Tweetractatus

@SethHasit So Vijay winning in TN is a central power flex 😂

The federal design of weak states and an omni-powerful centre, the great vision of founding fathers, is coming home to roost. Voters are voting for central power hating their own powerlessness and convinced that state leaders cannot taken on the centre - ever.

OTD 1799 was martyred Tipu Sultan who died valiantly fighting the British East India company Known as Sher-e-Mysore, he died fighting the British East India Company at Seringapatnam. He chose to stand and fight what he thought was an invading power. His epitaph on his tomb in Srirangapatnam reads : "The martyr of Arab is Sibte Nabi [Husain] , Fatima's lakht e jigar and Jaan e Ali From Fatima and Haider e Dakhani was [born] Tipu Sultan, Jaan e Wali, who was martyred [in Deccan] " This epitaph links him to Imam Husain, one of the greatest martyrs in Islamic tradition. It calls him Jaan-e-Wali-beloved of the saints. This was not just praise. Tipu followed a spiritual path, kept a diary of prayers and dreams, and believed that ruling was a sacred responsibility. The tiger symbol he used was not decoration, it showed his courage and how he chose to live and die. Born in 1751 to Hyder Ali, Tipu became ruler of Mysore in 1782. Btw he was fourth generation born in India. He modernized his army, developed rocket weapons, and sought alliances with leaders like Napoleon Bonaparte and the Ottoman Sultan to resist British expansion. He understood early that the Company was not just trading, but conquering. After his death, Richard Wellesley declared, “India is ours,” showing how much his resistance had challenged them. Today, he rests at the Gumbaz beside his parents. People still visit, and flowers are still offered. The tiger lives on in memory, long after the empire that defeated him. #TipuSultan #SherEMysore #OTD #TipuSultan #srirangapattana #seringapatnam #deathanniversary

@suchetadalal @grok I am reminded of the number of times the bridge on the river Mandovi collapsed !!

@grok how many bridges have collapsed in Bihar in the past five years?

एकदम वाहियात और बदतमीज़ महिला है दिव्या मदेरणा । इनके पिताजी भँवरी देवी कांड के मुख्य अभियुक्त थे और CBI की जाँच के बाद दोषी क़रार होकर सजा पाए थे । @TheLallantop के एक इंटरव्यू में फ़ोरेंसिक डाक्टर डोगरा पूरे कांड पर परदा उठाया है । इस प्रकार के लोगों को महिमा मंडित ना करे ।

@ku1deep Doesn't excuse littering. India's biggest problem is people thinking they can litter just because there's no trash bin around.

@gauravsabnis Would have a domino effect right up till Central Asia. Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan et al have such small populations and would easily join in !!

I will never give up on the dream the the India Pakistan border will one day be as meaningless as the France Germany border. I read in history class that Germany & France weren't super friendly in 1939.

@appadappajappa The only time they got together for a film ! 🎥 Smashing work !!

Always special love for Ray and especially Nayak ❤️

@gauravsabnis @RockyEatsX Rocky bhi ka territory hai khana pakana and khilana aur khana ….wahan dust bin hona ….fair point. Issue is that despite the dustbins many do not clear the table and leave the disposable trays too on the table. BTW doesn’t happen in any langar !! Nothing about being Japani

@RockyEatsX Same. I'm glad we're on the same page. I really admire your honesty. I don't even think we have any real differences of opinions. Just some miscommunications. Love forever.

There should be more dustbins, but in Mexico Peru Brazil Trinidad I've often walked a mile before seeing a dustbin to throw stuff in. But their streets are clean. Most people just carry trash with them till they see a bin. Indian problem is no shame in littering, not dustbins.

Ridiculous experience at @AxisBank Greenlands, Begumpet branch. Stopped on the way to withdraw some cash from my account. Cashier Mr Soma Deepak gave me false information about charges applicable and tried to send me to my home branch - a few kms away. The amount I needed was less than the permissible limit. I’m fully entitled to withdraw at any branch. When challenged, he says “our (branch) customers should get priority”. What nonsense! Anyway, got my transaction done. When I went to the information desk to give feedback about this - one Ms Manjula directed me to her colleague sitting next to her - saying he’s the manager. Really now! When questioned - she tried to brush away the fact that she gave me misleading information and dismiss my query. How is this ok @AxisBankSupport? What kind of untrained staff do you have, dealing with customers?

I contributed $500 to @cmkshama hoping she'll end up in Congress. We need folks like Kshama in Congress. If you want a better world, please donate to Kshama's campaign and help her get to the house of representatives.

@Nithin0dha Hope you visited the Stupa inside. If not then the whole trip is wasted !!

A bunch of us travelled to Kolkata with our families and visited the Victoria Memorial and the Indian Museum. My first proper museum trip in Kolkata, and it’s easily the best museum city in India. The Victoria Memorial, conceived by Lord Curzon after the death of Queen Victoria in 1901 and opened in 1921, is stunning as architecture. But seeing it in India feels a bit off. Built with Indian money and marble from Rajasthan, it’s also a reminder of the scale of extraction during British rule. The Indian Museum is something else altogether. The range of archaeology, fossils, art, and anthropology is incredible. You can spend hours and still not be done. Sharing this because we don’t really have a strong museum-going culture in India. Maybe the long stretch of British rule has something to do with it. But if there are two museums to start with, these are a must-visit.

@ThaiTrainGuide Will do this trip in my next visit to Thailand !!

@rosharma08 Thank you. I had done the window view shots several times and so I want to show you what the atmosphere inside is like too.

The atmosphere inside and outside the carriage as Local No. 486 crossed over Tham Krasae wooden trestle bridge at 4:00pm this afternoon. This is the most famous part of the Death Railway. #รถไฟไทย #thaitrain #trains #RailTourism #railway #railfan #railfans #railwayphotography #trainphotography #DeathRailway #Thailand

@zoru75 Wrongly numbered - Correct was T - 0420 !! Excuz plz 😁

JVPD, Juhu to Marine Drive Via Sea Link on to Coastal Road and Tunnel underground 2024 - 30 mins 2026 - 76 mins Oh ! Boy !!

And in other cases where an operating company gets too much cash it can create a subsidiary that is purely for investing and has no customers or public funds. Btw all this only applies it the asset size is less than 1000.cr.

Setting the Record Straight: The Hajj Subsidy The Haj subsidy has long been used as a stick to beat Muslims with, featuring prominently on the so-called Muslim appeasement card. Except and this is important, the subsidy no longer exists. It was abolished in 2018. So let us understand what actually happened, rather than revisiting an old political debate, the real issue now is making Haj more affordable and better managed for Indian pilgrims. Saudi Arabia sets annual quotas for each country, and India’s share for 2026 is 1,75,025 pilgrims. About 70% go through the Haj Committee of India, while the rest travel through private operators. The subsidy’s history is more layered than commonly understood. Its roots go back to the British colonial era, formalised through the Haj Committee Act of 1959. When the government abolished sea travel in 1973 — due to rising oil prices and a ship accident that killed 39 pilgrims — it increased the subsidy to bridge the higher cost of air travel. This happened under Indira Gandhi, but the subsidy long predated her. The most contentious aspect was never really the subsidy itself- it was the airline monopoly. Critics, including many Muslim MPs, pointed out that the real beneficiary was Air India, not the pilgrims. Subsidised fares were often higher than open-market prices for the same routes. The Supreme Court agreed, ruling in 2012 that the subsidy was unconstitutional and inconsistent with the Quranic principle that Haj is obligatory only upon those who can afford it. It ordered a phase-out by 2022. The government moved faster, abolishing it in 2018, redirecting the funds to education for girls from minority communities. The appeasement argument, as far as the subsidy goes, is now moot. What remains is whether Haj has actually become more affordable and honestly, not sufficiently. Private airlines including Saudia, Flynas, and SpiceJet already operate Haj charters, but competition has not driven costs down enough. More aggressive opening of the route to private carriers, with transparent tendering, is still worth pushing for. Equally unresolved are conditions on the ground - overcrowding, poor hygiene, accommodation far from the Haram, and substandard food. These are failures of administration, not of faith. Most Muslims save for much of their lives to perform Haj. The subsidy is gone, now let us focus on what actually matters: making this once-in-a-lifetime journey accessible, dignified, and affordable for every Indian Muslim who undertakes it.

🚂 Train Times at Tham Krasae Bridge (Saphan Tam Krasae Halt) One of the most breathtaking stretches of railway in Thailand, the wooden trestle at Tham Krasae hugs the cliff above the Kwae Noi River. If you’re planning to visit, here are the key train times to help you catch that unforgettable moment as the train crosses the bridge. “Outbound” trains are coming from Bangkok, while “Inbound” trains are heading back towards Bangkok. 📅 Tip: The excursion trains No. 909 and No. 910 only run on weekends and public holidays, so plan ahead if you want to experience those. Whether you’re here for the history, the views, or that perfect photo, this timetable will help you make the most of your visit. 👉 For full train timetables, route maps, and trip planners, visit: ThaiTracks.com #ThaiTracks #ThamKrasae #DeathRailway #Kanchanaburi #ThailandByRail #TrainTravel #RailTourism #SRT #ExploreThailand #Trainspotting #RailwayPhotography #ThailandTravel

About an hour and twenty minutes after leaving Kanchanaburi town, the train reaches the highlight of the trip: the Tham Krasae wooden trestle bridge. We first stop at the Suan Sai Yok Resort end of the viaduct to pick up hotel guests. They are just joining the train to cross to the other side before walking back. Make sure you are sitting on the left-hand side here for some stunning views of the Kwae Noi River below. On your right is the sheer cliff face that prisoners of war and forced Asian labourers had to cut into to make room for the viaduct on the narrow ledge. Many lost their lives here in the process. Even though this stretch is very beautiful, we shouldn’t forget the human cost behind its construction. Many people got off here but there’s another highlight a short distance away as the train climbs up into the hills. #รถไฟไทย #thaitrain #trains #RailTourism #railway #railfan #railfans #railwayphotography #trainphotography #DeathRailway #Thailand

The first highlight after crossing the Bridge on the River Kwai is just after Khao Pun Halt. It only takes five minutes to get here so prepare yourself. The kilometer marker from Bangkok is 125 KM. On your left you will see your first glimpse of the Kwae Yai River. Then almost straight away you will pass through Chungkai Cutting that was built by the prisoners of war. You should now get some great views on your left. I was here yesterday to get some shots from The Curve coffee shop on the hill above. #รถไฟไทย #thaitrain #trains #RailTourism #railway #railfan #railfans #railwayphotography #trainphotography #DeathRailway #Thailand