name). Mr.A is a very good friend of mine. He is also a keralite like me. He decided to contest for the post of Social and Cultural representative. I was pleased to hear this because in my perspective, he is someone who has the calibre to come forward and work for others. I say this because many a time, I have seen him paying attention to those around him and helping them as and when needed.

He became a part of one of the panels (there were two panels in total).

To counter any unforeseen circumstances, a dummy contestant also filed the candidature for the same post. The ‘dummy’ would withdraw at the last moment if everything is fine with Mr.A’s candidature. Meanwhile, the onam celebrations organised by the association of keralites happened to be at the same time. The onam celebrations made us all very busy and was very entertaining. But, this took away some important time and Mr.A could not do a proper campaigning. By the way, Is campaigning important ? Yes, because it gives an opportunity to present the candidate’s credentials to others, especially to the new faces, to whom all the contestants are strangers. Well, Mr.A lost that chance to some extent.

However, we were all optimistic. The day of counting came and it started in the evening. Not much information was available in the initial phases of counting. At about 10pm, at almost half way mark, we came to know that Mr.A’s opponent was having a slight lead. Anyway, the lead wasn’t strong and hopes were still alive. I came to know that it would be late when the results come out. As I was feeling sleepy, I went to sleep. At around 12, I heard a noise realising that the results of election has been declared. I had opened my eyes, but was still sleepy. I thought I would sleep now and that I shall check the results the next day morning.

The next day morning, as I woke up, I was very curious to know the results. I went downstairs, towards the notice board and there I saw the results displayed. And guess what-Mr.A had lost. Another talented contestant bows out of the race !. But more surprise was in store..Mr.A’s opponent hasn’t won either !..Yes, you guessed it right, the ‘dummy’ stole the show by winning the post by a narrow margin. Everyone was stunned. The ‘dummy’ himself was taken aback. The ‘dummy’ could not withdraw his candidature in time as he too was busy with onam celebrations, about which I had already told you. But he had let everyone know about this and had asked everyone not to vote for him !.

At the end of the day, it is all the same for us. Another talented good friend of ours is going to be at the helm of social and cultural affairs of our hostel. Had the ‘dummy’ withdrawn earlier, both of our friends, both of whom have good calibre, would have gone out of race. So, the twist in the tale wasn’t bad for us, but for the disappointment of Mr.A.

The Fun Filled Weekend

I enjoyed the last weekend to the brim. Probably, the best I had till now. There were an array of activities following one after another, starting with the freshers day on friday to the elocution competition on monday. Let us peep into it...

The freshers party which we hosted was held on Friday (7 September 2012) evening. An evening meant to welcome our juniors. When I talk about freshers party, my mind goes to the farewell party that we had hosted. That was the evening, when I was back on stage after a long gap. That was the evening which saw my anchoring debut. Though I had public speaking experience, I knew that anchoring was a different ball game. To add to it, we-the anchors-decided to recite a poem ! My prejudiced mind told me  'Poetry is not my cup of tea'. However, I was impressed with the poem and so we decided to go with it  (The poem was 'Waqt' by Javed Akthar. The hindi part was dealt by the co-anchor and I was doing the English translation part). By God's grace, both of them (anchoring and the poem) worked out well. And that gave me loads of confidence. And guess what, this Friday evening for freshers party, I am there on stage-yes, you guessed it right, I was one of the anchors ! The effort that we, had put in and the success that followed filled our hearts.

Saturday and Sunday were the days of onam celebrations. I am a student of IIT Kharagpur and we have an association of keralites here- Tech Keralites. The onam program was organised by tech keralites. The first day was meant for games and the second day for cultural activities and the much awaited onasadya (the feast). This time, I was more involved in the background work than last time. And it was fun. The whole program happened to be thoroughly entertaining. This was probably the best of onams celebrated at kharagpur till now. Well, Is it true that these days Onam-the traditional festival of Kerala-is celebrated more outside Kerala than in Kerala ? I leave it to you to figure out. But, now I understand that, once I leave kharagpur, I am going to miss the association and the celebrations.

Monday evening was also special. It was not as flamboyant as the ones mentioned above. But it is definitely close to my heart. Guess what-I did my debut as a judge ! As a part of the intra hall english elocution competition (held in another hostel), I was told to be one of the judges. And I grabbed the opportunity with both hands because I knew that to be a part of a judging panel is a rare opportunity. I knew that it brings with it lots of responsibilities. Being on a judging debut, I was a bit tensed.  But I found that I was not too bad a judge for this program. The co-judge was a friend of mine and was very cooperative as well. At the end of the program, we have positive deliberations. At the end of it all, I believe we gave the correct judgement. A moral boost for a judge on debut.

All these together made the weekend a memorable one for me.
There are many things-small or big-that make us happy.
There are many opportunities-small or big-that polish our skills.
And most of them find a place amongst the best moments of our life....

'THE BIG GAMES'

This is the time when the best sportspersons in the world gear up to prove their mettle, because the big stage, the Olympics is ready-this time at London. The best in the world compete with each other to finish on top of the game.
The intense preparation and hardwork gives them the much needed confidence. Some succeed in finishing on the right side of the results, while some others miss out.

A group of dedicated people from our country also perform at this 'big stage', eager to prove their mettle.
The hope of a billion rest on their shoulders.
The pride of a nation relies on their performance.
They have already bagged a silver and two bronze medals, making the nation proud. Hopefully, more medals will follow. While Vijay Kumar was the one to bag the only silver, Gagan Narang and Saina Nehwal finished with bronze. Though Saina Nehwal had the assistance of luck, her efforts cannot be overlooked. As the saying goes, 'Fortune favours the brave'. She was rewarded for her hardwork.

India's medal tally has been improving in the recent olympic games.Last time, at the Beijing olympics, an Indian bagged gold in an individual event (Abhinav Bindra). Hopefully, this time the medal tally would be even more attractive.
Let the olympians make the country prouder with more of those medals.

THE SULTAN OF ROCKETRY

Today, our country hold a respectable position in the field of space science and rocket technology. The Space era started growing in India under the inspirational leadership of Dr. Vikram Sarabhai. He succeeded in instilling the faith and motivation in others and this has taken Indian space research thus far.

However, another interesting point is the fact that rocket technology took shape in India much earlier than this. The sultan of Mysore, Tipu Sultan was the one who used this against the British. The Rocket technology was used to fight the opponents in the warfare by the Mysore Sultan and this, without any doubt troubled the British. The sultan was the one who laid the seeds of rocket technology in our country.

The British, took a few samples of those 'rockets' back home. In an effort to unravel the mysteries, they disassembled the samples and this probably helped the space age to evolve. It took many more years for our country to master this technology.

After all, though the basic principle of rocketry is Newton's third law, which is well explained in just a single sentence ('For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction' ), it takes lot more effort to make it a reality. That calls for the need of Engineering and a strong leadership to marshall the troop .

THE VETERANS

Veterans in any field deserve respect, for they are the ones who have been there for long and possess the treasure of experience. Experience makes one wiser. So, the veterans are the 'wise heads'.


The Indian Cricket team today has one of the strongest batting line ups (at least on paper !), the terrific trio of veterans in the middle order being one of the significant reasons. The wall (Rahul Dravid), the little master ( Sachin Tendulkar) and the very very special laxman have taken the responsibility of the middle order of Indian batting lineup on their shoulders for almost a decade and a half.
        In the autumn of their careers, they would love to don the role of nurturing youngsters so as to build a team for the future.

A look at the Mollywood film industry (I am more exposed to malayalam film industry as it is my mother tongue.) would show two stalwarts decorating the throne. The Big M s of Mollywood (Mammooty and Mohanlal) have been doing this for the past three decades or so. They, who too were once nothing more than raw talent, had to through tough phases and working under directors of immense calibre, polished the talent in them.
      But, recently there were some rumours that they were not giving the youngsters a chance. As already said, youngsters wouldn't get a greater stage to groom their careers than when working with the seniors. And more importantly, if any young actor is good enough to replace the 'old' superstars, they cannot be neglected for long.


Experience gives wisdom.
And the wise men guide others forward !

Veterans are to be valued and
youngsters are to be nurtured !

THE NEWSMAKER 2011

The program organised by manorama news channel (malayalam) to find out the newsmaker (among the keralites) of the year 2011 was over when they declared the business magnet Kochouseph Chittilappilly to be the chosen one.


The process involved seeking public opinion and talks with the shortlisted candidates. After the primary round which saw many familiar names surfacing, four candidates were shortlisted for the final round, which involved the Kerala Chief minister Shri  Oomen Chandy, IT minister Shri P.K. Kunhalikutty, film actor Shri Salim Kumar and Shri Kochouseph Chittilappilly.

Among the above four, the chief minister was obviously in the news for many reasons ranging from the palmolein case to the mullaperiyar issue and more.

The year 2011 was one that Salim Kumar would cherish . An actor who was more or less constrained within the tag of a 'comedian' stunned many by doing something which even many frontline actors couldn't. Probably, director lal jose's 'achanurangatha veedu' was the film which gave the new dimension to  Salim Kumar's career. However 'Adaminte Makan Abu', fetched him the Kerala state award and made all the keralites proud by winning the national award for the best actor. Moreover, he drew inspiration from the story of the film and decided to sponsor one financially constrained person to go on a Haj trip. A benevolent gesture indeed !
And those probably brought his name to the final round of newsmaker contest.

However, it was Shri Kochouseph Chittilappilly who was chosen to be the newsmaker and rightly so. He caught the media attention mainly because of two instances. One of them was when he decided to donate his kidney. He is said to have enquired about the consequences of  the same and finally made the decision. He, being financially well placed, was not in any sort of compulsion to do the same.
A deed worth applauding !

Kochouseph Chittilappilly

He also found a place in the news when he raised his voice against the 'nokkukooli' (which means the labourers were supposed to be paid even if they do not work). The labourers told him at one of his worksites that anyone except Shri Kochouseph Chittilappilly , would not be allowed to carry the loads, if they themselves were not given that 'privilege'. However, Kochouseph Chittilappilly, who already had some labourers appointed in for the same, did not panic. He faced them boldly by carrying the load himself, thereby raising the voice against the labourer's daylight robbery.
Again a social cause !

Though the other three were also good competitors, I thought Shri Kochouseph Chittilappilly had the edge over others, considering the nature of the deeds that he was involved in. And many more probably thought it that way.
And that makes him the newsmaker 2011.

INSPIRATIONS

Every single person draws inspiration from others in many different ways. Some motivate us to march forward, while some others make us wiser and throw a new ray of hope. The impact that each person has on others would be different.

When I went through the initial orientation part in the 'Wings of Fire' by honourable Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam sir, I started pondering over the 'inspirations' and that resulted in this post. It is interesting to read how a few people with a different outlook could instill faith and curiosity in a village boy who later became one of the most respected scientists of the country and also became the President of India. He also talks about the broad mindedness of his father and neighbours which enabled them to sail past the boundaries of religion with ease and treat all of them as equals. The professors at various institutes, played their roles to perfection by helping him in his quest for knowledge with a strong desire to 'fly'.

Years later, the missile man of India is the inspiration for many youngsters with his uncompromising quest for knowledge, and his humbleness even after conquering great heights. I was fortunate enough to see kalam sir a couple of times. The first of them was when he visited our school about 9 or 10 years ago. He, being the chief guest was offered a chair on the dias. But we saw him talking to our principal and others, without taking the seat on the dias. We didn't know what was happening. A few minutes later, he came down to us and said he wanted to sit between us and not on the dias ! A chair was then placed amidst us for our guest and he started talking to us. He always loves to talk to students.  Probably he wanted to nourish the young buds and develop the curiosity in those young minds.

I too have been inspired by many in many ways. Some traits of certain people attract us, which some personalities influence us immensely. This is true for everyone. To list all of them is next to impossible and so the list is cut short. The great wall of Indian cricket, Rahul Dravid is a person I admire. He knows what he is capable of, and what he is not. He always stays within himself and never gets affected when others do something more stylish. He remains unaffected, which is extremely attractive.

To express things briefly is very difficult. Hence to convey a message in simple, brief words needs a great understanding and experience of the matter. For that matter, I find many quotations interesting. Many of them convey a good message or motivates others. They do help us to look at things from a different perspective.  Einstein once said that he possessed no special talents except that he was passionately curious. These words, simply includes all that is needed to convey the message. The talents needed for a scientist cannot be described in simpler words.
 
The motivations that one has in life influences his character, the thought process and his deeds.
They ignite the inner spark to give the firepower.

THE 'DRAMA' ON ROAD !!!

As we shifted from trivandrum to thrissur ( the state capital and cultural capital of the GOD's own country) recently, I had the privilege (hope I can call it so) to drive in both these cities within a gap of only a few months. This enabled me to look at some of the striking differences between the two, on the road. I do not intend to emphasize on the condition of the road. Instead, what was more striking to me was the road manners that I happened to see !

At trivandrum, if one could make sure that he/she adheres to the traffic rules and maintain the much expected 
manners, chances are comparitively high that he would be driving comfortably. However, the cultural capital had something else in store. People were found to be negligent even while crossing the roads. I couldn't imagine how they dared to be so. The sound of horns doesn't seem to mean anything to them or rather they don't even seem to hear it. Well, when someone sounds the horn, they do have a purpose, don't they ? To neglect this signal or warning is not accepted. Moreover, even if one strictly keeps to his side while driving his vehicle, he would find the vehicles coming from opposite direction, trying to cross on to his side so as to  overtake other vehicles, more so in the case of the private buses , lorries etc. Is the road meant only for them ? Well atleast they seem to believe that way. However, I also came to know that things are worse in some other places. As I personally don't know much about it, I chose not to mention it.

There are a few exceptions to the above statements. There are many who are well behaved (on road). But the other half does well enough that the impression that a newcomer has wouldn't be too good.
The reason for this has to be found out and sorted. It could vary from the ignorance or negligence of the public to the frustration that creeps in due to traffic issues. When some people resort to such deeds, the others also would sometimes be left with no option, but to follow them. To avoid this, the public should be made aware of these things and the required measures must be adopted to reduce traffic blocks thereby providing a comfortable drive.

THE SECOND FREEDOM STRUGGLE

These days, the struggle and fight against corruption finds a place in the newspaper headlines almost every day. Corruption, as we all already know is something that pulls the nation back. Corruption need to be wiped off from the Indian society and Indian public would well be aware of this fact. This is evident from the fact that the anti corruption movements gained immense public support. These movements are the need of the hour and we needed a leader to show us the way.

The determination and will shown by respected Anna Hazare is probably what led the way in the fight against corruption. He seem to be honest and to have value for words. His protest was a typical Gandhian method of protest and that attracted public towards him. The public support became so large that the movement could not be left unnoticed. And more importantly , Anna Hazare did not want to leave the task unfinished. He is still fighting to ensure that the Lokpal bill is properly implemented .

One of the mysterious demands of the government is to not to bring the PM, cabinet ministers, MPs and all under the power of the Lokpal. However, as they are the people's representatives, they should be the first ones to be cleared of any doubt in this regard. The nation should be in safe hands. For this to happen it is advisable to bring the PM and co also under the purview of Lokpal.

And now, yoga guru Baba Ramdev came to the front to fight against illegal money etc. However, the way he tried to escape when police came to arrest him brought him under suspicion and there may be more facts to be unravelled to reveal the truth in this regard. However the fight against corruption, which is "the second freedom struggle" as declared by Anna Hazare aims to free the nation from the hands of the corrupt. The public would be waiting eagerly for this to happen.

Should roads be shut down for the 'morning walkers' ?

The state government has decided to open the Museum-Vellayambalam road in the trivandrum city for a couple of hours in the morning ,exclusively for the pedestrians . During this time, the vehicles will not be allowed to pass through this road as it will be open for morning walkers only . This move provides ample space for the pedestrians to walk without the fear of traffic. The road selected as a part of this is in the heart of the city. But , this road could be chosen as there are alternate roads for connecting different parts of the city without crossing the Museum-Vellayambalam road.

Though this provides a path for the walkers, there are other issues to be thought about. If the traffic along this road is to be avoided for a couple of hours in the morning, it would affect the travellers badly, as the alternate routes might be longer than this one. For instance, if an ambulance comes along this way during this time, there are only two options available. One is to allow the ambulance to pass through the road, which would affect the pedestrians as they would be walking freely without thinking about the traffic. The second option is to force the ambulance to take a round about route, which is not advisable. Also, there are a few schools in the city, which start early in the morning. Thus shutting down of a road in the heart of the city would make things difficult. It would affect all, but the pedestrians as they will have to take round about routes.

It has been told that though government had announced about the shutting down of the road, there is no legal provision to back it up. It is to be noted that the grounds of Museum, the Kanakakunnu palace premises etc are along the sides of the same road. So it would be a good idea to ensure that the pedestrians use those places for their morning walk without diverting the traffic. This would help both ' morning walkers ' and ' non walkers ' and seems to solve the issue. So it is important to think about the issue and take the corrective steps, trying to uphold public interest .

IS BLOGGING A HOBBY ???

My answer to the question is yes. But it depends on the person who uses it and his intention. Blogging gives us the freedom to write about anything under the sun. So it depends on how one uses it. Blogs can be used to jot down the incidents in our life to make it more like a personal diary. A creative personality can use this platform to showcase his writing talents and make this an attractive platform. A common man who wishes to express his opinion on different topics has got the full freedom to do that as well. Blogging provides all those options.

A blog can be stuffed with a plethora of 'not so significant ' blogs or it may have a handful of good posts. But it gives us the freedom to write down anything without constraints. One can express his perspective on a particular issue or can write about an area of his interest. Poems and essays can add value to the blog as well. If blogging can provide all of these, it is definitely not a joke. So, if creativity is an asset to a person and if the art of writing is a way of expressing one's feelings, I would define Blogging as the art of writing backed up by the advancements in technology.

Interest in blogging can inspire one to look out for topics. It helps one to have an eye on topics to blog on and to ponder over them. This helps one to learn how to present one's ideas, thereby improving the person's ability to communicate. In my perspective , blogging is a good option to spend one's time and he/she can decide on what is to be done with the blog .

THE 2G SCAM

A Raja , recently resigned as the telecom minister in the union ministry following the 2G scam issue. However, the minister refused to resign till he found that there was no way, but to quit. In the past we have seen ministers like Shashi Tharoor giving up their positions in the ministry owing to such controversies. In such situations , the people's representatives who hold important positions in the ministry, are expected to clear the air by resigning from those positions and cooperate with further investigations. They have the responsibility to prove their innocence before the public, who are supposed to be the real rulers in democracy. Hesitation in doing that may spoil the whole situation because 'Credibility once lost cannot be regained'.

As of now, former minister A Raja may not be proved guilty. Even after quitting, he sticks to his claim of being innocent. However , the right way to go about it is to quit from position and prove his innocence. In this regard , it is a positive sign to know that he has quit as the telecom minister. However , the process has to be completed by bringing out the truth in this issue.

A Raja claims that he followed the path set by his predecessors in this regard. However, the Times Of India (TOI) reports that this claim is not true on the basis of the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) . It says that in November 2007, The honourable Prime minister, Dr.Manmohan Singh had written to the Telecom ministry to adopt a more transparent method of auction. It also says that CAG's report has held Raja guilty of favouring certain companies in the auction. Raja had issued a press release on 10 January 2008 , giving companies just 45 minutes to assemble at the DoT to collect the response letters to their applications. However it is said that a few companies were even ready with a demand draft drawn on dates before the day of auction. This says that they already knew about the issue of press release . This report turns things against the former minister .

THE BRIGHT CANDLE

Learning gives creativity

Creativity leads to thinking

Thinking gives knowledge and

Knowledge makes you great

These are the words of the former president of India and honourable scientist Dr . A.P.J Abdul Kalam. Learning is an inevitable process which provides creativity. Creativty gives us the ability to think. When we think over a topic, many mysteries will be unravelled. This enriches us with the treasure of knowledge. And a person who has acquired knowledge is always respected by all.

A King is respected only in his kingdom

A scholar is respected all over the world.

Learning is an all important process in one's life and can take us forward in life. Knowledge is a form of wealth which cannot be robbed by anyone. Knowledge can't be snatched from a scholar using a king's power and need not be partitioned among the siblings. The treasure belongs entirely to the owner and it only gets better on sharing. Every person is ignorant, but the ignorance may be in different fields. One remains a student throughout his life as he keeps on learning new things . For example , the nature gives us hints about various matters. Nature is a gift of God, which teaches us many a thing . But we must have an eye to see it .

Not everyone gets an opportunity to learn. Fortunate are those who get a chance to enter the world of knowledge. The candle of knowledge is lit in their inner self and it can eliminate the darkness of ignorance. There are many people all around the world who are deprived of education due to different reasons. When the light of knowledge spreads all around the world , the world would be brighter.

WHO IS A GOOD LEADER ?

A Boss always orders "Go", but a leader says "Let's go ".

That is the attitude that differentiates between a boss and a leader. A leader always leads from the front and motivates his crew to follow him. A leader is always looked upto by his team members as he is expected to lead by example. Alexander the great, was known for this quality . Even after winning many battles, he used to make sure that he was the first to get to the battlefield , thereby spreading his confidence among others. This act inspired his crew and made them an invincible lot.

A leader should make sure that he understands his men and should ensure that he gets the best out of them. A true leader commands respect from the crowd ,while a boss demands respect. Another important trait of a leader is decision making. A good leader should be capable of making perfect decisions in quick time and should be able to motivate others .

Winston Churchill, as the prime minister of Great Britain, was known for his courageous leadership. He raised his people's hopes by his words at a time when they were at the brink of defeat . A leader should be able to raise his people's hopes when they lose it. The world has witnessed a plethora of leaders and many more are yet to come. Some of the traits of a leader might be hereditary, but a constant effort in that direction can help one acquire many of those .

THINK BEYOND RELIGION

A sinciere mind is the best place of worship and such a mind would have the divine presence for sure. Religion is a system of belief, worship or conduct that prescribes certain responses to the existence and character of GOD. We all have the right to follow any religion. However, we must also consider it as our duty to respect other's beliefs as well. Everyone have the right to choose their religion or belief as we do.

The Indian constitution gives us the freedom to go ahead with our beliefs and thus ensures secularism. However, we must be wise enough to understand that all the religions preaches the same. GOD, the All mighty is the supreme power who guides the whole world. Ram or Rahim, Jesus or Allah are all the different names of the same ultimate power.

Religious beliefs can help us to realise the All mighty. But we must ensure that our thoughts sail past the bounds of our religion and that any sort of bias or confusions in the name of religion is avoided. Every religion propagates the idea of spreading love, peace and harmony in the world. We are all equals and this idea of oneness would fill the world with love and brotherhood and the world would be a better place to live in.

THE HARTAL MENACE

Hartal is a means of protest which was widely used by Gandhiji during the days when our homeland was fighting for freedom. The idea was to protest on various occasions without resorting to violence. Gandhiji used it as a positive tool to express dissent. However, Hartals have changed its colour since then. Hartals have transformed from a tool of non violence in the past, to an event synonymous to violence today. On a hartal day , the common public are being forced to sit at home .Some hartals are declared all of a sudden. This leaves the public in deep trouble. There might be tourists visiting our state on that day or there might be some unfortunate lot who were unlucky to land here on the day of a hartal. Our motherland which is to be known for all its cultural greatness, should not be a talking point for a negative aspect.

Apart from this , the loss that every hartal causes is immense. It does not allow many to go to work, many companies would remain closed and if there are any damage to properties, they would add on to the list.It is said that a single day of hartal causes a loss of about 650 crores . However the impact of hartals seem to be more significant in some states, ours being one of them. Our state withnessed a couple of back to back hartals recently protesting on the fuel price hike,while the majority of the nation had only one.

Hartals are very frequent in our state,but how many of them yield results ? It is high time that the people's representatives to come up with an effective,peacefull method to sort out issues rather than resorting to hartals or strikes. Even if they chose to conduct hartals, compelling the public to participate can be avoided. Creating a sense of awareness among the public can be done to ensure maximum public support.

We the keralites are supposed to be among the top in terms of literacy. We must ponder over the matter and respond to it,sooner than later.

Team India on top of the world.

It has been a remarkable year of cricket for 'Team India'.The test cricket of the year 2009 ends placing 'Team India' at the topmost spot.Numero uno spot followed after India completed a century of test victories.Fittingly,One of the most successful Indian captains,M.S.Dhoni,was at the helm on the occasion.

A bunch of cricketers rose their standards under a courageous captain to be rightly called 'TEAM INDIA'.The Team almost looks formidable at the moment with a dangerous duo at the top of the batting line up to a flexible and consistent MSD at number 7.The openers from delhi, Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag , seem to work out a good chemistry between them while the reserve players like Murali Vijay are all set to grab the opportunities that pass their way.A consistent nomber 3 in Rahul Dravid is an asset for team India.More often then not,He keeps his promises when he is on the field and hence is rightly called 'The Wall'.One of the best batsmen of world cricket,Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, is a personal pride for India.His position at number 4 makes the top 4 formidable.The stylish laxman and the charismatic yuvraj singh to follow strenghtens the list.The captain courageous at number 7 adds depth to the batting line up.

The bowling line up led by the experienced Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan singh hits the target more often than not.The youngsters in Amit mishra,Pragyan ojha,Sree santh,Ishanth and all lends balance to the attack.The team seams to be in the right track and will look to move forward rectifying their mistakes.

Team India has made the nation proud.

WAR ON TERROR.

It was New york on 9/11 and Mumbai on 26/11 .Terror struck mumbai on 26/11 as a result of ruthless attack by some terrorists.Almost 60 hours of continuous effort saw mumbai getting back to normalcy.And heroes of this process were the commandoes,police and the whole defence force who risked their lives to serve the nation and save the innocent hostages.Some laid down their life in the process.Unfortunately one of them was drawn into controversy with a politician.However the brave soldiers deserve respect.A war on terror has to be declared as some of the media persons have always done.As it is said God takes birth on Earth when adharma grows.

BETTER THAN THE BEST.

The formidable Indian cricket team with a dynamic captain leading from the front proved its mettle against the aussies who were till recently regarded as the invincibles.India proved to be better than the so called best team(aussies) .It was worth watching as all the team members joined hands together and fought it out with the single aim in mind and managed to succeed.The Australian captain had to admit that they were completely outplayed.The series concluded 2-0 in India's favour.