Miscellaneous Facebook posts & comments in March 2020

Note that most of the COVID-19 (novel coronavirus 2019) related FB post contents of mine are put up here: My March 2020 FB posts on novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19), https://ravisiyermisc.blogspot.com/2020/03/my-mar-2020-fb-posts-on-new-coronavirus.html.

When author of post or comment is not mentioned, it should be assumed that it is me (Ravi S. Iyer).

To save time, I am usually not providing my FB post links but only contents. I am also not hyperlinking links. So readers will have to copy-paste links from this post onto a browser link box and then browse to that link.
==========================================

Good to see Hon'ble Railways minister, Piyush Goyal, share greetings with Parsi (Zoroastrian) community on their festival day of Navroz. I humbly join in these greetings to the Parsi community.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nowruz says that it is the Iranian new year and that many communities celebrate it. It further says that for Parsis, who are Zoroastrians (religion of Persia before Islam become dominant religion of Persia/Iran), it is a holy day.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parsis tells us that Parsis are an ethnoreligious group who migrated to Indian subcontinent (perhaps mainly from 8th to 10th century CE (AD)) from Persia (Iran) to escape religious persecution as Persia had got conquered by Islamic rulers. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muslim_conquest_of_Persia tells us that the Muslim conquest of Persia happened around 651 CE and led to the eventual decline of Zoroastrian religion in Persia.

My life has been enriched by interactions with quite a few Parsis in Mumbai. Mumbai, in general, has been enriched by Parsis in a big way. The most famous Parsis of Mumbai are, of course, the Tatas, who have been leading business and industrial entrepreneurs and tycoons of India over past century and more, starting with Jamshetji Tata, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamsetji_Tata, 1839 - 1904, who was a pioneer industrialist of India and who founded what would later become the Tata group. Today's most famous Tata is Ratan Tata, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ratan_Tata, former chairman of Tata group.

My maternal uncle (Late) R.L. Narasimhan worked with Tatas in Mumbai as a Cost Accountant. That, I think, is my only family connection with Tata group. During his days and which partly coincided with my youth in Mumbai, J.R.D. Tata, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._R._D._Tata, was the big man in Tata group and a big man of Indian industry. J.R.D. Tata was a legendary name that people would look up to. I think it is wonderful that Zoroastrians were able to migrate from Iran (Persia) to India, ***continue to practise their Zoroastrian faith over many centuries, and which Zoroastrian religious practice in India continues to this day***, and grow and contribute to India's growth, in this manner.

[Shared FB post: https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/2791473684402524 ]
-------

Today I am very relieved and happy that the 4 men (monsters) who brutally raped and assaulted Nirbhaya in end 2012 (Delhi gang rape, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Delhi_gang_rape) were hanged to death in Tihar jail (Asia's largest jail). Not only is it a matter of justice being done to Nirbhaya and to her family and friends, but it will serve as a deterrent to potential rapists and sexual assault perpetrators (in India at least it is always males - men and sometimes teenager juveniles) that this is what will happen to them if they commit such monstrosities. They will be publicly known as rapists who were convicted in a court of law and then hanged to death. So not only will they die but they will face the contempt of society while they are awaiting being hanged.

I am firmly convinced that in India where there is quite a lot of abuse of power, it is only such deterrence (fear of not only being hanged to death but being named and shamed while the trial goes on and the appeals process runs out) that will help to reduce, if not prevent, rape and sexual assault.

Nirbhaya's mother, Asha Devi, has become a great figure for justice and protection of girls and women in India from rape and sexual assault. She speaks very well in Hindi in the interaction with the press video that is embedded in the following NDTV article. I think her words should be translated to English in full. If I do not find it somewhere on the net over the course of a day or two, I hope to do my bit for justice and protection of girls and women in India from rape and sexual assault, by translating her Hindi words to English.

"I Hugged Her Photo": Nirbhaya's Mother On Rapists' Hanging; Nirbhaya Case: "We will continue our fight for justice for India's daughters. Our wait for justice was painful and agonising. We finally got justice," Asha Devi said, https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/nirbhaya-case-nirbhaya-mother-on-convicts-hanging-justice-delayed-but-finally-got-it-2197669, 20th March 2020.
-----------

Four Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case convicts hanged in Delhi's Tihar Jail, victim's parents say justice finally done, https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/nirbhaya-gangrape-and-murder-case-all-4-convicts-hanged-to-death/articleshow/74721456.cms, 20th March 2020.
-------

Hmm. Quite intriguing!

Woman on quest to find sperm donor father finds shocking truth about her conception, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5h1jhMv-2I, 9 min. 11 secs, published by ABC News (USA), 4th May 2019.
-------

Wisdom from travelers in the Andes mountain range (South America) - "It is better to arrive a little late in this world than early in the next"!

The world's most dangerous bus route 😱 | Mountain: Life at the Extreme - BBC, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkVC6w7yzOc, 3 min. 51 secs, published in 2017.
--------------

Another oldie goldie Hindi film song (I just love walking down memory lane listening to these songs again)

Ruk Jana Nahin with lyrics | रुक जाना नहीं गाने के बोल | Imtihan | Tanuja/Vinod Khanna, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6J9okctVu58, around 7 mins.
------------

I enjoyed this rendition of an oldie goldie Hindi film song which I think was only sung by a male singer. This female rendition is great stuff.

Chalthe Chalthe mere ye geet - from Chalte Chalte (1976) - Female version - By Sthuthi Bhat, (rendered possibly in 2016), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVqn6S1LL6k, around 5 mins.
...

Chalte Chalte Mere Ye Geet Yaad Rakna, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IE6EBvFUkpE
"Satyam Upadhyay singing on "Haryana Day" at Leisure Valley Park, Gurgaon" probably around 2016. Singer is a young boy.
...
 The original song soundtrack from the 1976 movie, sung by the Great Kishore Kumar, Chalte Chalte (Part I / Chalte Chalte / Soundtrack Version), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRbcUA8jH2Y
...
Interesting re-mix type rendition by Abhijeet Sawant perhaps in 2017: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qequka8UnI
...
The 1976 Chalte Chalte movie version - has some playing to the gallery video stuff: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzYGh5-2sc4
-----

Slightly less than 5 min interview clip of Mohammed Rafi, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9IHpOvDj_w
-----------

Around 6 min. 45 secs. Buster Keaton - The Cowboy (1925)-1925 Funny Video, https://www.facebook.com/Chaplinlaughingworld/videos/2587588241561541/?t=0
...
Buster Keaton - The Cowboy (1925) Part6 Funny Video, https://www.facebook.com/Chaplinlaughingworld/videos/1480344475490985/?t=0, Around 8 min. 15 secs.
--------

Hey Buddy! You want my opinion - you are in the wrong business!

Bronsonisms episode 1, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDhfi6UPH20, around 4 mins.
-------

I saw The Untouchables (1987), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Untouchables_(film), while on software assignment in the USA in the late 80s. I think it played on one of the cable channels and so I saw it on TV in the rented flat provided by the customer company.

The movie made a strong impact on me. I think it was the first film I saw about Al Capone, the mob boss of Chicago in 1920s & 1930s (liqour) prohibition days in that city (and state, if not whole country, I guess).
The good guys are the federal agents (Federal Bureau of Prohibition, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bureau_of_Prohibition) and some of the good policemen of Chicago who have not been corrupted by Al Capone and his gang. Elliot Ness is their leader. From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eliot_Ness: "Eliot Ness (April 19, 1903 – May 16, 1957) was an American Prohibition agent, famous for his efforts to bring down Al Capone and enforce Prohibition in Chicago, Illinois, and the leader of a famous team of law enforcement agents from Chicago, nicknamed The Untouchables. His co-authorship of a popular autobiography, The Untouchables, which was released shortly after his death, launched several television and motion picture portrayals that established Ness's posthumous fame as an incorruptible crime fighter."

This clip shows Robert De Niro doing an awesome performance as the mob boss coming down the stairs surrounded by his henchmen, in a classy hotel in Chicago, and being confronted by the law enforcement investigator lead who in real life was Elliot Ness and which character was played by Kevin Costner. Sean Connery plays the character of a veteran cop on the street beat in Chicago who assists Elliot Ness.

Costner (Ness) challenges De Niro (Al Capone) to a one-on-one fight and swears at him, as Costner is raging mad as one of his men has been killed. De Niro mocks Costner that he has got nothing on him and that if Costner were a real man he would have got something on him now! He rubs it in by calling Costner a punk!

Awesome performance by De Niro showing that he owns Chicago! A lot of Chicago city administration including its top cops were being controlled by Al Capone then. From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Capone: "Capone expanded the bootlegging business through increasingly violent means, but his mutually profitable relationships with mayor William Hale Thompson and the city's police meant he seemed safe from law enforcement."

The Untouchables (6/10) Movie CLIP - You Got Nothing! (1987) HD, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8nZBlPfR7Y, 1 min 48 secs.

Eventually the good cop, Elliot Ness played superbly by Costner, gets him (Al Capone)!

I intend to add some other clips of this movie available on youtube in the comments. Hopefully there is a clip of Ness and team getting Capone into jail!
....
The Untouchables (1/10) Movie CLIP - A Kind Word and a Gun (1987) HD, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdNSlyrbcDY, 2 min. 13 secs.
...
The Chicago Way - The Untouchables (2/10) Movie CLIP (1987) HD, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPZ6eaL3S2E, 2 min. 2 secs.
...
Has some very graphic violence. Readers who can't handle seeing such stuff should NOT see the video: Batter Up - The Untouchables (3/10) Movie CLIP (1987) HD, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHH9EYZHoVU, 2 min. 39 secs.
...
Has some very graphic violence. Readers who can't handle seeing such stuff should NOT see the video: The Untouchables (4/10) Movie CLIP - Malone's Methods (1987) HD, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAM2Q7Sqlbk, 2 min. 41 secs.
...
Has very strong words. Readers who can't handle seeing such stuff should NOT see the video: I Want Him Dead - The Untouchables (5/10) Movie CLIP (1987) HD, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgoDvnebHRw, 56 secs.
...
Has some very graphic violence. Readers who can't handle seeing such stuff should NOT see the video: Knife to a Gunfight - The Untouchables (7/10) Movie CLIP (1987) HD, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_d5jXDvrOu4, 2 min. 33 secs.
...

Some gunfight violence but not as gory as the ones in earlier clips: The Stairway Shootout - The Untouchables (8/10) Movie CLIP (1987) HD, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJpRSf4q-hI, 2 min. 41 secs.

...

Has some very graphic violence. Readers who can't handle seeing such stuff should NOT see the video: The Untouchables (9/10) Movie CLIP - Nitti's Fall (1987) HD, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSm68IEDDT0, 1 min. 58 secs.

...

Robert De Niro (Al Capone) does great acting of the mob boss' fury when his lawyer pleads guilty, and when he later is needled by the lead investigator Kevin Costner (Eliot Ness) rubbing it in with some words. No real violence but De Niro is bursting with violent energy as he has to be held by his henchmen. Enjoyable clip as good wins over the mob boss. The Untouchables (10/10) Movie CLIP - Here Endeth the Lesson (1987) HD, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVz211iI26o, 2 min. 42 secs.

...

Fuller version of the stairway shootout: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SK-UDtQLabo, 3 min. 33 secs.

...

Bridge Shootout - The Untouchables, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLutGNu7nZk, 5 min. 41 secs.

-----------

Buster Keaton - The Cowboy (1925)-FunnyVideo, https://www.facebook.com/Chaplinlaughingworld/videos/224000155394479/?t=0

---------

Mukesh Live Ek din bik jayega mati k mol, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwjMw_lWTnE, 4 min. 34 secs.

----------

An oldie goldie patriotic Hindi song from 1961 Hum Hindustani film, Chhodo Kal Ki Baatein: By Mukesh - Hum Hindustani (1961) - Hindi [Republic Day Special] With Lyrics, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJ71CWqgvdY, 5 min. 29 secs.

A couple of lines from the song

Hindi: Aao Mehnat ko apna imaan banayein

Apne Haathon ko apna Bhagavan banayein

English (my quick take): Come, let us make effort our faith

Let us make our hands our God.

...

Chhodo Kal Ki Batein - Children's Popular Animated Film Songs, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnRA3U5Cyig, 4 min. 19 secs.

...

Kids singing it in a lovely way, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiRGB7rOYcE, slightly less than 4 mins.

...

Nice remix version: Chhodo Kal Ki Baatein (Hum Hindustani) - Remix by Snehendu Chakraborty, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IG0lk7OVxGw, 5 min. 43 secs.

...

Nice rendition by Subash Upadhyay in 2010: Chhodo Kal Ki Baate Kalaki Baat Purani - (Film Hum Hindustani), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGdYtnJGjGM, around 4 mins.

--------

Dirty Harry: The Enforcer., https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juwPE7hnymo, 5 min. 15 secs.

Great scene from the third Dirty Harry film called, "The Enforcer." 1976.

-------

Clint Eastwood Sudden Impact Coffee, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoXDzsuqXFg, around 4 mins.

---------

Very graceful and articulate speech in UK Parliament by former UK Chancellor Sajid Javid, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIT88x0oGNk, 6 min. 36 secs., published on 26th Feb. 2020. In the speech he explains why he stepped down as chancellor, and also says that he extends his full support to current govt. led by PM Boris Johnson.

It is great to see moderate Muslims like Sajid Javid (Conservative) and London mayor Sadiq Khan (Labour) rise to prominence in UK politics. 

Ishwar Maalik! Allah Maalik! Yesu Maalik! Sabka Maalik Ek!

[Ishwar is the Lord! Allah is the Lord! Yesu (Jesus) is the Lord! The Lord of all is one!]

Please note that I have a PUBLICLY (POLITICALLY) NEUTRAL informal-student-observer role in these posts that I put up about UK politics. Of course, as I am an Indian citizen living in India, there is no question of me having voted in UK elections. I am a well-wisher of the people of the UK.

--------

A comment I put up on the post:

Very nice to see First Lady of USA appreciate the Indian cultural traditional welcome of Tilak and Arati by the children of the school!

BTW I think the First Lady in her remarks in the school mentioned that she was told Sarvodaya translates to prosperity for all (if I recall correctly). I think uplift/progress for all is a better translation of the term - see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarvodaya. Thanks.

FB post: https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/2772949076254985?__tn__=-R 

------------