Alchemy, Time-travel, Age reversal and gullible people losing money !!

While people ask many Qs to understand and accept Science, there are always people who are ready to accept, gullible, they fall prey and lose money !!!  ~ volunteering themselves to get cheated !?!  

Can you imagine that there was an Indo-American film directed by William Berke, starring Rod Cameron, Cesar Romero, Marie Windsor, released in 1952 in which the actors speak English, while villagers speak in Tamil.  .. ..  yes, a Tamil movie, MN Nambiar too acted in that – ‘Kaadu – the Jungle’ – a Science fiction movie. 

 

Netru Indru Naalai (transl. Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow) starring MG Ramachandran, Manjula and Latha, directed by P Neelakantan was released in 1974 and ran packed houses.    Another movie with jumbled name and order -  Indru Netru Naalai (transl. Today, Yesterday, Tomorrow)    directed by R Ravikumar, starring Vishnu Vishal, Miya, Karunakaran hit the screens in 2015.   It was a very interesting movie with story revolving  around two men getting a  time machine and abusing it for their own benefit, leading to chaotic consequences.  It in fact was the feature debut for the director.   The movie theme was on time-travel.  

In 2065, a scientist invents a time machine. To prove its capability, he sends it back in time to 2015, programming it to return within forty seconds. However, the machine does not return. The time machine is seen by three people in 2015 — Elango, an aspiring entrepreneur whose ideas are rejected by all and who is struggling to maintain his relationship with his rich girlfriend Anu, who is embarrassed at the fact that Elango is unemployed; Elango's best friend Pulivetti Arumugam, a fake astrologer; and an inventor Giridhara Parthasarathy, who makes a living by repairing home appliances. The three of them are involved in an accident and witness the time machine while recovering from the shock. While Parthasarathy decides to keep the time machine for himself, he suffers an electric shock and ends up in a coma, prompting Elango and Arumugam to steal the time machine.   The duo use the time machine to make Arumugam's astrology practice seem successful by going back in time and finding things lost by people under the guise of astrology. Elango further uses the machine to impress Anu's industrialist father Rajarathinam by going to the future, obtaining the stock market results and successfully "predicting" them in front of Rajarathinam and his company's board of directors.   

Things go smoothly until Elango and Arumugam inadvertently thwart an encounter to kill Kuzhandaivelu, a dreaded gangster and extortionist who is targeting Rajarathinam, during one of their trips to the past to find yet another item for Arumugam's client.   

The concept of Time Travel is pretty old.   A Victorian Englishman, identified only as the Time Traveller, tells his weekly dinner guests that he has experimental verification of a machine that can travel through time. He shows them what he says is a small model, and they watch it disappear. He says he has a big machine nearly finished in his laboratory, in which a person could travel through time. At dinner the following week, a weary, bedraggled Traveller recounts to his guests what he experienced on his journey to the future.  In the new narrative, the Time Traveller goes into the future, observing things moving in quick motion around him. He sees his house disappear and turn into a lush garden. The Traveller stops in A.D. 802,701, and meets the Eloi, a society of small, childlike humanoids. They live in small communities within large and futuristic yet deteriorating buildings, and adhere to a fruit-based diet.

 

The above was the theme of ‘Time Machine’ -   1895 dystopian post-apocalyptic science fiction novella by H. G. Wells about a Victorian scientist.     It is believed that Wells' depiction of the Eloi as a race living in plenitude and abandon was inspired by the utopic romance novel News from Nowhere (1890), though Wells' universe in the novel is notably more savage and brutal. 

They were all Science fiction and Cinema – now a real occurrence.   A couple in Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur has duped dozens of elderly people of ₹ 35 crore by promising to make them young through an "Israel-made time machine".  Rajeev Kumar Dubey and his wife Rashmi Dubey opened a therapy center - Revival World - in Kanpur, with claims of using a machine brought from Israel to transform a 60-year-old into a 25-year-old, police said. 

They promised their customers that they could restore the youth of the elderly through "oxygen therapy".  The couple, who lived on rent, deceived people by telling them that due to polluted air, humans  were ageing rapidly and that the "oxygen therapy" would transform them within months. "They offered packages for ₹ 6,000 for 10 sessions and ₹ 90,000 for a three-year reward system,"  and people fell easily in that trap.  One of the victims of the massive scam, filed a police complaint alleging that she was cheated of ₹ 10.75 lakh. She also alleged that hundreds of people were duped of about ₹ 35 crore.  Based on her complaint, Police registered a cheating case and are on the look out for the couple, who had fleed away and are suspected to be living abroad now. 

Alchemy, time machine, age reversal  ~ all possible in Science realm but not in reality, day-to-day life; yet people were willing to lose money in the ‘age reversal scam’ – one has to necessarily blame those who willingly lost money !!

 
With regards – S Sampathkumar
5^th Oct 2024

 

  

BHaratiya Vayu Sena rehearsal at Marina beach

 

Bharatiya Vayu SEna  -    rehearsal - troopers landing by parachute ✈

IAF Sarang helicopters dazzling display

Bharatiya Vayu Sena - full rehearsal at Marina beach

March, April, May are the real Summer months of Chennai or so one thought ! – it is October, yet, today was very hot.  Standing in the Sun was oppressive, it was sweating profusely, no sea-breeze, yet thousands braved hot Sun and were enthralled by the awe-inspiring display of  Bharatiya Vayu Sena, today at Marina from 11 am to 1 noon. 

 

Commemorating,  92nd Air Force Day Celebrations —  Seventy-two aircraft, ranging from the IAF’s oldest to its most modern fighter jets and helicopters, will take part in aerobatic displays and flypasts, on Sunday.  Today it was a full rehearsal and it was so exciting to be standing in the Sun and watch   IAF pilots display professionalism, speed, precision and might manoeuvering the magnificent machines. 

It started with the Akash Ganga team, India’s premier military parachute display team, displayed exciting  free-fall at speeds close to 200 kmph and landing on the sands of Marina.  Looking at the aircraft at such a height was difficult, but the jumping commandos made it to the spot with precision and ease.  The roaring sound of the LCA Tejas (the pride of indigenous power), Rafale (game changer), Sukhoi 30 MKI (the flanker that rules the sky), Jaguar, Mirage 2000 and Mig 29 – all provided unbounded enthusiasm and happiness to the Chennaities, gathered in large numbers on the Marina Beach to witness the final rehearsal of the dazzling air show organised by the Indian Air Force (IAF). 

There were many a different types of Aircrafts, Helicopters and acrobatic display of Sarang helicopter team and the dazzling manoeuvres of Suryakiran team displaying various formations.  The news release states that two-hour spectacle on October 6 will feature impressive aerial drills and demonstrations of India's air power.   The grand finale on October 8 will mark the official Air Force Day celebrations, as the IAF continues to uphold its legacy of excellence and strength.

 

Come to Marina beach (near Vivekananda House) and witness this rare event of display of might of Bharatiya Vayu Sena.  Here are some photos taken by me today.

 
With regards – S  Sampathkumar
4.10.2024 

31 year old resigns !! ~ dancing Horse and a leggie !!

A post on some dance and on a Cricketer – today comes news that a 31 year old player has announced his retirement from Cricket, coming as it does after Babar Azam's resignation from white-ball captaincy.  

உங்கள் கல்யாண ஜான்வாச ஊர்வலம் எப்படி நடந்தது - திறந்த மோரிஸ் அல்லது பிளைமவுத் கார் அல்லது குதிரை மீதா !!  வட இந்தியர்களின் கல்யாணங்களில், குதிரை மீது மாப்பிள்ளை, பேண்ட் வாத்தியம், குழுமி இருப்போர் நடனம் என சிறப்புற வந்து இறங்குவார்.  தமிழகத்தில் வசதி படைத்த பெரும்பாலானோர் வீட்டு சுபநிகழ்ச்சிகளில்,  நாட்டியக் குதிரைகளின் ஆட்டத்தைப் பார்க்கலாம்.  இந்த பாடலை கேட்டு ரசித்தது உண்டா ??

 

'நாட்டியக் குதிரை நாட்டியக் குதிரை!!  நாலாயிரம் பொன் வாங்கலியோ'

சாட்டையைப் போல காலு; சவுரியை போல வாலு

நீட்டமான குதிர  …. ..  வாட்ட சாட்டமான குதிர

 

It was a hit song from an iconic movie ‘Chandralekha’ produced and directed by S. S. Vasan of Gemini Studios released in 1948.  Starring TR Rajakumari, MK Radha and Ranjan, the film follows two brothers (Veerasimhan and Sasankan) who fight over ruling their father's kingdom and marrying a village dancer, Chandralekha.   The excellent sound track was composed by S. Rajeswara Rao, with lyrics by Papanasam Sivan and Kothamangalam Subbu.  The background score was composed by M. D. Parthasarathy.  The movie had 11 tracks in the original Tamil version. M. D. Parthasarathy  was an  music composer and actor, a "Sangeetha Bhushanam" of Annamalai University.   After completing his course in the early 1930s, Parthasarathy flourished in the early talkies with his sound training in Carnatic music.   

Horses are attractive ! – dancing horses captivate people’s attention.  In Pushkar and other fairs they command fairly a high price.  The Nation, Peru, has dancing horses, walking trees, llamas and alpacas.  For those of us addicted to Cricket in 1980s, he was a dancing bowler.  He jumped, danced, swiveled, rotated his arms and did everything and made the ball talk too – he revelled in the art of leg spin, googly.  

Subash Gupte, VV Kumar, BS Chandrasekhar, MV Narasimha Rao, Laxman Sivaramakrishnan, Narendra Hirwani, Anil Kumble, Amit Mishra, Piyush Chawla, Yuzvindra Chahal  ……….all leg spinners – who played for India.  Across the border, there was a legend with a different action, springy jump, landing the ball near leg and turning it big .. .. .. he played 67 tests took 236 wickets and 132 wickets in 104 one dayers.  Qadir had an ordinary Test debut against England in December 1977, where he scored 11 with the bat and took a solitary wicket of England’s No. 11 Bob Willis.  However,  had a  brilliant ODI debut against New Zealand at Edgbaston during the 1983 WC. With his all-round performance of 12-4-21-4 and 41 not out, also the top score of Pakistan’s innings, he was adjudged the man of the match, albeit in a losing cause.  

In 1980s, he was the torchbearer of the art of wrist spin, doing it in style.  He had a fiery temperament and mysterious style.  Read that before  the 1982 tour to England, captain Imran Khan asked him to grow a French beard to enhance the aura and it worked: England were his favourite victims through his career, including the best bowling in an innings by a Pakistani, 9 for 56, in Lahore.  Qadir's action was a wonderfully extravagant routine, and he admitted more than once that it was contrived as a spectacle to distract batters. Variety was the key;  In Nov 2008, Qadir was appointed Pakistan's chief selector, but he resigned after a little over six months in the job. He died of a heart attack a few days short of his 64th birthday in Lahore. 

 

Remember seeing him bowl at Chepauk in Feb 1987, which I would remember ever for that magnificent century by Krishnamachari Srikkanth.  In Reliance World Cup 1987,  it was the last over,  Pakistan needed 14 runs off the six.  Abdul Qadir who had done nothing of significance with the ball in that match turned it on, hitting a two and then launching a straight six that drew the crowd roaring to its feet. Two were needed off the last ball,  Walsh ran in to bowl the last ball and pulled up without delivering: Jaffar, at the non-striker's end, was well out of his crease, heading up the wicket. Walsh could have run him out comfortably but chose not to do so and headed back to bowl the delivery again. Qadir scored  the necessary runs off the last ball. Pakistan were through, Qadir was a hero – Walsh though earned a name for being a sportsman, let his side badly down and West Indies’ downslide started around that time. 

A couple of years later in 1989 when India toured Pak with Srikkanth at helm, a 16 year old Sachin Tendulkar made his debut – an onedayer at Peshavar was washed out and a festive match was played.  In an interesting anecdote when Sachin walked in – India  needed 69 runs in five overs or so. He had a go at Mushtaq Ahmed who had taken two wickets and hit him for a couple of sixes. Qadir then came up and  said, "Bachchon ko kyon mar rahe ho? Hamein bhi maar dikhao" ("Why are you only hitting the kid? Hit me too.")  In that 20 over match  Pakistan had  put on 157 and India got closer thanks to an 18-ball 53 from a 16-year-old Sachin Tendulkar. One over from Abdul Qadir read: 6, 0, 4, 6 6 6. It announced Tendulkar to the world.

 

Decades have passed by, Qadir is no more.  In between his son made debut and at that time, there were some criticism that he has been pampered because of his father.  Life moves on and now Usman Qadir has announced his retirement from Pakistan cricket at age 31.  Usman Qadir played for Pakistan in 26 international matches, 25 of which were T20Is and one ODI.    Prior to making his debut for his country, he played for Western Australia and Lahore Qalandars, the latter of which resulted in a contract with the Perth Scorchers. Following his triumphant stint in Australia, he declared his intention to represent the country. 

The dancing horse is a marvel, so was the delivery stride of Adbul Qadir.
 
With regards – S Sampathkumar
3^rd Oct 2024. 

might of IAF on display at Marina ~ interesting Ilyushin !!

Thousands thronged Marina beach today too – people are excited and elated, heads are looking up into sky and people blur out names of Aircrafts! – all the buzz as Indian Air Force special airshow is to be held coming Sunday, and there have been rehearsals with aircrafts flying at supersonic speeds over Marina beach, Triplicane.

 

The Motto of Indian Air Force  is :  Touch the sky with Glory, which  has been taken from eleventh chapter of the Gita, the Discourse given by Lord Krishna to Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra during the Great War of Mahabharata. 

As the sky is dotted with fighter aircrafts, people reel out the names of : Sukhoi,  , Jaguar, Mirage,  indigenously manufactured state of the art Light Combat Aircraft Tejas, Light Combat Helicopter Prachand and Heritage aircraft like Dakota and Harvard – then .. .. all are waiting to see ‘Rafale’.   Suryakiran is a formation aerobatic team, and Sarang   is a helicopter aerobatic team, - simple overawing !! 

On a simplistic note, we have stood in long queues in Petrol pumps especially when heavy vehicles drivers went on strike.   Decades ago, people owning Lambretta, Luna mopeds would go on panic mode, stocking up before the budget !  -  imagine an aircraft that is special, that provides Aerial refueling

 

Aerial refueling  is the process of transferring aviation fuel from one aircraft (the tanker) to another (the receiver) while both aircraft are in flight.  The two main refueling systems are probe-and-drogue, which is simpler to adapt to existing aircraft and the flying boom, which offers faster fuel transfer, but requires a dedicated boom operator station. The procedure allows the receiving aircraft to remain airborne longer, extending its range or loiter time. A series of air refuelings can give range limited only by crew fatigue/physical needs and engineering factors such as engine oil consumption. Because the receiver aircraft is topped-off with extra fuel in the air, air refueling can allow a takeoff with a greater payload which could be weapons, cargo, or personnel: the maximum takeoff weight is maintained by carrying less fuel and topping up once airborne.   

The public joint stock company Ilyushin Aviation Complex,   is a former Soviet and now a Russian aircraft manufacturer and design bureau, founded in 1933 by Sergey Vladimirovich Ilyushin.  One of the aircrafts on display is ‘Ilyushin”. 

The Ilyushin Il-78 [NATO reporting name Midas) is a Soviet/Russian four-engined aerial refueling tanker based on the Il-76 strategic airlifter. The Soviet Union's first dedicated tanker aircraft were variants of preexisting bombers, like the Tupolev Tu-16 and Myasishchev M-4. Their performance was deemed insufficient, especially so since new bomber models were slated to enter service.  Indian Air Force  has more than half a dosen  Il-78MKIs delivered in   operated by No. 78 Squadron at Agra AFS.

 

Here are couple of photos of Ilyushin, other aircrafts  and dare-devilry of helicopters – crossing at close range too !!

 
Hail Indian Air Force ! 
 
With regards – S Sampathkumar
2.10.2024

Cawnpore Siege, Hilsa fish .... Test match and more !!

British who came as traders, colonized most parts of the World, butchered people but when they were attacked – History wrote it as ‘treacherous’ !! 

Cawnpore was a major crossing point on the River Ganges, and an important junction, where the Grand Trunk Road and the road from Jhansi to Lucknow crossed. In June 1857, during the Great Freedom uprising  (1857-1859), the Bengal Army sepoys stationed there rebelled, looted the treasury and laid siege to Major-General Sir Hugh Wheeler's garrison. The siege of Cawnpore was a key episode in the Indian Rebellion of 1857. The besieged East India Company forces and civilians in Cawnpore (now Kanpur) were brutally attacked by the  forces under Nana Sahib.

 

Moving away, here are couple of pictures of Fish taken at Kalyani pushkarini, the sacred pond of Sri Cheluva Narayana Swami at Melukote, Thirunarayanapuram, Mandya, near Mysore.  Photos taken while they were swimming in the water !  - and we always have a Q – do fishes sleep ! ? !

 

Sleep is an universal behavior, but how a living creature sleeps and for how long varies greatly from one species to the next. Fish sleep behavior has been difficult for scientists to study, particularly because fish lack eyelids. Fish don’t yawn, stretch, and close their eyes for a well-needed nap. Fish sleeping behavior is far more subtle, and in the past, scientists couldn’t be certain about what they were observing. 

Kanpur's Green Park Stadium, one of India's oldest Test venues, might have hosted its last international match, but it witnessed a flurry of records during the India vs Bangladesh second Test. After Rohit Sharma's men took to the field, they registered the fastest team scores of 50, 150, 200, and 250, demonstrating how to take control of a Test match, even one that saw over two days of play lost due to rain and poor drainage at the stadium. Less than 175  overs -  it took for India to get the result they wanted as they clinched the series by 2-0. 

If yesterday’s onslaught and declaration was a stunner, it clearly was a big push towards victory in a game that was robbed by rain and only 35 overs had been bowled in first 3 days !  - yet the match was over sooner.  India smashed the target of 95 with the young superstar Yashaswi Jaiswal scoring 50 in each innings. 

 

Less of Cricket and something more on Fish !  -   Hilsa is Bangladesh’s national fish. Locally known as ilish, it is cherished as the queen among fish and forms part of the culinary identity of both Bangladesh and the bordering Indian state of West Bengal. 

Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina used the fish – which is found in the Bay of Bengal and in rivers – as a tool of diplomacy to foster ties with its western neighbour, India. Once Govt changed, Bangladesh’s interim government’s decision to briefly ban exports of the fish to India in September caused a culinary crisis of sorts ahead of the festival of Durga Puja in India. Hilsa fish cooked in mustard sauce is a popular delicacy during the festival. Some experts viewed the move as a diplomatic rebuke for New Delhi’s backing of Hasina, who has taken shelter in India after her removal in late August. Dhaka insisted the ban aimed to reduce the cost of the freshwater fish domestically amid a leaner harvest this year. It, however, reversed its order within two weeks. 

Fishermen this year say they are also struggling to catch adequate amounts of hilsa due to rough sea conditions. The exports add to the scarcity, with the fish unaffordable to most Bangladeshis due to its high cost. In 2024, the price of a 1.5kg hilsa fish reached about $15 (1,800 Bangladeshi taka) in local markets. At 550,000 to 600,000 tonnes a year, hilsa contributes about 12 percent of Bangladesh’s total fish production, supporting approximately 500,000 fishers directly and two million people in related industries. 

Hasina first used the fish as a diplomatic tool when she came to power in 1996. She gifted hilsa to then-West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu ahead of a landmark agreement on sharing water, a major bilateral issue between the neighbours. In 2016, the former Bangladeshi prime minister sent a consignment of hilsa to Mamata Banerjee, who heads the government of West Bengal bordering Bangladesh. 

Today at Kanpur, Indian superstar batter Virat Kohli conjured a special moment post the Kanpur Test as he presented Bangladesh’s veteran all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan with an autographed bat in regard to his terrific career.   Kohli was showing respect towards Shakib’s huge contribution to the game-the respect between two legends.    

Shakib Al Hasan had  indicated that this could well be his last Test, at least for the longest format of the game, as he might be left out for Bangladesh’s home Test matches following this. So, there was something of emotional value to that situation. After the post-match ceremony, where India basked in the glory of winning the series, Virat Kohli was seen discussing a very heart-to-heart matter with Shakib. The moment was further sweetened when Kohli gifted him a signed bat-a memorable gesture of respect and admiration. 

 

If this does turn out to be Shakib Al Hasan’s final Test, his legacy is firmly cemented in cricket history. Amassing 4609 runs and taking 246 wickets in 71 Test matches, Shakib stands as one of Bangladesh’s greatest cricketers.  The veteran cricketer recently announced his retirement and expressed a desire to play his last Test against South Africa at his preferred venue, the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka. However, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has made it clear that his participation depends on ensuring his safety. Shakib, who was previously a member of the Awami League government, was implicated in a murder case during a period of political unrest in Bangladesh and FIR filed against him. His silence during the student protests that led to the downfall of the Sheikh Hasina government has upset some of his supporters back home.  Bangladesh Youth and Sports Adviser Asif Mahmud responded to Shakib Al Hasan's request for security clearance to play his final Test match. Mahmud stated that Shakib would receive the same level of security as any other member of the Bangladesh cricket team. However, he emphasised that the government cannot protect Shakib from public anger stemming from his political past. Mahmud clarified that the government is responsible for ensuring the security of cricketer Shakib, but they cannot shield him from potential public outrage directed at the 'politician' Shakib.

 
In Bangladesh – the political turmoil is yet to settle !

With regards – S. Sampathkumar
1.10.2024

strange are the ways of women - women drinks bottle of tadpoles

Strange are the ways of women ! ~ there are things in nature, which are not generally liked by people. It is an offence that in some countries could spawn a full scale airport security alert. The news is about a South Korean woman  stopped at Guangzhou Airport in China after she tried to smuggle dozens of tadpoles past customs officials- and can you imagine, how ?

Frogs are a diverse and largely carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order Anura.  Frogs are widely distributed, ranging from the tropics to subarctic regions, but the greatest concentration of species diversity is found in tropical rainforests. There are approximately 4,800 recorded species, accounting for over 85% of extant amphibian species. The body plan of an adult frog is generally characterized by a stout body, protruding eyes, cleft tongue, limbs folded underneath and the absence of a tail in adults. Besides living in fresh water and on dry land, the adults of some species are adapted for living underground or in trees.

Its young – a tadpole [in my young days, I mistook them for fish in the temple tank as they look so similar when seen from top] -  is the larval stage in the life cycle of an amphibian, particularly that of a frog or toad. They are usually wholly aquatic, though some species have tadpoles that are terrestrial.  During the tadpole stage of the amphibian life cycle, most respire by means of autonomous external or internal gills. They do not usually have arms or legs until the transition to adulthood, and typically have a large, flattened tail with which they swim by lateral undulation, similar to most fish.

As a tadpole matures, it most commonly metamorphosizes by gradually growing limbs and tadpoles late in development will often be found near the surface of the water, where they breathe air.  Most tadpoles are herbivorous, subsisting on algae and plants.  The tadpole stage can be as short as two weeks or as long as three years.  Tadpoles dive from their eggs into a dangerous jungle pool. To survive for long, they'll have to make their way past a gauntlet of predators.

In March 2013, this newsitem that appeared in Mail Online makes one ponder about the extent to which people will go.  It reads nauseating and sort of unthinkable.

The bizarre encounter began when guards at Guangzhou Airport noticed the south Korean woman having  a bottle of liquid in her hand luggage as she tried to board a plane home.   Following international flight rules to the letter, the guards told the woman to drink the liquid or throw it away. Opting for the former, the unnamed woman swilled the liquid in one attempt. But when the beady-eyed officials noticed she had not swallowed, they demanded she spit it out into a bucket.

Upon doing so, dozens of tiny frog young rushed from her mouth to the horror of passengers and guards alike. When confronted about the bizarre plan, she said she had been given the tadpoles by a friend and did not want to lose them.  Unconvinced, the guards made her throw the poles away before boarding the plane. It is not the first time a passenger has attempted to smuggle live amphibians through airport security but the methodology perhaps would be the first. 

Strange are the ways of women !!

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

30^th Dec 2014. 

Income of a home maker - interesting decisions in MACT

One could often have seen on TV shows – ‘the woman would say – I am simply a housewife; while another confident looking woman would claim that she is a ‘homemaker’ – is there any real difference or simply one of emphasis.  Homemaker appears to  be more modern – focussing on creating a home, and is a matter of style and choice.   A homemaker is a person whose main job is to take care of his or her own family home and children. Traditionally, the job of homemaker is done by women and the job of provider is done by men, but both men and women can be providers and homemakers. There has been debate on how much ‘a home maker’ earns or ‘how much one is worth’ – simply by calculating on how much one would have to spend otherwise.  If only people were to outsource most of what a homemaker does, such cost could easily hit the roof.  Though the daily chores of a homemaker are taken for granted, they contribute a lot more to the home in addition to these tasks and no amount of money can fill those needs. Of course, there can be no compensation for the love and affection. 

On road accidents do occur and victims of road accidents file claims before Motor Accident Claims Tribunals [MACT] – the amount of compensation  would include : compensation based on loss of earning, pain & suffering, medical expenses, and interest besides legal costs. Sometime back, there was a Judgment that compensation is ‘damages and is not income’ and hence there would be no incometax payable on the claim amount. 

Recently, TOI reported of a decision of TN Accident tribunal which fixed the salary of a homemaker at Rs. 1250/- per month.  That was  the monetised value of domestic responsibilities that homemakers discharge 24 X 7, according to a motor accident claims tribunal in the state. Keeping Rs.15,000/-  as the `notional income' of a housewife, a tribunal in Virudhunagar district awarded a paltry Rs.1.62 lakh as compensation for her death. In that impugned case, Selvi (31) earning Rs.5000 a month by selling clothes died in an accident in Apr 2004.  Her husband, daughter (5) and mother were the petitioners.   Disbelieving the claim of an independent income for Selvi as it was not supported by any documents, the tribunal concluded that her `notional income' as homemaker was Rs.15,000 annually .

Slamming the tribunal for its narrow-mindedness and saying that such a view could not be tolerated, the Madras high court enhanced the compensation to Rs. 6.76 lakh. Justice S Vimala, pointing out that the victim's five-year-old daughter must be missing her mother's lap, observed: “The primary responsibility of the homemaker is to ensure that the family is happy,  healthy and prosperous. To make the home as heart of the family,  giving total relaxation and complete freedom and joy to members of the family , is the critical role willingly undertaken and delightfully discharged. As it is voluntary, it is quite often neglected, forgotten and devalued.  Relying on Supreme Court rulings on the issue, Justice Vimala then considered Rs.36,000/- as annual `notional income' of the woman, and arrived at a compensation figure of  6.76 lakh and directed the authorities to deposit the sum within three weeks.

In another case, the State run Metropolitan Transport Corporation had argued that the death of a 23-year-old BPO employee in a road accident would not cause any loss to her parents as she would have any way got married and left her parental home.  The victim was travelling as a pillion rider on a scooter from Alandur to Anna Nagar when the vehicle an MTC bus knocked them from behind. Grievously injured, she died the next day. The victim was aged 23 years at the time of accident, and was a team leader in a  BPO in Anna Nagar, earning Rs.13000 per month + incentive.  After deducting 1/3^rd of the salary towards personal expenses of the victim, the tribunal considered Rs.8,677 as her effective income and calculated it against her age and other relevant factors to arrive at a figure of  13.52 lakh as compensation. While the family wanted enhancement of compensation, MTC’s counsel wanted it reduced saying she would have got married and left parental home anyway.

The Madras high court flayed this “gender bias“ displayed by MTC, and enhanced the compensation payable to her family from Rs.13.57 lakh to Rs.17.3 lakh.   The  Court stated that in today’s society daughters are taking as much care of their parents as sons.  There is no intelligible bias to deny compensation to the parents in respect of the death of a daughter.” The judges cited the Supreme Court judgments and said: “As she died at the age of 23 years, 50% has to be added for future prospects as per the evidence placed on record indicated that she was getting incentives periodically.

To calculate the final compensation the age of the victim, and not that of the parents, has to be taken into account, they said, adding, “The selection of multiplier is based on the age of the deceased and not on the basis of the age of dependent. There may be a number of dependents whose age may be different. Therefore, the age of dependents has no nexus with the computation of compensation. The Court directed the MTC to deposit the amount within two months. In this regard, the judges said, “the compensation awarded should not be inadequate, at the same time, it should neither be unreasonable, excessive nor deficient."

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

16^th Jan 2015

Judgments as reported in Time of India.