AN INDOOR SKI PARK IN HIMACHAL???

THIS IS HIMACHAL

When Mother Nature was handing out its Bounty, the area that is Himachal Pradesh today was standing at the top of the queue to get Nature’s goodies.

What did it get? Rivers, lakes, meadows, high altitude deserts and mountains, mountains and more mountains! The most beautiful on the Planet and being in the mighty Himalaya they are amongst the highest peaks on the Earth.

Reo Pargil at 6,816 meters above sea level, Leo Pargil at 6,791 meters, Gyagar at 6,797 meters and Shilla at 6,312 meters are all in Himachal. These four peaks are nudging an altitude of 7,000 meters above sea level. If you count peaks above 6,000 meters above sea level the count will exceed a dozen peaks or more. They are all perpetually snow covered.

Yet not a millimetre of world class ski slopes. That is the development that Himachal Tourism has made in half a century of its existence and non-functioning.

They have failed, miserably, to harness the exquisite beauty and inexhaustible natural resources of this magnificent State. The Government was busy garnering votes not attracting or promoting tourism. To harness and harvest Nature’s bounty is a simple matter and is free.

No one saw it. No one took advantage of it.

So the idea of an Indoor Ski-Park has to be one of the most hare-brain ideas since the invention of the square wheel!

Carrying coals to Newcastle describes foolishness to the enth degree, this beats it hands down! Imagine an Indoor Ski- Park at about 3,000 meters above sea level, nestling in the lap of lofty snow clad peaks, surrounded by stately deodars.

Fast rewind to the winter of 1951-52. It had started to snow in the Shimla Hills. My favourite winter-time sport, ice-skating, had been stalled.

A very close friend of my father, Panchi Sen had been posted as the head of The Grindlays Bank in Shimla. The two had been together at the Baliol College, Oxford. Both were keen sportsmen. My Father had played tennis and hockey for Baliol.

Panchi had just come back from Europe after a skiing holiday. He invited my Father to come skiing. My Father was the only one in the family who knew what skiing was!

When I found out we will have to go to Kufri, where the ski-slopes were, I was thrilled. There was only one way to get to Kufri, our Jeep! It meant I would get to drive the Jeep in 4- wheel drive through snow!

The ski slopes were the Potato Research Institute fields. Fields in Himachal are on narrow steps on the mountain side. A track had been evened out and wooden boards had been placed to make a slope. The overnight snow had covered the boards and that was the first ski-run in Kufri!

It was of little interest to me. My job was to wait at the bottom of the ski-run in the Jeep and ferry the skiers back to the top. There was no ski-lift. There were only three skiers. Panchi, his wife Pam and my Father.

There weren’t too many skiers because there weren’t too many skis! You had to bring your own equipment.

It was not a very successful venture. The Potato Research Institute weren’t happy about their fields being dug up. There was no infrastructure. It was just fun and games for a select few.

Then a strange thing happened. Due to the concrete buildings that came up, the temperature in Kufri went up! As the snow- flakes came down, they melted about 20-30 meters above the slopes and came down in a soggy mess. No slope, no skiing! This effect is called a micro climate. No more skiing in Kufri!

It didn’t bother me one bit. My joy was ice-skating.

The Blessington Tennis Courts, below the Rivoli Cinema would be converted into Asia’s largest open air ice-skating rink. Please note, the operative word is, ‘Open Air’!

For the next two decades I was on the move, including a 2 year posting in Geneva, Switzerland. It is not possible to live in Switzerland and not absorb, through the simple process of osmosis, the finer points of skiing. The Swiss, as is their national character to strive for perfection have made skiing into a fine art. Davos, Klosters, Zermatt, St. Morits are the best known Swiss Ski Resorts in the world. Just across the border is Chamonix in France. All these resorts have hosted International winter sports sometime or the other. Nothing like that has happened in Himachal.

I had occasion to visit all these places in Switzerland in the summer and winter. Every town, actually they are still villages, it is a picture post-card in beauty, cleanliness and discipline. Words that Indians are allergic to!

After a couple of decades of globe-trotting I came back to India. As soon as I got news of a heavy snow fall in Narkanda, I drove up.

Himachal’s snow activities were centred in Narkanda.

At dinner time, The Director Tourism held a briefing session. He welcomed everybody and said, “Sorry people, the lift has gone for repairs, you’ll have to walk to the top!”

That wasn’t a Herculean task. The ski-run was a couple of hundred meters long. Some strategically planted deodars provided the chicanes. By no stretch of the imagination could this be called a ski-slope.

Some years later, Manali came into prominence. Nothing to do with winter sports. A ski-slope had come up at Solang. Again, I rushed up to see this much needed sports activity in Himachal.

There were a few skiers, but no facilities to promote skiing. Actually, skiing was   dangerous on the ski-slopes. The local entrepreneurs had bought snow scooters. They were ferrying tourists for joy rides on the ski-slopes. Can you imagine a motorized vehicle on a ski-slope!

I can’t help but compare Himachal with Switzerland. Himachal is 55,673 square kilometres. Switzerland is 41,285 square kilometres. It is one of the smallest countries in Europe and landlocked. Yet Switzerland over seven thousand kilometres of ski-slopes and these are serviced by 1,813 lifts!

Each Swiss Resort has a five star rating with a Michelin awarded Chef in the kitchen. Himachal will have a chai-wala, sitting under a torn blue plastic sheet serving luke warm syrupy tea in a dented steel glass with a choice of bread-pakoras or instant noodles!

The total cost of this Indoor Ski-Park will be Rs. 250 crore. It will have a palatial Mall, a five star hotel, a food court, a shopping arcade. It will also have a parking facility for a 1,000 vehicles.

This is the description of an amusement park not a ski resort.

After Shimla and Manali, Kufri will be in line to be raped and ruined!

There are two other Bounties Himachal which has been ignored but have the potential of been major tourist attractions and money earners, without much investment.

River rafting. Himachal has two major rivers, the Satluj and the Beas. No river rafting!

Because of the mountains there is unlimited scope of hang gliding with near zero investment. All it needs is a launch site. Again this has been ignored.

Both the sports discipline, if promoted properly and wisely will bring in foreigners and have the potential to host international events.

Informatively, there are two Indoor Ski Parks in the world. Ski Egypt and Ski Dubai. Both are at sea level and in dessert areas. The Kufri Ski Park in the lap of the Himalaya would be unique. And quite unnecessary.

THIS IS SWITZERLAND... HIMACHAL HAS BIGGER AND BETTER MOUNTAINS

FORMULA 1 LAST YEAR

 There was a big Question mark hanging over the F1 races as the season opened.

The first race of the season, the Australian F1 was cancelled on Practice Day!

Then the Chinese F1 was cancelled. No surprise. China was being held responsible for the Covid-19 outbreak.

2020 was the 70^th Anniversary of Formula 1. The first event was held at Silverstone in the UK in 1950.

In place of celebrations there were cancellation. Seven of the scheduled 22 races were cancelled at the outset.

The Monaco Grand Prix did not run for the first time since 1954. The claim to fame for this event was that it ran on the narrow streets of Monaco, through tunnels and along the sea face.  Azerbaijan, Singapore, Japan were also cancelled.

The first race of F1 2020 was in July in Austria. It was run behind closed doors. No fans, no cheering, no clapping!

All this did not dampen the spirit of F1. Lewis Hamilton was expected to pull a large rabbit out of the hat! Winner of Six World Championships, he was close on Michael Schumacher’s record of seven wins.

The first race of the season in Austria, Valtteri Bottas won, Hamilton was fifth! The surprise was Lando Norris, a twenty year old Britain, the youngest driver and driving for McLaren. He stood on the Podium. He also set the fastest lap!

The first rabbit that Hamilton pulled out of his hat at Silverstone. It was his eighty seventh win and he did it on 3 wheels! One tyre was flat.

By this time Black Lives Matter had gained momentum globally. George Floyd, a Black Man was killed by a white policeman.

Mercedes traditionally paint their cars silver and are known as the Silver Arrows. To be a part of the BLM movement, Mercedes painted their cars black.

There were two races at Silverstone. The Grand Prix and a Commemorative race for the 70^th Anniversary. For this event, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was first and Hamilton came second.

Hamilton took the Belgium Grand Prix. He led from Pole to Finish. Hamilton was two victories short of Schumacher’s 91 wins.

One sad moment. William’s Racing, a family affair decided to quit F1. Their contribution to F1 has been awesome. 740 races ,114 victories, 128 pole positions and 16 World Championship titles.

Frank Williams and his daughter Claire, handed over to Dorilton Capital, an American Company. Williams was the last British Team in F1.

The Tuscon GP was action packed and exciting. Debris litered the track, chaos reigned. The Red Flag came out twice. Two crashes in the first 7 laps saw 6 drivers retire from the race. The race had 3 standing starts.

Hamilton won. It was his 90^th win. One short of Schumacher’s 91 wins. Hamilton won by 4.880 seconds over his teammate Valterri Bottas! For Ferrari it was their 1000^th Grand Prix Championship Race.

For the next event in Sochi Russia, the F1 fraternity was holding their breath.

Hamilton had 90 wins to his credit. One more and he would be in the same legue as Michael Schumacher.

Alas and alack! It was not to be. Even before the race had started, Hamilton had collected  two 5 second penalties from the stewards. “They are trying to stop me! Aren’t they?  Not one but two 5 second penalties for something so ridiculous!

“Everything we have on our car is being checked and triple checked!” it was the second time that had cost the British driver a top spot in setting a new record in F1 and that too a Black Man. I guess Black Men matter!

Happily for his fans and fortunately for Hamilton the F1 season was not over.

At the Eifel Grand Prix in Nurburgring, Hamilton took the Chequered Flag. It was his 91^st win. He had equalled Schumacher’s count.

It was bound to happen, so it happened at the Portuguese F1. In terms of race wins, it was Hamilton’s 92^nd. He was ahead of Schumacher’s F1 record.

At this stage Hamilton had only 6 World Championships, Schumi had 7. One more to go for Hamilton.

However, Hamilton had become the most successful driver of all times in Race Victories.

And the aficionados are still asking, is he better than the best? Simple question! Simple Answer! Yes! He is.

F1 Greats Alain  Prost had 51 wins. Ayerton Senna had 41 wins. These equal 92 wins. One driver has put these two figures together. 92 wins! Lewis Hamilton.

When Hamilton won the Bahrain F1 GP it was his 95^th win for the now 7 times World Champion. Now he equals Schumacher.

He had won the last 5 races and 11 of the 15 races this season. One more and he is ahead of Schumi,  the all time Great.

That was not to be. Nothing to do with the Stewards! Divine intervention!

Hamilton came down with Covid-19! Inspite of that, the fact remains that Hamilton has won at 29 Circuits in 24 countries. The most for any driver!

Thanks to him, Mercedes became the first Team to win 7 consecutive successive F1 Constructors Championships. 

The icing on this very large and delicious cake. This Black Driver, the grandson of immigrants from the West Indies, was conferred a Knighthood by the Queen in the New Years Honour’s List!

Hamilton’s contract with Mercedes expired on 1^st January, 2021. It has not been renewed as I post this.  

Sir Lewis Hamilton, the Greatest Formula1 Driver of all time is unemployed!

CARS TO BE LAUNCHED IN 2021

Here are some very practical suggestions for buying cars in the coming year.

First, do keep in mind that fossil fuels are fast depleting. Sooner, rather than later, before they deplete, electric cars will have taken over.

When you buy an electric car, depending upon which part of the world you live in. If your electricity is produced from cold fired electricity generating power plants you are not making a contribution to the environment. You are still depending upon fossil fuels.

The worst polluting cars are diesel engines. You can make an immediate contribution by not buying diesel engine cars. Now you have no choice, only a petrol engine car. Make sure that the engine capacity doesn’t exceed 1600 cc or maximum 1800 cc. With the latest technology these cars can be emitting near zero pollutants.

So the Mantra for the New Year is quite simple, no diesel car, look for an  eco-friendly cars.

To my mind one of the cutest cars that should be available in the near future is the Maruti Suzuki Jimny. It is extremely good looking, will give you a 3-door or 5-door option and a petro engine. It is also very sensibly priced. Also very important it is backed by Maruti Suzuki, India’s largest auto manufacturer and they need no introduction.

Also look at the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza. It is an urban SUV.

The Ford EcoSport has had a very successful run since its inception ten years ago. The petrol engine version would be a very wise choice. Priced at Rs.10-12.00 Lakhs.

A little known name but one of the best engineered cars in the world is Citroen. The C 21 is a brand new compact SUV. It has a 1.2 litre turbo petrol engine. It is reasonably priced, gives exceptional motoring joy and if you are looking for a pleasant change to the run of the mill cars, this is it. About Rs.10.00 Lakhs

Renault has the Triber Turbo, with a 1 litre turbo petrol engine. This is under powered but then again, this is the only downside of this French car. It follows up the footsteps of the Duster with its versatility, reliance and performance. Easy on the pocket!

Volkswagen will be introducing the Taigun in mid-2021. It is a mid-size SUV and will have the Volkswagen dependability, style and a sensible price tag for an SUV. About Rs.25.00 Lakhs

While we are discussing SUVs, many sensible manufacturers these days are offering SUVs without four wheel drive. 90% of the drivers do not need four wheel drive, 90% of the drivers also do not need an SUV. Buy small, buy sensibly! This will be your contribution to Society and conserving the Environment.

Mahindra has an eXUV 300 electric car. It was show cased at Auto Expo 2020 as a concept car. But it will see the light of the day because electric cars are the need of the hour. For the truly committed environmentalist, this should be the answer. And the price hopefully will be reasonable.

One of the best sellers from the Mahindra stables is the Bolero. This year’s model will be called the Bolero Neo, it will be the same tough as nails Bolero with a lipstick and nails polish job.  The chunky, boxy design has a macho appeal. It is also very sensibly priced at Rs.8-9.00 lakhs.

The Mahindra TUV 300 has also had a facelift. It is one of their better selling models but comes with only a diesel engine. Again a price is extremely reasonable about Rs. 10.00 Lakhs for a standard model and just over that for their luxury models.

The cars listed above are all in the Rs. 10-12.00 Lakhs, which I consider reasonable.

Cars like Audi, BMW and Mercedes Benz offer many versions. They start at Rs. 30-35 Lacs and go upto Crores. They also make huge profits on their spares. The electronic rear view mirror on a Beemer costs about Rs. 65,000. The wind shield wiper on a Mercedes can cost upto Rs.6,000. A normal service for oil change, filter change, wheel balance, tune up can cost upto Rs.25-30,000! That’s more than the LPG bill for my wife’s Wagon R for a whole year! Most important LPG cost half the price of the petrol, doesn’t pollute and because LPG combustion has no carbon deposits, in 50,000 Kms of driving I have changed spark plugs only once.

There are any number of cars which are in the Rs. 30-50 Lacs. Anybody buying those cars will be doing his own research. What I am very much against is manufacturers in this day and age are producing cars with 600 horse power engine and a top speed of 300 Kms an hour.

You have the Lamborghini Huracan. It has a V10 5.2 litre engine, 640 hp and can clock 0-100 in 3 seconds, Price Rs. 4 Crore. Than we have the Ferrari Stradale SF 90. It puts out 1000 hp and does 0-100 in 2.5 seconds. Price Rs. 6 Crore.

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Then there is the Maserati MC 20.  0 to 100 kmph in 2.9 seconds and 0 to 200 kmph in  8.8 seconds. Top speed 325 kmph ! Price Rs. 3.0 crore. Now here is a sensible offering from Volvo, the Swedish car maker. I consider Volvo to be the best engineered car in the world, ahead of the Germans. The car in question, the Volvo XC 40 Recharge. It is the first all-electric car from Volvo. It has two 204 hp electric motors, one for each axle. Enough to propel the car from 0 to 100 in 4.9 seconds. The Recharge has s range of 400 kilometres. Price Rs.65.00 lakhs. This would be a very sensible buy. Expensive, not really! Hardly any service required. 100% environment friendly, no noise, no pollution. Here is another reason for Volvo being considered the best engineered car. One of the fitments on the XC 40 is a Cyclist and Pedestrian Detection System. It warns the driver of these two strays on the road. It would be a life saver in India where jay-walking is the normal way to cross the road and cyclists know no rules. Says Volvo, it is for every ones safety. I bet you Volvo could not have thought of  dogs, cows and big black buffaloes. The Isuzu V-Cross is a life-style pick-up truck. With twin-cab seating, offering sedan like comfort with an open rear deck. Ideal for farmers, actually anyone who needs to transport goods. Diesel powered, but be assured that Isuzu make one of the finest engines. Price Rs 28.00 lakh. Another sensible buy. The Honda City Hybrid. The City has been one of Hondas best selling cars. Its reasonably priced at Rs. 15-16 lakhs with a 1,500 cc engine with hybrid option. Toyota Camry also offers a hybrid option. Neither Toyota nor Camry need an introduction. One of the best cars on the road. Now with a hybrid power train. About Rs.40.00 lakh. One of the better buys, Hyundai i20. Extemely well put together, both inside and outside. The i20 is for the discerning buyer. The i20 N Line is a souped up offering with a one liter petrol turbocharged engine pumping out 120 hp. On offer is a 7-speed dual clutch automatic or 6-speed manual.  Double barrel exhaust, triangular fog lights. Other features, suspension improved, accelerator response improved, exhaust note sporty sounding. About Rs 10.00 lakh. Hyundai's Creta SUV which came as a 5 seater will be coming in a 7-seater avatar. ? Available with diesel and petrol engines. The 1.4 liter petrol is turbo charged. Priced at Rs.15-20 lakh. No serious off-roader can afford not to look-see the Jeep. It is the the most famous, respected and oldest name in off-road vehicles. Rugged and reliable, it has 80 years of success backing it. It has a 1.4 liter turbo petrol engine. This should be your choice, not the diesel. Price Rs.18-28 lakh, depending upon the model. 2021 promises to be a year of fun filled motoring. You will have to choose and buy sensibly. Wishing everybody safe driving and a wonderful New Year!

THE YEAR THAT WASN’T

In other words 2020 won! Some might say 2021.

For many people, especially the old timers, who say that they have never experienced a whole year when nothing went right!

The year started off with a bang, literally. The Shaheen Bagh protest. The Citizen Amendment Act was the cause. Civil riots broke out, arrests, violence, complete breakdown of law and order. As usual, The Delhi Police made for a great audience! It was a full blown disaster.

This tamaasha had hardly died down when the Lockdown was announced. It happened with the snap of the fingers.

It was like the game we played as children called ‘Statue’! Everything froze! Businesses, shops, factories, schools shut down. Curfew was imposed. Lockdown was the official phrase, for me it was House Arrest!

No movement of humans. This applied worldwide. People on holiday or business in another country had to stay put! For months!

No aircraft in the air, no cars on the road. Globally the environment has never been cleaner for decades.

No one, but no one, anywhere in the world had an answer to the first of its kind Pandemic which was being called a Manmade disaster. China was blamed for letting loose this demon called ‘Covid-19’. Its tentacles spread far and wide to every nook and corner of the Planet.

The Chinese started the game of sabre rattling in a vicious and fowl manner. In the Galwan area of Ladakh 20 Jawans and one Colonel were beaten to death, in a primitive way with clubs wrapped in barbed wire! This was in May of this year.

The Prime Minister assured the Nation that there had been no intrusion by the Chinese into Indian Territory. The obvious inference is that the Indian troops had intruded into Chinese Territory while on patrol.

Informatively our troops were not even carrying side arms! And the nation believed him! And why not? The Prime Minister, a great orator had learnt from Pavlov. On his command, a billion people came out in the evening and banged their thalli’s, pots and pans to scare the Demon ‘Covid-19’! Alas and alack, the Demon is deaf.

Another spin off of the Lockdown. With the loss of jobs at over 21%, the middle class became the lower middle class. This would again affect the economy. The economy which was staggering even before the Lockdown may have a 10% decrease in GDP. India can look forward to being the poorest country in Asia in the not too far distance.

The much awaited Lockdown was finally lifted as has become abundantly clear that the Government acts first and thinks later. Thus creating a disaster on an unprecedented scale!

There is an Invisible Force that drives India. They build our roads, they build our buildings, often carrying 6-8 bricks on their heads up 6-8 flights of stairs. They clean your apartments, cook for the family, wash and clean the utensils but they are not allowed to eat and drink in the house. They bathe and dress your children but they can’t use the lift, they use the staircase.

This Invisible Force is the migrant labourer. They mostly come from U.P, Bihar, Odissa. When the Lockdown was lifted they had no jobs, no money, no food. So they decided to go back home. No trains, no busses, no transport of any kind. So they started to walk. Some of them were 600 or more kilometres from home.

The Government had made no arrangements for the Walking Class. There were absolutely no provisions for water, food or medical aid. The Walking Class, the poorest of the poor had been abandoned by the Government and even their Gods, to whom they had prayed all their lives!

At the height of summer, May and June, with the temperature in the upper 40s Celsius, they walked barefoot on the burning hot tarmac. The television channels were happy to show their blistered feet.

In times of their own distress the Government has no hesitation to call out the Army or the Para Military Forces to help the Government in controlling the civil population.

Why did it not occur to the Government to call out the Army to help the Walking Class? The army has thousands of trucks which could have been deployed to ferry these poor people home. The Army would happily have provided the medics, ambulances and water tankers to relieve the Walking Class of their extreme misery.

At the turn of the century we added a new word to our vocabulary, Milenials.

2020 which has given us a coronacoaster ride will add another word, colonials!

The word Parliamentarians should be replaced by Part Timer M.P!

Previously Parliament used to meet 120 days in a year. In the last decade it fell to 70 days. 2020 set a new record, 33 days!

They get paid extremely well. In addition they get free house, car, phone, travel and other perks. They do not get a hardship allowance!

In any case, Parliament has been reduced to locktail hours. Zero Hour has been cancelled, as has the Winter Session. Reason; danger from Corona. During the September Session, Corona cases were numbering around 95,000. At the moment it is about 25,000. Figure out the reasoning here.

For these Parliamentarians a new House is being built. It’s going to be 64,500 square feet of space and cost about Rs.1,000 crore! It will be able to accommodate 1,224 M.P.s. The Foundation Stone has already been laid but the Hon'ble Supreme Court is not amused. Actually they are very concerned with the Central Vista Project. Ten buildings are to be razed, hundreds of trees are to be axed. The Delhi Government agreed to 400 trees to be translocated in the area.

The Government has different ideas. There are reports that the trees would be shifted about 20 kilometres from the Central Vista.

It is hoped the Supreme Court does not give a green light for this project. Rs. 1,000 crore could build hospitals and schools, which is the need of the hour.

 In their careful and Nachiavellian thinking Parliament has rushed through three agricultural laws. That has inflamed the farmers. Not without reason. However, read carefully analysed the laws are anti-citizen.

Since protests seem to be the order of the day the farmers also decided to protest. So far it was students in general, JNU in particular, from Dalits and Muslims. The CAA protest was an eye opener both of the Governments thinking and the reaction from the Citizens.

Closing the year are the farmers protests, who are not up in arms but on tractors and laying siege to Dilli.

I used the word Dilli because that is how the Punjabi’s pronounce Delhi.

Delhi has been the seat of the oppressors of the Punjabis, namely the Sikhs. Be it the Mughals, the British and in more recent times, the 1980’s the Congress.

The recent Agri Laws favour the Corporates who had long eyed the food bowl of India as a money maker rather than a necessity that feeds millions.

The Punjabi farmer, again mostly Sikh finds the laws oppressive and suffocating.

One of the laws prohibits a Citizen to approach the Courts of Law in case of a complaint against the Government. So what is the Judiciary for?

The farmers protest is being hailed as one of the largest peaceful protests in the country. Some say in the world. That should be taken with a pinch of rum in this cold season.

The Woodstock Festival in the USA against the Vietnam War in the 60s had something like half a million people (Five Lakh).

The Punjabi farmers have a point. Not only is his livelihood being threatened but he stands to lose his lands.

With this future they will make a stand, hard and fast and to the end.

The Government is also not willing to back down.

So...........

One of the reasons is that the Government are traders, businessmen and have little respect for a farmer who is labelled as ‘bourgeois’.

To discredit the farmer the Government has a Department of Dirty Tricks (Goebbles had one!) the Farmers have been referred to as hooligans, Khalistanis, terrorists!

 A man was caught at the Dilli Border amongst the protestors. He was handing out pro-Khalistan posters.

“See!” said the Government. “Khalistani’s are involved!”

The man was captured and bundled into a tent. In true Punjabi spirit he was offered tea, lassi and snacks and made to feel like a guest. That is the art of interrogation. Gentle persuasion, no violence, police style.

The man confessed that he was an RSS agent and told to distribute the posters!

It’s worth repeating the Wisdom of the Ancients; “In his lifetime a man needs a lawyer, a doctor, a policeman once. Also a Pundit or Granthi to get married, hopefully only once!

“But a farmer you need three times a day, every day of your life!”

This is the man the Government wants to crush.

Tilling the fields is as dignified and creative as writing a poem!

As I write this, the year had ended. There has been no progress in the talks with the Farmers and the Government.

This episode should give you an inkling as to why.

There was a report in one of the local TV channels from the Singhu border. An elderly man, flowing white beard, blue turban Nihang style sat huddled against the cold with a razai draped around his shoulders.

The interview over, the reporters showed concern for the elderly warrior."Dadaji, you've made your point. It’s bitterly cold here. Why don’t you go home!" They spoke in Punjabi.

The Old Man replied in chaste Punjabi. “Beta, eh dharna nahi hai, eh gherao nahi hai. Eh morcha hai! Main maidan-e-jung nahi chad sakta!"

TRACTOR POWER! The Farmers have threatened to hold a tractor rally on 26th January to coincide with the republic day parade

THE COVID SEATING PLAN

It is really quite remarkable that a pandemic can dictate how you sit in your car.

So fat it was simple. Maa and Paa in the front two seats children, friends or relatives in the back seat. No more! The do-gaj doori has changed all that.

With two people in car, Paa is in the driver’s seat, he sits on the front right. tMaa must sit in the rear left seat. That is as far away as possible. Do-gaj doori.

The idea being that the air exhaled by one person should not be inhaled by the other person. It is recommended that even husband and wife must wear masks.

Now to the next set of instructions. Which window should be open?

In the summer month, with AC on, all windows are rolled up. All four windows rolled up is not recommended. But who is going to drive around in the summer without the AC? So there is no control over who is inhaling and who is exhaling! Which is why curfew was imposed. Stay at home and be safe!

Ideally it would be safest to drive with all four windows open. This will never happen, we want luxury and not safety!

So the worst case is, all four windows closed, a bad combination. The AC is on, the air is being re-circulated. This becomes the highest risk configuration.

These findings were done by two Indian Professors in the USA. Verghese Mathai at the University of Massachusetes and Asimanshu Das of Brown University, USA.

They examined the air flow inside a Toyota Prius moving at 50 mph (80 kmph) with various configuration of windows open and closed.

The common sense move by the average person would be to open the window next to him/her. This option, to open and to closed windows, was not the best configuration the Professors said. So much for common sense!

For two persons in the car, if two windows are to be open, they should be the windows on the opposite side.

The driver should have the front left window open. The passenger in the rear left, should have the rear right window open.

The highest ‘At risk’ person, it turns out, is the driver! This is because that in a moving car air enters the car from the rear window and exit from the front window.

If the windows, all four of them are open, creates two independent air flows on the right and left side of the car interior. In this case very few germs are transmitted between passengers sitting front right and rear left.

Again, this will never happen. It is simply not practical to drive a car, even in the city at a slow speed with all four windows rolled down.

Next option according to the Professors. Three open windows are better than two open windows. That make sense.

But which three windows should be open.

Says Professor Verghese Mathai, ‘ not that once we have two or more windows open the concentration of air bone particles does not build up as much as there is good cross ventilation and dilution of air’.

Three open windows are better than two. Yes we agreed to that. But choosing which window to close makes all the difference! In such a case it would be best if the non-infected person is closest to the closed window.

Who is the affected person? This calls for a covid test.

Or you can through this whole idea out the window! It want make a difference which window!

Stay safe stay at home.

THE RED TRIANGLE

You heard of tennis elbow. Now there is a new medical condition; the selfie wrist! It is caused by the overuse of a cell phone to photograph yourself! 

It involves holding the cell phone at arm’s length, usually at an odd angle. This results in a selfie wrist which is a form of the carpal tunnel syndrome. The selfie-wala may experience a sharp pain which comes from bending the wrist into an unnatural posture. This results in a tingling sensation, numbness and a sharp pain in the wrist.

This is the carpal tunnel syndrome which happens when the median nerve is squeezed, bent or twisted.

Have you ever wondered why more and more cars are fitted with push buttons to start-stop the cars?

It was the feedback to the car manufacturers from senior citizens. A lot of them were suffering from arthritis of the wrist joint. It was easy to insert the key into the slot behind the steering wheel, which unlocked the steering wheel. It was painful to twist the key to start the car.

A button can be pushed easily with the thumb or any finger.

Other dangers related to taking selfies; falling off cliffs, drowning in rivers, crashing your car! Like auto related deaths, India has the dubious distinction of leading the world in selfie related deaths!

Misuse, disuse, abuse of anything in Bharat is the norm. The accompanying image is a red plastic reflective triangle that comes with the tool kit of cars today. It is for a very specific purpose.

In case of a breakdown, it should be placed at a safe distance, about 20 metres, behind the stalled vehicle. It will warn on-coming traffic of an obstacle ahead.

The record pile-up on the highway this last winter, due to fog, goes to a 40 car crash near Fatehgarh Sahib. One after another, the cars rammed into the twisted metal on the road due to extremely poor visibility. Police said not one warning triangle was found at the scene of the pile-up!

Anybody who has this red triangle, displays it proudly on the front of the vehicle, especially the commercial vehicles. It serves no purpose at the front.

First let us understand what is the purpose of this red triangle.

If displayed on the road side on a supporting pole, apex pointing down, it means give way to traffic from left or right. It will generally be found at the intersection of a minor road with a major road. In the absence of such a sign follow the International ruling, priority to traffic on your right.

Displayed on the road, it means some intelligent and concerned driver ahead maybe changing a wheel or has had a break down.

Place it at a distance so that the driver who sees it has enough slowing down distance.

In case of poor visibility, this red triangle is invaluable. However you have another problem. If you place it out of sight, for sure it will be stolen!

You should have your hazard flashers on.

They are to be used only when the car is stationary.

If there has been a multi-car collision, do not remain seated in the car. Move to a safe distance. A bus, car, truck travelling at speed coming into contact with other vehicles will send bits of steel, glass, plastic flying in all directions!

Now that we are on the subject of road signs, please familiarise yourself with all the road signs. They follow into three categories.

Mandatory; these must be obeyed, like no parking, do not enter, no left turn and so on.

Cautionary; these are to make your driving safe like narrow bridge, steep hill, Sharp curve, road repairs in progress or whatever to alert you.

Informative; these help you to find your way around the city. They will display hotel, restaurant, hospitals, lay bye, refuelling station.

THE DUTCH REACH

 

Years ago I had written a column on how to sit in a car. How to hold the steering, the 10 o'clock - 2 o'clock position, how to hold the gear shift lever and more.

My friend who is s golfer, called to ask the importance of these points I had mentioned.

Well, I had the answers. My Dad was a golfer and I would watch him kit-up. Glove only on one hand to grip and control the club. Thumb of left hand snuggled under the right hand. And so on. There is a definite science to this.

A tennis or squash player will have no idea how to hold a golf club.

The same applies to sitting in a car and how to sit properly and handle the controls.

Most people just get and sit in the drivers seat. That’s it! No! There is much more to it, like seat back upright for the seat belt to be effective. Also, without the seat belt the air bag can be a killer not a saviour.

Here is something that can be a life saver and we had no knowledge of it. It is called the Dutch Reach.

A friend had returned from a motoring trip to Europe. The person who rented him the car gave him this advice on safe motoring and said it was highly recommended. He also cautioned about keeping the ORVMs open and properly adjusted. It is the law in Europe. Keeping rear view mirrors closed will invite a fine.

“I was in India last year and no one uses their rear view mirrors. Don’t do that here!”

It is the law here in India but like all good drivers we have scant value for such laws! Their value? They prevent accidents, they save lives.

The manoeuvre is so simple and easy that it should be made a part of the Driver’s Manual. It is called The Dutch Reach. I think it will never be part of the Driver’s Manual but there is no reason that you, in the interest of your personal safety, should not incorporate it in your regular Driver’s Drill.

It is a safety habit taught in the Netherlands, hence the name ‘The Dutch Reach’. In the video I received from a policeman in the South, he referred to it as ‘dooring’, same thing but now it has an Indian flavour.

In India we drive on the left hand side of the road, or should drive on the left hand side of the road, most of the time we don’t.

So you drive on the left and sit on the right. So far so good! You have an ORVM on the door on the driver’s side. It must be kept open at all times. It is like having eyes on the back of your head. You know in advance what is going to smack you!

Normally what happens is that the driver reaches for the door opener latch with his right hand. Of course he does not check the outside mirror. He opens the door a bit and has to quickly close it to prevent someone running into it. Such collisions are frequent. It would not happen if you checked the ORVM before opening the door.

Now to the ‘Dutch Reach’. This is the move that will make your exit from the car safe.

First check the ORVM, this is a must. If no vehicle is approaching, only then reach for the door opening latch with the LEFT HAND.

The left hand is farthest from the door and to make this move you are obliged to twist your body. When your hand is on the latch, your body is already geared to exit. Check the ORVM again. A fast moving vehicle may have caught up with your stationary car. All clear? Now open the door and step out safely.

This simple and easy change is the procedure for exiting the car has increased your Safety Quotient many fold.

It will save a lot of accidents that result from carelessness. And remember to keep both ORVMs open.

In some countries when you go for a driver’s test, the car is parked in a box painted on the tarmac.

At the end of the test you are required to park the car by reversing into the box. There may be a few traffic cones to help you reverse.

You are required to reverse using the ORVM. If you turn and twist your head, you fail!