Down the movie lane..

Vincent Vega,a gangster, takes his boss' (Marcelles Wallace) wife Mia Wallace to a restaurant at his boss' order. He is scared as hell especially since he knows that Marcelles Wallace has thrown a guy (Antwon Rockamora a.k.a Tony Rocky hara, if you really care) from the 6th floor of a building because he gave Mia a foot massage. (The nigger fell through the glass house and developed a speach impediment, even if you don't really care!)

Mia Wallace: Gives him inviting looks as she tastes the cherry (that comes with the $5 milk shake) still holding it on to her equally red lips.
Vincent Vega: Looks at her as he takes a puff and quickly looks aside.
Mia Wallace: Now she is sipping her milkshake with her eyes still fixed to him.
Vincent Wallace: Tries to avoid her eyes and pretends to be in deep thought, rubs his chin trying to get busy with something. But all he could think of was to take a sip of his coke.

Mia Wallace: (Now, again tastes the cherry giving him suggestive looks. Finally she breaks the silence) Don’t you hate that?
Vincent Vega: Hate what?
Mia Wallace: The uncomfortable silences? (smiles)
Vincent Vega (Looks confused?). Why would you feel it’s necessary to yak about BULL SHIT…. only to feel comfortable?

Good point! I wonder why that is?

When I revisited Pulp Fiction recently......

Carol

June 2, 2006. Between 6:45 and 7:15 PM
After a typical day's work, I carried an extra dose of headache as I walked out of office. Before I walked home I stopped by at the nearest newsstand to look for the latest magazines. The newsstand is just a temporary erection by the road side, which actually used the bordering compound wall to hang most of the magazines like clothes drying over the balcony of a flat. Impulsively, I reached out to Frontline only to find hopelessly biased pro-reservation cover stories. India Today ran a cover story on how the Young and the Rich of India is getting addicted to drugs. "Yea, you need a Rahul Mahajan to hit the nail on your head!" I thought. Whatever happened to balanced, pro-active journalism? Actually, The Hindu Group does that from time to time with articles regularly highlighting problems like child-malnutrition and government inaction, contracting river and lake water resources because of bottling companies etc. But with the reservation issue, The Hindu Group, has shot itself in its foot big time. As the train of thoughts got slowed down a bit, I became conscious of a well groomed, good-looking girl in a nice copper sulphate salwar kameez with a white dupatta. Only when I looked up thoughtfully about the journalism in India did I notice that she is a foreigner. She was a blond with fairly big eyes, angular jaw-line, with enviably well aligned, white teeth. Funny how much you observe within a short span of time when you are interested in something. She spontaneously picked up a Business Line and reached towards me to pick up a Fronline. Looking at her spontaneity, I thought that she must have been here in India for a while.

"Excuse me". I blurted out.
"Yes". She looked up at me with a puzzling, but smiling face.
"You've picked up BusinessLine and Frontline. Both are from The Hindu Group..."
(I was wondering if she liked The Hindu Group's way of news presentation)
"Yeeaaaah" she said thoughtfully. "There should be more variety. Uuummm. So, what do you suggest"
(Oh! She must be from the UK. Soon I forgot that I meant to ask her if she liked the The Hindu way of journalism)
"What kind of news item are you looking for?"
"Economy, economic policies development...", she examined my face to see if I make some connection.
"I think The Economic Times is a good one", I started searching for it in the stands, but couldn't find it.
"Oh! Yes, I have seen it before." She started looking for it too!
"Its from the The Times of India Group", I said.
"And in magazines..?" she asked showing me the Frontline she held.
"Frontline, being a fortnightly, offers a good variety of news", I said running my hand of the its contents page. "But, off-late I am thoroughly disappointed with the way it has handled the reservation issue. Totally biased reporting."
"Yeaah! That is because The Hindu is based in Chennai where there is heavy support for reservation".
(Now that is really impressive, I thought)
"I am from Chennai", I grinned wondering if I just took the first step to mess up a good conversation.
"Oh! Really!" she gave a broad smile. "So, are you against reservation?"
"Yea. Atleast against reservation the way it is currently implemented. I guess the press can have its opinion, but the reporting should be balanced a bit....." I gestured a "Balance" moving both my hands up and down alternately, searching for a nod.
"Yea.." She agreed giving the nod and wearing a beautiful smile across her face!
"India Today is popularly read magazine, but its kind of reactive reporting." I said showing her the cover on which a guy was blissfully enjoying cocaine. At times it gets into the self-congratulatory stories like increasing number of malls or how women across India are more open to pre-marital sex (Oops!). They are interesting, but don't really address anything useful for the society.
She looked a little confused at what I said, as she looked at the guy-with-cocaine in IT cover.
"Yea, What's that guy's name...the guy who's in trouble for cocaine abuse? Rahul...mah.."
"Rahul Mahajan" (Amazing!)
"Yeah, this story is based on that right, I think I see what you are saying".
(Ye, I guess my opinions are not as crappy after-all!) I handed her the copy.
"So what are you doing here? I mean.... in India?"
"I am here for my Ph.D research"
"Oh, thats great! Ph.D in..."
"India's economic policies, development, etc.."
"Wow!". I paused letting the thought sink in. "Which University may I ask?"
"University of Bristol"
"Oh Cool". I wanted to say that I have a friend who has graduated from University of Luton. But didn't, since I somehow that it might sound like I am showing off.
"Anyway, I am Badhri, I work here at Synopsys, in Lifestyle Building"
"Carol", that smile again!
"Nice meeting you!"
"Nice meeting you too!"
We shook hands and parted in the opposite direction. I didn't really know why I ended the conversation right there. Here is a foreigner who has considered Indian Economy a worthy subject for her Ph.D and has bothered to travel all the way to India. As I walked towards the bus stop, I realised that the India she sees, is probably the India that the world sees. As a global player, for India, nothing else matters. I suddenly had so many questions to ask her like, what encouraged her to choose the topic and how much of value would it add to her. The obvious question comparing the economic policies of India and China and so on...After just a few paces from the newsstand, I realised that I didn't to get my copy of India Today. Honestly, I don't know if getting a copy of IT was just an excuse to talk to her for longer or if I had really decided on buying it. But when I went back to the news stand she was already gone. I have never missed anybody after such a brief introduction, like I miss her now.

Media Exposed: Rakhi Sawant case

I know! You guys are thinking "As if the media is not enough, here is another blogger who is wasting his time and reader's time to come up with the crap about Justice to Rakhi Sawant". Hey, I am one of you too! Rakhi doesn't deserve the air time or the page-space because she managed to show-off her assets in discotheque-targetting "item songs" and she ended up getting molested. But there is another angle that I am trying to see.

Allow me to start from the beginning. I have a sensation-stuck room-mate who sticks to Star-News and its totally irrelevant and senstionalistic news reports for his worldy no-ledge (thanks to D.N.A.). As a surprise to nobody, Star News dedicated its prime air time to this. It showed footage of Rakhi offering a friendly kiss to Mika on his cheek as a split-screen along with another footage of Mika returning it to her on her cheek in a slow motion to let it sink into the audience. I thought "And she is filing a molestation charge against him?".

But the opinion in equally sensationalistic Outlook magazine along with the pictures published exposes (better than Rakhi herself!) the collective media irresponsibility. As claimed by the article, the media (CNN-IBN, Star News...) neither published the photograph published in Outlook, nor clearly indicated that the footage shown on TV was the one that Rakhi was complaining about.

The reason may be many things, plain want of time dedicated to news, predetermined notion on part of media that Rakhi is after cheap publicity (as claimed by Outlook). But the reasons don't matter. The fact remains that the news report has given a biased angle to viewers.

Again, the specific news report by itself is insignificant since it doesn't affect the greater good of the society. But this fact is only more concerning than relieving. What about all the issues that do concern the society and the public opinion does matter? How am I to expect objective and accurate news.

My hopes are already dampened by The Hindu Group .It abased itself by heaping up tonnes of totally biased pro-reservation views in all its publications, but not finding space for single article on its down-sides.

Media: Shame on you!

Further:
http://www.ibnlive.com/videos/fullbvideo.php?id=12722

OverCoffee

It is around 3 O'clock in the afternoon and it is hard to stay awake, let alone focus on work. But this situation occurs so often that everyone knows the remedy to it. Coffee! This is probably the sole reason why people in our site are as active as they are after lunch. Employees in Synopsys, Hyderabad are diverse not only in culture, but also in habituation to coffee. Some totally refrain from coffee, while some practically live on it. Some prefer tea, while some enjoy both alike.

What one prefers is one's choice. But the reasons behind the choice is interesting and worthy of a discussion. An employee of Synopsys Hyderabad who consciously refrains from coffee, says, "I don't want to drink coffee because it is addictive." So, how true are such common notions about coffee? A quick search in the internet shows that coffee is hot! as a topic of discussion, that is. News articles on latest scientific findings, dedicated websites for awareness about coffee, recipes for various purposes like pre-workout nourishment and stress reduction are common search results on coffee. Like any thing famous, controversy and sensationalism afflicts coffee's reputation, but truth emerges quickly with some patient research.

Addictive?

The most widely "known" opinion about coffee is probably coffee's "addictive" nature. After all every one knows that coffee (or the lack of it) causes headache. World Health Organization admits that it happens to "some sensitive individuals" who may "experience such effects when their daily intake is quickly and substantially altered. But any such effect is always overcome by progressively reducing the intake of coffee over a few days." So, moderation, rather than abstinence, will suffice.

Coffee and Cancer:

If research is to be trusted, coffee has a love-hate relations

hip with cancer. One Japanese research published in Journal of the National Cancer Institute says that two to three cups of coffee helps reducing the risk of liver cancer. On the other hand, a research publication in Chronic Diseases in Canada links coffeewith risks in bladder cancer with four cups of coffee per day. For women, the same amount of coffee may increase the risk of breast cancer.

A little effort beyond casual "google-ing" brings out the truth about coffee's relationship with cancer. While certain research studies categorically vindicate coffee from its perceived ill-effects, a few others that eulogize coffee's effects are based on possibilities, rather than scientific proof. For instance, a research article involving researchers from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center New York, (the top ranked cancer institute according to US News) concludes that "consumption of coffee does not influence the incidence of breast cancer."[1] On the other hand, if we consider coffee's "capabilities" on curing liver cancer, according to reports in MSNBC, the Japanese researchers have tested two groups of 100,000 people. One group "never or almost never drank coffee", while the other group drank coffee regularly. They found that the first group had 547 individuals with liver cancer after 11 years of observation. In the same period, the second group produced only about 215 with liver cancer. So, they concluded that, coffee may be responsible for preventing liver cancer. But MSNBC followed the news up with this.

"While the study found a statistically significant relationship between drinking coffee and having less liver cancer, the authors note that it needs to be repeated in other groups. And the reason for the reduction remains unclear."[2]

With no scientific evidence relating coffee to reduction of liver cancer, the conclusions of this research cannot be a convincing proof for coffee's benign effects.

Another angle:

Looking at the issue from a different perspective, coffee's effect on a healthy individual, malign or benign, usually shows up when the consumption is four cups or more. For instance, coffee's possible contribution to bladder cancer is prominent only when an average four cups are consumed per day. Similar observations are made on rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Another research claims that six cups of coffee a day reduces the chance of Type 2 diabetes by 50% (University of Harvard Medical School). So, it may be safely assumed that a moderate coffee consumption of 2 to 3 cups a day will be non-intrusive.

Popular truth:

However, not all the popular notions about coffee are false. Coffee increases mental alertness, but excess coffee causes insomnia and indigestion. If coffee is loaded up with sugar and creamer, over a period of time, it increases the LDL cholesterol level and hence the chances of diabetes. Hypertensive individuals are especially prone to increased blood pressure.

Bottom line:

Most of the research studies linking coffee to a disease don't go beyond establishing a possible statistical correlation. Alternatively, research pointing to coffee's beneficial effects mostly point out that such effects are prominent only if the intake is high. If you avoid coffee thinking that it will shorten you lifespan, you are a victim of media hype and unsubstantiated rumors. A cup or two of coffee per day is non-intrusive to a healthy person, save its mouth-watering aroma and a taste that lives up to the expectation its aroma generates. But to avoid the short-term effects (insomnia etc.) moderation is the key.

References:

[1] http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/122/3/391

[2] http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6975257/

Further read:

http://www.ific.org/publications/brochures/caffeinebroch.cfm

Secutiy Guard

When I started blogging, I vowed not to talk about my job for fear of getting fired. Like all other promises, today I am going to break it. Before you preempt my thought, let me tell you that I love my job. Inspite of that, I have my share of hyped up gripes and understated compliments about different aspects like office facility and procedural convenience. But every job puts at least one stone in your shoe that you would feel you can never get used to. The stone in my shoe is the one-week-per-month night shift. Well, there is a valid reason for its existence. So, I don't blame my management for it. But if I am still in shape inspite of gobbling up so much food from all over the city indiscriminately, I trust its because of what I go through in that week (talk about hyped up gripes!).

Months passed between productive day shifts and demanding night shifts. One not-so-fine morning, when I reached home after surviving a night shift, I found that my apartment management had decided to employ a night time security guard. He was in wonderful physical condition for a man who is probably in his late forties. Too bad his graying hairline exposes his age. Otherwise, this tall and dark bloke could still turn the heads of young girls. As I reached the gate he shifted the baton to his other hand and opened the gate for me with a smile. I can't help but stopping to talk to him though I was tired as a dog.

"Are you working at nights?"
"Haan, saab"
"What is your timing?"
"8 to 8, saab"

I looked at my watch. It was 6:45 am.

"Where do you live?"
"ECIL saab"
"What?!!", I was dumbfounded!
"How long does it take for you to come here?"
"About an hour and a half by bus, saab", he was still smiling humbly.

His face had no sign of self-pity or remorse. I turned and started walking inside towards the stairs without another word, my mouth still wide open. As I came close to the staircase, I passed a wooden chair and swirls of used mosquito-coils next to it. I turned to look at him once again. He was swinging his baton playfully looking at some thing that amused him on the street. The whole thing took an endless moment to sink in. This guy travels one-and-a-half hours one way for a 12 hour night shift among mosquitoes for 7 days a week. I, on the contrary, walk 10 minutes for a 9 hour shift for 5 days a week in an air-conditioned cubicle and earn about 10 times more.

When I put myself in his shoes, I was sure I can do that 12 hour shift. I have had prior experience (in my previous job). I can even take the bus travel, since it won't be crowded while traveling up as well as down since he is traveling "against" the conventional crowd both ways. And I am used to mosquitoes too, thanks to my life in Chennai. May be, just may be, I can do this 7 days a week. The odds are less, but who knows. Need for money makes people do crazy things. But after taking so much hit, after being man-handled so much by reality, I can never ever manage that easy-going, humble smile. Some people are incomparably better than I am. Our night time security is clearly one of them.

Of reservation and relevance

A social worker working for the upliftment of SC/ST (who I happened to meet in train from Chennai to Hyderabad) told me how difficult it is bring them to school. We all know about how bad India is in literacy. I think the case is stronger to push mandatory school level education across all social classes. But I don'’t see it being discussed anywhere at all. Reservation should not be handled as a separate issue. It is my opinion that if you get enough people from all across the society into 12^th, and bring about reforms so that at 12^th pass-out can actually earn his living, reservation based on any parameter (like social or economic status) can be made totally irrelevant.

I have seen this work in the US. If you see the percentage of high school graduates going directly to college, it was close to 18% the last I heard (about a year ago). But there is so many jobs a 12^th pass-out can do to earn his living and save for college. A lot of people go back to college education (both bachelors and masters) after working for some time. So, the real question that we should as ourselves (or the govt. to itself) is "What reforms can be done to give jobs to high school grads". I wish I can answer this question. But it is worthier spending time on this issue. Of course, to stop at school level is a taboo today. But once relatively better earning jobs are available after school education this will change, especially if the worth (interms of earnings) of college education is projected, this taboo will fizzle away. Well the idea is arguable. That is precisely why it is brought to discussion OverTea.

Indias Identity

The colour of India is its Identity. It's the religious tolerance and multi cultural characteristics defines it. If you impose Hindi/Hindusim, then you are breaking the foundation of Indian civilization. I don't know Hindi, but I am still able to live happily in India. My muslim friends are able to live happily in India without knowing the concepts of Hinduism. By practising different culture, we are reinforcing its identity. Western nations have just become democratic but we were always democratic. Proud to be an Indian because we know democracy from time immemorial and we are still surviving. Please dont play with the foundation, because one billion people live on top of it.

Guest post by,
Prakash Gomathinayagam
FiloSofy

Of liberalism and conservatism

It is now cliche to talk at lengths about Information Technology and how it has turned India's image and lifestyle on its head. So, let's cut it short.

Post-recession era - "India Shining" - Lots of money and spending mood with middle class - we are a big global market.

Indirect gainer of this feel-good factor is the entertainment industry. It has capitalized on the sudden inflow of money and seemingly consequent liberal attitude among people, to come up with tons of sexually explicit Hollywood lift-offs in the name of diversifying into relatively bolder subjects like infidelity (ex: Murder) and homosexuality. Thanks to Mahesh Bhatt and few other copy machines, we have nearly a hundred hot girls who are willing to strip and Emran Hashmi who is kind enough to smooch them at least two at time in every movie.

Ten years ago, the same thing would have raised a few eye-brows. Today, be it the curious kid, the restless teen, the cool collegian or the nostalgic middle-aged, all take it in their stride. If they do mind they don't come up with their objection very publicly. So that brings us to the question of interest in the discussion OverTea. Are we a liberal society?

What is liberalism? The idea that has freedom as its core. A liberal living is a life according to ones own freedom, provided it respects others.

What is conservatism? A idea of discipline and convention. A conservative, leads a life that conforms to specific rules, mostly drawn by religion and to a lesser extent, but still significantly drawn by the society.

If we view the Indian society in the light of the above definitions, the truth becomes evident, especially if we ask ourselves certain questions.

- How prevalent and welcome is inter-caste and inter-religious marriage in our society?
- How are a certain sections of our community like homosexuals, AIDS patients treated? Do they feel important in the society?
- How tolerant are we to ways of living that we don't really understand or agree to?
( A good example is the traditional Tamil Nadu Vs Rest of India cold-war)
- How much freedom does the female community enjoy when compared to the male community?
- How many physically challenged people enjoy the same level of independence and mental well-being as a normal person?
- How many adopted children are adopted by potent couples?

None of the above questions evoke a positive answer. In all the above questions, some one's freedom (inter-religious love-birds, women, homosexuals, etc) is over-ridden by some rule (marriage within community, having an opposite sex partner, "all should know Hindi" or "I wont speak in Hindi even if I know it", "Women should be more disciplined than men").

So, my take is that we are far from a liberal society. If we assume ourselves to be a liberal society based on the increasing number of pubs and modern ways of dressing, I am afraid we lack reasoning. Of course, social drinking and liberal dressing are constituent of a liberal society, but such aspects are not substantive to liberalism. In our case, those are just effects of media-driven fashion trends and half-baked knowledge about the western culture. Such aspects are not necessarily wrong, or as conservative extremists may say, destructive to Indian culture. But it is not very progressive either.

The day when it is common for a totally potent couple wants to adopt a child, and is not opposed by the immediate relatives (thus granting them total freedom) is when the society is liberal. The day when a physically challenged person enjoys the freedom to move around with minimal or no help, and evokes a feeling that his impairment is no real impairment is the day a society becomes liberal. In short, a society achieves liberalism only when it matures to recognize and encourage a progressive trend especially when such a trend opposes a convention.

Sarathy and Trash

"Fresh" after sixty five push-ups in a Garnier Fructis Push-ups challenge at Forum Mall, Bangalore, Sarathy, Suresh and I went straight to Sri Krishna Cafe for the afternoon double-lunch. On our way, outside Forum was Ford Fiesta challenge, that pushed people to repeat "Go Fida" for the longest time without pausing for a breath. Unfortunately not a single person who took that challenge had a tolerable voice. All it achieved was nauseate people away from The Forum. I had a sense of pride having participated in a worthier challenge.

Sarathy is the guy who was visiting from the US for a months holiday. He is the reason why I was in Bangalore rather than Hyderabad. Suresh is the Bangalore local boy. He is our map inside Bangalore. We entered Krishna Cafe tired of walking and half-an-hour later exited, totally intoxicated by the authentic South Indian Mega-Meals. As we walked back towards Forum - none of us knowing why exactly there - we were totally involved in bringing out girls' Kismet with Suresh. Whichever girl Suresh meets, gets married within months. With somebody else that is.!

As we turned a corner, Sarathy's angry voice came down from above me, "HEY! Pick that up!"

For a brief moment, I stood there wondering "Pick what?". I looked at Sarathy puzzled. His long arm and bony finger pointing down to the ground is still vivid in my memory. Then, it dawned on me. That was the used paper towel from Krishna Cafe that I was carrying in my hand. Lost in the lighter moment with Suresh and Sarathy, I threw it in the nearby newly constructed open sewer line, that is yet to be used.

I was in the US too, I talked at lengths about how irresponsible people are towards their own society. I too have even carefully practised what I preached when I visited India for a month's vacation or so. But, now that I am back in India for good, I am obliviously got used to the despicable, yet inherently Indian ways. Sarathy's words pierced my heart as an arrow and killed the fast growing hypocrite in me.

Still, the rude awakening to the embarrassing truth was unbearable. I meekly protested with a grimace, "Machi, its in the ditch, daaa". That was too weak to move Sarathy. The open sewage was still under construction, so there was no sewage whatsoever.

Sarathy rudely and slowly repeated. "Pick.....that.....up".

I meekly surrendered. That was the death of the egoist in me. Sarathy was probably impressed. He cooled down fast and we started walking once again.

Not more than five paces from there, he spotted a trash can by the nearest bus stop. "See there? put the trash there. You do what you are supposed to do. The others will do theirs". The situation was so engrossing that, even now, I don't remember what Suresh was doing the whole time.

The good thing about the whole incident was that it was a good opportunity to re-learn what I have conveniently and sub-consciously unlearnt after coming to India. What's the bad thing? Every time, I see a trash can or every time I carry a trash in my hand, I see Sarathy's face, his long hands and bony fingers pointing towards the ground.

Gay association in Chennai: A Reflection

CNN-IBN's report on Official Gay Association in Chennai is significant in two ways.

1. For the first time in India, gays have a chance step out of the closet and lead a normal life. Even possibly increase public awareness. Awareness about what?

- about the fact that being gay is not a choice, but a feature imprinted on ones self at birth, as this article in CBS might indicate. Its as plain as saying "Just like you are attracted towards girls, I am attracted towards guys".

- gays are more criminally inclined when suppressed and ill-treated and the only way to avoid this is to recognize them as normal humans.

For the records, I am not gay! To be honest, (at the expense and getting defensive, and inviting criticisms involving the word "hypocrite") if I know that somebody is gay, I WILL feel awkward and insecure. But the support for gay-rights is as much ingrained in me as the insecure feeling itself. An organization to protect a community marginalized for no conscious fault on its part has to be welcome.

2. The second significance is personal. Chennai is considered by many as a conservative, or worse, an intolerant city (primarily with the ancient anti-Hindi sentiments that filled the air in Tamil Nadu a decade or two ago). In all honesty, Chennai is conservative to a large extent. But, this news report clearly vindicates Chennai from the allegiance that it is intolerant. The limited media coverage has turned out to be fortunate and unfortunate at the same time. Fortunate, since the news has gained enough public image to really interest the self-styled guardians of Tamil Culture. Unfortunate, since if it had gained more national attention, it would have done its bit in bring Chennai's true image to light.

Those who disagree with me and quote the Kushbhoo episode and The Park episode as counter, please consider the fact that the "Dharna" against Khusbhoo was wholly by executed by a caste-based political party which linked her comments to Tamil Culture when Kushbhoo said nothing about it. The Park episode was a misadventure by a small time reporter looking for cheap media publicity and a thoughtless and panicky approach by the government to avoid another controversy. The general public did not participate in both the instances and, more importantly, there was no violence.

Life of alarms

If my life has to be abridged to one word, the word will be "Sad". The ones like me are almost always ill-treated by their masters. Some of them are are lucky enough to end up in a decent and gentle family. Or just a family with no funky, spoilt college guys. Girls of the same age are nicer, though there are some exceptions in that too. But the luckiest ones are the ones who get to work in an office or a shop or anywhere else but a home environment.

I work tirelessly 24/7. But I never complain. We are built to last long. Most of the time, my work goes unnoticed. When someone does seek my services, they don't thank me. If there is a truly thankless job, it is mine. People of my profession very rarely become famous. There is a Ben somewhere in Europe who fits the example well. He had been doing the job for a long time now. He doesn't work indoors. I hear he is a monster. So, they made him work in some place where there are a lot of tourists. I am sure there are others like him all around the world. But they are of a much lesser stature and are known only locally. Most of them are huge and work outdoors, like railway stations. But this is one job where size does not give you the luxury of choosing your retirement. All of us are servants. Servants who toil all day, all night and all the time till they can't keep going anymore. In that context, the more famous servants are the less fortunate ones. When they breakdown, people work on them, revitalize them and bring them up to speed with the present.

I work for a family. They are so thankless and unpredictable. They order me to sing early in the morning for them. They give the order the previous night and go to sleep, while I continue with my job. I almost never forget. When I sing in the morning, sometime they just get up and just move on and I feel fortunate. But most of the time, I get beaten up for doing exactly what they asked me to do. Especially the spoilt brat, The College Kid. He always targets my head. To make matters worse, I am too little for his size. Once, he threw me so hard that I hit the edge of the wall and fractured one my legs. He didn't even bother about fixing me up. The elders in the family took a look and felt sorry. But thats as much attention I got. Why should I endure so much because I have a bad voice? Why should he order me to sing if he doesn't like my voice? I guess he just enjoys molesting me the way he does. He would prefer that I have such a bad voice, so that he has a reason to abase me the way he does.

There is no respite from work. There is no retirement. There is no one to whom I can turn to for empathy. There is no law protecting us. And obviously we can't change our voice, if that might stop them from ill-treating us. If there is some thing called rebirth, I would want to be anything but an alarm clock.

An unimportant post

Since I have joined the company I am currently working in, the predominant form of entertainment is Table Tennis (or as the Americans know it Ping-Pong). I don't consider myself the expert in it, given the fact that I have not had much chance to play TT before. But I am at getting good at it pretty fast.

Being a popular entertainment here the table is almost always busy and playing a singles game should be considered a windfall, and a double's game doesn't improve your skills very much. I play with colleagues who are of varied talent. District champions to learning-to-hold-the-bat. I find that there is so much variety in the way one can approach a ball, be it while serving, returning, smashing or blocking. The key is to develop a varied skill-set and to know what to use when, and do it consistently correct. I have a friend-cum-roomie, who in my observation neither has a varied skill-set in the game, nor is conventional. But he is surprisingly correct, and consistently so. The win-loss ratio between the two of us is already heavily tilted on his side. During the last two days it only got worse for me. I lost 3-4 yesterday and 0-7 today. It didn't really bother me till we finished the games. But now that I am alone, it is humiliating. It completely clouds my mind. Thoughts like,

"There a few instances that I pulled back from behind to level, only to give it all away".

"The fact that he has been playing longer than me doesn't help. I have been playing long enough to start winning. After all, I do have some skills that I have learnt".

annexes the mind. The mind refuses to relinquish the thought and move on to more important things to do. On the contrary, it only compounds the problem. Now I don't feel like doing the more important things to do. All of a sudden, I feel like I am doing a useless job, I reject the evening plans to roam around because, all of a sudden, I don't like the city anymore and want to go back to Chennai, and I get unreasonable when friends play a harmless prank on me.

This post is as unimportant as the game of TT itself, but it has undone what the loss in TT has done to me. Well the humiliating defeat will stay on, but at least it kept me reasonable. I don't feel like I don't want to go back to the TT table and pick up the bat anymore. Maybe I will lose another series 7-0. But what the hell, that’s just a droplet, if my life is an ocean.

Who face is it anyway?

A lot of faces. None human!

TN under the lens

"ஹைதராபாத்ல பாதீங்கன்னா, மக்கள் தங்கமானவங்க. சென்னைல அப்படி இல்லீங்க. கடவுள் பயம் இல்லை. 'எவன எப்போ ஏமாத்தலாம். எவன் எப்போ ஏமாறுவான்.' இதேதான் எண்ணம். அதனாலதான் த்சுனாமி எல்லாம் வருது."

("Look at people in Hyderabad. Their heart is as good as they are made of gold. That is not the case with Chennai. They don't fear god. All they think about is when and who they can fool next. That is why they are stuck by Tsunami").

-- A heart-broken Tamil co-passenger in Kacheguda express. Born and brought up in Chennai, and settled for the past 8 years in Hyderabad.

"I love people from Tamil Nadu. I was in Chennai for one-and-a-half years. People are very devout and god-fearing there. People who are so god fearing, can never hurt others. I have also lived in Kolkotta. Girls there were modern dresses and try to be very sexy. But girls in Tamil Nadu a beautiful and are well dressed.

-- A colleague who just found out that I am from Chennai, a Hyderabad native.

"I work in Dubai and I have had a lot of Tamil friends there. They are good at learning others' languages. They never admit that they don't know the language. They always pretend like they know it. But they keenly watch when others speak, stutter while trying it and they end up learning the language. Malayalis, on the other hand don't even move with anybody who doesn't speak Malayalam"

-- A Hyderarabadi catholic christian, and co-passenger in Charminar Express. He was going to Chennai to further continue his journey to Velaankanni in Nagappatnam.

"ஹைதராபாத் நல்ல ஊருதான். ஆனால் ந்ம்ம ஊர் மக்களுக்குத் தேவையான பொருள் ரொம்ப கிடைக்காது. இப்போ பாருங்க. எங்க அக்கா பொண்ணுக்குக் கல்யாணம். பட்டு வேட்டி, சேலை எல்லாம் நான் சென்னைல தான் வாங்கறேன். ஹைதராபாத்ல இதெல்லாம் நம்ம விருப்பதுக்குக் கிடைக்காதுங்க."

(Hyderabad is a good city. But the things that our people need are not always available. If you look at my case, my sister's daughter is getting married. I buy all the silk sarees and dhotis from Chennai. Such things are not available to our (Tamils') liking here.)

-- A Tamil Nadu born Hyderabadi co-passenger while on his way back to Hyderabad.

How come you speek Hindi? People from Chennai normally don't know Hindi at all. When I was in Bangaore, there wer 12 (thinking), no 13 people from Chennai. Only one of them understood Hindi. The rest had no idea about Hindi. Even the guy who knew it, can't speak Hindi fluently.

-- A new-employee and colleague, a Haryana on his first day at work and on our first meeting.

"இங்க (மும்பை) மக்கள் எல்லாரும் 'தான் உண்டு, தன் வேலை உண்டு' ன்னு இருப்பாங்க. சென்னைல அப்படி இல்ல. 'இவன் என்ன பண்ணறான், அவன் என்ன பண்ணறான்'. இதுதான் வேலை. அங்க people are narrow-minded"

("Here (Mumbai) people mind their own business. Chennai is not like that. 'What is this guy doing? What is that guy doing?' is all that goes in their mind. There, people are narrow-minded.")

-- My uncle on during my recent visit to Mumbai. Born, brought up and worked for some time in Chennai. Now setttled down for twenty years in Mumbai

"ஹைதராபாத்ல ஹிந்தி தெரிஞா போதும். தெலுங்கு அவசியமே இல்லை. ஆனா "ஹைதராபாத் தாண்டி வெளியில போனா ஹிந்தி உதவாது. சென்னைல இப்போ முன்னைவிட ஹிந்தி நிறய கதுண்டுட்டா"

("In Hyderabad, all you need is Hindi. There is no need for Telugu. But if you go anywhere outside Hyderabad, inside Andhra, Hindi won't help. But in Chennai, nowadays, more people have learned Hindi")

-- My friend's aunt, a Chennai-native, living in Hyderabad for I-don't-know-how-long, during my recent visit to their home for dinner.

Tiruvidavaenthai

This post is actually a discussion that I had in Kavitha's blog on temples, but, I guess, is interesting enough to be a post in itself. It is about my visit to a historic temple, the first one after my stay in a foreign land which made me realise that temples in India, especially the ancient ones, are more than just places where you pray for your wishes to come true. This temple is special in that way because, during my visit I relived a short life with the belief system, priorities and way of life of our ancestors. It is a not life of faith, but a quest for the realisation of the absolute truth. It is a life of attaining eternal greatness by discipline.

Tiruvidavaenthai is more commonly known as Tiruvidanthai. It is on the East Coast Road, about 7-10 km from Tiruvanmiyur, Chennai. That is if my math is not too bad. The temple is one of the 108 Tirupathi's of Lord Vishnu. Its sanctum sanctorium has Lord Vishnu as Nitya Kalyana Perumal. He gives darshan as a Varaham. He holds Komalavalli Thayar on his left thigh balancing his left feet on Adiseshan. Pretty amazing! It also has a separate Sannidhi (as I am used to call it) for Komalavalli Thayar in her full bridal costume.

The story behind his name is also interesting. In Tiruvidanthai, lived a saint called Kavala Muni with his daughters. 360 of them! He prayed for the lord to marry them, and the Lord kindly obliged, marrying one each day, for a year. Thus the name Nitya Kalyana Perumal. At the end of the year, he merged all into one Komalavalli thayar.

The temple is very good and I guess is one of the temples better protected by the Archeological Survey of India. The outer walls of the sanctum are still inscribed with Tamil, clearly of the (g)olden days. Though I couldn't understand any (and I consider myself not too bad in reading Tamil). What else? There is a shed, possibly for the Ther, right after the Dwajasthampam (the flag made out of stone, if I may say so). Its actually pretty dilapidated. And there were two mandapams, one right at the outer entrance, and one to the left of the Dwajasthampan as you enter the outer entrance. To the right was more facts by ASI about the kings who ruled when it was constructed and other interesting things that I dutifuly forgot.

The temple's tank is about a five minute walk down the approach road from the temple. It is reasonably big. Honestly, I didn't have a chance to stop and look if the tank is any good. But the temple sure is very peaceful. No disrespects, but I would any day prefer Tiruvidanthai to any other Divya desam, or for that matter a temple, which may be more crowded all round the year. If only I was not this far from the temple!

The tale of two "Helpfuls"

There are two kinds of helpful people when it comes to any technical or procedural issues. That is assuming that The Helpful knows the solution to the issue.

The first kind will do a lot of talking and attempt to make you understand what the core of the issue is (which most often allows you to find the solution yourself) and then offer you the solution. From then on you go about executing the suggestion and wear a big, grateful smile across your face when you say "Thank you!".

The second kind will seize the opportunity to prove its capabilities, push you aside and take the centre stage and work hurriedly as you watch helplessly asking yourself "What the hell is going on here". When you actually ask the question with a little decency tagged on to it, it falls on deaf ears. When the solution is executed, you get a line of two of the wisdom which is too less to really make you understand the roots of the problem or the solution. All you know is that somebody has been successful in scoring a point over you, and that somebody is making it felt by the See-I-did-it-when-you-cant looks you get. You end up saying "Thank you", sans the big smile and get on with your work.

What bothers me the most is that the second kind does not necessarily play spoilsports when it comes to other things like partying together, or going to a movie. The whole behaviour is attributable to habit rather than intentions. I pity, rather than hate, such a kind for they appear to be bad when they actually learned the lesson of helping others. Only they got the moral of the story wrong.

The girl I like

When it comes to girls, I had been conservative. At school, I sincerely believed that proximiity to girls is a great risk. Touching a girl is a huge breech of personal code. At college, as one can guess, I was atypical to say the least. To say it all in one line, No dance floors. Hence no girls. Period. Not-so-good-looking girls helped the cause a big way, all the way. Not that these things really bothered me too much. Life was smooth all the way till I landed up a job in Hyderabad, made some friends (all male once again!) and visited Hyderabad Central and met this girl. God just look at her.

Beautiful, yet unassuming,
Well dressed, yet simple,
Slim, yet well nourished,
Busy, yet cheerful!

Better than all, a coffee-drinker like me, hee hee!

All of a sudden she make me realize the meanings of the word sweetheart. Too bad, she has to be a wallpaper at Hyderabad Central. Too bad the search has to continue. All I have now is a picture of her that I took. But hey, atleast I know what kind of girl I like now!

Specialists!

Novice killer? Try your skills on a specialist. Come to Hyderabad!

BE Vs. B.Sc

Say the word "India" and the first that would come to people's mind all over the world is IT. For sure, IT boom has catapulted India's image from poor beggars capable of sleeping on a bed of nails or snake charmers who can also charm ropes, to smart, intelligent, adaptive, ambitious and most importantly, English speaking technologists and businessmen. In other words, India is a big talent pool, a large overseas market and hence a very fast growing economy. Its good to see India trying to take steps to maximise the opportunity it has got.

But I guess there are certain issues that are not yet addressed. No, I am not talking about the elimination of poverty or corruption. Those are oft discussed, but stagnant topics. I am talking about the educational stream Vs. career prospect lopsidedness.

If you are scratching your head about what I am talking about. Here is the scenario. Today, if one graduates out of any college (not necessarily a reputed one) as an engineer, he/she has a bright chances of landing in a decently paid job (More often than not, that job will be IT related). But, barring a very few exceptions, a science graduate has virtually no chance of getting placed anywhere. And I see only *one* reason to it. Service-oriented IT companies limit their technical workforce only to BE graduates. The notion among the companies' hiring team that a mechanical engineer from a not-so-great college will be a better fit than a B.Sc. CS graduate for a computer programming job is nothing more than superstition.

This creates an unequal distribution of job prospects across different educational fields. Having spent a few years of my lifetime in the US, (where else!) this is one clear difference that I have noticed between the two countries. Any educational qualification (even high school) has a sizable pool of jobs that one can land in and make both ends meet. (That explains the fact that a very low percentage of high school graduates go on to graduate with a Bachelors degree in the US). The question here, is "Will I ever get a job?", the question there "Will this qualification fetch me a job that will pay me well enough?".

To reach there, we should work on redistributing the educational qualification Vs. job-prospect mismatch. For starters, I would suggest that the IT service oriented companies start hiring from relevant science graduates (with say, CS, physics or math specialisation) for atleast some of their jobs. (After all, we are still doing more service than innovation). If my guesses are not way off, this might trigger a lot of other phenomenon. More high school graduates will consider science specialisation as a viable option (rather than paying huge capitation fees to engineering colleges). With more students from science colleges getting place in reputed firms, reputation and hence competition among institution will increase. This will in turn, lead to improvements in infrastructure.

On the other hand, with more people going for science field, a number of engineering colleges whose infrastructure is no more than rooms, will disappear allowing the universities to concentrate better on improving the quality of engineering education and infrastructure. Infrastructure improvement in engineering by itself is worth another blog. I hope to dedicate one for that in the near future. For now, its for you (sitting across the table) to put your thoughts OverTea!

Just another day in Paradise!

It was just another day. A Saturday to be more specific. I was returning with my roomies after a lazy morning breakfast and found, to my amusement, found two kids having fun (rather trying to have fun) with cricket, using a home-made bat and an old ball! The rest is secret photography!





Now this is not a secret photography anymore. There is more action and more people!


Now, the playing two followed by a photo shoot with their brother!



But now the big one!

Ramesh, Me! (what's funny about my T-shirt?), Monica and Babol!

I later found out that they are the kids of the security guard at work in the apartment complex opposite to mine. Ramesh, who is upto date with cricket, (he is not satisfied with Venugopal Rao's performance in the ODI series with SL) is studying at a local school. Monica is better at batting, but she is yet to learn the difficult art of talking! She never opened her mouth the whole time. I gave up trying! Babol talks only better than Monica. Monica and Babol are yet to join school. I fear if they ever will. It was just another day, but the venue is Paradise!

Signing off!

Good Work Government!

Rains and relief in Chennai:
I had been to chennai for the Diwali vacations for a week, which eventually falls on the week that followed a week of incessent rains and flooding. I had done a fair bit of travelling around the city and followed up the news, both on TV and news paper. I found that, inspite of a record downpour, normalcy has been restored fast (in a week) to most of the city (though not so in North Chennai!). Relief camps have been setup in 10 areas for relocation of people in low-lying areas. Army was called in for relief operations in suburbs like Madippakkam (which is close to my home!) and trains were restored to operation fast. Good to see news channels like NDTV commend the way the corporation handled the whole issue. NDTV also noted that during the second round of showers following the Diwali week, the officials learned from mistakes in the previous to ensure proper drainage of water in subways. My applause to Chennai corporation for the good work and my encouragements to keep it up. Hope the also learn a little bit from the Vyasarpadi stampede to organise the distribution of food and clothes better!

Rediff: Uniform call rate across the country:
This is a welcome measure apart from numerous other efforts by Comm. and IT minister Dayanidhi Maran. I always believe that the best way to measure a country's progress is to look at how easier the life of a normal man gets. This sure is a good step forward since it makes the life of the rich and the poor alike! Great job. To be cautious, I would hope that after the uniform call rates is set, it would not be set to the current STD rates :)

Fwd: Poetic resignation

Here is a resignation letter your manager will enjoy!

The name is good, the brand is big
But the work I do is that of a pig
The work or the brand, what is my way?
I dont know if I should stay.

To work, they have set their own way
Nobody will care to hear what I say
My will be NULL, they wont change their way
I dont know if I should stay.

The project is in a critical stage
But to do good work, this is the age
This dilemma is killing me day by day
I dont know if I should stay.

The money is good ,the place is great
But the development is at a very small rate
Should I go for the work, or wait for pay
I dont know if I should stay. !

The managers dont know what they talk
The team doesnt know where they walk
That's a bad situation, what say?
I dont know if I should stay.

I can go to any other place
But what if I get the same disgrace
I cant keep switching day by day
I dont know if I should stay.

The -ves are more, the +ves are less
Then why have this unnecessary mess
No more will I walk their way,
Its all done, I won't stay.

Replay of moments

Life seems to cruise along smooth and eventless. Suddenly, I feel something heavy in my head and my mind races! I feel that, this very sequence of moments has already happened in my life. But I couldn't say when. I couldn't say what is going to be next. But when the next moment becomes current, my mind yells out "Yes, this is it! I have gone through this too!". It keeps happening again and again for sometime after which I am no longer so sure about whether I am still in the replay mode. Then those moments fade quietly and here I am, back to the present! I try to go over those moments once again, trying to locate when it has happened. But not once could I do it till date. I feel that it is unfair and live on it for a little while. But before long, I completely forget about it and get on with my life. All that is left now is that there had been moments when I felt that they have already happened in my life. I don't even remember what those moments were! My companions have confessed to have gone through such an experience themselves.

It has been a long time since such a thing has happened to me. It has been long since I have talked about it to anybody. I wonder if anybody still goes through such an experience. I instinctively feel that it would be a rarity. Rarer still would be to find people who actually know why such things happen and identify the situation when the replay was actually "live". Rarer still would be for such people to spot this weblog and respond!

Laugh!

One of the very few forawarded messages that worked my stomach muscles out. I simply can't keep from posting it!

Religion and Society

Recently, in one of my groups we had a discussion on a Times article.

In short, the article was reporting a research which concludes that

"...belief in and worship of God are not only unnecessary for a healthy society but may actually contribute to social problems."


It went on with comparison of US society (considered to be one of the most religious, at the same time, advanced nation in the world) with other less devout nations (in Europe mainly).

A few excerpts!

• Gregory Paul, the author of the study and a social scientist, used data from the International Social Survey Programme, Gallup and other research bodies to reach his conclusions.

• "US was the world's only prosperous democracy where murder rates were still high, and that the least devout nations were the least dysfunctional."

• “The study shows that England, despite the social ills it has, is actually performing a good deal better than the USA in most indicators, even though it is now a much less religious nation than America.”

• "The US also suffered from uniquely high adolescent and adult syphilis infection rates, and adolescent abortion rates, the study suggested."

• Mr Paul said that rates of gonorrhoea in adolescents in the US were up to 300 times higher than in less devout democratic countries

Here is my take!

I think one key point is not discussed in the article (or not considered from the polls' conclusion).

How many of those crimes in the USA and other countries are related to religion?

To me, the conclusions are correct to a certain extent, but based on wrong data. Just because USA couldn't control crime as good as the others, how can we paint a religious picture to it? There are numerous other factors like easier access to guns and licences for guns, drugs and other things. Crimes and social ills (quoted by the article) are due to direct effect of such factors and not because of religion. Also, based on my experience at the US, the country is more religious not because they implement the moral values of the religion in day-to-day life, but more because larger portion of people attend the sunday masses regularly! That is it!

To be fair to them, they are also immune (to a large extent) to the negative side of the religion's effects like evil-superstitions, sticking to customs though they are obsolete or counter-productive (I mean to say that they are more open to new and positive ideas even if those ideas are outside the boundaries of Christianity. One good example may be Yoga!).

Now I feel the conclusions ofresearchearch are correct to a certain extent because, religion has been the reason for a lot (but not all) of crimes all over the world. And if you look close enough, no religion is an exception. I feel, the problem is applying religion in the society-level. (Doing things like some self-proclaimed guardians of Islam issuing fatwa against Sania for not wearing a veil while playing tennis.) and the govts heeding to it (I still don't get the idea behind separate set of laws for Muslims like "Talaak" and a whole bunch of other things). So, if a society has to be devout and at the same time less-criminal (because of religious factors) it has to apply religion at the personal level, and be tolerant to those who opt a non-religious or a less religious path. Otherwise, it is better off being atheistic.

What is your take?

Window 2005

My workplace is situated at the 4th floor (of 5 floors above ground level) in a fairly large complex at the center of the city of Hyderabad. One of the good things about working on a higher floor, I thought on my first day, would be the view of the city. Being an IT related company, my centre is completely air-conditioned, windows are tinted and screened. That doesn't leave much for you to view.

Ok, what about outside the office. The hallway, the stairs...does that have anything to offer? Like any shopping mall (which essentially is what the ground floor is!), all the shops and other businesses are built along the main wall, with the entrances and hence the hallways from inside the mall. So, all windows are inside one business or the other, again, carefully tinted and closed for air-conditioning!

There is a window by the stairs at each floor, but then there is always somebody standing there, pondering over a smoke, or worse, sitting right under it and talking to his/her (girl/boy)friend. So, that doesn't do any good about the view either. It almost looks like the whole mall probably convened a secret meeting before my joining date and said "Ok, guys! This is it! He is coming tomorrow. Now, I want all the windows in this building hunted down, tinted and screened! You've got one day to complete this mission! MOVE!". I almost lost all hopes of a good ariel view.

After nearly half a day's work, I wanted to ease myself (you know, the one which you spend longer time of the *two*). I walked towards my goal thinking hard over my work. I opened the door and was blinded by brightness. For a moment, I thought somebody will say "Hello! Neo!". Where did so much light come from? A Window! Positioned high enough to protect privacy and low enough to provide a good view without much effort while doing you-know-what! Perfect! With a fly-over, airport nearby there is enough to keep you from being bored. Flights taking-off and landing. Large hoardings by the fly-over and the numerous motorists on the. Being in the 4th floor, air keeps gushing in like the devotees at Tirumala. This is place offers such a big relief for a stressed mind (apart from its actual purpose, of course). I must admit, I have visited the place even when I didn't have to, just to enjoy the vista and fresh air. I wonder if I am the only one here, who feels that way.

...strangers are pop-ins

Yesterday, as I would do on any weekend, I was roaming the crowded streets of Hyderabad with my friend in his bike and we hit a red light. From our past experience we knew that its break time for our loyal motorcycle and let it sleep. Lost in thought, I merrily started whistling a favourite sound track from Kill Bill (you know, the piece that Daryl Hannah whistles when she goes as a nurse to kill Uma Thurman). When my senses came back to the real world, I found myself looking past a girl next to me. She gave hard glare at me and started raising her scooter's throttle periodically like a racer waiting for the "go" signal. I thought "Great! Now I am a loafer!" I foolishly smiled and raised my hand as a sign of apology. She hastily looked away feeling more insecure, most probably thinking "Crap! Now he is trying to talk to me! *&$@^>?*! Do they pull them aside and teach them to do this or something?". And she was off like a horse at the signal and turned right. I don't know if she was actually headed right or if that was an impulsive decision.

That made me think about all the strangers I meet every day. It struck me then, that strangers are like pop-ins. They come in different colors and tastes and melt out quickly from your mind. And the taste of these pop-ins are not only in them, but also in your tongue! And this tongue of yours is made of millions of taste buds like, your personality, state of mind, age, sex, status, what you are doing, what you are wearing, where you are going and many other things.

- To a baby, a stranger is probably a green coloured alien with transmitters in his head (recall that puzzling look in their face before they start wailing?),
- To an unemployed, he is a potential job opportunity,
- To a guy carrying heavy cash, he is a probable pick-pocket (remember the crowded bus or the guy standing behind you in the ATM?),
- To a girl's father (or a girl herself), he is a potential loafer,
- To someone who has realised that he/she is badly dressed, he is all eyes,
- To a single-and-looking, he is a potential date,- To someone like Forest Gump, a stranger is a great pass time, (remember Tom Hanks in that bus stop?),
- To a blogger, he is a faceless audience.
At some point of time, I have been all the taste buds and all the pop-ins (sadly, the single-and-looking is an exception). As the famous phrase goes, "...life is a box of chocolates.". Well, strangers are just a little bit different, aren't they?

Seven

So, thats what tagging is about. I had to visit a few others Maayaa had (and had not) tagged before I got an idea. So, its a question of seven. Why seven? Well, I guess why not? Anyway, here it is!

Seven

things I want to do.

1. Travel to Maldives. Its a wonderful place and will be off the map in about 10 years!
2. Learn human psychology and apply it.
3. Teach part-time at school and/or college.
4. Think proactively.
5. Watch all well-made movies
   
6. Learn and experience varied culture.
7. Learn Telugu and Urdu
   

things I can do.

1. Hold off anger
2. Get up early!
   
3. Respect someone's view, even if I don't buy it.
4. Make friends of diverse people.
5. Jog non-stop for 45 minutes, and work-out for an hour.
6. Listen out others (as I found out, many can't), especially in an arguement.
   
7. easily doze of while reading!
   

things I can't do.

1. Bargain
2. understand money matters (Business, profits, stock markets..)
3. Eat meat or smoke tobacco
4. flirt with girls
   
5. return a "Hi" with a "Hi" (I always say "Hello")
   
6. detect an ulterior motive
7. stop checking out girls (C'mon, don't hate me! I'm a guy! Atleast, I am honest!)
   

things I would like in the opposite sex

1. Simplicity
2. Sensibile spirituality
3. Good decent dressing sense
4. Out going personality
5. Sense of humour (atleast, a sense to appreciate a good joke!)
6. Unbiased attitude
7. Good looks (my favourite is girl-next-door's like Vidya Balan)
   

celebrities I like and why.

1. Vidya Balan (looks)
   
2. Tom Hanks(Acting)
3. Jack Nicholson (do)
   
4. Kamal Hassan (versatality)
5. Amir Khan(do)
6. Rani Mukarjee(acting)
   
7. Sania Mirza (performance)

Spam comment filters

Its not even ten minutes, since I became active and I already know what the blog needs in the future. Spam comment filters! Look at the first comment on my previous blog today. Its about some food allergy and why am I so damn sure that it was auto generated. Is there anybody in any corner of the world working on the spam comment filters?

Rising from the ashes

Whew.... a long time absence. Not that I have run out of ideas. But I had been travelling....half way around the globe. I wish that was a travel for pure fun. But I relocated to take up a new job. So, if my location still says that I am in Oregon, its a lie. Now I am in Hyderabad - in a new place, and in a new role, new experience and renewed excitement. Now I feel like the English Cricket team...I feel like I am rising from the ashes!

Special Mention: V.Murugan

V. Murugan - a soldier from an agricultural hamlet in Tirunelveli,Tamil Nadu - is remembered for his sacrifice in Kargil War. How? Read the story Remembering son of soil from The Hindu. You can do your honours for him too! Details in the article itself.

Scaffold: Mixed Bag

Culture:
An article about the city in Tamil Nadu build around a magnificiant temple.. Madurai from The Hindu

A look into numerous and unique chariots of temples of Tamil Nadu. Another special from The Hindu

A French musician inspired by Indian Cine Music.. from Times of India

Life:

The disgrace of killing precious life by carelessness..A MUST READ! . The Hindu

Disadavantaged children find a chance in BornFree Art School. Deccan Herald

Health:

Women's Health: A clarification on Dilatation and Curettage D&C and why its done The Hindu

A good news for diabetics Deccan Herald

Is Hindi Compulsary?

The most memorable journey I have ever had in my life was when I was just a eleven-year-old. A pilgrimage package trip to the holy Badrinath (it feels so great to be named after Him), which included various other places along the banks of the holy Ganga such as Hrishikesh, Haridwar and the sangam of Alaknanda and Bhagirati rivers apart from Mathura, Delhi, Agra (Taj!!!)...whew! the list is long! I have never been spell bound for days together before or after that.

The temples looked new. The idols glimmered with radiance. Every where I went, lush green Himalayas blocked the horizon from my view. When we were in the foot the mountain range, the Ganga (and once Yamuna!) formed the foreground. When we were scaling the mountains (by bus of course!), we saw her flow beside us down below! The sun god would show its bright orange smile, often beyond the mountains. Peacocks were as common as crows in Delhi. The pinacle of all? Snow! For the first time in my life! The only sad thing about the trip was that I knew I can never feel that great again! Deam childhood! Once again!

One other thing that made the journey different was that for the first time in my life, I used my bookish Hindi language skills. In Utter Pradesh and (surprisingly) in Delhi, we frequently ran into people who do not speak or understand English very well.

When I came to the US for my master's education, I came across what seams like a traditional North-South language divide. I had some painful experience with closest of my friends calling me non-patriotic as a result. In another instance another guy from up north started speaking in hindi. I was held up in my own thoughts and wasn't listening. I said, "Pardon?". He frowned and said "Oh! You are not Indian?". I left the scene, without speaking another word. Till date I don't know if he was being rude or if he honestly thought that an Indian always should know Hindi.

Hindi is our national language. I accept it whole-heartedly. Should it be spread to all the nook and corner of the country? Sure. A common suggestion and a point of contention is that it has to be made mandatory in the educational system. Do I agree? Well, if thats the only way, yes. But I feel that its a little bit of a socialistic attitude. Its like saying, every Indian must know the fundamental rules of hockey.

My take on it is, every school affiliated to the state board or central board must be encouraged to offer hindi, the mother tongue and english. But I feel that exept for the medium of instruction the rest should be optional. As the largest democracy, it only makes sense to offer people their right (to learn the language they want) and leave the choice up to them. After all, most of the Indians choose to follow cricket over hockey because they have choice.

As a person born and brought up in Chennai, and as a person with more or less as many hindi speaking friends as tamilians, I have had the previllege of looking at both the sides of the coin with a fair degree of clarity. I feel that my suggestion will go a long way in solving the core reason for a needless difference of opinion.

Scaffold: Horror!

Mine kills US soldiers in Iraq

A full list of Emergencies all over the world in Reuter

A father kills his daughther and friend in IUSA. For what? Disobedience!
India and Pakistan are building friendship, so what? People in Kashmir still die.

1. Reuters
2. Daily Times, Pakistan
   
3. Forbes

Woman loses her hand trying to stop child marriage in India Guardian

Killings in Iraq, a front-page web-exclusive editorial

I chose this simply because, I have something important coming up and knew that there will be plenty available to save me some time.

Special Mention: Victoria Hale

Few people become successful entrepreneurs. Fewer still think about helping the poor. Fewer still have it as a first priority One such person is Victoria Hale. She is the founder of world's only non-profit pharmaceutical company. OneWorld. A story in The Economist

Scaffold: India

NY Times news item on india's networking market

Can India shed the poverty monkey from its back? NY Times analysis.

A good coverage of business and politcal news about india in BusinessWeek

1. Dogfight Over India
2. From Cricket to Kashmir?
3. India: Bigger Pharma

Forbes' list of India's 40 richest! (photo from Forbe's Magazine)


Medicine in India is cheap and effective...and slowly noticed in the internationally.. here is an example from The Hindu

Disclaimer: All the news links from this or any post in this blog is simply obtained by using Google search. I don't get paid for posting any link. I don't mean to force anybody to read any article over the other. I don't mean to breach any copyright rules. If I do breach any that you know, before going to the lawyer, let me know in clear terms what I am breaching and what I should change (Not that I have millions to give away) .

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