What I Missed While Walking Past the Kanchi Mutt

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A place I passed every day without really understanding it. As a kid growing up in Malleswaram, devotion wasn’t something we discussed — it was just in the air. The smell of agarbathi in the evenings. The noise of vendors lining up on 8th cross before a festival. The quiet expectation that you showed up, bowed your head, and moved on. Ganesh Chaturthi. Varalakshmi Vratam. Deepavali. Janmashtami. Ugadi. The calendar moved, but the pattern stayed. The Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham in Malleswaram was part of my daily route to school. Not something I questioned. Not something I deeply understood. Just… there. Every morning, on my way to school, I would slow down for a second in front of the Mutt. Just enough to bow my head toward Kanchi Kamakshi from outside the gate — and then hurry along before the school bell. It was a ritual for as long as I can remember. I don’t know if it came from devotion. I did it because my parents did it. The street...
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Mandal II

The medical students have really taken the attack to the government. The quota issue has launched a scathing tirade from the student community, particularly from the medical fraternity. They have organized widespread protests in India, expressing their displeasure against the proposed quota system. This begs us to raise this question - What are people from the other sectors doing? Where are the Engineers, arts, science, commerce and economics graduates, literateurs, botanists, researchers, mathematicians, statisticians, socialists, historicans, physicists, chemists and others doing? Why don't we see much from the other sector of the educationists apart from the medicos? It doesn't make much sense for only one group to be fighting it out while the others are relaxing and waiting for things to happen. Things can never happen, and the "waiting" will definitely be extended to eternity.

I think Arjun Singh has made a mess of a move by bringing out the reservation policy. He has brought considerable damage to the Congress party. I am not sure how our honourable Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh is watching all these atrocities happening in front of his eyes. There are times, when the leader of the country has to take tough decisions, and Dr. Manmohan Singh is doing no good by just allowing things to take its course. Being a hardline reformer he should have nipped the issue at the bud. Arjun Singh talks as though he is the champion of the backward masses and their cause. What he doesn't realise is that this issue is going to pulverize the Congress party helter skelter. I still remember when the BJP was interfering with the IITs and IIMs, people did not take it lightly. Now, Arjun Singh has kindled the entirel education sector and the Congress can definitely not harbour hopes of coming back to power with plans of introducing such an outrageous policy. Everybody knows it is a political gimmick, but the Congress will realise that during the next elections. The whole country is feeling let down with the way the government has handled this issue. It remains to be seen what happens from now on. The country is witnessing a spate of protests from different parts and it is only going to intensify as time goes on. No sane person is going to swallow this easily, and there is no doubt that in the next few days, we will witness more of such protests. This certainly is one of the darkest periods of Indian history, with MANDAL II in the offing.

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