No more Chinese firecrackers this Diwali for Odisha

Odisha will have to do without firecrackers of Chinese origin this Diwali because of directives issued by the center - the Union government has apparently asked all states to take action against any illegal shipment of crackers from China.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 30 October 2015.

The police have bee asked to keep a watch on those who do not abide by the directives and treat any imported consignment of crackers as illegal. they will have to maintain a close watch on sale of such crackers in the markets of, especially, Cuttack and Bhubaneswar.
The Deputy commissioner of police, Cuttack, has also indicated that the police would ensure that the traders abide by the rules of not selling Chinese crackers before issuing temporary licenses for setting up stalls.
The state government has also asked all its collectors to maintain vigil on sale of illegal fireworks in their respective districts.
Incidentally, the police issue temporary licenses for setting up stalls to sell fireworks in the run up to the Diwalind, on an average, 300 licenses are issued every year in Cuttack and 450 in Bhubaneswar.
It may be noted that the possession and sale of foreign-made explosives is a punishable offense under the guidelines of Explosive Act. However, Chinese fireworks have always been easily available in the markets.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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Demon King Ravana victim of inflation – becomes smaller

Demon King Ravana is a symbol of Evil and on Dussera day, effigies of Ravana are burnt in a ritual that signifies the win in the battle of good over Evil. However, while Evil continues to grow by leaps and bounds in all walks of life, the size of Ravana is gradually becoming smaller and smaller because of inflation.
As the organizer of 87-year-old Sadar Ramlila has admitted – last year a 60-foot Ravana costed around Rs 45,000 inclusive of fire crackers installed in the effigy. This year, with the same budget, they had to be satisfied with a 45-foot-tall Ravan. In fact, inflation has seen Ravan's height reduce from 110 foot to around 50 foot in the span of a decade.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 20 October 2015.

Apart from height reduction, other methods employed to keep within the budget is to do away with Kumbhkaran as has been done by an organizer – for the past two years, they have erected effigies of only Ravan and Megnath only.
Earlier, the cost of all three would come to around Rs 20,000 but now, the cost escalated to more than Rs 25,000 for just two.
Some others have cut down on firecrackers in order to but maintain the heights of Ravana and Megnath.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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India is one of 81 countries vying for Best Foreign Film in the 88th Academy Awards


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Age-old proverbs in new capsules (1)

All of us have been brought up on proverbs. These are tiny bits of wisdom that have been carried forward from time immemorial and are thoughts that one keeps adding to his super computer so that he can draw on them for inspiration when the time to do so comes.
Many may think that proverbs are irrelevant today but, the basics remain, only, their interpretations might have undergone transformation.
A stitch in time saves nine – take your damaged apparels to the neighborhood tailor to do minor repairs because getting new ones is a costly affair and is gradually going out of our reach. In case of trousers, go for Bermudas – these are quite fashionable and come cheap, cheaper than trousers. Or – when indoors, wrap a lungi around your waist and keep the trousers exclusively for the office use and for use on special occasions.
As you sow so you reap – you may not always get the desired benefit because of unpredictable weather – blame it on global warming. The crops may wither due to delayed monsoons or may get washed away due to flash floods or may be burnt down by people who do not like your facial expressions or your hair style.
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy – the Jack of today is an all-rounder, he plays cricket as well as shines in his studies. The players of today are adopted from their cradle and some of them are supposed to play and do nothing else. None of them become dull because all play and no work makes them crorepatis ten times over, especially in cricket.
A burnt child dreads the fire – this is a misconception, he learns how to tame fires quite early in life, hence it does not hold any surprises for him. In some parts of the world they grow up with firearms and bombs. In India, firecracker manufacturers find their profit lines soaring when they entice child labor into their webs.
An apple a day keeps the Doctor away – yes, this can certainly happen but, if all of us started following this practice, the doctors would be out of jobs, their profession would go on the blink. Hence, this is not applicable.
A friend in need is a friend indeed – the days of real friends in the style of the 1964 film Dosti and the 1975 film Sholay are still very much there in Bollywood movies. All our heroes and heroines sacrifice their loves at the drop of a hat. This provides opportunities for sad mournful songs interspersed with show-it-all types of songs in flashback.
All that glitters is not gold – how very right, the metal that glitters today is actually platinum. Gold seems to have lost much of its shine and charms.
A bird in hand is worth two in the bush – for some professions job opportunities are there for their asking. Yes – the software experts. Theirs is a high profile and one of the best paying professions. Job jumping is but second nature to them. They always have more than one bird in hand and are able to keep their employers on tenterhooks.
These are just a few proverbs that come to mind at the moment. The list is a long one from A to Z and I am still in A. Some of these proverbs transcend the barriers of language and equivalents are popular in regional languages. I hope to continue this series for some time.