Foxlife Startrek

As some one who loves travelling I have always liked travel based documentaries on TV.

Thanks to Foxlife Channel, this evening's episode of Startrek, gave some pleasure. This episode was about 'Parikrama', an all Indian popmusic band begun in 1991. I tried to provide a link to the actual program, but couldn't. However thanks to UTube, I could access the band. 

This evening's programmes featured the North East of India. It reminded me of nearly four years of my stay in the region many years ago. I was teaching in a Government School in Bhutan. I remember my morning cup of authentic Darjeeling tea and radio programs such as the Tamil Language Service from Delhi, religious events from Nepal, etc.

The special aspect in such programmes is that they take you to people and places that are not usually presented in programmes of other channels.

Conflict in Tgray

Today's BBC News Report on the situation in Tigray seems to suggest that the residents of Shire are given significant protection by Ethiopian Federal Government.

Amidst the ongoing problem in the region with decades of history, a good news is the fact that Shire is a large town in Ethiopia today. In 1982 when I and Sebastian (Sebastian Perumcheril John) taught in Shire Secondary School, it was a small town in terms of population with a few grocery stores and a few restaurants. Although it's area was large, human movement was minimum, due to the the civil war involving Tigray Peoples Liberation Front and Ethiopian Government's Armed Forces. 

It is amazing to know that the small town has developed to become a large town as shown in this Utube video. 

(Axum is a town in the same Tigray region; this is the place where queen Sheeba mentioned in The Bible is believed to have come from and later married to King Solomon. I remember my visit to Axum during which time it was a small town though it was accessible from other places, unlike Shire. I and Sebastian went to meet our Indian friends who were teaching in a high school in Axum).

According to the BBC News Report, many of the present inhabitants of Shire came from different areas and got shelter in "schools" and "university campuses". When I was working in Shire, there was only one high school (Shire Secondary School) and there was no University Campus. It's good that the past 40 years have brought in tremendous development to Shire.

I hope that the conflict in the region ends and that Shire residents are back to normalcy.

Following is an image of a picture post card that I had used to communicate with my beloved parents during my stay in the town way back in 1982:

Following photograph shows me and Sebastian (from left to right) with a local colleague's daughter:

Changes and challenges

We are all aware that changes are inevitable whether it is the environment or within our own bodies. Some changes are good, for instance, in Technology, particularly in the post internet era.

Thanks to mobile based online shopping, just a few clicks on your smartphone makes your shopping hassle free. But unfortunately, as I have given a few examples from my own experience, digital comfort does bring in unexpected setbacks.

Day before yesterday, I placed online order for biscuits, wafers, chicolates and soft drinks (which have continued to be my favourite food items since boyhood) via Jiomart. As usual there delivery was fast and smart. One of the items that I ordered was Brittania's 'Biscafe'. This product is basically a biscuit with a small percentage of coffee. It does taste well with a mild coffee flavour.

Somehow I think that biscuits manufacrured by Brittania, Parle etc. today are not as tasty as those brought out in the 60s, 70s and 80s. Before these, there used be excellently tasty biscuits manufacured by J B Mangaa Raam. 

Thanks to manufactureres such as Haldirams who retain the taste and quality of their products for more than 50 years.

Swami Naaraayan Temple

Whenever possible, I derive some divine solace by viewing Swamy Naaraayan Temple's programmes such as 'Ghar Sabha' on Aashthaa TV channel, during or after my dinner. It is a fine mixture of Vaishnavite songs and Divine discourses delivered by Swami Nithyananda Swarup Das Jee

Another favourite program of mine is the divine discourse by Swami Krishnanandji Maharaj from Bhadrinath Dham, the sacred abode of Shree Mahaa Vishnu, in Haridwaar.

Nine Nights Fest

A few days ago, I had mentioned about the 'Nine Nights Fest'. I am sharing an article on this important Fest here.

Divine Fest

Today is a very auspicious day in the Hindu Calender. This day is celeberated as Vijaya Dashami, Budhdha Jayanthi and Madhwa Navami.

It was a great joy to view a devine discourse by Shree Devaachaarya Rajendradasjee Maharaj on Sanskar TV Channel. He was giving a discourse on 'Shreemad Vaalmiki Raamaayan'.

Birthdays of two leaders in the recent past

Today is the birth anniversaries of two great leaders that our country had. One was Mahaatma Gandhiji and the other was Lalbahadur Shastriji. 

Both were extraordinarily simple and straight forward.

Nine Devine Nights Fest

Last night marked the beginning of an auspicious nine nights period known as 'Nava raathri" in the Hindu Calender. According to Scriptures, Shree Paarvathi, Shree Mahaa Lakshmi and Shree Saraswathi forms and the Almighty Shree Mahaa Vishnu and His wife Shree Mahaa Lakshmi are worshipped by devotees.

Oasis in the desert

As you would have known from my blog posts, Aasthaa is one of the best TV channels that offers very divine prorammes. This channel is like an oasis in the desert.

Divine discourse

Thanks to Information and Communication Technology and Spiritual TV Channels, there is no shortage of good Hindu spiritual programmes on TV and other social media such as UTube (thanks to Sundar Pitchai and his team).

This evening it was spiritually satisfying to hear Shree Giridhar Gopalkrishna Shastriji's devine discourse on Gou Bhaagvath Pitru mangal kathaa on Sanskar TV. It was telecast from Hoshiarpur, Punjab, the home town of Surjit Singh Gill, one of my best friends when I was working in Southern Africa, nearly thirty years ago. I fondly remember Gill about whom I have probably mentioned in my previous posts.