Vande Mataram - II

I had ended the last post by concluding that the National Anthem and the National Song were supposed to treated with equal respect. In fact to most people at the time of independence, Vande Mataram was a greater tribute to the nation. Then why the controversy around it?

For that let’s trace the song’s history –
The song is written by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee in what has been described as a highly Sanskritized form of the Bengali language. The song first appeared in his book Anandamatha, published in 1882; it was actually written six years earlier in 1876.
The song has five stanzas.

Vande maataram
sujalaam suphalaam malayaja shiitalaam
Sasyashyaamalaam maataram ||

Shubhrajyotsnaa pulakitayaaminiim
pullakusumita drumadala shobhiniim
suhaasiniim sumadhura bhaashhiniim
sukhadaam varadaam maataram ||

Koti koti kantha kalakalaninaada karaale
koti koti bhujai.rdhR^itakharakaravaale
abalaa keno maa eto bale
bahubaladhaariniim namaami taariniim
ripudalavaariniim maataram ||

Tumi vidyaa tumi dharma
tumi hR^idi tumi marma
tvam hi praanaaH shariire

Baahute tumi maa shakti
hR^idaye tumi maa bhakti
tomaara i pratimaa gaDi
mandire mandire ||

Tvam hi durgaa dashapraharanadhaarinii
kamalaa kamaladala vihaarinii
vaanii vidyaadaayinii namaami tvaam

namaami kamalaam amalaam atulaam
Sujalaam suphalaam maataram ||

Shyaamalaam saralaam susmitaam bhuushhitaam
Dharaniim bharaniim maataram |

.....and the translation by Shree Aurobindo -

Mother, I bow to thee!
Rich with thy hurrying streams,
bright with orchard gleams,
Cool with thy winds of delight,
Dark fields waving Mother of might,
Mother free.

Glory of moonlight dreams,
Over thy branches and lordly streams,
Clad in thy blossoming trees,
Mother, giver of ease
Laughing low and sweet!
Mother I kiss thy feet,
Speaker sweet and low!
Mother, to thee I bow.

Who hath said thou art weak in thy lands
When the sword flesh out in the seventy million hands
And seventy million voices roar
Thy dreadful name from shore to shore?
With many strengths who art mighty and stored,
To thee I call Mother and Lord!
Though who savest, arise and save!
To her I cry who ever her foeman drove
Back from plain and Sea And shook herself free.

Thou art wisdom, thou art law,
Thou art heart, our soul, our breath
Though art love divine, the awe
In our hearts that conquers death.
Thine the strength that nervs the arm,
Thine the beauty, thine the charm.
Every image made divine In our temples is but thine

Thou art Durga, Lady and Queen,
With her hands that strike and her
swords of sheen,
Thou art Lakshmi lotus-throned,
And the Muse a hundred-toned,
Pure and perfect without peer,
Mother lend thine ear,
Rich with thy hurrying streams,
Bright with thy orchard gleems,
Dark of hue O candid-fair

In thy soul, with jewelled hair
And thy glorious smile divine,
Lovilest of all earthly lands,
Showering wealth from well-stored hands!
Mother, mother mine!
Mother sweet, I bow to thee,
Mother great and free!

It is obvious from the translation that the later stanzas of the song depicts the motherland as a goddess...a notion that the followers of a number of religions are uncomfortable with. Also a cause of concern was the novel itself...Anandmath - in which the chief protaganist, Bhavananda, plans an armed rising against the Muslims of Bengal.

These are the reasons often cited as to why concerns were raised by the Muslim community even before independence against Vande Mataram.

In 1937 the Congress under the presidentship of Nehru, took cognizance of the concerns raise and made a statement seeking separation of the song from the novel. Noting its usage over the years the statement said -

"Thethe use of the first two stanzas of the song spread to other provinces and a certain national significance began to attach to them. The rest of the song was very seldom used, and is even now known by few persons. These two stanzas described in tender language the beauty of (the) motherland and the abundance of her gifts. There was absolutely nothing in them to which objection could be from the religious or any other point of view..."

"...The Committee recognizes the validity of the objection raised by Muslim friends to certain parts of the song. While the Committee have taken note of such objection insofar as it has intrinsic value, the Committee wish to point out that the modern evolution of the use of the song as part of National life is of infinitely greater importance than its setting in a historical novel before the national movement had taken shape."

Of course a statement like this makes no difference in India. Most people in the past and even now continue to get swayed by the religious authorities. But the point is that even then it was recognized that the first two stanzas do not carry any religious connotations and are actually a beautiful depiction of the nation.

The Supreme Court has ruled that singing of the national anthem is not necessary as long as no disrespect is shown towards it. What is valid for the national anthem is obviously valid for the national song, so clearly no one can force anyone to sing it but Vande Mataram has been proclaimed as our national song and therefore no community can disown it. There in lies the current problem. Ignorance has fostered fear among the Muslim community that they are being forced to sing it because the song is Hindu in nature. Fatwas have been repeatedly issued asking muslim parents not to allow their children to sing the song, democracy has been cited to state that the individual has the right to choose whether to sing the song or not...(in that case maybe we should have the right to follow/not follow any law in this country...this we do anyways :)) parties like BJP have repeatedly tried to get mileage out of the issue and have projected the choice of not singing as anti national.

Obviously both attitudes are wrong...what is required is for each and everyone to understand the meaning of the song and I doubt if there will be any confusion after that. So lets go and get to know our national song better!!

Vande Mataram

The virulent and shabby debate, no strike that coz it’s not a debate...it is actually just hocus pocus, over our national song is just another reflection of the shambles our leadership is in. I mean there are people dying in the floods, farmers are committing suicide…and the parliament is getting stalled over this? Who cares about national symbols when there is nothing to eat?

But all this has made me curious…to find out more about our national song, to understand its lyrics (which I am guilty of not knowing completely) and its history. Also over the last few years I have come across more and more people saying that “Vande Mataram” should have been selected as our national anthem instead of “Jana Gana Mana”. So I will start with that.

"The question of having a national anthem tune, to be played by orchestras and bands became an urgent one for us immediately after 15th August 1947. It was as important as that of having a national flag. The 'Jana Gana Mana' tune, slightly varied, had been adopted as a national anthem by the Indian National Army in South-East Asia, and had subsequently attained a degree of popularity in India also... I wrote to all the provincial Governors and asked their views about our adopting 'Jana Gana Mana' or any other song as the national anthem. I asked them to consult their Premiers before replying... Every one of these Governors, except one (the Governor of the Central Provinces), signified their approval of 'Jana Gana Mana'. Thereupon the Cabinet considered the matter and came to the decision that provisionally 'Jana Gana Mana' should be used as the tune for the national anthem, till such time as the Constituent Assembly came to a final decision. Instructions were issued accordingly to the provincial governments...

''It is unfortunate that some kind of argument has arisen as between 'Vande Mataram' and 'Jana Gana Mana'. 'Vande Mataram' is obviously and indisputably the premier national song of India, with a great historical tradition, and intimately connected with our struggle for freedom. That position it is bound to retain and no other song can displace it. It represents the position and poignancy of that struggle, but perhaps not so much the culmination of it. In regard to the national anthem tune, it was felt that the tune was more important than the words... It seemed therefore that while 'Vande Mataram' should continue to be the national song par excellence in India, the national anthem tune should be that of 'Jana Gana Mana', the wording of 'Jana Gana Mana' to be suitably altered to fit in with the existing circumstances.
The question has to be considered by the Constituent Assembly, and it is open to that Assembly to decide as it chooses. It may decide on a completely new song or tune, if such is available."

- Prime Minister Nehru to the Constituent Assembly (Legislative) on August 25, 1948

I was surprised when I came across this note because I used to think that the popularity of “Vande Mataram” was greatly exaggerated, but it seems that is not the case. And will anyone explain to me what Panditji meant by "...tune wass more important than words"??????

It seemed that the issue didn’t get resolved so easily and the final word on it was made by the President of the Constituent Assembly, Rajendra Prasad, on January 24, 1950. He said:

“There is one matter which has been pending for discussion, namely, the question of the national anthem. At one time it was thought that the matter might be brought up before the House, and a decision taken by the House by way of a resolution. But it has been felt that, instead of taking a formal decision by means of a resolution, it is better if I make a statement with regard to the national anthem. Accordingly, I make this statement... The composition consisting of the words and music known as 'Jana Gana Mana' is the national anthem of India, subject to such alterations in the words as the Government may authorize as occasion arises; and the song 'Vande Mataram', which has played a historic part in the struggle for Indian freedom, shall be honoured equally with Jana Gana Mana and shall have equal status with it. (Applause) I hope that will satisfy the Members.”

So the two songs were supposed to have equal status. Now on to why the Muslims are uncomfortable with the song and the probable reason the song didn’t end up being our national anthem. Maybe in the next post....

It has been a while...

...Since I last did some blog hopping...or blog posting...or even visit my own blog...needless to say I have been busy as hell...But I am still around...:)

Terrible Times...

India is going through some low times off late. First there was the failure of the Agni missile, then the very next day the GSLV went down - the satellite and the effort of all the people who worked on it blown to bits.
But the worst disaster by far was obviously what happened in Mumbai. How pissed off do you need to be to decide to blow off the people around you?? I mean really......beyond the limited capabilities of my tiny brain (big head small brain) this is.

At least the mistake of 93 was not repeated...at least the city didn't go nuts...but I wonder if it is a case of showing greater tolerance or just the numbness, the indifference. I don't know what to do except shake my head...

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Came across an article that suggested a brilliant resolution to the school dropout problem. It suggested that grading for certain sections of the society should be discontinued in the subjects of Math and Science...I would have fallen off my chair laughing if the report had been talking about some other country but sadly it wasn't. The proposal apparently has been mooted by our own Minorities Commission. Well this is such a tempting issue for a long long rant...but I sadly I don't have the time...

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Now on to the blog ban...there is nothing new in governments seeking a ban on certain sites...but it would have been better if the government had done so in a more transparent manner...maybe then the ISPs would not have been too eager to impress the authorities by blocking the entire domain. I don't think the ban will last very long...but for the time being at least India has joined the group of nations actively indulging in internet censorship....China, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Ethiopia being the other major nations...
What was more annoying was the reaction of the media to it...polls were carried out...and people who can't differentiate blog from blob decided to vote that banning the blog was a good thing.

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Saw a show on Star World the other day…Rockstar Supernova…a bunch of has beens trying to form a rock band…the participants were just as 'interesting'…It was like watching American Idol With Eyeliner AND Tattoos :) The annoying bit was watching a lady literally massacring ‘Lithium’. But then at the end she started running around and jumping around like a mad man or woman……and it was annoying no more…;)

World Cup - Update 8

So the Saga has come to an end...a month of celebration has been brought to a close. It was good while it lasted and I am already looking forward to the next edition in S.Africa...

Italy has been crowned the winners for the 4th time. They were probably the best side in the championships...they scored goals and didn't conceed any, so I guess a worthy winner.

So a look at the last 2 games of the World Cup:-

July 8

1. Germany vs Portugal (3-1): Germans had more to play for and they played well. Portugal seemed dejected and as hard as they tried, they were never menacing enough. A second half charge led Germany to victory and to a third place finish at the 2006 World Cup.

July 9

1. Italy vs France (6-4 on Penalties): Italians were definitely better in the first half even though they went a goal down but all the other sessions clearly belonged to France who really impressed me. But in a Final that went the full distance for only the second time, it was the Italian side that held its nerve to be crowned the World Cahmpions. No point talking abt the Head Butt by Zidane on Materazzi, other than saying it was quite shocking and a sad way for a brilliant career to end.

So who won all the prizes?

GOLDEN SHOE AWARD WINNER - Miroslav Klose
Gillette Best Young Player award - Lukas Podolski (rightly so, Messi hardly played)
Yashin Award for the Best Goal Keeper - Gianluigi Buffon
Golden Ball - Zinedine Zidane (Fabio Cannavaro had to settle for the Silver Ball)
FIFA Fair Play Trophy - Shared by Brazil and Spain
Most Entertaining Side - Portugal (I preferred Germany)

The player who disappointed me the most - Ronaldinho (maybe too much football was to blame)
The player who impressed me the most - Lukas Podolski

World Cup - Update 7

Who would have thought that the two teams left in this edition would be Italy and France. Well I can't help but be amazed by the "Les Blues" entry in the finals. But that is just my opinion. Dubious penalty or not, Portugal never looked like scoring. Both teams have hardly conceded goals and I think whichever side takes the lead will fold shop.

So when it will be all said and done, when the referee will blow the final whistle who will be holding the trophy in the historic Olympic Stadium? Fabio Cannavaro of Italy or France's Zinedine Zidane? I will be rooting for Italy (well...I know what that means) coz they have been the more attractive side and they were superb against the Germans.

The semi-finals:-

July 04

1. Germany vs. Italy (0-2 in extra Time): ecstasy at one end of the field, heartbreak for the entire host nation. These were the amazing scenes at the end of the game. With the match set to go to penalties, Fabio Grosso scored to upset all calculations and a minute later Del Piero scored the killer blow. The Germans who have never beaten Italy in a world cup match were not their usual self and it was the "Azzuri" that did all the running and looked the more menacing side. It was by far their best performance so far.

But the Germans fans will still be happy with what they saw. In my opinion atleast, they were the most attractive side in this World cup Edition.

July 05

1. Portugal vs. France (0-1): France continued to defy logic and made it to the finals. Zizou was superb but I still can't say that for the entire French side. They are defensive and boring.

So what is left?

• Germany vs. Portugal - I think the Germans have more to play for and will win this.
• Italy vs. France - Italy has played well, except for two poor games against the US and Australia. They were superb against Germany and if they played that well again...they will surely win.

World Cup - Update 6

What a disaster!!!
No team from South America made it to the semi finals. The matches were hard fought but all teams were too cautious in my opinion - none more so than the two South American heavy weights Argentina and Brazil.
I think I should stop supporting Argentina if they are to have a chance at world cup glory. I have been following them since 1990 and they really don't have anything to show for in this period.

Two nerve-racking penalty shoot outs that brought out extreme and contrasting emotions in the fans of the respective teams really shows why this is the number one sport in the world.

June 30

1. Germany vs. Argentina (1-1, 4-2 on penalties): Heart break for Argentina. The coach resigned after the match, I think he was responsible for the team selected and the sub due manner in which they played the first half. The team minus Saviola and Messi looked lacking in ideas as Riquelme also had a mediocre game. Germans will be backing themselves to go all the way now.
2. Italy vs. Ukraine (3-0): Pretty much a one sided game, Italy romped home easily.

July 01

1. England vs. Portugal (0-0, 1-3 on penalties): England should have won this. They were generally the better side. Great defending by the Portuguese side saw them through.
2. Brazil vs. France (0-1): What a crappy performance from the defending champions. The French side inspired by the performance of Zidane hung on to the lead and probably caused the biggest upset in the championships. Match against Portugal will go down to the wire I think.

What’s coming up -

• Germany vs. Italy - Germany looks the better side and should win this, Italy has been solid as ever . It will be a close game.
• Portugal vs. France - I will be again backing the Portugal side (which probably means they will lose)

World Cup - Update 5

So we have reached the quarter final stage, a few of my predictions went wrong, Spain winning against France went horribly wrong for example.
Anyways 6 of the 7 winners of the trophy have made it to the last 8 (Uruguay the only team missing; they are missing from the World Cup as well) so that should be a good thing...

Onto what happened in the Round of 16 -

June 24

1. Germany vs. Sweden (2-0): What an awesome display from the Germans. They completely over ran the Swedes in the opening 15 minutes. They are peaking at the right time and look good to go all the way.
2. Argentina vs. Mexico (2-1): Argentina struggled and a similar display against the Germans might be their last in this edition. They need to play better.

June 25

1. England vs. Ecuador (1-0): Very boring performance from the English side, one good moment is all they had to show for. But they will still be backing themselves.
2. Portugal vs. Netherlands (1-0) : What an explosive game. Both teams played with immense passion and ended up going to any length to get the decision in their favour. With Deco out of the next match, and Ronaldo not looking too healthy, it will be very difficult for the Portugal side against England. But they can still do it...I hope.

June26

1. Italy vs. Australia (1-0): And the Oscar goes to...Fabio Grosso. A dubious penalty saw Italy through. Not a very convincing performance, but they will still back themselves to reach the Semi-Final s.
2. Switzerland vs. Ukraine (0-3): First penalty shoot out in this edition. A slow game with little chances created. Swiss couldn't convert anything from the spot and are out of the world cup without conceding a goal. A sad way to go.

June 27

1. Brazil vs. Ghana (3-0): Brazil was stretched all the way, but showed amazing goal scoring ability. Any decent move and an opportunity to score a goal was there for the taking. But still Ghana deserves all the applause for playing some neat football.
2. Spain vs. France (1-3): A shocker for me. Spain went out and they didn't even look like winners. One bad game and out you go. Improved performance from the French side.
   

So what is lined up -

• Germany vs. Argentina: What do I say? Argentina looks better on paper but Germans have been more impressive on the field. 3-2 win for Argentina in extra time will make me happy :).
• Italy vs. Ukraine: I expect a dull game, with the Italians winning.
• England vs. Portugal: England will be confident against an under strength Portuguese side. I still hope Portugal makes it through.
• Brazil vs. France: I expect Brazil to win easily, maybe even reverse the score line from France 98.

I hope football will take centre stage in the next few matches instead of the refrees. I also hope the game will be clean and minus the play acting (the penalty decision in Italy-Aussie game a case in point). Leaves a bad taste really.

World Cup - Update 4

It was time for tears of joy and tears of sadness as some teams made history while others made a quiet exit. The 16 teams making into round 2 have been decided. No major surprises there, except for the Czech's departure and Ghana becoming the only team to make it to round 2 from Africa. The Asian sides might have as well not participated. All of them played insipid and dull football and to think we want more places in the World Cup!!!!

But the Czechs are out, I repeat coz I really liked the side and it is basically the end of the road for some great players in the side.

Anyway on to the re-cap of matches-

June 20

1. Germany vs. Ecuador (3-0): Another good performance from the home side. They are playing better than anyone expected them to really. The group was a bit easy but even so. I think the English team will be happier to have avoided them.
2. Poland vs. Costa Rica (2-0): An easy wins for the Poles, atleast they end on a good note.
3. Sweden vs. England (2:2): Another patchy performance from both sides. The second goal conceded by England will definitely rank as amongst the worst goals conceded. Still they top the group and Ecuador should not be too much of a challenge. Pity that Owen is out.
4. Paraguay vs. Trinidad & Tobago (2-0): Paraguay had a chance if the Swedes had lost, but they never really deserved to go any further.

June 21

1. Argentina vs. Holland (0-0): Bit of a disappointment really. Both sides decided to rest most of their players and Holland didn't seem too interested to try and top the group.
2. Serbia-Montenegro vs. Ivory Coast (2-3): Great game, Ivory Coast really played well in all the games, they might have made it to round 2 had they been in Group G. They were definitely more attractive than France.
3. Portugal vs. Mexico (2-1): Portugal continue to play well. Holland will be a tough challenge in round 2. I think that game will be definitely worth watching. Mexico on the other hand continue to disappoint.
4. Angola vs. Iran (1-1): Angola needed to win and win well to advance. But they couldn't convert chances.

June 22

1. Italy vs. Czech Republic (2:0): The Italians were superb and the Czechs never looked likely to cause an upset. The injuries to key players really took them out.
2. Ghana vs. USA (2:1): Great performance from the Ghana side, I wish them all the luck against Brazil whom they ll next challenge.
3. Brazil vs. Japan (4:1): What a performance! Brazil were just unstoppable in the second Half.
4. Croatia vs. Australia (2:2): Really the best game of the lot...The emotions were running high and I didn't know whether to feel happy for the Aussies(Socceroos) or sad for the Croats. So close and yet so far. I know who will be feeling mighty relieved - the aussies goal keeper who let in the simplest of saves!

June 23

1. France vs. Togo (2-0): They had no choice but to play aggressively. But for the Togo goalkeeper, they would have won by a bigger margin. Spain should kick them out though.
2. Switzerland vs. Korea (2:0): The Swiss have looked good ever since their goal less draw against France.
3. Spain vs. Saudi Arabia (1:0): Spain rested all their star players and it took them 70 mins to get on the scoresheet. Still the best start to the world cup campaign for them.
4. Ukraine vs. Tunisia (1:0): Dubious penalty handed Ukraine the win. Very average performance from them so far.

So what's lined up now?

• Germany vs. Sweden - Germans should win this unless Sweden play more consistently.
• Argentina vs. Mexico - Argentina should win comfortably.
• England vs. Ecuador - England will win easily if they don't concede stupid goals.
• Portugal vs. Holland - Will be a fantastic game.
• Italy vs. Australia - Italy will win easily enough.
• Swiss vs. Ukraine - Swiss should win.
• Brazil vs. Ghana - Brazil will win.
• Spain vs. France - Spain will win.

World Cup - Update 3

Update just before the last round of matches at the group stage begin. Next few days are likely to be very interesting with some good games lined up.

June 14

1. Germany vs Poland (1-0): Germany had to wait till the last few minutes to break the deadlock, but as expected are through to the second round. Poland on the other hand became the first side to go out. They will be disappointed coz they must have fancied their chances in the group.

June 15

1. Ecuador vs Costa Rica (3-0): Another fine performance by the South Americans, their real test will be against Germany though. They ll be happy to make round two.
   
2. England vs Trinidad & Tobago (2-0): Very poor first half, but an improved performance in the second half so England through to round two. They will be happy to see Rooney back on the field.
   
3. Sweden vs Paraguay (1-0): Another patchy performance by the Swedes. I doubt if they will be able to keep their record of not having lost to England for 30 (38 I think) odd years intact.
   

June 16

1. Argentina vs Serbia-Montenegro (6-0): What a superb performance. And Messi is back on the field too. Must be hard on the players of Serbia-Montenegro - playing last time together as one nation.
   
2. Netherlands vs Ivory Coast (2-1): Still not at their best, the Dutch will be happy to have qualified and knowing that they can play much better. Great game with the Argentina lined up.
3. Mexico vs Angola (0-0): The most boring game of the world cup. Period.
   

June 17

1. Portugal vs Iran (2-0): Easy win for Portugal and they will be happy to be in round two.
   
2. Czech Republic vs Ghana (0-2): What a disaster. I am rooting for the Czechs as well and to see them play so poorly was sad. They have the biggest injury worries and if Milan Barros doesn't start against Italy...well...I hope they make it to round two. Awesome performance from Ghana though.
   
3. Italy vs USA (1-1): Poor performance from the Italians and if even poorer performance from the referee has made Group E the group of Death.
   

June 18

1. Japan vs Croatia (0-0): The Croats will be disappointed to have missed the penalty. The Aussies would be the happiest with the result.
2. Brazil vs Australia (2-0): Brazil is looking solid and getting better.
   
3. France vs South Korea (1-1): Finally a goal for France, but they really don't deserve to make it to round two, even if they have a player like Thierry Henry and Zinedine Zidane. Has Zidane played his last World Cup game? (He picked his second booking in the game and will sit out for the next game) It will be pity if he goes out without a whimper. Maybe that will motivate the rest of the team to play better but instead there is a talk of rift in the team. Sad.
   

June 19

1. Togo vs Switzerland (0-2): Good performance from the Swiss puts them ahead of France in the group.
   
2. Saudi Arabia vs Ukraine (0-4): Maybe the game against Spain was just a nervous start for Ukraine. Very nice display to keep their hopes alive for round two.
3. Spain vs Tunisia (3-1): Another good Spanish performance. They are looking good this time.
   

Games to look forward to in the coming days -

• Sweden vs England - England should win this.
• Argentina vs Netherlands - First real test of strength for both sides.
• Czech vs Italy - Neither side can afford to lose. It will be an awesome game for sure.
• Croatia vs Australia - will decide which of these sides go through.
• Togo vs France - battle for survival.
• Switzerland vs Korea - will the Koreans keep the Asian flag flying.

World Cup - Update 2

Now that the first round of matches are done with at the Group stage, it is time for another update. Good exciting matches on the whole...better than i expected at this stage. Thankfully no upsets or really bizzarre results.

Anyways continuing from where I left off...

June 12

1. Australia vs Japan (3-1): Great game, and the aussies showed that they belonged.
   
2. Czech Republic vs USA (3-0): The most one sided game so far, the US were pathetic to say the least. I think they should just stick "American Football".
   
3. Italy vs Ghana (2-0): Another nice game. Italy were pushed all the way...
   

June 13

1. South Korea vs Togo(2-1): First win for an Asian side. Doubt if either of these two teams will make it to Round 2. Of course if the teams continue to play insipid football...well...
   
2. France vs Switzerland (0-0): The other two teams of Group G. Hardly any chances created. France haven't scored for 4 matches now...
   
3. Brazil vs Croatia (1-0): The eternal favourites in action. A good game, Croatia not only kept Brazil in check, but created plenty of chances of their own. This makes the Croatia - Australia match quite promising.
   

June 14

1. Spain vs Ukraine (4-0): Superlative performance from the Spanish side. Will they do justice to the talent this time round?
   
2. Tunisia vs Saudi Arabia (2-2): The Saudis must have thought they have it in the bag once they scored their second goal. But an injury time equalizer keeps Tunisia in the hunt.

Best Team so far: Hard to say, Czech Republic and Spain were superb.
Worst Team so far: Easily the USA.

World Cup - Update 1

The FIFA World Cup has begun and already there have been some great games. Saw most of them but have an opinion on all of them :)

June 9

1. Germany vs Costa Rica (4-2): A cracking opening game, Germans looked good with the ball and were quite aggressive too...but their defence looked shaky. 2 attempts at goal for Costa Rica and they got both. Lehmann was ordinary at best. I think they will be exposed in the second round.
2. Poland vs Ecuador (0-2): Another awesome game with flowing moves. Poland were extremely unlucky as they just kept on hitting the cross bar...Ecuador played surprisingly well .I think its their first away win in 10 years...

So the group is wide open now...Ecuador should make it to round 2

June 10

1. England vs Paraguay (1-0): Pretty ordinary performance from the English side. Paraguay played their typical defensive game and it took an own goal to separate the teams.
   
2. Sweden vs Trinidad and Tobago (0-0): First draw of the world cup, Sweden created chances but to no avail. Not a good start for them. Awesome performance from the tiny island nation.
   
3. Argentina vs Ivory Coast (2-1): Ah, finally my favorite team in action. No Lionel Messi, but Riquelme and Saviola were superb. The defence was a bit shaky but atleast they have put the ghost of 2002 behind them. The group is not easy though.

June 11

1. Holland vs Serbia-Montenegro (1-0): Very patchy performance from the Dutch. I don't see them going too far.
2. Mexico vs Iran (3-1): Mexico really is too good a side to be held up 1-1 by Iran.
   
3. Portugal vs Angola (1-0): Portugal made a good start. I didn't watch whole of the game so I was a bit surprised that they couldn't build on their lead.

Environment Day

It's the World Environment Day today and the focus this year is on Deserts and Desertification (a process by which fertile land gradually turns into desert).

So I will write about something else instead - Water! I won't talk about how desperately I am awaiting the monsoon showers to hit Hyderabad and take away this heat, coz that would be digressing from the point. :)

Water scarcity may be the most underappreciated global environmental challenge of our time. Various agencies continue to voice concern over the ability of developing countries to quench the thirst of their rising population. India has still not managed the dream of clean drinking water for all - something the government has been aiming for ever since Independence. Not only have we been unable to provide potable drinking water, we have also been pumping out ground water (for farming, industry, etc) faster than it can be replenished. Monsoon rain clouds may roll in every June to September but the poorly maintained water reservoirs mean that most of the rain water is lost. Today an estimated one quarter of India'’s crops are being grown using underground aquifers.

Unless we start managing water in a smarter manner, the World Bank reports that "India will have neither the cash to maintain and build new infrastructure, nor the water required for the economy and for people."” The water crunch will make itself felt most on food supplies. Agriculture is the world's biggest user of water -- it takes at least 2,000 liters to produce enough food for one person for one day. Not enough water will mean that farming will get curbed and with the population growth not willing to take a rest, we will become dependent on food imports again.

But this problem is not confined to India alone, across the world countries are struggling to find clean water for their people. Infact, it is estimated that about half of the world population will be "stressed" for water (less than 1,700 cubic meters each of water per year, generally considered the minimal threshold for acceptable living standards) by 2015 (And we know where most of this "half" resides).

The water crunch has also started creating tensions between nations and within nations. There is already a great deal of bickering among the states that share water (Punjab - Harayana, Tamil Nadu - Karnataka for example), and the tensions will only get worse.

Water -- rather than oil -- could become the world's next big catalyst for conflict.

A year of Blogging

I knew it was close to a year...but I didn't remember the date...Anyways its been a year...

I didn't expect it to last this long...as I generally lose interests in all new distractions after they lose their novelty and as is usually the case I am left feeling impressed when I don't...

I can almost remember the day I started blogging...I was browsing around when I decided to explore Google a bit more...and came to Blogger. Apurv and Neha were already blogging...and both had once suggested that I should do too...so out of plain curiosity I created a blog...named it blogmia - my blog in Italian (I think) and titled it Discombobulated...a word I had come across a few days before...
I had planned not to tell about it to anyone...what was the point I thought, friends know how I think already...and if they have to come to a blog to get to know whats up with me...well then clearly we are not keeping in touch...anyways I am not very comfortable writing/talking about myself...and when I do, it ends up being cryptic..:)

So to mark the occasion...I did a quick scan of the old posts...and picked a few that I remembered...

• Kabooommm : The first post on May 23, 2005...testing the waters..
• Time : My fascination with time
• Smoke and Music : Pubs and rock
• Dilbert : When I requested a 4 year old strip for the blog...
• Anonymous Blog : All this anonymous blog stuff..
• Worlds 10 most expensive cars : What gets me the most hits...
• Intelligent Design : Interesting debate...
• Chess : Nice story at the end...
• Reunion : of sorts
• 20 useless things about me : well...
• Overheard at McDonalds : Funny incident on a not so funny day
• Yeah yeah I cried...but its ok I Guess : Probably the most personal post ever...
• Goalless Quest : I remember this post...Don't know why
• Opening Ceremony : a funny incident
• Omnipotence Paradox
• March 27, 1977 : left me numb
• Democracy-a note : well its the most recent post...:)

Democracy - A Note

Here we go...part one of maybe a multiple part series...or maybe I will lose interest after this one...lets see...
I took a book on Democracy by Bernard Crick and it was an amazing journey on the development of the concept and its implementation as it stands today. I want to write this so that I can look back at it if/when I start forgetting what I read and what I felt while reading it.

Democracy as some philosophers feel is an "essentially contested concept", something that can never be defined universally but still is considered as the definition of a good government...or a pre-requisite at the very least. It is a term often (mis)used by the political class when trying to suggest superiority of one government over the other - "we are the largest democracy! We are more democratic then them" - and so on.

To understand it better one needs to be aware of the manner in which it evolved over time...That's what this note is going to be about.

The word first emerged around 4th century BC in Athens, Demokratia - the rule (kratos) of the people (demos). The earliest usage can be found in Plato's writings where he attacks it by calling it a rule of poor and ignorant over the educated and the knowledgeable. His fundamental opposition was between knowledge and opinion. (I for one find this distinction extremely interesting) To him democracy was the rule or rather the anarchy of mere opinion.
His pupil, Aristotle, modified the strong views - it was ok for some to rule with the consent of many...the "some" needed to have excellence (aristocrats in other words) while "many" didn't mean the entire population (most certainly not women and slaves). To be able to choose one needed to have some education and some property. But the requirement of knowledge remained at the forefront of things - "just because men are equal in somethings, they can not be considered equal in all."

With time the concept/doctrine of democracy took root and it was realized that involving its citizens made the state more stable. This idea was further developed by Machiavelli in his book Discourses, around the 17th century. Developing Aristotle's theory further he said that good laws to protect all are not good enough unless subjects become active citizens. They should try and seek responsibility. He understood that the state is a lot safer in the hands of people fighting for a cause(the state) rather than in the hands of armed militia...

And then with the French revolution the idea of democracy also got revolutionized....with aristocracy toppled over by common people...the rules of engagement changed. Suddenly everyone regardless of education and property had a right to make his contribution into the decision making process for it was felt that the greater common good is understood better by the common citizen than the aristocrats living in an artificial make believe world. This threw up a new issue...division between individual liberties and the rights of the state.

The fourth usage comes from the American constitution and most of the constitutions ever since (even though it was formed before America really became a democracy) - All can participate (and they should), all must mutually respect the equal rights of fellow citizens within a regulated legal order that defines, protects and limits those rights. A fusion of rights of the people and the idea of legally guaranteed individual rights. The two are distinct ideas and often contradictory (that’s what happens when you get lawyers involved...)

Of course in today's world, with all the information overload and media hype its difficult to combine freedom and popular power. Neither there is one right and valid method (cant think of any other word) to it. There remain a number of factors that shape its form and implementation - factors like religion, culture, etc. So one form of democracy is not automatically better than the other…it can only be the best that can be implemented under the given circumstances…and that's the key question…is it able to serve its purpose in its current form in a given region at a given period of time?

In the next part (if it comes), I ll write about what essentially makes a democracy tick..:)

Anyways, a round of applause to anyone who actually read all of that…haha…but the evolution of this doctrine is something I find fascinating. I highly recommend the book to anyone interested and a lot of what I wrote actually comes from its pages...

PrattleCast

Caught a bit of Titanic last night, around the time when Jack(Leonardo diCaprio) wins the tickets to America in a game of poker with Sven.

As I was watching it a thought came into my head - what did Sven feel/think when he heard that Titanic had gone down? Was he glad that he didn't board the ship? That he lost that poker game? Did he feel sorry for Jack? And what would Jack do if he could turn back time? Would he change anything? (I think he says near the end that winning the ticket was the best thing that happened to him). What is the point you say?

Isn't it amazing how two people can see the same event in such different light? Isn't it amazing that sometimes a few special moments is all it takes to make it all seem worth it while sometimes an entire lifetime is not good enough?

Hmm, I am just out of touch with reality I guess...I should write something on Democracy instead...:)

Long Weekend

Well it was a long weekend...even though Saturday was spent in the office. As is usually the case, on Sunday I landed up at the British Library.

I had decided that if I didn't find any of the books I had been looking for in the Fiction section, I would move on to the Social Sciences and the General Sciences sections. As it so happened all the books on my wish list were out, so as planned I moved to the next few shelves. Within minutes I had a pile of 10 books from which I eventually had to put 7 back into their respective places... (Sigh!)

But seriously, there is so much to read!! There is a deep sea of information and knowledge and all I was doing was to move along the shores...Duh! So I have decided to read from these streams instead of fiction and I am afraid some of my future posts might be written under the influence of all the information going to my head....

Who wants fiction when facts can be so engaging!!

On Monday I planned to laze around in the house - if that was possible in the sweltering heat that has taken over Hyderabad off late...I want some rain. Are the rain gods listening???

Saw School of Rock in the evening. That cheered me up coz I really enjoyed it even though I was watching it for the third time...Jack Black is really cool in the movie...and so is the rest of the super talented cast of 10 yr olds, who played the instruments themselves...I too want to learn to play an instrument....some day!

Rant

A hot Friday afternoon (at least outside the office) and a routine meeting between onsite leads and the offshore leads is on.

The Senior Project Manager (henceforth SPM and who is based at the client location, of course) is seeking update from the offshore team.

SPM: "So where have we reached?"
S: "We are currently at 463, hopeful of reaching 470 by EOD today."

EOD for people who struggle with acronyms like me means End Of Day.

SPM: 470 is all well and good but we were supposed to be on 480 by the 21st.
S (thinking): yeah the hell we were...
(missed a bit of the conversation here)....I don’t care, I want 480 by 9 AM client time on Monday.
S (the hell you do): "We will try but it is going to be difficult!"

SPM (annoyed): "What S that was our target."

Meeting is over and S gets back to his team and informs them about the ultimatum.
X: "How can we achieve the target today?"
S: "What is basically implied is that we have to work this weekend as well!"

Grumpily everyone agrees....

Saturday is through and we are still 8 short of the target...and going back home S decides to chuck work and sit back and relax on Sunday. Ferrari is even ready to resume battle at Imola he thinks. To hell with work and targets...they make him feel sick anyways...
Yeah that’s the way it will be...
…
…
…
Sunday 2 PM: S is in office, trying to find euphemisms to describe his annoyance with himself (through this post, perhaps) and wondering why the hell his code never works the first time...grrrrrrrrr...

It can happen only in India

One person dies - at a fairly ripe age of 77, of natural causes - another 5 end up dead for no reason...
I am sure RajKumar is not feeling too good about it...after all who wants to be the cause of death (directly/indirectly) of other people...

So he was a regional actor, of some acclaim I presume considering his mind boggling popularity, and his demise was bound to leave his fans distressed but why all the vandalism? The tech BPO capital was held hostage for 2 days...Has burning buses and public property become the new way of showing grief?

Reminds me of the stories I read around the time RajKumar was kidnapped by Veerappan (I was in Delhi then) - stories of non-kannadigas being attacked especially Tamils...

What would have happened if he had died then...natural causes or otherwise?...No I wont even contemplate that...

Times gone by...

For the past few days memories from childhood have been playing in my head - all the mischief and crazy things I used to do...thought of writing about it here but guess that would be too boring...

Instead a dialog, a parting shot, from one of my favourite television sitcoms (from that time) will suffice -

"Growing up happens in a heartbeat. One day you're in diapers, the next day you're gone. But the memories of childhood stay with you for the long haul. I remember a place, a town, a house like a lot of other houses, a yard like a lot of other yards, on a street like a lot of other streets. And the thing is, after all these years, I still look back, with wonder."
- Kevin Arnold in The Wonder Years

update : 8 APRIL,2006

Continuing with the theme of nostalgia - came across a few lines by TS Elliot in "The Rotters' Club" which made me scramble to the junkyard that is my bag in search of a print out taken some time back - Four Quartets.

The lines were from the first of the four Quartets, Burnt Norton -

Time present and time past
Are both perhaps present in time future
And time future contained in time past.
If all time is eternally present
All time is unredeemable

....
....

Time past and time future
What might have been and what has been
Point to one end, which is always present.

I don't like poems, they seem so feeble, so delicate...but now that the book is over, I have decided to go back to that print out and try and understand it a bit better.

On This Day in 1977...

...happened the world's worst aviation disaster all because of a 4 second hiss in communication.
583 people lost their lives when two Boeing 747s collided on the runway at Los Rodeos Airport in Tenerife, Spain.

Both, PanAm 747 and KLM 747, were headed for the bigger Las Palmas airport but a terrorist threat had forced it to be closed and instead they had to land at Los Rodeos.

At 2:30 PM GMT, the aircrafts are informed that the Las Palmas airport has re-opened. To make up for lost time (and reduce traffic at the airport) the control tower suggests the PanAm captain to taxi just behind the KLM 747. The PanAm captain accepts.

Two hours later, both are backtracking the 3400 meters runway at low speed. The KLM will move towards the end of the runway from where it will report for take off. The PanAm one shall exit the runway at the third taxiway in order to let the KLM aircraft take-off. In the meantime the weather has worsened and the visibility is down to a few hundred metres.

At 4:55 PM KLM reaches the end of the runway. The PanAm 747 crew has just passed the third taxiway without seeing it. They saw the first one, they missed the second one, and they are now passing the third one thinking it is the second one. They are going to the fourth one.

The visibility improves momentarily and the KLM Captain doesn't want to miss this opportunity, he is already in stress as the Dutch regulations don't permit the pilots to fly beyond their hours quotas; if he doesn't take off soon both he and KLM will be in trouble. The KLM gets the clearance, but is not allowed to take off yet. However, the captain, in his hurry starts increasing the throttle. He seems to have forgotten that another aircraft is still taxiing on the runway. The stressful situation is probably the cause of this mistake.

5 :06 :13 (Captain) : We gaan. (We're going)
5 :06 :19 (Ténérife control tower) : OK
At the same time, the Panam first officer is talking :
5 :06 :19 (PanAm first officer) : No .. eh...

The controller now is in doubt. He reminds the KLM captain that he is not allowed to take-off.
5 :06 :20 (Ténérife control tower) : Stand by for take-off, I will call you.
5 :06 :20 (PanAm first officer) : And we're still taxiing down the runway...

The last two messages have been said at the same time. Consequently, they just became a long 4 seconds shrill in the KLM cockpit. The KLM increases its speed. 1500 meters further, the PanAm is still taxiing on the runway.

The PanAm captain sees landing lights of KLM Boeing at approximately 700m in the fog.

5 :06 :41 (PanAm captain) - (screaming) : He's coming...look...this son of bitch is coming!
5 :06 :41 (PanAm first officer) - (screaming)

The PanAm crew set full throttle to leave the runway ASAP to its left. But it is too late. The KLM captain sees the PanAm jumbo on the runway.

5 :06 :47 (KLM captain) : Oh shit!

The KLM is moving at about 270 km/h. The captain tries to take off and pass over the other aircraft. The nose climbs, the tail strikes the runway making sparks. The aircraft climbs from 1 meter, but it is not enough.
Both aircrafts collide. The forward landing gear wheels strike the right side of the PanAm 747, tearing the fuselage. The left wing cut the vertical stabilizer at the rudder level. Right wing fuel tanks are torn and the fuel catches fire.
The KLM 747 climbs slightly but it is completely dislocated and it crashes. There is no survivor.
In the PanAm 747, a few people escape from the burning plane. 64 people (including the captain all the people in flight deck) survived. All 251 passengers on the KLM and 332 on PanAm lost their lives.

Saw a documentary on this accident on National Geographic a few weeks ago - just left me stunned.

Here is a link on Wikipedia detailing the chain of events and the aftermath of the accident.


Also a graphical representation of what happened, also from Wikipedia

Sixth Annual Weblog Awards

Apparently there is something like weblog awards and its already in its sixth year. Some very interesting winners. I had been to a few of these, but not to the winner of "The Blog of the Year" - PostSecret (it also won the Best American Blog, Best Topical Blog, Best Community Blog, Best New Blog). The concept is very nice and the messages posted are well....strange!

The whole list is available at Sixth Annual Weblog Awards

Omnipotence Paradox

The previous post reminds me of a paradox associated with God's omnipotence.

It goes like this: "Can God create a stone so heavy that he cannot lift it?"

Ofcourse if he can bend logic.....:)


UPDATE FRIDAY, March 24, 2006

An interesting article on the same subject on Wikipedia can be read here

God and his Temples

So friends and friends' friends and I will be going to Tirupathi this weekend...well having lived in southern India for almost 2 years(gosh), I guess it is about time I gave one of the most visited places a visit.

Tirupathi, the abode of Lord Venkateswara, is located in the extreme south of Andhra Pradesh in Chitoor district, 750 odd km from here (Hyderabad).

So much for Geography…

This will be my first visit to a temple in about 2 yrs, probably the tenth or so in the past decade. I don’t visit temples, when I do it’s to see the “place” and the people and never to worship. Temples once meant to create the right environment for the devotees have become jostling grounds. I have never quite understood why worshipping in a particular temple is likely to increase your chances of success at petitioning God. Surely God is not listening to one’s prayers based on his location.

If God is omnipresent and omnipotent then why do I need to go to a particular temple?

And then you reach there, wearing a bandana of your religion on your head, but so have another billion people. All fighting to get ahead in the line, to get into a strategic location – little compassion is shown to fellow humans – cursing, pushing, pulling, etc is common…as if God will not note this…and just your effort to get there…

I remember once when I went to the Vaishno Devi shrine, a guy walking a few steps ahead of me got a nice little rap on his backside coz he decided to wait a few seconds too long before the holy pindis…or take the case of stampedes that happen every year during Haj. So you went to pay homage to the lord and ended up dead in the process.
How uncool is that???

Holi Hai!

Sid : "Its been 2 yrs since I last celebrated Holi!"
Friend A : "So?"
Sid : "Do you know how long it has been? 730 days!!"

Friend B(suffering from an acute bout of exactitude) : "Not possible! Holi doesn't fall on the same day every year!"

Duh!!!

But we did celebrate Holi yesterday, even though for a short period only...the most fun part being the look on the face of my friend from B'lore. Not accustomed to playing Holi, his reluctance to getting dirty meant that he ended up looking the dirtiest. :))

And continuing my loyalty to Rang de Basanti, I was found singing the title track (no point telling how good a singer I am) ....and as the joke goes - unfortunately no Basanti came to colour me, neither was I coloured Basanti in the end...(sigh)

Quiescence

What a Sunday!!

The only major sporting action I was missing was some Champions League (but they never happen on weekends anyway)matches!!

A fantastic opening to the new F1 season...glad to see Ferrari back...looking like a 4 (and a bit, if Toyota improves) way battle between Ferrari, Renault, Honda and McLaren....delicious!!

A good performance by India at Mohali! And what a crazy game at Johannesburg!! How in the world did a team fail to defend 434???

A sad performance by the Australian bowlers had my room mates jumping with joy! It seems a universal thing - this dislike for the Australian side!

"They play rough!!"
"They sledge!!"
....
....
"They win all the time!!" (That's what they are supposed to do, isn't it?!!!)

Well anyways they remain my favourite team after India of course...

Moving on to the blog title...probably the longest break between posts...wrote a few but never posted...a lot has happened...some really good moments, some ordinary moments...a bit of deja-vu actually...Some emotional upheaval as well...but all that is in the past now...I am settled again!

Sometimes, I feel the fear of uncertainty stinging clear
And I can't help but ask myself how much I'll let the fear take the wheel and steer.
It's driven me before, and it seems to have a vague, haunting mass appeal.
But lately I'm beginning to find that I should be the one behind the wheel

[Incubus - "Drive"]

Tagged I was

Tag, the blog equivalent of a forward mail :))

Remove the blog in the top spot from the following list and bump everyone up one place. Then add your blog to the bottom slot, like so.

Radmila
Riri
SEV
Anita
Siddharth

Next select five people to tag

I don't have that many people in the list, besides most have either done it or don't want to do it!

What were you doing 10 years ago?

Playing cricket under the sun, or maybe playing Table tennis, or maybe playing Soccer, or maybe...well playing!

What were you doing 1 year ago?

Working :(

Five snacks you enjoy

Dry Fruits
Chocolates/Ice-creams
Aloo Tikki/ Bhel Puri, etc
French Fries
Basically I like all the junk food...

Five songs to which you know all the lyrics:

I remember them for a while then I forget them, but can always sing along...
Time - Pink Floyd
Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana
Take It Easy - Eagles
Fade to Black - Metallica
The Chain - Fleetwood Mac
Summer of 69 :)) (just had to write this...)

Five things you would do if you were a millionaire:

Travel to the moon (assuming I have 999 Million Dollars)
Travel to Antarctica (assuming I have a lot less)
Buy a Ferrari 355 and a Koenigsegg CCR :)
Buy lots of Gadgets
Build lots of schools and hospitals...

Five bad habits:

5? I would have to think and think and think.... :)
Procrastination
Not backing myself enough
Sending cold vibes when I don't really intend to
Short attention span
Finicky abt the food

Five things you like doing:

Music
Sports (more watching than playing these days)
Reading
Meeting friends
Sleeping...since I am doing very little of this these days...

Five things you would never wear again:

Clothes that don't fit

Five favorite toys:

Had lots of cars
Lego Bricks
Train with all the frills of stations, linemen,etc
Plot 4 / Connect 4
Chess

There done with it! Was nice remembering my childhood toys...Lego - unfortunately the company is not doing too well in this age of Xboxes and Play stations...but nothing beats the satisfaction of building that "ultimate" car or that "beautiful" house...
Some one once told me that their technic series has now got parts with chips...man I want to buy it again!!!

World Public Opinion

Stumbled upon this site: World Public Opinion . Its a webzine of sorts started by Program on International Policy Attitudes to provide (in their own words) - a source of in-depth information and analysis on public opinion from around the world on international issues.

Its an interesting concept...as long as the methodology of the surveys are proper...another way of seeing whether the government of the countries are really representing the people...

The site has plenty of simple surveys and their analysis...there were a few that caught my eye...

The first one was the analysis of a BBC World poll on the way people saw the influence of various countries across the globe...

This is what PIPA has to say abt the survey :-
"The poll of 39,435 people was conducted for the BBC World Service by the international polling firm GlobeScan together with the Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) at the University of Maryland. The 33-nation fieldwork was coordinated by GlobeScan and completed between October 2005 and January 2006. "

Reading the opinion on India was interesting...the traditionally friendly countries were all positive (the former Soviet Bloc and the African countries). Among the most influential countries of today...the verdict was almost balance, except for France...hardly surprising since they dont seem to like anyone except maybe the UK...:)
Needless to say that Iran and the US found themselves at the bottom of the pile. The analysis can be found here

The other interesting opinion poll was on what the citizens of the western countries thought of the cartoon controversy...and the results were very balanced...just as I thought...the cartoons were provocative and needless, but ultimately the press has the right to publish relevant content...even if controversial...
It can be read here

In related news a small situation developed in Hyderabad yesterday...the recipe for a perfect communal riot...

Muslim youths coming out of Makkah Masjid(near Charminar) took out a rally without police permission. Holding green flags and shouting slogans hundreds of youth marched towards the Charminar.Policemen deployed at the Charminar allowed agitators to continue their protest.When they reached Gulzar Houz, a busy commercial area, some protesters allegedly threw stones and attacked shops belonging to the Hindus. One car was damaged and a two-wheeler was set ablaze. BJP seized the opportunity and decided to take out a rally of their own seeking against the culprits...how could they let go of such a golden opportunity??

Incidents of violence were then reported from various parts of the city, including a place not very far from where we live...

Thankfully nothing happened, except us getting a mail from the HR to leave earlier than usual...5 PM for some 10 PM for others...(sigh)

Crossroads

Opportunity has been kind to me and has come knocking on my door a second time...a couple of years back when I was in a similar position I think in my over enthusiasm I scared it away...

Would this time be any different? Would it let itself in? Would I be able to break this monotonous grind? Would life take a happy twist?

Dekhte hain Hum Log!!

I don't know how it got into my head, but the tune of Ironic has been playing over and over in my head since morning...and its beginning to annoy me now...

"Well life has a funny way of sneaking up on you
When you think everything's okay and everything's going right
And life has a funny way of helping you out
When you think everything's gone wrong and everything blows up in your face..."
[Ironic by Alanis Morissette]

Nope doesn't help!!!

Freedom...

The battle between Freedom of Expression and Religious Sensitivities has spilled onto the streets...it was only a matter of time really. Even though I have been following this news for a while(thanx to my over dependence on Google News)I am unable to decide where my loyalties should lie...I am referring to the publication of caricatures of the Prophet in a Danish newspaper in Sept 2005. The motives behind the original publication are definitely questionable, but was republication of the caricatures by the media across the world wrong?

A bit of History first...The Danish daily 'Jyllands-Posten' on 30 September last year printed twelve cartoons of the Prophet. The editor of the "conservative" daily had asked Danish cartoonist to draw Mohammed with the intention of "testing" what kind of reactions this would provoke. He wanted to find out whether the rather large number of Muslim immigrants to Denmark were influencing the limits of freedom of expression in the Nordic kingdom...and for them the reaction proves their case...but the test case itself is flawed...to me it seems as sheer provocation...secularism(an argument often cited in favour of the publication) means detachment of the state with religions, not picking on religions...

On the other hand the threat of violence against the nationals of Denmark(burning of the Danish Embassy has since taken place in Syria) is even more silly...its like hitting the axe on your feet...it just make the community seem more violent and less tolerant...I think it all stems from the lack of effective leadership - Leadership that is more busy in building wealth for itself rather than addressing the issues of the people...this has allowed right wing groups to get support as they promise to be the voice of the people...and have themselves emerged from ordinary families...Arab governments seem to have taken the cartoons so seriously because they were afraid of being outflanked by such groups.

A number of Arab countries have withdrawn their ambassadors from Denmark and Norway, which was the first European country to reprint the cartoons, also the goods from these countries are being boycotted...I wonder how long it will last...oil will not remain at $60 forever...
This is unlikely to be the last issue between the West and the Middle East or even more broadly between West and the followers of Islam...that this incident has widened the divisions is hardly under doubt.

So coming back to where my loyalties should lie...as with any freedom, the freedom of expression carries responsibilities with it. It should not seek to create conflict. It is important that we respect other persons' beliefs. But ultimately the threat of violence is no way to carry a debate...

Read an article in a Norwegian daily that ended with raising a few questions...Are some of us abusing the freedom of expression to publish statements that are meant to provoke conflicts? Are some of us abusing this freedom to get cheap publicity? Is a relatively new religious minority in its right when demanding limits to freedom in its new host country? Can Muslims dictate others on their religious taboos? Can non-Muslims dictate Muslims on religious taboos? Do we want to let religious fundamentalists dictate our political agenda?

The article can be read at the Afrol's website
But let me warn you abt the blind me yellow background that they have used...who chooses these color schemes anyways...:)

7^th Feb Update : The GoI meddling with the issue and asking the Danish government to seek an apology from the newspaper has helped me make up my mind ;)

10^th Feb Update : An Egyptian Newspaper('Al Fagr') apparently published the caricatures in Oct itself...to show its displeasure...they didn't evoke any trouble then...now why doesn't that surprise me...

IE7 and Google

Internet Explorer 7 Beta Preview is here...I wish I could install it on my system here and play around with it :)...but its not stable and I will have to do a lot of explaining if it crashes the system...:(

So MS is playing catch up and copy up(as they always do). It seems that MS has basically added features that the people cited as reasons for shifting away from IE in the first place...so we have tabbed browsing, rss reader, better search facility and a zoom option...a couple of add ons include the new printing capability and of course better security(add on?).

The logic is simple...people are unlikely to shift to another browser if their standard(read inbuilt) browser keeps them reasonably satisfied...so IE is unlikely to lose its market share any further once IE7 comes up...it might infact regain a few lost users...which means that Firefox and Opera have to work even more on innovation(which will be swiftly copied of course)

The preview version is aimed at developers and tech enthusiasts; a more stable version for the general public is likely to follow soon...the preview version can be downloaded from the official IE Site . The sad part is that it is not available for all platforms...

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Google has been caught up in yet another controversy...just days after resisting U.S. Department of Justice's request for examining millions of online search records (for which it has been taken to court), it is under fire again for its agreement to launch a Chinese version of its search engine censoring some of its services in keeping with Beijing's restrictions on free speech. Ironic I think...

"Some say it has come a bit late, but I have never worked for awards"

Makes me wanna say "Humbug!!!"

Such statements can be heard every time the nation goes about recognizing the efforts of its citizens...some bluntly say that the recognition is late, some are more tacky and say that while my family/friends/neighbours/chowkidar/paan waala think that its late, I think its an honour...then there are those who say I refuse to take the award as the government has failed to provide me tickets at concession to travel abroad or on account of some more serious principle.

Just accept the award with humility as some of the others do even if you don't value it...or if you genuinely don't want to be associated with the government then do so quietly...just stop blowing your own trumpet for once...

RDB - II

First Day, First Show...tickets bought at three times the price...but it was well worth it...awesome experience!

Symbolism

"It is with in my rights to sit while the national anthem is playing...what's the big deal anyways!!"

"But it's your duty to stand in respect!"

Reminds me of the many discussions I had on similar lines in DSchool(where else) while in college - what is the point of having a parade that costs millions and means nothing...should one be allowed to wear a dress designed to look like the national flag but actually doesn't measure up(dimensions for example, or swim suits?). Should one be allowed to burn the national flag in protest?
I think it's all symbolic. The flag, the anthem, the constitution are symbols; symbols of our national spirit; something that the citizens can associate with; another way of defining nationality.
Do we really need to bother about them? It's just like asking a devout Hindu the point of worshipping an idol when god is free of form...and he will tell you that the idol is just a representation meant to - help him grasp the enormity of the idea, to help him channelize his thoughts...

Coming back to college discussions, the most interesting was about the burning of the flag...freedom of expression or vandalism? We never reached any consensus...as was generally the case with all our discussions...:) A more funny discussion was about clothes designed as flags...a female friend was very strongly in favor of it being allowed...when my friend Shehzaad quietly asked if she was comfortable with the idea of a Pakistani wearing swimming trunks with the tricolor...it was nice to see her switch to our side...:))

Man, do I miss those heated discussions or what...good old college days...(sigh!)

"Encumbered forever by desire and ambition
There's a hunger still unsatisfied
Our weary eyes still stray to the horizon
Though down this road we've been so many times..."
[High Hopes by Pink Floyd]

RDB

Friend : "So what do you think abt RDB?"
Sid : "What is RDB? Relational Database?"
Friend (Rolling his eyes) : "Ugh!RDB is Rang De Basanti!"
Sid: "Oh! Well!"

Can never figure out acronyms...they are just not meant for me...in college too my friends used to play these acronym duels...another one that I remember rather well - "lets go do some HCF"...not Highest Common Factor but Hot Chocolate Fudge...Duh!

Project deadlines suck big time...the amount of work packed in the last couple of weeks make you think what the hell the team was doing all this while...
Everyone I talk to these days is "neck deep in work" (borrowed quote)...and its just the start of the new year...its Depressing. Seriously!

Coming back to the conversation...well he apparently meant what I thought of the music...I hadn't heard it...so I did...and must say its awesome....very cool sounding indeed...all tracks except the romantic track(seems so out of place in the album) and Khalbali sound great...
I am looking fwd to seeing the movie...but its directed by the guy who made Aks...need I say why I am a bit skeptical?

Voting rights for NRIs?

I say "What for?"

Those in favour/asking/demanding it put forward the claim that since they retain/still hold their Indian passport its only fair to let them have the chance to vote...some even want a reserved (that word again) seat for NRIs in the parliament on the lines of seats reserved for Anglo-Indians. Some also put forward the example of postal ballot in the US thanks to which Mr. Bush won in the first place...

The NRIs based in the Gulf have been demanding voting rights for a long time as they cannot participate in the electoral process of countries like Saudi Arabia. Hmmm! That has to be the most absurd logic to put forward such a claim. I will sooo like to see people who live in Tax Heavens like Monte Carlo say the same thing...they dont levy taxes so I want my national govt to levy taxes on me...there are already plenty of privileges bestowed on people of Indian Origin...maybe its govt's idea of sending everyone abroad so that the population stays in check...:)

No, seriously speaking I say so coz its practical utility is zero, zilch, nada, none. To start with it requires an amendment made into the Representation of Peoples Act(R.P), the relevant section of which states (Section 19 of the R. P. Act, 1950):

"Only a person who is ordinarily resident in a constituency is entitled to be registered in the electoral roll of that constituency and can vote in Indian elections. However, the non-resident Indian Citizens who are employed under Govt. of India in a post outside India are eligible to be registered as voters in terms of Sec 20 (8) (d) read with Sec 20 (3) of the R. P. Act, 1950"

Then those who cite the US postal ballot...well we don't have a presidential form of government, there are 545 seats in the parliament...one would need to find the right constituency for everyone...how do you prepare the voting list? How do you ensure the validity of the ballot? It just doesn't make sense...if this is allowed, then I guess I should also be allowed to post my ballot from Hyderabad to Delhi.

And one more thing...if I can vote..umm can I stand in elections as well?

Not for a moment am I questioning the loyalty/patriotism of people living outside India, nor am I challenging the knowledge about the constituency he/she belongs to - I am sure a lot will know more than the locals and will be in a position to make more informed decisions. But that is no reason in itself to let some one vote.

Comfortably Numb

This is one of the best Pink Floyd songs and I really enjoy listening to it - more so when I am myself feeling a bit numb by life's tricks.

These days I feel that my life is leading me rather that me leading my life...don't like this lack of control!!!

There is no pain, you are receding.

A distant ship’s smoke on the horizon.

You are only coming through in waves.

Your lips move but I can’t hear what you’re sayin’.

When I was a child I caught a fleeting glimpse,Out of the corner of my eye.

I turned to look but it was gone.

I cannot put my finger on it now.

The child is grown, the dream is gone.

I have become Comfortably Numb

PS:My apologies to those coming here in search of the lyrics. They can be found here