Comments on: The Worst Journey Ever. The Best Vacation Ever.

By: Rough Book » WLC and WTF

Rough Book » WLC and WTF — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 23:04:27 +0000

[...] two weeks for WLC (Warrior Leader Course). It’s a course I’ve had to take after I got promoted to Sergeant while I was in Iraq. I never had a chance to go to it because there was a lot of [...]

By: Hai

Hai — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 09:22:18 +0000

hi,

juat saw you and raks talking about me.. i am anand. i work in npol. naval physical and oceanographic lab. juat wanted to say hai… happy holi and easter

By: dipika

dipika — Fri, 15 Sep 2006 20:13:21 +0000

Hi again.I had posted a comment a few months back.I’m at university now-university of British Columbia in vancouver.Thankfully the experience is’nt too scary.I mean,the day before i got here,i was totally freaking out.The place is huge,but i’m settling down.I find your journal quite interesting.I was in India too in august before we moved to canada.
I’m doing Anthropology and lots of other courses here.According to my textbook,nairs are classified under Kshathriyas.I am a Nair and have often heard others classify it under shudhra. So,which is it?!! i have’nt located your article yet.
Anyway,your pictures and descriptions of kerala did make me feel a little home-sick.Kerala has to be one place that sucks you in with all it’s vigour and energy,and yet when you’re out,you’re so much more of yourself.Maybe it has to do with truly indentifying yourself and fitting in completely with the people. You should visit the Guruvayoor temple.Even with all the madness in the crowd,(some women can really push and squeeze through crowds!)it’s truly liberating to be so close to god.
Anyway,take care!

By: vivin

vivin — Sun, 27 Aug 2006 15:01:08 +0000

Tamir,

WHATEVER DUDE! Ok, in all fairness, that was my first time driving from BIAP to the IZ and back! Hahaha! Hey, I got that picture of you in the gunner’s turret too. Yeah Ortiz has my movies – I just haven’t gotten them from him yet. Stay safe in Ramadi!

Merin,

Glad you enjoyed the post – I try to update as often as I can. I’m working on one to put here within the next few days!

By: Merin

Merin — Sun, 27 Aug 2006 09:06:56 +0000

Hello Vivin….

Happened to go through this post…..Have to say it was an absolute delight to read….Nice pics too….Looking forward to reading more in the future…..Keep up the good work….Cheers !!

By: Tamir

Tamir — Sat, 26 Aug 2006 19:56:39 +0000

Yo man…
check you e-mail!! I finally got some picture of you from our last trip to the pool. You almost killed me remember???? The worst driver ever!! Don;t take it hard, I still love you man.
I should be dropping by in BIAP shortly so I’ll definitely come visit you.
PS: did you get your movies back?

By: vivin paul

vivin paul — Fri, 25 Aug 2006 16:14:47 +0000

hai vivin we both have the same name . iam glad to; meet you please be in contact with me lets we rock and roll

By: vivin

vivin — Mon, 21 Aug 2006 06:10:04 +0000

Raks, Like I said, I do not know enough about that point to comment. I did not add that information. You may remove it if you wish, as long as you provide proper documentation and references to support the change. I believe that the caste system originated as a system for the division of labour. The myths were most probably added later to give it religious legitimacy. No doubt, certain parties had vested interests. However, using a myth to explain the origin of the Nairs doesn't really get us anywhere. You can add the information if you wish, but probably want to phrase in a way such that it is evident to the reader that the legend/myth of Nairs removing their poonollu to escape Parashurama is just that - a myth. It may or may not have happened. The real reason may be something else, and the myth may have been created over time to explain it. We do not know, and therefore you cannot state it as a "Theory of Origin". Please continue further discussion on my Talk Page at Wikipedia.

By: Raksh

Raksh — Sun, 20 Aug 2006 08:57:29 +0000

Some comments
NPOL is National Physical Oceanographic Laboratory.
2.About my second point in my last mail, it is well known. You can ask anybody, anand for instance (No that he need be an expert. i just want to indicate that the idea is common place). You’ve been out of the country for long, I suppose. Then why are these castes (like Veluthedathu, Vellakithala, Chakkala Nairs etc.) not members of Nair Service Society (NSS), the premier organisation of the community?? On the other hand, they have their own associations like Villakkithala nair Samajam etc.NSS is in forefront in the criticism of the present reservation system of the government which it feels affects badly the members of the Nair community; these communities, meanwhile all belong to the Other Backward Category (OBC)enjoying the benefits of reservation system.
3.Parasurama may be a myth. But the very edifice of the caste structure and scriptures in every religion rests on mythological premises.So should you axe the Axe-Rama (Axe is Parasu in Sanskrit)? RAKS

By: vivin

vivin — Sat, 19 Aug 2006 09:50:14 +0000

Hello Raksh, Sorry for the delay. Being in Iraq, my internet access is rather limited. While it is true that I was the one who initially wrote the article, it has changed over time due to the fact that Wikipedia is a collaborative effort. A lot of people have made changes. Furthermore, I haven't been monitoring the article lately, so I cannot tell you much about the new changes. As far as your first point goes, I agree with you completely. The Kerala caste system was completely different from the rest of India. While the Nairs were the ruling class, the highly orthodox Namboothiris still considered them to be untouchable due to the fact that they considered anyone lower (according to them) than their caste, untouchable. In fact, even other Brahmins (Iyers, for example) were considered untouchable by the Namboothiris. In that sense, you are correct - the Nairs were never classified into Kshathriya, Vaishya, or Sudra. However, I was merely trying to show a comparative analysis. As far as your second point, I am no authority on it, and therefore, cannot comment. If it is the Anand Paliath I think you are talking about, then I haven't met him in person, but we did talk online once. What is NPOL, by the way?