Discombobulated...

What is wrong here...

2011-02-26T02:37:00.002+05:30

"The old rule used to be that a manager of a programmer was always a better programmer, and there were no what we called “technical inversions,” where a programmer works for somebody who doesn’t know how to program. We still follow that philosophy: At certain levels we’ve got business managers, but we don’t have non-programmers really managing programming projects."

-- Bill Gates, 1986 - Programmers at Work

And its hard to imagine many projects executed in our industry that don't suffer from this inversion. Wish we were following similar rules here...its a joke discussing things with the manager some times.

Borrowed Quote

2011-02-19T02:31:00.004+05:30

It is difficult to be sat on all day, every day, by some other creature, without forming an opinion about them.

On the other hand, it is perfectly possible to sit all day, every day, on top of another creature and not have the slightest thought about them whatsoever.

- Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams

This is easier understood as the manager-subordinate relationship :)

Hmm...

2010-08-03T00:17:00.001+05:30

The higher the stakes the more superstitious you become!

Rashmirathi

2010-01-09T03:18:00.002+05:30

Was watching Gulaal (once more) last weekend and there was this section where Piyush Mishra starts reciting what seems like a scene from Mahabharat. Krishna is in the court of the Kauravas in a last ditch effort to avoid war, but Duryodhana attacks him.....it seemed familiar.

...anyways those lines were taken from Rashmirathi - a superlative work from the Hindi poet, Ramdhari Singh 'Dinkar'. And the section that seemed familiar was part of our curriculum - Krishna ki Chaitavini.

The poem journeys the life of Karna - the greatest warrior of the times, his dharma, his friendship, his generosity and the tragedies.

Why didn't we have a teacher who could help us appreciate the quality of our own literature?

Sample this - this is when Krishna asks Karna to change sides as defeat of Kauravas is certain...below are excerpts from Karna's reply who explains why he can never betray Duryodhana:

अपना विकास अवरुद्ध देख,

सारे समाज को क्रुद्ध देख
भीतर जब टूट चुका था मन,

आ गया अचानक दुर्योधन
निश्छल पवित्र अनुराग लिए,

मेरा समस्त सौभाग्य लिए
...
...
...
सिर लिए स्कंध पर चलता हूँ,

उस दिन के लिए मचलता हूँ,
यदि चले वज्र दुर्योधन पर,

ले लूँ बढ़कर अपने ऊपर.
कटवा दूँ उसके लिए गला,

चाहिए मुझे क्या और भला?
...
...
...
अच्छा अब चला प्रमाण आर्य,

हो सिद्ध समर के शीघ्र कार्य.
रण मे ही अब दर्शन होंगे,

शार से चरण:स्पर्शन होंगे.
जय हो दिनेश नभ में विहरें,

भूतल मे दिव्य प्रकाश भरें.

रथ से रधेय उतार आया,

And Krishna at the end responds...

हरि के मन मे विस्मय छाया,
बोले कि "वीर शत बार धन्य,

तुझसा न मित्र कोई अनन्य,
तू कुरूपति का ही नही प्राण,

नरता का है भूषण महान.

Can't Let This Memory Fade...

2009-11-26T23:52:00.001+05:30

Sleepwalking

2009-10-10T03:44:00.006+05:30

Joke of the year - Nobel Peace Prize

2009-10-10T02:48:00.001+05:30

...actually this is the biggest WTF moment of 2009. I can almost imagine a collective gasp across the globe on hearing this year's winner.

I wonder who nominated him? Did he/(his team) lobby for it?

Besides the fact that the period under review ended just 12 days after he became the president, I wonder what change he has ushered in? It has all been talk and more talk. or is it simply an award for his "Yes, we can"rhetoric (coz thats what it has become now)? Or is it simply because he is not George Bush? Umm, I am also not George Bush;)

Of course the NPP remains the most dubious category - it has gone to the likes of Yasser Arafat, Yitzhak Rabin, Henry Kissinger, Princess Diana in the past after all.

But I think this one is by far the most bewildering...belittles the genuine effort of others...sad...

...and to think Mahatma Gandhi was nominated 4 times (or was it 5?) and still wasn't suitable enough for the committee.

MH 505

2009-10-04T01:55:00.004+05:30

While driving today, I noticed I was following a MH registered swift and I thought to myself, does the person driving feel awkward or embarrassed about it.

Would he feel uncomfortable or even unsafe driving with that number in a more northern state - say around Delhi? Isn't it ridiculous that these thoughts actually came into my head...Delhi is as much theirs as any other inch of India, then why isn't Mumbai mine or for a guy from Patna?

This growing regional jingoism has really begun to irritate me.

Bottled Water

2009-09-26T12:56:00.002+05:30

How much water does it take to fill a liter of bottled water?

Interesting question...haha I thought perhaps around 1.5-2L but it turns out it takes around 3.

Picking on the nitty-gritties - 1 liter goes inside the bottle and 2 liters are needed in the production process-according to a 2006 estimate by the California-based Pacific Institute.

They even calculated the amount of oil needed to fill the bottles with water, transport them, chill them, and dispose of or recycle them - 250 ml per bottle.

Greenhouse Emissions

2009-09-23T02:14:00.003+05:30

The debate rages on...but what is surprising is the heat (literally) that we are facing from the rest of the world over it. And I am unhappy with the way our government is trying to handle it - we keep trying to make everyone happy at the cost of our own genuine needs.

Sure global warming might be a problem and sure CO2 and other green house gas emissions need to be controlled, but why bully us?

And our strategy to tag with China doesn't make sense to me either? We are a lot better than them already - 4 times better almost.

Let us start with some facts, below is the share of CO2 emissions in %:

china - 21.5 %

United States - 20.2 %

European Union - 13.8 %

Russia - 5.5 %

India - 5.3 %

China and US together account for 40%. EU the most vocal when it comes to cutting emissions is not that far behind. We on the other hand are accounting for 5% (and rising of course).

Considering our 1.15 billion population (it should be around that by now), there is no way that we can reduce these levels.

What is needed is massive funding by the rich nations in alternate energy options - a) to developing nations like ours so that they can make an early shift and b) to develop these technologies to be affordable for other emerging countries.

Its really that simple...there is no way a government can justify spending billions to produce power at over 4 times the coal based plants when funds are needed for other sectors (health and education for example).

The country that can make the quickest impact on world CO2 (and the other more potent green house gases) levels is the US - the pressure should really be on them but they are already busy undermining the Copenhagen summit in December.

We should aim for:

a) maintaining the principles agreed during the Kyoto summit.

b) make US cut emissions

c) allow for another 5% increase for India - which is justified - 17% population should be allowed to make up for 10% global energy needs.

d) Increase the green cover across the globe...the impact may not be more than 10%, but it will be cost effective

and we need to come up with even more/better ideas.

Of course there are other aspects to it that go beyond basic energy needs...environment protection for example, where we are appalling and can not hide behind any excuses...we need to answer a lot for the state of our rivers, wild life and forest cover.

Similarly, there is no reason not to be more stringent with our emission norms...we should not only set the norms at par with European nations but also enforce it...who said its going to be easy :)

What a Bolt!

2009-08-19T00:25:00.003+05:30

The 100 m sprint has always been the most enthralling atheletics event - I have always followed it...I think right from the times of the Seoul Olympics in '88.

I have seen the times tumble from 9.92 to now an outrageous 9.58.

Usain Bolt is simply sensational. How much faster can he go? 9.4?

I can almost bet that he will improve his 200 m records too in a few days and I thought it will be a long time before anyone came close to the Michael Johnson time of 19.32 set at the Atlanta Olympics ('96).

Kaminey

2009-08-03T01:25:00.003+05:30

Meri aarzoo kamini,
Mere khwab bhi kaminey,

How easy is it to admit that? This is a great composition. I like the way it flows - the way the connotations change. Lovable and then immediately devious. Never knew Vishal could sing so well...tip my imaginary hat to this massively talented guy...

Remembering the times...

2009-07-09T20:39:00.007+05:30

Surfing through the channels, I stopped at CNN where they were commenting on the memorial service that was about to start for Michael Jackson. Soon I found out that all the news services were covering it here...I was amazed to see the media shower glib tongued praises and relentless extolment with the same elan as when they used to mock him (when he was alive) - whats the point now?
Watching it, I was flooded with memories - I think I was about 4 when I first saw/heard him. It was at a family friend's place, where we kids used to sit together with the lights turned out to watch the video "Thriller". I think we did this countless times :)...and it was fun every time.
Uncle had brought the making of Thriller tape from the States. MJ is basically responsible for initiating me to music.
I also remember the time (this is before the Internet changed everything) when some friends and I used to share notes on the lyrics of his (and others) songs :) - playing the tape over and over in the Walkman and getting scolded by my folks for it :)

One more link to my childhood is gone now.

I watched the whole memorial service and it was really moving, especially the rousing sermon from the Rev. Al Sharpton. The saddest moment of course was watching Paris speak about him...it was probably the first time anyone has ever seen his kids and perhaps the first time people thought of him as more than just a performer.

Whatever might be the truth in all the allegations that constantly surrounded him, no one can deny his impact on the music scene - and for that reason alone he will remain a legend.

R.I.P. MJ

Election results

2009-05-16T04:21:00.002+05:30

Long time no post...so a quick one here.

Election results will be out soon. Hope who ever comes in to power will help quicken our pace towards economic and social development. I suppose UPA is likely to return...time will tell.

I just get a feeling that Congress and BJP will increase their seats...which will be good as we need the national parties to be more powerful.

Been so long...

2009-03-22T15:33:00.001+05:30

Too many unfinished posts has meant that this place hasnt been updated for some time now...

Hopefully, I will get back into the groove soon.

26/11

2008-11-27T21:43:00.000+05:30

Oh my god...

Democracy - Equality and Liberty

2008-09-21T01:54:00.000+05:30

Central to the idea of democracy are the twin concepts of equality and individual liberty. Equality is often taken to mean that all citizens of a country are equal in some basic respect. When all individuals are taken to be equal then it is obvious that one person can not decide for the other. Therefore all need to be given the same rights and meted out the same treatment. Of course, a look at history suggests that the right to equal treatment has not been
given to all. It was initially based on sex, wealth, age. Today in a democracy the right to equal treatment is shared by all citizens of a country over a certain age. Equality becomes critical during decision making. Equality aims to guarantee participation and thus avoid a situation where one party decides to disobey the decision because they were not allowed to participate in the decision making process.
Liberty has just as many connotations as equality and they again affect expectations of democracy. Experts suggest three set of ideas for liberty - republican,liberal and idealist. The republican view measures liberty in terms of a free political community. The liberal view is more concerned with individual freedom to do as he/she pleases. In between these views is the idealist view where the individual has the freedom but also the sense to make the right choices or demands.
But obviously a nation is more than an individual. Therefore it is the manner in which individual freedom interacts with the group that ties liberty to democracy. As individuals don't live in isolation, it is important that an individual's freedom of action does not infringe the freedom of others. Some experts see this as the only role for the state. Anything more and they see it as a threat to liberty.
It is this mix of individual rights and being an equal participant in decision making collectively that causes the tension between equality and liberty. A classic example is the desire to bring about economic equality. This can lead to a collective/majority decision to tax the rich more than others, thus infringing the right of the rich to spend their money as they choose. In such a situation, self rule is cited as a way out...and how self rule is to be achieved marks the major division between various forms of democracy.

At one extreme is what is known as Participatory Democracy. At the other extreme is the idea that people are willing to be ruled by a set of people chosen by them periodically [Representative/liberal] which often is the layman's definition of democracy. In between lies various shades, an example for which is people voting on an issue of national importance[Referendum]. Also, in order to restrain unchecked majority rule, an upper chamber is often recommended which will consist of meritorious experts in different areas.

So clearly it is difficult for a society to define what their expectations from this philosophy is. This fine balancing act gets more difficult when you start adding riders to the two opposing yet required forces. These riders include reservations, different laws for different sections of the society, etc.
Is it surprising then that our in-competent members of the legislature have done away with these goals of democracy and reduced it to a power game.

Violated...

2008-09-16T19:17:00.005+05:30

So Delhi bleeds again, whats new? We have already seen the same scenes in Ahmedabad and Jaipur and B'lore and Hyderabad and Bombay before...the list is getting longer...
In fact, there are more terror strikes in India than any other nation(except Iraq and that's not much of a nation right now)...and we have ambitions of being a World Player???? How??

Will resign when Sonia ji asks to leave: Patil
Mr. Patil our home minister...the lesser said of his work the better (http://blogmia.blogspot.com/2007/06/india-burning.html)...but resigning if Sonia ji asks? Wasn't the cabinet selected by the PM, hmmm?

A quick check of course tells us that this government is headed by some one who has not won an election...now i don't want to get into whether its people's loss that he is not a member of the Lok Sabha, for he is surely one of the cleanest leaders we have...but not having obtained mandate is unacceptable all the same. Sonia ji of course is just a member of the parliament - but as the convener of UPA she enjoys cabinet status....and therefore the right to select the cabinet?

And yes, Mr. Shivraj Patil lost his Latur seat in the elections...

5 David Gilmour guitar solos

2008-09-05T21:01:00.004+05:30

Boring bus journey home...made better with Pink Floyd :)

The closing solo in Comfortably Numb from the live album The Delicate Sound Of Thunder
Time (right after "...you missed the starting gun") from the album The Dark Side of the Moon
Closing solo in High Hopes from the live album P.U.L.S.E
Shine on you Crazy Diamond from the album Wish you were here
Money from the album The Dark Side of the Moon

I know a lot of people complain that David Gilmour is too mathematical with his guitar play but what do I know...I just like the bluesy feel that they have...

10 metre air rifle

2008-08-09T13:21:00.005+05:30

India's first event.

Anjali Bhagwat and Avneet Kaur fail to qualify. Both did ok but not enough to get through the last 10.

Anjali Bhagwat - 99, 99, 97, 98 = 393 (finished 29th)
Avneet Kaur Sidhu - 98, 100, 96, 95 = 389 (finished 39th)

396 was the minimum required to go through...

In men's competition as well it was a less than satisfactory performance...with Samaresh Jung finishing 42nd out of 48 :(

Samaresh Jung - 92, 95, 96, 98, 96, 93 = 570

581 was the minimum score to qualify...

Olympics - 2008

2008-08-09T12:43:00.006+05:30

With a magnificent opening, the 2008 Olympics are under way. On the greatest sporting stage athletes from around the world try to earn glory for their nation, their people.

India of course have never been able to make a mark in this event. This time round there are 56 sportsmen taking part from India. Will anyone rise to the challenge? Since hockey team is watching the event from home, the other medal hopes are mainly in shooting and some experts feel boxing...Time will tell...

and it still continues to rain...

2008-08-08T23:32:00.000+05:30

3 hours of torrential rain...
3 feet of standing water...
3 hrs to get home...

WTF

2008-07-24T19:45:00.004+05:30

Although I am sure plenty of ink and bytes have been wasted on the farcical trust vote that happened the other day, I couldn't stop myself from writing about it.

Our politicians sure have a habit of surpassing all expectations of the people and are the role models for today's generation. Just when we think that things can't go any worse, that surely we have hit the rock bottom of morality and ethics they snicker at us and prove us wrong.
And we all know the names that cross voted...so why isn’t there a IT raid at their homes and why arent their accounts being scrutinized for any shady transfers...wouldn't these be the best candidate to start the investigation on?

Now that the vote has been won, the government is being pressed to fulfil the promises made to get the support...so the government that talks about the nuclear deal as necessary for the advancement of technology also claims that Ram destroyed the setu on his return from Lanka...when I first read that, I was ready to puke...I mean who are they trying to kid here?....and I really want to know who has such fantastic imagination!!!

Seriously we are in desperate need of an over haul of our system...this is beyond crass;beyond repulsive.

The power of language...

2008-07-20T23:09:00.003+05:30

It often surprises me when I look at the strong bond that most people have with their mother tongue - especially in our southern states. I for one have hardly ever enjoyed Hindi (coz I could never quite get my vowel signs correct) nor I have ever gained any remote command over Punjabi...but maybe thats just me...

Anyways this is not the purpose of the post...right in the heart of the city is a funny sounding institution - Potti University. It happens to be among the few universities in the country that is devoted especially for the cause of languages and its training. Hmm...but why the name?

It turns out that the university is named after one Potti Sriramulu. Its a name that is probably forgotten outside AP but one that should have remain prominent. He is after all the primary reason on why states based on languages were created post independence...the government at the time was not in favour of any further regionalisation - based on any cultural grounds anyways. A large region of what today is AP was once part of the presidency of Madras a truly massive region.
Telugu is spoken by more people than any other Indian language besides Hindi and has a rich literary/cultural history. While India was still under British rule, the Andhra Mahasabha had worked hard to cultivate a sense of identity among the Telugu-speaking people of the Madras Presidency, whom, they claimed, had been discriminated against by the Tamils.
After Independence, demands for a Telugu region started gaining support. But the government was unimpressed. On October 19, 1952, Potti Sriramulu began a fast-unto-death in Madras - a strong follower of Gandhi he was determined that the fast will be carried out till the end, or until the Government of India relented.
Six weeks went by and there was scant recognition of his demand from the centre. As his ordeal went on, support for the cause grew. Strikes and processions were taken out...trains were stopped...On December 12, Jawahar lal Nehru relented - he wrote to C. Rajagopalachari (the CM of Madras), suggesting that the time had come to accept the Andhra demand. But the formal announcement was delayed, and Sriramulu continued his fast. On the 15th Potti Sriramulu passed away - his fast had lasted 58 days. There after the situation went out of hand - mobs came out on the streets and there were clashes with the police; several protesters were killed in police firings.
On the 16th, Nehru made a statement saying a state of Andhra would come into being, but its boundaries would be decided by an independent Commission. In March 1953, the Telugu districts of Madras were identified for separation; later, these were joined by Telugu-speaking areas of Hyderabad to constitute the present state of Andhra Pradesh.
Soon after the states of Gujrat, Karnataka, Maharashtra and others followed...
And no one seems to know about him...

Hiatus

2008-06-16T02:08:00.003+05:30

As it generally happens, I keep disappearing from here only to return a few months later...And now I have returned again...
It almost seems unreal to think that almost half the year is already through...thanks to this stupid project that I have been entangled in...
With finally a net connection at home after what seems like ages, hopefully I will be able to add a few more bytes to these pages...

Men Who Changed the World - Thomas Midgley

2007-11-11T00:29:00.000+05:30

...the world today wishes he hadn't!!!

An engineer by profession, Thomas Midgley took deep interest in chemistry. In 1921, while working for GM Research institute, he found that tetraethyl lead can help get over the problem of engine knocking.
The automobile industry lapped it up and by 1923 the world was beginning to get used to leaded petrol - this in spite the fact that lead was known to be poisonous.
Lead is a neuro toxin and if it gets into the system in sufficient quantities can wreck havoc on the nervous system. But it was many decades later that leaded petrol was finally banned. So what was once found only in traces in the atmosphere is now easily available to breathe in and since lead hardly de-generates, it will be around more or less forever.

Buoyed by this success, Thomas Midgley decided to devote his energies to killer refrigerators - which at that time used poisonous gases. He decided to develop a gas that was non-flammable, stable and safe to breathe - tada we have the CFCs (Chloro-Fluoro Carbons). CFCs don't like Ozone too much - basically annihilating it as it comes in contact. To add to their reputation, CFCs are amongst the worst green house gases out there...
So together these two inventions can compete for the prize of the "Worst inventions of all time".

Hmm, I wonder how many of the inventions being made today will be looked at by contempt in the coming generations...

UN Millennium Development Goals

2007-10-27T21:29:00.000+05:30

...Why arent more people talking about these?? Especially in countries like ours...all governments whether at the centre or the states should be measured against these...

In September 2000, at the Millenium Summit of the UN, 189 leaders of their respective countries came together and adopted a set of 8 goals to make Earth a more welcoming place for the future generations...Of the 8 goals, 7 are time bound and measurable and the 8th is an ideal goal for our society.

The goals are -

Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger. The targets under this are -

Reduce by half the proportion of people living on less than one U.S. dollar a day.
Reduce by half the proportion of people who suffer from hunger.

Achieve universal primary education. The targets under this are -

Ensure that all boys and girls complete a full course of primary schooling.
Increased enrollment must be accompanied by efforts to ensure that all children remain in school and receive a high-quality education.

Promote gender equality and empower women. The target under this is -

Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education preferably by 2005, and at all levels by 2015.

Reduce child mortality. The target under this is -

Reduce the mortality rate among children under five by two thirds.

Improve maternal health. The target under this is -

Reduce by three quarters the maternal mortality ratio.

Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases. The targets under this are -

Halt and begin to reverse the spread of HIV AIDS.
Halt and begin to reverse the incidence of malaria and other major diseases.

Ensure environmental sustainability. The targets under this are -

Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programmes; reverse loss of environmental resources.
Reduce by half the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water.
Achieve significant improvement in lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers, by 2020.

Develop a global partnership for development. The targets under this are -

Develop further an open trading and financial system that is rule-based, predictable and non-discriminatory. Includes a commitment to good governance, development and poverty reduction—nationally and internationally.
Address the least developed countries’ special needs. This includes tariff-and quota-free access for their exports; enhanced debt relief for heavily indebted poor countries; cancellation of official bilateral debt; and more generous official development assistance for countries committed to poverty reduction.
Address the special needs of landlocked and small island developing States.
Deal comprehensively with developing countries' debt problems through national and international measures to make debt sustainable in the long term.
In cooperation with the developing countries, develop decent and productive work for youth.
In cooperation with pharmaceutical companies, provide access to affordable essential drugs in developing countries.
In cooperation with the private sector, make available the benefits of new technologies - especially information and communications technologies.

कोशिश करने वालों की हार नहीं होती

2007-10-13T16:56:00.001+05:30

लहरों से डरकर नौका पार नहीं होती,
कोशिश करने वालों की हार नहीं होती

नन्ही चींटी जब दाना लेकर चलती है,
चढती दीवारों पर, सौ बार फिसलती है
मन का विश्वास रगों में साहस भरता है,
चढ़कर गिरना, गिरकर चढ़ना ना अखरता है
आख़िर उसकी महनत बेकार नहीं होती,
कोशिश करने वालों की हार नहीं होती

डूबकियां सिंधु में गोताखोर लगाता है,
जा जा कर खाली हाथ लौटकर आता है
मिलते नही सहज ही मोती गहरे पानी में ,
बढ़ता दुगना उत्साह इसी हैरानी में
मुठी उसकी खाली हर बार नहीं होती ,
कोशिश करने वालों की हार नही होती

असफलता एक चुनौती है, इसे स्वीकार करो,
क्या कमी रह गई, देखो और सुधार करो
जब तक न सफल हो, नींद चैन को त्यागो तुम,
संघर्ष का मैदान छोड़कर मत भागो तुम
कुछ किए बिना ही जय जय कार नहीं होती,
कोशिश करने वालों की हार नहीं होती

I heard this poem in school once and then in a movie...finally found it on the net. It is by Suryakant Tripathi 'Nirala'. Sad really that I know so little about our own literature - sadder still that I had to use http://www.google.com/transliterate/indicto get the spellings right!!

This will look all messed up in Firefox, you will need to install a plugin to see devanagari script properly in Firefox - one more tick against Firefox.

Going on a different tangent, I would really like to see more content in Indian languages with their English translation on the net.

Apocalypse Now

2007-09-29T12:10:00.001+05:30

Sitting in a cafe, I was about to type in a few keywords in google, when I saw the drop down list of previous searches - and now I am blogging about that instead of the search I was planning to do.

They were a mixed bag - inquisitive, sleazy but mostly innocent and hilarious. I guess some day a search engine would be able to answer the question "What job I should apply?" but until then sample some of these keywords -

american bank career fresher
Beach owners
benetton & colman, toi
celine dion contact number
chief editor of newspaper Times of India
editor in chief of Time os India (some one really wanted to know)
friend.finder.com
google :)
How to own beach
IS JB INSTITUTE OF ENGG A REPUTED COLLEGE?
POSITION OF JB INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY ALL OVER INDIA
RANK OF JB INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY ALL OVER INDIA
sony ericsson 700i hands free cost
Times of India
What job I should apply?

60 yrs and counting...part II

2007-08-12T18:20:00.000+05:30

Well I thought I will break the post...

I saw "Gandhi my Father" last night...but this is not about the movie - though in a line the movie is good. What this post is about the few grainy scenes near the end of our PM making that historic speech. The speech that a lot of people know about without having ever bothered to read it - Jawahar lal Nehru's speech made in the Constituent Assembly, on the eve of India's Independence.

I once asked a few friends about the speech. Three of them gave me this WTF kind of look...asking me what is wrong with me...:), two others said it is the greatest piece of oratory everrrrr...and when I asked them if they have read the speech they said they hadn't. Some others were at least aware that the lines they hear the most often are all part of just the first paragraph. Its a long speech so I wont copy it here, those who want to read can do so here - Tryst with destiny .

When you read it, it makes you realize the job our first PM left us. The dream he outlined for the country that he and millions others together envisioned. I thought I wouldn't put it here but I can never put it better than this...

"Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially... It is fitting that at this solemn moment, we take the pledge of dedication to the service of India and her people and to the still larger cause of humanity."
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"The achievement we celebrate today is but a step, an opening of opportunity to the greater triumphs and achievements that await us. Are we brave enough and wise enough to grasp this opportunity and accept the challenge of the future?"
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"And so we have to labour and to work, and to work hard, to give reality to our dreams. Those dreams are for India, but they are also for the world, for all the nations and peoples are too closely knit together today for any one of them to imagine that it can live apart"
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"The future beckons to us. Whither do we go and what shall be our endeavour?... to fight and end poverty and ignorance and disease; to build up a prosperous, democratic and progressive nation, and to create social, economic and political institutions which will ensure justice and fullness of life to every man and woman."

"We have hard work ahead. There is no resting for any one of us till we redeem our pledge in full, till we make all the people of India what destiny intended them to be...And to India, our much-loved motherland, the ancient, the eternal and the ever-new, we pay our reverent homage and we bind ourselves afresh to her service."

I think it is not difficult to judge how far we have come and how far we need to go. Is it??

JAI HIND.

60 yrs and counting...

2007-08-12T17:31:00.000+05:30

India as we know it will turn 60 soon...pretty young considering so many people who were there when we gained independence are still around. What an occasion that must have been - especially for those who were closely associated with the movement. But it was a time of mourning as well for most of the people in Punjab and Bengal - people who were caught up in the sectarian violence; people who were uprooted from the place they called home. It seems our country has been perennially caught in the middle...happiness accompanied with sorrow.

I am today reminded of the book "Freedom at Midnight" - filled with little stories of ordinary people amidst the main plot of India's independence. The story I remember the most is that of two brothers - Yakoub Khan and Younis - both part of the then undivided Indian army. Yakoub, the elder one decided like so many other Muslims that his future was in Pakistan. He broke the news to his family. The mother was left shocked. She couldn't imagine moving away from a place where they had lived for at least 200 years. The younger brother too had decided what he wanted - he was going to stay. The arguments were futile though, Yakoub had made up his mind - he was sure that once all the things had settled, it would be easy to move between his two homes...he left the next morning, with his family and his two Hindu servants biding goodbye to him. He promised to visit soon - but that's not what was in store.
A few months later, Yakoub Khan was leading a battalion of the Pakistan Army on a slope in snow bound Kashmir, going on an offensive against a position held by men, who a few months earlier had been his mates. One of these men was a Muslim, unaware that his elder brother was the one he was trying to thwart. The battle that ensued was fierce and then they met - one mortally wounded. Younis rushed to his elder brother and broke down. Yakoub consoled him, saying that they both did what they should have and asked Younis to tell their mom not to think bad of him...

Was it worth it??

Sometimes

2007-08-02T18:22:00.000+05:30

The simplest way to say I am around...but I noticed these for the first time today...

"Sometimes I know, sometimes I rise
Sometimes I fall, sometimes I don't
Sometimes I cringe, sometimes I live
Sometimes I walk, sometimes I kneel
Sometimes I speak of nothing at all
Sometimes I reach to myself, dear god"

Sometimes by Pearl Jam from the album No Code (but I am not writing any these days...sorry bad joke)

...am feeling bluesy today...Clapton anyone??

"If you got bad news, you wanna kick them blues; cocaine.
When your day is done and you wanna run; cocaine.
She don't lie, she don't lie, she don't lie; cocaine."

Cocaine is a powerful psycho-stimulant. It induces a sense of exhilaration in the user primarily by blocking the re-uptake of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the mid-brain.

Dopamine is commonly associated with the pleasure system of the brain, providing feelings of enjoyment and reinforcement to motivate a person pro actively to perform certain activities.

I knew it was a pointless post...but I still need more dopamine!

Done and over with

2007-07-25T16:30:00.000+05:30

It was a strange impulse that made me call up the bookstore and book the book a day before its release. Some how I wanted to join all the many (millions as it turned out) people who were going to open a book at the same time (roughly anyways). I mean more than the desire to read the book it was the desire to be part of that massive gang. I guess that's what the people marketing the book wanted too...but I would like to believe that I didn't fall for the marketing bit (coz I would have read the book later anyways)...but it doesn't matter now.
So I rushed from office straight to the store, and with minutes left booked my copy. I was told that the store is opening at 7 in the morning to accommodate the people who had pre-booked. Of course I wasn't going to get up that early on a Saturday :). So I reached at around 11, took my copy...I was interviewed in the process, which was funny, and i was off to McDonald's to munch on something while I scanned the first few pages...and then it started happening - first the table in front of me, a foreigner walks in with the book; then the table to my right got occupied, then a table further up...as excited people started opening their copies. A couple of them looked at me and smiled in acknowledgment.The cacophony of "I wish I could read the end right now..." and "you just wait....this is going to happen...", etc filled the air. The excitement was contagious...really. Then I came home and bought some junk to keep me going when I felt hungry. I started reading and it was all over by Sunday morning...

And in the end the book wasn't bad either. I had started reading the books when the 5th one came out and I was so bugged to find that I ll have to wait 5 years to finish the story. In fact I chided my friend who initiated me into this for initiating me too soon :). But I am surprised that I waited and reread the books in the meantime...lol...anyways I am not getting into the merits of the book or how much of it has been inspired by "The lord of the Rings", I just know that I enjoyed reading all 7 of them and that for some of my friends, this is the only book that they have ever read.

Oh yes, most of my gut feelings came true - though I would have really preferred if Fred hadn't died. And of course I won the race.

My Predictions...

2007-07-21T01:57:00.000+05:30

Everyone is making them, thought I will also join the fun :)

The big question...will he or wont he die? I think he will.
He is the 7th Horcrux.
Snape is on the good side.
Snape will die helping Harry.
Hagrid might also die in the final battle.
R.A.B is Regulus Black.
One of the Weasleys...probably Molly will die.
Bellatrix will die.
Voldermort of course will die.

Never mind the love angles.

And I am going to start reading in a few hours time...coz I have a race to win ;)

India Burning....

2007-06-01T20:37:00.000+05:30

I am no fan of this government, but reading the same kind of news (Bomb blast here, riots there) is beginning to get on my nerves. The PM, good guy he might be, is a puppet in the hands of "Madam" and his cabinet is filled with by and large half-wit, good for nothing ministers...lets take a look at them...

Please note that this is entirely my opinion. Dont complain abt lack of facts. Entirely my opinion and probably biased opinion.

Rating

5 - default rating/average performance
>5 - obviously good
<5 - obviously bad
Pranab Mukherjee - Minister of External Affairs : Vision less External policy under this government...not sure how much he is responsible for it but that's what it is. The only thing to show for is the Nuclear deal...and that is yet to materialize in a manner that won't be considered detrimental to our nuclear power aspirations.

5/10

Arjun Singh - Minister of Human Resource Development : Continues the great work started by his look a like VP Singh. He has made the task of destroying whatever little is left of our homogeneity in to an art form.

0/10

Sharad Pawar - Minister of Agriculture and Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution : The only thing on his mind is BCCI and ICC presidentship...not the suicides of farmers.

2/10

Lalu Prasad Yadav - Minister of Railways : Whether it is coz of him or Nitish Kumar before him or simply the effort of the officials, Indian Railway is making money. I just hope it translates into better travel experience, cleaner stations. I can give him the benefit of the doubt.

6/10

Shivraj V. Patil - Minister of Home Affairs : He has made a mockery of the post of Home Minister. I think he epitomizes incompetence. Never has the internal security of our country looked so shabby...Naxals are stronger than ever, NE is still unstable...Kashmir is more unstable than a few yrs back...well I can go on and on...

0/10

Abdul Rehman Antulay - Minister of Minority Affairs : Hmm cant comment on him...so he gets the default rating.

5/10

Sushilkumar Shinde - Minister of Power : No major policy change with regards to the power sector. I think more effort and vision is required considering the power crisis that hangs on our head all the time.

4/10

Ram Vilas Paswan - Minister of Chemicals & Fertilizers and Minister of Steel : Well he isn't happy with the portfolio he has and his agenda is different anyways...

4/10

S. Jaipal Reddy - Minister of Urban Development : Again someone who is not focused on the job at hand.

4/10

Sis Ram Ola - Minister of Mines: no idea.

5/10

P. Chidambaram - Minister of Finance: Tied by the 'Left', his heart is still in the right place...lol..

8/10

Mahavir Prasad - Minister of Small Scale Industries and Minister of Agro & Rural Industries: Umm....

5/10

P.R. Kyndiah - Minister of Tribal Affairs and Minister of Development of North Eastern Region : Is no news good news? NE ain't developing...

5/10

T.R. Baalu - Minister of Shipping, Road Transport & Highways : NDA government had put a lot of focus on roads near the end of their tenure...that has definitely declined.

4.5/10

Shankersinh Vaghela - Minister of Textiles : He wants the Gujrat CM seat...

5/10

Vayalar Ravi - Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs : He has done a decent job so far... but then the ministry isn't much of a ministry.

5/10

Kamal Nath - Minister of Commerce & Industry : Well our exports are booming...we continue our rigid stand at WTO...

7/10

Hansraj Bhardwaj - Minister of Law & Justice : No change...status quo zindabad. Our judiciary really needs an overhaul...

3/10

Sontosh Mohan Dev - Minister of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises : No comments

5/10

Prof. Saif-ud-din Soz - Minister of Water Resources : He wants to go back to Kashmir I think...this is also an area that needs a lot of work...

4/10

Raghuvansh Prasad Singh - Minister of Rural Development : ?

5/10

Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi - Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Minister of Information & Broadcasting : I&B is in a mess. I think he prefers football...lol...

3.5/10

Mani Shankar Aiyar - Minister of Panchayati Raj.and Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports : Loud mouth!! We don't need Asiad huh? Minister of Sports saying that...imagine...wasnt great with the petroleum portfolio either...

3/10

Meira Kumar - Minister of Social Justice & Empowerment : "I am a minister, I am a minister! Yay...do I have to work?? Huh?"

3.5/10

Murli Deora - Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas : Above average I think...

5.5/10

Ambika Soni - Minister of Tourism & Culture : "I have a press conference to attend...tourists can wait at the airport"

3/10

A. Raja - Minister of Communications & Information Technology : Mr Maran was better...sadly sacrificed for personal reasons...I don't know abt Mr. Raja.

7/10 for mr. Maran.

Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss - Minister of Health & Family Welfare : "How dare he...I own AIIMS" Polio is still around and increasing again...:(

4/10

Kapil Sibal - Minister of Science & Technology and Minister of Ocean Development : Loud mouth...but doing an OK job I think.

6/10

Prem Chand Gupta - Minister of Company Affairs : Huh?

5/10

Then there are some others with an independent charge....

Oscar Fernandes - Minister of State of the Ministry of Labour and Employment : Nothing to report...

5/10

Renuka Chowdhury - Minister of State of the Ministry of Women & Child Development : Loud mouth...she has such a great opportunity to make a difference...nothin has happened...

4/10

Subodh Kant Sahai - Minister of State of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries : No comments.

5/10

Vilas Muttemwar - Minister of State of the Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources : I really would like to know how he is doing...

5/10

Kumari Selja - Minister of State of the Ministry of Urban Employment & Poverty Alleviation : Sounds like a no show...but I am not sure...so...

5/10

Praful Patel - Minister of State of the Ministry of Civil Aviation : He comes across as trying hard...but I think he has little to show for his efforts.

4.5/10

G.K.Vasan - Minister of State of the Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation : What kind of ministry is this?

5/10

This is still a work in progress...if anyone else wanna rate them...please be my guest...

The heat is on...

2007-05-25T18:18:00.000+05:30

...literally as a friend would say it!!! This is the warmest weather I have experienced in a while...I don't know the stats but it certainly seems that the weather pattern has become more unpredictable than before...is it a cyclical thing or is it related to global warming is constantly under debate the world over...

But certainly people are getting worried. An interesting thing has been happening lately...cities in Europe have been dimming the lights to spread awareness on global warming. US has obviously been oblivious to such things and it wouldn't even be noticed in countries like India...(it would just be another power outage).

Anyways the whole point of this build up is to present 2 cents of my concern.

http://www.breathingearth.net/ - simulates the carbon dioxide emissions across the globe
http://www.ecofoot.org/ - learn how much of the earth's resources you are consuming covetously. Hey I got a 1.8 so I am just about ok...

What really caught my attention on Breathing Earth was not so much the CO2 emissions (my apologies to all those that are offended) but the fact that a kid is born every 1.8 seconds (the sun keeps beating like a heart...) in India...faster than anywhere else in the world...

If there are any other such educating sites...please do let me know...

What went wrong?

2007-03-24T20:23:00.000+05:30

To all those who watched the game yesterday...my sympathies!!

There is little denying that our team strived really hard yesterday, they gave it their all...Sri Lanka were just too good...
We are out of the world cup...not because we lost to Sri Lanka, but coz we lost to Bangladesh. Everyone is analyzing what went wrong, and here are my two cents as well...

The biggest problem on the day of the game against Bangladesh - the team was nervous. I am sure that Dravid and Greg knew this, yet it was decided that we will project confidence on the outside.
Two major risks were taken and they both backfired. First, in spite of the nervousness in the team, we decided to bat first on a pitch that was going to seam a bit initially. Its one thing to project confidence, it is another to feel it. Any person who has played a bit of sports will tell you this. I remember once when I was playing a District level Table tennis tournament...my first round match was declared as the show case match to be played before the Chief Guest. All my confidence evaporated in no time and I was so tentative I lost a game that I probably should have won, In fact I lost quite badly. Multiply the scenario by a million times and you get what happened to team India. On top of that risk, you not only played a batsman out of form, you actually sent him to open the innings - a huge risk. The move turned out to be a disaster with him getting out early. To make matters worse you send in a novice to bat at 3. Yes these are occasions where people can raise their hands and perform well, but it didn't work out that way. The team never recovered after that...the pressure just mounted on, and unfortunately apart from Sehwag there is no player in our side who ignores pressure while batting. The bowlers were expected to do magic, but there was going to be no magic that day...

We should have gone into the first game with the safest team, had we managed a win then we could have experimented in the game against Bermuda. As it turned out, we just couldn't find that flexibility as we were always running behind...

All sorts of drama will happen now...get rid of Greg, sack Rahul - drop Sachin, Harbhajan...the entire team. I say go ahead and do it and I also say that I can bet that all but a few of these will be back in the side in no time - there is simply no one as good as them. I can go on and on...but here no two people think alike about cricket, so I ll just brood for a few days and then start hoping for better days...

The great Indian Pratfall!!

2007-03-18T23:15:00.000+05:30

So we lost to Bangladesh in our World Cup opener! Well there was only one team that deserved to win yesterday and that was Bangladesh. They played with flair and confidence, while the Indian team was so jittery it seemed that they were on the field for the first time.

Probably the toss made a difference, but that still doesn't explain how you can lose 5 wickets for almost nothing...
So what happens now?? I think the Indian team is likely to follow Pakistan home. Maybe the two boards should quickly organize a bilateral series...they can play between themselves and feel good, thats what the hockey teams of the two countries do anyways...there will be some "so called" fans in both the countries that will go nuts and make the defeat an excuse to take out their frustrations by burning effigies and shouting slogans against the players....

The others like me will pray...I can almost imagine all the marketing mgrs, of all the Indian companies sponsoring the WC, making rounds of all the holy places seeking blessings for the team when they take on Sri Lanka (prayers are more reliable than our team). Even the Sri Lankans will be asking why India had to mess up things for them also! If the Indian team does a Champions Trophy, I won't be surprised if people lose all interest in the event - the audience might end up being lesser than what was for the football WC last year. Now that would be something...

Democracy - The Institutions

2007-03-18T13:24:00.001+05:30

The last time I wrote on this (long long time ago, I can still remember...:) Democracy - A Note) I closed by saying that active citizenship is what is required for a democracy to become real.
To be effective and active, a citizen should have the knowledge of the fundamental institutions that are presented as the pillars of democracy. Of course it is impractical to expect people to have academic knowledge of these institutions; instead a practical knowledge of the role of each institution should suffice. Although a strict set of institutions is hard to define, the following general characteristics should ideally be established –

Elected Representatives - Control of government by members of a parliament or assembly etc. elected by citizens.
Free, fair and frequent elections - with minimal coercion and fraud.
Freedom of Expression - All citizens should have the right to express themselves on matters political as well others without fear of reprimand from the existing government.
Access to alternate sources of information - All citizens must have the opportunity to form opinions using data available from multiple sources (as opposed to the "official" sources), so this clearly refers to the freedom of press.
Autonomous associations - All citizens should have the right to form associations based on interests.
Inclusive citizenship - All citizens of the country should be bound by the same set of rules and guidelines
Independence of the judiciary - The judiciary should be accessible to all and more importantly must be separate from the government.
Impartial civil service - The civil service should be autonomous and not partial towards the government of the day.

Now let us re-examine the institutions with respect to our motherland.

Elected Representatives - Clearly we have this institution well and running. But the main problem for India is the fact that we have come to a stage where nearly 2 million people are represented by a single person in the Parliament, an average that makes it impossible for a citizen to really make his/her voice heard (all the more reason for him/her to become an active citizen). UK on the other hand has 646 members in the House of Commons making a people/member average of around 100,000 (that is 2o times less than ours). Well one solution could be to raise the total number of seats (will require an amendment as the max perceived strength is 552 according to the constitution). Well it is hard to make things work with 200 odd that do show up in the first place :)
Free, fair and frequent elections - We definitely do have frequent elections, the other 2 conditions are on dodgy grounds...but I would like to believe that it's not yet a disease. I don't have any data to make an opinion otherwise anyways...
Freedom of Expression - It is there and it is not there. All depends on what you are trying to say. Books are banned regularly, gag orders are issued too. As for the freedom of press, India was ranked 120 out of 167 by reporters sans frontiers (www.rsf.org) though it does add - "Countries such as the Philippines (111th), India (120th) and Indonesia (117th) figure in the bottom half of the index despite having free and lively independent media, since killings and physical attacks on journalists, along with outdated laws, still prevent a full flowering of the press. Violence against the media in India rarely comes from the authorities but from political activists and in Kashmir from armed groups."
Access to alternate sources of information - Well again it's there and not there. RTI was brought in to correct this but it has not yet reached the common people (wonder why the government is the least active in spreading the word about it).
Autonomous associations - The party system thrives here, a little too much perhaps (sigh).
Inclusive citizenship - This is a problem issue (imho) as it has been the root cause for some of the most deep crevices in our society. Take the special treatment for minorities (separate laws) or the issue of reservation. Both good on paper but deadly in the hands of our "great leaders" and "intellectuals" alike.
Independence of the judiciary - Overactive at times but definitely and unabashedly independent. So independent that there seems to be no way to cure all the decay that is prevalent (lawyer strikes, long holidays, pending cases, just to name a few).
Impartial civil service - this has hardly ever existed, some how the bureaucracy has never found its feet.

So how do we ensure that a citizen is active or forced to be active? Umm, next section maybe...

What has been happening...Nothing

2007-03-09T18:56:00.000+05:30

It is not like I haven't thought of writing something...but some how I never end up typing anything. But today I came across something so nostalgic I just had to post it (even if it might end up as just a picture post...)

The picture on the left or above ( courtesy http://www.duelinganalogs.com/) is a salute to one of the oldest cheat codes in the gaming industry - associated with one of the most popular console games ever, Contra (developed by the Japanese game developer Konami).

For those not aware, the sequence as depicted in the cartoon is the famous up-up-down-down-left-right-left-right-B-A-Start sequence that resulted in you starting the game with 30 spare lives.

The code proved so popular that developers incorporated it into more than 100 video games, each providing a unique cheat. Ah the good old console days...

This place needs a shake up!!!

2007-02-03T14:12:00.000+05:30

Almost 4 months since I actually pressed the "Publish Post" button...probably three since I last visited this page...hmm. Nope I haven't really got bored of this yet. Or have I?

Time will tell...

Vande Mataram - II

2006-09-08T19:41:00.001+05:30

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

2006-09-02T14:14:00.000+05:30

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...

2006-08-26T16:21:00.000+05:30

...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...

2006-07-20T19:54:00.000+05:30

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...

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...

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.

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

2006-07-10T10:34:00.000+05:30

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

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

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

2006-07-08T16:26:00.000+05:30

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

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

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

2006-07-04T14:02:00.000+05:30

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

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.
Italy vs. Ukraine (3-0): Pretty much a one sided game, Italy romped home easily.

July 01

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.
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

2006-06-28T22:58:00.000+05:30

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

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.
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

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.
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

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.
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

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.
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

2006-06-24T13:49:00.000+05:30

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

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.
Poland vs. Costa Rica (2-0): An easy wins for the Poles, atleast they end on a good note.
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.
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

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.
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.
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.
Angola vs. Iran (1-1): Angola needed to win and win well to advance. But they couldn't convert chances.

June 22

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.
Ghana vs. USA (2:1): Great performance from the Ghana side, I wish them all the luck against Brazil whom they ll next challenge.
Brazil vs. Japan (4:1): What a performance! Brazil were just unstoppable in the second Half.
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

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.
Switzerland vs. Korea (2:0): The Swiss have looked good ever since their goal less draw against France.
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.
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

2006-06-20T16:08:00.000+05:30

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

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

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.
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.
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

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.
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.
Mexico vs Angola (0-0): The most boring game of the world cup. Period.

June 17

Portugal vs Iran (2-0): Easy win for Portugal and they will be happy to be in round two.
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.
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

Japan vs Croatia (0-0): The Croats will be disappointed to have missed the penalty. The Aussies would be the happiest with the result.
Brazil vs Australia (2-0): Brazil is looking solid and getting better.
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

Togo vs Switzerland (0-2): Good performance from the Swiss puts them ahead of France in the group.
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.
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

2006-06-14T21:01:00.000+05:30

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

Australia vs Japan (3-1): Great game, and the aussies showed that they belonged.
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".
Italy vs Ghana (2-0): Another nice game. Italy were pushed all the way...

June 13

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...
France vs Switzerland (0-0): The other two teams of Group G. Hardly any chances created. France haven't scored for 4 matches now...
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

Spain vs Ukraine (4-0): Superlative performance from the Spanish side. Will they do justice to the talent this time round?
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

2006-06-12T20:54:00.000+05:30

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

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.
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

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.
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.
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

Holland vs Serbia-Montenegro (1-0): Very patchy performance from the Dutch. I don't see them going too far.
Mexico vs Iran (3-1): Mexico really is too good a side to be held up 1-1 by Iran.
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

2006-06-05T09:50:00.000+05:30

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

2006-06-04T17:10:00.000+05:30

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

2006-05-12T21:20:00.001+05:30

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

2006-05-08T19:23:00.000+05:30

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

2006-05-02T19:23:00.000+05:30

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

2006-04-23T14:03:00.000+05:30

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

2006-04-13T21:01:00.000+05:30

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...

2006-04-05T08:22:00.000+05:30

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...

2006-03-27T19:50:00.000+05:30

...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 (TÃ©nÃ©rife 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 (TÃ©nÃ©rife 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

2006-03-24T14:22:00.000+05:30

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

2006-03-23T18:10:00.000+05:30

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

2006-03-23T18:00:00.000+05:30

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!

2006-03-16T10:58:00.000+05:30

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

2006-03-13T10:22:00.000+05:30

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

2006-02-25T18:04:00.000+05:30

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

2006-02-18T11:47:00.000+05:30

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

2006-02-13T20:30:00.000+05:30

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...

2006-02-02T20:59:00.000+05:30

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

2006-02-01T19:54:00.000+05:30

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...

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"

2006-01-31T21:35:00.000+05:30

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

2006-01-26T20:54:00.000+05:30

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

Symbolism

2006-01-25T20:49:00.000+05:30

"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

2006-01-21T19:15:00.000+05:30

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?

2006-01-08T17:50:00.000+05:30

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

2006-01-08T15:07:00.000+05:30

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

Bye Bye 2005

2005-12-30T18:28:00.000+05:30

End of probably the most uneventful year of my life...not a bad year...but nothing major happened...just a few incidents worth remembering - Di's wedding and a dear friend's admission in IIMC.

Hopefully 2006 will be more interesting...more fun - for me and every one else out there...

Amen

The Opening Ceremony

2005-12-26T19:55:00.001+05:30

Saw a picture of people skating on ice at a friend's blog...reminded of the skating rink (of the roller skate variety) we had in the township that I lived...once upon a time...

I was abt 12 or 13 I think. A new skating rink had been built at the local club. Once finished a lot of people used to come to skate there...the club encouraged by the response decided to have a formal opening ceremony. Kids who could skate were searched and given responsibility to show their skills. The group got together. Creative plans were made - formations were thought of - maneuvers decided.
The D day arrived...and the boys all wearing white Ts and shorts were nervous but yet ready for action...the chief guest arrived..every body got seated and we performed...it went well...we even got an applause(or something like an applause). Congratulations and hugs were shared in the group and we waited for the evening...expecting people to ask us abt it.

Thats where the good things ended though...funnily enough from that day on (and I am not trying to say a few days later...right from that very day) the skating rink bore a deserted look...lol...and there was no reason for it...kids wanting to learn and the kids who knew a bit - all disappeared...just like that...

We still laugh when we talk abt it...the opening ceremony...or was it the closing one? :)

Pinky blues!

2005-12-17T18:48:00.000+05:30

Have been overwhelmed by the color pink lately...

Are there any women folk who don't like the color pink? Am Still looking...

p.s: Don't get me wrong...no color is very bad..except maybe pink..but even so can anyone explain the affinity of the color pink with women? Is it genetic?

A Goalless Quest

2005-12-13T19:03:00.000+05:30

"You climb the mountain in an equilibrium between restlessness and exhaustion. Then, when you're no longer thinking ahead, each footstep isn't just a means to an end but a unique event in itself. This leaf has jagged edges. This rock looks loose. From this place the snow is less visible, even though closer. These are the things that you should notice anyway. To live only for some future goal is shallow. Its the side of the mountains that sustain life, not the top. Here's where things grow.
But of course, without the top you can't have any sides. Its the top that defines the sides." [From the Zen And The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance]

The above lines struck a cord somewhere when I read them - probably because I have been grappling to find that equilibrium myself...probably because I am still not sure of that great peak that I need to climb...or maybe because as the author says I have just been trying to reach the top...not enjoying the climb. I know how that feels...you have nothing to look back to when you do finally reach the top...no close(real) experiences...just a blur...an empty feeling.

Yeah Yeah I cried...but its ok I guess!

2005-12-06T22:27:00.000+05:30

I didn’t plan it this way...but what to do??

Couldn’t hold back the tears (well certain circumstantial botch-up didn’t help) as I wished my sis all the best for the new life that awaits her...didn’t feel like coming back home afterwards...all day my mind kept drifting to distant memories...the closeness we shared...then the distance that came between us for a couple of years (I feel so stupid now...2 years wasted needlessly)...finally overcoming it again...the chit chat at 4 in the morning on the balcony...the fights - some silly ones like the ones over TV...others more serious...all the rakhis...this year was the first one I missed(what am I running after?)...this post can go on forever...

I know I ll get over it...but home will never be the same again...:(

Almost 4 yrs since I last cried...I guess I ll just have to start working on my record again :)

A nice anecdote to lighten up the post...after the end of all the melodrama...our driver - a 6 ft tall Haryanvi jat, never shy to shove anyone getting in his way - is found squirming, wiping his eyes with a tissue paper...now who can explain how our minds work??? Please raise your hands!

I believe in Karma what you give is what you get returned
I believe you can't appreciate real love until you've been burned
I believe the grass is more greener on the other side
I believe you don't know what you've got until you say goodbye

Have also figured out why people break down on such occasions...its the sheer mental and physical effort spent...doesn't take much to get tipped over the edge after that....Hmmm!

Its Possible

2005-12-05T18:27:00.000+05:30

I have slept for 6 hrs in the last 84 hrs...
I feel as if I am high on something...its an interesting feeling...is this how one feels when drunk?

Wish I could keep myself awake like this for other pressing matters...might even get some work done!

Am i making any sense?

The Power of Language

2005-12-03T22:21:00.000+05:30

Man I wish I knew my native tongue! I mean I cant speak Punjabi(there is no accent..no fluency..nothing!)...I cant speak Hindi in its purest form...it sucks!
The other day I was talking to the guy putting up the tents...and I couldn't get him to do things the way that i wanted him to...in comes dad...and Punjabi does the trick...after a few minutes spent talking about life in Punjab...he is working twice as hard to get things in order...

English can never match the power of Indian languages!

What I take away from the incident: learn to speak Punjabi more fluently....

Overheard at McDonald's

2005-11-27T21:01:00.000+05:30

Back in Delhi...after another round of "You can go / You can't go / I have to go" between my PM and me....

So day 1...and it was a long long day...so many things to do...so little time...so many places to go to...and if that was not enough...I had to finally appear for my trial...

4:15 PM, McDonald's at Priya...I m munching on my burger, sipping coke...wondering what's in store...suddenly a loud "Hey!" over my left ear brings me out of my slumber...

Its a girl...lets call her Lady A...calling out to the girl(Lady B) sitting at the table to my left...

Lady A: "Wow, its been more than a year!!"
Lady B: "I know!"

They exchange pecks...

Lady A : "You have put on so much weight!!"
Lady B (with mock tears) : "I know!"

Lady B: "Hey when did you get a mole on your face???"
Lady A: "I have just become more beautiful..."

(A hearty laugh follows)

Lady B: "Yeah, you look great...even though your cheeks have sunk in...you look hot"
Lady A: "Yeah I have lost weight...and I am very conservatively dressed ok!"
Lady B (with mock tears) : "I think I ll have to join a gym!
Lady A (interrupts): "...what?(a horrified shriek) You still using the same cell? Change it yaar...get something more chick!"
Lady B: "Arrey this is only temporary...I have a 76 something at home...and I plan to change that as well...so are you still dating the same guy?"
Lady A: "Are you crazy? He was history a long time back...have gone out with 3 other guys since...you?"
Lady B: "Same here..."

Its 4:25, my phone rings...and Neha is coming over...its time for me to get going...

Missing my sis today

2005-11-24T10:53:00.000+05:30

Time is such a devil of a thing...it annoys me no end that as much as I try to take control of it, it always controls me! I mean it would be nice if I could just throw a spanner in between the cogs and it would come to a halt...but no it wont...it will just march on pooh-poohing me.

And I am almost convinced at times that it cheats - speeding up when you want it to slow down and slowing down to a crawl when you want it to speed up...Grr!

Reminds me of a Calvin speak...
"There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want" - Calvin

This gibberish IS related to the title...

The Morning after CAT

2005-11-21T08:53:00.000+05:30

I just feel like shouting at the top of my voice, like some crazy singer/whiner of a heavy metal band....with angry notes flying thick and fast from the guitar playing in the background...

Yes that will release some frustration...

It matters...It doesn't matter

2005-11-17T15:16:00.000+05:30

We are taking it easy
Bright and breezy, yeah
We are living it up
Just fine and dandy, yeah

And it doesn't really matter that we don't eat
And it doesn't really matter if we never sleep
No it doesn't really matter, really doesn't matter at all

Coz we are so young now, so young, so young now
And when tomorrow comes, we can do it all again

We are chasing the moon
Just running wild and free
We are following through
Every dream, and every need

And it doesn't really matter if we don't eat
And it doesn't really matter if we never sleep
No it doesn't really matter, really doesn't matter at all
Coz we are so young now, we are so young, so young now
And when tomorrow comes, we can do it all again

Listening to this song after a very long time(shows that I am running out of options)...I don't really like The Corrs, except for their use of violins (an instrument that I really like)...

I enjoyed listening to it today....has a nice optimistic feel to it...maybe I ll hum it after CAT...lol...

"We can do it all again!!"

20 useless things about me

2005-11-14T19:44:00.000+05:30

Talking/writing about myself is most difficult.
Though change is the only constant, I wish somethings wouldn't change!
It generally takes me time to open up to people and this period is getting longer and longer I think.
Sometimes though things click instantly...these people then hold a special place...and the person who tagged me is a prime example of it.
I like being around my friends, though I don't mind my own company either.
I don't like it when people make a mountain of a mole...
I like people with creative zeal...probably to make up for my own lack of it...
I seek answers to my questions in songs, books and the things around me.
I want to have a huge study, where I ll have thousands of books,cds/dvds/blu-rays (whatever) for me to dive into whenever I want to.
I like gadgets...and have been eyeing the Nokia N91 mobile for a long time...not scheduled to come till Q1-06 :(
I am not religious but I like to think that there exists a higher authority, even though that doesn't make sense...good for the conscience I guess :).
I am a "Centrist" with a social leaning...
At one time I wanted to take up politics...sometimes I still do...
I like sports of all kind, except the "Golf" kind...lol...playing is different but I don't understand why people watch it...
If something catches my fancy...I just pursue it blindly, till I get a hang of it, but I have a short attention span...
I procrastinate way too much....I wish I was more pro-active.
I prefer nights over day. (now things are getting really random and useless..lol)
I want to play an instrument...
Time travel fascinates me.
I love watching the stars at night, I had a telescope once and I plan to buy one again!

Phew! Now that I am done and over with, I request Anita and Shehzaad to write a bit about themselves!

KILL BILL VOL. 3 ????

2005-11-11T10:55:00.000+05:30

In a moment of creative madness, four political activists from Massachusetts have launched a parody Web site dubbed "Kill Bill's Browser" to convince Web users to switch from Internet Explorer to Firefox.

Kill Bill's Browser

I burst out laughing when I read it (with some colleagues looking suspiciously at me...lol)...its just too funny!! One can even try and make money by placing ads to ask users to make the switch (read this, Explorer Destroyer)!! For those waiting for a reason to make the switch, this is as good as it gets!!! My favourite reason would be(I don't intend to make the shift...yet) 8^th, I find the paper clip most annoying...even the silly dog that pops up to annoy me when making a search....

To call it a browser war is a misnomer though...as this news report aptly suggests Firefox Shakes Slump . At 8.59 %, Firefox can hardly be called a threat...especially since IE7 is on its way (its already in Beta Testing), only concern being that it might be available only for Xp Sp2 machines...I hope that will change...

Freedom of Expression

2005-11-10T16:46:00.000+05:30

Was having a discussion with a friend about Black Friday...Whether it should have been released or not...then about the IIPM vs Bloggers debate and this whole issue of Freedom of Expression.

Reminded me of a quote I read in a book recently...

"..that the greatest threat to freedom are inert people, that public discussion is a political duty...it is hazardous to discourage thought, hope and imagination; that fear breeds repression; that repression breeds hate; that the path of safety lies in the opportunity to discuss freely supposed grievances and the proposed remedies, and that the fitting remedy for evil counsels is good ones."

The quote was made by Justice Louis Brandeis in Whitney v California, 1927.

More on the case itself and his note can be read Here . Its quite an interesting read.

Fatwa vs Court Ruling

2005-11-10T09:34:00.000+05:30

This is continuation of my anti - fatwa rant...based on the firm belief that religious rulings have no place in a secular/pretending to be secular country like ours...

Power of judiciary questioned in affairs of Muslim community

The story is basically abt the religious body Darul-uloom of Khargone district that has issued a 'fatwa' recently annulling the divorce decree by a court in Sendhwa town of Madhya Pradesh in the Arjumand Bano case on the ground that the judge was a non-muslim.
Whenever I read stories like the one mentioned above I get annoyed...

Once an intervention of court is requested, there is no reason for taking into consideration what the religious leaders of a community(Hindu or Muslim or anyother) have to say...whats the point of having a Constitution or the judiciary then?

Thankfully a voice of reason has come from within the community...
Chief of Badwani (district) Muslim Jamat Tasawwar Mirza said the community will boycott the Mufti if he did not revoke the fatwa. ‘‘Though all Muslims believe in Shariat, we strongly condemn the reference to ‘‘non-Muslim magistrates’’.

Long weekend and CAT

2005-11-07T08:57:00.000+05:30

Coming back to work after a long weekend is like waking up just when the dream was getting interesting...Bah!

Somewhere during the weekend I also realized that the D-Day was approaching faster than I wanted it to...suddenly everyone is wishing me all the best and enquiring about my preparations...and I don't have anything to say...my preparation (if one can call what I have done over the past month or so as preparation) is woeful and the result is already known...
"If only I could turn back time!!"

Came across this story about a 12 year old Palestinian boy's organs being donated to 3 Israeli girls...the boy was mistaken for a terrorist and shot dead by the Israeli forces...
What can I say? I am simply mystified by the strangeness of the ways of the mind...
Israelis get shot boy's organs

Diwali and the Blasts

2005-11-02T11:42:00.000+05:30

My first Diwali away from home went by like any other day! My favourite festival spent here in Hyderabad - more or less alone. What to do, such is life!

But when I think of the events that transpired before Diwali, I can't understand what I am bickering about...

Flipping channels on a lazy Saturday evening, I kind of froze when I heard that Delhi has been rocked by serial blasts...Two powerful blasts in markets bustling with people and another in the state-run bus service shook me up. Knowing my family's affinity to one of these market places (Sarojini Nagar), I rushed to call them up...and boy was I glad to hear my dad's voice at the other end...a few more calls later (to friends there), I sat down to follow the news...trying to imagine the unknown faces - with their happy expression(the kind that shoppers tend to have) buying gifts and stuff for their family and home turning into anguish and fear...the festive atmosphere replaced by one of chaos and tears...

As the time went on, sad stories of people losing their loved ones started appearing...7 members of a Kolkata family on a visit to Delhi...3 of the 9 member family from Assam...a father of a 15 day child from Kerela...

There was one positive news amidst all the sad ones...the timely action of the bus driver and conductor that averted a potential disaster. The driver threw out the bomb just as it detonated...seriously injuring himself but saving many lives...such courage makes me wanna say "Eat this!!" to the people behind the attacks...

I know what was lost that evening...62 lives...countless others altered forever...but what was gained and by whom? A little-known Islami Inqilabi Mahaz (Islamic Revolutionary Group) has claimed responsibility for the blasts; are they celebrating?

How can anyone be so blind to the suffering of fellow humans....

Blog Power

2005-10-26T19:08:00.000+05:30

I didn't want to join the debate on the whole IIPM issue, not because I have any sympathies for IIPM or Mr. Arindam Chaudhuri but simply because I thought it was a storm in a tea cup and would subside soon enough...

But that hasn't happend and the issue since has reached the mainstream media...

Read two interesting articles on the issue : Fury over a blog! and one on ZDNet India : Indian worker quits IBM after blog dispute .

Some startling lines from the second article :

"...Yes, we have approached IBM and asked them to take a proper action against someone spreading baseless lies against a reputed institution. They did what they must have deemed fit after their internal examinations and procedures," said Anil Saxena, head of corporate communications at IIPM."

So that leaves no doubt that indeed IIPM has been using pressure tactics. Also the repulsive comments left by people allegedly from IIPM does not leave any room for sympathy. I guess IIPM management thought that they will put pressure on the bloggers to make them retract their statements...but the whole plan seems to have backfired on them...not only more people now know about the whole issue, but people have begun doing some "investigations" of their own. A case in point being : http://www.desipundit.com/

Also liked this part from the first report:

"...To form an opinion about something you need both sides of the story but most often you get to know only one, the one that media wants you to know. The power of blogs is that it permits you to know both sides of the story. In this information age the answer lies in adopting the new media and not attacking it."

When I read an article on how bloggers can become journalists in their own right I didnt take it seriously, even now the blogging community is fairly small but a start has been made...Blogs can indeed make a difference in a world where the media is owned by corporations that have there own leanings.
Media will do well to take cognizance of this fact and become more responsible in its approach.

The "God" of Cricket is Back!

2005-10-26T09:06:00.000+05:30

I have been waiting for 6 months and 8 days but now the wait is over.
I could feel a rush of childish excitement come over me...as I opened CricBuzz and waited for the Indian innings to begin...
So many questions were swirling in my head...will he be able to play like he used to? will he be comfortable?...will he be able to hit with power? Will he hit any cover drives? Heck, I wanted to know if he will be able to continue for 2-3 more years atleast!!!!
And I got all my answers...as i read about the way he was batting....i wanted to rush home and see for myself...but i had to wait ofcourse...but there would be the highlights later...

And he played like only he can...true Irfan was scoring runs faster than him...but somehow it was not even half as enjoyable as Sachin's strokeplay...
Having gone under the surgeon's knife and suffering a rehabilitation period where he could not even pick up a cricket bat, I guess he must have been as eager to get back into action as his millions of fans...And now he is back not ready to fade away just yet! I am just sure of it!

Nice song playing here

"I don't know what it is, that makes me feel like this"

"I dont know who you are, but you must be some kind of superstar"

"Coz you got eyes on you no matter where you are!"

Lets not look into the original song too closely..lol...

Black Friday

2005-10-22T13:35:00.000+05:30

Saw it last night and have been thinking abt it for a while...
The docu-drama is yet to be officially released as a stay has been placed on its release by the courts. Infact after the end, a friend said that he was glad that the movie hasn't been screened or else there might have been more violence and riots...I don't agree...

I think such movies can go a long way in healing the old wounds permanently...turning away from reality will not make it go away...sooner or later it will catch up with us again...what happened in Gujarat for example...and we will be left shaking our heads in despair! So, it is vital that the people get to know the facts and are able to grasp the stupidity of their actions.

I was 11, when the events depicted took place - too young to understand. Today I understand them better...
Based on a book by S. Hussain Zaidi, this docu-drama tries to recreate those events and the intense feelings that followed them.

On March 12, 1993 Bombay aka Mumbai was torn apart by a series of explosions (12 explosions at key points around the city). The death toll was close to 300. A thorough investigation followed...the bombs were made using a high-powered explosive, RDX - obtained probably through the collusion of Pakistan. The first clue - An abandoned vehicle filled with explosives and weapons - Registration papers in the name of 'Rubina Memon', sister-in-law to one 'Tiger Memon', resident of Mahim, Bombay.

As the people involved in implementing the conspiracy get arrested, the motive becomes obvious: the blasts were revenge for the atrocities suffered by the Muslim minority community during the December 1992 and January 1993 Bombay riots.

On November 4, 1993, the police filed a charge sheet against 189 accused. Then on August 5, 1994, Tiger's brother, Yaqub Memon, willingly turned himself in to the authorities.
In a candid Newstrack interview on national television Yaqub states that it was Tiger and his underworld associates who orchestrated the conspiracy. And Tiger Memon has now disappeared - allegedly enjoying the safe heaven that is Pakistan.
I especially liked the title of the last part of the movie: What is past is prologue
A look back at what started it all - the terribly violent Bombay Riots in the months of December and January of 92-93 - an unprecedented outburst of emotion that resulted in thousands of deaths.
The masterminds have never been caught...a closure has never been achieved, be it Gujarat or Mumbai or Delhi, communities live with the feeling of humiliation and a desire for revenge...

All this in the name of religion, a doctrine that -

most people don't even follow
most people are not even well versed with
we don't even choose on our own but simply inherit by being born in a family practicing it...

Is it then really worth it?

Corruption Index

2005-10-19T08:34:00.000+05:30

Transparency International has come out with the Corruption Perception Index for year 2005.

India is ranked 88^th out of the 159 countries considered. Apparently we have improved our position by 2 (infact last year only 146 countries were surveyed, so that makes it even better).
I can't help but wonder - Have we become less corrupt or has the world around us become more corrupt??

Within the country, Kerela has been declared the least corrupt state and Bihar (surprise surprise!) rounds up the list.

The survey mentions a very obvious gain from reduced corruption:
"...When countries improve governance and reduce corruption, they reap a 'development dividend' that can include reduction in child mortality rates and increase in per capita income and literacy rates..."

Iceland, by the way, continues to be the least corrupt nation. The whole table can be found here : Table

Reunion

2005-10-16T21:27:00.000+05:30

Though it was short, the reunion (of sorts) left me feeling nostalgic and with that goody goody feeling.
We met just like we used to meet in college...I couldn't help but notice how much at ease I felt in their company (unlike the uptight feeling I get here in Hyderabad)

Here was a motley bunch of people - a journalist (Apurv), a budding lawyer (Neha), a research analyst (Gunjan), a future environmental expert (Swapan), a coding guru (Amit), and guest starring an actor in the making (Saurabh) - meeting together for the first time since graduating in 2003...so much had changed and yet it all seemed like "old times" to me...

Ofcourse some key people were missing...Shehzaad, Ritesh, Abhishek, Sameer, Daanish, Sinjini and Shriyukta to name a few. But this is not the last of the meetings...fingers crossed, I hope we will spend many such evenings together, wallowing in nostalgia!!

Amen!

One for the Camera(1^st Sem, 1999) !!