Pictures, History: London in 1560

 

आलेख: बच्चों की भावनाओं और भोजन के बीच सम्बन्ध

बच्चों के स्वास्थ्य के बारे में हालाँकि काफी जागरुकता बढ़ी है, फिर भी न तो विज्ञान इस विषय में अंतिम मत देता प्रतीत होता है, न ही लोगों में इस मामले में आम राय बनी है। हर कोई अच्छे स्वास्थ्य के विषय में अपना अलग मंतव्य रखता दीखता है। ऐसे में एक ऐसे विषय पर समाचारपत्र में लेख प्रकाशित हुआ जिसने मेरा ध्यान आकर्षित किया। पेश है यह ज्ञानवर्धक लेख:  

Memories: Letter from Maneka Gandhi

 

Way back in my younger days, when I was in high school, I was an idealist and influenced and inspired by social causes. I used to write letters to newspapers and also corresponded with activists and social organizations. At that time, a popular TV show used to appear on DD-National, featuring animal rights activist Maneka Gandhi. I had written to her once and I had also got her reply. Those days, we used to write physical hand written letters, and hence both she and I wrote with hand. I had forgotten about this, until recently when I found the letter and then recalled that time.

Here is the letter, for memory sake:

- Rahul

How to sell fractional Units of Nippon India ETF Liquid BeES

 

If you have fractional Units of Nippon India ETF Liquid BeES mutual fund in your Dmat account and you are struggling to sell it, this blog post will help it.

You will not be able to sell this in open market as the mutual fund scheme no longer trades. Therefore, the company (Nippon Mutual Fund) has offered to “buy back” your units. I asked about the process to Nippon customer care and below is the process they shared. I am posting the process as it is for the benefit of other customers who are looking at ways to sell fractional units from their Dmat account and not able to do so. Please note that below information may not be applicable always and the process may change over time, hence you should verify and be sure before doing anything.  

Greetings from Nippon India Mutual Fund! 

Thanks for reaching out to us! We will surely help you with your query. 

Facility for buying back fractional Units of Nippon India ETF Liquid BeES: 

Nippon India ETF Liquid BeES (ISIN: INF732E01037) declares daily Dividend and the same is compulsorily reinvested in the Scheme on daily basis. The Units arising out of Dividend reinvestment results into fractional Units. The Dividend Re-Investment Units are uploaded up to three decimals periodically in the beneficiary account of the Unit holder held with the Depository. As the minimum trading lot on National Stock Exchange of India Limited (NSE) is 1 (One) Unit, the fractional Units of the Scheme cannot be traded on the NSE. In order to provide an exit option to Unit holders holding fractional Units of the Scheme in their demat account, the Scheme will offer a buy back facility to Unit holders holding fractional Units in Liquid BeES. The redemption will be processed on the first Business Day of the following week. To enable this facility the Mutual Fund has opened an account with the Central Depository Systems Limited (CDSL) whose details are mentioned below: 

Instructions to Unit holders: 

1. Unit holders who hold fractional Units of the Scheme in their demat accounts should transfer the fractional Units by submitting an off-market delivery instruction slip (DIS) duly filled and signed to their respective Depository Participant directly. The Unit holders should use appropriate off market transfer slip (intra depository off market transfer slip if the Unit holder holds

a demat account with a CDSL Depository Participant (DP) and an inter depository off market transfer slip if the Unit holder holds a demat account with a National Securities Depository Limited (NSDL) DP) for this purpose. 

2. The Unit holder should transfer the fractional Units of the Scheme to the CDSL account of the Scheme, details of which are mentioned above. 

3. The DP will execute the transfer of fractional Units from the Unit holder’s demat account to the demat account of the Scheme (Target Account). 

4. The AMC / Registrar will track the Units received in the Target Account and once sighted, the fractional Units will be considered for Redemption as on the date of receipt of such fractional Units in the Target Account. 

5. The AMC/ Registrar will obtain the bank account details of the Unit holder from the Depository database and the Redemption proceeds for the fractional Units will be paid / credited to such bank account of the Unit holder. Please note the following: 

- Under this facility, the Unit holder can offer only fractional Units of the Scheme for buy back. Incase the Unit holder transfers whole Unit(s) then the same will be transferred back to the same demat account of the Unit holder from where the fractional Units were received. E.g. If the Unit Holder transfers 1.568 Units to the demat account of the Scheme, then 0.568 Units will be considered for Redemption and remaining one (1) Unit will be transferred back to

the demat account of the Unit holder from where the fractional Unit was received. 

The Redemption proceeds for the fractional Units will be paid to bank account of the Unit holder registered with the DP. 

Investors can also Redeem Fractional Units of the Scheme through the Mutual Fund Service System (MFSS) and the BSE Star MF platform/facilities provided by the NSE and BSE respectively 

Below mentioned the link (Liquid BeES) :

https://investeasy.nipponindiaim.com/rmfGsamnew/documents/FacilityforbuyingbackfractionalUnitsofLiquidBeES_new.pdf

Natural Beauty Around Bangalore

Everyone knows that Bangalore (Bengaluru) is a beautiful place. But even the places around Bangalore are beautiful and full of greenery and nature.

Here are some pics: 

- Rahul

Good Bye 2022

 

One more year has gone by. Being on the ‘wrong side’ of age, passing of a year does not feel like making us ‘better’ anymore. I remember my ‘yearly review’ posts which I used to make till a few years back, and I can recall the good feeling about those. I mainly listed major achievements and life events, and definitely did not share any negative or too personal happenings. It made those posts look better and I was not honest in that regard. But I know we all can decide about the boundaries up to which people can know.

Now, I started year 2022 by being in my hometown and I spent about half of the year at hometown and half in the city. And at the beginning of the year, I entered into an agreement with a ‘builder’ who happened to go back on his promise and cheated me. I decided to file a court case and got good exposure to the whole life behind those walls. And I won’t recommend that to anyone, if it can be avoided, because all those cries of Sunny Deol in some movie, “Tarikh pe Tarikh” is absolutely true. So, the court case against the builder is running its hopeless life, and I gained some experience which I would have rather avoided. Also at the beginning of the year, I made a career move for which I was mentally prepared for over last 2.5 years. It is an epic story in itself, culminating in a climax, nothing short of a thriller. I came out victorious, against many odds, and it felt really good. Apart from that, I procured a motorcycle I was planning to get for some time, and it felt really good. I enjoy motorbikes and the freedom it brings. Even in my childhood, I was very fond of my bicycle. I also got a piece of furniture at home which I was thinking about for quite some time. I got it in perfect shape, design and budget; with no regrets, and exactly what qualifies as a ‘good buy’. Apart from these, there were some property related transactions which were also very important and got done with this year. I am also close to two more tasks which I plant to finish soon into 2023. So, several items went off from ‘To-Do’ list and hence the year was productive one in that regard. On personal front, the “hill to climb” still continues; and in that aspect, the year seems one more wasted year and nothing more.

I do not have much high hopes for 2023. Still, I have a few things on my mind and hopefully, those should get done soon.

After a certain age, we are able to look back at the years gone by and think what we could do differently. I have some key learnings on that, which I can’t correct now, since there is no way to rewind time. But, I wish I did not listen to others and did only what I thought was right, because time has proven that if I had trusted my own instincts, things would have been alright. I remember my time since childhood, and I can immediately feel how closer to God I was; how strong were my ideals and morals which did not allow me to make mistakes and do any harm to any other. But, as some people say, our life also depends on the kind of people we are living with, and their mistakes and decisions can impact our own life too. And it has been a huge disappointment in that regard. I still have faith in God, if he ever choses to reward me for my good conduct. To punish our obedient child must also be difficult for God, I guess.

While thinking about the old and the new year, I have also realized how I left my hobby of reading books a few years back. I think I also have been a victim of ‘peaking out early’. I plan to get back and start reading leisurely, like the old days - the glorious, good days, full of hopes and positivity.

Welcome, 2023.  

- Rahul   

The Balloon

 

I was having tea at a roadside shop when something on the road caught my attention. When I tried to check what it was, I could see a big helium-filled balloon being carried by someone. The balloon was special, since it had a “balloon inside a balloon”, something I had never seen before! Then I tried to find out who was carrying it. Next few moments were bursts of one realization after another. 

It was a lady who was carrying the balloon. She was an overweight lady; really-really overweight. Then I realized that she was overweight like the new mothers who are taking care of newborn infants. She was carrying the balloon and nothing else and the big colorful balloon was floating in the sky. There was something different in the way she walked. What was it? I noticed that she was not looking up at all and had kept her eyes down while she walked, as if she was embarrassed or feeling shy. Her neck was also trying to sink. It became clear that since she was carrying a big special balloon all alone, she was feeling shy because she was a grownup lady and not a kid. It may be normal to see children carrying balloons, but not adults. So, to sum it up: she was a new mother taking care of a small kid, she would have gone somewhere and on the way back home she came across a helium balloon seller and hence she bought a big one for her child. She was walking feeling shy, for what will people think about her carrying a big balloon! She was also clearly excited imagining how her kid would react seeing the balloon and was trying to reach her home as soon as possible. Now, all this was too much for me, and I started getting tears in my eyes, and hence I looked away and moved on. But that special scene of an excited mother bringing balloon for her kid, got captured in my memory like a painting.

May God bless her and her kid.

- Rahul

The Accidental Prime Minister

 

The legacy of former prime minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has been a matter of wide debate. Some rubbish him as a cowering and weak PM under whom widespread corruption and scandals happened, while some focus on the good things India achieved during his tenure. In year 2014, a book titled “The Accidental Prime Minister” was written by his media advisor, Sanjaya Baru, and it had generated a lot of attention. After few years, a movie was also made with story based on the same book, and it had also created lot of buzz. Somehow, I had missed both these buses. Until now, when I ‘accidentally’ came across this movie on Youtube (I don’t know if loading full movies is legal or not)

 

I really liked this movie; especially the role played by Akshay Khanna as Sanjaya Baru. But not only Sanjaya Baru; all characters and roles in the movie have been portrayed wonderfully. Not watching it for all these years was a loss.

After this movie, I searched about the book and about the author and got myself a bit updated on the political front. I would recommend watching above movie to understand what all happened for a decade at the highest power circles.  

- Rahul  

Lost Dog

 

Governments build nice and clean footpaths and sidewalks, but how many of us walk over it these days? I was walking on a stretch this evening for about two kilometers, when a funny thing happened.

I noticed a little shadow behind me and when I looked, I was in for a surprise. There was a dog following me. After I saw him, he came right besides me and started running or walking there with me. I felt strange. And a bit scared. Then I noticed that it was really a big size dog; white; and it had a rubber collar on his neck. While I was walking at a consistent speed, he was almost running for a while, and then going slow, then catching up. It was very clear that he was planning to walk besides me. I wondered if he was mistaking me for someone else he knew. I felt guilty of deceiving him and thought of ways to make it clear that I was not his friend. So much for clarity! After a while, it became clear that I did not need to fear him, since he was someone’s pet and he was purposefully walking besides me, perhaps seeking my protection. I also noticed that while running, he was looking at the buildings on the roadside, as if trying to recognize places. Was he searching for his home? Was he lost? Or worse, abandoned? I started feeling bad for him. It was clear that he was lost, and he was just going that way searching for a place he knew. I started feeling very-very sad for him. Then, it got worse.

We all know that dogs have territories. So, I and the lost dog reached a corner which ‘belonged’ to another dog! There were two of them. One of them had lots of furs, and again seemed abandoned since stray dogs can’t be furry I guess; while the other was lame, with one leg hurt, perhaps in some dog-fight or some drunk human tried to run over him just for fun. Those two dogs saw this big white dog walking besides me and started barking at him. My heart started pounding. Was there going to be a street-dogfight? Was I going to be the poor meddling victim in the war of the dogs? I tried to shout and shoo away those two dogs, but they were unfazed and came very close. I decided that no matter how much I empathized with my big white lost dog friend, I was not ready to get injured protecting him. So, I stopped and moved towards a tea shop on the roadside. The white dog was now all alone, so the two territorial dogs started barking at him from very close distance. A scuffle could start anytime; and then the big white lost dog also barked back at those two. He had a heavy voice! Certainly, this royal big white lost dog was up to his mark. The two smaller stray dogs got a bit scared and stopped chasing him; and he kept walking. After realizing that the place was now safe and I was alone once again, I left my hiding place and went on walking.

After about 10 minutes, when I reached a roundabout and took a turn, I saw that the big white lost dog was still walking straight while searching for some building or home. Since we parted ways, I can only imagine and wonder if he ultimately found his home or if he had hard time running like that being hungry and thirsty, and entering the ‘territories’ of other stray dogs one after the other. I don’t know how his journey ended; was it happy ending or not. But I remember how sad I felt for him. And for this world.

May God have mercy on all of us.  

- Rahul

Clueless In Cairo

While passing through on my bike, I came across a small kid, probably 3-4 years old. He was just standing there on the ground besides the road, near the small dwellings of his family, and was looking at some vehicle moving on the road. He was wearing only a vest stretched long enough to act as a lower garment too.

A few minutes afterwards, I came across another kid who was also looking at someone, with the same expression. I felt something was strange about both these kids’ expressions and then I realized what it was: both of them looked “clueless”.

I know that both were very small kids, both were boys, and their “clueless” expressions were due to their innocence. At this age, kids’ brains are still in development phase and hence they do not understand what is going around them, hence their faces look so innocent. And sometimes, expressionless, or “clueless” as I have put it.

But there was something which got me interested in their clueless expression. Are we all not ‘clueless’ in this world, in our own ways? Just think of our purpose of life, just think why we are doing what we are doing, towards what end goal? Are we really knowing who we are, what we are doing, and why? If you think about these, you will realize how pointless most of the things we take so seriously in our lives are!

I found the kids and their clueless expression as truly liberating. In a sense, those kids were not really clueless. They “knew” what was necessary to know, at that stage of life. It is we, most of the grownup people, who are clueless, because we know lots of stuff about pointless things and nothing about what really matters.

I am waiting to see until when the memory of those two kids and their clueless, innocent faces lingers in my mind. Until it fades and becomes pointless, in this pointless world.

- Rahul

Note: I have tried to name the title of this piece on the lines of movie titled “Sleepless in Seattle”, just for fun. 

A Pigeon At the Window

 

I noticed some activity at one of my bedroom window and when I went to check, I found out that a pigeon was trying to settle down in the gap between the window pan and iron grill, perhaps to assemble a next and lay eggs. I made sound to scare it away. The bird was back after a few minutes and hence I scared it away once again. This went for 4-5 times in next 10 minutes.

After a while, I felt a bit guilty for scaring away the pigeon. I noticed that I was not feeling bad about what I was doing, i.e. scaring away the pigeon at the time of its need. In my subconscious mind, I tried to find out why was not feeling sympathy of kindness for the bird. I realized that it was mainly because of the articles I have read which have convinced me that pigeons are bad for cities, are not real birds, these do not live on trees like other birds, produce lots of waste and spread several disease. In short, the knowledge acquired from reading had taught me to feel indifferent towards pigeons, if not outright hate those.

Although I understood where my behaviour was coming from, I could also recall the past incidents where I was sensitive towards pigeons, and I had even written few blog posts about those episodes. I wondered if remaining a bit naïve makes us enjoy life better. Knowing objective information about all things sometimes kills the fun which comes from a bit of lack of knowledge.

Well, one of the tragedies of growing up is loss of innocence.

- Rahul

Lonely Life of a Baby Bull: Conclusion

 

A few months back, I had shared the touching story of a baby bull from our village: Hills That We Climbed: Lonely Life of a Baby Bull (rahultiwaryuniverse.blogspot.com)

After I visited our village again, this time I did not see him around. I enquired and then got to know about the anti-climax of his life-story. It is said that the servant who was employed by the house to take care of cows took the baby bull with him and sold him to bad people (slaughterhouse agents) and made some money for himself. People say that the man would have got lot of sin for selling a bull which was donated in the name of Lord Shiva and was supposed to roam freely whole life. I am not sure if he would care, since such people have very different set of values.

I wanted to feel sad for the baby bull, whom I had seen enjoying life and freedom just a few months back. But at some level, I was feeling relieved that he had escaped this sinful world sooner than later. If he survived and roamed freely, perhaps he would only invite hateful bystanders who would chase him away, beating him with sticks. It is better that he got free from such abuse quickly, with a prospect of being born better in next life.

I know that Hindus have been demanding government to make some kind of arrangement to keep and maintain stray cows and bulls. The village economy of today’s is not such where such animals could live life of dignity; like they used to do a few generations back. Now, people do not hesitate to sell their old and unproductive animals to the agents of slaughterhouses who kill them for beef-trade. I think governments are not yet sensitized enough and overall; our nation needs to make enough economic progress to be able to support such animals.

This is the tragic conclusion of a beautiful baby bull’s life.

- Rahul Tiwary

Baby Mule

 

I came across an interesting scene recently.

How often do we see mules these days? I came across a group of mules standing on the roadside while I was riding my motorcycle. But there was one mule on the other side of the road, alone and it had just started to cross the road. Its both feet were tied in pairs and it looked weak while it struggled to walk, perhaps it was recovering from sickness or it was a female mule who recently delivered a baby. So, on the left side of the road, there is a group of mules and on the other side of the road, there is this female mule trying to cross the road.

By the time I crossed that part, I could see that from the other side of the road, a baby mule (it was much smaller in size and hence clearly a baby) started crossing the road towards the other mule. So, we have two mules moving towards each other, in the middle of ongoing traffic on a busy road.

After I passed them, I looked in the rear mirror to find out what happens next. What I see next was so touching. The baby mule went and reached the mother-mule and then turned back and started walking “alongside” the mother-mule. It was like he was trying to help her cross the road. And it was working, since the vehicles would pay more attention to two mules crossing the road instead of one. Despite being an animal, it still got this instinct to help the mother-mule out and it risked its own life by crossing the busy road and walked besides her.

While I moved ahead and the two mules vanished from my rear mirror, the heart touching scene had got captured in my mind for time to come.

- Rahul Tiwary