A Powerful Prayer

When they advanced
To meet Goliath and his forces,
They prayed: "Our Lord!
Pour out constancy on us
And make our steps firm:
Help us against those
That reject faith."

By God's will
They routed them;
And David slew Goliath;
And God gave him
Power and wisdom
And taught him
Whatever (else) He willed.
And did not God
Check one set of people
By means of another,
The earth would indeed
Be full of mischief:
But God is full of bounty
To all the worlds.

(The Holy Quran, Chapter: 2 Verses: 250,251)

Bullying the gullible to sustain monopoly

The above message flashes on TV screens and has been interrupting Arnab Goswami's Newshour show and similar prime time newscasts in Chennai homes for the past two weeks. When an irritated TV viewer in Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai called the local cable operator (LCO), curt came the reply: "You have to purchase set-top-box of Sumangali Cable Vision (SCV).It is priced at Rs. 1200. Arasu Cable TV will not be able to distribute set-top-boxes." Such lies, rumours are very much part of business strategy of SCV owned by Marans. These lies and intimidation sustained their monopoly in Tamil Nadu for almost two decades until Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa revived Arasu Cable TV corporation in September 2011. However, the state-owned Arasu Cable TV corporation could not launch its operations in the Chennai market which is forty per cent of the entire market in Tamil Nadu. The delay by the Union Information and Broadcasting Ministry (I&B ministry) to provide Digital Addressable System (DAS) licence to Arasu Cable TV corporation indirectly helps Marans-owned SCV to bully the gullible consumers in Chennai.

Chennai market which forms 40 per cent of the entire state market needs to be liberated from the clutches of Marans now so that the consumers are not ill-treated and abused by local cable operators (LCO) who act and talk like henchmen of Marans. Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) should proactively encourage and invite citizen participation like the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) of the United States. The Centre should incorporate provisions which will enable state government-owned MSOs like Arasu Cable TV corporation to be one of the players in the market. The Centre which is keen on getting 18 Doordarshan channels and Lok Sabha TV through every MSO and makes provisions for it should also use the inputs on monopolies in regional markets and create a level playing field. Digital Addressable System (DAS) is a step forward in ensuring equitable distribution of satellite television signals. But the licences given under the new system should not allow back-door entries for existing monopolies such as SCV to continue their dominance at the cost of other players in the market.

It is time for the Chennai consumers to wake up and act like responsible citizens. We cannot allow ourselves to be bullied by the Marans who in the past had killed competition from many aspiring Television media entrepreneurs through lies, intimidation and many such unfair trade practices. Let TRAI create decentralised mechanisms with help from state governments and civil society groups to ensure fair play and allow efffective competition in the market.

Remember God for the favours you cannot deny

Here I write down the verses 63 to 74 from the 56th chapter of the Holy Quran. It may be an eyeopener to many who may not have read the Holy Quran.

63. See ye the seed that
Ye sow in the ground?

64. Is it ye that cause it
To grow, or are We
The Cause?

65.Were it Our Will,
We could make it broken orts.
And ye would
Be left in wonderment,

66. (Saying), "We are indeed
Left with debts (for nothing):

67. "Indeed we are deprived."

68. See ye the water
Which ye drink?

69. Do ye bring it Down
(In rain) from the Cloud
Or do We?

70. Were it Our Will
We could make it
Saltish and (unpalatable):
Then why do ye not
Give thanks?

71. See ye the Fire
Which ye kindle?

72. Is it ye who grow
The tree which feeds
The fire, or do We
Grow it?

73. We have made it
A reminder
And an article of comfort
And convenience for
The denizens of deserts.

74. Then glorify
The name of thy Lord,
The Supreme!

(The Holy Quran, 56: 63-74)

Appreciate little things and remember God

The verses that I read from the 80th chapter of Holy Quran inspired me to appreciate little things.

(80:24 to 32)
Then let humans look
At their Food,
(And how we provide it):

For that We pour forth
Water in abundance,

And We split the earth
In fragments,

And produce therein grain,

And Grapes and
The fresh vegetation,

And Olives and Dates,

And enclosed Gardens,
Dense with lofty trees,

And Fruits and Fodder,-

A provision
For you and your cattle.

Get inspiration from Nature, says Quran

The reading of Holy Quran this morning took me through pages where God asks us to get inspiration from Nature for belief in Him.Here are some samples from 16th Chapter:

(16:10)
It is He Who sends down
Rain from the sky
From it ye drink,
And out of it (grows)
The vegetation on which
Ye feed your cattle.

(16:11)
With it He produces
For you corn, olives,
Date-palms, grapes
And every kind of fruit:
Verily in this is a Sign
For those who give thought.

(16: 12)
He has made subject to you
The Night and the Day;
The Sun and the Moon;
And the Stars are in subjection
By His Command: verily
In this are signs
For humans who are wise.

(16:14)
It is He who has made
The sea subject, that ye
May eat thereof flesh
That is fresh and tender,
And that ye may extract
Therefrom ornaments to wear;
And thou seest the ships
Therein that plough the waves,
That ye may seek (thus)
Of the bounty of God
And that ye may be grateful.

(16:15)
And He has set up
On the earth mountains
Standing firm, lest it should
Shake with you; and rivers
And ways: that ye
May guide yourselves;

This is Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa's second appeal to the people of Kerala released on December 10, 2011.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa's appeal to people of Kerala

Following is the text of the appeal made by Jayalalithaa, chief minister of Tamil Nadu to people of Kerala on Tuesday (December 6, 2011) night: It has come to my notice that Ayyappa devotees from Tamil Nadu on pilgrimage to Sabarimala have been attacked by their brothers in Kerala. Vehicles bearing Tamil Nadu registration plates are being vandalized. Similarly, Tamil establishments in Kerala and even journalists and professionals from Tamil Nadu who are there on official work are under threat. The reason for this animosity appears to be the dispute between the Governments of Kerala and Tamil Nadu over the Mullai Periyar Dam issue. I call upon the highly educated and intelligent people of God’s own Country not to fall a prey to the machinations of narrow, vested interests or of unscrupulous anti-social elements and allow their rational minds to be manipulated to indulge in Quixotic acts of wanton mob violence. To me, these violent developments are alarming and based on imaginary, unfounded fears, which have been fuelled by irresponsible positioning by vested political interests. When a volatile situation has been precipitated, it is but natural that public passions run high. When things are so, it is the responsibility of the protagonists to reach out to the people and place matters in the right perspective. Let me clarify. There is no justification whatsoever to believe that the Mullai Periyar dam is unsafe or likely to collapse, bringing a deluge upon Idukki and surrounding districts. The dam is well maintained and has been periodically reinforced. Its safety is being constantly monitored and highly qualified and accomplished technical experts, including those nominated by the Supreme Court of India, have repeatedly reiterated that it is absolutely safe. To doubt its safety merely because it is 116 years old is sheer ignorance. Kallanai, or the Grand Anaicut Dam, widely considered to be the oldest dam in the world, built by Karikala Cholan over the River Cauvery, still stands in Tamil Nadu. Built in the second century AD, it is all of 1900 years old and absolutely safe. Kallanai was built with the same surkhi mortar as the Mullai Periyar dam. There is therefore no necessity to dismiss the Mullai Periyar dam as a primitive construction or fear that it would self-destruct due to old age. It was based on the confidence in its longevity that the initial water-sharing agreement entered into between the British Government of the State of Madras and the State of Travancore was for a period of 999 years. There has been widespread panic in recent times in the wake of a rumour that the dam stands on an earthquake-prone zone. A study of the seismic map of India, which can be easily downloaded by anyone from the internet, clearly shows that the whole of Kerala and most parts of India, including the city of Chennai, come under Seizmic Zone III, which stands for “moderately active”. Tremors, if at all, in Zone III will rarely cross 3 points on the Richter scale. Tremors of 2 to 2.9 intensity on the Richter scale are “generally not felt, but recorded”. Such tremors are taking place every minute all over the world and are mere statistics for the Meteorology Department. Tremors of 3 to 3.9 intensity on the Richter scale are “often felt, but rarely cause damage”. Such tremors are also widespread and no cause for concern. When this is so, there is absolutely no basis for fear that an earthquake will cause the collapse of the existing Mullai Periyar Dam. These facts are known to all concerned in Kerala as well. Yet, for some vested reasons, they have preferred to allow a fear psychosis bordering on mass hysteria to build up all over the State over the alleged lack of safety of the Mullai Periyar dam. Kerala is Tamil Nadu’s closest neighbour. In fact, till the early 1950s, the two States were one. Malayalees and Tamils share a common linguistic and cultural heritage. There are a large number of Tamils in Kerala. There are an even larger number of Malayalees in Tamil Nadu. And all have lived together all these decades in an admirable display of brotherhood and co-operation. The Government of Tamil Nadu and the people of the State would be the last people on earth who would want devastation to visit their brothers and sisters in Kerala. We would not claim that the Mullai Periyar Dam is safe unless we were absolutely sure of our facts. I also call upon the media to exercise restraint and report the issue responsibly and objectively. I also make a fervent appeal to the people of Kerala not to succumb to the machinations of ill-wishers and unscrupulous mischief mongers. Please do not indulge in acts of senseless violence and vandalism over an imaginary non-issue. Please do not destroy the mutual trust, esteem and goodwill that exist between the people of the two States – which have been painstakingly built up, not just over the last six decades, but over centuries. Do not let whipped up passions cloud your reason and better judgement. This is my request to a people whom I have always held in the highest esteem for their intelligence, education, rationality and hard work. Finally, I also call upon the political class of Tamil Nadu to desist from making inflammatory speeches on the issue, which would vitiate the cordial relations that exist between the people of the two States.