Gold pledge rate in BOLD hangs in front of this branch at Kumarapuram. It’s hard to miss this banner, where the rates tend to invite people to mortgage their gold in this branch. One thing I have noticed is the steady rice of gold price and the higher value for each gram of gold.
The price increase of gold will be good news for those who posses gold or those who are pledging gold. I fall into the second category of beneficiary.
Bull Run on Gold PRices
There must be some reason why gold prices are going on the up-tick. Who knows? Probably, it’s the corona virus effect or it could be the demand by black-money hoarders in India who find this as the best way to store extra cash.
There’s a section of people who will find this gold price surge very painful. They are the parents who have to buy gold as dowry for their daughter. Imagine the plight of low-income people who have small savings to conduct the wedding!
Continuing the topic of Water Hyacinth, this video brings a different angle to this pest. It’s about making use of water hyacinth into something edible. Yes, you heard it right. Consuming water hyacinth could be a win-win solution as it will reduce the numbers which are not clogging our water bodies.
However, I’m yet to see any video made in South India where they show how to use hyacinth as vegetable dish – toran or Mezhukkupuratti, the common cooking of vegetables in our homes in Kerala.
I’m not a big fan of these WWE shows. But, It it appears while browsing the channels, then I stay for few minutes. One of the punch line the Rock says …. If you smell what The Rock is cooking.
Coming to the Rock’s takeaway…..he shares his story about how he build himself from scratch, after going through the lows.
Few other things…
Early rising – which I have started Hold on Remind myself of the low side You got to be tired of not being #1. You gotta be. You got to be angry Commit something to the goal. Remember where you come from . Keep it on your front, side-wards… People writing you off… it should drive you You gotta be the hardest worker in the room Don’t .Fuck the opportunity up
It’s said that eating egg brings a good dose of happiness. I second this! Every time, I have egg, mostly in half-boiled state, I feet that happy hormones in abundance.
Also, when I feel happy having egg, I have an equal desire to share the same happiness with someone – any person who didn’t have a proper meal.
Imagine, if there’s some charity or NGO, which collects money or contribution from public to serve just eggs to people who are below the poverty line.
One Egg At a Time – Spread the Egg Charity
A person can contribute as little as Rs 10 for 2 eggs, but when such voluntary donations pile, it will be a good measure. Well, this could be the start, and later, the NGO can give rice and egg as part of the charity.
Paytm for Egg Charity
While writing this post, another blink moment for me. Here’s what the moment has transpired. Let’s suppose, Paytm starts a National level Egg Awareness campaign. So, based on this campaign, Paytm ( any wallet), can run a campaign to collect money to buy a million eggs and share it to needy families.
People interested to donate, can transfer as little as Rs 10 towards a egg foundation. How about starting a campaign which will culminate on World Egg Day 2020 – Friday 9th October, 2020.
Another big tragedy – a road journey which took the lives of 19 people on board of KSRTC bus. The accident happened in Coimbatore around 3AM when a container lorry lost control and rammed to this bus. The visuals seen are very depressing – all that’s left are the bloody sight and mangled steel, which was once a Volvo bus.
This accident was caused by the driver who dozed off at the wheels and the container truck crashed against the oncoming ill-fated Volvo bus. I think that both the vehicles must be travelling at high speed and there was very little chance for the Volvo bus driver to avert this.
Call it fate or is it possible to avert such kind of accidents? I guess, there are many such accidents which keeps happening. The time of the accident ( 3:AM) is the time when we get into deep sleep And, that few seconds is all it takes to loose control over the vehicle.
Accident Rescue Preparedness
The accident happened at around 3:AM and even by 8:AM, rescue workers were looking for survivors – in case any person is still struck in the twisted metal. I was thinking of how the rescue was carried in the early hours? – How long did it take for the fire service personal to arrive at the spot? – How prepared were the rescue team – machinery to cut the metal, and the medical aid for the injured – Who came first on the crash site – Public or the cops?
Rescue Mission Control Centre and Vehicle Facilities
This is what I envisaged about a typical rescue vehicle – what it should be equipped.
Let’s imagine, there’s a search and rescue truck for every district in India. There are the things, it should carry.
– Lights. Big powerful lights which can light up the whole area. It will have search lights which can beam to any crevice. The lights can be hoisted on a flexible ( stretchable) pole and few lights could be carried to the site. – This vehicle will have one of two generator set to power the lights and with the option to charge them from the vehicle. – It will have couple of fire extinguishers, oxygen cylinders, masks, blankets, first-aid kit, stretcher, body bags, ice cubes, ropes, pickax, cloth, gloves, mask etc. – It will have multiple cameras, which beam in live video to the control centre. – This vehicle will accommodate 8 to 10 personal. Each person trained in rescue, search and medical care. – For any kind of road accidents, there’s a need for metal cutters. So, this vehicle must carry different types of powerful cutters. It will be chain saw type, hydraulic metal cutters, etc. These will be useful for rescuing people trapped inside metal sheets and bars. – Vehicle should have inflatable dingy, – Ladders, Hydraulic Cutter, jacks, pulleys, infra red cameras, etc.
Suggest More Things for this Rescue Bus What else can you add to this list of must-have items in a rescue mission vehicle? Will such an equipped vehicle help the team to save lives, carry it’s mission successfully.
Also, I’m curious to know what kind of tools are available with the team which visits a crash site? My guess is that mostly fire and safety people will be reaching the site. Thew would be having basic equipment.
Any National Level Thought on How to Avert Such Accidents?
This accident will be in news for few more days – till another headline takes over. Public too will move on from this story to anther. We can’t blame the public for it. It’s the way news has made us to react and move on. However, there must be some lessons for the Government or for the road safety department, if any.
What can we learn or implement? 1. Long distance lorry or bus drivers should wear a watch which can detect their sleep or body rhythms. This watch will alert the driver by vibration or alarm.
On the next level, this watch will pass the data to the vehicle so that the vehicle will automatically reduce the speed.
2. How to make the road divider stronger and secure? Or there should be more space between the two opposite driving lanes? I guess some roads, like Nice Road in Bangalore has that kind of space.
One of the moments spend on the train trip between Bangalore and Trivandrum. All these little insignificant moments pile to become nothing but some blurred images.
Stopped after seeing this Live Fish Counter at Chalakuzhy. I thought it would be the fish like Rohu or Katla. However, it was thilopia and two other fresh water fish, which was reared in ponds. These days, I am seeing lot many different businesses on the wheels.
Using a road side space for selling products is a big saving on rent and staff. I feel more of such business has the opportunity to grow in Trivandrum.
What other products can be sold in vehicles?
1. Fresh sea fish 2. Vegetables or seasonal crops ( Pineapple, Sweet Potato, Water melon) 3. Tapioca ( Seen couple of road side units) 4. Cheap ceramic plates, plastic or melamine bowls 5.
Inspiration can come from any form – sometimes it’s a person or a video or a book or an article or a fleeting thought.
This week, I’have repeatedly played Amy TV channel on YouTube. Few things I like are the these.
Time ( Set time for an Activity). The timer in the shape of a cube appears a simple and useful device to track time. And it’s definitely on my wish list now.
Next, is visualization. I have already experienced it mulitiple times – having a strong imprint of the goal on my mind and working towards it.
What’s my next on my Goal
There are many things on my mind – cleaning all the debts, carry some real money, buy a car, maintain a good acquarium in my mom’s place, a garden, a gardener, etc.
These days – one of my social business or a project for the community is related to weed removal project. Initially, I was thinking of ways in which an unmanned unit can work around to clock to remove weeds, especially hyacinth.
However, after seeing many video of weed extraction, I’m convinced about the power and fast pace of weed extraction machines. The above video is one such equipment used by Ahmedabad Corporation. In the operational video, its clear on how useful this equipment would be for de-weeding the backwater area.
Wonder if there’s any such weed extractor in operation in Kerala? I had seen one at Aruvikara dam catchment area.
In many backwater spots in Trivandrum – from Velli to Aakulam and Parvathy Puthenar, floating weeds have covered and clogged the water body. For instance, in Aakulam tourist village all we can see is a green carpet of hyacinth which has covered the area where recreational water sports were happening. My guess is that boating in not happening as weeds has taken over.
Wonder how much is being done by the government to remove these weeds? I wish, Kerala Government had a blog where it wrote about these projects and passed the information to the public on weed removal. What if the blog mentioned the cost of each machine? The information of the seller so that other corporations in India could make use of these machines for removing weed and waste. Why are our Government websites so boring? Why are we not forthcoming with relevant information? Why are the government websites designed like PWD buildings?
What if people join together to buy a weed extractor for the government?
Imagine if a panchayat or corporation puts up a request for donation to buy a weed extractor. My guess is that there are many panchayats in Kerala, as in places in Kuttanadu or Allepy or Kollam or Kadinamkulam Panchayat ( just random places which came to my mind) would make use of such machines to clean weeds and plastic waste from water bodies. ANd in most cases, these panchayats would’nt have the budget to buy these equipments. In such cases, public contribution would be a great he to fulfill their goals and make the locality clean. Probably, for all these to happen, there should be a great leader, someone who can get the message across and a person who has goodwill with the public.
Listening to Duct Tape Marketing Podcast, Rita McGrath talked about these points – disruption and inflection points. I had a fair idea of disruption – how technology of today are disrupting existing business, bringing changes, etc.
Inflection point was something new for me. In this podcast, she tells how companies, business or even industries should foresee inflection points. Inflection point is a change in the environment that creates a 10 times impact on your business whether for good or ill. As an example, the advent of digitization has created inflection points for sector such media, etc. (
Lesson here is to spot the warnings long before it really hits you or your business or your income stream or the economy.
Going by the sudden slow down of Indian economy, I wonder if we oversee the infection point. Did anyone saw it coming? What about the Reserve Bank of India or other economists? What if it was informed and the information passed to the Government and then no one bothered to follow it?
Flossy Ideas, Meetups and Views 