New Blog from today

 

Today we have launched our new blog called 

Collectibles By Annikki

We hope you enjoy this new blog and you find things that really suit you. We should have a new entry every day, so come back and look what we have to offer.

Remembering 29th October 1960

I have posted this entry on my memoirs blog about my sister who passed away this day in 1960.

Nalini on her wedding day in Kottayam, 1959.

Journalist extrordinaire - Sachi

The late K. S. Sachinanda Murthy (Sachi)

(Courtesy Malayala Manorama)

On 13th of October 2023, when the untimely passing is K. S. Sachindanda Murthy (known in media circles as Sachi) was announced, in my lifetime I have never seen the media react in such a manner. Almost every newspaper and magazine in India covered his life and contribution to journalism. 

My maternsl grandfather, K. C. Mammen Mappillai, laid down ”A Sacred Trust” for  all of us to follow.

The Sacred Trust

Sachi served Malayala Manorama for a full 40 years. He understood and followed ”The Sacred Trust”.

After joining Malayala Manorama in 1982, Sachi became the Chief of Bureau and when they started their unit in Delhi, he became the Resident Editor, Delhi. This is  largest unit outside Kerala. They have nearly 175 staffers in Delhi. (No drivers, no peons.)  They have the Hindi Vanitha  published from Delhi. 

Sachi headed all the verticals as his job. He ran it professionally and very very efficiently. Sachi ran a tight ship and gave fortnightly status reports on every facet to the Management. 

Many personal stories have been recited in the last few days as everyone knew Sachi and everybody loved Sachi. Even the highest praise that have been offered are not enough to express the tremendous impact of this humble individual on the Indian media.

Three journalists stand out in my list of the extrordinaire category - the late B.G. Verghese, A. G. Noorani (now 93) and the late  K. S. Sachinanda Murthy.

When my cousin, Rajen told Sachi that I held him on the same pedestal as A. G. Noorani, he was thrilled to bits.

I knew B. G. Verghese as he was the brother of my aunt. BG used to visit us regularly when we lived in Bombay. When I was studying in St. Stephen’s College in Delhi, I used to meet him and his wife, Jameela regularly. They were both Stephanians, Jameela, before Stephen’s became a male only college.

I used to read BG’s columns regularly. He had the art of telling the facts in a manner which was understandable by the common man, much like the cartoonist, R. K. Laxman, That was why Nehru appointed BG as his Press Secretary.

I did not know A. G. Noorani personally, but his two brothers, Mohamed and Mushtaq,  are close friends of mine. Mohamed looked after me when I was being trained at Farbenfabriken Bayer AG in Leverkusen (near Köln) in Germany in 1964. Mushtaq was managing a hotel in the centre of Bangalore and Annikki and I stayed with him when we visited the city. They are true gentlemen and AG stands in the same category. AG knows that the PEN is mightier than the Sword and politicians as Nehru and Vajpayee respected this incredible lawyer, journalist and author.

I read AG's white papers at the time of the Indo-Chinese conflict and after that I got hooked on his writing.

Sachi was different but equal to both of them. 

He joined The WEEK in  Bangalore at the end of 1982. From my very first meeting I knew that he was a man of absolute talent. He could develop a story when one could never see another side to it. He hardly made predictions but when he did, he was always right.

 

Rajen getting his Padma Shri award from  President Abdul Kalam. His father Padma Bhushan K. M. Mathew is in the picture which also has his wife. Prema, their son, Jayant, and Jayant's wife, Anu. In the lventre back is Sachi.

(Courtesy Malayala Manorama)

Sachi served as the secretary general of the Editors Guild of India and chairman of the Lok Sabha Press Advisory Committee. He also was a member of the Central Press Accreditation Committee and the Press Council of India.

I was later told by my cousin Rajen that the contacts that Sachi had in all circles in Delhi and around India were without any comparison. He knew everyone that needed to be known and not only that he knew them intimately. He was the source for many journalists wanting a hot story. But Sachi was never after a hot story as his concentration was on the best reporting..

I met him for the first time when he joined tThe WEEK in Bangalore. He already knew the names of my wife and all my children. And he addressed me as Sushilchayan, a form of respect amongst Malayalis, although he was a Kannadiga from Kolar.

He knew all the contributions my paternsl grandfather, Raja Mantra Pravina Dewan Bahadur Maliyakal Kuriyan (Mysore) Matthan made to Mysore society.

When we moved to Finland, The WEEK magazine used to arrive at our home. Both, our son Mika and I, would rush to see Sachi’s writing. Although Mika was just 12 years old, he too liked the way Sachi told his story.

Mika kept all the old issues of the magazine for many years mainly because he liked Sachi’s page.

When President Pranab Mukherjee came to Finland in 2014, Sachi was in the media team but unfortunately we could not meet. A few weeks later I was in Delhi sitting in the office of The WEEK when Sachi came in. He was so greatly moved that he had not seen me during his visit to Finland, especially when he heard that I had brought  a group of Indians from Oulu to meet the Indian President.

After I heard of his illness, there was not a day that I did not say a prayer for dear Sachi and his family. It was then, when Rajen told him of my appreciation of Sachi that he was so moved by that.

What were the greatest lessons that I learnt from Sachi were that it is important to be humble and give respect to everyone who deserves respect. He taught me that it is the contacts that one develops in the course of one’s life that  leads to one’s success.

I will certainly miss the writings of Sachi as there is no one who can replace him.

Sachi with Philip Mathew, the Chief Editor of The WEEK, and Prime Minister P. V Narasimha Rao

(Courtesy Malayala Manorama)

Sachi with President Ram Nath Kovind and Chacko  Mathew, the Administration Chief of the Malayala Manorama group. 

(Courtesy Malayala Manorama)

The Karnataka government decided to accord full state honours to the departed during his cremation.

Sachi was a recipient of the Durlabh Singh Media Award and the Karnataka Media Academy award award for lifetime contribution to journalism at the national level, among others.

Sachi is survived by wife Chandrika and sons Nithin and Rohan. 

His columns called “Desiyam” and “Power Point” in the Malayala Manorama daily and The Week respectively dealt with national politics and garnered a wide readership. The editorials written by Sachi in the Malayala Manorama daily shaped the worldview of a large Malayali audience.

May this great journalist rest in peace. And may the dear Lord give solace to his immediate family and every single member of our Malayala Manorama family who will all miss him dearly.

India and/or Bharat - Name controversy

A new discussion has started raging in my country of birth. What should be the name by which we should refer to it

(Picture taken from Times of India.)

I saw posts on Instagram and Twitter with persons suggesting one name was more relevant than the other.

Before going into the name for my country, let us look at the name of another country, Annikki’s country, called Finland which is also called Suomi. 

The people are referred to as Finns or in Finnish as Suomalainen. 

AI provided this answer as to the name of this 

country as per the Constitution.

The name of the country in the Finnish Constitution is the Republic of Finland, also known as Suomen tasavalta in Finnish.

AI also gave a response as to the historical name of this country:

The country Finland is commonly known by two names: Finland and Suomi. "Finland" is an foreign-language term for the country, which has been used internationally for many years. On the other hand, "Suomi" is the Finnish name for the country and is used by the native Finnish-speaking population.

 

The origin of the name "Suomi" dates back to ancient times when Finland was inhabited by Finnish tribes. The meaning of the word is not entirely clear, but it is believed to have originated from the Proto-Finnic term "suomaa," which means "swampland." This name likely reflects the country's landscape, featuring numerous lakes and forests.

The adoption of the name "Finland" in English came about through various historical and linguistic reasons. During the Middle Ages, the region was part of the Kingdom of Sweden, and the Swedish name for the area was "Finland." This name then became widely known internationally when Finland was a part of the Swedish Kingdom.

Later, when Finland was under Russian rule in the early 19th century, the Finnish language began to gain prominence and recognition as a distinct identity. As a result, the Finnish name "Suomi" became more commonly used among the Finnish-speaking population.

Both names, "Finland" and "Suomi," are now commonly used to refer to the country, depending on the language being spoken. "Finland" is the primary foreign name, while "Suomi" is the Finnish name.

Is there any controversy in having two names - each with its own importance!

Take look at the Indian Constitution:

“The Constitution of India begins by saying ‘India that is Bharat’, the Hindi version says ‘Bharat that is India’.

The name mentioned in the Tamil version of the Indian Constitution is பாரதம் (Pāratam), which is the Tamil transliteration of the Sanskrit word भारत (Bhārata). The Tamil version of the Constitution was adopted in 1956, and it has the same legal status as the English version.

The word பாரதம் (Pāratam) is used throughout the Tamil version of the Constitution to refer to the country of India.

The Malayalam version of the Indian Constitution refers to the name of India and Bharat as ഭാരതം (Bhāratam). This is the Malayalam transliteration of the Sanskrit word भारत (Bhārata).

The Malayalam version of the Constitution was adopted in 1956, and it has the same legal status as the English version. The word ഭാരതം (Bhāratam) is used throughout the Malayalam version of the Constitution to refer to the country of India. For example, Article 1 of the Malayalam version states:

ഭാരതം, അതായത് ഇന്ത്യ, സംസ്ഥാനങ്ങളുടെ യൂനിയനായിരിക്കും.

(Bhāratam, athāyat Intiya, saṃsthāngaḷuṭe yūniyanāyirikkum.)

Which translates to:

India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States.

The name ഭാരതം (Bhāratam) is also used in the Malayalam names of many government institutions and organizations, such as the ഭാരത സർക്കാർ (Bhāratha Sarkar; Government of India) and the ഭാരത തെരഞ്ഞെടുപ്പ് കമ്മീഷൻ (Bhāratha Tēraññjetuppu Kammīṣaṇ; Election Commission of India).

The use of the name ഭാരതം (Bhāratam) in the Malayalam version of the Constitution and in the names of government institutions and organizations reflects the long and rich history of Malayalam culture and language in India.

 In the Bengali version of the Indian Constitution, the name of India is "ভারত" (Bharat) and Bharat is also referred to as "ভারত গণরাজ্য" (Bharat Ganarajya).

When we wrote our book "The Titanic Called India" in 2015 we tackled this subject of names of cities at the start of our chapter on Bangalore.

We wrote:

Bengaluru:

A City in Self Immolation

The name Bangalore was officially changed to Bengaluru on the 1st of November 2015. 

 

Hundreds of Indian cities have had their names changed since India became independent in 1947. The latest round was the 11 cities in Karnataka State, of which Bengaluru was the largest.

 

They wondered why these cosmetic changes were done. 

 

It costs the country many crores to implement such a simple name change. As no one wants to oppose the mass mentality, and these sorts of changes, which have nothing to do with policies, development or growth, but are purely to get votes by pleasing an uneducated set of people run by useless emotions, this has become a national priority. 

 

It is an attempt to change history, because people do not appreciate history!

 

Bombay was changed to Mumbai, Madras to Chennai, Calcutta to Kolkota, Poona to Pune.

 

The question is who benefits from such changes! 

 

Nobody seems to care how much it costs as it appears they are not paying for it as it does not go out of their personal bank accounts. 

 

But someone is paying for it! It is everyone!

 

But then who cares?

 

Annikki said she did not like the new name. Jacob was indifferent. Since neither Annikki nor Jacob are taxpayers in India, their views do not matter. If this is what Bengaluruns liked, so be it! To hell with the cost!!!

Let us take look at this map of the subcontinent during Mahabharat times.

This video looks at the history of India every year.

It is also important to look at the oldest languages of the world and the oldest spoken language of the world as shown in this video.

Although Sanskrit and Tamil are the two oldest languages of 5000 years, the oldest spoken language is Tamil. Hindi and Urdu are relatively new languages.

There is no connection between the southern part of the subcontinet and the northern part in ancient Indian history. 

The Arayan culture is not native to India as Dravidian culture is. 

Hence the imposition of that era of history is totally disrespecting the indigenous Dravidian culture that prevailed here.

Also look at what is considered as the oldest spoken language in the world, which is Tamil. 

What respect is given to that part of our culture by choosing the name of Bharat for the country. 

So why not use the word of a living language and not a dead one? 

Pāratam!

The claim that India was derived from the colonial history has been debunked by a well researched article which linked the derivation of India from the name Indumathi. (The following was published in the Times of India.)

"Once upon a time, there was a princess called Indu (the moon) or Indumati (the full moon). Her brother was Bhoja, king of Vidarbha. She chose Aja, king of Ayodhya, as her husband. They had a child called Dasharatha. But then, one day, she died, startled by a flower that fell from heaven. Aja could not bear to live without her, and so died soon after, passing on the mantle of the throne to their young son. Dasharatha’s eldest son was Ram, born of the senior queen Kaushalya. His second son was Bharat born of his favourite queen Kaikeyi.

Kaikeyi tried to secure Dasharatha’s throne for Bharat using her cunning, but Bharat had too much integrity to accept it. He insisted Ram inherit the crown, as per the law. Ram established the legendary Ram-rajya, and ruled the land we now call India, named after his grandmother Indumati, and Bhaarat, named after his brother Bharat. These names remind us that Ram’s kingdom was full of women who were much loved by their husbands, and brothers who did not fight brothers over property."

What are the arguments being made for and against changing the name of India to Bharat?

The argument for changing the name of India to Bharat is primarily based on assumed the  historical and cultural reasons. Here are some key arguments quoted in favour of the change:

1. Historical and Cultural Continuity: Bharat is claimed to be the ancient Sanskrit name of India, with roots dating back to several millennia. Supporters argue that changing the name to Bharat would reflect the country's rich historical and cultural heritage, emphasizing its deep-rooted traditions and heritage.

2. National Identity: Renaming the country to Bharat is seen by some as a way to reinforce a sense of national identity among its citizens. By adopting the "indigenous" name, proponents argue that it will strengthen the unity and pride of the diverse Indian population.

3. Symbolic Representation: Advocates believe that the name Bharat carries important symbolism that aligns with the values and ethos of the nation. The name is supposedly associated with India's ancient Vedic civilization and signifies a greater connection to the country's timeless heritage.

4. Indian Languages and Vernacular: Bharat is widely used in various Indian languages, including Hindi, Marathi, and Bengali, among others, as the name for India. Supporters argue that adopting Bharat as the official name would eliminate the language bias associated with the “English” term "India."

However, there are also arguments against changing the name to Bharat. Here are some of the key counter arguments:

1. Historical and Global Recognition: The name India has been widely recognized and used for centuries in both historical contexts and global interactions. Changing the name to Bharat will lead to confusion or require significant effort and resources to update official documents, maps, treaties, and international agreements.

2. Linguistic Diversity: India is known for its linguistic diversity, with numerous languages and dialects spoken throughout the country. The name India has become a common unifying factor across different linguistic groups, allowing for ease of communication and identification among the diverse population.

3. Political and Administrative Challenges: Implementing a name change on a national level requires significant administrative efforts, including amending the Constitution, updating legal documents, changing the names of government bodies, and altering educational curricula. Such a process can be time-consuming, costly, and may face resistance from various stakeholders.

4. Prioritization of Other Issues: Critics argue that changing the name of the country to Bharat may divert attention and resources from more pressing socioeconomic and developmental issues that require immediate focus. They believe that the government's efforts should be concentrated on addressing these challenges instead of a symbolic name change.

Overall, the decision to change the name of India to Bharat involves weighing historical and assumed cultural heritage against practical considerations, administrative challenges, and the potential impact on national and international recognition.

It is interesting to see how Amitabh  Bachan introduced the Shillong Chamber Choir when they sang “Vande Mataram” on his tv program. 

Amitabh Bachan has tweeted more than once about changing the name from India to Bharat. Would he be singing "Proud to be a Bharatian" and delete his stand that it is "Proud to be an Indian”?

Secondly how much would Amitabh Bachan hand over to the exchequer from his "personal wealth" to change the name from India to Bharat.

This is the ultimate in political sycophancy, and not any stand on principles. 

Narendra Modi went on this tirade to change the name when the Opposition Alliance this year made I.N.D.I.A. their acronym for their stand against him.

All it shows is childishness.

Modi has a mass following of people who have no other claim to fame than other being blind Hindutva bhakths. 

These are same people who believe that Modi connected a pipe to the drain and used the "gas" from the drain to heat the tea for his "mythical" tea stand at a "mythical" railway station!

I wish Modi would give this appropriate high technology gas from drain technology to millions of his bhakths! 

It may save us a lot of oil and gas imports!

Is India to be governed by these blind bhakths or on the basis of historical and economic considerations.

The first estimate for the change of name is Rs. 12000 crores. This is unlikely be the final value, but will be manyfold times this estimate. 

Let Amitabh Bachan, Gautam Adani, the Ambani brothers, suggested by some as being Modi's financiers, foot this bill.

Why pass this cost on to the ordinary people of India?

With the large proportion of the Indian population living in gross poverty, can a country afford such a luxury. 

In what way will they benefit? 

Will it give them food, or shelter, clothing, education, safety, social security.

I recently addressed a leading newspaper editor on by when social security would become a feature in life in our country. 

The answer was unequivocal - NEVER!

Take a look at the leading world indicators between the two countries of my interest, Finland and India/Bharat/Pāratam.

The country should make it its first priority to make it the leading in at least a few of these indicators which would directly reflect the well being of the people.

Once that is done it is my personal opinion that people will not “time waste” on irrelevant exercises as changing the name of our country.

As a footnote it is interesting to who are the most wanting for India to give up its name! It is none other than Pakistan. :-)

The transboundary Indus river basin has a total area of 1.12 million km2 distributed between Pakistan (47 percent), India (39 percent), China (8 percent) and Afghanistan (6 percent). Pakistanis feel that they should have been given the name, India, as it is  the country through which the Indus River mainly runs through.

"The Islamic Republic of India also known as Pakistan"?

What would be the reaction of Modi and his bhakths (and Amitabh Bachman) to handing over the name "INDIA" to Pakistan on a golden platter? :-)