Another cartoon from BBC Hindi

Another cartoon from BBC Hindi

"८ घंटे से ज़्यादा सोना सेहत के लिए हानिकारक है".......K.J.S.Chatrath

New order from Railways:  

"Sleeping Time Cut By An Hour For Train Passengers In New Rule" 

(i) ८ घंटे से ज़्यादा सोना सेहत के लिए हानिकारक है. Please enjoy your sleep in moderation

(ii) वैसे ही डर के मारे नींद कहाँ आती है रेल में, घबराहट रहती है की पता नहीं कब रेल पटरी से नीचे चलना शुरू कर दे। 

 (iii) ना सोयेंगे ना सोने देंगे 

(iv) भय है की रेलवे ऐसा कानून न बना दे  की जो यात्री सुबह ६ बजे नहीं उठा उसपर जुरमाना लगाया जाएगा और जेल भी हो सकती है... (मेरा थर थर काँपना शुरू हो गया है ) 

(v) अच्छे दिन क्या अब तो अच्छी रातें भी आ पहुँची हैं

 

Still I love Indian Railways as it literally connects India and provides good services to every part of a large country like ours.

 

 

'Respectful salute to martyr Brijendra Bahadur Singh, constable BSF' - by K.J.S.Chatrath

Respectful salute to martyr Brijendra Bahadur Singh, constable BSF who sacrificed his life at the border when Pakistan Rangers fired at him yesterday.He belonged to Vidya Bhawan Naraypur, district Ballia of Uttar Pradesh and is survived by his wife Smt. Sushmita Singh.

JAI HIND!

'Yet another slogan to shout - Swachta Hi Seva' (स्वछता ही सेवा ) - by K.J.S.Chatrath

We are being enthused to shout yet another slogan: 'Swachta Hi Seva' (स्वछता ही सेवा )

'Rajdhani off the tracks- yet again' - by K.J.S.Chatrath

Cartoon is a little dated (showing the photo of the earlier Railway Minister), but sadly not the news.

Yet another Rajdhani goes off the tracks in New Delhi, reads today's news. Mercifully no loss of life.

Get serious about safety Indian Railways.

'Nobel Laureate Malala gets admission to Oxford college- news'- by K.J.S.Chatrath

 Nobel Laureate Malala gets admission to Oxford college. - news

One wonders weather Mr. Kailash Satyarthi too has got admission!

'This is not fair reporting The Tribune, Chandigarh' - by K.J.S.Chatrath

The Tribune, Chandigarh, August 18, 2017

The above news item gives the wrong impression that Mr. Bappi Lahiri has been awarded India's highest honour the Bharat Ratna. But as one reads on it transpires that he has received 'Dr. Ambedkar Award'. The way it has been captioned shows that you purposely  presented it in this manner to give a wrong and incorrect impression knowing it to be wrong and incorrect.

You greatly disappoint me The Tribune, Chandigarh. 

'Yatras and yatras'....by K.J.S.Chatrath

There is the famous and venerable annual Ratha Yatra of Lord Jagannath in Puri, Odisha which I have had the privilege of witnessing a few years back. Another very famous 'yatra' is the 'Char Dham Yatra' which I have done four times in my 74+ years of life and want to do it just one more time.

And then in recent times there have been other types of 'yatras'.

A few years back we had Mr. L.K.Advani doing his 'Rath Yatra' and we all remember what happened.

And now we are having a 'yatra' by the 1/2 Nobel Prize awardee Mr. Kailash Satyarthi for focussing attention on child trafficking. He is an innocent and naive person with such hackneyed ideas that one does not want to say anything against him.

Two years back we had a huge get together organised by one Mr. Mr. Ravi Shankar on the banks of Yamuna river in Delhi for sensitizing people on the need of saving environment. That in the bargain he earned a fine from the National Green Tribunal for harming the ecology of Yamuna, is another matter. And still another is the matter that he refuses to pay that fine.

And now we have a Motor Yatra by another Guruji - Mr. Jaggi Vasudev.  He is very articulate in English and has an organisation named 'Isha'. The aim of his 'yatra'  or as it is being euphemistically  called 'rally for rivers' is to give a new lease of life to rivers. It is being supported by some corporates. Would this really help? Don't ask me for we all know the answer.

Enough of  'yatras', I would like to say.

With all these 'yatras' what will happen to travel websites like 'yatra.com'...may change its name?

* * * * * 

May like to see my earlier blogs on this topic: 

 'Oh No, Not Another "Rath Yatra", http://anaap-shnaap.blogspot.in/2011/09/oh-no-not-another-rath-yatra.html ; Friday, September 9, 2011

'Et tu, Nitish Kumar ji?'  http://anaap-shnaap.blogspot.in/2011/09/et-tu-nitish-kumar-ji.html ; Friday, September 23, 2011

 'Oh No, Not Another "Rath Yatra"? http://anaap-shnaap.blogspot.in/2011/10/oh-no-another-rath-yatra.html Monday, October 10, 2011

'Advani & yet another 'rath yatra'... http://anaap-shnaap.blogspot.in/2013/05/advani-yet-another-rath-yatra.html ; Monday, May 6, 2013

'Shri L K Advani- Padma award' ; http://anaap-shnaap.blogspot.in/2015/01/shri-l-k-advani-padma-award.html ;

'Pappa, Pappu aur handbag tags' - by K.J.S.Chatrath

Photo source: Hindustan Times

Pappa: (reading the newspaper aloud): 'City airport to do away with handbag tags.'

Pappu: वाह पापा, क्या तरक्की हो रही है...

Pappa: Quiet!

Pappu: मेरी क्या गलती है...आप इतने ज़ोर से पढ़ रहे थे तो मैने समझा की कोई बहुत बड़ी उपलभ्दी है.....

Pappa: Go and finish your school  homework.

'Another slogan to shout'

Government has given us another new slogan:
Karenge aur kar ke rahenge (करेंगे और कर के रहेंगे !)

Punishment for rape in Saudi Arabia

Any idea what is the punishment for men found guilty of rape in Saudi Arabia?

'Heritage- real and imagined' by K.J.S.Chatrath

The incredible structures at  Luxor, Egypt

And what some of the ' Bhakts' of Le Corbusier and his nephew Jeanneret insist on calling these as heritage of humanity.

If these were really designed by Le Corbusier, then he was really a terrible furniture designer!

‘A narrower education: Moves to transfer polytechnic schemes and architecture institutions out of HRD ministry are disturbing signals’ by Ashok Thakur:

 Ashok Thakur

How one thought leads to another. I was remembering my dear old friend Ashok Thakur today- this being his birthday. And the next moment I remembered that a few months back he had sent me an article written by him.

Feeling sheepish I read the article today very belatedly-  ‘A narrower education: Moves to transfer polytechnic schemes and architecture institutions out of HRD ministry are disturbing signals’. Ashok, a serious thinking bureaucrat from the IAS, is an Ex-Secretary from the Higher Education Department and a dear friend of mine.

He starts by telling us about an order on this subject issued by the Cabinet Secretary. Weather the Cabinet Secretary had consulted Secretary Higher Education and  other experts in  the matter before passing this order is not clear. Nor does one know if the Secretary Higher Education took the file back to the Cabinet Secretary and requested him to take a re look at the implications. And that you and I, the so-called well read people, did not find time to discuss these vital issues completes the picture. 

I have known Ashok since our days in France- 35 years back. And talking about France, one thing that had struck us on reaching  France was the active involvement of the people in the issues of education, not only of higher education, but also and even more so, of the school education. And here we are that we let the important issues pass without having a public debate over it. 


 I would suggest all to read this very thought provoking article . I am sure some experts would present counter arguments to what Ashok has epoused, but then let us at least get into a debate. 

And lastly, Happy birthday Ashok. 

 
‘A narrower education: Moves to transfer polytechnic schemes and architecture institutions out of HRD ministry are disturbing signals’ by Ashok Thakur. http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/a-narrower-education/

"Thanks to demonetisation, India has reaped huge economic benefits” by Jug Suraiya

 

Photo source: ndtv

It starts like this, "Two bhakts exchanging notes – pun not intended – on the merits of demonetisation....". If you like Jug Suraiya's kind of humour, then read on...

“Minting money: Thanks to demonetisation, India has reaped huge economic benefits” by  Jug Suraiya

 https://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/jugglebandhi/minting-money-thanks-to-demonetisation-india-has-reaped-huge-economic-benefits-f0-9f-98-9c/

'Safety First, Speed later and Beautification of railway stations much, much later' by K.J.S.Chatrath

Photo source: Financial Express

Rajdhani derails near New Delhi station, third city mishap in 32 days (Times of India, 8th September, 2017) - News.

I am a regular travelller by trains in India. I would request the authorities to lay emphasis on rail safety first, speed can come later and beautification of railway stations much, much later.

Just because France, Japan & China have trains running at over 300 kms an hour is no argument to copy them while our existing vast railway infrastructure remains unsafe.

The main component of train journey is the time spent in the train while it moves from the starting town to the destination town. Trying to spend millions, by taking foreign loans, on making the railway stations look like those in France, Japan & China is a case of wrong priorities. Emphasis should be on making the train journeys safe, punctual and clean.

Taking loans from foreign countries to run trains at 300 kms an hour, when the rough calculations show that the revenue earning model of such attempts would be pathetic, forcing subsidization for rich to travel min such trains and the burden will fall on the poor 2nd class passenger to fund the subsidization.  

"Another slogan 'Swachh Sanklap Se Swachh Siddhi'"........K.J.S.Chatrath

We have been blessed with another slogan 'Swachh Sanklap Se Swachh Siddhi' (स्वच्छ संकलप से स्वच्छ सिद्धि )

But please don't ask me what it means!

Homage to a brave soul from BBC Hindi

'GST cartoon by BBC Hindi'

I do not like BBC's coverage of India as I find it to be biased. However I just love the cartoons of BBC Hindi.

'Late Anitha, R.I.P.' - by K.J.S.Chatrath

Late Anitha

May her soul rest in peace.

'The bad joke that is counselling in school & college admission processes' - by K.J.S.Chatrath

Photo source: The Tribune, August 2017.

The word 'counselling' as used glibly in connection with school and college admissions is such a bad joke!

'India’s Q1 GDP growth falls to 5.7%, hits 3-year low' - sad news

 Vincent Van Gogh's painting

क्या हुआ, तेरा वादा,


वो कसम, वो इरादा.............