Do it yourself

Thought for the day "It is a golden maxim to cultivate the garden for the nose, and the eyes will take care of themselves." —Robert Louis Stevenson (Scottish, 1850-1894) Word for the day Pleonasm (n) The use of more words than are necessary to express an idea; redundancy, e.g., Free Gift or True Fact. Malice towards none Politician hoping that the inconvenience caused to common people by demonetization will reflect in 2019 elections will do better if they recall that people forgot trauma of emergency in less than three years and reelected Mrs. Indira Gandhi with thumping majority.   First random thought this morning Three key learnings from four hour trip to the town to assess the reaction of common people to the demonetization move: 1.     A large number of common people are looking for a sense of purpose in their life. They no longer want to live like insects. This move has certainly stroked th...

Thought for the day " The Devil, can sometimes do a very gentlemanly thing." —Robert Louis Stevenson (Scottish, 1850-1894) Word for the day Manna (n) Any sudden or unexpected help, advantage, or aid to success. Malice towards none UP government, in contemptuous defiance of the Central Government notification, has declared that they will accept land registration fee in currency that is no longer legal tender. Does this tantamount to sedition? First random thought this morning Many Indians who sounded like ardent devotees of PM Narendra Modi before 2014 Lok Sabha elections, are literally abusing and cursing him. Even some Gujaratis who cheered him at Madison Square in New York, are regretting their enthusiasm. On the other hand, the world leaders who treated him like a pariah during 2002-2014, are embracing him like no one. I ask - who was wrong about PM Modi before 2014 and who is wrong now? ...

Thought for the day " There is only one difference between a long life and a good dinner: that, in the dinner, the sweets come last." —Robert Louis Stevenson (Scottish, 1850-1894) Word for the day Anathema (n) A person or thing detested or loathed. A person or thing accursed or consigned to damnation or destruction. Malice towards none Pak army claiming causalities and transgression on their sides and India rubbishing the claims with contempt.   The life comes full circle. First random thought this morning It is unfortunate that the government has to restore to "Marking" the people who have availed the one time facility of currency exchange. This highlights the existence of wide trust deficit and continuing game of cat & mice between the establishment and the public. The worst part - it is again the poor who is being used to further the interest of the non-compliant, to the detri...

Thought for the day "Do the best you can, and don't take life too serious." — Will Rogers (American, 1879-1935) Word for the day Syncretism (n) The attempted reconciliation or union of different or opposing principles, practices, or parties, as in philosophy or religion. Malice towards none People who found 45% tax under IDS prohibitive, are now pleading with government to take 50% and let them account for their hitherto unaccounted cash! First random thought this morning The opposition parties, especially Congress and CPI-M are making the most puerile comments on the step to demonetize high denomination notes (HDNs). The argument of inconvenience to daily wage earners coming from Rahul Gandhi & Prakash Karat's mouth is most preposterous. They are the people who organized maximum bandhs in the country. It is only in the past one decade that people have understood their game and stopped responding to...

Thought for the day "Too many people spend money they haven't earned to buy things they don't want to impress people they don't like." — Will Rogers (American, 1879-1935) Word for the day Circumspect (adj) Watchful and discreet; cautious; prudent, e.g., circumspect behavior . Malice towards none Mahatma Gandhi shows his power to the ungrateful nation. He takes a break of three days o change his attire and all the detractors are on their knees. First random thought this morning In his victory speech, Donald Trump looked nothing like the Trump who was engaged in a long bitter, filthy presidential campaign. He struck all the reconciliatory notes to sooth the nerves of dissenting republicans and opposing democrats. The economic, financial and market commentators should soon come around and dilute their prophecies of an impending disaster. Cashless in Great Mall of India Past two ...

Thought for the day "I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts." — Will Rogers (American, 1879-1935) Word for the day Bathos (n) insincere pathos; sentimentality; mawkishness Malice towards none Ain't "Rath Yatra" a communal phrase? Why a political campaign on a motorized vehicle not be termed a "Bus Yatra" or simply a "Motor Yatra"? First random thought this morning Why Indian middle class and media is taking unprecedented interest in US presidential elections? (a)    India's interests are now aligned more than ever with the US interests. (b)    More Indians now live an American dream than ever. (c)     We see reflection of our politicians in the two principal candidates. (d)    The entertainment quotient of present elections is highest ever. (e)     All of the above. (f)     None of the...

  Thought for the day "I love you the more in that I believe you had liked me for my own sake and for nothing else." —John Keats (English, 1795-1821) Word for the day Hagiography (n) The writing and critical study of the lives of the saints; hagiology. Malice towards none History is always written by the victorious. First random thought this morning I do not know why - but everyone I talk to these days is talking about war. Some fear an Indo-Pak war; whereas some other go much further and want to talk about the possibilities of a full-fledged World War III. On a deeper inquiry I find that no one is prepared for a war. It is just fashionable. Surprisingly, the people of age 80 and above who do remember the destruction of WWII do not even want to think about a war. It is the people in 50s and 60s who are most interested in this talk. Perhaps, these are the people who want the script to be re-written. First they cou...