Saturday, September 24, 2022
Wednesday, September 21, 2022
In One Corner of Kosovo, Cheers Still Ring Out for Putin Most ethnic Serbs, whether living in Serbia or in enclaves in Kosovo and in Bosnia-Herzegovina, view Russia as their friend, not because they necessarily like where Putin has taken his country but because they loathe NATO. NEW YORK TIMES SEPTEMBER 20, 2022 / 07:44 PM IST
Russia President Vladimir Putin (File Image: Reuters)
When Europeans and Americans recoiled in horror this spring at evidence of Russian atrocities in Ukraine, Nebjosa Jovic, a university administrator in northern Kosovo, decided he had to act: He organized a street protest to cheer Russia on.
“We wanted to send a message to the West, especially its headquarters in the United States, to stop persecuting Russians,” Jovic said.
Only a few people showed up, Jovic said, because of the “circle of fear” that envelops northern Kosovo, a mostly ethnic Serb region out of step with the rest of the country, where ethnic Albanians, most of whom strongly support Ukraine, make up more than 90% of the population.
Viewed from London or Washington, the horrors visited on Ukraine by Russia offer a clear and inescapable moral choice. But, filtered through the prism of grievance and history in places tormented by their own strife, Ukraine’s misery fades in favor of local claims to victimhood.
“Russia is the only glimmer of hope we have left,” said Milos Damjanovic, a local historian in the mainly Serb part of the divided city of Mitrovica, in northern Kosovo, and a fervent believer that the West and its NATO military alliance were responsible for the dismemberment of Yugoslavia, of which Kosovo was part until the Balkan wars of the 1990s.
On the main road out of Mitrovica to the north — past a guard post manned by U.S. soldiers — a billboard assures local Serbs that they are not standing alone against the West and still have influential friends: It displays pictures of President Vladimir Putin of Russia, President Aleksandar Vucic of Serbia and Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic, hailed as “honorary citizens” of a nearby ethnic Serb settlement.
Putin has not shown up to collect his honorary title, but he still figures prominently in the minds of many residents as a potential and much hoped-for savior, the latest in a long line of Russians who, in the Serb accounting of the past, have labored tirelessly to protect their Slavic “brothers” from hostile outsiders, particularly Muslims.
Russia fought more than a dozen wars with the Muslim Ottoman Empire, which defeated an Orthodox Christian Serb ruler, Prince Lazar, at the Battle of Kosovo in 1389. That ancient reversal bulks large in modern Serb nationalism, feeding a deep well of grievance toward Kosovo’s largely Muslim ethnic Albanian population, even though some Albanians fought on the Serb side.
In the center of Mitrovica stand statues honoring Prince Lazar and Grigory Scherbina, a Russian envoy to the region who was killed near the city by a Muslim soldier in 1903. An inscription on the envoy’s statue reads: “A drop of brotherly Russian blood joins the stream of Serbian blood that has been flowing for centuries.”
Not mentioned is that the Russian envoy was of Ukrainian origin.
History, much of it bloody and dominated by tales of masculine martial valor, looms large across the Balkans, particularly in the celebration — or denunciation — of “brotherly” bonds between Russia and Serbia, both predominantly Orthodox Christian nations.
“We have too much history and too much Balkan masculinity,” said Ljiljana Drazevic, who runs a small business weaving woolen shawls. Skeptical that Putin offered salvation, she said, “People are desperate, but I never had any hope of getting anything from Russia.”
Aside from supporting Serbia at the United Nations and giving diplomatic heft to claims that Kosovo still belongs to Serbia, Russia has provided little in the way of concrete aid. And, by repeatedly citing the West’s intervention in Kosovo to justify Russia’s seizure of Crimea and other Ukrainian land, Putin has undermined the principle of territorial integrity on which Serbia bases its claim to Kosovo.
Most ethnic Serbs, whether living in Serbia or in enclaves in Kosovo and in Bosnia-Herzegovina, view Russia as their friend, not because they necessarily like where Putin has taken his country but because they loathe NATO. This is particularly pronounced in northern Kosovo, where a 1999 NATO bombing campaign that broke Serbia’s grip on Kosovo is seen as the ultimate source of all the enclave’s problems.
Damjanovic, the historian, said that he would much prefer to live in the “free world,” not in a “world of no rights like Putin’s Russia” but, because of NATO, “We have no choice. Our only choice is Russia.”
North Mitrovica’s role as a citadel of pro-Russian sentiment has created a problem for Vucic, the Serbian president. He has rejected imposing sanctions on Moscow over the invasion, and for years, he has fanned Serbs’ sense of victimhood. At the same time, however, he has labored to convince the West that he is not in the Kremlin’s pocket.
For Vucic, a leader who is trying to get his country into the European Union, ethnic Serbs’ rooting for Russia in a Kosovo region firmly under his thumb is a bad look.
Jovic, the organizer of the pro-Moscow protest, complained that local officials loyal to the Serbian president tightly controlled all political activity in the region and had made it difficult to stage open displays of support for the Kremlin.
Vucic, according to Jovic, doesn’t want to complicate his already stumbling efforts to join the European Union. “The West,” Jovic said, “thinks that anyone who supports Russia is a fanatic.”
In some cases, that might be true, but for most of Russia’s many fans in northern Kosovo, Moscow simply offers a refuge from feelings of isolation and despair, of which there are a great deal in these parts.
Wary of being tarred as extremists and of upsetting Vucic’s balancing act between East and West, ethnic Serb officials in northern Kosovo offer only muted backing for Russia and deny looking to Moscow for support. “Russia has sympathy here, but we are not seeking any help from it,” said Igor Simic, the deputy head of the main political party representing Serbs in Kosovo.
Even Damjanovic, the anti-NATO historian, conceded that Russia had often disappointed. One example was in June 1999, he said, when Moscow sent troops to Kosovo just hours before NATO forces arrived. Despite receiving an ecstatic welcome from ethnic Serbs waving Russian flags, the Russian forces did nothing to prevent the majority ethnic Albanian population from taking violent revenge after the Serbian police and military left. NATO troops, too, mostly stood aside.
But that, Damjanovic noted, was when Boris Yeltsin was in charge of the Kremlin. “Now it is Putin. The stronger Russia is, the better it is for Serbs,” he said. “I don’t know anybody in Kosovo who is supporting Ukraine,” he added, overlooking the near-universal support for Ukraine among ethnic Albanians.
Milos Milovanovic, a researcher who works at a nongovernmental organization in Mitrovica and who is a rare ethnic Serb critic of Moscow, said, “I personally feel zero sympathy for Russia” in Ukraine. As a result, he noted, “I’m always arguing with my friends.”
Hardly anyone in Kosovo, he added, has thought much about the war in Ukraine, but nearly everyone has taken sides “on an emotional level” depending on their ethnicity.
“Unfortunately,” Milovanovic noted, “emotion and rationality do not go together.”
(Author: Andrew Higgins)/(c.2021 The New York Times Company)
Yes Bank okays sale of $6 billion stressed debt to JC Flowers :ET
YES BANK has approved the declaration of JC Flowers ARC as the winner of the Swiss Challenge process, according to media reports.
The Swiss Challenge process is done to invite challenger bids for the sale of stressed assets.
For the Rs 48,000 crore NPA portfolio, Yes Bank had received no challenger bids to JC Flowers' base bid.
As per an announcement made on September 20, Yes Bank's board has approved the sale of $6 billion (about Rs 48,000 crore) stressed debt to private equity firm JC Flowers after no challenger bids were received.
Consequently, JC Flowers ARC was declared the winner.
“The Swiss Challenge process has now concluded and the Bank not having received any Challenger Bids to the Base Bid, the Board of Directors of the Bank, at their Meeting held on September 20, 2022, has approved the declaration of JC Flowers ARC as the winner of the Swiss Challenge process,” the bank said in a filing to stock exchanges.
Besides winner declaration, the Board also okayed the necessary investment for the acquisition of up to 19.99 per cent equity stake in JC Flowers ARC by the Bank. The acquisition will be done in single or multiple tranches. This will be subject to required regulatory approvals.
Tuesday, September 20, 2022
US Fed meet today: Will all hell break loose if Powell opts for 100 bps rate hike? :-ETBy Nikhil Agarwal, ETMarkets.comLast Updated: Sep 20, 2022, 03:13 PM IST
NEW DELHI: Amid supportive domestic macros and buying by both retail and institutional investors, Nifty has somehow managed to survive the onslaught of bears that has hit the global market. Now as the US Federal Reserve begins its two-day meeting from today, Nifty bulls are worried that harsh words by Jerome Powell could lead to a shakeout.
While the quantum of rate hike and Powell’s commentary on the dot plot is anybody’s guess, analysts say the market has already priced in a 75 basis point hike tomorrow (Wednesday) night.
Powell is expected to reiterate hawkish stance and if he goes for a 100 bps point hike, there could be a knee-jerk reaction the next day on Dalal Street as well.
“August inflation data has opened the door to the possibility of a 100 bps rate hike after two consecutive hikes of 75 bps. No matter which way the Fed goes with, the takeaway is clear — there is more work to be done and expectations should be adjusted accordingly,” Vikram Kasat, Head Advisory, Prabhudas Lilladher, told ETMarkets.
Powell’s commentary around future rate hikes would be an important trigger to track. The market wants to know whether we are at the peak of the rate hike or will the Fed be more aggressive in the future.
Equity strategist Kranthi Bathini of Wealth Mills Securities opines that the impact of Fed meet’s outcome would be relatively less on India. “We are in a better position fundamentally. We never had zero interest rates and no ultra-loose monetary policies to trouble us. Fed rate hikes impact us as well but to a lesser extent,” he said.
Markets now expect the US central bank to boost its main interest rate to 4.4 per cent by March. That is up from forecasts of about 4 per cent earlier.
Analysts also believe that since traders are light on positions and have no positive expectations, any positive news may trigger a relief rally after the announcement.
On Wall Street, analysts see a 20 per cent chance of a 100 bps rate hike as the labor market remains strong and as the economy slowly softens.
Mark Matthews of Julius Baer is of the opinion that the market will rally whether it is a 75 bps or 100 bps hike as the Fed is unlikely to deliver an extremely hawkish message.
"Let us say, they raise by 100 basis points. If they deliver that in the context of a message that we think we are beating inflation and the worst is behind us, it would ironically be a dovish 100 basis points. On the other hand, they could increase by 75 basis points and deliver a very hawkish message that there is still a lot to worry about. The market would not like it," he said.
Russia to flood Asia with fuel as Europe ramps up sanctions :-ET By Elizabeth Low, BloombergLast Updated: Sep 20, 2022, 03:15 PM IST
Russia is likely to ship more fuel to Asia and the Middle East in the coming months as Europe tightens sanctions to step up its response to the invasion of Ukraine.
The two regions have already been taking a greater share of Russian exports since the war broke out, according to data from S&P Global Commodities at Sea, highlighting the as-yet-unfinished reconfiguration of global energy flows. Now, the European Union is set to bar most imports of Russian crude from Dec. 5, followed by a prohibition on oil products that’ll kick in from February, ramping up the pressure on Moscow to redirect more of its energy output.
India and China took a combined 2.7 million barrels a day of Russian crude and products last month, according to Morgan Stanley, 54% higher than a year earlier. Smaller nations, dubbed the rest of the world, boosted imports to 926,000 barrels a day from 561,000, the bank said in a recent note. China’s spending on Russian energy products hit a record $8.3 billion in August, customs data show.
While buyers in some nations such as Myanmar or Sri Lanka have acknowledged taking Russian cargoes as the war drags on, others have been more circumspect. As the trade continues to evolve, Russian sellers have been employing a variety of tactics to develop existing markets as well as find new outlets, including re-exports and ship-to-ship transfers. An uptick in flows may spur competition, hurting prices and undermining refining margins.
Here’s a look at what’s been happening in the trade, and what may come next.
1. Rebranding Cargoes
One way Russian products such as fuel oil can make their way into Asia is flowing through the region’s major distribution hubs. Such places typically have large land or floating storage facilities and can blend Russian fuels with other products before they are relabeled with a new origin and shipped onward.
“Sanctioned material has been flying under the radar and entering trading hubs for a long time, but this is going to accelerate as Russian sanctions come in,” said John Driscoll, director of JTD Energy Services, based in Singapore. “New grades and sources may emerge. One sign may be when exports far exceed the production of the country,” he said.
Ship-tracking data from Vortexa Ltd. shows a substantial increase in loadings of Russian fuel oil that have signaled destinations in the Middle East and Asia. Cargoes bound for the United Arab Emirates -- where Fujairah is located -- jumped by nearly five times last month compared with a year ago, while those signaling Singapore gained 25%. Shipments for Egypt, China, Saudi Arabia and Malaysia have also risen sharply.
2. Ship-to-Ship Transfers
As the fresh EU sanctions kick in, some buyers may not want to be seen taking Russian fuels, likely driving an increase in ship-to-ship transfers. In what’s a common method of obscuring trade flows, a first vessel loads a cargo from Russia, offloads it to a second, which sails to the final destination.
Some 20%-23% of the Russian naphtha, diesel and fuel oil loaded from west Russian ports in June to August was transferred by this method before heading to buyers, according to Serena Huang, lead Asia analyst at Vortexa.
In one recent example, medium-range tanker Sea Pride loaded high-sulfur fuel oil from Tuapse, Russia at the end of August, then transferred it to larger Suezmax vessel Kriti Breeze in Kalamata, Greece, according to Vortexa and Bloomberg data. The latter is signaling Zhoushan, China as its destination.
3. Emerging Nations
With many EU states shunning Russian products and crude and curbs set to tighten, the push by Moscow to find alternatives will become more acute, potentially targeting Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Myanmar and Indonesia. Some of these poorer nations are already struggling to pay for increasingly costly fuel imports, making the lure of cheaper Russian shipments difficult to resist.
In Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s largest economy, there have been talks this month between state oil company Pertamina and Russia on the possibility of increased flows. “The intention is there, the details need to be worked out,” Russian Ambassador to Indonesia Lyudmila Vorobieva said in early September.
Rather than take products at this stage, Pertamina plans to process Russian oil at its Balongan refinery, which is being revamped to be more flexible and use any type of crude, President Director Nicke Widyawati told the Jakarta Globe.
4. Stored at Sea
While the flow of Russian fuels is set to pick up, there’s a possibility Asia can’t fully digest all the excess, contributing to lower prices and a rise in volumes stored at sea, especially as slowing economic growth may dent demand.
Local markets for naphtha and high-sulfur fuel oil, HSFO, are already oversupplied, in part due to an influx of Russian products. Highlighting that situation, the prompt timespread for HSFO is in contango, a bearish structure in which later-delivered cargoes cost more. That offers sellers an incentive to store fuel for later sale.
The volume of Russian crude and oil products being stored at sea worldwide swelled to 5.67 million barrels as of Sept. 11, up from 2.9 million barrels at the start of the year, according to Kpler data.
“We expect a continued build up in Russian products on the water,” said
Monday, September 19, 2022
Rupee-rouble trade: Russia’s PSCB opens Re A/c with Yes Bank By Pehal News Team -September 19, 202201 PEHAL NEWS TEAM
Yes Bank and Russia‘s Petersburg Social Commercial Bank (PSCB) have taken the lead in facilitating rupee-rouble bilateral commerce that seeks to bypass the US greenback, making certain uninterrupted cross-border enterprise with Moscow entities amid Western sanctions on the nation. PSCB, nevertheless, does not characteristic within the checklist of sanctioned banks.
The Russian lender, which possible escaped the West’s scanner due to its insignificant presence in Europe‘s richer neighbourhoods and different developed economies, has opened a rupee account with almost three dozen Russian corporations settling funds for trades with New Delhi.
Separately, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is prone to concern an FAQ on customary operational procedures associated to the rupee accounts, folks acquainted with the matter mentioned.
“We have opened a rupee-rouble account with Yes Bank,” Vladimir L Pribytkin, PSCB’s founder and chairman, mentioned in a reply to ET’s question. “We are currently transacting through it as we settle payments in rupees-roubles on behalf of our nearly three dozen Russian clients engaged in trades with India.”
Some of the PSCB’s shoppers embrace LLC Mettem-M, LLC Armtel and LLC NKP Farmindusry. The financial institution largely offers with corporations engaged in bilateral Indian commerce associated to pharmaceutical elements, fruits and spices. The RBI and Yes Bank didn’t touch upon the matter. Individual corporations couldn’t be reached instantly for feedback.
The Russian financial institution is probably the primary previously few months to open a rupee account with an Indian lender within the aftermath of the Russia-Ukraine navy battle. The rupee account is prone to be transformed right into a particular rupee account at a later stage after the central financial institution comes out with its FAQ clarification.
‘Special’ Tag
Yes Bank is claimed to have acquired three-four extra functions from different Russian lenders reminiscent of MFK Bank.
Indian lenders have acquired almost two dozen such functions, most of which are actually mendacity with the central financial institution for approval, sources mentioned.
Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) is facilitating the entire course of with Russia-India commerce turning into the point of interest for such bespoke accounts.
“Most of the Indian lenders have sent all those applications to the RBI, which has not yet decided on approvals,” mentioned a senior government concerned in diplomatic dialogues between two nations.
A ‘particular’ tag to the rupee vostro account permits utilization of surplus stability in Indian authorities securities.
More than per week in the past, Indian lenders held conferences with the federal government and the RBI in an try to repair operational hurdles. Russian delegations, too, met Indian lawmakers and regulators.
Transmission of messaging, opening of letter of credit score, frequent reference fee between the rupee and rouble, authorized framework, and repatriation of rupees had been amongst different procedural issues that got here up for dialogue.
USED HERE FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES OF STUDENTS
Learn With ETMarkets: Delisted stock lying in your demat account? Here’s what you can do :-ET
With stocks and initial public offerings (IPOs) soaring and raking in the money, the volatility of the bull market can be never ending. Nevertheless, market downturns are inevitable and when a listed company’s fall from grace occurs, as it normally happens many times in the stock market, textbook conditions for delisting can be created.
Delisting
Delisting is a process in which shares of a listed company have been removed from the stock exchanges completely for buying and selling purposes. These shares are governed by the market regulator, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) and can’t be traded on NSE and BSE. Think of it as the reverse process of an IPO, whereby a public company goes private.
The delisting of shares, be it involuntary or voluntary, can financially impact the investors who own these shares. In the case of voluntary delisting, companies choose to delist themselves and opt for the permanent removal of securities from the stock exchange. The reasons for this may include mergers with another company, costs of being publicly listed outweighing its benefits, or being bought by private equity firms. Whereas, involuntary delisting refers to the forced removal of listed company shares from the stock exchange for reasons like non-compliance with listed guidelines, low share price or late report filing. But, even though you can not sell your shares on any exchange there are still options via which you can compute and claim such losses.
Even if the shares are delisted from stock exchanges, they are still lying in your demat account as delisting cannot amount to the extinguishment of the shares or your rights in the shares. There are ways to claim the the losses on shares such as:
1.After being delisted, shares can continue to trade over-the-counter on the OTC bulletin board and shareholders can still trade the stock, though it is likely that the market will be less liquid.
Delisting
Delisting is a process in which shares of a listed company have been removed from the stock exchanges completely for buying and selling purposes. These shares are governed by the market regulator, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) and can’t be traded on NSE and BSE. Think of it as the reverse process of an IPO, whereby a public company goes private.
3,.Loss incurred by a delisted account can be adjusted against your gains under the head ‘Capital Gains’ as income under this head generally becomes taxable only when there is the transfer of the capital asset held by you. As per the provisions of income tax laws, gains are taxable and the losses incurred on the transfer of capital assets can be set off against other gains.
The Bottom Line
Whether a company gets delisted voluntarily or involuntarily, there will always be an option for you as an investor to offload your shares. Sebi has ensured that delisting does not directly affect shareholders' rights or claims on the delisted company. Delistings can provide profitable investment opportunities or shareholders may lose money.
By Sidhavelayutham M, ET CONTRIBUTORS
( The author is Founder & CEO, Alice Blue)
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Sunday, September 18, 2022
GST :-Mandatory e-Invoicing
Starting 1st October 2022, all GST-registered businesses with a turnover of INR 10 crore or more will need to generate e-Invoices for all B2B transactions. Soon, e-Invoices are going to become a universal requirement for businesses.
Saturday, September 17, 2022
PM Modi turns 72; President, ministerial colleagues extend wishes Prime Minister Narendra Modi turned 72 on Saturday, with politicians and dignitaries extending their best wishes to him.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi turned 72 on Saturday, with politicians and dignitaries extending their best wishes to him.
His birthday is often marked with development initiatives while the BJP launches 'seva' (service) activities.
Modi will be speaking at four programmes linked to diverse fields, including the release of cheetahs brought from Namibia in a Madhya Pradesh national park.
Wishing him, President Droupadi Murmu said the work for nation-building under his incomparable hardwork, dedication and creativity continue to advance.
Modi's ministerial colleagues paid fulsome tributes to his leadership and administrative acumen as they wished him on his birthday.
Home Minister Amit Shah hailed him as the flag-bearer of Indian culture who has connected the country to its roots and led it forward in every field.
Under his farsighted leadership, India has emerged as a world power and he has distinguished himself as a global leader respected by the world, Shah said.
Modi's life symbolises service and dedication, he said, calling him the builder of a secure, strong and 'aatmanirbhar' new India.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said his leadership has boosted progress and good governance like never before and taken India's prestige and self-respect to a new high.
He has given a new dimension to Indian politics and given importance to the poor's welfare along with development, Singh said.
An RSS pracharak from a young age, Modi was drafted into the BJP's organisation and later became Gujarat chief minister in 2001.
Since then, he has achieved the unique feat of never losing the state and now national election when he has been the face of the party.
He led the BJP to win in three consecutive Gujarat assembly polls in 2002, 2007 and 2012 and then in the Lok Sabha polls in 2014 and 2019.
BS
Policy amended, international trade can now be settled in Rupee :-ET
The government has amended the Foreign Trade Policy to allow international trade invoicing, payment and settlement in the Indian rupee, activating the mechanism announced by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to facilitate trade in the domestic currency.TheDirectorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) under the Ministry of Commerce and Indudtry notified the changes to the policy.The central bank allowed authorised banks in India to open special rupee Vostro accounts of correspondent banks of any partner trading country to facilitate trade in the Indian currency.
The central bank allowed authorised banks in India to open special rupee Vostro accounts of correspondent banks of any partner trading country to facilitate trade in the Indian currency.
Under the arrangement, Indian importers will make payment in rupees into the special Vostro account of the partner country bank against the invoices for the supply of goods or services from the overseas seller or supplier, the trade policy said.
"Indian exporters undertaking exports of goods and services through this mechanism shall be paid the export proceeds in Indian Rupees from the balances in the designated special Vostro account of the correspondent bank of the partner country," it added.
Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman had last week held a meeting to review the proposed trade in rupee and asked banks to speed up the process of opening special rupee Vostro accounts.The department of commerce has also been asked to reach out to traders to encourage them to adopt this route.
'Today's era isn't of war': PM Narendra Modi raises concerns over ongoing war in Ukraine with Vladimir Putin :-ET
Raising concerns over the ongoing war in Ukraine with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday asked Moscow to find a way to end the conflict.
"Today's era isn't of war and I have spoken to you about it on the call. Today we'll get the opportunity to talk about how can we progress on the path of peace," PM Modi said during talks with the Russian President on the sidelines of the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
Raising concerns over the ongoing war in Ukraine with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday asked Moscow to find a way to end the conflict.
Meanwhile, Putin assured Modi that he wants an end to the war in Ukraine "as soon as possible".
"I know about your position on the conflict in Ukraine & also about your concerns. We want all of this to end as soon as possible. We will keep you abreast of what is happening there," the Russian President said.
Friday, September 16, 2022
KIDS REALLY DO SAY THE WEIRDEST THINGS SOMETIMES!!!!!
What Is Butt Dust???
What, you ask, is 'Butt dust'? Read on and you'll discover the joy in it! These have to be original and genuine. No adult is this creative!!JACK (age 3) was watching his Mom breast-feeding his new baby sister. After a while he asked: 'Mom why have you got two? Is one for hot and one for cold milk?' MELANIE (age 5) asked her Granny how old she was. Granny replied she was so old she didn't remember any more.. Melanie said, 'If you don't remember you must look in the back of your panties. Mine say five to six.' STEVEN (age 3) hugged and kissed his Mom good night. 'I love you so much that when you die I'm going to bury you outside my bedroom window.' BRITTANY (age 4) had an ear ache and wanted a pain killer. She tried in vain to take the lid off the bottle. Seeing her frustration, her Mom explained it was a child-proof cap and she'd have to open it for her. Eyes wide with wonder, the little girl asked: 'How does it know it's me?' SUSAN (age 4) was drinking juice when she got the hiccups. 'Please don't give me this juice again,' she said, 'It makes my teeth cough.' DJ (age 4) stepped onto the bathroom scale and asked: 'How much do I cost?' CLINTON (age 5) was in his bedroom looking worried When his Mom asked what was troubling him, he replied, 'I don't know what'll happen with this bed when I get married. How will my wife fit in it?' MARC (age 4) was engrossed in a young couple that were hugging and kissing in a restaurant. Without taking his eyes off them, he asked his dad: 'Why is he whispering in her mouth?' TAMMY (age 4) was with her mother when they met an elderly, rather wrinkled woman her Mom knew. Tammy looked at her for a while and then asked, 'Why doesn't your skin fit your face?' JAMES (age 4) was listening to a Bible story. His dad read: 'The man named Lot was warned to take his wife and flee out of the city but his wife looked back and was turned to salt.' Concerned, James asked: 'What happened to the flea?' The Sermon I think this Mom will never forget .. This particular Sunday sermon...'Dear Lord,' the minister began, with arms extended toward heaven and a rapturous look on his upturned face. 'Without you, we are but dust...' He would have continued but at that moment my very obedient daughter who was listening leaned over to me and asked quite audibly in her shrill little four year old girl voice, 'Mom, what is butt dust?'Make sure you pass this one on and spread the smiles....
SOME INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT DELHI-INDIA
*a) INA* market is not named after the Indian National Army. It's actually named after a private airline, the Indian National Airways, that was later nationalized and became part of Indian Airlines.*B) Khan* market is named after Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan's brother, Khan Abdul Jabbar Khan. Ghaffar market is named after the Frontier Gandhi, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan. *c) Bengali* market is named after Lala Bengali Mal Lohia, who built the place and had no connection with Bengal or Bengalis. *d) Mehrchand* Market and Khanna Market, separated by a few hundred yards, are named after one person, Mehrchand Khanna, who was Rehabilitation Minister after independence. *e) the famous Pandara Road* was actually Pandava Road. It was a clerk's misreading while copying it that led to the current name. *f) Rai Sina* village and surrounding areas were cleared to make way for Viceroy House (Now President's Estate on Raisina Hill). The villagers were resettled under the Deputy Commissioner, Mr. Young. Thus, the resettlement colony was named Youngpura, which people pronounce as *Jungpura*.True but amazing facts about Delhi.
THE LADY WHO DESIGNED PARAM VIR CHAKRA :-Contributed by Shri Gopidas Debnath through Grand Ole Times FB
Savitri Khanolkar, a Swiss national whose real name was Eve Yvonne Maday de Maros, married to an Indian Army officer, Vikram Ramji Khanolkar. In 1929, she met Vikram Khanolkar, a young Indian Army cadet undergoing training at Sandhurst, who had come to Switzerland for a break.
In spite of her European background, she quickly adapted to Indian culture and traditions. She became a vegetarian, learnt to speak fluent Marathi, Hindi and Sanskrit. And also learnt Indian music, dance and painting. She called herself an European with an Indian soul, and never liked being called a foreigner.
She had a deep interest in Puranas, which she read extensively, and also studied India's ancient history and its legends. It was due to this that Major General Hira Lal Atal, the first Indian Adjutant General of independent India, asked her help in designing the Param Vir Chakra. Drawing on her extensive knowledge of the Puranas, Savitri Bai thought of Rishi Dadhichi, who had given up his own body for Indra to make the deadly Vajra, or thunderbolt. She came up with the design of a double Vajra,
The Param Vir Chakra is cast in bronze. In the centre, on a raised circle, is the Ashok stambh, surrounded by four replicas of Indra's Vajra and flanked by swords.
Incidentally, the first recipient of the PVC, Major Somnath Sharma, was the brother-in-law of Savitri Bai's elder daughter Kumudini, who died while fighting at the Battle of Badgam during the 1948 war with Pakistan.
After her husband passed away in 1952, Savitri Bai sought refuge in spirituality and spent her later years with the Ramakrishna Math. She also wrote a book on the Saints of Maharashtra. She passed away on 26 November 1990 at the age of 77 after leading a truly remarkable life. A Swiss national of mixed Hungarian-Russian descent, married to an Indian Army officer had designed the ‘Param Vir Chakra,’ the highest military award in India!
The lady who Designed...
PARAM VIR CHAKRA.
Savitri Khanolkar, a Swiss national whose real name was Eve Yvonne Maday de Maros, married to an Indian Army officer, Vikram Ramji Khanolkar. In 1929, she met Vikram Khanolkar, a young Indian Army cadet undergoing training at Sandhurst, who had come to Switzerland for a break.
In spite of her European background, she quickly adapted to Indian culture and traditions. She became a vegetarian, learnt to speak fluent Marathi, Hindi and Sanskrit. And also learnt Indian music, dance and painting. She called herself an European with an Indian soul, and never liked being called a foreigner.
She had a deep interest in Puranas, which she read extensively, and also studied India's ancient history and its legends. It was due to this that Major General Hira Lal Atal, the first Indian Adjutant General of independent India, asked her help in designing the Param Vir Chakra. Drawing on her extensive knowledge of the Puranas, Savitri Bai thought of Rishi Dadhichi, who had given up his own body for Indra to make the deadly Vajra, or thunderbolt. She came up with the design of a double Vajra,
The Param Vir Chakra is cast in bronze. In the centre, on a raised circle, is the Ashok stambh, surrounded by four replicas of Indra's Vajra and flanked by swords.
Incidentally, the first recipient of the PVC, Major Somnath Sharma, was the brother-in-law of Savitri Bai's elder daughter Kumudini, who died while fighting at the Battle of Badgam during the 1948 war with Pakistan.
After her husband passed away in 1952, Savitri Bai sought refuge in spirituality and spent her later years with the Ramakrishna Math. She also wrote a book on the Saints of Maharashtra. She passed away on 26 November 1990 at the age of 77 after leading a truly remarkable life. A Swiss national of mixed Hungarian-Russian descent, married to an Indian Army officer had designed the ‘Param Vir Chakra,’ the highest military award in India!
With the PVC, Savitri Khanolkar also designed the Mahavir Chakra, the Vir Chakra and the Ashok Chakra, the highest peacetime gallantry award. In India's official order of precedence, the PVC is second only to the Bharat Ratna.
She deserves great respect,
NOT because she was a foreigner,
BUT,
it is because of her sincere respect towards India's culture, traditions, languages, literature and her great contributions to this land 
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