Andaman Vacation

Andaman Vacation
During the summer break in Sona's college we visited Andaman from 12th to 16th May 2019.
We had earlier planned to visit Leh Ladakh in this period thinking that a trip to the mountains
would be more comfortable in the summer heat than one in the sultry seaside. We changed
plans when dada told us that since Leh is at a higher altitude everyone inevitably suffers from
altitude sickness here. So on remembering our problems during our Darjeeling trip when Sona
was quite small I decided for a seaside vacation instead.
We took the early morning 600 am flight from Pune to Chennai by Indigo. Flight was on time
and we reached Chennai airport by 8.00am. Here we had to wait for 4 hours as next flight to
Port Blair was at 1.00 PM. The airport was chillingly cold and although Sona and I had bought
jackets, Sum had not brought one and I was forced to buy some expensive wraps(dupatta) at
the airport shops so he would not catch cold. I had forgotten to wear socks. Anyway the next
flight was also on time and soon we were near Port Blair. When the flight was near to landing,
I got the first glimpse of the beautiful islands of Andaman, green with vegetation, surrounded
by blue waters of the bay of Bengal! It was a pretty sight! Veer Savarkar airport at Port Blair
reminded me of Pune Airport. It is a small airport with limited flights. From the airport we took
a cab to go to Ramkrishna Mission located near the main tourist centre where we had booked
accommodation. Port Blair is a picturesque place being near the sea as well as hilly at some
points. Roads are excellent here. It is well light up at night too with the seaside promenade
light up with bright fairy lights. There are excellent restaurants which serve Indian, continental
and Chinese dishes, though expensive as most things are imported from the mainland. After
freshening up in the room we decided to go out and scout around. The famous cellular jail was
at a walking distance and we booked tickets for the sound and light show that evening. Shreya
was taking a nap in the room while we were out and so was fresh when we went to have dinner
and then watched the show from 7.30-8.30pm that day. The show was visually impressive
relating the trials and tribulations suffered by the Indian freedom fighters at the hand of their
British jailer David Barrie. It was very moving .The next day we had decided to visit the nearby
islands namely North bay for water sports and Ross Island - historically important. So we
took a boat to the islands. It took around 30 mins to reach Northbay island where Sona was
supposed to do scuba diving. Sum had booked 2 tickets. Seeing his reluctance to go with
her, I then decided I'd go with her. We got into scuba clothes and went to the trainers who were
already in the water. My trainer an obnoxious man called Sridhar asked me to put on the mask ,
breathe through my mouth and not nose. The oxygen tank was strapped to my back. I tried
it couple of times but somehow felt panicky beyond a few seconds underwater. A feeling of
suffocation engulfed me and I started to panic. The trainer made it only worse by not guiding me
properly and making negative comments. "You are not doing it properly" , " look here not there"
and such like. After trying for some time I decided that this was not my cup of tea and gave
up. Meanwhile Sona had grasped the ropes pretty quickly from her trainer and was ready for
the dive by the time I had given up. She went ahead while I turned back to the shore. She had a
wonderful experience during the dive - the corals and fishes underwater were really worth seeing
and the videos and pics taken , also made us feel a part of it. Only downside was some water
must have entered her ears during the dive which gave her an earache later on , but the dive was
truly excellent. Sum tried to do snorkeling but chickened out in this also. On the whole it was a
good day. After this we were taken to Ross island which was an island where the colonial life is
well documented, and island is dotted with buildings built by the British - their officer's quarters,
clubs and bungalows now mostly deserted. There was even a club called subordinate's club.
We took a golf cart trip which took us around the entire island enumerating the various places
of interest. That ended our activities for that day. The second day we visited some nearby
places- namely Corbyn's cove, cellular jail, saw mill , joggers park , chidiya tapu by hiring an auto
for the whole day. Cellular jail is pretty impressive historical monument as well as a unique
architecture. Earlier Andaman islands was notorious as Kalapani - the black water island where

convicts were sent to lead a life of torture and deprivation. Chidiya tapu was a pretty place with
greenery, clear waters, though seemingly infested with crocodiles, which prevents people from

going for a swim here. The next day we went for an excursion to the middle andaman islands-
called Baratang for which we had to pass through territory which was reserved for the tribals

called Jarawas of Andaman. For this we had hired a vehicle - Ertiga. We started at 5.30am in
the morning and reached the convoy point at 8.00 am. The route was through some pretty bad
bumpy roads though green forested areas. At the convoy assembly point around a 100 odd
vehicles like cars, buses, jeep etc had collected who were left through the reserve forest at only
some fixed times of the day . 6, 9 and ,12 ,3 o clock only . We had breakfast at some tapris here
and at 9.00 am the convoy of vehicles started. Jarawas numbering around 300 are a protected
tribe, and we were strictly prohibited from filming them, offering food etc to them. We were
soon eagerly looking here and there for a glimpse of these elusive tribe. Soon our curiosity was
satisfied when our driver pointed to two people a woman and man standing on the roadside
as jarawas. We saw that they were of negroid features wearing normal clothes. Further ahead
Sona spied a man up in the tree sand also a group of children chatting with a forest ranger.
We were thrilled to see them. At around 11 we reached the point where a launch ferry took us
to another point where we got into speed boats which would take us to limestone caves. The
speed boat took around 45mins travelling through the waters took us to the point where the
mangrove forests started. Here a young guide took us - a group of 10 people to the limestone
caves. These caves contained formation of stalagmites and stalactites which I saw for the first
time in my life.The caves were at a distance of 1km from the point where the boat had dropped
us. The return was in the same way. We returned to the hotel by 6.00pm, tired out. The next day,
our last day we were planning to visit the famous havelock island by steamer. But since we
had not booked seats earlier, it was all full and ones which were available was very expensive.
Also Sum and Sona had repeatedly refused to go to havelock as we had been warned that
everyone vomited during the passage, so we dropped the idea of going there. Instead we
decided to go to north bay once more. Here Sona and I both did snorkeling which we both
enjoyed immensely. I was witnessing the beauty of the corals and colorful fishes for the first
time and it was beautiful! Sum was feeling a bit left out and did not try snorkeling again. That
day Sona started to develop earache. Since next day was our departure we decided to keep it
light on the last day. In the evening we took a leisurely walk around the seaside promenade and
once more marvelled at clean and green andaman. Next day our flight was on time at 10.30 from
Port Blair . By 12.30 we reached Kolkata. Even in the heat we had had a lovely time during our
andaman vacation and treasured memories of our time there.

Bollywood Type Tiger Tale

The victorious tiger in the picture is Kankatti (the one with a ruptured ear), and the half-eaten body belongs to Langdi (the lame one), who at the time was a fiercely protective mother of three cubs. The battle between these two tigers has since then entered the folklore of Bandhavgarh; and it did not end with Langdi's death. Two years later, her son returned and killed Kankatti, his mother's assassin!

Here is how the Bollywood type marathon fight unfolded: Landgi, who had just given birth to three cubs, was the reigning queen of the Tala zone of Bandhavgarh. Everything was going fine for the young mother when an intruding tigress €" later identified as Kankatti €" arrived to take possession of the prey-rich Tala. A fight for territory ensued, went on for several days, and ended with a badly-bruised Kankatti turning tail.

Langdi must have heaved a sigh of relief, but her satisfaction at retaining the prime Tala zone as also ensuring safety of her cubs was short-lived. Kankatti returned a few weeks later, and with renewed vigour, launched a second assault on Langdi. This time, though, the tables were turned on Landgi. She not only paid with her life, but also became a meal for Kankatti. The three petrified cubs of Langdi, meanwhile, fled from Kankatti and found shelter in the Khitauli zone of Bandhavgarh, away from their mother's killer.

But the second act of the battle was yet to be played out, and it sheds powerful light on the mysterious world of the tigers. Some two years later, the son of the slain mother €" now a young adult tiger himself and living off comfortably in the Khitauli region of the reserve €" came back to the Tala zone, the same area he had fled in panic after the death of Langdi. This time he went straight for Kankatti, who had recently given birth to two cubs, killed her as well as her male cub and returned to the Khitauli zone. Did this young tiger just exact the revenge for his mother's killing, or were their other forces at work that led to the prolonged fight between the two tiger families?

The Postal Analogy of Networking

Do's and Dont's in Case of Nose Bleeding -12/March /2019

Recently my father suffered a case of sudden unexplained nose bleeding. He had been picking his nose rather too hard and after a sudden sneeze was alarmed to find bleeding from one nostril. After wiping it off with a hanky he thought it would stop but it did not and a steady trickle of blood continued. He called my mother for help and she applied an ice pack to the bridge of the nose. He then reclined on the bed so that the bleeding would stop on its own. This I read later is something that should not be done in nose bleed cases as then the blood flows inside and can be dangerous.
When the steady trickle of blood did not stop even after half an hour we decided to seek doctor's help. Father was a heart patient and had to regularly take blood thinners and pressure medication. I was scared that his nose bleed was high due to high bp. Being sunday, most places were closed so we took him to emergency ward of nearby hospital. Thankfully being early in the morning emergency was empty. The young doctor on duty said that he would have to do a nasal packing. It seems they pack the bleeding nose with cotton and some medicines to stop the nose bleed. They gave him a additional pressure medication as his bp was high and a medicine pause to start the clotting process. We took him home after this but had to bring him again in the evening as the bleeding had not stopped. They then gave him injection of pause to stop the bleeding as he had to take the early morning flight the next day to go to Kolkata. The bleeding then stopped and the nasal packing came out on its own the next day. He complained of the treatment of the emergency doctor who he said had caused lot of pain and discomfort during the nasal packing process. He had just shoved the cotton into his nose, not even bothering to apply some gel or medicine. 

Election Fever in India

Election Fever has started again

We the voters are queen and king!

As political party candidates start their speeches

With promises of progress, doles and jobs for the masses!

News on TV no longer a drag!

With action, drama and shouting matches!

With every channel vying for eyeballs

Advertisers are having a field day of it all!

After all India is the world's biggest democracy!

Interesting Infographics

SKIRT TYPES

                                                        TYPES  OF HEADACHES

                                                INTERNET ACRONYMS

FIBRES

Genesis of Names and Titles in different cultures

In genealogy we usually concentrate on surnames since they are the most important way of identifying people who are related. A surname is usually inherited and, while it may be changed, some form of it is usually retained. Given names are more important in a way because they represent a voluntary choice by the parents or, sometimes, by an individual. A name is usually not given lightly. It represents thought and feelings and can be significant .

Resource on the internet  for Guide to Names & Naming Practices
https://www.fbiic.gov/public/2008/nov/Naming_practice_guide_UK_2006.pdf

Behind the name: Meaning of Indian surnames and their origin

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”

So wrote Shakespeare. It is obvious he was never in India, for here, there is a whole lot hidden in just a name…

In India, Hindu names are usually based on the child’s  raashis, which is determined by the position of the planets at the date and time of birth. The resulting names are often shortened by family and friends.

As in most countries, surnames in India are mostly derived from the place we belong to, or the profession of our ancestors. The only distinctive ones are those where the surname is actually the name of a caste – a concept unique to the subcontinent!

The surname is something we are born with, and have no choice over, so it would be more interesting to talk about the part that we do choose – the first name! Aptly called, this is the first thing we think of when a child is born. In fact, we even decide the name before the child is born. As with everything in India, there are many ‘traditional’ ways of choosing the name of a child. 

The most common system is that of using ‘family names’. This means that the first male child is named after the paternal grandfather, the second male child after the maternal grandfather, and so on, with the girls being named after their paternal and maternal grandmothers. Imagine the confusion this causes – with many children having the same name! In addition to this, in southern India a father’s name is used as a surname – what ensues is total chaos!

The other system involves the horoscope – mapping the planetary positions at the time of birth. (The horoscope is an inevitable part of Indian life, and it shows up in every possible and impossible situation!). In the northern parts of the country, every star is associated with a letter of the alphabet, and a kid’s name begins with the alphabet of the constellation he/she is born under. 

That’s not all. The most common system is that of naming a kid after a God/Goddess. Sounds simple? Yes, but just till you realize that in Indian mythology, there are 33 crore (1crore = 10 million) gods and goddesses!

Another interesting system is that of multiple names – the first and most important name in any family is the ‘family name’ – the name of an elder / ancestor. But then, it is not considered appropriate for the younger members to take the name of an elder, so another name is chosen for use in day-to-day life. And then there are pet names – or short names that we earn as we grow!

Surnames originated early in history for many reasons. Surnames acted as an identifier and drew attention. It also represented people’s ethnic background, upbringing and ones individuality. However, today surnames have merely become an identifier and nothing more. While some people still take special pride in their surnames owing to distinguished ancestors, but again the issue isn't the surname but rather what some people who bore it did with their lives. There is another set of people who hate their surnames because they’re slightly embarrassing. These people tend to change them when they can. But otherwise, a surname is probably something that most people don't think about very often, or not in a focused way. It's simply a fact of life, like your social security number.

Names given to newborn children signify 

1. The season or weather when they are born like Vasant, Barkha.

2. Signify the sun, moon or stars like-Bhaskar, Surya, Chandra,Chand, Shashi, Rakesh, Ashwini

3. Names of Flowers and Fruits or honey : Parijat, Aparajita, Dahlia, Madhu

4. Noble Qualities one would like the children to have: Garima, Shaurya, Shreya, Sampoorna

5. Names of valorous heroes from the Ramayana & Mahabharata: Ram, Arjun, Sita, Lakshman

British Culture: Naming Patterns

You will often see the same names used over and over again in families. While certain names are popular in different areas in different times in history, the repetition could represent a pattern. Many cultures believe in honoring their elders and do so by naming children after them. Angus Baxter in "In Search of Your British and Irish Roots" describes a pattern that was popular in England in the 1700-1875 period:

• The first son was named after the father's father
• The second son was named after the mother's father
• The third son was named after the father
• The fourth son was named after the father's eldest brother
• The first daughter after the mother's mother
• The second daughter after the father's mother
• The third daughter after the mother
• The fourth daughter after the mother's eldest sister
• 
  

If this pattern would result in a duplication of names -- i.e., both grandfathers had the same name -- then they would skip to the next one on the list. Similar patterns have been suggested for other nationalities. 


Africa's naming traditions:
Traditional African names often have unique stories behind them. From the day or time a baby is born to the circumstances surrounding the birth, several factors influence the names parents choose for their children.

Events surrounding birth
Among several ethnic groups, picking out names can be influenced by positive or negative circumstances the family finds themselves in around the time a child is born. Often, such names are complete sentences
Ayodele (joy has come home) is a unisex name for a baby whose birth brought happiness to their Yoruba parents in Nigeria.

Yetunde or Yewande (mother has come back) is a Yoruba name given to a girl whose grandmother or other female relative died before she was born.

Adetokunbo (crown/wealth has come back home) is a unisex Yoruba name often given to a child born abroad.

Ajuji (born on a rubbish heap) is a Hausa name given to a baby after those born before it failed to survive. It is believed that giving the child a "terrible" name will deceive evil spirits into thinking the child is not loved and as a result, allow it to live.

Kiptanui and Cheptanui are often given to babies whose mothers may have suffered extreme difficulties during childbirth among the Kalenjin ethnic group in Africa.

Misrak (east) was given to an Ethiopian baby girl whose father was in Japan at the time she was born.
Lindiwe (we have waited) is an isiZulu name often given to a baby girl after a long line of boys.

Emotional warnings
Some names, especially in Zimbabwe, reflect the mood or circumstance of the family at the time of birth. Some of them serve as warnings or rebukes.
Nhamo means misfortune
Maidei asks the question "What did you want?"
Manyara tells someone "You have been humbled"
Yananiso means bringing the family together
Sometimes these names are translated into English, where they can sound quite surprising, for example: Airforce; Kissmore; Brilliant; Psychology; Hatred; Nomatter; Jealous; Furious or Hardlife.

Celebrity culture
The Luos in Kenya are known for adopting famous names for their children. Quite a number of mothers named their baby boys Obama in 2008 after Barack Obama, the son of a Luo man, was elected US president. And when he visited the country in 2015, one mother reportedly named her child Airforceone.
Churchill and Clinton are also quite popular in Luo-speaking areas of western Kenya.
One couple have already had to defend their decision to name their son Donald Trump Otieno. The parents told the Nairobi News they chose to name their child after the US president-elect because they liked the billionaire's principles.
But naming children after people in the news is certainly not unique to the Luos, or Kenya.

Order of birth
In many African cultures, there is no need for someone to explain whether they are the eldest or youngest of their siblings. This is because their names can reveal that much. This is especially true of twins.


Day and night
Among some groups in eastern and southern Africa, certain names are selected depending on the time of the day or season a child is born.

Meet the ancestors
Respected elders of the family may be dead but they continue to live on through their grandchildren.
Parents often name babies after senior members of the clan whether dead or alive.
But it is considered disrespectful to casually shout or call out the name of a senior family member that has been given to a child, so instead it is common to hear a child affectionately called Ouma (grandma) or Oupa (grandpa) in southern Africa.

Rude nicknames
Most people have three names - the ones they were given, as well as that of their father and grandfather. But many also have nicknames, which are so common that they can find their way onto official ID cards.
These nicknames often pick on the negative physical traits of the bearer, if he is male. Some common nicknames for men include Langare (limpy), Coryaan (handicapped), Lugay (one leg) or Genay (missing tooth).
Women, however, mostly get flattering nicknames like Lul (diamond), Macanay (sweet), Cod Weyne (rich voiced), Dahable (golden) and Indho Daraleey (gazelle eyes).
Many people in Africa have several names - for example a name from their ethnic group, a Christian or Muslim name, as well as a name depending on the day, or time of day they were born.

In another tradition, it is not uncommon for each parent and grandparent to contribute at least one name. The child ends up with several names - each telling its own special story.