Eight Hundred Heroes

Taiwanese historical war movie “Eight Hundred Heroes” (1976) directed by Ting Shan-hsi and starring Ko Chun-hsuing, Brigitte Lin, Hsu Feng among others.

It is based on the Chinese defence of the Sihang warehouse in Shanghai in 1937 in the war between Japan and China at that time. It is based on actual facts which has been recreated faithfully.

Sihang Warehouse was an entry point for the Japanese to capture Shanghai as there was a bridge flanking it. If the Japs can capture that, then Shanghai would have fallen. 800 brave soldiers of China decide to reinforce the warehouse with guns and ammunition and fight to death.

In between the girls scouts troops were providing them with food and nursing care. One girl Yang Huimin (Brigitte Lin) was told to swim across the waters and sneak in a Chinese flag to be hoisted atop the warehouse to serve as a morale booster to the forces there.

The commander of the 800 troops Lt. Col. Xie Jinyan (Ko Chun-hsuing) decides to fight until the end and not leave the warehouse even though the League of Nations had given a withdrawal call to the troops to retreat to the British commission grounds.

Fairly busy movie with lots of killings, machine gun fire, bombs and deaths on both sides. Sometimes it looked like a propaganda movie. The music was very beautiful and there were only two or three individual characters in the movie who stood out. IMDB 3/10

Elephant Bill

Outstanding autobiography of Col. J.H. Williams as he narrates his tales of living in the jungle of Burma (now Myanmar) for 25 years between the two world wars.

Bill got posted in the forests of Burma following the World War I and there he learned the ropes of handling elephants. The elephants were used for logging timber from one part of the forest to another.

The kind native people of Burma taught him all the tricks that he needed to learn to live with the mighty elephants. Numerous tales of elephants in distress, wild elephants, how the elephants are broken in litters the pages of this book.

Early on in his career, he did shoot about five elephants but later his respect for the animal grew so much that he abhorred at harming the most intelligent, majestic, beautiful of all animals. Superb narrative by J.H. Williams in telling of his magnificent story. Its a cult classic. Goodreads 5/5

10.30 kms

An easy 10.30 kms for the morning. The weather has turned pleasant with the winter setting, so its good for runners for the next two to three months at least. Have a great Sunday folks.

Asgari Bai

Documentary on Asgari Bai, the rare exponent of Dhrupad in Hindustani Classical music.

Dhrupad is one of the ancient ragas in classical music and as far my limited knowledge of listening to Dhrupad, i have heard only male singers rendering it, most famous being the Dagar brothers.

Asgari Bai was a court musician during the royal times in the pre Independence India. She became the main singer of the Orchha dynasty in the Bundelkhand region. By the time this documentary was made, she was quite old, 86 years of age, and the best years were behind her.

There were no performance by her during the documentary nor are there very many youtube videos of her singing. One link i got in youtube was this one

The forgotten lady Dhrupad Vocalist Asgari Bai — YouTube

Documentary is nicely made by Brahmand Singh, the doyen of documentary film makers in India. You can watch the documentary here

Asghari Bai — Hindi — YouTube

whole time directors in banks

RBI has vide its notification dated 25th October, 2023 directed banks to appoint two Whole time Directors, apart from the MD/CEO of the banks. This needs to be done within four months from the date of this circular. Read on.

Appointment of Whole-Time Director(s)

Please refer to paragraph 10 and 11 of our instructions DOR.GOV.REC.8/29.67.001/2021-22 dated April 26, 2021 on ‘Corporate Governance in Banks – Appointment of Directors and Constitution of Committees of the Board’.

2. Given the growing complexity of the banking sector, it becomes imperative to establish an effective senior management team in the banks to navigate ongoing and emerging challenges. Establishment of such a team may also facilitate succession planning, especially in the background of the regulatory stipulations in respect of tenure and upper age limit for Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (MD&CEO) positions.

3. To address these issues and challenges, banks are advised to ensure the presence of at least two Whole Time Directors (WTDs), including the MD&CEO, on their Boards. The number of WTDs shall be decided by the Board of the bank by taking into account factors such as the size of operations, business complexity, and other relevant aspects. In compliance to these instructions, banks that currently do not meet the minimum requirement as above are advised to submit their proposals for the appointment of WTD(s) under Section 35B(1)(b) of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, within a period of four months from the date of issuance of this circular. Those banks which do not already have the enabling provisions regarding appointment of WTDs in their Articles of Association may first seek necessary approvals under Section 35B(1)(a) of the Act ibid, expeditiously, so as to be in a position to comply with the requirements under these instructions. While ensuring compliance to the above instructions, careful consideration shall also be given to meet the requirements under other applicable statutory/regulatory provisions.

Tara Kane

A self discovery novel of a young wife who sets out to find her husband in the wilderness of Klondike, “Tara Kane” by George Markstein.

Tara loses her daughter to an illness which is when she sets out to find her husband Daniel Kane in the vast wilderness of Klondike in Alaska, which is inhospitable territory with extreme cold, difficult terrain and tough to navigate for even men.

Daniel has gone to find gold like so many others to become rich. Tara has a difficult ship journey which catches fire in the end. Her destination is Skagway and Dawson but try as her might and resolve, she is unable to find Daniel. In Skagway the local goon Jefferson Smith is enamoured by her and tries valiantly to woo her.

In the meanwhile Tara finds Daniel from the photographs which her ship friend Hart clicks in Alaska. She sets out to find him but there is an avalanche which buries many people. She helps in giving birth to a young boy John, whose mother dies during childbirth and whose father is killed in the avalanche.

Tara is driven to find Daniel but there is also sad realisation that he could be no more. A twist towards the end, makes for a poignant ending. A nice adventure novel with a lot of action in the wilderness of Alaska. Goodreads 5/5

physical exercise

Daily word prompt

What is your favorite form of physical exercise?

Running – i love running so i go for running alternate days. Alongside that i also do stretching, strength training, yoga, plyometrics, animal flow, 5 tibetan rites, pranayama, meditation regularly

ROC order, Mumbai

ROC Mumbai adjudication order against a company La-Fin Financial Services Private Limited under section 136 of the companies act, 2013 for not attaching the annual audited financial statement and directors report while filing the annual e-form AOC-4.

The company made a suo moto application for adjudication of penalty. Penalty of Rs.35,000 on the company and two directors was levied by the adjudication officer.

The company is mandated under companies act, 2013 vide section 136 to file the financial statements along with its relevant annexures. These documents are on public record and non filing of them makes them unavailable to the public.

Copy of the order can be found online at https://www.mca.gov.in/content/mca/global/en/data-and-reports/rd-roc-info/roc-adjudication-orders.html

penalty on SVC bank

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has, by an order dated October 19, 2023, imposed a monetary penalty of ₹1.33 million on SVC Co-operative Bank Ltd., Mumbai, Maharashtra (the bank) for non-compliance with the directions issued by RBI on ‘Maintenance of Deposit Accounts’. This penalty has been imposed in exercise of powers conferred on RBI under Section 47A(1)(c) read with Sections 46(4)(i) and 56 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.

Background

The statutory inspection of the bank conducted by RBI with reference to its financial position as on March 31, 2021, and examination of the Risk Assessment Report, Inspection Report and all correspondence related thereto revealed, inter alia, that the bank had imposed annual maintenance charges for ATM cards in ‘Basic Savings Bank Deposit Accounts’. Consequently, a notice was issued to the bank advising it to show cause as to why penalty should not be imposed on it for non-compliance with the RBI directions, as stated therein.

After considering the bank’s reply to the notice and oral submissions made during the personal hearing, RBI came to the conclusion that the charge of non-compliance with the aforesaid RBI directions was substantiated and warranted imposition of monetary penalty on the bank.

The Stranger

1946 psycho drama film starring Orson Welles, Loretta Young and directed by Orson Welles himself.

The film has dark shades as Charles Rankin (Orson Welles) a school teacher in Harper, Connecticut could possibly be an ex-Nazi criminal by the name of Franz Kindler. He is about to marry Mary (Loretta Young) the daughter of one of the judges of the US Supreme Court.

UN War Commission is after Kindler who has left Germany without leaving any trace behind, save for one of his associates Meinike who is a prisoner in a Czechoslovakia prison. Meinike is released in the hope that he will try to contact Kindler and as expected he does go after him to Connecticut.

Wilson (Edward G. Robinson) who is heading the UN Commission goes after Meinike in order to prise out Kindler. Wilson plays the waiting game for Kindler to fall into his trap.

Nice noir movie with Orson Welles playing a super role that of a hard core, unrepenting criminal, Loretta Young as the confused and disbelieving wife and Robinson as the cool and composed cop.

The film was released in 1946 which means production must have taken place sometime in late 1945, when the war had just ended with the Hiroshima & Nagasaki bombing in August 1945. Quite a brilliant effort for that era, when many movie goers must not yet have realised the depravity of the Nazi concentration camps.

online money gaming – GST re

• Advisory from GST portal

Eat Cake

Beautifully heart warming story by Jeanne Ray in “Eat Cake”

For many people combating stress levels is by indulging into music, games, meditation, running etc. For Ruth it is immersing herself into cake. She likes nay loves to bake cake at all times and her cakes are delicious.

But her family is going through a crisis of sorts. Her husband Sam has lost his job as hospital administrator after 40 years of service. Her mother has come to stay with her after her own house was burgled. Her estranged father has broken his wrists and needed medical help, so he has plonked himself in her house.

Her son is in college while daughter Camille is the typical teen showing signs of rebellious nature. To get away from all this, she bakes cakes and baked one when the hospital nurse came to give attention to her dad. Her dad suggested that she starts selling cakes which is her passion. Sam’s passion is building wooden boats so he goes in search of that.

Her mom and dad slowly get together and both of them being piano players, mom starts playing the piano and dad sings in clubs. Ruth takes hesitant steps to starting her business which is vigorously helped by her mom who makes the boxes and Camille who designs the business card and goes in boldly and makes the first sale.

Beautiful narrative by Jeanne Ray with a nice positive quality to the story. I like it in the end when everybody jumps in to kick start a home business. Goodreads 5/5

penalty on ICICI Bank

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has, by an order dated October 17, 2023, imposed a monetary penalty of ₹121.9 million on ICICI Bank Ltd. (the bank) for contravention of sub-section (1) of Section 20 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 (the BR Act) read with directions issued by RBI on ‘Loans and Advances-Statutory and Other restrictions’, sub-section (2) of Section 6 and Section 8 of the BR Act read with directions issued by the RBI on ‘Financial Services provided by the Banks’, and non-compliance with the RBI directions on ‘Frauds classification and reporting by commercial banks and select Fls’. This penalty has been imposed in exercise of powers vested in RBI conferred under the provisions of Section 47 A (1) (c) read with Section 46 (4) (i) of the BR Act.

Background

The Statutory Inspections for Supervisory Evaluation (ISE 2020 and ISE 2021) of the bank were conducted by RBI with reference to its financial position as on March 31, 2020 and March 31, 2021. The examination of the Risk Assessment Reports/Inspection Reports pertaining to ISE 2020 and ISE 2021, and all related correspondence in that regard, revealed, inter alia, that the bank had (i) sanctioned/committed loans to companies in which two of its directors were also directors, (ii) marketed and engaged in the sale of non-financial product, and (iii) failed to report frauds to RBI within the prescribed timelines. Consequently, a notice was issued to the bank advising it to show cause as to why penalty should not be imposed on it for failure to comply with the provisions of the BR Act and the directions issued by RBI, as stated therein.

After considering the bank’s reply to the notice, oral submissions made during the personal hearing and additional submissions made by it, RBI came to the conclusion that the charge of non-compliance with the provisions of the BR Act and the RBI directions was substantiated and warranted imposition of monetary penalty on the bank.

penalty on Kotak bank

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has, by an order dated October 17, 2023, imposed a monetary penalty of ₹39.5 million on Kotak Mahindra Bank Limited for non-compliance with RBI Directions on “Managing Risks and Code of Conduct in Outsourcing of Financial Services by banks”, “Recovery Agents engaged by Banks”, “Customer Service in Banks”, and “‘Loans and Advances – Statutory and Other Restrictions’”. This penalty has been imposed in exercise of powers vested in RBI conferred under the provisions of Section 47A(1)(c) read with Sections 46 (4)(i) of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.

Background

The Statutory Inspection for Supervisory Evaluation (ISE 2022) of the bank was conducted by RBI with reference to its financial position as on March 31, 2022. The examination of certain observations of the Risk Assessment Report/Inspection Report pertaining to ISE 2022, and all related correspondence in that regard revealed, inter alia, non-compliance with the aforesaid directions by the bank to the extent it (i) failed to carry out annual review / due diligence of the service provider, (ii) failed to ensure that customers are not contacted after 7 pm and before 7 am, (iii) levied interest from disbursement due date instead of the actual date of disbursement, contrary to the terms & conditions of sanction, and (iv) levied foreclosure charges despite there being no clause in the loan agreement for levy of prepayment penalty on loans recalled/foreclosure initiated by the bank. Consequently, a notice was issued to the bank advising it to show cause as to why penalty should not be imposed on it for failure to comply with the said direction, as stated therein.

After considering the bank’s reply to the notice, additional information provided by the bank, and the oral submissions made during the personal hearing, RBI came to the conclusion that the charge of non-compliance with the aforesaid RBI directions was substantiated and warranted imposition of monetary penalty on the bank.

The Last Detective

Thrilling fast paced novel from Robert Crais “The Last Detective”

Elvis Cole is a private investigator and Lucy his girl friend. Her ten year old son Ben is kidnapped by somebody and race is on to find who did it. At first it seems that the kidnapper is doing it for revenge against Cole for his past misdemeanours while in Vietnam.

But later events prove otherwise and ably assisted by Joe Pike, Cole goes after the kidnappers in a furious struggle to get Ben released before he is done in the kidnappers. Twist towards the end with a surprise as to who has actually ordered the kidnapping.

Gripping narrative from Robert Crais, this one makes for an engaging read. Goodreads 5/5