By N.K.A. Ballal, Retd. Sr. Vice-President, ITDC Kevin Carter, a South African photo-journalist, was awarded the “Pulitzer Prize” for the visual “The Vulture and the Little Girl.” In the picture, a vulture is patiently waiting for the death of a hungry little girl. Carter captured the moment in the great 1993 famine in Sudan. …
It is a war, let us not crib
April 23, 2020By N.K.A. Ballal, Retd. Sr. Vice-President, ITDC An Army Officer’s wife’s message, so straight, touched my heart, so thought of sharing it with ‘SOM’ readers: “I contemplated a couple of times before jotting it down. I know probably a few will still not agree with me and bash me left, right and centre. But I…
Power of “Faith” in trying times
April 16, 2020By N.K.A. Ballal, Retd. Sr. Vice-President, ITDC My friend Sarasa sent me this story which I thought of sharing with ‘SOM’ readers as it fits in with the current times: Once a man got lost in a desert. The water in his flask had run out two days ago and he was on his last…
If someone needs you, be there and stay…
April 2, 2020By N.K.A. Ballal, Retd. Sr. Vice-President, ITDC A human interest story: The on-duty Nurse took the anxious young Army Major to the bedside. “Your son is here,” she said softly, to the old man lying on the bed. She had to repeat the words several times before the patient opened his eyes. Heavily sedated because…
What this Virus has taught me
March 26, 2020By N.K.A. Ballal, Retd. Sr. Vice-President, ITDC A Gaur Gopal Das sermon, which I wanted to share with SOM readers: Any of you getting frustrated at what is happening now ? Or any of you are disappointed that your plans are not going through ? Things are only going wrong in your life? You must…
Corona: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly !
March 19, 2020By N.K.A. Ballal, Retd. Sr. Vice-President, ITDC Every experience in life has three sides — that is the good, the bad and the ugly and the Coronavirus is no exception. Well, one can ask what is the good side of a virus like Corona? Let us take China where thousands have been self-quarantined by the…
Karnataka Tourism at Crossroads: Jalapathotsava fiasco. Whose money is it anyway!
January 30, 2020By N.K.A. Ballal, Retd. Sr. Vice-President, ITDC The latest fiasco of our Tourism Department: The much-hyped Gaganachu-kki Jalapa-thotsava, a waterfall festival plan-ned for viewing the falls sans water. These waterfalls are a beauty to watch during the monsoon but in other periods, it is just another hillock. The farmers were right. Why waste precious water…
Do we all deserve a “paper cup only?”
January 27, 2020Sir, This is with reference to the article, “Every one deserves a paper cup only !” by N.K.A. Ballal (SOM dated Jan.23) and, of course, the WhatsApp message about the Under-Secretary, which has gone viral and is quoted by Ballal. Well, it is all about people who have enjoyed power of the office they occupy…
Everyone deserves a paper cup only !
January 23, 2020By N.K.A. Ballal, Retd. Sr. Vice-President, ITDC A WhatsApp forward: There was a former Under-Secretary of Defence who was invited to give a speech at a large convention of about 1000 people. He was standing on the stage with his cup of coffee in a paper cup, ready for a power-point presentation. He took a…
Whatever you do, do it well…
January 16, 2020By N.K.A. Ballal, Retd. Sr. Vice-President, ITDC A WhatsApp forward: When Abraham Lincoln became the President of America, his father was a shoe-maker. On the first day, as Lincoln entered the Senate to give his inaugural address, a Senator stood up. He was a very rich aristocrat. He said, “Mr. Lincoln, you should not forget…
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