HIPPALUS,PERIPLUS AND MUZIRIS..... it is NOT Greek to me!

But for Sunday, I make brisk walk for almost an hour along with Geetha in the early morning. Mostly I do that at our regular place of nearby international stadium. Occasionally I also walk at Marine Drive, not far from my residence. At the dawn, walking on the interlock paved corniche by the side of sea against cool breeze is refreshing. Listening to either latest news and pretty old classic music as I walk begins my day well.Of course it is a luxury I could afford these days after my semi retirement.The sea views as I walk - from slow moving small motorized fishing boats to anchored leviathan modern ships at the port - it is feast to the naked eyes. The walk here also ushers a lot of thoughts in me.....

Kochi and places around which touches the Arabian sea is sleeping in history. It could be one of such unique places in India,for that matter in the world. Romans,Greeks,Phoenicians,Egyptians,Persians and Arabs used to visit this land from 1st century BC reaching by their ships for trade. Europeans came much later in the 15th century onward. They were all after spices, mainly after the king of spices- pepper which was the exclusive product of India those days. Saint Thomas, one of the 12 disciples of Jesus Christ is believed to have come to this place in 56AD in search of Jews already settled here. How come they all made it to reach ancient port of Muziris, hardly 30 kilometers away from the present port, in India from places as far as Aegyptus,Roman province of Egypt, thousands of kilometers away? Was it possible to travel by sea this far in wooden ships using wind as the prime mover without much navigational instruments or maritime knowledge around those days of King Solomon of Bible....anyone could doubt.

Yes, they did visit regularly. If you have read about Hippalus and Periplus, it can be certainly concluded so.But how come it is not taught in Indian curriculum about them or do they these days?-at least I don't remember having read about them while in schools.

                            
Languages of knowledge.....
While Geetha  and I were holidaying in Athens few years back, one of the  local Greek who befriended us in his broken English asked about job prospects for him as he was looking for a job in a bank in Qatar. Those days Greece was under tremendous pressure of economic crisis. I told him that good knowledge of English or Arabic or both is essential for that. Innocently I asked him why Greece is keeping medium of instruction of curriculum in universities Greek and not English to get the advantage of international exposure. His answer was simple, unexpected but thought provoking. "Greek is a language of knowledge from time immemorial. Why we should deprive ourselves from that?" Suddenly I remembered plight of Sanskrit, the language of knowledge of ancient India and how Indians were alienated from that language by foreign followed by Indian rulers. No doubt ancient Greece contributed a lot to scientific world esp. during Hellenistic era, I presume.

Ancient maritime history of mankind starts with India, China, Mesopotamia and Egypt. Navigation skills were known to them as early as 4th and 3rd millennium BC.In fact the word navigation is derived from the Sanskrit(Indian) word Navgath of Indus Valley Civilization time. So also the word Navy from the Sanskrit word Nou.

Hippalus
A Greek navigator, explorer and merchant he was, who lived in Alexandria, Egypt in 1st century BC. He is credited to have found out something which may sound silly now but  was epoch making in the world of  travel that time. He discovered the Monsoon wind for the west which was named after him.No doubt this is long known to Indian and Arab sea farers. Eventually this made navigators of those times to find a sea route from Red Sea to reach Southern parts of India-Muziris(Kerala),Arikamedu(Tamil Nadu) and other places in India in around 40 days! They navigated using the southwest monsoon wind to reach India and stayed there till the wind direction changes to northeast.Discovery of Hippalus wind can be considered to be on par with what Columbus did in modern history. Both changed history of sea faring and trade thereafter!

                                 
                                  

Periplus..
Periplus in Greek is a manuscript document that details various ports and related matters. Periplus of the Erythraean Sea-Another name of Red Sea known to ancient Greeks- is the first recorded document detailing travel and trade of the western countries with those of East such as Rome, Parthia,India and China. Documented in Greek as notes around mid 1st centuryAD,name of the author or compiler of such a document is unknown. However it is confirmed that it is written by a Greek merchant stationed in ancient Egypt.

Periplus confirms discovery of Hippalus wind and credits the new sea route to India to Hippalus. Periplus also details quite a number of old trade centers in Africa, Arabia and India as one can see in the map above which is created based on such details. It clearly identifies Muziris(Machuri) along with a host of trade centers in coastal India.

Author of Periplus, it is recorded, has noted a lot of info about ancient India and was under the spell of epics of India such as Ramayana.

Post Script: Illustrations courtesy google.

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LIGHTNING ATTACK OF THE TIGER

It was only recent that the Prime Minister of Japan visited Pearl Harbor,US. He was the first Japanese PM while in office to do so.He was reciprocating such a gesture by US President,again a first one while in office who visited Hiroshima,Japan in May last year.Both acknowledged the sufferings of the victims of both places and their relatives but-it was specifically reported- both stopped short of apology!They might have their own reasons for that.While attack on Pearl Harbor acted as a catalyst to escalate the II world war scene to terrible heights thereafter,dropping of atomic bombs for the first time and last time(so far) at Hiroshima and Nagasaki ended the war.

Whenever I read or hear about Pearl Harbor attack,what invariably comes to my mind is 'Tora,Tora,Tora' the English movie which was produced in 1970.I might have seen it in 1972 for the first time.The movie impressed me so much that the scenes come to my mind whenever I read about Pearl harbor!

The Japs had believed that the only way to achieve successful result of attack on Pearl Harbor was to take the enemy by surprise.This was a big risk but Japan took it that way.When the lead pilot of the first wave of Japanese fighter planes was able to cover the desired distance- thousands of miles- unnoticed by the radars of US,he communicated in excitement to his commanding officer who was following in an aircraft carrier "Tora! Tora! Tora!" Tora means Tiger in Japanese.But in this context Tora is the abbreviated radio code word for 'TOtsugeki RAigeki' literally meaning in Japanese "Lightning Attack".

We all know that eventually  the Japs had to pay a very, very heavy price for this attack!

                               

Total surprise.....devastating barrage in history..
In September 1940 Japan signed alliance with Germany and Italy, known as Axis forces.US was not in direct war but was helping few countries of Allies forces.Axis forces expected US to enter the war sooner or later.Moreover relationship between US and Japan was getting strained day by day.Japan decided to prepare for a preemptive strike on US Pacific fleet anchored at Pearl Harbor,near Honolulu,Hawaii.Japanese war veterans believed that annihilation of the US fleet is the way to control Pacific Ocean.They planned the attack for months,kept it as top secret since they knew that they cant match the strength of US Navy unless it is done as a total surprise!

Finally Japs decided the date of attack.December 7, 1941.They chose a Sunday, that too at 8.00 AM! Anyone who lives in US or west knows how quiet the Sunday morning could be! The result is that Japan could achieve the complete surprise element successfully.

US forces lost 20  naval vessels,many large battleships included.All of them were destroyed or capsized.The anchored ships were perfect 'sitting ducks' for the Jap bombers.300 US aeroplanes were completely destroyed, 2000 soldiers lost their lives while 1000 were wounded, all they could inflict on the enemy in just 2 hours!!

US President announced to the people that"It was a day of Infamy".I think thereafter only such a day for US in later years was on September 11,2001 when they lost twin towers of world trade center and related losses. As expected by the people, America declared war on Japan within next 24 hours.Germany and Italy declared war on America within next 2 days which was reciprocated immediately. The war was on full fledged way thereafter.

The movie...
Tora! Tora! Tora! remains one of the best movies I have seen related to the second world war.It was very well pictured,shot at locales of US as well as Japan and produced by 20th Century Fox, directed by Richard Fleischer, an Academy winner who has produced a host of other movies. The film if seen in 70 mm with stereo sound system will make one enjoy it anytime-even today.It was released in US and Japan simultaneously in 1970.It was more of a hit in Japan than US!

Shenoys and Sridhar......
Pearl Harbor also brings a lot of nostalgic moments of my home town. Kochi was always gifted with a lot of modern movie houses.If it is the time of world class multiplexes now, it was fully air conditioned theaters earlier since the first one in that class named "Sridhar" opened as early as in 1964! This particular movie house used to show only Hollywood movies, that too the best and popular ones.It was an haunting place for me and my friends then.Few years later the same management opened another one named "Shenoys" which had a 70 mm vistarama screen with special sound system I remember.This is where I have seen Tora! Tora! Tora! for the first time.Seeing a lot of classic movies those days- in my early twenties- had a terrific effect on me. I wanted to read the original books the movies were based on. Pai and Co for new paperbacks and Public Library  became equally attractive destinations for me! Reading became a part of life thereafter but only after I came out of campus!

Courtesy: photos to the movie.
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THEY CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS DAY TWICE AT BETHLEHEM!

One more Christmas has come and gone. It is known that Christmas is celebrated universally which has become the most popular festive season the world over. Christmas is derived from 'Christ-Mass' of  the church that celebrated the birth of Jesus in midnight. In fact no date of birth of Jesus is noted in Bible. For the first three centuries after Christianity was born, no Christmas was seen to be celebrated as recorded in history. When did we start it? How it was fixed on 25th of December?

Many of us may not know that it is not  necessarily done on 25th December each year, since Christmas is also celebrated on 7th January in many countries to this day. In Bethlehem, birth place of Jesus Christ, it is celebrated on both days-25th December and 7th January!Greece,Russia and Eastern Europe,Egypt,Serbia,Armenia,Georgia,Ethiopia....in 16 countries or so it is January while US, most of Europe and rest of the world it is on 25th December. Why it is so? A historical rather than theological musings on the subject.

Christmas- when was it started....
Palestine, where Jesus was born was of Jewish society but under the rule of Roman Empire, the reigning world power those days. Romans believed in their own Gods. Their might never allowed them to tolerate any other religion or God which questioned their belief and authority. In Palestine the local Jews neither  liked the teachings of Jesus Christ, a Jew by birth. They thought he was questioning their very beliefs and traditions. Story of Jesus is too well known to all of us to be repeated here.After crucifixion of Jesus, his disciples decided to spread His message to rest of the world  and accessible to them. Few of them went to Greece,Egypt,Syria,Turkey,Ethiopia,...... where one will find some of earliest Christians. St. Peter went to Rome. St. Thomas reached India. Almost all of the disciples of Jesus were killed tragically by others in foreign lands, a historical fact little known to others.

In Rome early Christians were persecuted by the emperors who proclaimed that the new religion was evil. Fed to lions and the sorts.St.Peter is believed to have been crucified on the cross. He chose to be on an upside position on the cross-did not want to emulate position of his master, it is said. Similar was the fate of any new convert of Christianity anywhere in the Roman kingdom for few decades which covered almost half of the world. Then something unbelievable-Christian believers call it a miracle- which is recorded in history happened. The Roman Emperor himself became a Christian! Emperor Constantine declared Christianity as the empire favored religion!!It was him in the year 336 who celebrated birth day of Jesus for the first time. Few years later Pope Julius I declared Christmas day on every 25th December. The date was so fixed as per the Julian calendar created by Julius Caesar in 46 BC.

Pope Gregory ,Gregorian calendar and Eastern Churches..
Pope Gregory Xiii was interested very much in Astronomy, unusual for a Pope. Based on his studies on Vernal Equinox he came out with a correction of 10 days(13 days for some) to existing Julian calendar. He decreed that 5th October will be called 15th October in AD 1582.Roman Catholic church accepted it.Eventually in the world as a whole this calendar became the most popular albeit Hindus,Muslims,Buddhists,Jews....all have their own calendars but follow the Gregorian calendar in general.

Eastern churches-Orthodox,Coptic,Assyrian,Ethiopian,Russian,Armenian-independent from Pope, opposed it and wanted to continue the old Julian calendar for celebrating Christmas. They adhere to their stand to this day in those countries where they are! Thus 25th December each year of Gregorian calendar is only 15th December as per Julian calendar- the Eastern church Christmas Day falls on 6th January.

In Bethlehem and other holy places in Palestine and in Israel , they celebrate Christmas on both days respectively, perhaps the only place in the world to do so. When I visited there 12 years back what I could make out was that physical holdings of Eastern Christianity factions over holy places are much more than those by Papal to this day.

Saint Thomas Christians and others in India...
Having traveled all over, I believe that Kochi could be the city in India where Christmas is celebrated with most fervor. And understandably so. There are only around 2 % Christians among population of India while half of them is in the state of Kerala where Kochi,commercial hub of the state is located.Kochi is also the place where one can find maximum number of churches in India while Kerala remains the ideal state where people from all factions of religions-Hindus, Muslims, Christians- mix and interact freely as a society to this day.  Few of Eastern states in India comes next to Kerala in number of churches.Goa comes next to that only, a popular myth among Indians and others who think otherwise.

In India, Christianity has a legacy of over 2000 years. One faction of Indian Christianity-Saint Thomas Christians of Kerala started by none other than Saint Thomas, one of the disciples of Jesus Christ- is one of the oldest in the world- while most of the other factions in India are converted by Portuguese, other Europeans and others in the 15th century or much later! Thanks to Indian mentality and culture, then and now, not only that Christians are never persecuted but the community thrived well over the years. In many countries in the world I am aware first hand, how a minority community is treated by the majority community of population.

Photos: Courtesy Google.

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SAY "KIMCHI" INSTEAD OF "CHEESE" !

Wish you a very happy new year!
In spite I have been traveling,meeting people,observing life styles.... I have to admit that I am nowhere in the gastronomic world.This is exactly what I felt  when I came to know about Kimchi first hand  in Korea.How come I remained ignorant- though not fully- about a dish which is not only tasteful esp to an Indian like me but has been part of the life and history of a people,in two countries.When I got a chance to be in Seoul,South Korea recently, Kimchi attracted me along with its impressive electronic markets, industrial world or tourist attractions...

Amazing facts..

Kimchi is essentially fermented cabbage and chilli , pepper,vinegar and salt although there are more than hundred varieties.All Koreans not only love it but  eat it at least three times a day-with breakfast,lunch and dinner! This fact could be a record anywhere in the world as far as  food is concerned,I presume.No wonder Kimchi is the national dish of country. I myself have  tasted it for the first time in a breakfast buffet at Seoul.

How it started...and a parallel in Kerala
Korea has long and harsh winter.Naturally people wanted to preserve some food to be used in that time.I can fully understand the logic behind this.Kerala, the state where I was born and brought up in India has long rainy days in a year- almost three months.During this period raising fresh vegetables is difficult. It was also hard to venture out to sea by fishermen for fish which has been the staple diet of Keralites from time immemorial. Old traditional households in Kerala used to make and preserve a variety of pickles-mostly vegetables such as raw mangoes- in big jars specially meant for the purpose made of ceramic for the rainy season. These days such practices of making it in own households are stopped since large factories produce them round the year.Such pickles are sent across the nation and world for the consumption of Indians in tons!  And those big jars in different shapes and sizes have become antiques which are showcased in drawing rooms!But not in Korea.

Fermentation pots to Kimchi fridges
As early as 7th century Koreans developed a system of salting and fermenting vegetables mainly cabbages to be used in winter days. Eventually they started using big fermentation pots made of earthenware for the purpose which are buried in the ground.This was the process thorough out the history until recently.

By the turn of this century Koreans invented a refrigerator exclusive for the preservation of Kimchi!Very soon Kimchi refrigerator rose to the  rank of the first most wanted household appliance in Korea since an average Korean eats 18 kg of Kimchi each year!.It is designed for storage,temperature control and fermentation process.No wonder popular brands such as Samsung and LG compete each other not only in sales but in R and D as well.

Factories making Kimchi have come up but an average Korean house prefer to make it their own than depending on these factory products.

Kimchi in space..
When a Korean astronaut named Yi So-yeon was launched into space on board Soyuz, a Russian shuttle in 2008,interestingly Kimchi also was sent with her.Definitely the act must have demanded a lot of research.In fact recently only I realized that officially NASA and other space agencies prefer spicy food in outer space for scientific reasons!

And Kimchi goes to overseas in  war...
It is recorded in history that Kimchi was sent to Vietnam for the use of South Korean troops fighting along with US forces.And this arrangement was made upon a special request of Korean President to US President!

A research institute exclusive for Kimchi!
I have heard of a Hamburger University in US owned by McDonalds.Now I find that there is a World Kimchi Institute to do research on Kimchi in South Korea at Pusan!

Stay healthy.....
Unlike Indian pickles Kimchi is considered to be a healthy food.Its high fiber low fat diet has not only  kept obesity at bay but it seems contains antioxidants as well which make the dish an obsession in both Koreas- north and south.It is said they say"Kimchi" instead of "cheese" when getting pictures taken!!!

Photos: Courtesy Google.

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FALLEN BUT NOT TO BE FORGOTTEN !....... Indian soldiers in WW1

It is very rare in modern world history that one nation's war is fought by another's army.This is exactly what the British did in first world war-using Indians which then comprised of present day's India, Pakistan,Bangladesh,Burma,Sri Lanka... Over 1.3 million(13 lakhs) Indians fought for their  masters and served them without really knowing 'how and why' of the war.They were deployed in alien terrains,climate..in Iraq,Palestine,Egypt,Aden,Iran in Asia...in East and West Africa...in Russia,Belgium,France in Europe about 100 years back. 

Primarily they might have enrolled for the unbelievably meager monthly salary of Rs 11 per month(16 US cents ) but proved to be most loyal and brave soldiers who were obviously deployed for some of the most difficult jobs on the war fronts- digging trenches,as dispatch riders and gunners, supports to cavalry regiments........ 74000 Indian soldiers died! Almost same number got wounded! 

Sadly they are forgotten now not only by the then masters but even by the present day Indians as well. I am sure that most of the Indians today may not be knowing what to commemorate India Gate in Delhi was built!Now India is one of the largest military forces on this planet.At the same time more than anyone else I wish each Indian knows how we were just hundred years- just two generations- back and how we really started as a military force!!

India in 1914
India was in a state of growing unrest politically when the world war I broke out.That was the time Indian leaders were after 'self Government' in their pursuit of freedom..British authorities sincerely feared that Indian separatist leaders would  use that opportunity to side with Germany to attain their aim.But their fears were unfounded. Indian National Congress thought that it is to the best interest of India then to support the British.India rallied with the British expecting to be rewarded at the end of the war with a self Government.

Unrest for freedom in India subsided and the British could move out their war equipment out of India.Princely states offered huge sums to the British.Some of the kings in India were the richest in the world then even richer than British monarchs!I remember that having seen royal palaces at Mysore and Jaipur, I was disappointed later when I got a chance to see Buckingham palace ! India had contributed million pounds to fund the war!!

Indians enrolled in the British Army in thousands.British practically handpicked the soldiers-known as Sepoy- from regions known for their valor-Muslims,Hindus and Sikhs alike and paid them less than peanuts!Tens of thousands of them who were selected were moved to the war zones after a brief training during 1914-1919.

Vivent Les Hindous
This is what the French cheered as two divisions Indians named Lahore and Meerut arrived at Marseilles,France.Long live Hindus(Indians)!

The Indian army was multi ethnic,multi lingual and multi faith.Indians had two initial handicaps.They were not used to the climate and they were not trained to use the machines they were forced to use.But soon they got over these short comings.Indian soldiers were dedicated and known for showing incredible persistence and loyalty to their masters wherever they were deployed - in digging trenches,as dispatch riders,gunners...all in the war fronts.

When it comes to loyalty, I think even today Indians are known for it around the world.I have first hand information about this since I used to do business and closely interact with multi nationalities not only in Qatar but world over.When it comes to work culture of Indians-limited to present day India-it is far ahead to others  in general!This is one of the reasons professional and technically qualified Indians are employed in US and Europe. Nevertheless I am not sure about this trait of those Indians working in India esp in my own state Kerala!!

Indians fought for their masters in some of the the fieriest battles of world war I -at Givenchy,Ypres.....A lot of laurels including Victoria cross were presented to them for the services rendered.But  India's contribution to the war was never recorded in global history .Hardly any memorials left for the Indian soldiers.

And peculiar problems they had to confront from masters....
Indians faced a lot of injustice there as well most of which present day Indians may not be aware of.The British ensured that hospitals which were treating wounded Indian soldiers were surrounded with barbed wire so that Indian sepoys cannot run away from the hospital!

And worse- the most senior Indian officer remained inferior in rank to the junior most English officer!!This reminds me my early days in mid eighties in Qatar. The British who have been ruling the country till 1971 put themselves advantageously placed in the official hierarchy in the Govt services before they left the scene.During late eighties and early nineties, without prejudice, I remember a lot of British who were under qualified or hardly qualified posing as engineers and managers working in oil,construction and other industries!But later that trend stopped as the professional inflow from other countries increased. A lot of genuine British professionals and qualified consultants started coming to the country by the turn of the century when the large development projects started taking place.The British export managers or CEOs who were on short business visits to Qatar were always professionals all along,I remember.

Letters of Indian soldiers were censored in spite most of them were illiterate or half literate.As such no memories or war memories are written by them and recorded.

War ends....
When the war ended,no hero's welcome awaited Indians.India did not get the dominion status either as promised by the British.It was a clear case of let down for Gandhi as he had to put next strategy to continue the fight for freedom.However the British decided to erect a memorial through Edwin Lutens, the famous British architect.Along with other associates he did the India Gate at Delhi.In 1971 the flame of Amar Jawan Jyothi(Flame of immortal Soldier) for the unknown soldier was lit there......

Photos:Courtesy Google.

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STORMY MUSINGS.......

It is only hardly three weeks since hurricane Matthew devastated Haiti,the Caribbean country.Matthew vented out his fury at Florida,North Carolina and few other places in US as well before he faded out.

Matthew whipped up strong winds with a speed of 177 km per hour for 7 days in a poor,ill equipped country as Haiti which culminated in over 1000 dead while tens of thousands lost their homes and properties.Many died due to epidemic of  cholera which followed!Even now the malnourished country is not back to what it was as one can see the 'stampedes' of locals for getting food and other help from UN marked trucks.Matthew was equally furious on US in places like Florida and North Carolina but the country was better equipped to withstand such calamities.In spite of this 20 died while thousands lost their homes forcing them to shift to schools etc.

I know that Caribbean Sea and surrounding region is prone to such hurricanes. But what I have noticed is that most of such ravaging storms have female names.I am sure that nobody might have forgotten the infamous Katrina.But how come now a male has come to the field?Who is naming these natural hurricanes?And who decides the gender?Why they pick up christian names? Please read.....

Hurricane,cyclone and typhoons..
I am sure that most of us do not know the difference of these terms.Amazingly there are no differences since different names are being used for the storms in different places of the world.In the Indian Ocean and South Pacific we use cyclone while in Northwest Pacific it is known as Typhoon.In Atlantic and North East Pacific it is hurricanes.

All of us know about Richter scale for measuring earth quakes but many may not be aware of Saffir-Simpson scale for measuring the intensity of a storm since the later is introduced to the scientific world only in 1971.As per this scale each storm is classified in 1-5 categories, category 5 being the most intense.Infamous Camille(1969) and Katrina(2005) were in the category 5!I think Matthew was 4.

Why a hurricane  is named?
In olden times a storm was named after  regional mythological creatures or saints.The official practice of naming a storm started only in 1945 in the west Pacific region at first which was gradually extended all over the world by 2004 or so.Concerned scientists and authorities thought it is easier to say Hurricane Matthew or any other name than remembering the storm by a number  or its longitude and latitude.A name is easier to be tracked or to be used in a communication it seems.

Who names a hurricane? And why only female gender?
It is World Meteorological Organization (WMO) that prepares a pre determined list of storm names.It varies from region to region as proposed by various countries. A list of names thus approved by WMO is used by rotation every 6 years.For example what we use now in 2016 was earlier used in 2010 and will be used again in 2022!But WMO will not use again name of an infamous,devastating storm -hurricane,typhoon or cyclone whatever.Thus you will not hear once again a Katrina or Matthew for obvious reasons.

The notion that devastating hurricanes have only female names is wrong-at least for the storms arising from Atlantic regions.In order to avoid a gender discrimination,in this region as per WMO 50% of storms have female names while the other 50% have male names,Matthew included.These names are being used alphabetically and alternatively.Thus if a 'female' hurricane is more ravaging it is by sheer coincidence!

In this matter Indian stand seems to be more secular or non biased on genders.India uses only  names after abstract bodies like Vayu,Agni,Akash,Jal etc.(meaning wind,fire,sky,water..in Hindi or Sanskrit) for stroms. Interestingly Pakistan preferably uses Muslim female names such as Fanoos,Nargis,Laila,Nilofar.....for the storms arising from their region!

Cure is better if cannot be prevented!

Matthew could not harm US the way he has done with Haiti only because US was much better prepared to face such calamities.When it comes to disasters related to natural calamities,Japan comes to my mind first.20% of Earth quakes of the world Japan accounts for while over 2000 tremors occur there in a year which are above 1.0 in the scale!It has 40 active volcanoes,10% of the total in the world.It has to face innumerable tsunamis.Yet Japan remains as one of the most developed countries with a high standard of living.Even they could make a live volcano like Mount Fuji an international tourist spot!!It is done by a grandeur vision and sheer commitment by the Govt and the people.

                                                                        Mount Fuji

Learning from the past,Jap Govt has enforced strict measures to make the buildings,roads and bridges more resistant to earthquakes-even to safety levels which can face quakes of intensity of 6.0 or 7.0 in prone areas of the country!!Every house hold is encouraged to keep a survival kit consisting of sufficient food and water for days,a torch,first aid kit....Regular mock drills are arranged and practiced.Children from young age are taught how to keep cool and face the situation.Understandably Japan has learned how to survive better over the years, keeping the deaths and material loss possibly lowest in the world in similar circumstances.

During our visit to Japan last August, it was around 8.00 PM local time one day at Tokyo. We had just returned to our room in 22nd floor of the  hotel after a day's sight seeing.I felt like a slip below my feet twice-a sign for a tremor which was conveyed to my wife Geetha. She didn't give much attention since she thought I am 'imagining' things as getting older.I looked out of the window down and everything was in order either-cars were plying as usual in the brightly lit roads and pedestrians were walking!I was about to believe that I was 'imagining' myself when Anu, our daughter in law gave my wife a message thru whats app from India-"Are you both alright?Heard that Tokyo was hit by an earthquake!".She was passing an internet flash news noticed by her cousin which was promptly conveyed to her since he knew that we were in Japan on holidays.Soon we could also confirm from  internet that what she had conveyed was right. What I felt myself was after shocks of an earth quake of magnitude 5.0 with epicenter 65 km off Tokyo city!Everything remained in order!

Images: courtesy google.

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CRANE IS NOT JUST ANOTHER BIRD !

Crane is a common bird anywhere in the world except South American continent I suppose.In Qatar also it is hardly found being a country of desert nature.It is all over India especially my home state Kerala. As one travels by road or rail in the country side of Kerala especially around paddy fields one cannot miss sight of this tall, white bird mostly standing almost motionless waiting for the prey to be hooked. This long necked,long legged bird is graceful in looks more so when it takes off to the sky which is reminiscent of that of an aircraft.Otherwise this bird has not aroused any interest in me.But our recent visit to Japan did.Crane is not just another bird there.A folded paper crane represents something else.........a symbol of hope for peace...world peace!And there is a tragic eventful story behind, which each one of us-regardless of age and nationality- should know if not yet........

The Sasaki barbershop....and little Sadako

Sasaki was a professional barber in Japan.He had a barbershop set up in Hiroshima.A cute baby girl was born to Sasakis  on 7 Jan 1943.They named her Sadako. None of us would have remembered this date or name but for the events which followed.

That was the time world war II was on. Few months after Sadako was born, her father was drafted for military assignment which was not unusual for a Jap during that time.He was trained and posted as a junior medic who attended the sick and injured soldiers in the Army hospital at Hiroshima.

6 August 1945, 08.15 AM. The first ever atomic bomb was  detonated over the sky of Hiroshima. Little Sadako,her mother and grand mother were having breakfast at that time. Sasaki was away on duty. Their house was destroyed in the thundery flash which followed while they were thrown out along with hundreds of others in more or less similar situation.Her grand mother went back to the charred house to take something or for some reason but never returned.Somebody put little Sadako and her mother in a rescue boat.It began to rain.The rain left black spots on the clothes of Sadako...but they survived.

Soon the war ended. Gradually buildings were erected back. Sasaki could re open his barbershop in the heart of the city. In 1949 Sadako joined an elementary school as a healthy,energetic child.She loved singing and sports very much along with  her books.Very soon she became the darling of everybody.Everything seemed to be on track but......

Why the Americans wanted to detonate an atomic bomb over Japan and why at Hiroshima?
Some of my readers might have read this since it is no more a  military or political secret.I too have some years back.When I was spending my time around the parks,well preserved monuments and museum recently, those thoughts were haunting me silently at Hiroshima.

By May 1945 Germany had surrendered.Since then the tide of war had turned undoubtedly in favor of Allied forces.Still US wanted to use the A bomb against Japan!What I could learn from historical records is that it was a decision which was made by US as back as  September 1944.A successful test was hurriedly carried out in the deserts of New Mexico just 3 weeks before the weapon was actually used on Hiroshima!After all everyone knows how and why US was brought into the second world war!

The US probably wanted to use and see the effectiveness of the new weapon developed.Or they wanted a speedy surrender of Japs in order to minimize their own causalities. Or US might have been eager to finish off before USSR came to the scene to partner spoils of war as happened in Germany.

Hiroshima had the highest concentration of military camps,facilities and factories in Japan.Till that fateful day Hiroshima city never had been bombed unlike all other cities in Japan.While weather conditions also favored to target Hiroshima, it would be more easy for US to ascertain the damages caused!

Back to Sadako...
Few years passed.In November 1954 she developed swellings on her neck and behind ears followed by purple spots on her legs.She was diagonized for Leukemia due to radiation from atomic bomb blast and hospitalized.

While in the hospital one of her friends named Chizuko told her something that gave her hope. In fact it is a Jap tradition.If she can create thousand cranes out of paper she will be granted one wish. Sadoko's wish was to have a world without nuclear weapons. Sadako started folding cranes one by one in spite she was suffering from acute pain.She could not continue for long. By the time she folded 644 cranes, on 25 Oct 1955 while the immediate family members standing by her bed she left this world peacefully.She was 12 then.

Her classmates decided to form a 'paper crane club' to honor her.Very soon word spread out.Students of 3100 schools from Japan and few foreign countries donated money to build a monument for Sadako. In 1958 Children's Peace Monument was erected to commemorate Sadako Sasaki right in the Peace memorial park,Hiroshima very close to ground zero!To this day from all over the world paper cranes are sent to Sadako which the authorities ensure to be hanged around the monument!!

I felt sorry for no reason and equally baffled to see that some of the Japs who were visitors to the Peace museum were silently crying while watching some of the  horrific photos and some of the 644 paper cranes displayed there !!70 years over since the tragic event but still.....I wish Sadako could make 356 more of paper cranes before she went away...

                     Some of the paper cranes made by Sadako which is kept 

                     in the Peace museum,Hiroshima.

Photos:courtesy goggle images

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