Meera Rao

Merry-go-round by Nigel A  JAMES

 A Pressing Reaction

Writing from India, Meera Rao paints us a very vivid and lively picture of Indian newspaper reading; one of the most important and  fascinating aspects of Indian daily life.

And, everyone does it!  Everywhere you look, everyone has a paper in their hands. Life, on the entire sub-continent would be unimaginable without print. And, what’s happening in the Indian newspaper world is exactly the opposite of that which is taking place in Europe.  And the facts are amazing!

Circulation of Indian newspapers grew by an enormous 8,23% in 2011/12, and, quoting the Indian Express, Meera Rao tells us that there are 14,508 newspapers in India, of which, 11,775 are owned by individuals.  And, when it comes to circulation, the figures are just as amazing.

The Times of India leads the pack with a breathtakingly daily print-run of no fewer than 37,46,929 copies; the number of actual readers can only be guessed at!  Unfortunately, Meera Rao doesn’t provide statistics concerning India’s other papers, but, they too, I imagine, must be of a healthy nature. 

This is a very positive report about the fortunes of newspapers, and, maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea if the Europeans were to take a glance eastwards to see what the Indians are doing right!

Meera Rao’s blog can be found at the following address,-    

http://www.artbymeera.blogspot.com

Poem for September

Farm Yard Refuse - Pencil drawing by Nigel A  JAMES

This month, I have chosen the following poem

by A. E. Housman. He wrote it in 1925.  I like it,

and I would like to dedicate it Hatsie Hughes!

Listen to this article

listen to ‘To My Perils of Cheat and Charmer’ on Audioboo

To My Perils of Cheat and Charmer

I to my perils

Of cheat and charmer

Came clad in armour

By stars benign;

Hope lies to mortals

And most believe her,

But man’s deceiver

Was never mine.

The thoughts of others

Were light and fleeting,

Of lovers meeting

Or luck or fame;

But mine were of trouble

And mine were steady,

So I was ready

When trouble came.

Hatsie Hughes

Hatsie Hughes - Photo by Nigel A.  JAMES

Listen to this article:

listen to ‘Diarikom - Hatsie and Her Many Cousins’ on Audioboo

Hatsie and Her Many Cousins!

When disasters come calling, they not only bring damage and pain; they also bring out the best that there is in the people involved.  And, the earthquake that struck Sukouka in Japan in 2006 brought out the very, very best of a young English woman!

Hatsie Hughes was working and studying in Sukouka at the time, and, like everyone else, she was busying herself with the things that one normally does, and, one of those things was looking forward to lunch with her friends. But lunch never came!

Instead the earth quaked!  5.5 on the Richter scale.  The worse that the city could remember!  And, like everyone else, Hatsie kept her head as she started making  her way home through the just shaken streets and the rubble, and then, as if being tuned into a high power frequency, she heard it. Through the sounds of destruction was coming the crystal clear note of an English SOS signal!  Hatsie knew there were people in need.

And in need they certainly were!  Standing and shivering together with nowhere to go were Rodney, Mo, Paul, Tomo, Jano and Cloe.  They had lost all. Their hostel was in ruins, and, with nothing but blankets to keep themselves warm, they were worrying about their next meal.  But not to worry.  Hatsie was there, and, with the words, “All back to my place”, she was able to drive off the clouds of despair. 

Soon the 5 weary and well-quaked-out travellers were enjoying a meal in the warmth of Hatsie’s mini apartment.  But they were neither friends - nor were they people she’d rescued.  They were more!

Rules are rules, and Japanese rules even more so.  The only visitors that Hatsie was allowed were  relatives.  There no exceptions, not even for victims of earthquakes!  And, so it was that Hatsie, all of a sudden,  had 5 cousins more!

And cousins they’ve remained. Despite being all over the world, they have remained unbelievably chained to each other.  Being cousins means more than just being friends, and cousins are automatically part of a much bigger family whole!  What happened by chance in 2006  has become something that’s still going on, an expansion of horizons and the interests and fun that they bring.

The day the quake came was the day that Hatsie’s new family arrived!

Captain Otto Herold

 Otto Herold Whilst Making Adjustments - photo by Nigel A.  JAMES

Destination Unknown

It was the 21^st of December 1975; it was going to be a wonderful Christmas.  The snow, combined with the smells of roasting chestnuts and Glühweine, had put Vienna in a super Advent mood, and, with only 3 more days to go, the city was revving up for its last minute holiday rush! And then it happened.  An event so serious, that, as Austria struggled to come to grips with the enormity of the situation, the rest of the world looked hopelessly on!  The notorious terrorist, Carlos, with a band of Palestinian and German  accomplices had taken over the OPEC council of minister’s meeting and were holding OPEC staff and 11 oil ministers hostage; and, one of them was the most powerful of all, Sheik Yamane of Saudi Arabia!  A blood bath, it seemed, was about unfold!

With 4 already dead, the Austrian government was not about to, nor could it, take any chances, so, bearing in mind the importance of life, all of the terrorist’s demands, including a message read at 2 hourly intervals on the radio, and a plane to take them to freedom were agreed.  But of course, a plane needs a crew!

Otto Herold was a young co-pilot with Austrian Airlines at the time, and, when the call for volunteers came he needed just a quick thirty minutes!   If he were to be needed, he would be the one for the cock-pit!  And so it was, on the morning of the 22^nd December, 1975, Otto Herold and captain Manfred Pollak were ready and waiting in their fully fuelled Austrian Airline’s DC9, and ready to go to “destination unknown”.

The passengers, both terrorists and hostages, boarded, and all went off very well.  The two pilots experienced no real problems, but, there is, however, one small thing that still sticks out in Otto Herold’s mind.  Because there were no hostesses on board, Otto volunteered to serve the passengers with coffee.  This was no problem, and, all on board were thankful for the refreshment; that is to say, all except one!  One of the hostages, an oil minister, rudely rejected the offer of coffee, and whilst pushing the coffee angrily away, demanded a tea!  Unfortunately, he, too, had to make do with coffee.  The crux, however, came when Otto went to collect the dirty cups.  One of the terrorists, a Palestinian, stopped him, and, instead, forced the now “non too happy” complaining and demanding minister to clear up the dirties!  There were no more passenger complaints for the rest of the flight!

The trip came to an end in Algiers where the last of the hostages were released.  Carlos  and his gang then disappeared, and Otto and Captain Herold were then flown back to a sad and very much shocked Vienna. And Christmas?

That year it was different.  It was more an occasion of relief  mixed with sorrow. People had been killed, and Austria, a small central European peace loving country, had been wounded.  “Why us” was everyone’s question.

And Captain Pollok and Otto Herold?  Volunteering for what they did was a very brave act, and both were subsequently decorated for their courage.  Of course, both continued flying and Otto Herold was promoted to captain.  But, captains can never stop flying!

Now, happily in retirement, Otto Herold is still very much behind the controls, and his fleet of model planes is impressive. However,  no models can replace the Viscounts, the DC 9s or the airbuses  which he once flew, but, flying is flying and the take-offs and landings, just like life, are still just as exciting as then!

Nj.

Late Summer Verse

Donkey Riding - Whitby Beach (GB) Summer 2012 - photo by Nigel A JAMES 

Listen to this poem!

listen to ‘Diarikom - Smiling - A short poem to help you smile’ on Audioboo

A poem for us all!

Smiling!

Smiling is contagious,

You catch it like the ‘flu.

When someone smiled at me today,

I started smiling, too.

I passed around the corner,

And someone saw my grin,

And when he smiled I realized

I’d passed it on to him!

I thought about that smile,

Then realized its worth;

A simple smile – just like mine

Could travel round the earth!

So, if you feel a smile begin,

Don’t leave it undetected,

Let’s start an epidemic quick

And get the world infected.

I came upon this poem a long time ago, I liked it, and so I jotted it down. But, unfortunately, I didn’t note the poet!  Does anyone know who wrote this?