INDIANOIL-VIZAG TERMINAL

When I reached Vizag, I saw a number of young officers, who joined Indian Oil in 1984.They all were technically qualified from pretigeous institutions like IIT, Osmania University Engineering college etc.and inspite of their qualifications they were mortally scared of Terminal Manager. There was a manager terminal, who was moving out on trasfer, told me TM was like a god to him. He warned me not to go against him. Then there were two very interesting characters. Both were Dyputy Managers. One was almost a devotee of TM. He would do anything to please him. Another Dy. Mgr was a comic figure.He was very fond of travelling in jeep and talking over telephone. If some officers wanted to talk to him, they had to just wait at his desk and not get a chance to talk. Not that he talked something important on phone; important to him was he was on his favourite job, the job of talking on telephone. So much for introduction. TM held the officers to ransom. He refused to sanction allowances for extended hours duty, holiday duty even though such allowances were official. The threat was Annual Appraisal Reports. Officers were scared of him because they thought he might give them an average report, which would not get them promotion Within a few weeks of my joining there were elections of Officers Association. Officers of terminal, Divisional office and AFS elected me as secretary for all the three establishments in Vizag. A Dy.Mgr made a blunder of his life by giving me duty on 15th August 1986. I performed my duty and next day submitted my claim for holiday working allowance. Both the Dy. Mgrs warned me that I would incur TM’s wrath. I insisted on my allowance and threatened them that I would take up at the highest level. TM had no choice but to approve my claim. I told all officers to claim all their allowances, which they were denied. For TM there was no choice but to approve. The TM knew very little about operations. He had the blessings of union leader. Blessings come at a price. Unionised staff was happy as they always got what they wanted. It was the union leader who decided the postings of officers in various sections. The lure of promotions had the officers turn a blind eye to the shady happenings. They thought it was enough if they remained upright. All shady people observe all religious rituals, so did this TM. He built a huge temple on Port land very close to the terminal. Surprisingly even the port authorities did not object. How could they? After all some thing religious was being done. Any important official visiting the terminal had to first visit the temple, have a silk shawl and of course blessings before inspecting the terminal. Internal audit team, too, had to undergo the blessed ceremony in addition to a trip to Simhachalam, which has a famous temple. The biggest beneficiary of TM’s largess was DGM (operations).

I was member of Kendriya Vidyalaya management committee, Vishakhapatnam for three years.

INDIANOIL-GULBURGA DEPOT

I landed in operations as Depot Manager Gulburga in 1985. I was the only officer with an assisstant, who had started his career as an attendant. I decided that my posting in Gulburga should create problems for those who posted me there. Mediocrity is not far sighted. I knew that I was dealing with mediocrity. They did not even imagine what I would do. Railway siding was half a kilometer away and I had to go there during decantation leaving the depot at the mercy of workmen, who were not held responsible for stock loss. This was a great risk Wagons were normally placed in the afternoon, mostly after 3 pm. The railways expected that the rake would be released the same day even if it involved working upto late in the night. I started the practice of selecting a number of wagons that could be decanted before sunset, which also meant I had to work at least one hour beyond working hours. I used to decant the rest of the wagons early morning and complete the work within the free time for decanting. This meant the workers did not lose their overtime and no dummurage was paid. But the railways were unhappy as they could not arrange engine for shunting and the turnover time was affected badly. Railways complained. Just as I thought I received a nasty letter from regional office. They directed me to release the wagons the same day. I wrote back to them that my depot explosives licence was for work between sunrise and sunset and hence if I worked beyond sunset it would be contravention of explosives regulations. There was no reply. May be they tore off both the letters. They must have felt extremely helpless. Then came audit team. I did not go to station to receive them. Manager Audit was furious. I ignored him. There was no reason for me to be scared of audit. They could not transfer me immediately. They had to work with me for one full year They thought of punishing me by posting me under a man who was considered tough. What they did not take into consideration was that a man with ‘weaknesses’ couldn’t be tough

Vintage

These are three sets with obverse and reverse.

British India commander in chief visits Bijapur in 1927

One to my grand father in 1927 and the other to my father in1961. Commander in chief did not know that my grand father took care of Badami caves and temples of Aiholli and Pattedkal. My father also looked after the maintenance of those places. Those caves and temples are of the period of Chalukya dynasty.

Swabhimani hindu

Add some fiction, some myth, a little bit of facts and a lot of what people take pride in and you have history. Deccan chronicle of 22nd Nov.2014 under the headline, ‘Bold Hindu in Delhi throne:VHP’, reports Mr. Singhal saying, ‘it took 800 years for the power to return to another swabhimani Hindu ruler after Prithviraj Chauhan’. Singhal was addressing inaugural session of ‘world Hindu congress’. “History and the myth of what people believe to have been their past, gives them a sense of identity. Thus the self-proclaimed Hindus of India continue to laud and revere the loser of the battle of Tarain, Prithviraj III, emperor of Ajmer, as a great and doughty enemy of invading Islamists. According to the evidence provided by the coins of the period, he became a tribute paying vassal of Shahabuddeen Muhammad bin Sam of Ghor after his defeat and was no anti-Islamist hero”, writes historian Akhilesh Mithal in the same newspaper of Oct. 28,2006.

Sick?

Army jawans in heinous act

 “An 11-year-old boy was found with severe burns in a restricted area on the premises of Mehdipatnam Garrison on Wednesday afternoon. Family and locals alleged the boy, Shaik Mustafauddin, who suffered over 90% burns, was set ablaze by Army jawans”

This news item was reported by Times of India (TNN | Oct 9, 2014, 05.55AM IST).

  . "Locals said they found Mustafa lying outside the barricade with severe burn injuries. I spoke to the boy at Osmania General Hospital (OGH) and he told me that while he was playing near his house, two Army jawans called him into the barricaded area. They asked him to sneak in through the fencing. After the boy entered the restricted area, the two jawans thrashed him and threw gasoline on him. The boy said when he tried to escape, the jawans beat him up again and set him ablaze," Greater Hyderabad mayor Majid Hussain told TOI.

 A 32-year-old Army lance naik, who was questioned in connection with 11-year-old boy Mustafa's murder at Mehdipatnam Garrison here, shot himself dead in the early hours of Monday, reported TNN | Nov 4, 2014, 01.20AM IST.

“Apart from Appalaraju, the investigating officials said three other army personnel were on their list of supsects. The post-mortem report suggested that there was a three centimetre long anal tear on Mustafa, but swabs sent to FSL confirmed that there were not traces of semen”. (Mahesh Buddi, TNN | Nov 4, 2014, 01.10AM IST).

This was as gruesome a case as that of Nirbhaya, (to call a victim nirbhaya is a misnomer. Nirbhaya means ‘nidar, fearless. How can you call a victim fearless. But the TOI never misses an opportunity to claim they were the first to use the word).

But unlike support for  ‘nibhaya’, there were no candlelights. No protests. Why? Because army jawans are suspected?

This case is more horrific than 'nirbhaya' incidence because, firstly it was in army area and secondly our 'rakshaks' are accused of the crime.

There is Kendriya Vidyalaya in the same garrison much inside the guarded gate. There are many civilian students too in the school. I am sure their parents must be quite worried about the safety of their children.

  I wonder what happens to boys in the villages on our borders!

I remember an incidence in 1962 when I went for NCC camp, which was in the premesis of Lalit mahal palace, a few kilometers from Mysore. One day all the cadets in uniform were taken to Mysore to see brindavan garden. Our way was through a village. We found all doors and windows of all houses were shut. On enquiry we learnt the people were afraid of men in uniform. I wonder what their experience was with the jawans of Mysore maharaja.

Our CM is trying for relocation of all garrisons spread over Hyderabad and Secunderabad in one location away from the city limits. Hope he succeeds.

INDIANOIL-Oyal?

In Hindi it is IndianOyal not IndianOil.

How does one write Indane in Hindi?

RSS attempt to distort history

Here are some extracts form the article ‘RSS rewrites history: Dalits 'created' by Muslim invaders’ in Hindustan Times New Delhi, September 22, 2014

Three top RSS leaders have sought to attribute the genesis of Dalits, tribals and many other groups to “Muslim invasion” in medieval times.
Was Manu one of the Muslim invaders?
According to Bhaiyyaji Joshi, No.2 in RSS hierarchy, ‘shudras’ were never untouchables in Hindu scriptures. ‘Islamic atrocities’ during the medieval age resulted in the emergence of untouchables, Dalits and Indian Muslims.
Shudras  are within the Hindu four-fold society. All the communities other than Brahmins, vaishyas, kshtriyas and Shudra. They have never been untouchables.  Dalits and tribals are outside the fourfold hindu society.
Another top RSS functionary, Suresh Soni, echoed the same: “Dalits had their genesis during Turks, Muslims and Mughal eras.
Ashuras and Rakshasas were later called Dalits and tribals respectively. Remember, Bhim of Mahabharat married a rakshsa woman.

Italics mine.

wall paint by a 4yr. old.

Taj Mahal

During my visit to Taj in1993

Farmers

Farmer takes home coveted Balapur laddu for Rs 9.5 lakh

TNN | Sep 9, 2014, 04.53AM IST

Farmer? These are the 'farmers' who get all kinds of subsidies. They are land lords not farmers. They have labour force who work in their farms. And they get pittance. Times of India   should not have used the word farmer for this 'laddu premi'.

TSSPDCL -Southern Power Distribution company of TG Ltd :Taking people for a ride.

If you are in LTCat-1 B Domestic and if you consume just 200 units your energy charges are just Rs.620/-, but if you consume 204 units  charges are Rs.843.52. Is it reasonable?

Decisions

If and when GM/ ED has to take a decision, the section, who seeks a decision, has to present all data on power point. The first step is to collect data. What is the easiest and convenient way? Talk to Area Offices or Dos to send data. It is not that data is not available. After all telephoning is an easier method. Reminders! And reminders! Data is at last received. Then telephone calls on clarifications on the data. At last the data is ready and is transferred to power point. The section head sees the presentation and suggests some changes. It is carried out. Time is sought from GM. He is very busy but in view of urgency he fixes a particular time. There is trepidation all over. People are tense. Presentation starts. GM suggests a different template and fixes the next date. On the fixed date, presentation starts. Suddenly GM suggests that the letters should come like rain drops. Agreed! The section head musters courage and suggests that GM at least see the full presentation and suggest all changes at one go. MG is visibly unhappy but agrees and goes through.

Ye kya hua.

Indian coins 1950s

Pakistan coins

Shining India

 India was shining then and they say, will shine again.
1 All prices will come down.
2 Since  all prices will come down salaries of all Govt. and PSU employees will be reduced accordingly.
3 Naxals will be wiped out.
4 To end terrorism training camps across the border will be bombed. Pak occupied Kashmir will be liberated.
5 Article 370 will be scrapped.
6 Chinese soldiers will withdraw from Arunachal border.
7 Bangladesh infiltrators  will be sent back.
8 Uniform civil code will be introduced.
9 Srilankan  Tamils will have autonomous state.
10 India will be permanent member of security council.
11 Corruption will vanish.
12 All black money will be white.
13 Ram mandir will be built.
 

      This time also projections are wrong. BJP, sorry Modi will get two third majority.

 I personally think Modiji should be next PM. An upper caste organization wants a shudra
(a low rung shudra) to be a PM. It is a kind of revolution.

High School and College Bijapur

Except for Government high school, private institutions with or without government aid ran secondary schools. Private schools were on caste lines. BLDE association was a lingayat institution, while PDJ was a Kannada speaking Brahmins’. There was Maratha vidyalaya by and large for Marathi speaking Brahmin boys. Marwadi and gujrati boys and girls were also sent only to this school. Anjuman-e-islam was a Muslim school and since Urdu was medium, only Muslim boys were in that school. There was another high school called Darbar high school, which was named so because it was founded and managed by Darbar family, who were basically pawnbrokers. Lot of families amassed  wealth in this trade, if one can call it a trade. It is primarily based on exploitation. The customers of this trade are poor peasants, parents whose daughters are to be married. They continue to pay interest and ultimately lose whatever they pledged. Usury should be made unlawful. Inspite of films like mother India in 50s, things have not changed in villages even today. The irony is the pawnbrokers also liked the film.

It was June 1956 when my father got me admission in Shri siddheshwar High school, which was considered a very good institution. My four years in the high school were memorable. One reason why my father preferred this school was because he had many Lingayat friends. He did not send me to a Brahmin school because the close association of teachers and students with RSS. Every Sunday every Brahmin boy was seen going to ‘shibir or shakha’ in khaki shorts and white half sleeve shirt, which was a uniform. They used to do exercises and learn to use lathis in the huge playgound of PDJ high school.

I was chosen cultural secretary in my 8th satndard. Thoughout the year in any function, including ‘Gajananotsava’, I was the one to announce or copmpere. Mr. Bagali was the teacher in charge. He was an excellent man. His upper front teeth were dotted with gold, which was an in thing for the affluent. Most of the teachers were from the affluent section of society, Patils. They were not in teaching profession for money, which they had in plenty. It was a vocation for them. I cannot forget teachers like V M Patil, A K Patil, T K Patil, Bagali, Ijeri, Heglyal and Talikoti to name a few. They were good teachers and good human beings. It was Mr, talikoti who trained me for elocution competitions. I used to participate in elocution competitions and debates and always got a prize. When in 10th standard I played lead role in a drama called ‘Kattabomman’, for which I received a prize. Lingayats are good people without religious prejudices. They were very fair in their treatment of students.

English language was introduced only in classVIII and we started with alphabet in the first year of high school. Mr.Ijeri was our English teacher and he was very methodical in teaching grammer.
Monthly fee in class VIII was four and a half rupees, but since I was within the second rank I had to give only half. My parents were so pleased that my mother used to give me the other half as my pocket money. This continued till I comleted X standard.
When I was in 8th standard I joined the school excursion to Aurangabad, which included visits to Ajanta, Ellora caves and Daulatabad, where Aurangzeb lies buried.About 20 boys were escorted by two teachers. One of them was Mr. Nadagouda.

The second excursion was to Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Mount Abu and Bombay.
We reached Jaipur late in the night. We had to stay in a mandir premises. On our arrival at the temple gate, our teacher Mr. Talikoti was asked whether there were any Muslim boys in the group. Not knowing the implication the teacher identified me and another student as Muslims. Both of us were not allowed entry. Two of us had to spend the night at the railway station. But in the morning our teacher smuggled us into the temple.
With Pandit Nehru on 9.11.1958

The above picture in Mount Abu.

 In Delhi we had a friend of our teacher to take us around sight seeing. He was a police Inspector in Delhi and was from the family of Mogalis, who had a readymade garments shop at Bijapur. He refused to take us to Jama Masjid saying there was nothing to see there.

My father shifted residence to Sakhaf Roza, a different locality. I befriended boys, who had no interest in studies. In school I got into irresponsible group and started bunking classes. I also slowly lost interest in studies. This resulted in my getting only second division in SSC, which was a poor show.
I failed in PUC (science). My father felt annoyed. I went for humanities. I did well in college. Took part in symposia, debates, elocution competitions and dramas and received prizes in all the fields. I was very popular in college. In my last year in college I contested election for cultural secretary and won by a large margin of votes. As a secretary I organized many elocution competitions, debates and symposia with the help of Prof. Byakod, who was the patron.
As a teen-ager I read good number of books. Among them two books left a permanent impression on me and they were Joad’s Story of civilization and Russell’s Impact of science on society. I still have those books with me.

Sociology interested me immensely. I became familiar with many things that I did not know. Caste system and Hindu joint family were discussed in depth. Though not prescribed I read authors like Taya Zinkin to know more about the caste system. Subjects like heredity and environment, management of different roles in society and role conflict played in the advancement of society were of immense interest. It was interesting to know how conflict led to accommodation and later assimilation.

There were a few faculty members who did not relish my popularity and achievements. Here I can mantion Prof. Ramachari. I was interested in studying economics but his behaviour made me change to English Literature as my major. He was a Brahmin from old Mysore or Madras state. He lectured without a pause. There were no puntuations. He gave an impression that he had committed his lectures to memory. Any question annoyed him and now I think his annoyance was with himself as he, possibly, was scared of losing the chain of thought. This fear is dominant in people who are not sure of their subject.
There was Prof. Lagali. He was a different kind. He taught Kannada literature. I was not his student but he liked to talk to me and share his feelings about Brahmins. There was Prof. Gokak, HOD in English department of Karnatak University at dharwar. Our College was affiliated to Karnatak University. He had a very hilarious episode to narrate about how Brahmins promoted each other. Prof.Gokak was a Brahmin and a literary man. Prof. Lagali’s episode was that Prof Gokak writes a book and another Brahmin, a Rao, an aspiring writer, writes on Gokak a book ‘Na kanda Gokak’ which means ‘Gokak I saw’, which is highly appreciated by Brahmin media and inspires another Brahmin to write
‘ Gokak, Rao awar drushthi inda’, which means Gokak in Rao’s view. Still another writes on third man’s view of Rao’s Gokak. This is how all those writing on each other get attention and recognition. Prof. Lagali was inimitable. He was in his fiftees but challenge any strong looking boy to lift a stone. He would enjoy looking at the boy stuggling. This old man would lift it. He was a very simple man with a good heart. Another Prof. who has left a deep impression on me was Prof. Sajjan. He was meticulous about his pronounciation. 

What is spiritual?

If he is not paying for special train what is the point talking about what he is talking. He is promoting himself. If any official or minister has provided at the public expense, all costs should be recovered.

At whose expense

“The great Hyderabad tamasha starts every day sharp at 6.30 am and the lead actor in this show is 'George'. Are you wondering who this new actor is? Well, he is Governor ESL Narasimhan, the first citizen of Andhra Pradesh, whose temple visits at the cost of the state exchequer has become almost unbearable for the aam aadmi of the city, who are left high and dry each time he steps out into the street in his convoy of cars and posse of policemen”*
My view is he is more ritualistic than dharmic.

. “The Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB) supplies around 60,000 litres of pure and safe drinking water everyday to Raj Bhavan without fail.

"Other than Raj Bhavan, two important government guest houses, Dilkusha and Lake View, where VIPs frequent, also gets uninterrupted water supply," says HA Wahab, HMWS&SB manager and in-charge of Somajiguda section.

But nearby Anandnagar, which has 1500 connections and a population of 5,000 people, the situation is reverse, with the board supplying water on alternate days for 45 minutes at a trickling flow and restricted supply of once in three days during summer months”**
What does he do with 60 KL water everyday?
“As a state guest, Sri Sri will travel across the districts of Ranga Reddy, Mahbubnagar, Kurnool, Anantapur, Kadapa, Chittoor, Nellore, Prakasam, Guntur, Krishna and West and East Godavari to motivate people to "participate in the democratic process" while also engaging with "developmental activities" in the country. He will be accompanied by over 100 people from 15 countries on this "unique journey"”.***
Unbelievable! How can he be a state guest in a secular democracy? will the Govt. have a priest or a moulavi as state guest?


Srinath Vudali, TNN Jan 1, 2014, 01.34AM IST*

Sunil Mungara,TNN | Jan 31, 2014, 04.49 AM IST**

TNN | Feb 15, 2014, 03.53 AM IST***

Thanks Times of India 

penny & half penny

I do not know if these coins are in circulation now.