Normal And Abnormal

Writing this from California, USA. I'm aghast to find the cleanliness of the roads, footpaths and the wayside space here. No garbage packs, no animal waste filled in plastic bags heaped on every wayside as found in India. No dust found on the air around roads as we get  on and around Indian roads. No smoke filled suburbs that block view on all sides as seen in India. There are plenty of trees on either side of the road. The leaves are not heaped over the footpath by the scavengers blocking the movement of footpath users. Many people come to the parks and public grounds bring their pet dogs too alongwith them. If those dogs shit on these public places the owner of the animal instantly remove the waste and dispose it off at the appropriate places. The authorities have kept plastic bags at these public places for this purpose. Is cleanliness an allergy for Indians! K V George 

In January last Wen Wen, 38, walked into a hospital casualty room in Xian, central China, with entire knife buried in his head. Only the knife handle was sticking out. One ER nurse fainted as he walked upto the reception. He answered questions about his injury. He had been stabbed by his 76 years old father who was now fled the home. The razor sharp knife sunk into Wen's head above his ear, down into the nasal cavity and finally emerged into his mouth. Astonishingly it missed several major arteries, blood vessels and nerves. "He is incredibly lucky. He could walk and talk perfectly and he will make a full recovery. One or two centimetres in another direction,  though, and he would be dead." Said one medic. (Indebted to the report of Mirror online) K V George

It may be the first time in modern India that a state Chief Minister sending his own Minister to the jail on corruption charges. The sacked minister is reported to have sought one per cent commission from a sanctioned contract. It is the Chief Minister himself took the initiative to send the accused to the jail. While assuming the office the CM had promised the state that he would not allow any corruptive practice in his state by whomsoever it may be. And now he has proved worth of his words. This is what the people all over the country expect from all rulers, whether from the centre or the state. Let this remain as a model for chief ministers of all states. The people of the whole country may like to stand and salute the trustworthy act of the Punjab Chief Minister. K V George 

According to media reports the survivor of sexual assault case involving known film actor has approached the upper court seeking justice. It is reported that serious allegations have been raised against the trial court and the government in various aspects concerning the petition. Even though the truth behind this is to come out after hearing by the upper court, such incidents may persuade the common man of the country in suspecting many aspects concerning the fundamentals of our democracy prevailing here. We must be having shiploads of law in our country. Thousands of people including experts of law are directly and indirectly engaged in interpreting these to the people including millions of illiterate ones. Here comes the prime question. Can our democratic government ensure cent per cent justice in cent per cent matters to cent per cent people? K V George 

             (Harvard University) Higher studies in US -  Part II Shortage of finance should not be a constraint for higher studies in US. There are agencies and resources for arranging finances for studies and also provide assistance for getting scholarships. "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." Nelson Mandela The  following American Universities offer scholarships for international students. You can  contact the university and have the required information directly. Many universities and colleges in US give generous scholarships for international students. Prestigious universities like Harvard, MIT and Yale give considerable scholarships for international students. State universities like University of Alabama and University of Mississippi also give great scholarships. The students can also have loans for study. MPOWER Financing is the one who provide loan. They say: "Our loan don't require cosigners, collateral

Electric vehicles may replace the conventional fuel oil driven vehicles in the coming years. This transition will bring more automobile manufacturers into the new arena. More people may enter into battery manufacturing industries. Above all this will open the doors for common man to get into automobile sector by battery charging services. Since much of an investment is not required for this service, at current estimation, more people can be expected into this field, provided the government do not impose taxes and other charges and unbearable terms and conditions. The central government may try to make constructive efforts to popularise electric vehicles by providing tax concession of electric vehicles as well as spares and other relevant components. More electric vehicles in the country may contribute considerable shavings foreign exchange reserves. Above all, atmospheric pollution shall be brought down considerably. The price of ordinary electric cars should be kept within

The  above report by a leading Malayalam daily narrate the story of corruption in detail. Opportunity for corruption is created. The vigilance department might have submitted the report to the concerned. No action by the authorities concerned. Corruption is allowed to grow. A petty fee made applicable for transporting tody from one district to another district of Kerala, after  a permit is made compulsory. The fee for the permit is Rs 2/- and the corruption for the transfer is Rs 60/-. If the government abandon this unwanted law the corruption will end there. If the government continue with it can be presumed naturally that the corruption is carried with the knowledge of the concerned authorities. Everyone must know that this corruption is done from the pockets of the poor tody drinkers of the state. It is really a pathetic story. If anyone can find an end to this please do it. (Indebted to the report of Malayala Manorama.) K V George . 

Fai th is a word used by almost all religions to indicate strong attachment of their members with the system. The meaning of faith according to Oxford Dictionary is, a) complete trust or confidence in someone or something, b) strong belief in the doctrines of a religion based on spiritual conviction rather than proof. Christianity gives great significance to faith in attaining the Supreme One. Faith comes through multiple means, by hearing, reading or being taught the Word of God. It cannot be 'worked up', 'bought', 'desired', 'prayed for' or 'invoked' on someone. The common word for 'faith' is the Greek word 'pistis' and this word is used 244 times in the New Testament. We may move away from the complex definition of the word and try to ascertain the meaning and can find that faith is nothing but the link between man and God. Faith derives from love and ends up in total dependence, rather surrender. Through the cor

  Bedroom is the most important part of every house as the inmates spent about half of their  lives there. In order to create a relaxing and comfortable atmosphere there we all do our best within our reach to design it properly, furnish and provide the apt colour scheme. However, those who have enough money to design and decorate it to their taste, certainly do it in the most attractive way. We may now find here some luxurious bedrooms around the world. Image courtesy to Web sources K V George

A 15 year old boy from U K took an exam in 1990. His name was James Bond. The number of his paper was 007. Amazing coincidence! Isn't it? K V George kvgeorgein@gmail.com

According to various web sources, about 73,000 cases are pending in the Supreme Court of India. In all Indian courts put together,  over 44 million cases are pending. As on Jan 2021  there are 1,05,560 cases of those are 30 years old. Less than the required number of courts must be one of the reasons for the huge amount of pending cases.   As per available information there are 204,096 courts in China, 67,994 in Russia and 29,023 in USA. In  India  there are  25 High Courts other than the Supreme Court. Altogether there are 23,790 judges. The reasons for such amount of pending cases are said to be the following. Less number of judges, absenteeism of judges, process of trial of a case, strike by advocates, frequent transfer of judges etc. While we discuss about the process of trial cases, we may find that according to WJP (World Justice Projects) Rule of Law Index 2020, Denmark, Norway and Finland topped the Index. Venezuela, Combodia and DR Congo were at the bottom of the l

According to   reliable estimate, 7% of the world population are atheists. The remaining are believing in some forms of gods. Each one of them believe that his/her  mental formation of the God is right.  Each of them also have the obstinacy of knowing the God fully. Some of those may even go to the extent of naming all the relatives of God. Unfortunately, none come out to say, 'I don't know God'.  All such 'knowledgeable' people believe that God is the creator of everything in this universe. They know all about those, they think. They proudly raise their heads and say that those who belong to other religions do not know anything about God. While each religion prepare the followers to reach the Almighty One, they also ensure to tell them that all other religions are wrong in their conceptions of the Divinity. Even some of those go the extent of narrating about the heaven which is abode of God they believe. Whatever may be the outcome of the religious fait

Industrial  history of the TATA group commenced in 1868 with a Textile Mill in Mumbai. It was also the beginning of the largest establishment of great human beings in India. This TATA group must be the most stainless business management group in the world. The goodness of this great group was not suddenly added for the business publicity. Soon after they have started their first unit over a century ago they had introduced pension and accident compensation for workers first time among Indian industries. From being a family owned business group, TATA Group have developed into an efficient and professionally managed group in the world. Every Indian have faith in any product of TATA. They don't need a second look or a second thought on a TATA product. And that is trust. Alongwith managing business, TATA Group have created a bond with the people of this country merely on humanitarian ground. Prime Minister Sri Narendra Modi alongwith Sri Rattan Tata on 28th of April last ina

The newly developed defence relationship between US, UK and Australia (AUKUS) had created some unexpected irritation in France. They have expressed their uneasiness by calling back their ambassadors from US and Australia. In fact it can be seen as a  trade related friction. China has already refuted the new tri-nation alliance. The US and France have already started discussion in the matter and got it patched up. However, more such alliance may come up in the near future between other countries. All these alliances may pave the way for drastically cutting down international trade by China. Consequently this will open up more and more new doors for India. We must keep ourselves ready to fill up the gaps immediately. We must conduct an extensive survey to prepare ourselves to give our goods in better quality and at a reasonable price. We may not have lavish time for this. As such we must start doing the spade works right now. India can penetrate in the world market quite fast

Except few atheists each one of us believe in God. The strength of our belief is underlined by adding that my God is the real One. All others' are wrong. This is primarily taught by the religion. If we can get out of this thought and look at ourselves we see God. And when we look at all around us one by one our realisation is completed. Neither our physical brain nor our conceptual brain can conceive the Real Super One.   Once we understand this we can become humble.  That humility is knowledge; knowledge of ourselves add everything else. Erroneously we look for the Almighty One in temples, churches, behind sculpturesque formations, paintings, lamps etc. If we know the truth that everything in the universe has God in it and there is nothing else other than God anywhere, it would be easier to identify the Supreme One. K V George 

For quite sometime food makers in Kerala were looked free to prepare food and serve the public at their will and pleasure. Whether the served food was safe to eat or not was their last concern, at least for some of them. People of the state are surprisingly watching what is going around in a number of hotels. Finally people have come to know that there is a Food Safety Department in Kerala. Though a beginning is being proclaimed strongly,  it is yet to be confirmed the contour of the activity area of the department. For over a week the Food Safety Department has conducted raids in about 2,000 hotels and restaurants across Kerala. Over 180 of them found to have been working without valid licence. Notices have been served over 630 for not maintaining proper hygiene and for sticking spoiled food. 159 samples have been collected from these shops and sent for testing. The team has also seized over 6 tonnes of rotten or formalin or other chemical laced fish. The team has so far c

Sleep  not anymore. You must wake up now. You must realise the truth that you are alone. No one is here to help you. No government. No political parties. No trade unions. They all try to feed you with speeches. Enough is enough. You must look at your gigantic power. You are the only creators in this earth. Rest all are convertors. If you do not lift your spade no light will burn. No AC will give cool air. No posh car will run. No computer, no internet, no speeches, no writing and no flags. And that is the power of your spade. You must unite now. Until now you were only farmers. Now you become traders too. Do not sell your products any more to the middle men. You must sell those to the consumers directly. You may organise retail sales outlets all over through your people. Let the ultimate consumer buy from you. Fix the price at your will and pleasure. No concession. No discounts. Because you are not obliged to anyone. When your fellow men put the knots on the rope to end

Kingdom of Romania was seated in Brand Castle in 1920. Today it is called as the Bran Palace, but it is renowned all over the world as the Dracula Palace. It is now opened to visitors as a historical museum and is the prime attraction for tourists. This horrifying but beautiful castle is surrounded by lush green greenary and gives beautiful and attractive look yet with a spooky touch. (Courtesy for image and data for Pawri Mishra of Magicbricks) K V George

Bathrooms were the most short stayed part of the house once. It was a place to go in and come out quickly. Today bathroom is displaying the luxury and financial status of the family. We may find below some luxurious bathrooms from different parts of the world  Balinese style bathroom in Hawaii. Located in a house bought for $13.5 million in 2013. This underwater bathroom is located in Dubai in a man made island called Palm Jumeirah. The Hang Fung Gold Technology Group owns the most expensive toilet in the world. It is said to be worth $5 million as per current gold price as it is entirely made by gold. (Courtesy for data and images to different web sources) K V George

As it cannot be diluted , gold retains value much more than any other form of currency. Gold is found as a strong and secured guard against inflation. While comparing of storing wealth in the form of cash and gold, the latter remain much more advantageous. We may find below the top countries with highest amount of gold stock (in Tonnes). USA 8133 Germany 3359 Italy 2452 France 2436 Russia 2302 China 1948 Switzerland 1040 Japan 846 India 754 Netherlands 612 (Courtesy for data and images of web sources) K V George

A view of Highway 10 of Saudi Arabia.      The entrance of NH 44 in J&K A private road, Highway 10 connecting Highway 75 in the Haradh area to Highway 95 in the West of Saudi Arabia  built for King Fahad has a length of 240 km. This link highway pass through the desert with no bend on either side. It also has no any considerable  gradient up or down. This is the longest straight road in the world at one stretch with no bend and no gradient. The driving time needed for the whole length is 2 hours. India The longest road in India is NH 44 from Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir to Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu with a length of 3745 km. (Indebted to the report of Tribune dated 13th March 2018) K V George

Almost all newspapers carried this heartbreaking news today. According to reports a 13 years old Dalit girl was lured by four youths and took her away out of her house and she was gang raped by these atrocious human beasts. The poor girl at her worst physical condition went to the nearest police station in a town in UP to lodge the complaint. What was that happened afterwards is unbelievable. The Station House Officer of the police station alongwith five cops were arrested on charge of raping the 13 years old Dalit girl in the police station where she came to lodge the complaint of the gang rape by four youth. All 29 personnel of the police station have been sent to the police lines. Detailed report may bring more cruelty in the matter. Why we Indians become barbarous and habitual rapists? There are two reasons behind this. One is that we never tell our children that rape is a heinous crime and should never attempt. The other is that people come to know from media reports t

  In the 11th conference of CMs and Chief Justice, in New Delhi, Prime Minister Sri Narendra Modi asked to find ways to release 3.5 lakhs undertrial prisoners from prisons all over India. In this conference, the Chief Justice of India Sri N V Ramana said, "if laws are passed with clarity of thought and people's welfare in mind" litigation will be minimised. In 2020, there were 1291 undertrial prisoners who had been in jail for more than half the period of sentence for the accused offence cumulatively. This very clearly shows that innocent people are falling into our jails. They are not punished for their errors but the error of the law makers. The Chief Justice said that the legislature and the executive and the low number of judges, for the huge pendency of 4.8 crores cases in courts. The Government of India may look into this seriously and find ways and means to overcome this pathetic situation. Innocents should not be allowed to be put behind bars. (Indebte

Inland Taipan (Oxyuranus microlepidotus) found generally in Central Australia is considered to be the most venomous snake in the world with a murine LD 50 value of 0.025 mg/kg SC. While the normal range of the snake is 6 to 8 ft, some of those grow up to 9.5 ft. Black Mamba, Dubois sea snake, Yellow chin etc are the other highly venomous snakes.  Most dangerous snake in India is Common Krait. A healthy human can die within 45 minutes from the bite of an Inland Taipan. One drop of venom can kill 100 humans or 25,000 rats. K V George kvgeorgein@gmail.com

Dreams  are images created by our mind when we sleep. These images can be in the order of a story or a simple incident. It can be a succession of images, ideas, emotions and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Atleast some scientists admit that regardless of the faith of any individual there are numerous instances in which dreams actually do come true in ways that were not anticipated. Researchers have found that the brain's activity during sleep may explain the capacity of dreams to foretell the future. Though certain individual scientists do admit that some dreams come true, science as a whole do not say that dreams comes true with the support of any theories. When we look at the dreams through the philosophical angle we can have broader view. Most of us believe that everything in this universe are originated from God. Therefore, in other words, we all are the minutest forms of God. When the Supreme One is omnipresen

Politics is only to be used as a pointer towards the governance of a country or a region by a group of people. It is supposed to be a socioeconomic ideology presented to the people. The group who holds this ideology becomes a political party. This ideology is to be used for the betterment of the people as a whole. Under no circumstances the concerned party can be deviated from this ideology. While what we say here are the basic concept of politics, what have relevance in our country are something different. As per the latest publication of Election Commission of India dated 23rd September 2021 the total number of parties registered in India was 2850 with 8 national parties, 54 state parties and 2797 unrecognised parties. The ideal goal of governance is economic growth of the people under peaceful atmosphere. Nothing else should be mixed with this. Unfortunately, we in our country mix religion, cast, subcast, region, language etc as good ingredients in politics as well as th

The Yungas Road  also commonly known as the most dangerous road in the world or death road. This road is one of the few routes that connects the Amazon rain forest region of the northern Bolivia, to the capital city of La Paz. Most of the road has enough width for a single lane. When a driver faces incoming traffic, he must maneuver in the tight and treacherous space he has to continue his journey. This narrow road cut precariously into the side of the mountain with sheer vertigo-inducing drops off on one side and hulking rock overhangs and cascading waterfalls on the other. There are no guard rails for most of the road. Landslides, fog and water falls are those constantly causing threats for the drivers. The road became famous in the 1990s after happening several recurring accidents. Cars and buses plummeted down its cliffs of over 600 meters high'. An estimated 200 to 300 people died every year in different accidents until 1994. 18 cyclists alone died sinc

Time and again our politicians in power make loud proclamation to the world that India will overtake Chinese economy by next year or an year after that and so on. It is nothing but befooling the illiterate Indians. Before making such claims they must at least take a glance of the statistics of the top world economies. According to the reports of IMF the top ranking countries in the world in nominal GDP as on the year 2021 are: World $91.98 Tn US $20.49 Tn China $13.40 Tn Japan $4.97 Tn Germany $4.00 Tn UK $2.83 Tn France $2.78 Tn India $2.72 Tn Italy $2.07 Tn Brazil $1.87 Tn Canada $1.71Tn While US is on top in the list, China is on number 2 with $13.40 Tn and India is on 7th with $2.72 Tn. China is about five times above us. At current rate of growth it is nearly impossible for us to reach the level of China in 50 years. We must first ask ourselves as to what we are doing now to bring up our GDP level. The answer must be nothing. Our prime assets towards this direction are

According to media reports  Pakistan has refined the terrorist attacks against India by using drons for sometime. A country that has fallen into the hands of terrorists using all its resources, at the cost of the well being of its own people, against India since long. Since 2005 this heinous act claimed 707 lives and injured over 3200 people. In most cases the victims are innocent ones who have nothing to do with terrorism or their demands or theories. Since it is impossible to tackle terrorism peacefully we may look for alternative means. It would be better we may refer the matter to UN once again after consultation with friendly nations. We may also suggest ways and means to deal with terrorism sponsoring countries. Initially let UN warn them with consequences. Even though we wish to remain peaceful with our neighbour countries like Pakistan and China are doing their best to irritate us the maximum possible. India may specifically seek what action UN may take in this matt