#ProTip if you are considering buying a #Subaru (or any) SUV to sleep in with a car tent like in this pic. Do NOT buy a car with a powered/automated trunk door. You have to leave it open all night. It can drain the battery unless disabled. And disabling it is a pain. @meghana27
A very random condition I had for my new car was it NOT have an automated trunk. Reason was memories of the 2005 Bombay Flood and how cars with all powered doors became coffins. Turns out it helps with this issue too. We can just use a carabineer to trick a manual door.
But if you have an automated trunk, you'll have to dig into the relays to disable the power drain and it might void your warranty. Even if not, most of us aren't competent enough to play around with electronics of a modern SUV. Just get an SUV with a manual trunk.
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This will set many unkil hair on fire but when you read the full multi sided history of the 1962 India China war, there isn't much to blame Nehru about, except using hindsight and weirdly high standards and expectations of clairvoyance. And Cuban missile crisis is minimized. 🧵
First of all, Indian defeat in the 1962 skirmish is overblown for Nehru bashing purposes. And it really was a skirmish not a war. How many wars have zero civilian casualties?
India lost 1300 soldiers. Not great. But not exactly Vietnam War numbers. We lost half those in Kargil.
Losing territory is never great but Aksai Chin was and is mostly uninhabited territory more useful for strategic and logistical purposes than losing actual people inhabited territory.
China didn't march on and take Leh or Srinagar, did they? It was a very opportunistic skirmish.
DMs filling up with "hey can you explain this Zohran phenomenon to me" from friends & Desi columnists lol.
So this will be my NYC Mayor election mega 🧵. FAQ of sorts.
I first truly noticed Zohran in 2023 when he put out an anti Modi statement. As Ro was sucking up to Modi /1
I had known of Zohran vaguely for a couple of years before that, but it was as a huge fan of Mira Nair. I had heard her son was running for state assembly. Not exactly a glamorous & enriching career. But even then I thought, that's sweet. He's choosing public service!
The only son of Mira Nair & Zohran Mamdani, while definitely no billionaire, would still have enough social networks and financial fallbacks to try to make a career in Hollywood. Or academia. Or anything really. Even wall street banker.
The historic reasons for why England (and most of it's ex colonies) and Japan drive on the left but Europe, USA, rest of the world drive on the right are fascinating. And predate the invention of cars.
It's about chariots/wagons vs single horses as primary transportation. 🧵
In Europe, the Romans built highways 2000 years ago for military and supply chains. Lots of chariots & wagons involved.
90% people are right handed, so held the reigns in their right hand. So it made sense to sit on the left. And drive in the right. As a norm, then rule.
Britain tho, until 1800s, was a tiny island without the scale or logistical needs of Continental Europe. Transport there was primarily individual horses. 90% people are right handed there too. But right handers climb a horse from the left, using the right arm to pull them up.
Last week in Pune, I went to many cousins' & friends' new or recent homes. In and around Pashan. And I could picture exactly which areas were sure to flood. I've walked those hills for years.
Why is it called Pashan?
Some of the oldest & hardest rock on the planet!
Marathi has a word for seasonal streams. ओढा. Literally means "to pull".
Those rocky hills had centuries, millennia old odhas which took water from heavy rain all the way down to the rivers. Mudslides were unheard of, given how hard the rock was.
Recently I was in Pune for a short trip visiting parents. Had sprained ankle, wanted to ice it. But their fridge didn't have enough ice.
Went on dad's Activa to nearby medical store to get a gel pack. Next door is a barber shop. A dude was outside. /1
Guy in his 30s. Looked at me & gave a big smile, waved.
I was confused. This was Pune not the Midwest. People don't just randomly smile at strangers. Did I know him from childhood or youth? Didn't seem familiar.
But I was limping & in pain. So drove away.
Coupla days later, dad was making chai but we were out of khari. I took Activa to grocery store next to same barber shop.
Again as I was leaving, same dude standing outside smiled & waved. I again smiled. Still couldn't place him.
Be it 1993 serial blasts, 2001 Parliament attack, 26/11 or German Bakery, Indian govt identified perpetrators and laid out details of how they happened very soon.
But we still have no answers or details on Uri all these years later. Public was satisfied with Balakot alone.
Will that be the fate of Pahalgam too? Will we get no serious investigation of the terrorist perpetrators and no serious systemic introspection of security lapses, because these missile strikes and dogfights have brought the josh to shallow armchair patriots?
Have you ever been to Kashmir? There are so many security personnel doing security checks everywhere. You can't carry a nailcutter into a sensitive location, much less a truck full of explosives in the middle of a lot of Indian soldiers. Or guns at one of the most popular spots.