AShukla

@thekaipullai Great story!

I started watching the movie "Thaai Kizhavi" on Hotstar the other day, which is set in the heart of Tamil Nadu, I encountered a very unfamiliar name for a character. The character's name was "Pennycuick" Now in a land where language is an emotional topic where people sever relations, friendships and even give their lives for Tamil, a Scottish first name for a Tamil guy seems a little out of place. Some may even call it a blasphemy. How an odd Scottish Surname, whose origins lay in the town town of Penicuick near Edinburgh, became a symbol of pride and honour, 8000 kms away on the other side of the globe in Southern Tamil Nadu, is an amazing story. It is a story that also tells you the real meaning and purpose of life. It makes you understand that all the worldly things like power, prestige, position and money that we crave for, is just a mirage that we are chasing. The real glory lies someplace else. And it starts with one man. John Pennycuick (1841 - 1911) John Pennycuick was born in Pune in the year 1841, as the fourth son of Brigadier John Pennycuick, a soldier in the British army. However at the age of 8, a great tragedy befell him and his family. In 1849, in the second Anglo Sikh War, his father and his elder brother Alexander, were killed in action fighting the Sikhs in the battle of Chillianwala. When a kid sees his father and brother killed by the natives they are supposed the rule, the normal course of action is to grow up into a into a rabid Indian hating racist white man, who would have spent the rest of his life cursing India. But John Pennycuick was a better man than that. He wanted to do something that would leave a legacy behind him. And luckily for Tamil Nadu, he did. If you have ever seen a physical map of India, you will see a contiguous mountain range that separates Tamil Nadu and Kerala. These are called the Western Ghats. Now the Western Ghats, despite all their beauty and splendor, have one small problem. If you had been attentive in your sixth standard geography class, you would have known that Kerala receives most of its rain from what we call the South West Monsoon winds, which flow in from the Arabian sea. Most of the lush, beautiful, God's own country poster type greenery, is because of the abundant rainfall provided by these winds. Unfortunately, despite being in close proximity to Kerala, Tamil Nadu gets almost zero benefit from them because of these imposing ghats The problem is acute especially in the districts of Theni, Madurai, Dindigul and Ramnad. In Geography, we call it the Rain Shadow region. In the mid 19th Century, the British recognized this problem. They understood that their rapidly growing cities of Cumbum, Theni, Madurai, Ramnad etc, could not be supplied by the miniscule waters of the Vaigai River. They needed to do something drastic, to avoid a catastrophe. Their solution was the River Periyar in today's Kerala. They thought, if they could divert that river with a dam and a tunnel, and make those waters flow into the River Vaigai, the entire area from Theni to Ramnad could be transformed from an arid wasteland to an agricultural heaven. They even finalized a site at the confluence of the River Mullai and Periyar. They called it, the Mullaiperiyar dam. Unfortunately, this was not a computer game where two clicks and one prompt could build a structure that would divert the water. This was real life. And in the 1800s, real life was infinitely more difficult what it is today. The first proposal for this dam came from the Maharaja of Ramnad in 1789. Realizing the cost of the dam would be greater than the total value of his kingdom, he gave up Then the British tried their luck in 1850. But when the first teams saw the malarial swamp and the pestilential land that they had to live in, they turned around faster than Pakistanis in front of an Indian army battalion. Between 1860 to 1882, four different proposals were sent for the construction of this dam, but each time it was rejected citing impracticality, affordability, lunacy and sometimes, all the three. Then came a Certain John Pennycuick. Serving as an officer in the Public Works department, in 1887 he landed in this desolate area to take charge of building the dam. First problem he faced was the access to the site. The entire dam needed 80,000 tons of limestone and motorable roads, cranes and automobiles were at least 40 years away. So he built a ropeway and then used bullock carts to transfer the limestone to the dam site. Then there was the issue of diseases, especially Malaria. He stumbled across a local arrack that ostensibly prevented it. Pennycuick issued them to all the labourers working on the dam. They were high, happy and malaria free. Slowly, the dam started taking shape. But then the biggest issue was the River Periyar itself. It realized that someone was trying to control it. So it started rebelling. It blew away all the coffer dams that were trying to restrain it. And when this flooding happened once to often, the British guys decided that it was time to cut their losses and run. They stopped funding for the Mullaiperiyar dam. But Pennycuick was not the one to stop at trifling issues like stopping of funds. He sold his wife's jewelry and personally funded the rest of the dam. And finally in 1895, the dam and the tunnel needed for diversion, was ready. Through the 173 feet dam, 3000 ft above sea level, and a 1.5 km tunnel cut thru the mountains of western ghats, 3000 cusecs of water finally flowed into Vaigai. The water problem of Theni, Madurai and Ramnad, was finally solved. Today the Mullaiperiyar dam, irrigates more than 2 lakh acres of farmland. More than 50 lakh people directly depend on it, either for agriculture or drinking water. The districts of Theni, Madurai, Dindigul, Sivaganga and Ramnad, have transformed from arid regions with frequent draughts to agricultural hotspots. In the last 125 years it has benefitted. directly or indirectly. more than 100 million people. It has made Theni, Madurai and Ramnad the cities that they are today. One dam, built by the vision and perseverance of one man, 131 years later, is still benefitting generation after generation John Pennycuick could have taken the easier path in life. He could have gone back to Britain and lived a lavish comfortable life. He could have hated us Indians for killing his father and brother. He could have been a bitter man for the rest of his life. But he didn't. He decided to do benefit the land that he didn't even belong to. He wanted to alleviate the lives of people who were not even from his actual country. He wanted to bring succour and happiness to a lot that probably hated him. He built the dam despite knowing he would neither be recognized for it, nor benefit from it financially. He helped very same set of people who were responsible for the deaths of his father and brother. What he did, transcended race, religion, caste and identity. It towers above stuff like region and language Today Pennycuick isn't just a name in Theni district. It is a matter or pride and honour. Their bus stand is named the John Pennycuick bus stand. People, as shown in the movie, are named Pennycuick. There have been thousands of rich men in Theni and Madurai after Pennycuick. There have been hundreds of leaders, politicians and officers who have trod on that land. But none inspire the following and regard that Pennycuick has, 115 years after his death. John Pennycuick proves to all of us, that you can earn money, buy cars, build houses, go to Universities abroad and float thermacol sheets on rivers, but respect and legacy, is the ultimate currency. Because in 2026, you don't remember the MP / MLA of Madurai / Theni. You don't remember their Ivy league degrees. You don't remember their family legacy. You don't remember their mansions and money. They are all forgotten in the sands of time. But you have and will always remember, John Pennycuick. P:S: Today, we talk about North India / South India, Hindi / Tamil etc. Sometimes I wonder what would Pennycuick from heaven feel about all of this. P:P:S: Once when someone asked why Pennycuick was doing this idiotic stuff, he said ""I am going to be only once in this earthly world, hence I need to do some good deeds here. This deed should not be prorogue nor ignored since I am not going to be here again"

@jpsin1 @lenskart What is the issue with Bindi? I would like to have a logical explanation.

कॉर्पोरेट जिहाद अब व्यापक बन गया है.. टीसीएस के बाद अब लेंसकार्ट @Lenskart_com @lenskart भी सवालों के घेरे में हिजाब, पगड़ी की अनुमति है लेकिन कलावा, बिंदी की नहीं। सिन्दूर दिखाई नहीं देना चाहिए

@polticincorrect @mujifren Suaron ke kuch maan lene se ya na maan lene se haathee ko koi fark naheen padta. Jaa...apni maa chuda bhosdi ke.

@SparklingIntree @mujifren Shukla ukla pandit to hum log pandit mante hi nahi tumhara koi wajood hi nahi hai jao gand marwalo

Since past 2 months the activist group was saying the filthy abusive community notes on PM Modi tweets are organic and this is anger against him A thread 🧵 to debunk the "organic" claim In this screenshot A member of a GC says - "Buddhe (Modi) ki post pe CN stamp nhi ho raha hai" Other member confirms - Sab pe toh lag gaya hai ab - means the efforts were successful

@IraninHyderabad @majorgauravarya Iran got huge support from mainstream Indians. I don't see a reason why you should be highlighting some individual's statement. Everyone is entitled to have an opinion.

Gaurav Arya says: "We are the real brother of Israel and we want Israel to drop 100 bombs on Lebanon and 50 bombs on Gaza." 🔹@majorgauravarya brotherhood with a genocidal and occupying regime has no credibility. It’s the classic gaslighting circular argument: Israel invades → people resist → Israel blames the resistance to justify even more invasions

@An_witness001 @mujifren Sure..like I am also being funded from somewhere.There are people who are independent/not connected with any group.Everyone is not on parole of a political party and frankly, BJP is rattled because they can not control narrative on social media. So, call it whatever,I don't care.

@SparklingIntree @mujifren Then don't call it organic. Twitter doesn't even represent 1% of india

@Gungun187702 I work in Karnataka and I love the state. Very good people, soft spoken and friendly. I only can wish best for the state. We can have bad experience anywhere but we can not generalize it.

Apart from your home state, which state of India do you like the most?

@ReservationRF I don't think GCs ever need to run a hashtag to prove love for country. I personally will never put any hashtag to prove anything, my existence itself is enough. These kind of hashtag are for people who are not sure about their loyalty...nonsense like main bhee chaukidaar etc.

Do you know, after the anti-India statements from her team, when we asked her to run a national hashtag like “GC Loves India,” she refused to post or tweet even a single tag? Instead, she removed all the people who were saying “We GC love India.” Then we publicly asked for her support through the post below, but she still didn’t respond. I kept wondering—what is making it so difficult for her to say this? 🤔

@Preetam_M_Rao BJP created a mess and now trying to guilt trip GCs with laughable allegations. We supported these bastards all our life, defended them but they proved worst then Congress. Vibhishan hai Macrohard saale. Enemy is better than backtabbers because you know they are enemy and expect.

It's ok even if the GC activism is infiltrated by ppl with political affiliations. Concerns are genuine. BJP still needs to be belted for all their fuckups. They took us for granted for way too long & betrayed us in the name of Hindutva. Don't let Pak, CIA, DS get in the way!

@garvit_sethii That just shows the desperation of BJP. They are not able to discredit genuine anger of GCs and trying everything to discredit. Their low IQ leadership and IT cell think that people are dumb. BJP will suffer loss and it will be too late for realization.

Dear General Category, I’ve been seeing a lot of posts about that individual allegedly seeking help from Pakistan. Here’s my perspective: I don’t know who he is, but if the allegations are true, he deserves to be behind bars. That is outright treason. We were, are, and will always remain loyal to our motherland, and any act against it must not be tolerated. I hope the authorities take strict action against him. At the same time, we also need to understand a pattern whenever a movement starts gaining traction, attempts are often made to disrupt it. Sometimes it’s through deliberate tactics, and sometimes fringe elements enter and damage its credibility. It takes just one such person to malign an entire movement. Whether this individual was planted or genuinely anti-national, that must be investigated but our entire cause cannot be judged based on one anonymous person we don’t even know. Some political loyalists are trying hard to paint the whole movement as anti national because of this. Don’t fall for that narrative. A movement is always bigger than any one individual. Also, we need to stop blindly idolizing political parties or leaders. Stay focused on the core cause raising awareness, questioning biased narratives, and standing up for the rights of the General Category. Thank you.

@aravind @mujifren Really? As a life long supporter of BJP who does not see any alignment of current BJP/Modi policies with Hindu case anymore and does not agree with caste appeasement/freebies policies, I don't see any reason to support now. India does not depend on Modi or BJP.

Now you will understand why these handles were downplaying Nasik IT scandal since past 3 days Because they were providing cover to their Islamist brothers Ye baat chal rhi inke GC pe - Find Muslim Influencers to talk about our cause, build brotherhood

@NewsAlgebraIND Kittens have to be with mother for 2 weeks. They don't open eyes and don't go anywhere. Once a cat had given birth to 3 kittens in my home and we let them be at my home. One was with us for 5 years and died becase one big male cat attacked him. Left us with memories and trauma.

BIZARRE CASE 🚨 In Bengaluru, A resident's male cat impregnated a neighbour's female cat. The conflict erupted after four kittens were born. The owners of the female cat took the newborns to their neighbour's house 😳 FEMALE CAT OWNER : Hey, You own the "father cat" na, so only you will have to raise the kittens. MALE CAT OWNER : No, we will not. Someone called the police. Bengaluru Police calmed both sides down and suggested that neither family would be forced to keep the kittens. Eventually, both parties agreed and the kittens were relocated to a neutral third-party home.

@dna Just a curious question. Is it about just speaking and understanding the language or is it about reading also?

Knowing Marathi will be mandatory for all licensed rickshaw and taxi drivers in Maharashtra from May 1, Cabinet Minister Pratap Sarnaik said on Tuesday. In a statement, he said that a statewide campaign will be carried out through the Motor Transport Department to implement the directive. The Minister also warned that the licenses of drivers who do not possess basic knowledge of Marathi will be cancelled. #DNAUpdates | #Maharashtra | #Marathi

@Pavanasoonu नमन नमन में फर्क है, बहुत नमे नादान। दगाबाज दूना नमे, चीता, चोर, कमान।।

One of my first teaching from my grandmother Ati vinaya dhūrta lakṣaṇa” (अति विनय धूर्त लक्षण)

@WithLoveBihar @EkangarMagahi @iamkunwarji @IndexBihar @alokawinash @khurpenchh Like or dislike him but no one can point a finger at him for corruption. He had limitations but he tried to implement alcohal prohibition honestly despite pressure. He is hugely popular among women because of prohibition and frankly whatever people say, he has support in Bihar.

Nitish Kumar to many may be a hero but for me he was an utter failure. Read the full post to know why : In 20 years, he failed to deliver : 1. A bus stand 2. A modern railway station 3. An International Airport 4. A modern functioning hospital 5. A college of national repute 6. An Expressway 7. A Cricket Stadium 8. A functioning SEZ 9. A major IT company or IT Park 10. Central University status to Patna University 11. Flood management infrastructure 12. A planned city / greenfield city 13. Bus infra like other states 14. A Public Sector Unit (PSU) 15. Above all, jobs for youth 16. Dignity (Biharis are abused) He only pondered to his vote bank - certain castes and the women. He couldn't see beyond them. Appreciated for jeevika Didi, roads and electricity,he couldn't go beyond them. With tight control over local media, no questions asked, he took his PR to the masses with their support. Clever indeed. He leaves Bihar in bad hands with 1. A broken health system 2. Deteriorated Primary education to missing Higher education 3. Negligible Public transport 4. Miniscule jobs 5. 20% revenue loss due to alcohol prohibition 6. Drugs menace 7. Increased crime 8. Poorest state 9. Zero Bihar brand value 10. Ridiculous state of affairs controlled by babus The sad part, he never opened his mouth on Bihar's youth getting abused or beaten up in other states. Never. Never brought any dignity to the miserable life of the Bihari workers in other states. Never. - With Love, Bihar PS : Feel free to disagree but read the post with open mind.

@WithLoveBihar जय गोविंद!

The Tamil community of Bihar has opened a grand "Shree Balaji Narasimha" temple at Bahiyara (near Koilwar), Ara, Bhojpur . The temple is in the dravidian style and was inaugurated (read pran pratishthan) yesterday.

@IthassPunjyab Only 50 years to lose everything!

Afghan Sikhs Celebrating Vaisakhi in Kabul, Afghanistan. Circa 1970

@vicharabhio Sunny/Amrish Puri proved a great combination. Kamal Hassan is a good actor, he did many Hindi movies. I have seen enough movies to say that he never connected emotionally with masses (except Sadma climax) and failed in Bollywood.He is good but overrated. Ghatak is goated movie.

Learn Hindi and watch Ghatak. Don't live under a rock that only Kamal Haasan knows how to emote, Sunny Deol is the best actor in drama and emotional scenes though he often gets typecasted for his action movies due to producers' pressure.

@Cloudwatch199 Wherever I listened to that guy, I found him(?) very irritating and hard to continue. I don't know how and why these kind of people have following in US.

We always knew you were paid by the MULLAH lobby. You don't have to keep proving it , Mexican clown.

@AnilKapoor @ThePrintIndia I watched movie but never for a moment I thought about caste. What kind of agenda is going on to pollute people's mind, I am not really sure.