Do it yourself

Thought for the day "Truth never comes into the world but like a bastard, to the ignominy of him that brought her birth." —John Milton (English, 1608-1674) Word for the day Dundrearies (plural noun) Long, full sideburns or muttonchop whiskers Malice towards none "When nothing is done, nothing is left undone." —Zen Proverb First random thought this morning From W. C. Bonnerjee (1885) to Acharya J. B. Kriplani (1947) to Rahul Gandhi Gandhi (2017), the Indian National Congress has travelled a long distance. A cursory glance at the list of Congress Presidents from 1885-2017 ( see here ) shows that it is the only second instance that the party president post has moved from one relative to the other. The first instance was not truly handover as Rajiv Gandhi was elected party president after the demise of Mrs. Indira Gandhi. So the latest transfer of power is the truly first instance of dynastic transi...

Thought for the day "They also serve who only stand and wait." —John Milton (English, 1608-1674) Word for the day Pervious (adj) Open or accessible to reason, feeling, argument, etc. Admitting of passage or entrance; permeable, e.g. pervious soil . Malice towards none In states representing more than 50% of the eligible voters, The Congress Party may not even come close to forming a government in next 10yrs at the least. And some studio experts are intensely debating imminent revival of Congress Party's fortunes! First random thought this morning The incumbent government misses no opportunity to claim that national security and integrity is top priority for them and they have zero tolerance on this issue. They have allowed no opportunity to dissipate in showcasing their resolve behind the famous surgical strike in PoK. There have been many instances where stringent action has been taken on stude...

Thought for the day "I received free health care." —J. K. Rowling (English, 1965-) Word for the day Xanadu (n) A place of beauty, luxury and contentment. Malice towards none In case the scaremongering by Hindi News Channels does bother you, please note that an average Indian is likely to die much younger than an average citizen of North Korea, Nicaragua, Bangladesh, Guatemala, Jordan, Syria, Gaza Strip, Iraq, Serbia, Libya and Lebanon, among others. On the world Life Expectancy Index India stands at 163/224 place, just 4 places ahead of Pakistan. First random thought this morning Kapil Sibal is one of the most accomplished law professionals in the country. His father was also an illustrated lawyer. His sons are also doing very well as Senior Counsels. His brother had been one of the most accomplished diplomats. But why Mr. Sibal is important to Indian politics? He entered Parliament first, before ente...

Thought for the day "The truth. It is a beautiful and terrible thing, and must therefore be treated with great caution." —J. K. Rowling (English, 1965-) Word for the day Logomachy (n) A dispute about or concerning words. Malice towards none Key take away from the recent developments in Ayodhya case: (a)        Only Muslim lawyers should represent Muslim parties in the courts. (b)        The Bench hearing cases involving people from different communities, must comprise Judges representing all the communities involved. Even if it means enlarging bench to 5 or 7 Judges. First random thought this morning In the capital city of Delhi, these days it is a common sight to see a number of people wearing face masks. Many people have stopped going for their morning walks. Some of the foreign tourists come to the city advised by their governments to use face masks and ta...

Thought for the day "In fact, you couldn't give me anything to make me go back to being a teenager. Never. No, I hated it." —J. K. Rowling (English, 1965-) Word for the day Literatim (adv) Literally. Letter-for-Letter Malice towards none Mainstream media loves to designate every election in the country as the litmus test for NaMo. They have even extensively covered elections to Delhi University Student Union and Local Bodies in a number of states, hoping whatever. They may please note my RWA is holding elections early next month:) First random thought this morning While all the parties to the Ayodhya dispute are eagerly waiting for the Supreme Court's judgment, no one is apparently ready to take verdict that goes against them. This means what? (a)    No one actually believes that this matter could be decided by the court. (b)    No one is actually interested in this matter getting r...

Thought for the day "It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends." —J. K. Rowling (English, 1965-) Word for the day Gerontocracy A state or government in which old people rule. Malice towards none Ravan was son of a Brahmin and devotee of Shiva! So what's the point? First random thought this morning While Baba Ramdev was kept busy fighting war on MNC tooth paste, confectionary and cosmetic brands, the global mobile phone makers (mostly Chinese), automobile makers, and readymade garment sellers have "plundered" billions from "gullible" Indian consumers. Moreover, even on cosmetics, hair oil, ayurvedic products like Chyvanprash etc., confectionary and grocery etc. also, Baba may be competing more with pure domestic players like Dabur, Emami, Parle, LT Foods, DFM, Baidyanath, Marico, etc., rather than P&G, Colgate and HU...

Thought for the day "I think you could ask 10 English people the same question about class and get a very different answer." —J. K. Rowling (English, 1965-) Word for the day Scrummy (adj) Very pleasing, especially to the senses. Delectable. Splendid. Scrumptious. Malice towards none What has changed in West Bengal after the end of 35yrs of communist rule? What will change if 22yrs of BJP rule does come to an end in Gujarat? Fail to understand what this all brouhaha is all about! First random thought this morning In past two days the two principal political parties in the countries have used important terms like Hindu, Brahmin, Janeyu (sacred thread), Shiv Bhakt, Non-Hindu, rather contemptuously. As per the traditional view of RSS and BJP, duly endorsed by SC, Hindu is not a religion but a way of living. At times they have said anyone living in Aryavrata (between Hindukush and Indian Ocean) is Hindu. T...