I'd seen this ad of Italian Telecom sometime back. Just chanced upon it again today.
The power of Gandhi is a well-debated topic. The power of Gandhiji is the inherent strength in the concept of non-violence. It's again debatable whether non-violence was the right approach to win our freedom. Every other nation on earth went through some really violent struggles for nationhood. They value that freedom. I don't know if that means we take freedom for granted. Whether we would've been a more disciplined society. I guess not!
When India got independence, we could've taken two different paths - one is the way we are today a single nation politically, but more of a continent, culturally. The other way could be that we got split into independent nation states and princely monarchies. We would very well been another Africa - civil wars and tribal rivalries and equally forgotten to the rest of the world.
That's exactly the power of Gandhi! It's him who got us our spiritual maturity and political democracy. Salute to the Father of the nation!
Do watch this ad!
Monday, November 28, 2005
The Passion of Christ - the Movie
This movie will go down as the worst movie we have ever tried to watch! I say 'tried' because we couldn't watch it! What is point in making a movie so gross and so cruel and just show the sufferings of Jesus through the process of crucifixion.
It's the most atrocious attempt to show that Jesus suffered for us. There is so much violence shown against one man. We couldn't understand how human beings can be so cruel! Of an entire lot of guys trying to inflict wounds to a lone unarmed guy.
We wanted to watch it for just curiosity! Really regret that decision. For others, please .. to maintain your sanity, don't watch this movie! Don't even plan it.
It's the most atrocious attempt to show that Jesus suffered for us. There is so much violence shown against one man. We couldn't understand how human beings can be so cruel! Of an entire lot of guys trying to inflict wounds to a lone unarmed guy.
We wanted to watch it for just curiosity! Really regret that decision. For others, please .. to maintain your sanity, don't watch this movie! Don't even plan it.
The Crusades
We've been trying to catch up on the series on The Crusades on the history channel. My God! I had no idea that the crusades were so brutal and vengeful. Violence and so much of it to prove what? That My God is greater than yours!! The way the crusaders butchered and vanquished anything that came in their way is quite gross.
Here are two religions trying to take control of the 'Holy land' - Jerusalem. In a way, the persecution of the Jews started right then. I guess it started much earlier, but they bore the brunt quite some bit during the crusades. The word 'Jihad' was born in that period meaning holy war. I don't understand the concept of war - even less of 'spiritual wars'. What is the point?
The Abrahamic religions are very different from the eastern religions. Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Taoism are very mystical. And the western religions have something in them to prove that they're better than the others. The concept that 'only my way' is weird. Quite a contrast to what we are used to in terms of pluralism.
Christian crusaders described the Muslims as Pagans and the Muslims described the Christians as Infidels! Today these are the most dominant religions in the world in terms of numbers and wealth. Though the depth of belief in the Christian society is much lesser than the faith in the Muslim religion.
Religion itself is a oncept introduced for the sheep that follow the shepherd. The Abrahamic religions were spread with the concepts of devil, fear and heaven/hell concepts. So in today's individualistic societies, is there place for religion? I guess not.
There must've been some level of fanaticism that fuelled wars for 3 centuries! The kind of injuries and fatalities inflicted by the crusaders are part of Muslim folklore even today. Doesn't help much in the cause of world peace in the unstable world of today.
It's a very interesting series and gives a good insight into western religious conflicts. Yes, I'm on a history trip these days :)
Here are two religions trying to take control of the 'Holy land' - Jerusalem. In a way, the persecution of the Jews started right then. I guess it started much earlier, but they bore the brunt quite some bit during the crusades. The word 'Jihad' was born in that period meaning holy war. I don't understand the concept of war - even less of 'spiritual wars'. What is the point?
The Abrahamic religions are very different from the eastern religions. Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Taoism are very mystical. And the western religions have something in them to prove that they're better than the others. The concept that 'only my way' is weird. Quite a contrast to what we are used to in terms of pluralism.
Christian crusaders described the Muslims as Pagans and the Muslims described the Christians as Infidels! Today these are the most dominant religions in the world in terms of numbers and wealth. Though the depth of belief in the Christian society is much lesser than the faith in the Muslim religion.
Religion itself is a oncept introduced for the sheep that follow the shepherd. The Abrahamic religions were spread with the concepts of devil, fear and heaven/hell concepts. So in today's individualistic societies, is there place for religion? I guess not.
There must've been some level of fanaticism that fuelled wars for 3 centuries! The kind of injuries and fatalities inflicted by the crusaders are part of Muslim folklore even today. Doesn't help much in the cause of world peace in the unstable world of today.
It's a very interesting series and gives a good insight into western religious conflicts. Yes, I'm on a history trip these days :)
Thursday, November 24, 2005
Who are my ancestors?
I came across a very interesting link about tracing human ancestral trees. Independent of that, I've wondered about my own ancestors. I don't know why it matters, but somehow I feel the urge to know what they did for a living, where they lived, how and why they migrated. I have only wondered about these questions and probably won't do more than that. But I'd love to speculate on them.
I belong to a Madhva family that has origins in Coimbatore. Now, that itself is a mystery in today's conditions. How did my ancestors land up in Coimbatore. They were probably just scholars or temple priests and probably moved to places where they had work. Traditionally, brahmins never owned anything in terms of property. So, brahmins never had any great emotions attached to a particular place or state or kingdom.
So who are the Brahmins? Should I believe in the Aryan invasion theory. I came across some very interesting points of view while researching this on the web. Firstly, I have always refused to believe that I'm Aryan. But if I'm Dravidian, why is my skin colour lighter than other proclaimed Dravidians? So, may be I'm a mix - which is most probably the case. I have wondered if our origins can be traced back to say, the Caspian Sea or the African continent. May be the Dravidians came from there - like some people say, the most original Dravidians are in the Andaman Islands.
What is Hinduism? Was it the religion or way of life of the Aryans or Dravidians? I had a theory regarding Ramayana and Mahabharata. Rama and Co were the Aryans and Ravana represented the Dravidians. And Ramayana was a propaganda war to enslave the dravidians. But somehow, things don't fit in with this theory! Dravidians were supposed to be worshippers of Shiva and Aryans of Vishnu. But the concept of Vaishnavism was completely in the south! So again things don't fall in place. So I don't believe in my own theory any longer.
May be, then, that Hinduism was the religion of the natives. Aryans just came in and got localized? What about the theory that the Rig Veda was written on the banks of the Saraswathi which was probably in Iran when the Aryans were moving from West to East? What about the Sanskrit origins of Aryan languages like German and Polish etc? So, there is some connection.
Lots and lots of things to figure out. It may not be important, but I'm just curious. Hope I will find answers soon .. somewhere .. Till then, I will keep time travelling on the blog.
I belong to a Madhva family that has origins in Coimbatore. Now, that itself is a mystery in today's conditions. How did my ancestors land up in Coimbatore. They were probably just scholars or temple priests and probably moved to places where they had work. Traditionally, brahmins never owned anything in terms of property. So, brahmins never had any great emotions attached to a particular place or state or kingdom.
So who are the Brahmins? Should I believe in the Aryan invasion theory. I came across some very interesting points of view while researching this on the web. Firstly, I have always refused to believe that I'm Aryan. But if I'm Dravidian, why is my skin colour lighter than other proclaimed Dravidians? So, may be I'm a mix - which is most probably the case. I have wondered if our origins can be traced back to say, the Caspian Sea or the African continent. May be the Dravidians came from there - like some people say, the most original Dravidians are in the Andaman Islands.
What is Hinduism? Was it the religion or way of life of the Aryans or Dravidians? I had a theory regarding Ramayana and Mahabharata. Rama and Co were the Aryans and Ravana represented the Dravidians. And Ramayana was a propaganda war to enslave the dravidians. But somehow, things don't fit in with this theory! Dravidians were supposed to be worshippers of Shiva and Aryans of Vishnu. But the concept of Vaishnavism was completely in the south! So again things don't fall in place. So I don't believe in my own theory any longer.
May be, then, that Hinduism was the religion of the natives. Aryans just came in and got localized? What about the theory that the Rig Veda was written on the banks of the Saraswathi which was probably in Iran when the Aryans were moving from West to East? What about the Sanskrit origins of Aryan languages like German and Polish etc? So, there is some connection.
Lots and lots of things to figure out. It may not be important, but I'm just curious. Hope I will find answers soon .. somewhere .. Till then, I will keep time travelling on the blog.
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
Whistle-blower!
Manjunath was an honest man. He wanted to set right a few things. He was just doing his job. But, he's been killed just for doing his job. I salute his conviction and his ability to stand by what he believed was the right thing to do. But, did he have to pay the price with his life?
What is this society we are trying to create? Corruption! The word is so rampant in our daily lives. We accept it for convenience. We always shrug our shoulders and say what can one man do. We accept defeat even before the battle begins. He was 27 years old. IIM-Lucknow. SJCE, Mysore before that. Nice brands. Big future! Good career. Does his death have a meaning?
Corruption itself can be of several kinds. The common form of corruption we see in India is people and officers taking bribes to do just their job. Ministers and politicians take money to just shut their mouths. If they remain silent on an issue, it's bad! If they talk, it's even worse! Deve Gowda - the man who holds Bangalore's future in his hands the biggest example. Lalu Yadav - held Bihar in darkness to achieve his own goals - which are themselves not recognizable to the common man. We see it rampant in every Government office. Is there a solution?
This is the second such death in recent times. SK Dubey, of the IIT Kanpur fame, did the same job, that of a whistle-blower. He too was just blown away, just like that! Isn't death too heavy a price to pay for honesty?
What is this society we are trying to create? Corruption! The word is so rampant in our daily lives. We accept it for convenience. We always shrug our shoulders and say what can one man do. We accept defeat even before the battle begins. He was 27 years old. IIM-Lucknow. SJCE, Mysore before that. Nice brands. Big future! Good career. Does his death have a meaning?
Corruption itself can be of several kinds. The common form of corruption we see in India is people and officers taking bribes to do just their job. Ministers and politicians take money to just shut their mouths. If they remain silent on an issue, it's bad! If they talk, it's even worse! Deve Gowda - the man who holds Bangalore's future in his hands the biggest example. Lalu Yadav - held Bihar in darkness to achieve his own goals - which are themselves not recognizable to the common man. We see it rampant in every Government office. Is there a solution?
This is the second such death in recent times. SK Dubey, of the IIT Kanpur fame, did the same job, that of a whistle-blower. He too was just blown away, just like that! Isn't death too heavy a price to pay for honesty?
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Book Review: God of Small things
I finally read it! It was second attempt at reading it, first time I couldn't cross Page 50 because I thought I was going into a depression. But that was four years ago! I'm much more grown up now and like to read for the sake of reading.
The book is a perspective of life as seen by a real cynic. Happiness is not common to the people of Ayemenem, one would believe, after reading the book. It's a reflection on south Kerala society. Deep divisions between the touchable(the Syrian Christians, the Pillais and other caste Hindus) and the untouchables(the Paravans, as they're called in Kerala).
The language used is beautiful and the creates its own vocabulary. The description of some incidents just transports you to that place and environment. Description of development over the Meenachal river brings out the conflict between environment and economics in a nice way. The best description in the book is that of a Kathakali performance in the Ayemenem temple. The description of the incidents of Mahabharata and the expressions of the performers described is so real. It felt as if I witnessed the whole performance live!
The Story - it's a lot of sadness packed into this book. The concept of the 'laws of love' - that prescribe "who should be loved, how and how much?" is brought out powerfully. The story is that of non-identical twins Rahel and Estha. And of their family - Ammu, her brother Chacko, Baby grand aunt Baby Kochamma and the grandmother Mamachi. Almost every man is shown as a wife-beater, drunkard or an unfaithful. Except of course Velutha. Velutha is the untouchable Paravan who has achieved more than his due as per the laws of the society. The style of narration does not maintain chronology in the strict sense. So, it takes you back and forth in time and the puzzle is revealed part-by-part.
It also gives a good description of the Syrian Catholic society of Kerala. Of the rise of communism and how comrade EMS' appeal to the Hindu masses of Kerala. Descriptions of the adventures of Estha and Rahel to the other side of the river are so real. The story of Sophie Mol - the child of Chacko and Margret Kochamma is touching.
Overall, a very good book. But read it slowly and let the words and language sink in. One does get a feeling of melancholy when he/she reads it! Pooja also can certify this as a book that is beautiful but the story is very sad.
The book is a perspective of life as seen by a real cynic. Happiness is not common to the people of Ayemenem, one would believe, after reading the book. It's a reflection on south Kerala society. Deep divisions between the touchable(the Syrian Christians, the Pillais and other caste Hindus) and the untouchables(the Paravans, as they're called in Kerala).
The language used is beautiful and the creates its own vocabulary. The description of some incidents just transports you to that place and environment. Description of development over the Meenachal river brings out the conflict between environment and economics in a nice way. The best description in the book is that of a Kathakali performance in the Ayemenem temple. The description of the incidents of Mahabharata and the expressions of the performers described is so real. It felt as if I witnessed the whole performance live!
The Story - it's a lot of sadness packed into this book. The concept of the 'laws of love' - that prescribe "who should be loved, how and how much?" is brought out powerfully. The story is that of non-identical twins Rahel and Estha. And of their family - Ammu, her brother Chacko, Baby grand aunt Baby Kochamma and the grandmother Mamachi. Almost every man is shown as a wife-beater, drunkard or an unfaithful. Except of course Velutha. Velutha is the untouchable Paravan who has achieved more than his due as per the laws of the society. The style of narration does not maintain chronology in the strict sense. So, it takes you back and forth in time and the puzzle is revealed part-by-part.
It also gives a good description of the Syrian Catholic society of Kerala. Of the rise of communism and how comrade EMS' appeal to the Hindu masses of Kerala. Descriptions of the adventures of Estha and Rahel to the other side of the river are so real. The story of Sophie Mol - the child of Chacko and Margret Kochamma is touching.
Overall, a very good book. But read it slowly and let the words and language sink in. One does get a feeling of melancholy when he/she reads it! Pooja also can certify this as a book that is beautiful but the story is very sad.
Sandpaper article
My article on the diljales' work for the Ramana Maharishi Academy for the Blind got published.
As usual, the photos are thanks the best digital photographer known to the discovered world - wifey, Pooja.
http://sandpaper.bitsaa.org/12_community/diljales.htm
As usual, the photos are thanks the best digital photographer known to the discovered world - wifey, Pooja.
http://sandpaper.bitsaa.org/12_community/diljales.htm
Thursday, November 10, 2005
Cities and People
It's amazing how we form an opinion on a person based on where s/he's from. In India, in particular cities seem to have character and characteristics. And based on which city a friend likes, you can judge a lot about his/her character and what s/he enjoys the most in life.
Let's take the city of Bangalore. Once a sleepy pensioner's paradise, I would still rate it to have the best climate in the whole world. Good natured people are a natural consequence of such an ambience. Even people who come from outside love to absorb Bangalore into them and feel good about it. A long walk and feel like sipping a coffee, it takes 5 rupees and an idly to cool you off. English is understood and spoken by most residents. Nature is part of life - there are no air-conditioners and weekend getaways are plenty and interesting. So, a typical Bangalorean loves nature, loves the rain, loves his coffee! Bad roads and crazy traffic are just collateral damages of the unplanned expansion of the IT world into Bangalore.
Bombay. I have never lived in it. So all my opinion is based on perceptions and what I've heard from friends. Well, Bombay is hard working, work-hard, party hard kind of place. It has resilience and is mighty active. Food again is cheap and plenty. South or North Indian - any food is available. It's also the city of Bollywood. Plenty of action out there in terms theater. Again, rain is part of life and so is the train. The local trains carry people up and down from work places and the city just does not sleep! Weather's okay - I love humidity so it doesn't affect me much.
Delhi. Fast and furios. Agressive and brazen. New Delhi is an awesome place for checking out cinemas, monuments and is full of history. It's been a capital city of the sub-continent for centuries. But, it's populace is largely of refugee composition. Have fought their way up in life from harsh conditions of the partition and the aftermath. The landscape is a dull shrubbery and lots of dust in the air. There is a natural amount of SPM in the air! The city has extreme weather. With horrible summers and not-so horrible winters. Two months in the year are lievable! Overall, I'm a bit biased against this city - it's people seem loud and have started occupying the rest of the country with aggression.
Pondicherry! The word is a magic. Beautiful seashores, lovely beaches and warm people define this 'not-really-a-city'. But, I've lived in it for most of my life. The air is dense with water vapour - but love humidity. Life is slow paced and the landscpaes are occupied by kids playing cricket and basketball and football. Eating some french cuisine and visiting the serene places of the Ashram and Auroville are a pleasure. Like the Pondicherry tourism advertises, it's a place to 'Give time a break'.
Dallas. Resembles Delhi in landscape and climate. Big cars and fat texan dudes and a whole lot of George Bush worshippers. That's not much of a praise for the city. I hate flat landscapes. It's boring and all one can do is drive a few thousand miles to find the nearest green spot. Finding a tree is an achievement here. Shopping and watching TV is about the only thing one can do here. Desis in plenty in this Amru city! Overall, too much of an indoor place.
There's one other city I've lived in and I really hated every moment of it! Madras. Chennai. Horrible weather. This is the city where I hated humidity! Always thirsty. Always short of water. When it rains, it stinks. When doesn't, it still stinks. But I've always got along well with people from Chennai. English speaking. Philosophical. And I love the beach in Besant Nagar :). But it's main asset - it's only 160Kms to Pondicherry from there.
Let's take the city of Bangalore. Once a sleepy pensioner's paradise, I would still rate it to have the best climate in the whole world. Good natured people are a natural consequence of such an ambience. Even people who come from outside love to absorb Bangalore into them and feel good about it. A long walk and feel like sipping a coffee, it takes 5 rupees and an idly to cool you off. English is understood and spoken by most residents. Nature is part of life - there are no air-conditioners and weekend getaways are plenty and interesting. So, a typical Bangalorean loves nature, loves the rain, loves his coffee! Bad roads and crazy traffic are just collateral damages of the unplanned expansion of the IT world into Bangalore.
Bombay. I have never lived in it. So all my opinion is based on perceptions and what I've heard from friends. Well, Bombay is hard working, work-hard, party hard kind of place. It has resilience and is mighty active. Food again is cheap and plenty. South or North Indian - any food is available. It's also the city of Bollywood. Plenty of action out there in terms theater. Again, rain is part of life and so is the train. The local trains carry people up and down from work places and the city just does not sleep! Weather's okay - I love humidity so it doesn't affect me much.
Delhi. Fast and furios. Agressive and brazen. New Delhi is an awesome place for checking out cinemas, monuments and is full of history. It's been a capital city of the sub-continent for centuries. But, it's populace is largely of refugee composition. Have fought their way up in life from harsh conditions of the partition and the aftermath. The landscape is a dull shrubbery and lots of dust in the air. There is a natural amount of SPM in the air! The city has extreme weather. With horrible summers and not-so horrible winters. Two months in the year are lievable! Overall, I'm a bit biased against this city - it's people seem loud and have started occupying the rest of the country with aggression.
Pondicherry! The word is a magic. Beautiful seashores, lovely beaches and warm people define this 'not-really-a-city'. But, I've lived in it for most of my life. The air is dense with water vapour - but love humidity. Life is slow paced and the landscpaes are occupied by kids playing cricket and basketball and football. Eating some french cuisine and visiting the serene places of the Ashram and Auroville are a pleasure. Like the Pondicherry tourism advertises, it's a place to 'Give time a break'.
Dallas. Resembles Delhi in landscape and climate. Big cars and fat texan dudes and a whole lot of George Bush worshippers. That's not much of a praise for the city. I hate flat landscapes. It's boring and all one can do is drive a few thousand miles to find the nearest green spot. Finding a tree is an achievement here. Shopping and watching TV is about the only thing one can do here. Desis in plenty in this Amru city! Overall, too much of an indoor place.
There's one other city I've lived in and I really hated every moment of it! Madras. Chennai. Horrible weather. This is the city where I hated humidity! Always thirsty. Always short of water. When it rains, it stinks. When doesn't, it still stinks. But I've always got along well with people from Chennai. English speaking. Philosophical. And I love the beach in Besant Nagar :). But it's main asset - it's only 160Kms to Pondicherry from there.
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Chandrashekara Temple
I'm still on with a hangover of Hampi! Hampi is a world heritage site, formerly a capital city of the Vijayanagar kingdom.
Some pictures from the area near the Chandrashekara temple.
There was one guy who was reading sitting in the temple premises. It just added to the serenity of the place!
This is an Octogonal bath near the temple. Seems like bathing was a pretty public activity is all historical civilisations.
The best way to explore Hampi is by bicycle. The slopes of the landscape and the beauty of the ruins flex different parts of the body - the legs and the heart respectively!
The landscape is weird like in no other place. There are rocks of various sizes and shapes hanging and placed in precarious looking equilibria. Nature's creations and man's manicuring - giving fantastic visual delights!
Some pictures from the area near the Chandrashekara temple.
There was one guy who was reading sitting in the temple premises. It just added to the serenity of the place!
This is an Octogonal bath near the temple. Seems like bathing was a pretty public activity is all historical civilisations.
The best way to explore Hampi is by bicycle. The slopes of the landscape and the beauty of the ruins flex different parts of the body - the legs and the heart respectively!
The landscape is weird like in no other place. There are rocks of various sizes and shapes hanging and placed in precarious looking equilibria. Nature's creations and man's manicuring - giving fantastic visual delights!
'Bangalored' has a new meaning!
Wet, wet, wet! That's the theme of the month for Bangalore and it's 8 million populace this October. All old records have been broken in term so rainfall and wetness of every day.
Under these circumstances, the daily woes of the residents of Bangalore getting stuck in no man's land and having to wade through water all the time has become a common story in every hosehold! May be, that's the new meaning of 'Bangalored'! The infrastructure or whatever is left of it, is in shambles. Complete shambles!
The reason for this deluge is more man made than nature's fury. Earlier, Bangalore was known to be the city of lakes. Lakes had natural inward and outward flows that could distribute the rainwater among themselves. Then came the ugly side of 'development'. Layouts were created out of Lake beds and reclaimed land. Damn it, when there is so much land in the country, why destroy a lake to claim land. Well, such is the mentality of land sharks and their real estate dreams - money and only money is their motive. And look who's paying the price for such deeds! Are we all not 'Bangalored' now?
Under these circumstances, the daily woes of the residents of Bangalore getting stuck in no man's land and having to wade through water all the time has become a common story in every hosehold! May be, that's the new meaning of 'Bangalored'! The infrastructure or whatever is left of it, is in shambles. Complete shambles!
The reason for this deluge is more man made than nature's fury. Earlier, Bangalore was known to be the city of lakes. Lakes had natural inward and outward flows that could distribute the rainwater among themselves. Then came the ugly side of 'development'. Layouts were created out of Lake beds and reclaimed land. Damn it, when there is so much land in the country, why destroy a lake to claim land. Well, such is the mentality of land sharks and their real estate dreams - money and only money is their motive. And look who's paying the price for such deeds! Are we all not 'Bangalored' now?
Friday, October 21, 2005
Do we have disaster fatigue?
This is a thought that has been haunting me in the last few days in the aftermath of the Kashmir earthquake. I'm forced to compare my own feelings as well as the reaction of our nation to the disaster that has struck Kashmir(both sides) in the form of the earthquake! When the Tsunami struck the East coast, we all toppled over each other to rush aid and rescue materials to Nagapattinam and Cuddalore. When the earthquake in Kashmir happens, not even my company which is a very socially conscious firm, has declared any kind of donations to the Prime Minister's Relief fund! Why? Are these Kashmiris not our people? It's true that most of them don't consider themselves Indians, but I'm beginnin to wonder how much we consider them Indians. There's a feeling that had the same thing happened even in Jammu, just south of Kashmir, we would've again given the same kind of reaction as what we gave Tamil Nadu or Mumai or Western Maharashtra.
That brings us to the next question. Are we doing this because or religion by any chance? Had it been Hindus/Sikhs/Christians killed and affected, would we have reacted differently? Or may be even if it was a mainland muslim? By mainland I mean the large parts of India that does feel part of the same country. I'm not saying that this would've been the case, but just thought occurs in my mind. I'm appalled even at my own biased reaction to these incidents!
I thought this would've been a golden oppurtunity to send the message that we care. But we have failed quite badly. Even the media has largely ignored the tragedy. We don't find that many articles in newspapers! No coverage!
The other argument is that we are truly fatigued by disasters. We are beginning to accept them as part of life. First the Tsunami, then Mumbai and then these incessant rains that continue to lash Karnataka, Maharashtra. May be we have started treating things as everyday occurences!
Any thoughts? Any alternative explanations ?
That brings us to the next question. Are we doing this because or religion by any chance? Had it been Hindus/Sikhs/Christians killed and affected, would we have reacted differently? Or may be even if it was a mainland muslim? By mainland I mean the large parts of India that does feel part of the same country. I'm not saying that this would've been the case, but just thought occurs in my mind. I'm appalled even at my own biased reaction to these incidents!
I thought this would've been a golden oppurtunity to send the message that we care. But we have failed quite badly. Even the media has largely ignored the tragedy. We don't find that many articles in newspapers! No coverage!
The other argument is that we are truly fatigued by disasters. We are beginning to accept them as part of life. First the Tsunami, then Mumbai and then these incessant rains that continue to lash Karnataka, Maharashtra. May be we have started treating things as everyday occurences!
Any thoughts? Any alternative explanations ?
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Humans the Virus : Perspective
This is a picture taken in the Valley of Flowers in the Himalayas - Uttaranchal state of India. This is a very unique ecosystem where you can see green, white and multitude of colurs of the flowers. This is from a friend's recent visit to this valley.
Consider the Earth as a human being. What happens when a virus attacks us? We get a fever - that's Global warming for you. The virus cannot survive outside a host - so it kills to survive - that's what we human beings have done!
Virus spreads from one part of the body to another rapidly - virus multiplies at a alarming rate and can even cause death if the immune system cannot cope. That's why you see flooding in NJ, Bomaby, a Tsunami or an earthquake - that's the body of the Earth reacting to us - the viruses!!
The more powerful viruses take more than the weaker viruses - that's why a human being in US consumes 1000 times more paper than an average Indian. Dumping toxic wastes in all parts of the body - that's exactly what a virus does!! The only way this planet can survive is when we stop taking more than what we deserve! Money is a device created by the more powerful viruses to occupy more space and more power .. let's stop being viruses and start using that brain of ours! Otherwise, death for the planet is certain - and death for a host also means death for the virus ..
The point is - how do we start? Begin by saying 'No' to plastics. Use for really essential things. Don't cut yourselves from Nature. Stop enclosing your souls into closed spaces with air-conditioning! We have a beautiful ecosystem of existence in India now - we need to clean up surroundings definitely - but let's not cut ourselves off from the host called Earth!
Sunday, October 09, 2005
First day at School
I have very fond memories of my school and of the JIPMER campus. Most of what I am today in terms of opinions and impressions were formed from those days. I trust fellow human beings so much because Pondicherry is a place where nothing wrong seemed to take place! I am optimist who believes that the world will find its balance eventually - because even if wealth was not around so much, there was always happiness. Even today I see glowing faces, smiling teeth and an unshakable faith in the world, in Pondicherry. An extremely mild people who do not talk too much - is a gift of Shri Aurobindo and the Mother to Pondicherry.
But in today's world, will people like me get consumed? Am I living in a fool's paradise thinking everything is alright with the future of the world and my place in it? Everywhere I look around, aggression seems to be the way. And I can never get aggressive for any logical reason, I do get aggressive as a reaction to something stupid! It's more a form of defense.
Coming back to those days of Childhood, I took photographs of the hard copies of the snaps from those days when I went to Pondy last weekend.
This was the first day at school in Kendriya Vidyalaya, JIPMER! The other kid in the photo is Sandeep, my cousin-bro.
This snap was taken in Wilson Garden house with Sandeep and Ashwin. People say there's a huge resemblance between Sandeep and me - lot of teachers at school always confused our names!
But in today's world, will people like me get consumed? Am I living in a fool's paradise thinking everything is alright with the future of the world and my place in it? Everywhere I look around, aggression seems to be the way. And I can never get aggressive for any logical reason, I do get aggressive as a reaction to something stupid! It's more a form of defense.
Coming back to those days of Childhood, I took photographs of the hard copies of the snaps from those days when I went to Pondy last weekend.
This was the first day at school in Kendriya Vidyalaya, JIPMER! The other kid in the photo is Sandeep, my cousin-bro.
This snap was taken in Wilson Garden house with Sandeep and Ashwin. People say there's a huge resemblance between Sandeep and me - lot of teachers at school always confused our names!
Friday, October 07, 2005
Ahh Pondicherry!!
Pondicherry is home. That's where I spent my formative years. Everytime I go back there, I feel part of the environment. Outsiders say people don't talk much in Pondy - life is a meditation living there! Here's a photo essay of some of the places in the old city or town area of Pondy. These pictures should speak for themselves.
Friday, September 30, 2005
North-east Monsoon?
Growing up in Pondicherry, I was always a weather freak. Well, the growing up in Pondicherry part was just for effects. Anyways, being a weather freak and observer of nature, it always mattered to me which side the wind was blowing, which clouds are going to bear rain, and whether we would get a school holiday due to a depression the in Bay!
Like I know that the wind reverses direction around September 23 year after year. It's definitely something to do with the equinox. Same with March 23, when the official summer begins in the northern hemisphere.
Last morning's rain in Bangalore reminded me of those monsoon days in Pondicherry - the typical depression rain; of a continuos and determined bunch of clouds to not stop raining - without any hurry.
Well, I'm off to Pondicherry today to see the real North-east monsoon :). Here I come, the holy land ..
Like I know that the wind reverses direction around September 23 year after year. It's definitely something to do with the equinox. Same with March 23, when the official summer begins in the northern hemisphere.
Last morning's rain in Bangalore reminded me of those monsoon days in Pondicherry - the typical depression rain; of a continuos and determined bunch of clouds to not stop raining - without any hurry.
Well, I'm off to Pondicherry today to see the real North-east monsoon :). Here I come, the holy land ..
Thursday, September 29, 2005
Rainy bandh day
I woke up at 7 AM - an hour earlier than usual. It was still pretty dark outside. Ah, there's the reason - it was raining. It'd started raining last night! The front door opened to a beautiful world outside. But my sweetheart was away in Delhi - can't hear the music of appreciation of nature from her today :(.
The day crawled in anticipation of a break in the rain. The wind chimes in the balcony refused chime. This house is so different without her. Okay, she's only gone for three days! So I pull along.
I decided to chug along in the rain. Today's a bandh called by the communists. I still saw school kids arunning in their colorful raincoats. As I went past the ADE campus, I saw a few red flags and a couple of workers standing there. Others just went past them for work. So much for communism in Bangalore city!
As I took a turn towards Krishna temple road, the inevitable happened. My bike stopped! It's been giving me so much trouble. Rain or heat or traffic or speed - just any reason to stall. So I push it along and let it dry the electrical circuitary. I left with my mechanic and told him to do whatever to do something with the electrical connection.
But, now - no autos! Those contraptions I'd belittled just yesterday; they were off the roads. And the steady rain had no intention of letting up. So I walked along in my new role of being observer. The traffic seemed to flow better than normal. I thought what a pity that some companies are closed today to compensate on a good saturday.
As I walked along, I was also getting pretty wet, naturally :). In my observer cap, I thought about the amount of rain that just drains. If only, we made good use of this water ..
I just stood on old madras road asking for lift - and got dropped at the ulsoor fork .. then i walked from there till office again - drenched pretty badly ..
The day crawled in anticipation of a break in the rain. The wind chimes in the balcony refused chime. This house is so different without her. Okay, she's only gone for three days! So I pull along.
I decided to chug along in the rain. Today's a bandh called by the communists. I still saw school kids arunning in their colorful raincoats. As I went past the ADE campus, I saw a few red flags and a couple of workers standing there. Others just went past them for work. So much for communism in Bangalore city!
As I took a turn towards Krishna temple road, the inevitable happened. My bike stopped! It's been giving me so much trouble. Rain or heat or traffic or speed - just any reason to stall. So I push it along and let it dry the electrical circuitary. I left with my mechanic and told him to do whatever to do something with the electrical connection.
But, now - no autos! Those contraptions I'd belittled just yesterday; they were off the roads. And the steady rain had no intention of letting up. So I walked along in my new role of being observer. The traffic seemed to flow better than normal. I thought what a pity that some companies are closed today to compensate on a good saturday.
As I walked along, I was also getting pretty wet, naturally :). In my observer cap, I thought about the amount of rain that just drains. If only, we made good use of this water ..
I just stood on old madras road asking for lift - and got dropped at the ulsoor fork .. then i walked from there till office again - drenched pretty badly ..
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
IT and the farmer
We've all seen the ITC ad on how they're tranforming lives in rural India. The e-choupal is an interesting case study on the Supply Chain System.
ITC, in a bid to shed its image of being a Cigarette manufacturer and take up a social cause combined with a long-term sustainable profit introduced these e-choupal concept. We do see ads on Indian television about these e-choupals about how ITC is transforming lives. Well, there really seems to be some changes happening.
Check out : http://www.digitaldividend.org/case/case_echoupal.htm - a very interesting case study.
And for a feather on their cap : ITC has won the 100,000$ Development Gateway Award : http://home.developmentgateway.org/award
Hope for a better future for the poor farmer!
ITC, in a bid to shed its image of being a Cigarette manufacturer and take up a social cause combined with a long-term sustainable profit introduced these e-choupal concept. We do see ads on Indian television about these e-choupals about how ITC is transforming lives. Well, there really seems to be some changes happening.
Check out : http://www.digitaldividend.org
And for a feather on their cap : ITC has won the 100,000$ Development Gateway Award : http://home.developmentgateway
Hope for a better future for the poor farmer!
Friday, September 23, 2005
Letter to the Editor
My letter to the editor of Deccan Herald was published on September 12th, 2005. This is a subject close to my heart.
http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/sep122005/editpage1554292005911.asp
http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/sep122005/editpage1554292005911.asp
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
The Braille Slates
At the Ramana Maharishi Academy for the Blind reception. In the background, you can see the trophies and awards won by the organisation. For the 2500 alumni of the school, "respect not sympathy" has been the motto.
The Braille slate being used by a visually impaired. We - the diljale, had donated for the purchase of braille slates. This girl was extremely enthusiastic to show us the use of the braille slates.
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
Six Years ..
6 September, 1999 was the day I joined Infosys Tech Ltd. It's been 6 years already! My God, time flies ..
Such milestones are good times to reflect back on what's happened.
- How do I rate myself career so far?
- What have I achieved so far in my career?
- What is my action plan for the next few years?
- Where do I see myself 2 years from now?
- Where do I see myself 5 years from now?
These are the typical questions to my mind whenever I think of my career. But overall, to judge in a qualitative manner, I would say average. I have followed the path that a average Indian IT male would've had. Very average indeed ..
In terms of my aspirations, if I look at my yearbook, I wanted to be a manager - I still want to enter the management field. That way, my long term goal from a 10Km height still remains the same. What else has changed? I started as a enthusiastic Telecom development guy - I was very enthu about writing code for the Telecom network and swicthes. Over the years, certainly a lot of events have influenced me. And, I took to testing as a career. Boy, that was one significant move in my career. Today, I lead 4 engineers in a multi national product company. But, I need more .. I want to direct and manage an entire project on my own. Some day ..
Now, an MBA looks more achievable than ever before. My wife has played a huge role in this transformation. It's amazing how much life's changed since she came in into my life! In terms of experience and reading and knowledge, I'm more ready for an MBA now than ever before. Only time will tell, where my career is headed. But, as of now it's Chalti ka naam Gaadi. :-)
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