Bakrid. Eid al-Adha. Feast of sacrifice. Maybe some 20 million animals – goats, sheep, and cattle – globally. India, Pakistan and worldwide.
Running. Jogging to sprinting. Not for running away. For walking into/running into. For hunting down. For health and well-being – fitness, weight loss, and immunity. For slowing down the effects of ageing. For improved metabolism. For mental alertness, well-being and sleep.
Norway Chess 2025. Classical, with Armageddon, in case of a draw in Classical. Six (men) players played 10 rounds between 26 May to 6 June. Magnus Carlsen; Gukesh D; Hikaru Nakamura; Arjun E; Fabiano Caruana; and Wei Yi. Six (women) players played – Ju Wenjun; Lei Tingiie; Koneru Humpy; Anna Muzychuk; Vaishali R; and Sarasadat K amongst them separately. Magnus Carlsen defended the title among men, followed by Fabiano and Gukesh; and Anna Muzychuk won the championship of women, followed by Lei and Humpy. Gukesh beat Magnus during the course of the tournament.
A civil engineering marvel in the Himalayas, Chenab Rail Bridge has been inaugurated for rail traffic. A steel and concrete bridge spanning 1,315 m – 530 m approach bridge and 785 m long deck arch bridge. Deck height of 359 m from the river bed. This is the highest rail bridge and arch bridge in the world. It cost ₹14.86 billion. The work started in 2017 and was completed in August 2022. First trial runs were conducted in June 2024. Konkan Railway Corporation took up the work. The bridge is designed to have a life of 120 years; handle rail speeds of up to 100 km/h; withstand earthquakes up to a magnitude of eight on the Richter scale, high-intensity blasts equivalent to about 40 tonnes of TNT, temperatures up to −20 °C (−4 °F) and wind speeds of up to 266 km/h.
My classmate, Dr Srinivas Mantrala (our Dustin), contributed as Project Leader from AFCONS Infrastructure. Another NIT Warangal alumnae, Dr G Madhavi Latha, a distinguished professor at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, and an engineer, has also played an important role in the development of the Chenab Rail Bridge. Congratulations to Kashmir Valley, India, Indian Railways, AFCONS, Srinivas, Madhavi Latha et al.
I passed out of Class X from Sarvail Gurukulam. I was to write an entrance exam for AP Residential Junior College, but I could not get my application reach in time as I was suffering from typhoid. Meanwhile, I was talked into joining a polytechnic course. I did not get tempted. I joined Intermediate in Hyderabad. Meanwhile, Gurukulam Society invited me to join at Nagarjunasagar. On completing Intermediate, and getting a good mark and rank in EAMCET, my family advised me again, this time to join Osmania Engineering College. I opted, and joined in NIT (then REC) Warangal, to study Electronics and Communications Engineering. After passing out of B Tech, I had to take time to figure out what to do. This took nearly two years, while working as an academic in engineering in the interim, to conclude ‘development’ and IRMA. The rest are the trajectories of almost 40 years. Extremely exciting, unusually challenging, useful and relevant, meeting the needs.
Can these trajectories persist and help multiply? More, more useful, and more lasting. Can we be useful in counselling, supporting, guiding, and mentoring the willing, with agency? We missed this badly.
Yes, we can. If we coexist, flowing. Walking, being till the end. In N? upadeshtayoga for 7L.