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You would probably remember the diagram from school – a pink tongue with different regions marked for different tastes – bitter across the back, sweet across the front, salty at sides near the front and sour at the sides towards the back.

Even that biology experiment where we made sugar and salt solutions and touched different parts of our tongues to confirm the map was right!


The famous tongue diagram has appeared in hundreds of textbooks over the decades and the theory behind this map originated from a book written by Harvard psychologist Edwin Boring in 1942, which included a translation of a German paper, Zur Psychophysik des Geschmackssinnes, by Dirk P. Hänig, written in 1901.

BUT You will be surprised to know that the tongue may not have different regions specialized for different tastes!

In fact Neuroscientists and taste experts recently concluded that all regions of the tongue that detect taste respond to all five taste qualities with mild regional differences! Then again it is not so simple!


Messages about taste are sent to the brain via two cranial nerves – one at the back of the tongue and one at the front. As a further counter to the idea that different parts of the tongue detected different tastes, it was shown that even if the front nerve, the chorda tympani, is anaesthetised, people can still taste sweetness, which in the traditional tongue map is found at the tip of the tongue!

The next mystery has been how the brain decodes these messages delivered via the cranial nerve and in 2015 a team at Columbia University found that mice have specialist brain cells which respond to each taste!

So it is true that we have specialist equipment for each taste. But rather than being clusters of taste buds in particular regions of the tongue, they are specialized receptor cells with matching neurons in the brain, each attuned to a particular taste!

Different areas of the tongue can taste anything, but although some regions are slightly more sensitive to certain tastes though those difference are minute!

Taste thresholds have been also been shown to differ at different locations within the oral cavity where gustatory receptors are found. However, the relationship between the stimulation of particular taste receptors and the subjective spatially-localized experience of taste qualities is uncertain.

So although the existence of the ‘tongue map’ has long been discredited, the psychophysical evidence clearly demonstrates significant differences in taste sensitivity across the tongue, soft palate, and pharynx which are the sites where taste buds have been documented.


If, however, the claim is instead taken to relate to the perceived
spatial localization of taste qualities, and/or about sensitivity differences on different parts of the tongue, then psychophysics is more likely
to provide a meaningful answer than neurophysiology.

Indeed, it is worth remembering that Hanig (1901) original work was titled Zur Psychophysik des Geschmackssinnes which actually meant ‘The Psychophysics of Taste‘

So the actual idea behind the tongue taste map could have been lost in translation! Because in the original work Hanig: “believed that if the thresholds for his four stimuli (sucrose salt, quinine sulfate, and hydrochloric acid) could be shown to vary differentially around the perimeter of the tongue, then this would support the argument that these four tastes had distinct physiological mechanisms.

For those who interpret the tongue map as highlighting differences in
sensitivity, the relevant question to ask then becomes one of whether the
spatial differences in sensitivity are sufficiently great to merit consideration or not.

At the same time, however, there has also been growing interest in
the relationship between the composition of oral microbiota and taste
perception. There is also more studies between Gut health and taste perception! In fact even between individuals, there is a difference in taste perception! Some can even taste a food being bitter or going bad or on the verge of it (Like my dad, wife and son! in that order!)

You also have the fact that you need a good nose for getting a proper taste! Which is why your food taste bad in a cold or even in the sky! Beyond all that the most important is your mood and hunger! Even the tastiest food is bland when you are down! While a simple curd rice is tasty when you are in a good mood (Though for an average south Indian, curd rice is always tasty!).

Now do not worry about any map of the tongue! If you are hungry, simply eat!


And if you are bond then simply shoot! A quick sketch inspired by Pierce Brosnan’s bond!
He will always be my favourite bond at least for now!

Remember that intelligence and secret agents in real life do not look or act like bond! They gel with the crowd and do not stand out!

Big salute to those scores of intelligence agents who do the work of national security in the shadows!

Jai hind!

As readers of William Shakespeare know, a dying Caesar turned to one of the assassins and condemned him with his last breath. It was Caesar’s friend, Marcus Junius Brutus.

“Et tu, Brute?” – “You too, Brutus?” is what Shakespeare has Caesar say in the Tragedy of Julius Caesar!

Now most of us who may not have read Shakespeare or at least the original versions of Shakespeare know this only from well, general knowledge! Though in the 11th grade I did have a Shakespeare phase where I got this huge book of Shakespeare plays and started reading them! The first one was Romeo and Juliet! The story started so slow and though everyone knows the story, it still took me couple of days to get through it! Only to realise that I was reading the summary and the actual play starts now! Which was also my end of the Shakespeare phase!

The point here was that the words about BRUTUS was not made by Caesar! Yes! Caesar never said these words! And Brutus was neither his closest friend nor his biggest betrayer, not by a long shot. The worst traitor was another man: Decimus Junius Brutus Albinus. Decimus was a distant cousin of Marcus Brutus. Shakespeare puts two men in charge of the plot to kill Caesar, Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus. Shakespeare mentions Decimus but misspells his name as Decius and downplays his role. But ancient sources make clear that Decimus was a leader of the conspiracy!

There are also other reports which say that Caesar said something else but to Brutus!

So when Brutus pulled out his dagger, he said something in Greek. And what he said was “Kaì sú, téknon” (You too, child). If he had said this then there have been three possibilities of what he meant!


One is that this is part of a line of a Greek tragedy that Caesar was quoting, indicating how educated and cultivated he was. It would be as if an English-speaking politician who was being assassinated should suddenly say a line in French!

A second possibility is ancient curse tablets. The Romans believed in curse tablets. You would get an inscribed tablet against one of your enemies and you would have it buried. And the typical thing to say on a curse tablet is “Kaì sú” (You too) – and this is what should happen to you, as bad things have happened to me!

The third possibility, and the most soap opera like is that the key word here is not “Kaì sú”, but ”téknon” (child)!  When Caesar was young, he had an affair with one of the most prominent women in Rome: Servilia, who was the half-sister of Caesar’s arch-enemy, Cato the Younger. And she was supposed to be the greatest love of Caesar’s life – so much a love that Caesar bought her a pearl that was worth a king’s ransom. She also happened to be the mother of Brutus!

And there was a rumour that Caesar was the natural father of Brutus: that Brutus was, Caesar’s lovechild! So, the idea is that by saying to Brutus, “You too, child”, Caesar was confirming the rumour and saying, in effect: you’re my son and you have just killed your father. You have committed parricide – which is the most heinous crime that a Roman could commit! A regular soap opera there!

Then again these are simple creative liberties taken for historical events! Do  remember that such historical figures are Mortals! They would groan and may be even cry out in pain and anguish! So any story of a dying historical man or woman telling something historically significant or even some grand words should be taken as, well, a story and nothing else!

That of course would not stop you from crying “et tu Brute” anytime some close friend of your cheats you! Of course you may feel like stabbing the other friend who would correct you saying that it is not ET TU BRUTE but ET TU Broote! Or You can zimply listen to someone who says ET TU BRUTUS! In each case the core thing is the fact that he or she stabbed you! What Julius Caesar said was immaterial!


Important though is the fact that you must know who is the chief of your Naval staff!
It’s Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, PVSM, AVSM, NM

Jai hind…

Did you know that a tooth infection caused the death of close to 150 men? The killing was done by a pair of brothers by the way!

Do not worry though! It was long back and this is just one of the theories!

The story of the death of over 100 men who were mostly Indians, has been written in the history and well documented!

They were killed by a pair of Brother Lions!

Disney’s attempt at Humanising the LION in their movies is, well just a fairy tale!

Though with the recent way HUMANS are behaving, I am not so sure about the HUMANISING aspect!

The fact of the matter remains though that the Lions in this case were no insect eaters! They were called the Tsavo Man-Eaters!

The Tsavo Man-Eaters were a pair of large man-eating “maneless lion”  in the Tsavo region of Kenya, which were responsible for the deaths of many construction workers on the Kenya-Uganda Railway between March and December 1898.

The term “maneless lion” or “scanty mane lion” often refers to a male lion without a mane, or with a weak one.

The purpose of the mane is thought to signal the fitness of males to females. Experts disagree as to whether or not the mane defends the male lion’s throat in confrontations! Then again these “maneless lion”  were neither weal nor tame!

The lion pair was said to have killed dozens of people, with some early estimates reaching over a hundred deaths. While the terrors of man-eating lions were not new in the British public perception, the Tsavo Man-Eaters became one of the most notorious instances of dangers posed to Indian and native African workers of the Uganda Railway.

They were eventually killed by Lieutenant-Colonel John Henry Patterson, who wrote his account of his hunting experience in a semi-biography The Man-eaters of Tsavo. The original account of the kills and the whole fiasco is thrilling and scary!


Theories for the man-eating behaviour of lions have been reviewed by many and many theories have been put forward.

One was how an outbreak of rinderpest (cattle plague) in 1898 devastated the lions’ usual prey, forcing them to find alternative food sources.

The Tsavo lions may have been accustomed to finding dead humans at the Tsavo River crossing and may have got a “taste” of the ‘more tasty’ human meat!

One famous (or infamous!) theory is that the first lion had a severely damaged tooth that would have compromised its ability to kill natural prey.

Colonel Patterson, who killed the lions, disclaimed it, saying that he damaged that tooth with his rifle while the lion charged him one night, prompting it to flee.

Studies indicate that the lions ate humans as a supplement to other food, as a last resort. Eating humans was probably an alternative to hunting or scavenging due to dental disease and/or a limited number of prey! Maybe they needed some Human-vitamins!

Then a 2017 study by Bruce Patterson found that one of the lions had an infection at the root of his canine tooth, making it hard for that particular lion to hunt. Lions typically use their jaws to grab prey like zebras and wildebeests and suffocate them! So the tooth theory (it sounds like a tooth fairy!) still stands!

So the moral of the story!? Well, take care of your tooth! And no! This is not a ad for my dental colleague!

If you think you have not heard of the man eaters of Tsavo then may be you may have heard of this Movie inspired by them starring the two great stars of the time! Val Kilmer and Michael Douglas showing their ‘Basic instinct’ in the jungle! The way the lions used to attack got them a cool name! They were called The “Ghost” and the “Darkness”!

Of course you know the name now!
Well do you know who is the chief of Air staff!?

It is Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh!

Proud of our air force!

Jai hind!

I know you know that Hydrogen is the most common element in the Universe! And our Earth has more of Nitrogen and Oxygen in the first and second place! But if you put price to them you can see that Oxygen is free and the element which is very rare is the costliest!

There is an element called the Astatine which is purely radioactive, with its longest living isotope having a lifetime of 8.1 hours. According to estimations, there are less than one gram of astatine in the Earth’s crust, making it the rarest naturally occurring element!

Now you can live without Astatine your whole life but you cannot live without oxygen for even five minutes! But you always respect and value that which is rare! Which is the biggest irony! Let us see how you can use this!

In the book 48 laws of power by Robert Greene he tells the law of rarity! This law is the law number 16!

Robert tells the story of a problem solver of a country who used to solve all the problems so much so that everyone used to come to him. At the peak of his fame he suddenly stopped! The whole country went into chaos and they frantically ran towards him to start being their problem solver again like a king!

He gave his condition that he would not be disturbed for petty things and no one can meet him directly. Pretty soon he became an enigma! Most couldn’t meet him and those rare fortunate ones who met him were amazed by his capacity! His aura became almost God-like! Only because, they knew his value and he was not easily accessible! 

This law 16 of the 48 Laws of Power, as outlined by Robert Greene, states, “Use absence to increase respect and honor.” This law emphasizes the importance of strategic withdrawal and the impact of scarcity on perceived value. By making yourself less accessible or withdrawing at key moments, you can heighten the desire and appreciation of others, ultimately increasing your power and influence!

The importance of Law 16 lies in its focus on the psychological principle of scarcity! The more scarce a resource, the greater its perceived value!

First step in this to create a demand and show the usefulness! Then at the peak of its use, make the resource hard to get! It can be anything for that matter! The moment you make the tag ‘LIMITED EDITION’ either physically or mentally, there occurs a great temptation to get it however you can! The sense of scarcity can drive up the price and demand! Which is why you do not need to sell! It will get sold by itself!

Apparently the artist Leonardo da Vinci was a master of Law 16. By producing a limited number of works and maintaining an air of mystery, he increased the value and mystique of his creations. The rarity of his paintings contributed to the enduring fascination with his art and the astronomical prices his works command today!

This is applicable even to the politicians of today! If you can easily access the big minister then you may not know his or her value! Which is why they always raise their value by being as inaccessible as possible!

There was this story of a great musician who played on the street for free but not many took notice or appreciated him! But they paid thousands of dollars just to see him play the same music that very night at a concert!

Which brings to my mind one of the greatest lines spoken by a villian in any movie! This is Joker in ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ (One of the best movies ever! Very close to Shawshank redemption!); He says, “If you are good at something, never do it for free!”

Then again you do not mind paying lots to listen to some people especially those who can make your body and mind to be at peace!

Like the meditation and sudarshan kriya by Sri Sri Ravishankar

Shubh ratri…

Do you know who is Kashibai Ganpat?

No! Not the Kashibai who was Baji Rao’s wife though am sure she was also a great lady just like Kashibai Ganpat who is actually a legend!

The blog has excerpts from this amazing article by Shubhada Sakurikar called Nursing in India.

If it is history and historical then India and Indian will be there for sure! One of the few countries in the world which not only has a bright future but also one of the richest history ever!

So when it comes to Nursing, Bharat was right there on the top!

The recorded history of nursing in Bharat dates back to about 1500 BC in the Atharva veda which deals with medicine and identifies the causes of disease as living causative agents. It is recorded that chikitsalaya (halls of healing) were existing by about 700 BC!

Susrata (500 BC) and Charaka (300 BC) were the leading authorities of ayurveda (the science of life). The modern age mistakes Ayurveda as a treatment modality while in fact it is a way of life! The medications and drugs are only a small component of the treatment process! This actually aligns with the modern medicine aspect of ‘LIFESTYLE MODIFICATIONS’ which is actually the real treatment!

The ayurvedic teachings were preserved in samhitas (treatises) and it laid more emphasis upon the prevention of disease than upon its cure. Doctors were well versed not only in medicine and surgery but in measures for the prevention of disease. Amongst various remedies were practiced including inoculation for smallpox!

The books of the ayurveda are in eight parts. They cover the whole field of medicinal science, including nursing treatment. There are more details of nursing in the old Indian records than in those of any other country in the world. Susrata defined the ideal relations of doctor, nurse, patient and medicine as the four feet upon which a cure must rest!

The Charaka Samhita described the function of a nurse as “knowledge of the manner in which drugs should be prepared or compounded for administration, cleverness, devotedness to the patient waited upon, and purity (both of the mind and body), are the four qualifications of the attending nurse.” This is of course in line with the modern guideline of Nursing system!

Practice of medicine rose to a great height in the reign of Asoka (304 BC–232 BC). Compassion for all living creatures, which was an essential part of the creed of Buddha, showed itself in ministration to all sufferers. As mentioned in the Novel the Golden Road, Buddhism and its spread was in parallel to the spread of compassion and care for all living thing!

In the rule of life of a Buddhist monk assistance to the sick was a part. Asoka established a large number of hospitals. Nursing-homes were also built for housing the sick.

With the disintegration of Gupta Empire (647 AD) and arrival of Huns, a deterioration of Tradition set in, from which it would take centuries to recover.



The preponderance of preventable diseases and conditions emphasizes the nurse’s role as a health teacher both in the hospital and the community; infant and maternal mortality indicate a need for improved midwifery practice as well as promotion of maternal and child health.

Any modern medicine practice needs a good nursing staff for the proper function and maintenance of the whole ecosystem of which Nursing staff is a vital cog!

The Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy (JJ) Hospital was first to train nurses in Western India. The first Indian lady to come forward for nursing training was Bai Kashibai Ganpat in 1891 in Bombay.

Happy nurses day to my dear sisters! We are forever indebted to you!

A quick sketch on how Bai Kashibai Ganpat may have been since there is no actual poper photo.

Shubh ratri…

Do you know what is a Waggle?

It is actually Waggle dance by the way!

Ok now! Of course it is a dance but it is also a means of communication! And no! You cannot perform it! If you need to communicate, please speak!

Now coming to the dance!

In the Book by Richard Dawkins called the selfish gene he notes how the mental abilities of bees are much more developed than those of other insects. In addition to having more complex motor skills, bees have a truly extraordinary form of intelligence. The way they use to communicate with the rest of the colony is a symbolic language, a sort of dance to eight with which they signal to their companions the routes to follow and the presence of flowers full of pollen.

Waggle dance is a term used in beekeeping and ethology for a particular figure-eight dance of the honey bee. By performing this dance, successful foragers can share information about the direction and distance to patches of flowers yielding nectar and pollen, to water sources, or to new nest-site locations with other members of the colony.

The waggle dance and the round dance are two forms of dance behaviour that are part of a continuous transition. As the distance between the resource and the hive increases, the round dance transforms into variations of a transitional dance, which, when communicating resources at even greater distances, becomes the waggle dance.

In the case of Apis mellifera ligustica, the round dance is performed until the resource is about 10 metres away from the hive, transitional dances are performed when the resource is at a distance of 20 to 30 metres away from the hive, and finally, when it is located at distances greater than 40 metres from the hive, the waggle dance is performed.

Apparently, even close to the nest, the round dance can contain elements of the waggle dance, such as a waggle portion. It has therefore been suggested that the term waggle dance is better for describing both the waggle dance and the round dance.

Austrian ethologist and Nobel laureate Karl von Frisch was one of the first who translated the meaning of the waggle dance!

The code has been broken thus and this is what it means!

Figure-eight-shaped waggle dance of the honeybee (Apis mellifera). A waggle run oriented 45° to the right of ‘up’ on the vertical comb indicates a food source 45° to the right of the direction of the sun outside the hive.

A waggle dance consists of one to 100 or more circuits, each of which consists of two phases: the waggle phase and the return phase.

The direction and duration of waggle runs are closely correlated with the direction and distance of the resource being advertised by the dancing bee.

For cavity-nesting honey bees, like the western honey bee (Apis mellifera) or Apis nigrocincta, flowers that are located directly in line with the sun are represented by waggle runs in an upward direction on the vertical combs, and any angle to the right or left of the sun is coded by a corresponding angle to the right or left of the upward direction. The distance between hive and recruitment target is encoded in the duration of the waggle runs!

The farther the target, the longer the waggle phase. The more excited the bee is about the location, the more rapidly it will waggle, so it will grab the attention of the observing bees, and try to convince them. If multiple bees are doing the waggle dance, it’s a competition to convince the observing bees to follow their lead, and competing bees may even disrupt other bees’ dances or fight each other off!

Well, the crying child gets the milk and the vigorously waggling bee gets the attention! And sometimes you need to make a big Bang to make sure that your warning is taken seriously!

The dance is an elaborate dance done by the bees which lead to a Nobel prize! Not for the Bee of course since, well it was too heavy to carry (the Nobel that is!!). Then again they do carry the weight of the pollination world in their tender wings so they may not get a Nobel but they are really Noble!
Another definitely Noble and legendary people are our soldiers!

They selflessly dedicate their life for the country! One such Noble soul was Lance Naik Dinesh Singh  who was a brave and committed soldier, who laid down his life at the age of 25 years in the line of his duty. You will not be forgotten…

Jai Hind…

Do you know what is Nacre?

Well it is also called the Mother-of-pearl…

And no! It is not the pearl as such! This is a naturally occurring organic-inorganic composite secreted by the epithelial cells of the mantle tissue of certain species of mollusk. They are made of hexagonal platelets of aragonite, between 10 and 20 microns wide and less than a micron thick, arranged in a continuous parallel lamina.

This is known as the toughest material on Earth! If humans could mimic it, it could lead to a new generation of ultra-strong synthetic materials for structures, surgical implants and countless other applications!  For now though we can’t replicate the kind of nano-engineering that mollusks have achieved!

Because of its almost mystical characteristics, mother of Pearl is revered for its metaphysical properties, believed to harness the energy of the ocean and the moon, bestowing upon its wearer a sense of calm, balance, and emotional clarity. It is often associated with the divine feminine energy, nurturing the soul and promoting inner peace!

Buttery smooth with rainbow glisten, no two nacre patches are alike because the colour changes depending how light falls on it when viewed from different angles!

For instance, it could look green from one angle, and turquoise from another. As a material, the mother-of-pearl was stereotyped for feminine watch dials, till recently when brands have broken the rule and are using it in watches showcasing moon phase displays, retrograde calendars and even tourbillons.

Now of course your next question is what is tourbillons?
It is a type of watch so called not only because of the constant dance of whirling motion that defines it and gives it its name (tourbillon means ‘whirlwind’ in French) but also because of its prestigious place in the history of watchmaking!

Mother-of-pearl needs skilled watchmakers who are equipped to use the extreme care required when shaping the material. If properly made and assembled, mother-of-pearl dials can last long and retain their lustre. The entire manufacturing process involving a mother-of-pearl dial can take between four and six weeks!

This process starts with finding the right shell. Mother-of-pearl is procured from different molluscs; the highest quality being the Pinctada family of largest and rarest pearl oysters. The shells are pounded, made into 0.2mm-0.5mm thin sheets, cut into circular blanks according to the desired dial measurement and then applied to the dial. It is finished with either engraving or patterning. They can be coloured, both back and front, with a variety of lacquers and paints. The dials are further enhanced using painting, varnishing, and lacquering. The end result: a luminous dial that is always intriguing to look.

The best thing of course is the limited edition nature since no piece will look exactly the same, but all are guaranteed to be beautifully iridescent and naturally scratch-resistant!

And army officials like Yogendra Singh Yadav are the real diamonds and limited edition pearl!

With Indian army always!

Jai hind!

It is thought diamonds were first discovered in India around 2,500 years ago in the Golconda region, between the Godavari and Krishna Rivers. At this early stage, cutting and polishing had yet to be mastered, so diamonds retained their natural outer skin.

Textural and touchable, rough diamonds were kept as talismans and only later incorporated into jewellery, which initially only men were allowed to wear!

A majority of these early stones were transported along the network of trade routes that connected India and China, commonly known as the Silk Road. At the time of their discovery, diamonds were valued because of their strength and brilliance, and for their ability to refract light and engrave metal.

Diamonds were worn as adornments, used as cutting tools, served as a talisman to ward off evil, and were believed to provide protection in battle. In the Dark Ages, diamonds were also used as a medical aid and were thought to cure illness and heal wounds when ingested.

And then you have the Diamond ring of commitment!

The use of rings as a symbol of commitment dates back to ancient history, specifically to the betrothal (truth) rings of the Romans. These early rings, often formed from twisted copper or braided hair, were worn on the third finger of the left hand. The placement of the ring was significant, as Romans believed that a vein in the third finger (vena amorous) ran directly to the heart. For Romans, betrothal rings were given as a sign of affection or friendship, and did not always represent the rite of marriage.

The history of the engagement ring began in 1215, when Pope Innocent III, one of the most powerful popes of the Middle Ages, declared a waiting period between a betrothal and the marriage ceremony. The rings were used to signify the couple’s commitment in the interim. It was around this same time that rings were introduced as a major component of the wedding ceremony, and it was mandated by the Roman government that all marriage ceremonies be held in a church. In addition to serving as symbols of an intention to marry, these early rings also represented social rank; only the elite were permitted to wear ornate rings or rings with jewels!

Then again if it is commitment then it does not matter if the ring is made up of Diamond or even a piece of thread! In fact as far as the history goes, we have been wearing a ring of protection mentally more powerful than even the diamond! Rings made from Darbha grass, known as Darbha Pavitram, are worn by priests and individuals during prayer rituals. These rings are believed to shield the wearer from negative spiritual energies and enhance the effectiveness of their prayers.

A prayer is effective only when the motive is true and when the soldiers of your country are fighting, you must support them by Praying for them! Remember that they are the reason why you even have a normal life in the first place.

A sketch of the Chief Of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi, PVSM AVSM to show my prayer and support. We are with you sir.

Jai Hind…

Altruism means a selfless concern for the well-being of others and a true form of altruism is really difficult to see since by definition it has to be hidden!

Richard Dawkins has a rather grim take on the altruism of humans so much so that he called them selfish and wrote a whole book called the selfish gene! The first and most and many times the only thing that anyone does is to make sure that he or she survives or takes steps to survive!

Of course you do have altruism in nature and rarely among human beings too!

In that one of the most altruistic behaviour is of the worker bee who works for his companions his whole life and when an attack is imminent then he uses the sting for defence which inevitably makes him set for the end! The nectar is saved which he will never enjoy!


Some wildlife researchers believe that altruism is a well-documented behavior. Those who say animal altruism exists cite examples such as dolphins helping others in need or a leopard caring for a baby baboon!

In fact, in 2008, a bottlenose dolphin came to the rescue of two beached whales in New Zealand and led them into safe waters. Without the dolphin’s guidance, the whales surely would have died.

In another incident in New Zealand, a group of swimmers were first surprised when dolphins began circling around them, tighter and tighter, splashing in the water. The swimmers initially thought the dolphins were displaying aggressive behavior, but it turned out that they were warding off sharks. Now just because these two incidents happen in New Zealand does not mean that it is the center of altruistic behaviour!

This remarkable ape Orangutan whose name means ‘old man (or person) of the woods’ is one of the most expressive of mammals!

Youngsters are with the mother for an incredible 5 years, on average, during which time they learn all the skills necessary for adult life in the jungle forests. Mothers are extremely attentive to their babies’ needs, risking their lives to protect them from predators and guarding precious space when others threaten. It’s this level of selfless care and disregard for self that suggests the orangutan is capable of altruistic behaviour when the need arises.

Another altruism is exhibited by the octopus. The ordinary octopus is a very intelligent creature with an ability to express great care for its young. The mother, laying between 50,000 and 200,000 eggs, shows real dedication during the 8 weeks of her life when she protects her potential babies.

Once the eggs have been laid in a safe place she will push currents of water over the eggs so they get enough oxygen, keeping them alive. So busy is the female octopus her food intake lowers and often mothers just fade away to nothing in an effort to keep the babies alive. Once they have hatched out she will die!

A similar act is of the unknown Soldier who sacrifices his or her life so that we enjoy the comfort the home! The one who stands at the border and thinks only of his or her country! The unknown soldier is the one who is always respected first in any defence ritual and he or she is the one who is a testimonial to true altruism of the homo sapien…

The time now is for all professionals to support his or her country! Do your job and be with your country!

Jai hind!

There is a fruit which was once so revered that if you had one then you were almost a king! Now of course this very fruit might get you arrested in Italy apparently if you try to put pieces of it on your Pizza!

Yes it is Pineapple!

What do you get when you remove B from Bananas!? Well, Pineapple!

Think a little about that joke! Do not pretend that you understood it!

Now apparently symbols have always been used to signal one’s status. But for about 250 years, many signposts of wealth and good breeding were ably fulfilled by the pineapple!

The country’s must-have accessory graced the table at the very richest aristocrats’ social gatherings!

But apparently the scaly sweet was too valuable to eat – a single fruit was worth thousands of pounds and often the same pineapple would be paraded from event to event until it eventually went rotten!

Later, a roaring trade in pineapple rental developed, where ambitious but less well-off folk might hire one for a special event, dinner party or even just to jauntily tuck under an arm on a show-off stroll.

King Charles (do not ask me which one! As far as I am concerned all of them are the same ‘skirt’ wearing Bumpkins!)  was so taken with pineapples that he commissioned a portrait of himself being presented with one!

In the American colonies in the 1700s, pineapples were no less revered. Imported from the Caribbean islands, pineapples that arrived in America were very expensive—one pineapple could cost as much as $8000 (That can get you a car today!).

This high cost was due to the perishability, novelty, exoticism, and scarcity of the fruit. Again as above affluent colonists would throw dinner parties and display a pineapple as the centerpiece, a symbol of their wealth, hospitality, and status, instantly recognizable by a party’s guests. Pineapples, however, were mainly used for decoration at this time; they were only eaten once they started going rotten!

The fruit evoked such jealousy among the poor, pineapple-less plebs that people could, if they wished, pay to rent a pineapple for the night. Before selling them for consumption, pineapple merchants rented pineapples to people who couldn’t afford to purchase them. Those who rented would take the pineapple to parties, not to give as a gift to the host, but to carry around and show off their apparent ability to afford such an expensive fruit!

Throughout the 1700s and 1800s, artists depicted pineapples to symbolize hospitality and generosity. Napkins, tablecloths, wallpaper, and even bedposts were decorated with drawings and carvings of pineapples to make guests feel welcome. If people couldn’t afford to buy or rent the real fruit, they bought porcelain dishes and teapots in the shape of a pineapple, which became hugely popular starting in the 1760s!

Now of course that is not the case! You can have Pineapple just like that! Then someone used the freely available Pineapple pieces and put them on the sacred Italian Pizza! Which lead to the social media story of Pineapple pizza Prohibition!

The Prohibition of Pineapple on Pizza (PPoP) is an international legal norm from which no derogation is allowed. It is considered a barbaric practice that violates the very essence of morality, humanity, culinary dignity of all Peoples and good taste!

So next time you want to feel like an aristocrat or a king, just hold a pineapple! But the next time you are in Italy, do not try to ask for Pineapple as a topping!

All that is joke but this is serious…

For reasons known to everyone, my own personal ode to our army. This is Captain Gurbachan Singh Salaria! One of the only 21 people to have awarded the Param Veer Chakra! Proud and hopeful of our great country!

Jai hind!