Notes of Nagesh

In 525 BC, during the Battle of Pelusium, the Persian King Cambyses II utilized a unique psychological tactic to secure victory against the Egyptians.  Knowing that the Egyptians revered cats as sacred animals, Cambyses ordered his soldiers to capture and carry cats into battle. The Persian troops held these cats at the forefront of their advance, effectively using the animals as shields.  The Egyptian soldiers, fearing divine retribution for harming the sacred creatures, hesitated to attack, leading to a significant strategic advantage for the Persians. This exploitation of the Egyptians' religious beliefs contributed to the demoralization and eventual defeat of the Egyptian forces. Additionally, Cambyses II further capitalized on the Egyptians' reverence for cats by having his soldiers paint feline images on their shields. This strategy played on the Egyptians' deep-rooted superstition and veneration of cats, causing confusion and fear among the ranks.  The sight of the...

Mohan Guruswamy  In the winter of 2013, I visited Cheifu, the birthplace of Kongfuxi, known to us as Confucius. Confucius was a man of my heart. He took food very seriously.  The Philosophy of Confucius is deeply reflected in Chinese food culture. He attached great importance to food and described it as one of the three basic conditions, along with an army and trust, for founding a state. It is said that Confucius helped to bring perfect taste to Chinese food by developing proper cooking techniques. His teachings regarding cooking methods are still considered as an important part in Chinese food culture. Some Confucian food basics: Food should be served in small or chopped pieces. The taste of any dish depends on proper mixing of all of its ingredients and condiments. Taste of individual elements does not have great importance in food, but fine blending of ingredients results in great taste and dishes in meals must be compatible. Blending of food also results in harmony and is...

BY JANE AUSTEN  Sense and Sensibility is a novel by Jane Austen, and was her first published work when it appeared in 1811 under the pseudonym "A Lady". A work of romantic fiction, better known as a comedy of manners. It tells the story of the Dashwood sisters, Elinor (age 19) and Marianne (age 16½) as they come of age. They have an older half-brother, John, and a younger sister, Margaret (age 13). The novel, which sold out its first print run of 750 copies in the middle of 1813, marked a success for its author. It had a second print run later that year. It was the first Austen title to be republished in England after her death, and the first illustrated Austen book produced in Britain, in Richard Bentley's Standard Novels series of 1833. The novel has been in continuous publication since 1811, and has many times been illustrated, excerpted, abridged, and adapted for stage, film, and television.  Summary: When Mr. Henry Dashwood dies, leaving all his money to his first wi...

I have for long been saying that loan waivers are a huge fraud. They dont reduce rural distress. As much as 70% of rural credit is by moneylenders, who play a more critical and even vital role in the rural economy. Most of rural indebtedness is not due to farm losses but due to other reasons for borrowing., such a healthcare and religious and social functions.  Moneylenders cause the "unnoticed" debt crisis by usurious interest rates. Instead of doing foolish things like banning money lending, the government should be regulating "informal banking" interest rates. As it has done with microfinance companies. Marginal and small farmers accounted for 82% of all indebted households and 56% of the outstanding loans by value. However, only a small proportion of the indebted marginal and small farmers had taken loans from institutional sources such as banks and cooperatives. Informal sources such as moneylenders, family and friends accounted for 62% of indebted ...

Trudeau and gang are bent on fomenting Khalistani sentiments and such things don’t happen just like that. We must reciprocate in kind for what these fellows did to Native Americans and for their war crimes in Afghanistan and other places where they go as US lap dogs.  Sending a clear message after the Canadian parliament observed silence in the memory of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the Indian Consulate General in Vancouver announced a memorial service to pay tribute to the 329 victims of the Khalistani bombing of Air India Kanishka flight in 1985. "India stands at the forefront of countering the menace of terrorism and works closely with all nations to tackle this global threat. 23 June 2024 marks the 39th Anniversary of the cowardly terrorist bombing of Air India flight 182 (Kanishka), in which 329 innocent victims, including 86 children, lost their lives in one of the most heinous terror-related air disasters in the history of civil aviation," the Consulate G...

In the recent months I have often had to face the dilemma of ‘to pay or not to pay’. In the course of buying and developing my tiny farm and farmhouse I have been required to have frequent interactions with minor bureaucracy to seek various clearances.  It starts with registering the purchase. Converting the land use of a tiny bit of the new property. Then getting the house plan approved. Getting power connections- one for single phase for lighting and one for three phase for the borewell. Each of these steps requires supporting documentation that has to pass the scrutiny of layers of clerical staff. Can you imagine how many outstretched palms one has to encounter? Palms being outstretched is a metaphor. What happens is that clerk begins peering into the supporting documents and asks for some more. Like asking for a ‘no-due’ certification for a yet to come power connection. Or a structural engineer’s certification in a country where even now more than half the population lives in m...