Warrier's Collage on Wednesday August 31, 2022 : Letter Writing Day

Welcome To Warrier's COLLAGE On Wednesday August 31, 2022 Surya Krishnamurthy's Ganapathy Idols Collection https://youtu.be/rbDuaoJIIc4 II Onam Festival Special https://youtu.be/oFqWP8ZLIL4 Good Morning 🙏 Franklin Misquith's Poem today is on World Letter Writing Day* on September 1 & National Day being observed today. Last two decades, I've been writing a letter a day and on an average publishing 100 letters a year in the mainstream media. My letter today is about "Universal Social Security" (at B) which, I pray 🙏 to become a reality soon. Nice Day M G Warrier *Know More : https://nationaldaycalendar.com/world-letter-writing-day-september-1/ Letters : Franklin Misquith Verse for Today : World Letter Writing Day* Mankind has since lost the art of 'Letter Writing', Daily we would dash of a letter, Be it for worse or better. If not writing, We would turn to fighting, This would turn into lightning, And our image, We would keep blackening. Earlier we used to look forward, To seeing the postman, Now he has switched over, To being just a doorman. There was a time, When letter writing had turned into art, We knew what we would pen, At the very start, Now folks prefer to pass their time, Shopping at a mart, Or sit in a park and, With one another bart, or eat a tart. *Know More about Warrier's letters(See H) : https://www.amazon.in/dp/B07J3Z7T2D/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_4ZAAS4TK9EQWWQYHEG5R A Messages/Responses 1) R Jayakumar On inflation.... I have never understood inflation. But as Ronald Regan has said I too always feel that inflation is nothing but taxes. My understanding is that all manufacturers revise the selling price of their products upwards once in three months to adjust for taxes. This causes an increase in the price of anything that is sold on the street. Before the lockdown I used to eat Pani Puri/Bhel Puni from a roadside vendor who was charging rs 15 per plate. Now after three years he has increased the rate to rs 30 per plate. When I asked why he has doubled the price he said that the cost of everything has doubled in three years. I think according to him the inflation is 100 per cent in three years. R Jayakumar 2) S K Gupta Inflation Target I fully endorse well meaning and thought provoking views expressed by you and Dr TVG in respect of the 'Inflation management' in the Indian economy. But sadly, the 'powers that be' seems to be obsessed with its own game plan. It is felt that RBI's current stance of inflation targeting (successively hiking the repo-rate) could be creating demand-supply mismatch situation and adversely affecting the nation's economic growth in the wake of rising cost of the bank credit. What about the non-bank credit facilities that may be available to the credit seekers? The constant hike in repo rate must also be causing enough trouble for those seeking housing loans etc. MG Warrier : Nowadays I am not reading much. My comments are based on past experience and commonsense. I was not comfortable with the speculations in Business Line. I knew they won't publish my response. So copied my response to RBI on August 29 itself S K Gupta : It has become customary for the national media (including the HBL) to priorly/immaturely speculate and widely circulate too several 'arranged/stage-managed' views about the likely course of action, which the RBI mandated MPC, will resort to at its next meeting. How could the RBI be expected to toe their suggested line of action on this count? Strangely the HBL is seen persisting therewith nowadays. 3) C V Subbaraman Continues on Inflation Thoughts and analyses on Inflation ultimately lead to some good conclusions : one : To produce a theory of controlling inflation in a language which cannot be understood by most of the commoners and even educated persons is called expertise of the financial wizard. Two : after taking several steps, Government looks to the Central Banker to control inflation : This is admission of the fact that government cannot control inflation primarily because of its own profligacy and it cannot control its own profligacy. Third, the Central Banker has no choice but to publicly own this responsibility thrust on it by government over whose policies RBI has no control. So inflation rages and some palliatives are offered, tried and failed and then RBI bravely announces why inflation rages! Four : Thus comes the "solution", supply side management, over which the Central Banker has no control. Five : Then after some time, another solution comes and this is the shifting of base year for calculating inflation for statistical purposes. So the inflation figure from the new base year looks low and slow. All of them, then rejoice that inflation has been controlled, brought down and pat themselves on their backs. The world moves on......this is world wide phenomenon and each year one economist gets Nobel Price!. Please look what is the level of inflation today from the base year of 1947, the golden year of our Independence. Has it ever come down? Old age and inflation are two things which do not come down, the graph is always up. In 1947, 10 grams of gold cost in India Rs.88. Today, it costs Rs.46,930 (22ct). A rise of 53,230 per cent, an average annual increase of 710% over the past 75 years. Leave gold and silver alone. One bag of good Nellore rice was available in Chennai in 1952 at Rs.12 in Kothwaal Chaavadi market. Today it or its comparable quality costs anything more than Rs.5,000 (Rs.50 per kg). MPC may kindly look back! Can all the "managers of the economy" from 1950 to 2022 boast of anything? Subbaraman 4) R Jayakumar A doctor decided to share some words of advice to ladies via WhatsApp. The advice is simple and straightforward. Please share with every woman out there so all can get healthier and better in 2022 1. You cannot finish all the house chores in one day. Those who did are stressfully sick and some are buried already. 2. Please create time to rest, it is not a sin to sit down, put up your legs on the table and pick popcorn whilst reading a book or just relaxing. 3. Please sleep if need be that headache will go. Those who refuse to take vacation, or leave, or time out or rest time, their families are missing them because they have gone untimely to their maker. 4. Stop taking sedatives to sleep, you are destroying your brain and organs. At a point you will begin to forget things. Relax the brain, worry less, think less, laugh more , smile more. Everything will pass with time. 5. Sometimes go and sit outside quietly on your own, do nothing say nothing , just admire God's handiwork, breathe in fresh air calmly. Hurry not. 6. Stand by your mirror smile to yourself, laugh, dance, sing, that turns on a positive aura around you, so you can glow. 7. Go, buy yourself a snack or two or drink if you choose to do so. Just do something for yourself, so you offload the things in your head. 8. Get necessary home gadgets to ease your work in order to avoid stress. Stress is the highest silent killer of women. 9. If you are not feeling well say it, do something about it, go to health centre, hospital or call a nearby nurse, do not sit around, your life matters . 10. Check your blood pressure and sugar level occasionally, whether you are sick or not. It has saved a lot of women in the past. Forwarded by R Jayakumar (This was a New year message received by me in a group) 5) Vathsala Jayaraman Longevity : I read with great interest the response about Kuruvilla Cherian's story. I am reminded of Pulavar Keeran's lectures* in Tamil on the topic. The main attendance was from addicts. He used to talk so much about the drinking and dancing of the addicts and slowly diverted them from longevity to meaningful living for a shorter period. Keeran was adjudged as the best ambassader for de addiction. During my school days I listened to lot of his lectures in chaste Tamil. *Know More : https://pulavarkeeran.wildapricot.org/about-pulavar-keeran#:~:text=About%20Pulavar%20Keeran,melded%20into%20a%20captivating%20whole. b) About Surya Krishnamurthy's Ganapathy Idols Collection* : A rare collection of sarvam Ganapathi mayam. Very much excited and delighted to have darshan of so ------- many Ganeshas. Simply grand! (Krishnamurthy is a great organiser and Arts lover) *See link at the beginning 6) S W Fadnawis Triumph of music News in today's Indian Express will make every music lover very happy and proud.Markham city in Canada, honoured India's distinguished composer Shri A. R.Rahman by naming a street after him. Congratulations Shri Rahman Sir. 👍👍 S.W.Fadnavis 7) Vishnu Kelkar Shared a link : May like to have a look at the Ganeshas at different locations in India during ongoing Ganeshotsav celebrations. https://www.freepressjournal.in/webspecial/7-must-visit-ganesha-temples-in-india VNKelkar B Current Affairs Media Response : M G Warrier August 30, 2022 Universal social security* This refers to the article "Formal work, informal worker" (August 30). The article raises some fundamental issues in which every citizen in his capacity as a taxpayer/worker/employer has a stake. Minus technical jargon and legal issues, let's look at the possibility of integrating a Universal Social Security Arrangement for the informal workers in the existing employer-employee relationship. Modalities can be thought of, once there is a consensus on the admissibility of cost of healthcare and post-job/retirement life as an integral part of everyday wages. Presuming such a consensus, further refinements can be considered in the following model : a) Issue a job card linked to Aadhar Card and bank account to every eligible worker b) Link the job card to the worker's Social Security Account (Similar to EPF or NPS) and healthcare benefits account. c) When the worker is employed by a Service Provider/Family/Establishment for 15 days or more continuously, make it obligatory for the employer to credit a certain pre-decided percentage of the total wages payable/paid to the worker's Social Security Account. d) The agency managing the Social Security Account will be responsible to arrange healthcare benefits and eligible post-job benefits based on the period of service of the worker. The details above are only illustrative. M G Warrier Mumbai *Published in The Hindu Business Line on August 31, 2022 : https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article65831514.ece C Season's Festivals I Onam https://www.prokerala.com/festivals/onam.html Onam is the most revered and celebrated festival of Kerala. It is symbolic of King Mahabali's annual home-coming as well as celebrates the Vaman avatar of Lord Vishnu. This ten day long festival brings in the best of festive spirit among the people of Kerala and is celebrated with much splendor. Thiruvonam is on September 8, 2022. See G. D Season's Festivals II Ganapathy https://m.timesofindia.com/religion/festivals/ganesh-chaturthi-2022-date-time-story-and-shubh-muhurat-for-murti-sthapana/amp_articleshow/93762923.cms Ganesh Chaturthi 2022 : Ganesh Chaturthi is one of the main and most important festivals of Hindus, which is celebrated all over the country with great pomp and show. Ganesh Chaturthi is dedicated to Lord Ganesha, the god of wisdom, wealth and fortune. Lord Ganesha was born on Chaturthi Tithi of Shukla Paksha in the month of Bhadrapada. This year, Ganesh Chaturthi celebration will be starting from 31st August, 2022. E Blogs & Links https://www.newindianexpress.com/opinions/mindspace/2019/dec/26/thin-chocolate-bar-yet-thick-with-love-2081027.amp Her father couldn’t help teasing her over her ‘chocolate syndrome’. “I have eaten it!” he announced. He pretended to lick his lips coated with a thin layer of chocolate. She was stunned. Her own father betraying her like this? Newton’s Law demanded an equal and opposite reaction from her. Her arms swung into action, hitting him with her tiny fists and scratching him with her little nails. “Why did you eat it? It was mine! I had won it!” she continued to hammer him. 2) Article by M G Warrier https://www.newindianexpress.com/opinions/mindspace/2019/jan/28/our-failed-search-for-the-fallen-pupil-1930837.html Then, in a serious voice, she told us: “Kids, I am very old now. I am not able to see others. You should help me. Here, the toilet is far off in the compound. They have tied a rope from tree to tree from that pillar (she raised her finger in some direction, but we could locate the pillar from where the rope started) up to the toilet to help me. The other day, when I was returning from the toilet, the pupil of my eye fell down. Find it and help restore my eyesight.” F Leisure 1) Batchmates* One day a Colonel Sa'ab from the Army, fell into a well. The soldiers would throw a rope into the well and pull the Colonel Sa'ab out. The moment the Colonel would come up, the soldiers would leave the rope snap to attention and salute. The Colonel Sa'ab would fall back into the well. This happened many times. Someone suggested that a Brigadier be requested for help-because HE wouldn't have to salute the Colonel. So one Brigadier Sa'ab arrived. He threw the rope into the well and the Colonel Sa'ab gabbed it. The Brigadier Sa'ab began pulling the rope. As soon as the Colonel Sa'ab reached the top of the well, he spotted the Brigadier Sa'ab. He immediately left the rope and saluted. And he fell back once more, into the well. There was total silence. Then everyone heard the desperate Colonel Sa'ab's voice from down below *"You idiots - get hold of a batchmate !!"* MORAL OF THE STORY : Batchmates ARE important ! They can save your life! (Dedicated to all batchmates) *Shared by T V Sumangala Thrissur 2) Faith Dr Charan Singh Unity in Diversity - 359 बिरथा कहउ कउन सिउ मन की लोभि ग्रसिओ दस हू दिस धावत आसा लागिओ धन की To whom to tell the sorry state of mind (human being) Possessed by greed, running in 10 directions, caught in desire of money/wealth Guru Tegh Bahadur, Rag Asa, 411, SGGS https://twitter.com/CharanSingh60/status/1564343489634062339?s=20&t=Sqty4pYklbTA8iyDEMckWA G Quotes on Onam Festival https://wishesandquotes.com/onam-festival-best-wishes-and-quotes/amp/ The Onam Festival in Kerala holds an important significance for the Hindus, but this occasion is enjoyed by every religion. The grand festivities and gala of this ancient festival eliminate all the religious disparities and propagate harmony in society. Apart from the Hindu rituals, it is witnessed that the Christians of Kerala also celebrate this annual festival in great zeal. Their rituals include the lighting of Nilavilakku which is followed by an arati and waving of flowers over the Bible which is called Pushparati. Along with this they also have a meal together with Hindus which signifies the communion of brothers and sisters irrespective of faith and beliefs. Onam festival traditional dress is Kasavu Sarees and you will see all the married women wearing these exclusive sarees throughout the festival. Use the link for reading more. H Continued from top : The book “Assorted Letters of Dissent”by M G Warrier is a collection of select responses on current issues, most of which were published in print media, in recent times. The letters included here are submitted versions, in most cases. No effort has been made to organize them chronologically or subject-wise. Picked up at random from hundreds of submissions, these responses convey the concerns and anxieties of an independent observer who doesn’t have any constituency interests in the subjects covered. Therefore, the views expressed could appear to be different from the ‘lobbying type’. Still there is a purpose and the aim is to influence opinion-making ultimately beneficial to common man. This book will help readers who would like to look at issues from an angle different from the ‘normal’, where the ‘normal’ stands for the perception artificially created by external influences including print and electronic media. The subjects covered include (a) Developments in the financial sector, (b) Economic development, (c) Role of the Reserve Bank of India, (d) HR-related issues (e) Social issues and (f) Post-retirement life.