Do it yourself

Thought for the day "O, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive!" —Walter Scott (Scottish, 1771-1832) Word for the day Honorific (n) A title or term of respect.   First random thought this morning From "Nani Yaad Kara Denge" by Rajiv Gandhi, to the latest Balochistan rhetoric - little has changed in independence day speeches made from Red Fort, insofar as Pakistan is concerned. Those reading too much in the PM's Baloch reference might be doing just that - too much. Market leadership may change soon The current bull market in Indian equities began three years ago in early September of 2013. This was the time when the then finance minister P. Chidambaram and the newly appointed RBI governor Raghuram Rajan made some concerted efforts to repair the fragile balance of payment conditions. Many more fiscal and monetary corrections were also initiated. In due course, the effo...

Thought for the day "We build statues out of snow, and weep to see them melt." —Walter Scott (Scottish, 1771-1832) Word for the day Blandishment (n) Something, as an action or speech, that tends to flatter, coax, entice, etc.: Our blandishments left him unmoved. E.g., We succumbed to the blandishments of tropical living. Malice towards none The day after the Newspapers highlighted the speeches/comments made by PM, AK, CJI and Salman Khurshid. This morning it's a new Sun. First random thought this morning We just celebrated 70th anniversary of our independence from the colonial rule of the British. We witnessed the expression of nationalism and patriotism in a variety of ways. I joined a group of Punjabi farmers in Pilibhit for the celebrations. Most of them or their parents had migrated from the west Punjab in 1947. After the flag was hoisted, speeches were done and snacks were eaten, I raised a tough...

NEXT POST OF MORNING TREKK WILL BE PUBLISHED ON 17th AUGUST 2016 GREETINGS TO ALL OUR READERS FOR 70th INDEPENDENCE DAY OF INDIA.   Thought for the day " Man has no right to kill his brother. It is no excuse that he does so in uniform. " —Percy Bysshe Shelley (English, 1792-1822) Word for the day Polyphonic (adj) Consisting of many voices or sounds. Malice towards none Indian Railway proposes to allow private parties to buy train names for a fee. Would be great source of revenue and peace if the government makes it a policy and sells the names of all its schemes, e.g., Dhirubhai Ambani Gram Sadak Yojna or Godrej Worli Sea Link! First random thought this morning Almost every day, newspapers carry reports raising doubts about how Dr. Zakir Naik might be working against the national interest for long. If these reports are even partially true, the security apparatus of the country might need...

Thought for the day " O, wind, if winter comes, can spring be far behind? " —Percy Bysshe Shelley (English, 1792-1822) Word for the day Cosmopolis (n) An internationally important city inhabited by many different peoples reflecting a great variety of cultures, attitudes, etc. Malice towards none Nowadays there are two types of people in India - One: whose WhatsApp DP displays patriotic themes like the Tricolor or symbol of Indian Army ; Two: the others. First random thought this morning The decision of Manipur Iron Lady to enter politics with the objective of making it to top is commendable. I guess this may mark a watershed in Indian politics. For example, one, it may re-inspire many other right thinking citizens, including those who got completely de-motivated and disenchanted after their brief sojourn with Arvind Kejriwal. Two, it may trigger a rethink in the Congress Party that good people are willing to jo...

Thought for the day " A man, to be greatly good, must imagine intensely and comprehensively; he must put himself in the place of another and of many others; the pains and pleasures of his species must become his own. " —Percy Bysshe Shelley (English, 1792-1822) Word for the day Fletcherize (v) To chew (food) slowly and thoroughly. Malice towards none Arrogance cannot touch wisdom. This inherent protection distinguishes wisdom from intelligence. We need more wise people to manage policy. Intelligence is mostly dispensable. First random thought this morning Broken table, high velocity winds, no coach, no room in Olympic village - are some of the platitudes for not winning medal at Olympics. I wonder why can't our sportspersons simply say that we played our best (which they certainly did); and the better amongst the world's best won the medal. I mean it is plain truth and must be totally acceptable t...

Thought for the day "When my cats aren't happy, I'm not happy. Not because I care about their mood but because I know they're just sitting there thinking up ways to get even." —Percy Bysshe Shelley (English, 1792-1822) Word for the day Conciliate (v) To overcome the distrust or hostility of; placate; win over: to conciliate an angry competitor . Malice towards none After denying Sahara Shri any reasonable opportunity to get out of jail, now SC appears to be trying hard to keep him out of jail! First random thought this morning The State Assembly elections in UP are always interesting. In post Congress era (1989-current) UP has seen Janta Dal, SP, BSP and BJP in power, either alone or in coalition. 2017 elections promise to be equally interesting. With 71/80 seats in Lok Sabha from the State, BJP has taken the position of primary defendant. SP is also a defendant being the party ruling since 2012. INC ...

Thought for the day Nothing wilts faster than laurels that have been rested upon. —Percy Bysshe Shelley (English, 1792-1822) Word for the day Bumptious (Adj) Offensively self-assertive, e.g., a bumptious young upstart . Malice towards none Mrs. Funny Bone is not funny. Painting all 125cr Indians with the single brush is not funny at all. Moreover, I retain my right to judge public personalities (including politicians, film stars and sportspersons) based on my likings; and Rajesh Khanna was indeed a below average actor, in my strong view. Did someone bat for tolerance and freedom of expression a while ago? First random thought this morning In an open admission the prime minister admitted that the anti-social elements are violating the peace and social harmony; rather brazenly. More disturbingly, he suggested that these elements are using BJP's agenda to pursue their nefarious designs. Two questions: 1. Is ...