WHOAMI

Pathetic Journalism..

2009-04-04T13:57:00.000-07:00

I was watching the G20 press conference live on TV. When Pres. Barack Obama called on the Indian Journalist Ms. Simrat something, I expected her to ask a meaningful question and put up a decent show of Indian journalism. But I guess I expected too much. What a pathetic little effort she put up! Even school kids would have put up a better show. There she was stumbling through her question. And then when Obama started his answer, she interrupted him like an over enthusiastic school kid. On top of it she acted like a typical Page 3 journalist rolling her eyes at the other journalists as they laughed at her..naivety. All in all, what a pathetic little effort from India on the global stage. Why can't Indian journalists take their jobs seriously and learn to be professional? I cringed at the sight of this lady stumbling and blushing as Obama answered her question. To be fair, I liked her question, but the point is, the delivery was so flawed that it took all sense of seriousness from the question and deflected unwanted attention to what Obama thought of our Prime Minister. Hearing the questions from the other overseas journalists and comparing our own effort, I must admit I was ashamed at the pathetic little display from Times Of India!!! I guess they did not have anyone who was not covering the political farce in our country and the bollywood stars and their glittering premiers to make a living!

Blog-Based-Gender - "Blender"

2009-02-18T10:34:00.000-08:00

Inspired by a post on Indiauncut, I wanted to find out my blog-induced gender. So I tried this test and this is what I got..

So I can now officially spend half of my time shopping!

Results

We think http://www.countrybrute.blogspot.com is written by a woman (63%).

Who will my vote go to?

2009-02-18T10:11:00.000-08:00

Women thrashed in Mangalore for entering pubs.

Kasab or the other perpetrators have not been punished.

MNS thrashes NorthIndians and Police can't do a thing.

Muthalik and his goons won't allow us to celebrate Valentine's day.

Women get raped and courts or the police can't do a thing.

Farmers are dying of poverty and starvation.

Millions of children are malnourished.

Primary education is still a dream for most children in the country.

And our Prime ministerial candidate Mr.Advani says he wants to rebuild the Ram temple.

What is wrong with our country? Where are our priorities? The one word that comes to my mind is "impotent". We seem to get all worked up with the smallest thing, but when faced with really big issues that need to be resolved, we freeze and let the issue die a quiet death. Take Advani for instance, you would have thought that there were far more important things in this country to achieve than building the Ram temple. Yet, he chooses to bring that as the key highlight of his election campaign. So much for our Jaago Re.

That brings me to the next question. Now that I have decided that I will vote this year, who will my vote go to? I have no loyalty or belief in any party's so called "policies". What I am looking for is one man/woman who has the balls to provide me with hope. Is there such a man/woman on the political landscape?

If you come today....

2009-02-13T10:25:00.000-08:00

The latest Youtube rage....Watch this guys....you won't regret it!

God! It's Killing me!

2009-02-01T08:36:00.000-08:00

That was Roger Federer's reaction at the prize ceremony. And yes, it was killing a lot of his fans as well. If any one wants to give an example of what passion means, just refer them to this match. Here was the world number one and number two, who have just about achieved everything that any tennis player could possibly want to achieve. Yet, they were fighting for every inch. Roger is already a legend. He has 13 grandslams. Even if he doesn't win another one, he will be a part of the hall of fame. Still, here he was crying like a child who has lost his candy to a school bully! It broke my heart. It moved me so much to see someone want something that badly. No wonder he is a legend. Rafa is a legend as well. Bcoz he has managed to win 6 slams during Roger Federer's era. And undoubtedly he will win more.
Simply put, this was the stuff of legend. When I am 50 years old and my kid is watching grandslams in the year 2028, and there is a rain delay, they will replay this match over and over and tell the world how there were two greats who fought like there was nothing more they could possibly want from life than win!

Vamos Rafa! Vamos Roger!

(picture from NY Times)

Word of the day

2009-01-11T01:14:00.000-08:00

BBC news website has a section that introduces certain facts everyday. The word presented to us today is the malay word "Bongking" which means "sprawling face down with one's bottom in the air". I would say that is very good description of the English word "Banking" as well!!!

Can we dream to emulate FDR?

2008-12-27T15:17:00.001-08:00

When FDR (Franlin Roosevelt) took over the reins of the USA in 1933, he was faced with one of the greatest challenges that any president has faced so far. When he was done with it, he had created a superpower. USA emerged the power it was for the next 60 years. Now it has taken an equally extraordinary amount of perseverance to drag it down to the mess that it is in today. How did FDR manage to accomplish this seemingly impossible task? Read all about it in this excellent post by Paul Krugman in NY Times.

Birthday "Bash"

2008-12-24T10:26:00.000-08:00

Every year on Jan 15, Mayawati celebrates her birthday in grand style. This year, the bash came before the birthday - poor MK Gupta was lynched for refusing to contribute for the birthday "bash". He was forced to contribute to the "bash" with his life! Although the CM of UP denies any involvement, the poor man has just lost his life and there is nothing that even the CM can do to bring him back to life! And the compensation awarded is Rs.5 lakhs. The price tag on an engineer's life and his contributions to his state, his family and friends is only Rs. 5 lakhs. The goondas who perpetrated this crime are backed by a sitting MLA and no doubt the case will be adjourned for the next 15 years! One way or the other politics enters the race! What is wrong with our f*&^ed up society? Is nothing sacred? Can we do anything in the name of power? And where the *&ck is Mr Antulay, whose questions on Hemant Karkare held the parliament sessions for ransom! Is he not raising a ruckus on this killing? Does he have the balls to challenge Mayawati to convict the criminals involved in this case?

To use a phrase that the maverick Swiss astronomer Fritz Zwicky used, "these people are spherical bas$£%ds!!! - because they are b$%£ards no matter which angle you see them from!!!".

Best Movie of All Time

2008-12-19T12:00:00.000-08:00

It's Christmas time and here is an all time favourite movie. If there is one movie that I can without a doubt claim as the best movie of all time, I would give that award to "It's a Wonderful Life". It is a movie that every single adult can relate to. It is 62 years since the movie was made, yet it stays relevant. I love this movie and would sincerely recommend that you watch it. It is a story of dreams, ambitions, audacious hope, reality, the travails of life and desperation! Everyone of us starts out with bold dreams and life takes us on a completely different path and we watch our dreams fall one-by-one by the wayside. Inspite of all that, the movie ultimately tells the viewer how wonderful life is - however far it takes you from the dreams you had as you started out on your journey. Classic movie. Definitely recommend you to watch this movie. Here it is....Merry Christmas everyone..

Mumbai - Wake up call...

2008-12-13T16:05:00.000-08:00

It has been 10 days since I returned back from India. All the while, I have felt the urge to write something about the attacks in Mumbai. But I did not want to write about it with all the media inspired quotes still ringing in my head. That would make it too biased towards what I heard/read from the media. But now that I have had time to think about it, I do feel different now. I do not endorse the politician-bashing comments from all parts of the media. Neither do I endorse the "bomb-pakistan-out" comments you came across from youngsters on the street and giving interviews on tv and taking part in debates on tv. First things first. Is Pakistan the only party to be blamed for this attack? Are politicians the only ones who wound me up with their couldn't-care-less attitude? Our police force was and is still one of the most corrupt elements of the civil society. The ones who died fighting were the exceptions rather than the rule. We, the people of India are on top of the pile when it comes to breaking rules, disregarding advice, making a mockery of processes, and increasingly leaning towards intolerance. We hate queues. We never follow processes. We give bribes without batting an eyelid. We like people who give us boxes of sweets for Diwali. We want to get our driving licences, telephone connections, gas connections, cinema tickets, exam results all through "influence". Even when visiting a temple, we use our connections so we can sit right in front of the Lord's idol while thousands have queued for more than 15 hours to get a glimpse of the same Lord. We don't even consider that this is wrong. Infact it is "normal". We earn a lot more in one month than our parents earned in a year. Still we don't like taking responsibilities.

So what gives us the right to judge politicians of having low morals? Are we, as a society, not guilty of fostering corruption? We reward crookedness and cunningness with a shabashi (ek dum shana hai!) whereas a straight forward and honest man is termed bhondhu\appavi\weakling! So it is ok to cheat when it benefits us, but not okay when it starts hurting us! The politicians ruling us today were elected into power by us. We did not care to vote when we could. And when we did, we voted wrong!

Next, speaking of Pakistan. Is it right on our part to blame everything on Pakistan? Yes, no doubt they have terror camps operating there, but then so do we. Right from Kashmir to Assam to Gujarat, we have been having our own versions of terrorists. In 2002, in the Godhra riots in Gujarat more than a 1000 muslims were slaughtered. Women raped, children slaughtered, men brutally tortured and burnt alive. Is that not terrorism? What did we do? We reelected the Chief Minister for another term. We still have not had the guts to punish the perpetrators! Since the late eighties/early nineties, more than 85000 people have been killed in Kashmir. Is that not terrorism? An entire state has been devastated. We still hear and read about innocent people being tortured and murdered everyday in Kashmir. But we take it for granted. We don't realise that what is in Kashmir can come down to the central plains as well. Just because we don't see it live on TV does not make it any less serious. The point here is that in every terrorist incident in the last few years in India, we find that Indians are increasingly playing a part in it, either directly or indirectly. Without inside support, terrorists just cannot walk into the Taj or Oberoi. We must recognise that somewhere along the line, there were people who took bribes to issue id cards, let someone go in with a piece of metal that was not supposed to get into the hotel, someone who took a bribe and let a vehicle/boat go past the checkpost. All this cannot be blamed on Pakistan.

So why does the loss of 200 lives bother us so much? This was the question that was bothering me while seeing the reactions to Mumbai and all the while trying to explain to myself what I was feeling. I was not shocked at seeing the drama unfold on TV. All I felt was that the media was going overboard covering only the Taj and Oberoi. In the three days of the coverage, there was negligible coverage of the other scene of tragedy - the CST! It is every bit as historic as the Taj. So why did no one show continuous footage of the CST? Why did not Barkha Dutt go and scream herself hoarse in front of the CST? Perhaps she did, and I missed seeing it, but the point is that the coverage was negligible. The media would be partly right in saying that the Taj and Oberoi were the sites where the drama was unfolding. But that was just a convenient alibi rather than the truth. The truth is that here were the big wigs, the rich and famous of the society and this was their FIRST brush with terrorism. Not so for the common man. That is why you could see people trying to get on TV and smiling and friends hanging around the Taj as if they were out to have a good time. Most people in Mumbai have been through this atleast a couple of time before. The only difference this time was that, they were the spectators while the rich and famous were being slaughtered. And justifiably, the entire bandwagon came on TV and demanded that "Enough is enough"! Where were these people during the train blasts? Where were they when the bombs went off in Bangalore, Jaipur and other places earlier this year? Then the media attributed the common man's resignation as "spirit of mumbai". This time around a different section was affected (at least a majority). So we see the demand for accountability. I don't want to sound cynical, but it is time we realize that unless each of us is willing to make sacrifices, our society will not be able to combat terrorism. No matter how many laws and bills are passed in Parliament, unless there is a grassroot level awareness that everyone must make it count, things will not change.

Hoping for change is one thing and making it happen is another thing. The challenges are formidable. We have a society that is very deeply fractured. Despite our "Unity in diversity" slogans, we are slowly becoming more and more intolerant. The increasing attack on Christians and Muslims is an obvious pointer to this. Our youngsters are educated, well-groomed yet we are blinkered by our castes and the narrowest definitions of morals. We refuse to let go of this stigma. Poor people are still so marginalised in the society. Years of poverty, made worse by insults regarding their castes, religions, has totally driven a section of the Indian population out of the India shining story. These people have little to hope for in life. Some cannot even relate to the country. Imagine telling a farmer in Vidharba that an IT professional in Mumbai earns Rs.75000 per month for sitting in an air-conditioned office and surfing the net! That's the kind of inequity we are talking about. Not all of them turn anti-social. But it is like rain on a wall. The water inevitably starts to leak through the cracks. Unless these basic questions are answered, not much will change by demanding accountability from the babus. Unless our society becomes more inclusive, more tolerant, more understanding we stand little chance of putting a fight against terrorism. They will always find a few here and there to bribe and get their weapons into the country. The rich don't have time for nation building and the poor don't have the energy to engage in nation building. We, the middle class, have enough on our heads to worry about - savings, next vacation, next apartment, kids schooling and so on- that we can't be bothered to think about the nation.

If we are not bothered, who will? The attacks in Mumbai are a wake up call. Not for the politicians or the police. But to us. To clean up our acts, let go of our intolerances and huddle together, because it is us who are getting hurt!

Fake Security Centre Alert!

2008-12-13T14:32:00.001-08:00

The day started off pretty well, I was listening to my favourite songs and enjoying the dawn. All of a sudden my web browser crashed and so did my music player apps on the computer. I got this wierd looking security alert popup.

When I tried to relaunch the web browser (Firefox, IE) they came up with a Navigation On Hold page and I was left bewildered. Google Chrome had no such problems and opened. But within a few seconds it crashed. I repeated this for a while and everytime Google would crash. I was getting anxious and realized that my machine was infected somehow. This is despite having an upto date Anti Virus. Apparently the win32.netsky.q is a trojan and a downright pain in the wrong place. It causes these fake alerts and prevents your applications from running. Most forums provide so many tools to fix this but not many are trust worthy. Infact some of the solutions themselves are sources of further malware. A quick investigation revealed that Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware was the best of the lot. So I downloaded it and then finally managed to get rid of the malware causing me all this agony.

Lessons learnt:

Anti Virus software do not necessarily cover spyware and malware. I pay nearly £50 a year for my McAfee subscriptions but it did not have a clue about this malware business!

Do not visit dodgy sites however tempting they may be. I had visited a tamil music site and paid the price for my negligence.

There is plenty of help on the web for most things! Just need to be careful where you look for advice. Do a bit of background search before downloading any remedies.

Spamming Aliens...

2008-12-12T10:18:00.000-08:00

Looks like we humans will not stop at anything. After junking our email boxes with spam, we have now started spamming aliens in other star systems. Apparently the entire movie "The Day the Earth stood still" will be broadcast in real time into space as a promotional activity! Prior to this we have spammed them with Whale songs and Craigslist and Doritos commercials! Read the entire article here on NYTimes. Hmmm..heights of loneliness!

Why you should be careful using IM at office!!!

2008-10-22T14:00:00.000-07:00

Look at this article. I can't even begin to imagine what these guys (two S&P analysts) must be facing now!!! Such are the perils of using IM. What we would think of as harmless "venting" of frustrations, can end up becoming damning evidence.

God help them!

Welcome to the party!

2008-10-15T14:04:00.001-07:00

All these days, it was fun watching the stock market gyrate and bankers losing their shirts. But now the party hits the town. And we are all invited. Now that the governments have all anounced their respective bailouts and helped the banks stabilise, it is now the turn of the comman man to face the music. And trust me, no one is going to bail us out! Job layoffs, redundancies, restructuring, recession - these are the words we will hear a lot over the next few days. As the credit crunch cascades down the pyramid, it will inevitably bring job losses. All we can do is pray and hang on to our jobs. Good luck and God bless.

The s*&^ thickens!

2008-10-07T13:26:00.000-07:00

$700 bn plan blown out of the water and no sign of things letting up in the American markets. And to make things worse, it is now attacking Europe with a vengeance. Heck, sounds like a plot from one of Stephen King's novels. Ben Bernanke adds to this shit pile with his remarks that things will get worse! Overall, the market's response to the Fed's plan is this - "Bollocks"!!!

Note: Picture from www.summersdale.com/images/A-Load-of-bollocks.jpg

Solution to the mess...

2008-10-06T14:06:00.000-07:00

USA is screwed. Europe is getting screwed. Asia will anyway get screwed. What's the one thing that will sort this mess out? My answer : Switch the damn Large Hadron Collider, create a blackhole and blow the universe out. It won't take more than a few nanoseconds and no one will even be able to notice that it's all over. Problem solved. It is much better than terrorists holding us to ransom. It is definitely better than losing your job just because someone in the US of A screwed up. Amen.

Why Sarah Palin gives me the creeps?

2008-10-06T13:37:00.000-07:00

She is everything I hate about politicians. She uses her anonymity to make herself a "main streeter". She is not a "main streeter". Period. She talks absolute crap. She cannot put together one coherent sentence. She can come up with one liners that her advisory team puts together. But she cannot explain anything, however simple it be, to the "main streeter". Her interview with Katie Couric made me cringe. Her debate with Joe Biden was hopeless. Everyone keeps saying that she saved face on that one. No. The only reason it was not ridiculed was because people's expectations were simply too low. But maybe people simply forgot that this debate was for the Vice Presidential candidate for the US of A. Even I would have done a better job! Not just her style, for a lack of style can be forgiven if there is substance. But there was absolutely no substance. Poor Joe Biden, he did not even know how to pick up from where Palin left. Not because she was so good, but because she was so hopeless. He simply did not want to embarass himself and her or take the risk of sounding condescending. She says that women can do anything. Yes I agree. But my opinion is that "this" woman will do anything but not never do anything worthwhile. Overall, she is everything I hate in a politician. If you thought Bush's mistakes were funny, I can only tell this...wait and watch. God Forbid, if Palin gets through to the White House, we are all in for a lot of funny one liners and a lot more of crappy speeches and political faux pas and gaffes. God bless America.

George Washington's Agony!

2008-10-06T13:34:00.001-07:00

Found this funny picture here...

Jon Stewart at his best..

2008-10-02T14:52:00.000-07:00

Watch Jon Stewart take the Republicans to the cleaners!!!

I am still laughing as I complete this post!!

THE US OPEN 2008 - MAIN DRAW

2008-09-30T12:45:00.001-07:00

Look at this one..it is a fantastic piece of thinking. Hats off!

Honestly...aren't you tempted to try and figure out where this one goes?

Go here to see the source

Zardari Loves Palin!!!

2008-09-27T15:35:00.001-07:00

In what is the latest rage in US, the news networks have been awash with reports of how Mr. Zardari has flirted with Ms. Palin during his recent visit to the US. For a person mourning his wife's assassination, it looks like he has recovered pretty well! Apparently his words were...
"You are even more gorgeous. Now I know why the whole of America is crazy about you!"

What Next?

2008-09-27T15:26:00.000-07:00

The financial mess in the US has to be the longest reality television show!! There seems to be no signs of things slowing down. I have stayed riveted to Fox News and CNBC for most of this month and last month and it just gets more and more interesting. Heard today that Wachovia is in deep shit (which is not totally unexpected). But the surprising bit is that the european giant Fortis could be in trouble too. Though information is sketchy as of now, this promises to be an exciting week as well. Well, exciting is not the word I would have used normally. But this rollercoaster refuses to end and after exhausting all other emotions, I am left only with excitement! Watch on! How about some kind of Big Brother style evictions for the worst performing bank??? That will spice things up a bit more. Anyway, it's the tax payers money. Might as well have some fun while splurging it!

Is the US Govt out of its Fu*&ing mind???

2008-09-22T12:56:00.000-07:00

Well, the government has proposed to burden the taxpayer with a trillion dollars. To be honest, I don't even know how many zeroes are there in a trillion! All I know is that there are a trillion seconds in 31709 years!!!

Thats a lot of seconds! Now replace the seconds with dollars and it paints you a picture of how long it will take a person to pay a dollar a day to reach the government bailout figure of a trillion dollars. And there is no guarantee that the bailout will be restricted to a trillion dollars! What I can't understand is this...how on earth can no one think of an alternative plan to this completely fu*&ed up bailout plan!! How about simply giving all this money to the sub-prime borrowers and ask them to pay the damn loans!! Atleast that would attack the root of the problems...which is basically that people who can't afford loans have been offered them. No matter how many billions are provided to shore up these financial institutions, the real problem is with the mismatch in the housing market. And until that is solved no amount of bailouts will help the US get out of the doldrums. I am no hotshot economist, but I think I understand basic economics well enough to see that this bailout is the most absurd plan anyone could have ever come up with. The US may arm twist the markets to respond positively by providing all this free money, but there is no way it is going to solve the problems the economy is facing. All it is going to do is channel the troubles underground for a while before it bursts even bigger.

Taxpayer to bear losses!

2008-09-20T14:44:00.000-07:00

The latest from Wall (Hole) Street means that the already clueless american taxpayer has just signed up for another $2000 contribution to the coffers. This is classic. I have never read anything like this before, not in textbooks, not in magazines, not even in fiction. So the mantra here is that when it is good times, the executives take millions in bonuses, the traders make tons of money and the tax payer is still watching all of it from the sidelines. When it is bad times, things get even better. The executives simply resign, collect their severance packages and probably after a 6 month vacation in the Bahamas, will be back to lead another company to doom. The traders...oh they have already made money through short selling and when the short selling was banned, they made money through the sky rocketing of the share market. And the poor tax payer, gets the finger again..this time with a $2000 service charge!

Pity the american tax payer! So what will happen when the stock market starts zooming again. Will the tax payers get any of those gains? If they share the losses, they must share the gains as well. No?

Lehman is screwed!

2008-09-15T14:07:00.000-07:00

Financial weapons of mass destruction

2008-09-08T14:01:00.000-07:00

Obituary

Bear Stearns
Lehman Brothers
Merrill Lynch

It is a sad end to some of the best known symbols of capitalism as most of us knew it. WIth the bankruptcy of Lehman and the sale of Merrill Lynch, 3 of the top 5 investment banks are wiped out of the Wall Street landscape. This is the equivalent of a 9/11 in the Financial industry. And I am convinced there is more to follow. All this due to the damned derivatives and over-complicated finance instruments. I never understood these instruments when doing my MBA and I still can't make sense of it! Simply because it never could explain to me in common layman's language any of the arcane concepts that went into making those thick heavy text books. I hated the concept of derivatives as it went against common sense. And the same goes to all these CDOs and Credit Default Swaps and what not! Highly paid geeks who have no clue of reality ran the markets for a while and the taxpayer is paying the price for that now! Back in 2003, this is what Warren Buffett said about derivatives...

"The derivatives market has exploded in recent years, with investment banks selling billions of dollars worth of these investments to clients as a way to off-load or manage market risk.

But Mr Buffett argued that such highly complex financial instruments are time bombs and "financial weapons of mass destruction" that could harm not only their buyers and sellers, but the whole economic system.

Derivatives are financial instruments that allow investors to speculate on the future price of, for example, commodities or shares - without buying the underlying investment.

Derivatives like futures, options and swaps were developed to allow investors hedge risks in financial markets - in effect buy insurance against market movements -, but have quickly become a means of investment in their own right.

Some derivatives contracts, Mr Buffett says, appear to have been devised by "madmen".

He warns that derivatives can push companies onto a "spiral that can lead to a corporate meltdown", like the demise of the notorious hedge fund Long-Term Capital Management in 1998.

Years to unwind deals

Derivatives also pose a dangerous incentive for false accounting, Mr Buffett says.

The profits and losses from derivatives deals are booked straight away, even though no actual money changes hand. In many cases the real costs hit companies only many years later.

This can result in nasty accounting errors. Some of them spring from "honest" optimism. But others are the result of "huge-scale fraud", and Mr Buffett points to the US energy market, which relied for most of its deals on derivatives trading and resulted in the collapse of Enron.

Berkshire Hathaway is pulling out of the market, closing down the derivatives trading subsidiary it bought as part of a huge reinsurance company a few years ago."

Read the full article from BBC here...

Oh why oh why can we not make life simpler! And just when you think the markets cannot go any further down, there is already news of AIG in deep trouble. The prediction is that AIG will not make it! Apparently bond prices indicate that AIG will go down! Just in case you did not know, AIG was until recently the largest insurance company in the world!

GOD HELP US.

What the hell does London need to do???

2008-08-08T14:09:00.000-07:00

How do you beat something like what the Chinese put up today??? If I were in the London Olympic Organising committee, I would be quaking in my boots. All said and done this was one of the finest spectacles in the history of mankind. China has set a new benchmark against which all future Olympics will be compared. The mere sight of the absolutely stunning stadium was enough to give a hint of things to come. This was the might of the Orient. China had a point to prove. They wanted to tell the world that they had arrived. And did they tell or what! Awesome. I was one of those who secretly criticised China's poor human rights record. But trust me, if unhappy people can put on a spectacle like this, I would rather that all of us be unhappy to a certain extent. Such was the harmony, the single minded purpose, passion and devotion. I was trying to peer into the faces of the people putting up the shows, trying to see if I can see a trace of fear, a trace of being forced to do the bidding of the government. But I must say I was wrong. Every single performer had only one thing in mind. Pride. And it showed. Pride of being a part of history. A 100 years from now, their great great grand kids will proudly tell that their ancestors were there when China became a real superpower and showed the world what is capable of. A tiny part of me is scared. What will this new found confidence and pride lead to? Will they start abusing their power as every super power on earth has done so far? Only time will tell. I can see only one comparison that even comes close. The 1936 Olympic games in Berlin. And we all know what happened after that.

But all that is besides the point. London has a real big problem on its hands. How will it ever achieve anything that is even close to what Beijing put on display today. The sheer scale will be mind boggling. Plus the big question...Can democracy prove that it is capable of the productivity and efficiency put on display by the Chinese? So closing on that sober thought....

Note: Picture courtesy NY Times.

A rare speech made by Mahatma Gandhi

2008-08-04T15:48:00.000-07:00

I stumbled across this while trawling through the depths of the World Wide Web. It is one of the very few speeches that Mahatma Gandhi gave in english. It was made just a few months prior to his assassination.

Do listen to this.

Trip down Memory Lane - Music from the 90s

2008-07-13T15:03:00.000-07:00

Every now and then I have this useless habit of wandering down memory lane and yesterday it was my turn to go down the musical path!! I was desperate to listen to some of the songs I used to listen over and over when I was in school and college. So in a bid to quickly find it all out and listen, I found one after the other on youtube!! Thank god for Google and Youtube. Just thought I will capture these videos until they last on the web.

Go ahead and listen to a few of those, if you want to join me on this journey. We don't get such music now. I am already sounding old!

Unchained Melody

Phil Collins - Another Day in Paradise

Elton John - Sacrifice

Ace of Base - All that she wants

La Bouche - Sweet Dreams

Richard Marx - Right here waiting for you

Nothings Gonna change my love for you

Real Mccoy - Runaway

Elton John - Can you feel the love tonight

Aweome years..awesome music!!

Truncated Icosahedron

2008-05-31T03:18:00.000-07:00

Do you know what is a Truncated Icosahedron????

Well, it is the technical name for the shape of a soccer ball. The only reason it is spherical is due to air pressure inside and the elasticity of the material!!! It is also called a model of the Buckmisterfullerene (C60 moelcule).

Hmm..that will teach any of you not to disrespect your kids when they say they love football!

Fantastic pictures from Antarctic

2008-05-10T12:00:00.000-07:00

Well...If the following pictures were not from a site called the "Australian Antarctic Division", I would have dismissed them as digitally enhanced\fake pictures. But see it to believe it. Fantastic pictures from the bottom of the world!

Icebergs - Click Here...

Colours of Antarctic - Click Here...

Why we are the way we are...

2008-05-09T11:54:00.000-07:00

For all you frustrated Indians who curse every day on the way to office at people zipping past after the red lights have come on...or when someone jumps ahead in the queue leaving you pulling your hair...or when someone brazenly dumps their garbage on the road...or most irritating..when someone speaks loudly on their mobile phones in a cinema theater....

The answer is here...well not the answer but the explanation to our behaviour is beautifully illustrated and explained here. Please do read this.

(Note: You may need to register on the site. Please do so. It is a good site with really interesting articles.)

Science meets Philosophy...

2008-04-26T11:51:00.000-07:00

Here is a fantastic video explaining the Double-Slit Experiment of Quantum Mechanics. The implications of this experiment are not just scientific but go into the realms of philosophy. The question of whether our perception of reality is subjective has a valid support through this experiment. If the mere act of observing an electron or a photon changes its behaviour, then we must ask the logical extension of that to the macro world which is infact an aggregation of all the micro worlds. So that suggests that our own perspective of reality is subjective. If the building blocks of reality are subjective, then logical extension indicates that the final output in itself is subjective too...

Ok ok...i know thats all we can take in our brains for now..so I leave it to this video to explain the double slit experiment. Do your own analysis based on that....

Mars Rover - Spirit and Oppurtunity

2008-04-12T13:10:00.000-07:00

Watch "Roving Mars" documentary. It is awesome.

The Famous Five are back...

2008-03-24T12:27:00.001-07:00

Apparently the Famous Five are back...this time as kids of the original five. I am so thrilled that a new generation of young readers can enjoy the famous five. You can read the original article from BBC here.

A unique market on the "Fast" track...

2008-03-23T14:32:00.000-07:00

Have a look at this video from youtube. Its about a market in Thailand that literally operates on the railway track.

The Ultimate free lunch...

2008-03-12T13:29:00.001-07:00

I was watching a programme on Channel 4. It was called Stephen Hawking - Master of the Universe. It is about Stephen Hawking's quest for a Theory of Everything. A grand theory that finally unifies Special Theory of Relativity and The Quantum Mechanics Theory. He tries to answer a very important question in the process - why is gravity such a weak force compared to the rest of the 4 basic forces in our universe. It was a very gripping and involving episode. One of the final comments that was given goes something like this - "The No Boundary Condition - This proposal suggests that the universe did not have a beginning, but interestingly enough it has also not existed forever!!! The best analogy that he can give is soap bubbles, but without the man blowing it! Hawking thinks that the universe spontaneously arises, time begins when the universe begins, it goes on expanding forever. In Hawking's mind, our universe has no creator. It came out of nothing and exists all on its own. Its the ultimate free lunch. Apparently this is now a fast catching idea. Scientists have accepted that there are multiple dimensions in the universe and our universe is but one of that exists in a few of those (3 or 4 at best). Apparently all these dimensions (11 to be precise) are beyond the three dimensional universe that we can observe. These other dimensions exist on what is called the membrane (as in the Super String Theory aka M-Theory). It is at this point that the greatest scientists of today cannot explain further. This is the limit of physics as we know. Matter as we know all lives on one of the many membranes in the greater universe. There could be many more membranes and these swaying membranes occasionally clash with each other and creates further universes."

This is the cutting edge of physics as we know it. My curiosity is piqued. So who or what created these strings (membranes) in the first place. How is it acceptable to accept that the universe simply existed? How is it better than saying God created the universe or that God is the universe? How can we accept that sheets of membranes exist on which all matter is created from? How is it different from saying that God created multiple universes and all that we see and feel is but his creation? By simply replacing the God in all these sentences by things like "Strings", "Membranes" etc things sound a lot more scientific. But I am not convinced. I am not scorning science nor am I against anything that Stephen Hawkings has pointed out. On the contrary I support all that has been said. Only that, I still think that when we finally do find out all that science can find out, we will still be left with an element of subjectivity. For try as science can, it is created by humans and since humans are not perfect, neither can their creation be. Infact there is a theroem that is called Godel's Incompleteness Theroem that stated precisely this. To understand the Greater Universe and its secrets we will need something more. Is that spirituality? Or is it something science will discover in due course? I don't know. Time will tell. But all I know is that whatever science has found so far regarding the secrets of the universe have existed in some form or the other since the beginning of time. And I still steadfastly hold that one day science and religion will merge and then we will have the theory of everything that Stephen Hawkings is striving to achieve. By the way, to answer a question that I posed at the beginning of the post - Why is gravity so weak compared to the other fundamental forces? Well, according to Hawkings, it is because gravity has to traverse all those extra dimensions and then enter our three dimensional universe and hence it weakens by the time it reaches us! Well, what he didnt answer is why dont the other fundamental forces travel through those other dimensions? And if they do, then why dont they weaken as well? Well, let's be fair, even he can't answer all the questions that I ask!!!

Notes: The picture is not my creation. I obtained it from this link

Random Thought

2008-03-10T13:59:00.000-07:00

Just a trail of thought that I was following as I left office today.... Lets assume that the first homo sapiens appeared about 200000 years back. The population around 2000 years back was about 300 million. Thats an average of 1500 every year since the first homosapien. But today we are at 6.5 billion. Thats an addition of 6.2 billion in about 2000 years!!! Thats an average of 3.1 million a year. No doubt a result of improved medical facilities that led to decrease in mortality rates and increase in lifespans. Lets also not forget the compounding effect of a sustained rise in population numbers.
With these things in mind I reached home. As is usual, I was reading some blog entries. One of my favourite blogs surprisingly had a very similar entry. You can read it here... Anyway, the point here is..can we keep growing at this rate? How long before we exhaust the earth's capacity for homosapiens? I compare this to a cancerous cell in a human being..the cancer multiplies at astounding rates and ultimately the patient dies. In our case, the patient is our planet and the cancer is us..Homosapiens. How long before the patient becomes terminally ill and gives up? Its a very bleak thought. Nature usually has its defense mechanisms just like the human body has. But in the event of a cancer, these defense mechanisms fail. Is that what is going to happen to our planet? Will we end up destroying the planet? Looks like we will. Bugger!!!

Intelligence...

2008-02-08T15:54:00.000-08:00

What is intelligence? Is it the ability to crunch numbers? Is it the ability to solve problems? Is it the ability to learn from experience? Or is it the ability to understand complex ideas?
This topic keeps cropping up now and then. And it takes me back to my childhood and makes me wonder whether I could have been classified as Intelligent. I wasn't exactly a brilliant student, nor was I dumb. I was below average in Maths, pretty good in Physics, uninterested in Chemistry, indifferent to Biology, damn good at languages, creative writing, logic, computer science, debates and sports. What does it mean? How could I be good at physics when I was not good at Maths? How could I be good with logical reasoning and write pretty good computer programmes when algebra used to make my spine crawl? This used to bother me a lot and I kept looking for answers. I remember my class teacher telling my parents that I took time to understand stuff, but once I did I was better than most of the other students in that area of studies. So, was that a complement or an insult? I remember that I was always good at making sense of abstract topics and breaking them down to simple and basic constituents. Is it a systemic drawback that when we were in school, nobody bothered to explain me the science behind the maths? As I later understood in my life, almost whenever I understood the science behind the maths, I understood the maths pretty well. But it took me a good amount of time to go hunting for the science behind the maths, because my text books never explained those concepts. I always wondered what was the use of learning axioms, theorems, formulae and it is a pity no one addressed these issues in school. This mindless learning of stuff without understanding the logic behind it numbed me. It was this irritation that made me hate maths, or for that matter anything which I could not understand. And that too on my own terms. The day I realized what I needed to do, I started delivering results. That would explain why I was such a lousy student till my 10th and such a good one after that. My brain had realized that what worked for me best was logic. That was my strength. If I understood the logic behind something, I would never have to learn it twice. And till date I have followed that as a guiding principle. No matter how hard the problem, persist with it and try to understand what is causing that problem. Once you understand the root cause, the solution is astoundingly clear.
Coming back from my flashback to the topic on hand. What is intelligence? It has nothing to do with one's ability to excel in maths or science, or languages, these are all symptoms not the cause.
According to me,

intelligence is the ability of a person to make sense of things (not to others, but to themselves) and the ability to comprehend their surroundings and make connections of the various phenomena that surrounds them

.
And that is why I am not much of a fan of IQ tests. I believe real intelligence is not based on just analytical intelligence, but also creative intelligence and practical intelligence and emotional intelligence. Analytical intelligence explains why someone is good with numbers, but that alone is definitely not a measure of intelligence. Creative intelligence is what makes people good writers, painters, artists, orators etc. Practical intelligence is what makes people good at social networking, marketing, sales, entrepreneurs etc. Emotional intelligence is what makes someone a good manager or a great team player. A real IQ test should be able to test all of these skills and more and not just insane looking problems on the speed of trains crossing telephone poles!!!

Law of Inevitability

2007-12-01T16:24:00.000-08:00

A few years back I was working in a Bank back in Bangalore. As with most jobs in the world this was a job filled with pressures of facing customers and relentless questions. And on bad days, anyone would cop it in plenty. As a young officer, I was eager to provide the best service possible and ensure that the customer in front of me went away happy. But a few of the cases it did not happen. Sometimes it was due to my inexperience, a few times because of circumstances well beyond my control. On one such occasion, it was a saturday and it was a very busy day at the branch. Saturdays are usually the worst in a bank branch. And this was an exceptionally bad saturday. The queues had grown so long that it stretched well outside the branch. Customers were naturally irate and started shouting and groaning. I was feeling miserable sitting there in the front desk and trying very hard to control things. I always like to be in charge of things and take control of situations. And this situation was no exception. And to top it all, the system also slowed down and then completely died down. Now there was pandemonium in the branch. Customers were yelling at us and each one of the staff bearing the brunt of it. At this point there was an elderly gentleman sitting in front of me. He wanted a DD printed and I was fidgeting around the desk trying to get the system to respond to my actions. In between I looked apologetically at this gentleman and said sorry. He simply smiled. This went on for about 15 minutes. I was increasingly getting agitated. I was hoping the system would restart. The simple thought of being helpless and not being able to resolve the issue was driving me mad. At this point, the elderly gentleman asked me my name and started a conversaton. He said,

"I can see that you are extremely stressed. Why is that?"

I replied, " What to do sir, it is a very busy morning an there are so many people who are waiting for us to do our jobs and I feel I am letting them all down"

He smiled again and said "Ok. So why are you unable to help them? "

I broke from my persistent fidgeting of the system and looked at his face. It was a very benign face filled with a wonderful glow that I can't quite explain. In all sincerity I replied, " The system is down since the last 20 minutes and all transactions have ground to a halt. I feel as a banker I should be in control."

He replied " Look Balaji, I can appreciate your eagerness. I also understand your need to be in control all the time. But do you realize there are somethings that are inevitable and no amount of fretting and fidgeting will solve it?".

I was surprised. Infact I was taken aback slightly. The words he spoke seemed to have stirred something in me. The word "Inevitable" hit me hard. My train of thoughts was broken when he said " Understand the Law of Inevitability. Not everything can be controlled in life. Life itself is maya and there is only so much you can do with it. The secret to happiness is being able to accept this fact. Do your best and then when you realise there is nothing much you can possibly do, understand that the rest is inevitable."

I was dumbstruck. It was a bit like being Arjuna on the battlefield and hearing the Geetha from Lord Krishna. The moment he had spoken these words, my mind was suddenly clear. It was a magical moment. I thanked the gentleman for his words and promised to send him his DD by courier once the system was up and running. He said not to worry and flashed his divine smile at me and left. I had never seen him before in my branch and neither did I see him after that. But to this date, I play that scene again and again in my mind. It fills me with happiness and takes any semblance os stress out of me. I try to remind me of the "Law of Inevitability" every time I get immersed in the sea of stress that we all go through in our lives. And till date it has helped me to immediately relax. Try it out yourself and see if it helps you.

Life...

2007-12-01T16:16:00.000-08:00

The reason God gives us both happiness and sadness in our lives is so we can appreciate the value of happiness.

Funda of Life...

2007-11-09T12:15:00.001-08:00

Define Success?

"Success is when you have most of the things that money can buy...and all of the things that money cannot buy!"

Cute na...

Sixth Mass Extinction...

2007-11-09T11:55:00.000-08:00

Of late, I have been coming across a number of articles in the print and television media that keep mentioning that we are well and truly on the path to the sixth mass extinction. Every few million years, the earth goes through a mass extinction that wipes out nearly all life. And then it rebuilds again. The past indicates that we have gone through atleast 5 mass extinctions. The permian extinction about 250 million years ago wiped out 7 in 10 species on earth. This happened due to massive upheavals in the earth's crust and the atmosphere was filled with green house gases. This killed all the big lifeforms dominating earth then. Then about 65 million years back it was the turn of the dinosaurs wiped out by a massive asteroid striking earth. And now for the first time, we are heading towards a man-made mass extinction. We have successfully managed to raise the temperatures on earth by a good 2-3 degrees in the past 100 years. Another 2-3 degrees and we will have achieved the threshold to unleash the next mass extinction. Does this all sound alarmist? Perhaps. But you can't deny the facts. The last time the earth's temperature increased by 5 degrees, it lead to a mass extinction. 5 degrees does not sound much. Does it? But it does. At the bottom of our oceans, a certain methane gas is trapped. Now, methane is an extreme green house gas. The methane is currently trapped under the cold ocean waters. As earth's temperature rises, the oceans are warming up. As the earth's temperature rockets up by 5 degrees in these hundred or odd years, we are reaching the temperature at which the earth's oceans would have warmed up enough to heat the trapped methane gas. And when this happens, we hit armageddon! The last time all that gas heated up, all known forms of dominant life forms were wiped out. And it does look like at this point we are well set to acheieve this. The question is not "If" it is "When".

Management Funda...

2007-10-01T11:22:00.000-07:00

Heard this recently..

There is nothing that doesn't go away if ignored long enough!!!

Near Death Experience.....

2007-09-24T09:50:00.000-07:00

This is the closest I have come to experiencing a NDE!!!! India winning against Pakistan nearly gave me a heart attack. With one over to go, when Misbah hit the six I thought, like millions of Indians, that it was all over!!! And then....the unbelievable happened. We won. So I am on cloud nine right now, on my way back from almost going to heaven!!!!

Congrats everyone...

Wish you all a very Happy Ganesh Chaturthi

2007-09-16T01:09:00.000-07:00

vakratunda mahaakaaya koti suryasamaprabha |
nirvighnam kuru me deva sarvakaaryeshhu sarvadaa ||

O God Ganesha (large bodied with a large belly), radiant as millions of Suns, Please, remove obstacles in all of my tasks all the time

shuklaambaradharam devam shashivarnam chaturbhujam,
prasannavadanam dhyaayet sarvavighnopashaantaye ..

Lord Ganesha, who wears a white garment, who is all-pervading, who has a bright complexion, who has four arms, who has an ever smiling face, upon that God, I meditate for removal of all obstacles.

Om Mani Padme Hum....

2007-09-06T15:27:00.000-07:00

One of the most delightful phrases I have ever heard. In one sentence it captures all of Buddhism. It is not a wonder that is the most venerated chant in Buddhism. I heard it for the first time and I fell in love, not with buddhism or the religion per se, but the beauty of the sound. Scarecely can I believe that such beautiful sound can exist. I truly feel one with the world.

Here is H.H Dalai Lama's explanation of this simple Tibetan Chant....

H.H. the 14th Dalai Lama's definition
"It is very good to recite the mantra Om mani padme hum, but while you are doing it, you should be thinking on its meaning, for the meaning of the six syllables is great and vast... The first, Om [...] symbolize the practitioner's impure body, speech, and mind; they also symbolize the pure exalted body, speech, and mind of a Buddha"

"The path is indicated by the next four syllables. Mani, meaning jewel, symbolizes the factors of method-the altruistic intention to become enlightened, compassion, and love."
"The two syllables, padme, meaning lotus, symbolize wisdom"
"Purity must be achieved by an indivisible unity of method and wisdom, symbolized by the final syllable hum, which indicates indivisibility"
"Thus the six syllables, om mani padme hum, mean that in dependence on the practice of a path which is an indivisible union of method and wisdom, you can transform your impure body, speech, and mind into the pure exalted body, speech, and mind of a Buddha"
H.H. Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama, "Om Mani Padme Hum"

Karma Thubten Trinley's definition
"These are the six syllables which prevent rebirth into the six realms of cyclic existence. It translates literally as 'OM the jewel in the lotus HUM'. OM prevents rebirth in the god realm, MA prevents rebirth in the Asura (Titan) Realm, NI prevents rebirth in the Human realm, PA prevents rebirth in the Animal realm, ME prevents rebirth in the Hungry ghost realm, and HUM prevents rebirth in the Hell realm."

I sincerely request anyone who reads this post to tryto listen to this divine piece of music. It is the epitome of simplicity and divinity.

The Falling Man...

2007-09-06T14:04:00.000-07:00

I was watching this program on Channel 4 about a picture taken during the 9/11 tragedy. It is about a photo that has caught breaths midway. A photo that caused a lump in my throat the first time I saw it on TV, even though I did not know this person. It has caused angst and consternation across the world because it portrayed the sensationalist nature of the media today. At the height of the 9/11 tragedy, this looked like a sensationlist media attempt to cash in on the moment and it was gross. How can you capture a picture of a man plunging to his death and then splash it on a full page of newspaper!!! The program went on for about 90 minutes, but all I could think of was "What makes a man choose one form of death over the other?" What must have gone through his mind a second before he plunged a 1000 feet to the hard concrete road below him? Did he jump because he fancied his chances were better if he jumped? Or did he do so because he felt that by jumping, he would decide how he died and thereby get the last satisfaction of having been in control of his life? Or was it because, he was so terrified that he simply jumped without having any thoughts in his head? Or did he just believe that God would help him survive? The questions kept piling up in my head and I am not getting sleep...God forbid, but what would I have done in that situation? For whatever it is worth, here is the picture....

And I am not even going to bother giving details of who this person was. He doesn't deserve such scrutiny, you or I would have done the same. And I for one, certainly wouldn't have liked being scrutinised. And as rightly said in the show, the question is not about who the man was, but who we are and what we would have done in that situation. All I can say is..May his Soul rest in peace.

Paradoxes...

2007-08-02T14:53:00.000-07:00

"You can never catch up."

“ In a race, the quickest runner can never overtake the slowest, since the pursuer must first reach the point whence the pursued started, so that the slower must always hold a lead " - Zeno of Elea

"You cannot even start."
“ That which is in locomotion must arrive at the half-way stage before it arrives at the goal. ” - The Dichotomy Paradox - Aristotle

"You cannot even move."

“ If everything when it occupies an equal space is at rest, and if that which is in locomotion is always occupying such a space at any moment, the flying arrow is therefore motionless.- Aristotle

These are some of the oldest paradoxes in the world. The above three are at least 2500 years old. Although modern mathematics has tried to answer these through Calculus, Geometric progressions and even quantum mechanics, none of them have solved the paradoxes flawlessly. Zeno came up with these paradoxes to support Paramenides' doctrine that " All is One" ( again the same damn tenet..tat tvam asi).

Click on the link below to read the actual paradoxes. It is fascinating to say the least.

Take me to the paradox!

Is Quantum Mechanics the scientific name for God?

2007-08-02T14:03:00.000-07:00

Is Quantum Mechanics the scientific name for God?

Will the Grand Unification Theory ultimately end up as physics & mathematics meeting religion&mythology?

Is it just mere coincidence that there are three core components in an atom(electron, proton, neutron) and the fact that since beginning of time, our oldest religions talk about the trinity at the centre of creation?

The three elements mentioned above are in a constant dance due to the strong and electromagnetic force and this is what determines everything around us. It is this bonding and unbonding that leads to every other atom (all 92). How funny is it that in every mythological story I have read, I find that the gods dance to create the world!!! Is this mere coincidence?

I have been bothered about these kind of questions from a long long time, but since the past few years, I have continued searching for this, both from a spiritual perspective and from a scientifc perspective. And the more I understand, the more striking the similarities between science and the basic tenets of religion. Anyone who has read about quantum mechanics will understand how incredibly complex it is to grasp the true intent of its revelations.The same applies to the ancient texts (in my limited span I have managed a few of the Indian texts like bhagavad gita, vishnu purana, some of the vedas). But at the heart of each small thing that I do understand, I realise that the science ties in with something I already knew from a spiritual perspective. And it comes as no small relief that I frequently now bump into articles that reveal that physicists no longer separate the two as schisms. Without mankind's realisation we are coming around full circle, albeit with our own proofs for why things are the way they are. We call it science because we now can explain it. The ancients probably knew it as well, but to make it more palatable for the layman(2000-4000 years back)and for the knowledge to be protected over eons, to be handed over till we as a species matured enough to understand the true significance behind religion and spirituality, they were wrapped up in stories, mythologies, religions. It is a huge leap for mankind, one that we were destined to achieve. Watch this space for more such striking similarities. I suggest nothing. I intend to put up these scientific discoveries against what we have been handed down over generations as mythology and religion. I let the reader make the decision for him\herself. I truly believe that when science has fully answered everything there is, it will change religion on its head and make us realise why it was created in the first place. There is a very basic statement in Sanskrit that reads "Tat Tvam Asi". These three words hold more meaning than a whole text book on religion or science for that matter. The words mean "You are that". It basically links everything back to the atman, the brahman. Everything is IT, it is everything. Come to think of it again, we are all made of atoms, you, me, the sun, the whole universe, "Everything is IT". Tat Tvam Asi.

Did you know?

2007-07-27T11:02:00.000-07:00

Sea Horses - Those fishy things that look like horses, it is the males that actually give birth!! And that too about 300 babies at a time!!! The females just chill out while the males are doing all the hard stuff!! Hmm...how's that for gender equality! It kind of puts things in perspective. I sure will not complain washing dishes on weekends and the odd vaccuming the house. Guess we men got away lightly.

There it is...FINALLY....

2007-07-21T01:58:00.001-07:00

Been there done that!!!

Space Quidditch

2007-07-20T13:37:00.000-07:00

I am a huge Harry Potter Fan. I devour every bit of info on the series. During one such sojourn, I came across this article on some news website I was flying through. In all honesty, I had promised to remember where I had read this..but in typical Sagittarian style, I have forgotten it. But what I didn't forget is to copy the article itself onto a notepad so I can use it sometime later.I found the article really thought stimulating. Here is to Space Quidditch...

The Moon may play host to the first real-life game of quidditch

Jonathan Richards
Even in their most fevered imaginings, most Harry Potter fans never expected to take part in a real-life game of quidditch.

Flying around like the wizards at Hogwarts is, however, precisely how Nasa imagines that the Moon's first residents will stay entertained - and fit - when the space agency establishes the permanent lunar base it is planning to build by 2024.

In an interview with Times Online, one of Nasa's chief scientists said that a 'micro-gravity sports competition' held inside a giant bubble on the surface of the moon was not beyond the realm of possibility.

"If you had a large, pressurised habitat, people could take advantage of the low-gravity environment by attaching wings to themselves and flying about," Jeff Volosin, the lead global exploration strategy manager for Nasa, said.

Speaking at the launch of 181 Things To Do On The Moon, a Nasa document outlining the objectives of the proposed lunar colony, Mr Volosin said that lunar leisure "may initially consist of pastimes similar to Earth entertainment - satellite TV, movies, music and books."

"Over time, however, advantage should be taken of the moon's environment for unique activities such as one-sixth-G sports and games," he said.

The guide, written by Nasa in consultation with 13 other space agencies, covers topics such as astronomy and astrophysics, as well as more speculative areas such as "lunar commerce".

Among the ideas proposed are using cameras to monitor the melting of the polar ice caps, the establishment of "lunar heritage sites", such as where the first astronauts landed, and "robotic races", in which teams on Earth would steer remote-controlled devices through courses on the Moon's surface.

The document stresses that, as much as possible, Nasa's lunar policy should be green. "Understanding the effect human activity has on the lunar surface is necessary to develop the next generation of planetary protection protocols," it says.

It also suggests that, despite the Moon's meagre resources, Nasa will do its best to live off the land. "We know that there's oxygen which can be retrieved from the 'regolith' -- the moon's 'soil'," Mr Volosin said. "That could obviously be used for breathing -- but also as a rocket propellant."

That still left plenty of scope to pursue a rigorous corporate agenda, as described in chapters on "lunar resource utilisation' and "development of lunar commerce".

The agency even anticipates a wave of space-related litigation, with one section of the paper highlighting the need "to resolve, as appropriate and possible, legal issues that could have a detrimental effect on industry as a whole, such as real and intellectual property rights."

"Ever since the end of the Apollo program, folks around the world have been thinking about returning to the Moon, and what they would like to do there," Mr Volosin said.

A rather more sombre note was sounded by the suggested creation of a 'Life on Earth' archive - which would be permanently housed on the Moon lest the blue planet be destroyed.

In December, NASA announced it would send astronauts back to the moon in 2020, with plans for a permanently occupied settlement from 2024.

3 months in Telford...

2007-07-15T04:05:00.000-07:00

"PG Wodehouse described Shropshire as "the nearest earthly place to paradise" and he knew a thing or two."

It's been three months since we arrived in Telford. A nice quaint place in the midlands of the United Kingdom. It lies in the county of Shropshire. One of the most beautiful places in UK and a very historic part of the UK. This is where one Mr. Charles Darwin was born. Shropshire is also home to King Arthur. His legendary city of Camelot and many of his castles are still around. Shrewsbury is the nearest town and is about 10 miles from here and is absolutely beautiful. A very far cry from the bustling cities of London and Birmingham. This is what the old UK is all about. Pristine Beauty! I fell in love with this place. Rolling hills, meandering rivers, glorious grass meadows, dense woods...the works! It is now a routine for me and the Mrs to take a nice long walk into the woods and spend time listening to the sounds of the forest and an invisible stream gurgling under the forest canopy. It is straight out of the old books I used to read. Over time, I thought these places do not exist anymore. Hence to find it alive and kicking has given me immense satisfaction. A saturday morning spent in the woods, followed by a hike to a nearby hill top that has breathtaking views, followed by some sandwiches and home-made lemonade. Now thats the kind of stuff that dreams are made of. Thankfully, I have lived that dream. There is also the IronBridge, a UNESCO world heritage site, the world's first iron bridge was built here. This is the cradle of the industrial revolution. There are tons of places to cover and hopefully I will be able to do justice to this place. Just a picture of the place to give you an insight into whats in store in my next few posts....

Long time ...no see

2007-04-16T08:50:00.000-07:00

It has been a long time since I wrote anything here. It is for a reason. I was fed up of writing movie reviews and complaining about the world in particluar. That is not the reason why I started my blog. So I was feeling a bit let down my own self. Hence the hiatus. Anyways, I am back and I will tell now the recent trip I made to Papanasam. It is a sleepy little town in the middle of tamilnadu. It is some 12 kms from Kallidaikurichi, a little village that 40 kilometres away from Tirunelveli. Kallidaikurichi is the village where my dad grew up. That is where my great grandfather taught in the local school. The place is still caught in a time warp of its own. I went there after nearly 20 years. The last time I went, I was about 6-7 years old and my great grandfather was alive and we were still a joint family. I remembered the dimly lit house that stretched for what seemed like miles then. I remembered the quaint library that my great grandfather had on the first floor, his immense collection of books and my fascination at the study desk he had. I remembered the color of the flooring. I remembered the long long passages in the house leading from one room to another till the very end of the house. I wanted to see it all again. So I went. We took a taxi from Madurai and left early from Madurai to beat the heat. We need not have bothered. Who would have thought that it would rain in the month of march in Tamilnadu. It did and the made the whole trip so beautiful. We reached Kallidaikurichi after a 4 hour drive. With the help of my dad's friend we left to Papanasam from Kallidaikurichi after a 30 minute break to refresh ourselves. The river Tamravarni courses through the ghats and winds its way to the town of Papanasam where it forms a waterfall. At the foot of the waterfall is, as might be expected, a shrine dedicated to Agastis- wara, Rishi Agastya to whom Siva gave darsan in the South while He was married to Parvati in Kailas. Agastya is brought every year from his shrine to witness the marriage of the God and Goddess of the local temple. To the Hindu the great attraction of the waterfall is its power (as illustrated by many stories) of washing away human sins. From here, we went upwards traversing along the meanders of the river. We reached the Papanasam Hydro Electric Plant where the Upper and Lower Dams have been constructed in recent years. Across the dam is a place called Panatheertham. This place can only be visited by taking a boat across the Upper Dam. The place is fairly remote and in the midst of dense jungles. The holy river Tambrabarni commences its course from "Panar theertham". The place comes as a complete surprise and fills you with a sense of peace and oneness with nature. Ther water falls is usually perennial and even a little bit of rain helps in augmenting the waterflow greatly. I took the oppurtunity to absolutely let myself go in the fresh water and clean air. It truly felt like all my sins were washed away. From here we went to another place called Manimuthar Falls. This is another waterfall located on the Manimuthar Dam area and offers sublime waterfall experience. For a tired, city-sick person like me, this was literally heaven. I loved everything about the place, the calmness, the birds chirping away, the monkeys looking at me curiously, the slight drizzle, the vast expanse of the Manimutah Dam, the immense spread of greenery..it was an assault on my senses and I let myself be overwhelmed by the experience. And at the end of it all, a sumptous meal in Kallidaikurichi followed by some more peaceful moments in the ancestral house left me a very fulfilled man at the end of the day.

Assignment....

2007-01-04T09:02:00.000-08:00

Here is another hilarious blog post. I nearly fell off my chair laughing at this one. I am sure most of us have done this in some form or the other, but only the really unfortunate ones face this situation.

Really funny post...

Excellent explanation for why southies prefer Arranged Marriage...

2007-01-04T08:52:00.000-08:00

Here is one of the funniest posts in the blog world that I have read. I have read this a few times and I still laugh just as hard as I did the first time. Hence my decision that it deserves a mention in my blog.

Hats off to you Mr. Sidin Vadukat!!!

Nayagan...

2007-01-03T13:56:00.000-08:00

When every blogger worth his salt is busy writing reviews about new movies, I know it is wierd to write about a movie that came 19 years back(1987). But I choose to , because I love this movie and I want to write something about a movie that I think has been the best movie I have seen so far.I will not write about the story here since I do not think there is anyone in India(ok..thats an exaggeration!) who has not watched that movie, (if not in Tamil then some other language). But the film has a brilliant story, backed up by some awesome performance from Kamalhasan(in my opinion his best so far) and one of Ilayaraja's best scores. What I intend to do in this post is to collate trivia on this movie and pay a tribute to the masterpiece.

1. It was the official entry from India to the Oscars for the Best Foreign Language Film in the year 1987.

2. This film is inspired by the true story of Mumbai based Tamil gangster of the 80s, Varadarajan Mudaliar.

3. In 2005, Time magazine film critics Richard Corliss and Richard Schickel compiled a list of the 100 greatest movies of all time. Their selections included foreign films, as well as a few silent films. And Nayagan gets a mention in this list. I feel good about it. It really did deserve a mention this list.

4. It was music maestro Ilayaraja's 400th Movie

And as a treat for reading this..you can watch this movie online by clicking on the link below:

Part 1

Part 2

Hope you enjoy this as much as I did. Have a good time.

Dying to..

2007-01-02T07:46:00.000-08:00

Found this interesting piece a few years back. I had saved this so I could put it up somewhere and then completely forgot about it. Till today, when I was randomly browsing files on my comp...So here it is...

New Year Resolutions...

2006-12-29T12:40:00.000-08:00

Well, it's that time of the year to set a New Year Resolution. As usual I can't make up my mind regarding any useful resolution that I would want to stick to...So for a change I will post here the origins of New Year and a bit about Resolutions. I was curious about it and googled it and found this interesting write up on Wikipedia. I reproduce the same below...

"The tradition of the New Year's Resolutions goes all the way back to 153 BC. Janus, a mythical king of early Rome was placed at the head of the calendar.
With two faces, Janus could look back on past events and forward to the future. Janus became the ancient symbol for resolutions and many Romans looked for forgiveness from their enemies and also exchanged gifts before the beginning of each year.
The New Year has not always begun on January 1, and it doesn't begin on that date everywhere today. It begins on that date only for cultures that use a 365-day solar calendar. January 1 became the beginning of the New Year in 46 B.C., when Julius Caesar developed a calendar that would more accurately reflect the seasons than previous calendars had.
The Romans named the first month of the year after Janus, the god of beginnings and the guardian of doors and entrances. He was always depicted with two faces, one on the front of his head and one on the back. Thus he could look backward and forward at the same time. At midnight on December 31, the Romans imagined Janus looking back at the old year and forward to the new. The Romans began a tradition of exchanging gifts on New Year's Eve by giving one another branches from sacred trees for good fortune. Later, nuts or coins imprinted with the god Janus became more common New Year's gifts."

Read more about this....

Wishing you all a very Happy and Prosperous New Year...

Cricket and its frustrations..

2006-12-15T02:56:00.000-08:00

This is a very witty comment from an extremely frustrated English Cricket fan. I couldn't help but laugh out really loudly when I read this. My heart goes out to the English fans. I do feel sorry and frustrated with the Indian team, but this English team takes the top honours when it comes to frustrating its fans.

Read and enjoy...courtesy the "The Guardian" sports section:

"I think the English Empire was a big fluke in history: imagine Wellington missing his shots against Napoleon like a normal English team playing overseas does... Napoleon would have won with an innings and plenty, no English empire anymore, you would have spoken French (with a terrible accent) and I would have sing the Marseillaise in stead of the Brabançonne. Terrible!!!!".

I am with all english fans in this. I understand precisely what you are going through as our Indian teams puts us through the same so often.

A moment...

2006-12-09T10:50:00.000-08:00

Every now and then you see/feel something that touches a spot deep in your heart. I dont know how it is with others, but I do feel extremely emotional when that happens. Today, I was watching the movie The Last Samurai. For all purposes, it was a very normal movie. But somehow, it touched a chord in me. I felt as though there was some message for me in the simple but disciplined life of a samurai. Is that what I am looking for? A bit of discipline, the ability to look at life or death in the eye without fear, without remorse or regrets. I know I am. There is a pattern emerging in my life that is most heartening for me to see. I feel coonected to my own self a lot more these days. Many people will probably laugh at this, but yes, I feel I am understanding myself better. There is a certain inner peace that we all look for. Each of us have our own ways of doing that. Some by denial, some by accepting, and some by questioning. But this feeling of intense contentment, that I do not need any more in life than what I have today. I consciously feel that and all I ask is for me to be able to retain this sense of peace. This simple scene in the movie, was just an inspiration for me to write what I have been thinking and feeling for the past few days and months. It is rare, atleast for me that I am able to think and stick to one core concept in life. All my life, I have been an ephemeral character, who was confused and was always searching for the elusive. But now, it is a question if sticking on to this path of life. To keep things as simple as possible. Ultimately, all the tension in the world lies in our own head. When we realize that, things become very different. I am not saying, we should escape from reality, reality as the world sees it, but I am saying that there must also be a conscious effort on each person's part to keep things simple. I hope I have the strength to stick to my convictions. I enjoy being my normal self, I get angry, I get emotional, I laugh, I do everything that you would do. But I also make the effort to keep life simple. Trust me, it pays off big time. I remember the time, when in school, we used to have a subject called Moral Science and we used to be taught various chapters from The Bhagavad Gita, I used to wonder if I would ever understand the true import of those lines. Now I can look at myself and say, "Yes", I am beginning to understand. I am writing this down for my own sake, so in moments of doubt, I can read this again, and understand how it feels to be tension free, to be at peace, to be oneself. Even if this moment is for just now, it is worth it. It is my life's purpose to make moments like this as often as possible. It is within our own capacity to do this. The daily grind of life will take us all on our destined paths, but it is moments like this that probably make us understand that there is a purpose why we are here.

Back to Blogging

2006-12-07T11:00:00.000-08:00

I have been postponing my next post for quite some time now and today I finally managed to get up and post. So where do I start? There are plenty of things that have caught my attention. And it has been an eventful week in India. Starting from Sidhu being sentenced, Saurav getting back to the team , Preity Zinta's explosive burst on TV, England losing Downunder, the week has had it all. And to top it all, news that Ash and Sallu are back!!! Couldnt help but smile and think to myself, "how small, trivial things are enough to make you feel all good!!!".
Well, the last was the one that made me smile at my own naivety. But one genuinely feel good factor was the return of Ganguly and his innings in South Africa. I mean it. Give the guy a break. He is the second most successful cricketer in contemporary Indian cricket after Sachin. And to see him wasting away in the domestic season was painful to say the least. Somewhere, his trials and tribulations reminded me of our own insignificant lives and made me see what could happen to anyone, if their time is just not right. But thankfully, he did live to see this day. For all you know, he might come a cropper in the tests, but I dont care, atleast he got his chance and he made me smile one more time for Indian cricket. Across the Indian ocean, England possibly lost the most "Unlosable Match" (if there is a term like that!). No wonder the Aussies let it go lightly. Even they are too stunned to react. How could anyone lose like that? It requires special abilities to lose like that. So there is a mass wave of depression among sport lovers in England I am sure. First the Footballers screwed up in the WC, then it was the Rugby players and now the Cricketers!!! Thats a triple whammy!!!

Now to more serious matters, Ram Jethmalani, the famed octagenarian, told openly on TV that he will fight for Manu Sharma simply because he hates the way the media today intervenes in the Judicial system!!! Give me a break, Mr RamJethmalani, but how come you never hated the way the bloody Indian bureauracracy intervened in the common man's life all these years!! Where was your sense of righteousness? Why didn't you come out then and take the system to task? You didn't because you couldn't. Now, that it is against the common man, who is rightly represented by the media, you cannot stand to see it. But who cares, you probably won't last the next few months, let alone stop Indian youth from taking charge of this country. Today's youth understand that we are in this sad state not because of the British, but because of corrupt and absolutely disgusting bureaucrats like you. Anyways, I don't need to express my absolute disgust at the way you reacted, and especially for picking the case that you did. I wish Manu had shot you instead of Jessica and I am pretty sure we all would have breathed a collective sigh of relief. I feel so much better now that I have taken this burden off my chest. I have been holding back all these days and now it is over. To hell with Ram Jethmalani and his opinions on the media's intervention in the Jessica Lal case. I am sure there are a lot of people with their own opinions on this topic, and I respect the individual's rights to express their opinions. But this is my blog and it will contain my opinions. So if I have offended anyone, then sorry, all you need to do is, exit this window and I and my opinions will disappear.
To round it all off, here is a link to a very interesting product!!! It is about Doga and Dogis!!! (Yoga for Dogs and such dogs are called Dogis!!!) So what next? Cogis ang Coga( for Cats;))
Here is the link:

http://www.chroniclebooks.com/doga/index2.html

I love...

2006-10-30T22:48:00.000-08:00

I love

- to travel with no destination in mind
- the smell of temples in India
- to wander aimlessly
- the open ocean
- to wade in serene rivers
- rafting in raging waters
- uncertainity
- mysteries of the ancients
- watching my wife comb her hair
- watching babies gurgle
- smelling a book, old or new
- getting lost in a book
- the wind blowing in my face as I ride on my bike
- making breakfast on sunday
- aphorisms
- the smell of crackers on diwali eve
- torn tattered book covers
- a short but sweet life

The Famous Five..

2006-10-12T01:49:00.000-07:00

From time to time, I go down memory lane and think of the things that gave me the best times of my childhood. On top of the list of things is probably Enid Blyton's Famous Five. Some of my most vivid imaginations as a kid came from these books. The first I picked up this book was actually because my library teacher forced me to pick a book and read!!! We used to have this library period when the entire class would have to go to the school library and each student pick up a book and read. I found myself at the receiving end of my teacher's attention!! My love affair with books started that day. I was riveted to the book. Now, when I think about those days, I recall with surprise that I actually did not read the book as much as I lived the book. I would magically transform myself into one of the five and go on each adventure with them. Even as I am writing this post, I am trying to recollect how the cover of the book looked like, or how the chapters were constructed. But I remember nothing, all I remember is the green countryside, picnics on bicycles, islands, ship wrecks, strange islands, haunted lighthouses, sandwiches, ginger beer, chocolate bars. It almost feels like it was part of my life that I am recounting. It really does not feel like a book that I am describing. It is hard to put this feeling into words, but I would say that I can smell the fresh air of the moonlit countryside, and the wind in my hair as I cycle down the countryside. It is amazing how much a book can influence a young mind. It is probably these books that shaped me into an adult who grew up loving to travel and adore nature and idyllic country sides. I remember distinctly that very often I would forget to switch on the lights as I immersed myself into a adventure along with the Five. And without realizing that it had gone dark, I would still strain to read the book in the darkness, until mom came along and switched on the lights!!! Such was the total involvement. (Yeah, probably that also explains why I wear specs today!!!). I would be amazed by the bravery of the five and silently admire the maturity of Julian(the eldest of the Five). Anne, the youngest of the five, would evoke a sense of vulnerability, and I would want to protect her from the baddies!!! Such strong emotions at a tender age, make me now reflect how crucial it is to read the right books. All along as we grow up we wonder what makes us the people that we are today. Consciously thinking, we often attribute these to our parents, teachers, friends etc. But in our subconscious, it is the things that we pick up from books, things that we do, games we play that contribute a far bigger part. I can't possibly imagine what I would have been without books. This brings me to children of today, do they get the simple pleasures of reading a book without being interrupted by video games, TV, computers, chatting, overly protective parents, tons of homework!!! Gone are the days of simple innocent fun that could be derived by picking up a book and getting lost in that world. But, the optimist in me says that people still appreciate the simple pleasures of life. I have faith in parents who still can make a difference to their chid's life by giving them a treasure that would last a life time. Books. And oh yes, one wish that I hope to fulfill pretty soon, collect all 21 books of the Famous five!!!

Rang De Basanti...

2006-10-07T14:46:00.000-07:00

Well, here is a small tribute from me to one of the best movies I have ever seen. I have seen this movie now for about 15-20 times and I can't seem to get bored of it. The way the two stories merge into one is amazing. Aamir Khan is the star of the movie, but true to great actors, he does not overshadow the script and story. Each time I watch this movie, I have this burning desire to be able to do atleast one good thing to my country.I can see my own college days and friends in each of those characters. All in all a wondeful movie that just keeps getting better each time I watch. I truly hope it wins the Oscar for the Best Foreign Language Film.

CountryBrute gets new clothes...

2006-10-05T08:16:00.000-07:00

I went in for a change in the template as I felt that the previous template was a bit too harsh on the eye. I wonder if everyone faced the same troubles. Apologies for the jarring template. This one I believe will be a lot easier on the eye. Ok, on a lighter note, I came across these jokes sent to me sometime back and I particularly enjoyed reading them. So here's a post on the same.

In Tamil Nadu, a well Known Person,Mr Jeppier,Chairman of Self finance Engg Colleges Association ,who is always trying to encourage his students to speak in English .

The Sathyabama college students have collected and published the Book Jeppier's Spoken English .

Now, here are some classic English sentences from the great Mr. Jeppiar.

The stalwart talks to his students:
# At the ground:
All of you stand in a straight circle.
There is no wind in the balloon.
The girl with the mirror please comes her...{Means: girl with specs please come here).

# To a boy, angrily: I talk, he talk, why you middle middle talk?

# While punishing students:
You, rotate the ground four times.
You, go and understand the tree.
You three of you stand together separately.
Why are you late - say YES or NO .....(?)

# Sir at his best: Sir had once gone to a film with his wife. By chance, he happened to see onee of our boys at the theatre, though the boy did no t see them.So the next day at school... (to that boy) -

"Yesterday I saw you WITH MY WIFE at the Cinema Theatre"

# Sir at his best inside the Class room:
Open the doors of the window. Let the atmosphere come in.
Open the doors of the window. Let the Air Force come in.
Cut an apple into two halves - I will take the bigger half.
Shhh...Quiet, boys...the principal JUST PASSED AWAY in the corridor.
You, meet me behind the class. (Meaning AFTER the class..)

This one is cool..
"Both of u three get out of the class."
"Close the doors of the windows please. I have winter in my nose today"
"Take Copper Wire of any metal especially of Silver....."
"Take 5 cm wire of any length...."

Last but not the least some Jeppiar experiences ...

Once Sir had come late to a college function, by the time he reached, the function had begun, so he went to the dais, and said, sorry I am late, because on the way my car hit 2 muttons (Meaning goats).

At Sathyabama college day 2002:
"This college strict u the worry no .... U get good marks, I the happy, tomorrow u get good job, jpr the happy, tomorrow u marry I the enjoy"

At St. Josephs fresh years day 2003:"No ragging this college. Anybody rag we arrest the police"

More musings..

2006-10-05T07:37:00.000-07:00

I spend atleast an hour or two everyday, thinking about the deep implications of spirituality. All this, I must accept, have led to one thing. My terrible mood swings have generally come down. I am much more stable in my moods nowadays. Is this change permanent..I dont know. I guess time will answer that question. Another major improvement is the feeling of emptiness, I don't know how many people can relate to that one, but it is something I have struggled with for years. At each stage in life, I thought that by reaching the next milestone of my life, I will fill up the emptiness. These milestones were invariably material in nature, like finishing school with good grades, then it was getting into a good college, then it became, getting into a good MBA college, then it became anxiety to get a good job..and the list went on. During this I became disillusioned, I realized that the fulfillment I was seeking was a mirage. The fulfilment could never come from material objects. Thankfully, I was atleast stubborn enough to keep looking for it. But now I think I may have found the path. And it gives me immense peace of mind. And the best part of this is that it has nothing to do with worldly success, making more money, pleasing more people or just about anything or anyone except me and my mind. Thats all the resources I need. I don't want to make it sound like it some awesome discovery that I would encourage everyone to go behind. But the truth is that this simply cannot be taught. It has taken me years of questioning myself, my religion, my god, my elders to even be able to comprehend what I am faced with. And I have no shame in admitting that I may never reach the goal, but then I dont care. All that matters to me is that I am beginning to get answers to many of my questions that previously were unanswered or not answered satisfactorily enough. And along this journey, I have also understood that I do not need to convince anyone about the journey I am making simply because their approval/disapproval does not matter to me. Certain things in life are best discovered on your own, and each one of us has our own unique way of identifying the best way to discover these things.

Strange but True - Reporting from Sweden...

2006-09-27T04:51:00.000-07:00

Here is an interesting bit of "news" I read on one of Sweden's Local English news dailies. It represents Sweden's tolerant view of crime and criminals and leaves people like me wondering how do these guys manage to do it!!! Read it and think what would happen if such things happened elsewhere in the world!!!

'Stockholm Syndrome' robber turned away by police

The police department in Helsingborg, southern Sweden, received an unexpected visitor on Tuesday. Swede Jan-Erik Olsson, known as the "Norrmalmstorg Robber," had stopped by to turn himself in.Olsson is most famous for his involvment in a sensational 1973 bank robbery at the Norrmalmstorg square in central Stockholm. The phrase 'Stockholm Syndrome', referring to the phenomenon when a hostage becomes sympathetic to the causes of the hostage-taker, comes from events during this heist.

Olsson served time for this crime, but after his release, apparently carried on with unlawful activities. He had been wanted, both by Swedish and international authorities, for more than ten years for alleged financial crimes.On Tuesday, Olsson decided to turn himself in. "I said that now I want to get rid of this baggage I've carried for almost 15 years."The guilt-ridden thief found needn't have worried. Upon arriving at the police station on the west coast of Sweden, Olsson was at first encouraged to stay on the run by a policeman."When I came to the police on Tuesday, there was cop who said, 'Take off Janne. You're wanted,'" Olsson said, according to Dagens Nyheter's website.Then, after not accepting the advice and officially turning himself in, Olsson learned that authorities had dropped his case. "He wanted to confess, but the prosecutor has decided to not pursue the charges of financial crimes since it was so long ago," police spokesman Lars Forsell said.No charges will be filed against Olsson, who travelled from Thailand to turn himself in. While in town, Olsson also visited the Swedish tax authorities, where he ordered a new passport and set up an account to receive his pension."I turn 65 this year," Olsson said.

Maya....Illusion....

2006-09-15T07:52:00.000-07:00

I am also reading a couple of books. Nowadays I have got this habit where I read not one but two books at the same time, I mean, starting on another book before I finish the first one or infact starting both books simultaneously. But the thing is that I choose both books to be of different genres so they dont conflict with each other. As I was saying, the two books I am reading are "Shiva Purana - Retold" and "Biography of Shri Shri Lahiri Mahasaya". Both are completely different in their contents and approach to narrate a story. The first is essentially about Lord Shiva and his tales. It's an amazing recount of some of the earliest stories we hear as kids, but just that it invloves so much more than we were ever told by our elders. I guess the contents really werent suitable for kids. So I am ok with that aspect. But what is striking is how much story telling goes into these tales!!! The message that needs to be understood can possibly not be understood by normal people. On the face of it, these tales simply look like the Gods of yore had a lot of fun in creating the world. But is that all that is to these tales, why would anyone pass on such a tale over thousands of years and why would that be considered holy? That is where my quest started, what is the underlying message that the author wants us to understand? I dont know well enough to explain it here. But yes I understand with deep reverence that not everything is as it seems on the face of it. The puranas of India seem to one of those mystical sources of information which we will forever try to understand and still not decipher fully. Take this for a sample, the puranas actually suggest that human civilisation has been around for hundreds of thousands of years and that we have had far more advanced civilisations in the past than what we are today. Some of the slokas that are dedicated to Shiva are actually mathematical calculations that gives one the value of pi to the 376th decimal place!!! I cant help wondering, what are we missing here!!! Is this what is called Maya??? Are we eternally looking for the same things that have already been discovered by many civilisations many time, only for it all to go away and then for someone else to start all over again??? This is just one example of the magic hidden in our ancient puranas, and i hope to God I get the strength to pursue this with all my vigour. Everytime I read these things I am left with absolute wonderment as to what else lies in store for us. How petty of us to be stressed and bothered about things that are absolutely trivial! I cant stop writing about these things, but I have to move on.

The other book is about one of the greatest masters of the KriyaYoga. He is attributed to have brought the art of yoga back to earth to relieve human suffering. For a change the thoughts of the author are not towards God or towards religion or towards the society. He talks about how you as an individual can use yoga to channelise your energies to propel yourself above the vicious circle of life and death. I am deeply enchanted by this, because it talks about how normal people like you and me can comprehend the cosmic consciousness without having to renunciate the worldly duties. It makes it more achievable and realistic. I am not making any statements here regarding what is right or what is wrong, I am not making any judgements either, all I am saying is I can see a path. And I am walking on it, let's see where it leads to....

Whhhaaaat title yaar...

2006-09-15T07:28:00.000-07:00

It's been a few days since I wrote anything, the reason being that I am just too lazy for anything constructive...even writing a post on a blog!!! A couple of times I started typing and then felt it was a waste of time and energy and I was better of slipping away into the wonderful recesses of my amazing mind. I keep wondering what it is that keeps my brain come up something or the other to keep me so busy with myself. Is it self obsession or is it just laziness to make an effort to talk to people or think of their problems or anything that involves making efforts??? I guess I don't know. I am constantly amazed by my ability to swing between the absolutely sublime thougts to the pathetically mediocre thoughts like the ones I am having now. Most of the time I am somewhere in between the two, I wonder the purpose of my existence, and then the very next day I am like..big deal..why bother..just travel around and eat a lot and be happy!! How can anyone be in such drastically different mindsets, and the trouble is, this is not a random happeneing, it happens to me all the time!!! I had read about something called Gunas a few years back..can't exactly remember the book or the context in which I was reading, but I remember a very specific line that said sattvic gunam is supposed be the one where you are filled with pure and uplifting thoughts and your actions are oriented towards aligning oneself with the atman, and the tamas is the gunam which roots you to the very materialistic and mundane things of life where all you can think of is the next source of enjoyement!!! And it scares me to think that I cover the range between the two so frequently!!! Wonder if it is just me or everyone!!! Not that I have evil thoughts, but it just is scary that I cant seem to stick to one path and travel on it. Well, to put things in perspective, I am writing this post sitting in my client site office, all dressed in a Reid and Taylor suit and looking like a real MBA from some top notch institute who is sure of everything in life!!! And it is so apt I have these thoughts running around in my head!! Ok gotta go for a meeting now, to solve more problems and suggest million dollar solutions!!! There is no beginning and end to my blogs...and ya the title for the blog is another thing I am just too darn lazy to think of right now!!!

An Inspiring Weekend

2006-08-22T00:31:00.000-07:00

The last week saw me visiting the hallowed ground of Sabarimalai. As has been my practice over the last few years, I started off on my visit to Sabarimalai on thursday last week. I took a train to Cochin, where I joined my usual group of friends who have been on these trips every year. I had booked myself on a non airconditioned sleeper coach of the Kanyakumari Express and I must admit that I thoroughly enjoyed the fresh air and the breathtaking beauty of Kerala. I spent most of the time on the footboard of the train, taking in the wonderful panorama in front of me. Monsoon is a wonderful time to visit Kerala, it truly lives up to the description of "God's own country". I reached cochin about 9.30 the next morning and after checking myself in to a beautiful hotel facing the Cochin Harbour, I took a quick shower and embarked on some sight seeing of the places I had been to at a younger age. I took a very relaxing boat trip around the archepalogo and visited a few islands where I simply lazed on grassy ground adjoining the water front. I must say the whole trip began on a very spiritual note, I felt completely at peace when I left for this trip. That was to be the guiding spirit as I went through the entire trip on a spiritual high. Anyways, after the trip and plenty of fresh air, I came back and took a quick shower and left again to visit the nearby temples. There is a very famous Shiva temple and a Murugan temple right next to this hotel. This I visited and prayed to my heart's content. After a few more hours spent gazing at the sea and the distant lights of the harbour, I went back to my room for a peaceful night's sleep. The next morning, I woke up at 4 and got ready to go the Devi temple where we usually start our trip every year. Here, we get ourselves prepared to go to Sabarimalai. We get the holy maalai blessed by the thirumeni of the temple and detailed poojas are performed so we can go to Sabarimalai with the Irumudi. The mode of transport chosen by my friends this year was a very charming open jeep. It was not one of those modern vehicles that had Aircondition or woofer speakers and MP 3 players. It was a sturdy old jeep which had only a canvas top that we had removed. We carefully laid all our pooja materials and the irumudi bags in the back of the jeep and covered them so they were all adequately protected from the monsoon. Then we started. Dressed in the simplest of clothes( a saffron mundu(dhoti) and a saffron towel(in place of the shirt)), I had no worries of my clothes getting drenched or dirtied. I realized a powerful truth of the power of simplicity. The trip went through the heart of Kerala, as we went through village after village and canals after canals. It was a breathtaking drive. We stopped at a few temples on the way. By and by we reached Erumeli, where an important temple is present and which requires all devotees of Swami Ayyappa to visit enroute to Sabarimalai. This we did and here I got a glimpse of the powerful river Pamba flowing next to the temple. The sight enthused me greatly to the bigger things awaiting me ahead on the trip. The weather was wonderful and I was like a battery getting charged by the cosmic energy. Every passing mile brought me cheer. I felt like a kid on his first school picnic. Only this was a far more spiritual experience. After that we set out to Sabarimalai, as we climbed the hills, the most astounding scenery unfolded before me, I saw waterfall after waterfall on the route, each pristine. Not a soul around, as it was unusally empty for the time of the year. The monsoons had created their magic and I wasnt about to miss enjoying this gift from nature. I forced my friends also to stop and enjoy and we took bath in about five of these waterfalls. It was a very sublime experience to be in the open and take bath in freshly created waterfalls. No worries of needing extra clothes or drying my wet clothes as the open jeep took care of that aspect. Finally after the fifth waterfall, we stopped in front of another small waterfall and had our lunch. We had carried rice, kootaan(a type of yoghurt based gravy), freshly pickeld mangoes and vadaam(home-made rice crispies). It was simple yet sumptuos and all the bathing had made us ravenous. After the lunch, we carried on the drive up the hill and reached the foothills of Sabarimalai, the river Pamba. It is customary to take a purifying dip in this holy river before the climb up the mountain. And did I take the dip!! The river was in full flow, and the sight was something to behold. I took a nice refreshing dip in the cold rushing waters of the Pamba river, and the current in the river told us how dangerous the place could be if you played around with it. With all the necessary precautions and yet with undimming joy we enjoyed the dip in the river. After that we started the ardous climb up the mountains on barefeet. It is a tough ask by any standards to climb the trail to the Holy Shrine, and to do it barefoot requires that much extra effort and blessings from God. Amongst spirited chants of Sharanam Ayyappa, we climbed the trail. It was already dark and it made the climb all the more delightful. The fog and the clouds descended on us and walking through the forests I couldn't help wondering at the marvels of nature. It was drizzling slightly and that made it even better. My thoughts kept me going without stops. I could feel the pain in the legs and the hip, but it did not matter, this was one climb worth every pain in the world. All along the trail, I could see people in all sorts of trouble bravely enduring the pain. There were small kids crying innocently to their fathers that their legs were paining. Then there were the old people, who were taking their time to move up even a few metres. But still they moved on. Even disabled people were making the trip. I was humbled by this experience. What rights do we have to even complain about ourselves!!! By God's grace, we have a healthy body and a healthy mind, that is all one can ask for from God. And after 90 minutes of non stop climbing, we reached the temple on top, legs aching with the sharp stones that we tread on the path, but hearts still glad we made it. Without waiting to rest we proceeded to join the queue of devotees waiting for a darshan. And finally we got the Darshan. I was filled with peace and devotion as I calmly prayed to the Lord. It was a very cathartic experience. After that we lingered around the sanctum sanctorum and listened to the songs and chants of the other devotees. And as the day drew to an end, there was the soothing voice of Yesudas putting the God to rest for the day. It was 11.00 pm by then and finally the tiredness dawned on us. We went to sleep in the spartan by sufficient pilgrim centres. All we had was a straw mat for us to lie on. We went to sleep pretty quickly as we were quite tired and also we had to get up at 4 in the morning again. Before we realized, it was 4 and we were up and about. We performed Ney Abhishekam to the lord and after a few rounds of darshan of the Lord, we prepared to descend. The early morning breeze and slight chill of the mountain mist made me tingle with excitement and happiness. I felt one with God at that moment. It was moment of total bliss. Nothing came to my mind as I looked at the slowly moving clouds that were beginning to ascend. After obtaining the necessary prasadam and descending the Holy 18 steps(Padinettam Padi) we bade farewell to the Lord for his blessings. The climb down was equally ardous but we managed it pretty well. After another luxurious bath in Pamba river (this time a lot longer as we had plenty of time) we got into our jeep and were on our way back. We were extremely tired by this time and most of the other guys slept while I gave company to the driver and enjoyed my book. On the way, we halted to have our lunch and this time it was the delicious Kanji and Kappa ( i.e Rice Porridge and Steamed Tapioca). It is one of my favourite dishes and its simplicity hides its deliciousness. After that we were on our way and we reached Cochin by around 6 in the evening. After a quick pooja at the temple we took off the Malai and carefully preserved it for another year. One of school friends came to meet me and we spent some time catching up on the events of the past year and went around the city to a few familiar places. After that I was simply too tired to go on and I had to sleep. A sound sleep and 12 hours later, I was up and running again. This time to do some shopping for my wife and parents. I bought Kasavu(Kerala) sarees for the ladies(amma, wife, and mom-in-law) and Veshti(Dhoti) for the gents(Appa and Father-in-Law). After that I picked up some fresh Banana chips and packed all my stuff and left by the evening train back to Bangalore. It was a refreshing break from the mundane and I felt energised bodily and spiritually. The trip gave me everything I wanted and left me with profound thoughts in my search for the Truth. I am beginning to understand my own self with each passing year and this is yielding me insights into things much more profound. Another day and another forum for those thoughts........Swamiye Sharanam Ayyappa

Another day, Another time...

2006-08-11T22:35:00.000-07:00

Woke up this morning with a headache..don't know why. Must be all those hours in front of the computer. Anyways, have to go to office today even though it is saturday!!! But the saving grace is that it is Sunday tomorrow and then another holiday coming up on Tuesday(Independence Day). I have always believed in the concept of holidays...whoever invented them was one genius. No other species on earth does that...they are either permanently on holidays or permanently at work..but we are different, we holiday and work which is an unbeatable combination. On that bright note, here are a couple of quotable quotes that I treasure, and that are quite apt to the thoughts in my head.

How beautiful it is to do nothing, and then to rest afterward.--Spanish proverb

If you can spend a perfectly useless afternoon in a perfectly useless manner, you have learned how to live.--Lin Yutang (1895--1976), Chinese-American writer

Happiness in this world consists in something to love, useful work to do, and something to hope for.- Anonymous

Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn

2006-08-10T22:38:00.000-07:00

The other day I was reading an old favourite of mine..Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. It was quite frankly the most enjoyable bit of reading I have done in the last few years. I had quite forgotten the joys of blissful ignorance. And this book transported me back to those days of blissful ignorance. I have always been an voracious reader, but over the years, I knowingly unknowingly have given myself the idea that we all mature as we grow old and all of a sudden I realized that I have been reading nothing that I would want to remember and read time and again. So thats when I picked up this book. And to make it all the more special, I went to a second hand bookshop and picked up this old and worn out book, just so I could connect with the spirit of the book and the story. And trust me, it worked like magic. Within no time, I was transported to the 19th century and there I was working out plans with Tom Sawyer and having the time of my life floating down the Missisippi on a wooden raft and hiding from parents and villagers. It was an exhilarating experience. And no money can buy you that kind of break from the reality. And I had no inclination to come back to reality..that probably explains why I have started this blog. I want this to continue..I dont generally like to be tied down to anything, but of late, responsibilities and work pressure have made my free-bird-spirit all bogged and bottled. But true to my star sign, a sagittarian cannot be repressed or restrained or dejected for too long..I have found my way back..hope to continue this blog. At the end of the day, I am back with my questions for which there are no answers as yet..Who Am I???...

Life is all Backwards...

2006-08-10T22:20:00.000-07:00

I start with the most inspiring words of wisdom I have ever read. Here we go...

"The most unfair thing about life is the way it ends. I mean life is tough. It takes up a lot of your time. What do you get at the end of it? A death. What's that, a bonus?!? I think that the life cycle is all backwards. You should die first, get it out of the way. Then you go live in an old age home. You get kicked out for being too healthy, go collect your pension, then when you start wok, you get a gold watch on your first day. You work forty years until you are young enough to enjoy your retirement. You drink alchohol, you party, and you get ready for high school. You go to primary school, you become a kid, you play, you have no responsiblities. You become a little baby, you go back, you spend your last 9 months floating with luxuries like central heating, spa, room service on tap, then you finish off as an orgasm!! Amen".