My views on the state of the universe ...

Optimism

2011-09-03T07:34:00.000-07:00

Inch by Inch

2011-02-23T18:11:00.000-08:00

A list of professional liars

2011-02-20T05:53:00.001-08:00

Niyati ki Nashib

2011-02-09T21:37:00.000-08:00

Are you stuck in high school ?

2010-11-18T17:48:00.000-08:00

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2010/03/on-self-determination.html

...are we stuck in High School?
I had two brushes with higher education this week.
The first was at a speech I gave in New York. There were several Harvard Business School students there, invited because of their interest in marketing and exceptional promise (that's what I was told... I think they came because they had heard that Maury Rubin would make a great lunch!).
Anyway, they asked for my advice in finding marketing jobs. When I shared my views (go to a small company, work for the CEO, get a job where you actually get to make mistakes and do something) one woman professed to agree with me, but then explained, "But those companies don't interview on campus."
Those companies don't interview on campus. Hmmm. She has just spent $100,000 in cash and another $150,000 in opportunity cost to get an MBA, but...
The second occurred today at Yale. As I drove through the amazingly beautiful campus, I passed the center for Asian Studies. It reminded me of my days as an undergrad (at a lesser school, natch), browsing through the catalog, realizing I could learn whatever I wanted. That not only could I take classes but I could start a business, organize a protest movement, live in a garret off campus, whatever. It was a tremendous gift, this ability to choose.
Yet most of my classmates refused to choose. Instead, they treated college like an extension of high school. They took the most mainstream courses, did the minimum amount they needed to get an A, tried not to get into "trouble" with the professor or face the uncertainty of the unknowable. They were the ones who spent six hours a day in the library, reading their textbooks.
The best part of college is that you could become whatever you wanted to become, but most people just do what they think they must.
Is this a metaphor? Sure. But it's a worthwhile one. You have more freedom at work than you think (hey, you're reading this on company time!) but most people do nothing with that freedom but try to get an A.
Do you work with people who are still in high school? Job seekers only willing to interview with the folks who come on campus? Executives who are trying to make their boss happy above all else? It's pretty clear that the thing that's wrong with this system is high school, not the rest of the world.
Cut class. Take a seminar on french literature. Interview off campus. Safe is risky.

How we use the Internet.

2010-06-15T17:45:00.000-07:00

A Dialogue of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar with Shashi Tharoor.

2010-01-29T07:03:00.000-08:00

Shashi Tharoor on India's "soft power"

2009-11-30T07:20:00.000-08:00

As Shashi Tharoor says -- "In today's world, it's not the size of the army that wins. It's the country that tells a better story."

Why pay corporate taxes when ...

2009-06-25T07:44:00.000-07:00

Defence Tips for Obama -- from Brian Lara

2009-04-21T13:04:00.000-07:00

Now that is some defence !

courtesy : timesofindia.com

How to deal with a recession

2009-01-02T04:52:00.000-08:00

A turning Point

2008-12-03T08:22:00.000-08:00

It is with great pleasure that I see the way that the people of India are uniting together in the face of this terrorist attack.

This time seems different. This time seems to be a watershed moment.

I came across this blog mad-as-hell where the author, Suparn Verma talks about his frustration at the current state of affairs in our country. Is he talking about starting a non-cooperation movement akin to what Gandhi had done years ago ?

The people of India seems to be at a tipping point.

The young India is not like what we saw a generation back. The young India is different. The young India is more confidant and more aware.

They say that when someone throws stones at you ; the best thing to do is turn them into stepping stones.

I hope this attack was a watershed moment in the history of young India.

I hope this is the awakening.

I hope this event is the turning point that was just waiting to happen.

Why has terrorism not been defeated ?

2008-12-03T08:02:00.000-08:00

A brilliant article about why despite the best efforts from the entire world at large, terrorism has not been defeated.

The question we ask ourselves is - why has terrorism not been defeated ? Read this.

Frankly, Al Qaeda and the Taliban combine cannot win the war. They don't have the means. The jihad groups have no naval or air forces. No missile force either. They do have a slackly held guerrilla army that boasts of weapons with limited range and some quantities of explosives. Their satellite phones and other modest wireless systems are susceptible to interception, consequently a big constraint. These outfits do not boast of surveillance and intelligence gathering capabilities through satellites or UAVs.
In practical terms they have no reach. Al Qaeda, the Taliban or similar groups can only cause damage or destruction to contact targets and its immediate periphery which is woefully inadequate to topple a regime -- a prerequisite for victory. Kabul remains with Karzai, though at a cost, while Washington, Paris, and London continue to conduct international business unaffected.
Yet, Al Qaeda and the Taliban for years have managed to create a deadlock against the best equipped and trained forces of the first world on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. Why?

Why ?

How have an ill-equipped, ill managed, primitive army held the world hostage for so many years ?

A very short answer - When terrorism is attacked in apparently terrorists countries (Iraq/Afghanistan) - it seems to find safe havens in apparently non-terrorist states (Pakistan)

Last, the biggest folly was to trust Islamabad . At the time of invasion of Iraq, I cautioned the former American ambassador in a gathering at New Delhi that the "United States and its allies cannot win in Afghanistan since they have the lock (Afghanistan) but cannot unlock it as they do not have the key (Pakistan) under their control."

United States had some responsibilty for arming the tribes in Afghanistan against the Russians. They West later found out how counter-productive this move was !

The same mistake is being repeated with Pakistan. The West somehow thinks that they can turn a blind eye towards the fundamentalists that freely roam in Pakistan and still proclaim to fight terror elsewhere.

That would be like fighting a monster with a hundred arms by trying to cut one off one of its arms. To truly defeat the monster of terrorism - you have to attack the heart of this monster.

Waging a war in Iraq/Afghanistan is not enough -- it does not reach the heart of the problem. The terrorists will always find a safe haven by cleverly disguising themselves in a seemingly democratic country that lets them roam freely.

To solve the problem of terrorism. we must attack the heart of the problem.

To solve terrorism we must solve the problems in Pakistan -- Pakistan is the real key to ending terrorism.

The Senator from Punjab.

2008-12-01T15:18:00.001-08:00

It is a good sign for India to see the senator from punjab take over arguably one of the most important positions within the US government.

Coupled with some smart leadership from Obama -- the new cabinet looks to be a very very formidable team.

Nice !

India Stops 'live' CNN Transmission. - Good Riddance.

2008-11-28T10:44:00.000-08:00

A report just came in -- CNN tells us their "license expired".

That sounds very very suspicious ! -- A behemoth news organization like CNN forgets to renew their license exactly at this point of time ? I do not believe the explanation is so simple !

CNN getting their live transmission cut off serves them right. I have a feeling that was a deliberate move.

Listen out. I had expressed earlier how the CNN reporting was incompetent and downright distasteful and disrespectful. Just take one example -- There were segments where some local city sheriff from New Orleans was grading the performance of the Indian commandos as if it were kindergarten school. Is this what CNN wants to report about ? -- Give me a break ! -- Shame on You CNN.

Someone should ask the narrator -- If the west thinks so highly of their military/intelligence --- Why did it take so many years for the thousands and thousands of western soldiers and all the western technology to battle in Iraq ? Have you met with success there ? Huh ? Did you not learn in all this while -- it is not easy dealing with terrorists ! ?

CNN -- Teach your narrators/hosts something about the world ! Learn to look beyond your own western self.

Even as mumbai is going through tragedy -- all you western media can think of is your own western self ? ?

CNN -- Is this the time to talk about the chinks about how these events are being dealt with ?

CNN -- You are worried about the handful of westerners killed/injured and their lives - Why is there not a single thought provoking segment about the hundreds of Indians killed/injured ?

CNN -- You are reporting about how "Unconfirmed India Sources" believe the attackers could be linked to some other country. Did you every say it was the "Unconfirmed American Sources" who believed the attackers of 9/11 came from Iraq ?

CNN -- Your reporting on the delicate events in mumbai are plain supremist, racist and shamelessly catered to your own viewers/clienteles narrow point of view. Think about it. And pull up your bootstraps.

And yeah - About the tragedy in Mumbai. Remember -- The good shall win. The good always wins.

Jai Hind.

Disclaimer: These are purely personal opinions. Nothing more. Nothing less.

CNN "International" - Get yourself to be more competent !

2008-11-27T07:17:00.000-08:00

The CNN reporting on the Nov 26 Mumbai madness is atrociously incompetent !

Comparing the reports by CNN versus the one by IBN blatantly highlights the vast difference in the reporting quality for correctness, clarity and completeness. All that I hear from CNN are regurgitated irrelevant reports that are far from clear.

To add to the incompetence of their reports the narrators pass doubts about the competence of the India military/Police/Intelligence and keep on repeating how India was offered help from US and UK ?

Some advice for CNN - the incompetent party here happens to be your international reporting team.

Go get a competent international reporting team !

Expecting some confused american reporters/narrators to clearly understand the complexity of what is going on the ground in a country they do not understand is unreasonable.

A good reporter needs to know the country down from their heart and soul to correctly interpret and report events- especially at such tense occasions. You need to be a native to truly understand the gravitas of what is going on. The American reporters/narrators have no idea what is going on - they are just clueless.

You must have a competent local team to truly understand what is going on !

--- Over to IBN now.

11/26. Hmm.

2008-11-26T03:12:00.000-08:00

Gobama !

2008-11-04T20:00:00.000-08:00

Yes we can. Yes We can.

Yes I could ! Yes I could -- tell you so correctly from a long , very loooong time ago !

This one is a different one. This one is a special one. This one is the one.

Aaah - the pleasant feeling of seeing the right things happen at the right time.

There is hope. There will be hope.

This event in time would definitely be a turning point in world history. No doubts.

Chandrayaan, Chess and Cricket ...

2008-10-21T17:37:00.000-07:00

Refering to a very old previous post. What a day today is !

We are on our way to the moon. Fingers crossed.

I cannot hide the tingle of excitement and pride as I watch the launch ! The fourth stage has been deployed --- What a feeling ! Infinite amazement ! Un-describable ! If that is a word. How can such things be described in words ?

On a smaller scale, we are looking good to get a world champion here Anand defeats Kramnik to lead by 3 points in the World Chess Championship,

And perhaps the least significant one is where India comprehensively beats the pretend world champions by some 300 runs in Mohali.

A very good day indeed !!

P.S: Disclaimer for the images. Duh.

P.P.S:

Another thing to note:

The net budget for Chandrayan is ~ 80 million USD. Barack Obama collected ~ 150 million USD for his presidential bid on Sep '08

i.e - India is sending an entire spacecraft to the moon, in about as much money as Barack can collect in 15 days. Incredible.

Bailout - From a Presidential view.

2008-09-26T06:53:00.000-07:00

Sarah Palin was asked by Katie Couric to explain what she thought about the 700 Billion USD Bailout instigated by Fed. Here is what she had to say.

" That’s why I say I, like every American I’m speaking with, we’re ill about this position that we have been put in where it is the taxpayers looking to bail out. But ultimately what the bailout does is help those who are concerned about the healthcare reform that is needed to help shore up our economy. Helping the—it’s got to be all about job creation too, shoring up our economy and putting it back on the right track. So health care reform and reducing taxes and reining in spending has got to accompany tax reductions and tax relief for Americans and trade—we’ve got to see trade as opportunity, not as competitive, scary thing, but one in five jobs being created in the trade sector today—we’ve got to look at that as more opportunity. "

And she is a Vice-Presidential nominee ; one who is one 72 year old heart-beat away from being the President of the United States of America.

Was McCain even remotely lucid in his thoughts when he picked her to be his VP nominee ? All of this almost defies belief !

First it was George Bush, then we had John McCain and now we have Sarah Palin ? Hmmmm ...

Some Nice Nuclear Waste for sale -- Anybody ? ? ?

2008-09-22T07:29:00.000-07:00

I had written some time back arguing in favor of the nuclear deal ; and boy am I happy to see the deal materialize despite the best attempts from the nutty left. [ You think the left are not nutty ? - Singur, Tata anyone ? ]

There is a lot of good press that this deal is generating -- the energy options it provides India, the profits/jobs that it creates for Russia/France/USA and the likes. Who would have thought that the day would come so soon, when the developed world would be looking to India for generating jobs and money. But I digress.

One thing that is not being brought up by the media though is the issue of nuclear waste. I have not seen any significant media coverage on this very important issue !

In a country like India where even strict rules are taken as nothing but mere guidelines - how would we deal with the issue of disposing nuclear waste ? -- Would it all be dumped without any precautions, to some 'lesser fortunate' places within the country ; thus putting the environment and lives at stake ?

We know that the nuclear waste disposal problem is the mother of all waste-disposal problems. The radioactive leftovers potentially last for large periods of time, and could have deadly effects on large portions of the surrounding environment. Look at the problems United States is having with approving the proposed Yucca Mountains nuclear waste site.

If nuclear waste could prove to be a problem in a mostly law-abiding nation like United States, I fear how are the corrupt babus in India are going to deal with this important issue.

Are we taking enough care - that we do not become the nuclear dumping ground of the west ?

Nuclear Energy is good -- but India must also explore other alternatives, just as United States is doing; We must not fall into the trap of greedy commercialization from the corporates who want to sell us energy at any cost. We must keep all our energy options open.

A Great Video ...

2008-08-01T07:48:00.000-07:00

WAH - 08

2008-07-16T07:24:00.000-07:00

Cell Phone Ban

2008-07-14T07:38:00.000-07:00

I believe using a cell-phone while driving is considered dangerous ; and it is banned in several parts in the United States.

I was wondering what impact such rules would have if implemented in India -- then I saw this.

Mid Quarter Iragi Progress Report

2008-06-17T07:35:00.000-07:00

An extremely Illuminating report on recent(i.e. past 6 years) progress in Iraq. A must see.

IF again !

2008-04-01T03:45:00.000-07:00

Posting again this one poem by Rudyard Kipling called " IF ".

Life takes so many turns --- some turns are big; some are small. It is the set of core principles that a man holds - that guide him through all things big and small - ain't that true ? This Poem just embodies one aspect of that.

The thing for a person to remember -- is to take care of ones core values, beliefs and principles. The rest takes care of itself !

IF

If you can keep your head when all about you
are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream--and not make dreams your master,
If you can think--and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!

--Rudyard Kipling

Dear Ponting, Hayden and Symonds ;

2008-03-04T20:53:00.000-08:00

Would it be a good idea for all three of you to read this before making premature comments in the future ?

While you are at it - you could glance at this too ?

Thank You.

The Ever-right democracy.

2008-03-03T20:43:00.000-08:00

Found this here.

The United States on Monday used precision missiles to strike a "known terrorist target" in southern Somalia, a U.S. military official said.

The strike near Dhoobley, which is close to the Kenyan border, was aimed at a "facility where there were known terrorists" affiliated with East African al Qaeda operations, according to the official.

The strike destroyed two houses -- killing three women and three children, and wounding another 20 people -- Dhoobley's District Commissioner Ali Nur Ali Dherre told
CNN. Dherre said the remains of the missiles were marked "US K."

Reminds me of something Gandhi said :

What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty or democracy?

-- Mahatma Gandhi

Nothing more needs to be mentioned. Amen.

Global Warming and the attack of the concentric circles.

2008-02-26T19:55:00.000-08:00

Breaking News: Series Of Concentric Circles Emanating From Glowing Red Dot

Words of Wisdom by Scott Adams.

2008-02-08T06:50:00.000-08:00

"Dance like it hurts; Love like you need the money; Work when people are watching."

Thats a real Deep thought. Deep. Very Deep.

And my vote goes to ...

2008-01-07T21:34:00.000-08:00

I had written about the presidential race some time back, while the P-race was still in its infancy.

Alas, I found that my favorite candidate: Colbert, could not make the cut. I had to come up with a pick among the current litany of pretenders.

I do have a clear favorite though.

Among Obama's other obviously impressive characteristics, it is very refreshing to see an American Politician juxtaposing an obvious intellect with an honest conscience. A rare quality that.

Watch out for this one. He is one world-leader for the future.

The Sun is producing nuclear energy. Attack the Sun.

2007-11-27T21:57:00.000-08:00

Big Tobacco fights Breast cancer.

2007-11-14T22:37:00.000-08:00

"Big Tobacco has joined forces with the breast cancer industry in the launch of its newest product aimed at raising money for breast cancer research: "Pink ribbon" SlimSmokes cigarettes for women. For every pack of cigarettes sold, the manufacturer pledges to donate two cents to breast cancer research. "We aim to raise money to help find a cure for breast cancer," said Yin Hailing, spokesperson for Phillip Porous, the maker of pink ribbon SlimSmokes cigarettes. "Because the longer our best customers live, the more they can smoke! "

Furthermore,

"Accordingly, the Susie B. Wheezie Foundation proclaimed that buying these pink ribbon cigarettes is like "investing in your own future," since funds from the sales will be used to find a cure for the disease caused by the product itself. A new event called, "Smoke for the cure" is planned for next year as a way to increase product sales and raise more money for breast cancer research."

Read the rest over here .

The UnShakeable

2007-11-09T21:54:00.000-08:00

One of my favorites from the yonder years -

Conundrum on being an Indian Liberal

2007-11-05T21:13:00.000-08:00

Found this paragraph in a book review for Tharoors "The Elephant, The Tiger, and The Cell-Phone "

Liberals, like nerds, can be bullied. But unlike the nerds, liberals are not too bright. They do not have the spark of genius of the nerds. The liberals are mediocre in the nice sense of the term. That is, they are normal folk, who believe in the good and right things. And they assume the role of opinion leaders because they are articulate and express themselves in earnest tones. They are evangelical and self-righteous as well in what they believe and in what they say.

International bureaucrat and novelist-essayist Shashi Tharoor is a liberal. To make things worse, he is also an Indian liberal. Unlike the Western liberal, who is willing to accept diversity and differences, his Indian counterpart wants to embrace everything.

How very apt a description, of the subtle differences within differing liberal mindsets.

Good Music loops on and on and on ...

2007-11-02T20:48:00.000-07:00

Good music is that music, which never really ends.

That music which is forever - music which plays on, even when its source is gone - is'nt that true ?

Presidential Race '08

2007-10-17T20:00:00.000-07:00

Despite the obvious anti-incumbency induced Presidential lead the Democrats have, I have been unsure of a clear victory for them. The last months have shown a number of possible candidates in the fray - some with true potential of being the next president (mostly Democrats), while some who are plain in-the-running-just-to-show-my-face-to-the-public.

Although I do not have a horse in the race - I did like some of them. Barack Obama was by far the most impressive candidate to me - he seemed to be an intellectual with his ethics and values in the right place. Hillary looks to be a credible woman and a good candidate too - although she appears to be a tad of boorish and shows a pretentious intellect to me - but thats what American presidents of recent past are - eh ?. Mitt Romney was another person that talked some sense, while Edwards was a nice and like-able underdog candidate too. McCain and Giuliani are too right-wing for my liking. Bill Richardson is another guy who seems to be a sensible choice - though unfortunately he does not have the star-power that some of his competitors have.

I definitely had some favorites - Obama, in particular, but nobody seemed head-and-shoulders and more above the others.

Nobody I could see who had the combination of both Intellect and Ethics, a balance of Sophistication and Humbleness, someone who had not only the vision but also followed a dream, a person with a sense of Purpose and a sense of Humor - no one who seemed an ' Atal Bihari Vajpayee' style winner in my mind.

Until I saw this one.

Vote for Colbert for 08 !

A Real World Champion

2007-10-01T21:49:00.000-07:00

In times where the the nation talks about pseudo cricket champions, almost richest person in the world, emerging economies, one of the biggest software companies, potential super power status - it is a pleasure to see a real undisputed champion.

Great performance from a truly great sportsman. Heres wishing him to show Kramnik his place in the 2008 title defence too.

Racing - It is a state of the mind.

2007-08-22T22:35:00.000-07:00

Anything you can do - I can do better.

( Watch for the ending. )

For want of a nail - the kingdom was lost.

2007-08-20T21:41:00.000-07:00

The US-India Atomic Energy Act promises to be the one of the most crucial treaties of the modern times. This is an act that not only establishes co-operation between the largest and the richest democracy's - but is also an harbinger to enhanced ties between these two giants.

In a time when even the signatory members of the controversial NPT - countries such as Iran and the once ratified North-Korea are facing flak from the rest of the world for developing nuclear technologies - here we have a non-signatory member being offered an option for technology transfer. This move is not only unprecedented, but also a great moral victory on a global stage for India.

It is an win-win situation for both countries as one can see it. India - a developing country facing acute power crisis gets accelerated access to advanced technology to fulfill its power needs and also establishes friendly ties with the most powerful and like-minded friend that one can have. United States on the other hand has clear commercial benefits to reap - and the added advantage of cozying up to a sleeping giant that is well on its way to wake up and dominate the coming century. It is in the interest of both countries to continue to build their relationship to next levels.

The deal looks all set to augur a new era in world politics - one that not only confirms the eastward shifting of the balance of world power - but in a way, also signals an unspoken acceptance to India's concerns over the nuclear-discrimination caused by NPT .

All of it was looking good - until a few spoil-sports, started creating obstacles - for reasons that seems to be inspired from local and petty political considerations.

It is sad to see the state of affairs.

Those opposing the deal, do not even site concrete reasons/solutions/alternatives to solve the energy crisis the country is facing. They talk about dangers of getting 'too close' to the capitalist powers of the United States - while conveniently ignore the very poignant fact that India has been registering record GDP rates only due to the money flowing in from this 'capitalist' country.

It is my hope that such short sighted political agendas do not derail the chance of a greater good-will and common-sense to prevail.

It reminds me of a poem I heard when I was perhaps seven years old. May be - the members of CPI should brush up their third standard literature syllabus - they surely seem to be behaving like seven year olds !

For want of a nail the shoe was lost.
For want of a shoe the horse was lost.
For want of a horse the rider was lost.
For want of a rider the battle was lost.
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.

Heres hoping that for the want of the nail of petty polics we do not loose us the kingdom of friendly co-operative co-existence.

Finally - a Brown Prime Minister

2007-07-19T05:42:00.000-07:00

Do you people ever feel that the Liberal World has dawned upon the democratic nations in a blink of an eye ?

We have a woman candidate and a black one as front-runners for the US presidency.
We are just about to have the first woman president in India - right after the Muslim president ends his term.

If you though that was enough - this one takes the cake with the cherry on top.

We now have the once Imperial Great-Britain run by a Brown Prime minister - one who is doing a great job at it !

Aaah- the good days are here - the days of us liberals are finally here.

Take a Minute. Donate An Hour. Change a Life.

2007-07-04T05:50:00.000-07:00

Putin thinks he is the next Gandhi ?

2007-06-04T20:34:00.000-07:00

Russian premier Vladimir Putin gave a statement to the effect of calling himself the complete democrat.
At one point he says

"After the death of Mahatma Gandhi there's nobody to talk to,"

I have been a supporter of Putin. I think he is one of the smarter world politicians - someone who has done considerably well in rebuilding Russia in the past few years.

There might be a slight chance that the Mahatma was fooling the world. May be - in reality Gandhi was a black-belt karate expert who sipped wine while his countrymen were hungry. There is a possibility that Gandhi did covertly order a few wars to be fought, and that he did ask his people to indulge in violence.

But I have a small suspicion that you are seriously wrong on this count, Mr. Putin !

Maradona is back

2007-05-15T21:32:00.000-07:00

Lionel Messi scored an incredible goal for F.C Barcelona some weeks back.

The similarities between this not-so-messy messi goal, to the goal-of-the-century is eerie. Maradona had scored in the exact same way, only one goal after his infamous hand-of-god goal of 1986. Both the players have similar physiques, similar styles, and of course, both wear their white-and-sky-blue's when they play for their country.

Messi demonstrates all the prime qualities expected of the world's top striker - the close ball control, the incredible burst of speed, the deceptive change in directions and for the finale, pin-point accuracy in front of goal. All of the qualities evident in one incredible goal.

A spectacular goal from yet another brilliant Argentine forward. Take a bow, all you Ronaldo's - we have another Argentine striker on the blocks.

Peace and Growth in the emerging new world

2007-05-07T19:55:00.000-07:00

In a beautiful dissection of the state of affairs for India and the world in general, Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon gave a speech titled 'India and International Security'.

Menon talks about the change in the world that has occurred as Indian has matured from a fledgling new born country into a world leader.

At independence, it was natural that the primary task of India's foreign and security policies was to enable India to begin the process of economic and social transformation that a poor and backward country required.
The immediate objectives were therefore a peaceful environment, strategic space and autonomy, free of entanglement in Cold War conflicts or alliances. Non-alignment, as this policy was called, was the ability to judge issues on their merits and their effect on India's interests, or, as our first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru used to say, 'enlightened self-interest'.
Six decades later, we face a different world. The end of the Cold War, accelerating processes of globalisation and the salience of trans-national challenges characterise the current global scene. India too has undergone a profound internal change during this period.
Economic growth and modernisation are transforming our society at an unprecedented pace. The impact of technology is being increasingly felt. Movements of goods, services, capital and people connect us more closely than ever to once distant societies.

He discusses in detail the role of India in its immediate neighborhood as well as in the World. A very well made observation is the seemingly obvious, but unfortunately under-appreciated importance of co-existence.

Menon discusses India in context with all its immediate neighbors and emphasizes the importance of not only maintaining peace, but points out the inter-dependence that these countries inherently have.

He also addresses the other concerns that our global society faces - he addresses the over-rated issue of terrorism and the under-rated issue of Environmental Change (in my opinion). A very interesting and legitimate point he makes in understanding these concerns is, where he mentions how the new world must re-align itself to the new world order.

If our international institutions are not dealing successfully with the challenges of today, one reason is the fact that they no longer reflect current or emerging realities of power.

A very interesting article. Check out the entire speech over here.

An hour with Colbert

2007-05-05T09:18:00.000-07:00

A video where Colbert is interviewed for a change. Take a look.

Colbert did some hilarious segments on bollywood some time back that may be known to all. On a slightly different yet interesting note though, here is another interview he did with Shashi Tharoor. Funny !

The answer to everything

2007-05-01T19:45:00.000-07:00

Do you want to know the answer to the meaning of life ? Do you wonder about the answer to the universe ? Would you like to have that one single answer to everything ?

Hold your breath.

Concentrate.

Hear it from me now. Hear the answer you have always been seeking.

Here is the answer which will solve all your problems, end all your wanderings and be the ultimate fruit of all your cogitations. Here is the path to eternal tranquility. Here lies the seed of brahman and here is the sound of Aum.

Are you ready for the answer ? pakkka ? ? Here we go then.

The answer is 42.

Sounds incredible ? Check it by googling it up or check it here.

Tathaastu ! :)

A lead in the war against HIV

2007-04-25T19:21:00.000-07:00

A series of important meetings are taking place that could decide the fate of upcoming HIV blocking drugs. Pfizer seems to have taken the lead, but there are other Pharmaceutical giants, including Merck which are closing in on HIV inhibitors.

A panel of experts meets in Rockville, Md., to advise the Food and Drug Administration on whether to approve Pfizer's maraviroc to fight HIV. If approved it would be the first in a new class of treatments that block HIV from entering white blood cells through a pathway present in some patients that carry the virus.

There have been numerous research directions that have given moderately successful results - with several candidates for cancer inhibiting markers being discovered. The fight against cancers is not completely won, but the progress has been commendable.

HIV, along with cancer remains the holy grail for the biotechnology world and all advancements in combating them come as great news.

The developments are heartening and the success of this research would not only go a long way in providing a boost to the Pharmaceutical industry,but much more importantly - help in saving lives.

The game of Consolidation ?

2007-04-23T22:58:00.000-07:00

con·sol·i·da·tion
Pronunciation: k&n-"sä-l&-'dA-sh&n2 : the process of uniting : the quality or state of being united; specifically : the unification of two or more corporations by dissolution of existing ones and creation of a single new corporation

As the world grapples with the new realities of a seamless world, there has been a marked change in the way business is carried out. These changes have stemmed from the development of better communication with the advent of the industrial revolution, and has been exaggerated with the digital revolution triggered in the 21st century.

This is an age where boundaries are getting hazier. It does not matter whether one is ensconced in a plush developed country or if one is in a relatively underdeveloped part of the world. The digital age and the modern age has brought a parity in the world that was not present before.

This new environment where 'boundaries' mean nothing has also drastically changed the way business is done. This is the day and age where any Industry would work best if it works 'across boundaries' rather than within them.

The boundaries I am referring to are not necessarily just political boundaries across countries. These could boundaries across locations such as states or cities or even boundaries across different corporate cultures, practices and different ways of working.

Consolidation is the name of the game right now - and we can slowly see many industries waking up to this reality.

Take a look at the changes in the very important steel industry in the last few years. Consolidation in the steel industry began a year back and is now a process which has snowballed into a trend where most of the major steel companies have continued on, by forming mergers and/or through acquisitions. The Software sector has seen a spur of activity primarily due to Google going through a slew of acquisitions, right from YouTube upto DoubleClick.

There has been some consolidation in the Financial sector with merger news from Barclay and ABN Ambro, Nasdaq improving its stake in LSE being the latest such news. The Pharmaceuticals Industry has seen some activity, with some acquisitions by Merk, GSK, Eli Lilly and Pfizer. The acquisition of MedImmune by AstraZeneca is the latest big acquisition in this Industry. The Automobile Industry has been relatively non-affected by the waves of consolidation as of now. But then, pure logic would point to a need of consolidation in this industry - perhaps a tie up between GM and Ford ?

The Consolidations that we have seen until now - may just be the tip of the Iceberg.

Are we going to see a wave of consolidations across all Industries in the future ? Time shall tell.

Long live the king, the king is gone.

2007-04-19T19:32:00.000-07:00

Lara quitting from all forms of Cricket would mean him all but handing over his Test Cricket record to Sachin. That was the first selfish thought that came to my mind as I heard the news. But as I thought some more, I realized that Lara was never a man to run after records anyways.

His retirement just shows the kind of man that we know Brian Charles Lara to be - a great player who went on to break all the big records that could be broken - all done with the nonchalance of not needing to break them. That same aura of nonchalant brilliance could be seen in the way he batted. The slightly high bat lift, the slight jump as he shifted weight and then that exquisite flashy square drive. It is all etched in the memory of all cricket lovers for eternity.

I never confessed this before, but this may be the best occasion to come out clean. The best batsman in the world has retired.

Thank you for the entertainment ! There will not be another Brian Lara for quiet some while

P.S: I meant Test Batsman - but of course.

Tagore and Jasraj - A Classical Classic !

2007-04-19T18:15:00.000-07:00

Here is a beautiful video song. The lyrics to this song were penned by Rabindranath Tagore, while the song itself is sung by the maestro - Pandit Jasraj.

The song is about a gathering of minds, about knowledge, about working for your motherland, and most importantly - about 'working for the perfection of the spirit of man and a universal humanity'

A song with meaningful lyrics, excellent music and a great vocal. The video is not bad either. Check it out.

Before it starts ...

2007-04-19T06:01:00.000-07:00

There is nothing quiet like a good Joke about a beer. Before reading on, can you pass me that chilled one ? Please :)

Rest in Peace - a selfish world.

2007-04-18T06:02:00.001-07:00

What happened in Blacksburg, Virginia some days back was a horrible and shocking incident. My condolences to the deceased.

The reaction that I saw in the media and on the internet after that though - is something I fail to comprehend.

Why are the deaths of these 32 people being blown out of proportion ? Do not hundreds of people die everyday ? Are not hundreds of people killed in Kashmir, in the Middle East - while we sleep cosily in our houses ? Do not thousands die in Africa out of hunger while we eat our McDonald burgers ?

Why are these deaths mere statistics to us - while the 32 who died in Virginia Tech hailed as heroes ?

The reason, I believe - is that humans have become too selfish. They do not grieve for the dead. They are just vicariously looking at the dead and hoping that they do not get into the same situation.

They know that they will not be killed in Kashmir. They know that they will not die of hunger in Africa. However, they could be walking in a campus or a superstore and get shot at by lunatics. And that really scares them. They are just selfish about their own well-being.

If we people were so genuinely compassionate about the suffering of fellow human beings - we would know that there is far greater suffering in the world than what we saw at Virginia Tech.

This post does not say that what happened in Virginia Tech was forgivable. Not the least. All I am saying is - please learn to put things in a proper perspective !

If there can be so much hue and cry about the deaths at Virginia Tech, We could also write articles about people killed in Kashmir and the middle East. We could raise awareness of people dying in Africa. We could do so many more things for the benefit of humanity.

We should raise concerns about humanity as a whole - not just about things that could only affect us.

If we want to claim to be good human beings - we should stop being selfish !

Just some food for thought.

Update:

233 people were killed in Iraq today, and I do not see any one even raising an eyebrow. No CNN headlines - no countless blogs - no orkut communities. What hollow people we have become !

25.999999999 ...

2007-04-12T19:10:00.000-07:00

One more trip round the sun for me, and I happened to take a look at this.

At age 26:

American anthropologist Margaret Mead wrote her famous dissertation, Coming of Age in Samoa, which claimed that in some societies adolescence is not a particularly difficult time.

Albert Einstein published five major research papers in a German physics jornal, fundamentally changing man's view of the universe and leading to such inventions as television and the atomic bomb.

Benjamin Franklin published the first edition of Poor Richard's Almanac, which was to play a large role in molding the diverse American character.

Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Chereshkova became the first woman to travel in space.

College dropout Steve Wozniak co-founded Apple Computer.

Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin, revolutionizing the economies of the United States and Britain.

Antoine Joseph Sax invented the brass saxophone.

"Johnny Appleseed" brought apple seeds to the Ohio Valley.

Napoleon Bonaparte conquered Italy.

Gon Yangling memorized more than 15,000 telephone numbers in Harbin, China.

Orion Krynen of Denver, CO reached this age without much incident.

British ethologist Jane Goodall set up camp in the Gombe Stream Chimpanzee Reserve on Lake Tanganyika and began studying the lives of chimpanzees.

Ken Kesey published his first novel, One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest.

Thomas Pynchon published V., for which he won the William Faulkner First Novel Award.

Jimi Hendrix choked to death on his own vomit.

Kirsteene Luhrmann of Melburne, Victoria quit smoking.

Stephen Breen from Dublin, Ireland found this site.

Darren Blackburn became the first and only athlete of the Principality of Sealand, despite being somewhat lacking in athletic ability.

Syd Jesus co-founded the dUdU Art Collective in Oakland, California and turned an entire warehouse space into a conceptual art piece entitled "The $5000 Gallery."

Matthew Royer took a dog for a walk every day of the year in Minnesota, with a coldest daytime high of 0 degrees F. The average walk time was 30 minutes.

Derrick Pallas was horrified to realize he was losing his hair, just like Dad.

Jan Birkeland from Norway managed to get to work without hitting a single red light.

Angie Olson got so drunk on her 26th birthday, her friends were able to dress her up as a clown.

No stellar world-changing-achievements to report from my side as yet, and no major regrets in this unfinished life of mine too.

The last 26 rounds of the sun have been real good - lets see how the rest of the story goes.

Puneri Patya

2007-04-03T20:34:00.000-07:00

One of "those" things about pune -- puneri patya !

"Patya" are notices/warnings meant for the onlooker, meant to convey some information. What sets some of them apart is when these 'patya' become overtly loud and informal in language. The result being - they become more a source of humor than of any real information.

Take a look at this sampling of puneri-patya and enjoy !

1. This one is self evident.

2. This one warns people from parking illegally, threatening 'deflating' the offending vehicles tires.

3. This one says " I am Donkey for parking in front of the gate " !

4. This one asks people not to 'chit-chat' near the doors. It explains that this is a business place and not a "chit-chat-hall'.

5. This one tries to shoo off inquisitive onlookers. It says " Do not look inside. There is nothing interesting here".

6. This one says "Do not stamp your feet ". [ do not make noise while climbing the stairs]

7. This Cycle-repair shop proudly calls itself 'A Cycle Hospital'.

8. The overtly proud Puneri here claims in the red letters - "The owner of this building is Mr. Shridhar Madhusudhan Marathe ".

9. This last one is a gem - my favorite one among this lot. It says "Oh Lord, be generous to all of humanity -- but start with me " !

Cricket circa. 2009

2007-03-29T07:15:00.000-07:00

Rohan sent to me an article with prophetic predictions for the Indian cricket team in a few years time.

The Times Of India 14th Feb, 2009:

India is playing in a 5 nation tournament ; the other countries being Uganda, Sudan, Papua new guinea and the mighty Bolivia. Today is a must win match for India against tournament favourites Bolivia for a berth in the semi finals. The winner of the tournament will fight for a place to enter the top 35 rankings in the world.

On the morning of the match, a strategy session is being held by Greg and Rahul. This is how it goes.

Greg: Boys, this is one of the most important matches in the last three years. We have to beat Bolivia. Lets go through the batting line up and the bowling line up in this meeting.

Greg: So Sourav, you will open right?

Sourav: I don't know. Bolivia has a pace bowler who only bowls short pitch deliveries. His pace is consistently in the range 55-60 miles /hour. I cannot handle all that pace.

Greg: Oh, thats ok. He won't dare to bowl short pitch stuff against the Indian batsman (we have such good credentials). If he does by mistake, just to make a statement to the media, get Hit Wicket and come back. Such non sense should not be tolerated.

Greg: So who will partner Sourav.

Rahul: I think Sehwag should. He looked in form in the last game against Sudan. He hit 5 fours between first slip and second slip before he got caught at second slip. I think he is in the pink of his form and he should open.

Greg: Thats good.

Greg: Sachin, you will bat at four ... ok?

Sachin: I don't know.I have to go shopping at 11. That means I can't bat beyond ten overs.

Greg: Sourav and Sehwag will last till six overs. So, you will come then. Don't worry, just play your natural game and follow your instincts. You will go by ten overs.

Greg: So Dhoni, you will keep?

Dhoni: I am not keeping. Last time, I kept for three hours. My hair is getting spoiled. I have thousands of lice in my hair. As a result, the cows in my village have started snubbing me and my advances. These days, dragonflies have started staying in my hair as their food lice is there. I need a haircut, I am not playing.

Greg: Please play just one more match, its the mightly Bolivians, just one last one. Please !

Dhoni: Ok. But don't do this next time.

Greg meanwhile was going through the batting averages and noticed that Dravid had the longest stay at the crease for the last 67 matches. So he asked Dravid to give a presentation in front of the team as to what motivated him so much and what was the secret to his concentration.

Dravid: My wife is extremely ugly. So, I try to stay as long as possible away from her. That is why I play a low risk game (In the last game, he hit 3 runs from 92 balls). If I get out, I have to go back to her.

Everyone starts applauding. What an inspirational cricketer.

Now it is time to decide on the bowling line up.

Greg: Obviously Zaheer is opening. He was brilliant last game. (Zaheer had bowled only 23 wides in the last match and he picked up three wickets. The secret to this brilliant bowling performance was a result of a mentoring session from Venkatesh Prasad. Prasad told him that to bowl from mid off and aim at Third slip. As a result, Zaheer returned with the best figures in the match.)

Greg: Off-late I have noticed that Rahul has been facing a lot of pressure and so we have decided to come up with Batting, Bowling and Fielding Captain to relieve Rahul of some of the responsibility.

Greg: I have noticed that Munaf Patel has stayed not out in the last three matches (all the other batsmen had got out by then). I admire the commitment of this lad and as a result he is the Batting Captain.

Greg: I was also going through this figure. Sourav has been involved in 177 run outs. But he himself has never got out. He values his wicket so much. I think we all need to Congratulate him on the price he sets for his wicket. Sourav, you are the running-between-wickets captain.

Greg: Anil has been sitting on the bench for the last three years. He keeps taking snaps throughout the match. He is such a team-man. I think we need to recognize this loyalty. Anil, you are the Bowling Captain.

Greg: Harbhajan is the fielding captain.

Rahul: But he dropped the catch in the last match when he dived to his right to take it.

Greg: At least he dived in the right direction.

After this intense brainstorming session, India looks all set to take on Bolivia. Please pray for the team's success.

Invade Iran now ?

2007-03-28T20:40:00.000-07:00

A Video footage of the British Captives taken hostage by Iran has just been released. The detainees agree to trespassing into Iranian waters and also claim to have met with "friendly, hospitable and thoughtful' people.

It is very interesting to note that the voices coming from the British Ministries have a much harsher and an indignant tone than the people held captive in this report. There have been reports of other even more drastic developments .

Coming back to the original report, I do not find the attitude of the detainees hard to believe. It is easy to imagine a group of Britishers being treated well by people of Iran. Yes ! One can imagine an Israeli man shaking a friendly hand with a Palestinian and how very easy it is for an Indian to have a Pakistani friend. It does not sound unbelievable at all. It is natural - You meet someone new and different, and it is instinctive to be respectful !

It is a real pity that when the Governments are involved and when societies as a whole interact with another alien societies - the possibility of peaceful co-existence always seems more remote. Societies as a whole are always wary of each other.

I hope that the governments of USA and UK do not leverage incidents as these as an excuse for another invasion ! It is important that these powers of the world realize that it would be much more fruitful to develop bonds of peace - rather than to start wars.

It is important for economic and humanitarian reasons that USA and UK learn to live peacefully with the rest of the world.

A power which cannot control itself, is no power at all.

Whether good sense prevails - time shall tell.

Slinged 4 in 4

2007-03-28T20:21:00.000-07:00

In a brilliant display of fast bowling, Lasith Malinga captured 4 South African wickets in 4 balls - including the well set Kallis.

On observing his bowling carefully I am left wondering if he "bowled" his way to the 4 wickets, or "Slinged" his way to 4 wickets ?

I know there is no bent elbow - Even then, am I the only one who finds his action a 'bit of suspect' ?

A bad bad day ...

2007-03-23T18:10:00.000-07:00

I saw a forward in my inbox after the India-Bangladesh game.

It was one of those marginally humorous jokes that you tend to read - the kinds that get twisted a bit here and a tad there before being sent out for their bouts with our spam filters - till you must have read ten different flavors of the same joke.

When I read through it - I thought to myself that it was funny in a gloomy sort of way - one of those that attempt to draw a silver-lining smile from you from an otherwise gloomy cloud. It did make me smile though.

But looking back in hindsight - that forward in my mail-box was a cruel cruel one. It was plain sadistic ! People ought to think before forwarding such cruel things !

It is just a game. I know. But it has been a bad bad day.

Here is that cruelly humorous forward.

HER DIARY

Day night, I thought he was acting weird. We had made plans to meet at a cafe to have some coffee.I was shopping with my friends all day long, so I thought he was upset at the fact that I was a bit late, but he made no comment. Conversation wasn't flowing so I suggested that we go somewhere quiet so we could talk, he agreed but he kept quiet and absent. I asked him what was wrong - he said, "Nothing. "I asked him if it was my fault that he was upset. He said it had nothing to do with me and not to worry.On the way home I told him that I loved him, he simply smiled and kept driving.I can't explain his behavior; I don't know why he didn't say, "I love u,too."When we got home I felt as if I had lost him, as if he wanted nothing to do with me anymore . He just sat there and watched TV. He seemed distant and absent. Finally I decided to go to bed. About 10 minutes later he came to bed. I decided that I could not take it anymore, so I decided to confront him with the situation but he had fallen asleep. I started crying and cried until I too fell asleep.I don't know what to do. I'm almost sure that his thoughts are with someone else . My life is a disaster.

HIS DIARY

India lost the cricket match against bangladesh.

Nike Cricket - A great commercial

2007-03-22T22:44:00.000-07:00

The Pleasure of Finding Things !

2007-03-16T22:20:00.000-07:00

For people who enjoy "finding things" - here's a video of Richard Feynman himself. A great watch !

Prisoner

2007-03-14T22:30:00.000-07:00

Rabindranath Tagore's Gitanjali is one the premier works in Indian Literature. Here is a great work from Gitanjali - Prisoner

Prisoner

`Prisoner, tell me, who was it that bound you?'

`It was my master,' said the prisoner.

`I thought I could outdo everybody in the world in wealth and power,

and I amassed in my own treasure-house the money due to my king.

When sleep overcame me I lay upon the bed that was for my lord,

and on waking up I found I was a prisoner in my own treasure-house.'

`Prisoner, tell me, who was it that wrought this unbreakable chain?'

`It was I,' said the prisoner, `who forged this chain very carefully.

I thought my invincible power would hold the world captive

leaving me in a freedom undisturbed.

Thus night and day I worked at the chain

with huge fires and cruel hard strokes.

When at last the work was done

and the links were complete and unbreakable,

I found that it held me in its grip.'

- Rabindranath Tagore

World Cup '07 Bhavishya-Vani

2007-03-12T22:40:00.000-07:00

The Mega Cricketing event of the year will be commencing tommorow- can't wait for the action to start !

I will try to make some predictions on paper (err ... on keyboard) before the event begins. Time will tell how these predictions pan out in the long run. :)

In my opinion, this will be the most open world cup ever. Since the Australian team has been showing signs of vulnerability for the first time in many years, there have emerged plenty of contenders to challenge the Aussies. India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan should be able to do well in the West Indian conditions, while England and New Zealand have a new found confidence after beating Australia. A Brian Lara led West Indies, playing at home should also be a very dangerous team to come across - especially if Lara is on song.

Lets make this interesting by rating each team by how likely I think they are to win the world cup. In theory this approach should be a much safer approach then predicting one outright winner.

My Predictions for the Teams to Win the World Cup:

Australia -------------- 1/3
India ------------------ 1/3.5
Sri Lanka ------------- 1/5
South Africa: --------- 1/5.5
West Indies: ---------- 1/6
England: -------------- 1/7
Pakistan: -------------- 1/7
New Zealand: --------- 1/7.5
Zimbabwe ------------- 1/800
Bangladesh ------------ 1/1000
Kenya ------------------ 1/Inf
Netherlands ----------- 1/Inf
Scotland --------------- 1/Inf
Ireland ----------------- 1/Inf
Bermuda --------------- 1/Inf
Canada ----------------- 1/Inf

I will also be more adventurous and try to predict the performances of "my" team for the tournament - Team India. I will try to guess which players will do well, by putting numbers for their batting/bowling averages for World Cup' 07. At the end of the tournament, I can look back and see how close I was to predicting the fortunes of my favorite players .

So here is team India, and I have rated each player for what I think will be the batting average and a bowling average of that player for WC '07.

My Predictions for Player Performances :

Rahul Dravid
Batting: 55
Bowling: NA

Sachin Tendulkar Batting: 60 Bowling: 45	Sourav Ganguly Batting: 50 Bowling: 40
Ajit Agarkar Batting: 10 Bowling: 25	Virender Sehwag Batting: 25 Bowling: 40
Harbhajan Singh Batting: 15 Bowling: 30	Zaheer Khan Batting: 10 Bowling: 27
MS Dhoni Batting: 40 Bowling: NA	S Sreesanth Batting: 5 Bowling: 30
Dinesh Karthik Batting: 25 Bowling: NA	Robin Uthappa Batting: 35 Bowling: NA

Anil Kumble
Batting: 10
Bowling: 28

Yuvraj Singh
Batting: 35
Bowling: 40

Irfan Pathan
Batting: 20
Bowling: 30

Munaf Patel
Batting: 10
Bowling: 24

Pictures Courtesy - http://cricketworldcup.indya.com

And Last, but not the least - I will also try to stick my head out and pick one player from each of the major contenders for WC' 07. These are the players that I think would be the most dangerous/valuable players for each team ( be it due to their batting/ bowling/ fielding/ captaincy/ experience/ .... ). Ultimately - I deem that a great WC '07 for any of these players could lead to that particular country doing very well in the tournament.

Here are my picks for valuable players :

Australia ------------- R. Ponting
India ----------------- S. Tendulkar
Sri Lanka ------------ S. Jayasurya
South Africa --------- G. Smith
West Indies ---------- B. Lara
England -------------- K. Pieterson
Pakistan -------------- Inzamam. Haq
New Zealand --------- S. Fleming

Let the games begin ! Go India !

UPDATE: results

Bemtya Joshi's new found spirituality

2007-03-11T14:08:00.000-07:00

Gaurav Sabnis has been translating some of Pu La's works and posting them online. Check out this part of "Asa Mi Asa Mi". A lot of the humor may be better appreciated in the original marathi rendition. But even in the translated version - Pu La ROCKS ! :)

Divide Pakistan ?

2007-03-11T13:06:00.000-07:00

There has been an interesting and even outrageous series of advertisements, articles and even a book detailing the role of Pakistan in fostering terrorism. The author of the book is a France based gentleman called Jamaluddin Syed.

Mr Syed raises some interesting arguments about Pakistan's role in world terrorism - especially pointing to the grooming of the "terrorist mindset". He claims that no other country in the world other than Pakistan - be it N. Korea, Iran or Syria, actually "groom the terrorist mindset" as Pakistan does.

He further delves into the cause of creation of this "terrorist mentality" - arguing that the manner in which Pakistan was created in 1947 had a large role to play.

He also offers an outrageous but interesting solution to the problem - advocating that the International community initiate a division of Pakistan to help curb the terrorist mindset from spreading.

A lot of it ends up sounding very far-fetched - but a very new interpretation none the less.

Check out this site - especially the videos

http://www.dividepakistan.blogspot.com

Disclaimer : All these are the views and opinions expressed by Mr. Jamaluddin on his web site - not necessarily mine.

India Booming !

2007-03-09T17:50:00.000-08:00

India's economic march in the past few years needs no introduction - the world has been witnessing it for some time now. But even keeping that in mind, the sheer force with which India is rising boggles the mind. Just a cursorary look at the Forbes List released today throws up some amazing numbers.

The Ambanis - Mukesh and Anil, are placed at #14 and # 18 this year - last year they were #56 and #104. Anil Ambani has gained a net 12 Billion this year, while Mukesh has gained some 10 Billion. In 365 days. Pause a bit to think that they have not even started their dream projects of setting up mega retail chains and the other mega ventures.

India now has more billionaires than the economic powerhouse of Japan. India has more billionaires in the top 20 list than any other country - bar the US.

But that just covers the the richest of the rich, you say ? - Look again. And look again carefully.

India's GDP is growing at a net rate of about 9 % for quiet some time, the forex reserves have never been higher, and the BSE index breaks some record almost every day you check.

The Infrastructure is growing. The Airline Industry is opening up. India just signed a deal with the US to generate nuclear power. India is one of the premier countries working in the field of rocket science. The Indian pharmaceutical companies are booming - competing to take over the divisions of US Pharmaceutical companies that they would not even dream of competing with 10 years back.

The largest aluminum company in the world now is India's Hindalco. The worlds largest steel company, Mittal Steel, has set its future interests in India. Tata Steel succeded in an outrageous bid to take over the very reason for its former rulers power - British steel - the very company that fueled Britain's Industrial revolution. All the major car manufacturers have their eyes set on India to fund their growth in the coming years. Let us not even speak of the many smaller industries and companies that are trying to get their foot in the door.

This list does not even talk about the software and the services sector. We do not even need to go there.

I had met an american friend when I was in Pune few months back and he had said to me then - "I still do not see what the fuss is about - the roads, the cars, the infrastructure is nowhere near what is present in the western countries "
My reply to him would be this - " Yes - we still have a long way to go, but consider this - If we are doing so well with what we have right now - can you imagine where we will be - when all these problems you talk about are dealt with ? "

To put things into perspective, recall this. The United States - which is an economical behemoth of almost unrealistic proportions, was near bankruptcy by the year 1929/1930. The backbone of the US - its interstate highway system was started in the 1950's. The USA beat USSR to the moon in the 1960's. Thousands of Nuclear weapons were piled up - just as a gentle reminder to the world. By the 1970's , US was one of the foremost powerhouses in the world - powered by a generation of brilliant industrious americans - those that we call the "Industrial Baby Boomers"

Now take a look at Modern India. Post Independance - upto the 1970's India was near bankruptcy. After opening up the economy in the 1990's- the money started flowing in. India developed indigenous missiles, beat Pakistan in the "Nuclear Club" race - oh yeah - our gentle reminder to the rest of the world. The Golden Quadrilateral was completed by 2005. The Railways - managed by a rustic leader - set record profits in 2006.

Lady History loves repeating herself and the stage is perfectly set for India. It is for India to take the lead and set the trail for the next century - and the young generation of Indians have to shoulder the responsibility of acting as the "Software Baby Boomers" of this century. We must not fail her.

Indians form the largest pool of the worlds educated youngsters. Millions of young educated people - living in a free and democratic country. Millions of them eager to get a chance to prove themselves. Millions who, from the very day they are born - are pushed by everyone around towards just one goal - to be successful.

Something is bound to happen - one way or the other. The road ahead is long and a lot has to be done. We all know that no work is done until it is really done.

The world still looks on as India is waking. As India is Rising. She must not forget her tryst with destiny.

At the very Limits of Modern Science

2007-03-08T22:30:00.000-08:00

Here is an interview with Dr. Robert Lanza. Dr. Lanza seems to be asking a lot of very interesting and very pertinent questions.

Read the transcript as below -

-------------------------------------------------------------

Wired News: You call your theory of the universe a biocentric theory. What, exactly, does that mean?

Lanza: This new theory presents a shift in world view with the perspective that life creates the universe instead of the other way around.

WN: I imagine that a lot of physicists will be rather upset by your article. How do you expect them to react?

Lanza: People are not going to be very happy with what this all means. This theory is going to invalidate their (some scientists) entire life's work. I will definitely get crucified.

We've got the scientific structure and framework incorrect. We need a theory that is internally consistent. We can't do this without creating a biological understanding of space and time. This will require restructuring science so that biology is above physics.

WN: Does that mean you think that big physics and astronomy projects should not be funded?

Lanza: Of course they should be funded. I don't think that everything should be changed. What I am saying is that there is a missing piece to the puzzle of how the universe works. The answer is biology. It is as simple as that. The biological picture of space and time must be integrated into our understanding of physics.

WN: Why do you think that there is such a deep misunderstanding of what time and space really are?

Lanza: Our minds are structured to think that way. Even Einstein avoided the question of what space and time are. He simply defined them as what we measure with clocks and measuring-rods. However, the emphasis should be on the "we," not the measuring.

WN: Do you expect that some people will read your article and think you mean that they can sit on a mountaintop and meditate to change the world around them with mind powers?

Lanza: We can't decide that we want to jump off the roof and not get hurt. However much we want, we can't violate the rules of spatiotemporal logic.

WN: In your article, you make the assertion that time and space do not exist. What do you mean by that?

Lanza: There is something very unusual about them. We can't put them in a marmalade jar and take them back to the lab for analysis. Space and time are forms of animal sense perception. Space and time are not objects or things -- they are forms of animal sense perception.

Thousands of articles and books have danced around the desire to toss off the current mechanical world view that has dominated Western culture for hundreds of years. While some imply that time and space may not in fact exist, this article diagrams, for the first time, such a universe -- a universe in which time and space do not exist as physical realities independent of humans and animals.

WN: You seem to disagree with how the world was created.

Lanza: There are serious problems with the current world view. We pride ourselves in our current beliefs and then we (scientists) say, and by the way, we have no idea why the big bang happened.

WN: Can you explain why we should doubt the things that are accepted as the truth in science classes everywhere?

Lanza: For the first time outside of complex mathematics, this theory explains the provocative new experiment that was just published in Science last month. This landmark experiment showed that a choice you make now can actually influence an event that has already occurred in the past.

Source : http://www.wired.com/news/technology/medtech/0,72910-0.html

-------------------------------------------------------------

To say that the answers to these questions have been the holy grail of all physicists since time eternity would be an understatement.

In these hazy realms where the modern western-centric science fails to answer some questions, one could turn more eastward for some of the most profound ideas ever thought of.

Dr. Lanza may not find all the answers over here - but i deem that this and this is the closest that anyone has ever got to answering all these questions !

I would rate Vivekananda and all those who thought of these concepts, among the brightest scientific minds to have walked the face of the planet !

My Political Leanings

2007-03-07T21:44:00.000-08:00

That is where my political views stand - give and take some room for errors !

And of course, I reserve the right to change my position - depending on the situation at hand :)

Here are where some past historical persons figure on the same chart
And here are some more --

Source : http://www.politicalcompass.org

.perspective

2006-07-13T07:14:00.000-07:00

FlashBack.
Take 1. July 13 2001,
Pune, India.

I get up early in the morning. Its a new day. It is calm and serene. The sunrays are just coming in through the window. No actually its not that calm. I can hear the drizzle of rain. And there are no real sunrays. Its just that beautiful light that dissipates just before sunrise. I get up, get ready and move out. Its such a wonderful day. I am greeted by the cool wind as I come out.

As I try to kick start my bike for a few times i realise that the dew on the handle has got my shirt wet. I wipe off the dew from the rest of the handle and I am surprised how nice those little water droplets feel as i push them off. I have finally managed to start my bike and off I am - headed to the gym. I remember that I had an assignment to submit - one which i totally forgot about. Aah .. never mind, I will find time to do it. I am sure it was a easy one.

After a refreshing workout, I come home to some hot tea and pohe - served by mom. I get ready to leave for college. I get stuck in some traffic on my way. There are so many cars these days. It feels real nice to see these big cars in India and know that the people in the country are getting richer. I see people going to offices. Man, I am lucky I dont need to work for now! But some day I will get a job and buy one of those cars for myself. For now, all I need to do is go to school and have some good time with my friends.

The rest of the journey is quiet un-eventful, save the incident where I almost run over a poor sick dog. If life were a computer game, I could have had 2 points for knocking that dog :P . But it is not, and I manage to avoid calamity in the nick of time.

I bunk the first 2 lectures because we need to play out the cricket match we had started yesterday, and was left incomplete because of bad light. I feel satisfied knowing that my attendance is being marked by a friend. There is something so great about playing a sport in this light drizzle and the cool climate. The game is ok. I was never one of the good players and we loose, but it was great fun.

We then attend one of the classes. The topic that is being taught seems to be interesting, but I give in to peer pressure - I just stop paying attention to the lecture. We have more interesting discussions at that :). I almost convince my friends them that Hakkinen is the best driver .

Lunch is in the canteen. Its my lucky day. I find a ten rupee note in my pocket and decide to treat my friends to some hot wada-pavs. Those things always taste the best in the monsoons. We discuss lots of stuff - sports, politics, movies and just about everthing under the sun. We talk about the problems of the world and of course, we all are the experts in all the fields.

I remember about the assignment and rush to get it completed. We are completing the work in the classroom, all of us joking away while we work. We make fun of the professors, of friends, of each other, of everybody/everything under the sun. My stomach hurts from laughing. I have the assignment ready just in time for class. Its surely not the best I can do - but hey ! - at least I did it.

After the class its back to home. The pollution is more these days, and so is the traffic. I find driving my bike to be soo much fun. The wind in my hair and on my face. The power I feel when I twist the accelerator. The sweet sound of the engine. It all makes me feel freeeeeeeee.

Instead of going home I go straight to my friends place. All of us gather there and well - pass time. Again we have our discussions on all the topics under the sun. Most of the time is spent cracking jokes. Its a good diverse group. There are these guys who keep telling us hilarious tales about their gang in their college. Then we have this hard working fellow and we all pull his leg once in a while. Theres this guy with the pot-belly - we tease him so much. There are many more. I wont describe them all, but they are all fun guys.

We plan to go to the movies, but we decide to postpone it to the next day. When its late, I turn up home. Dad is somewhat angry at me, as I forgot to inform my parents about my wherabouts and for being late. I thank god I dont have a cellphone. There is hot food ready to eat,as always served by mom. And as always, it is just so sumptuos. We watch some TV after that. I go to my computer and load my favorite game.

I am confidant that I can defeat the enemy by going to the "iron age" before him. I have no idea that I have been at the computer for 4 hours. As my eyes get heavy, I take off to sleep on my cosy bed, ready for the next day.

Life is good !!!!

Take 2.
July 13 2001,
Pune, India.

The light on my dreary eyes wakes me up. I did not get enough sleep. I hear it raining outside and curse the day. I want to sleep some more, but i get up. I get ready and move out. It is a cold and wet day.

The bike always refused to start on such days and I struggle with it. Its also irritating to get your shirt wet from all the dew. As I am driving to the gym I remember the assignment I had to submit. I remember that my friend was supposed to give me the questions which he never did. I wonder when i will find time to do it. I already had missed the last one.

The workout is tiring and my muscles pain so much. I come home exhausted and get ready to leave for college. I get stuck in some traffic. Its getting so bad. People have no respect for the environment. They live in their shiny cars and pollute the air for people like us. I wish I had a job. I am also irritated by all these stray animals. Why cant the government take care of such issues ? How incompetent ! Yeh hai India !

I meet up with some guys as I park my bike and they insist that I join them to play the game we had abandoned last evening. I dont feel like it, and try my best to avoiding them. But they win in the end. I am not feeling up to the mark, and to add to it,we end up loosing. Our openers really wasted so many overs that it was impossible for me to score the runs in the end. As we leave the field I meet up with the friend who was supposed to "proxy" my attendance. The fool forgot to do so !

We then head off to the class. The lecture is going on - my friends keep disturbing me. I debate with my friends, about who will win the F-1 race and am really irritated when they insist it will be schumacher again. Why cant they understand that he just got lucky !

I head for lunch in the run down canteen. Its so dirty and unhygenic in there. When will Indians learn ? I find a 10 rupee note and my friends start bugging me for a treat and I have no choice. It is still raining outside. The food is good, but I am still a bit hungry. There are some more discussions and I am amused that my friends think that globalization is not good for the world. How can they be so naive ?

I remember about the assignment and rush to the class. Its so much distracting to work in a group, especially when I have to explain every single thing to that dumb guy - twice over. If it had not been for him interrupting me, I could surely have done a better job. And to add to my distraction these disrespectful people keep passing silly comments all the time.

I submit the assignment in class. The professor informs me that there is a test in 2 weeks. We all curse the system. How can he expect us to do well in the test, when he himself how does not know the subject well enough. I leave the school to be stuck in the mess of the traffic and the pollution, and yeah did i forget those animals on the street ?. If I had a car, at least I could have listened to some music and avoided all this smoke.

I remember that I had some chores to do at home, so I go to a friends place. I am waiting there for 20 whole minutes before he turns up. People just dont respect time anymore ! I As other friends join in, we spend the evening there.

There are too many of us. One of my friends has a real bad tongue and I detest the way he talks. Cant he talk of anything other than rowdy insignificant issues?. There is also this one guy who is a "class topper". We all make fun of him when he says he wants to go home and study ! What a Looser !

That guy who volunteers to loan me his class-notes seems fishy. I am sure he has a hidden agenda and he will ask me for a bigger favor afterwards. I know these people all too well.

There are some discussions of going to the theater - but these guys can never plan out things right. I want to leave, but they keep talking. I reach home late only to face my angry dad. Well I have no idea how he expects me to tell him that I was gonna be late, when I dont have a cell phone ! . Mom serves the food. The same old thing.

I turn on my computer. It is so slow. It just had 32 MB ram, while everyone else has 64. I start playing a computer game. I dont know why they dont have the Indian civilization in the game. Racists. It really sucks how these games always get harder as we play on. And what is more irritating is that the computer hangs just when I had reached the next level - I dint get a chance to save the game - The memory is too low.

I go off to sleep thinking about all that I have to do tommorrow again. Same boring stuff.

I really hope that life will improve someday.

Take 1:
Now,
Earth.
I read this blog. No too bad for someone who never usually writes. Not good - but at least he tries.

Take 2:
Now,
Earth.
I read this blog. Doesnt this guy have anything better to do. He should go fly a kite.

Indian classical music !

2005-06-08T07:24:00.000-07:00

I truly enjoy many kinds of music !!

You tend to enjoy the different genres when you are in different moods. Sometimes you enjoy the light-hearted melodies, and sometimes you enjoy some funky pop. There are times when the old songs bring back memories or times when the metallica numbers that gives you an adrenaline rush. Or then some earthy down-to-earth numbers gives you that tranquility tranquilizer ! And so many more !

But all these forms of music tend to "interfere" with your mind. Some make you feel good - some make you sad. Some bring you to an energetic mood - others that sooth you. But all of these influence you in some way.

What makes the classical indian instrumental music so different, is that the music is so pure !

It does not say to you, " hey get up and be happy" nor does it say, "dude, get in a romantic mood " There is no "this world is such a *** place and i m a so angry" nor any " dude this is coool ! ".

It just is so open to your own interpretation - whatever way you want to interpret it !!

This kind of music is like a 'tool' that you use when you are thinking about something - The same music can be interpreted in so many ways, depending on the mood you are in, what you are thinking about, and so on and so forth.

It is really magical in the sense that this is "true" music !

The music is not trying to fool you ! It is not getting you into some desired state of mind - this music is just helping you to rythm up your real thoughts .

Ferrari Outsourcing to Bombay

2005-05-12T07:08:00.000-07:00

Ferrari's F1 Team has fired its entire pit crew. The announcement follows:

" Ferrari has decided to take advantage of India's high unemployment rate, and hire unemployed Indian youths from Dharavi.

The decision to hire them was brought on by a recent documentary on how they were able to remove a set of wheels from a car parked in the street in less than 6 seconds without proper equipment. Ferrari's erstwhile crew took more than 8 seconds with the right equipment. This was thought to be an excellent yet bold move by the Ferrari management,and, as most races are won & lost in the pits, Ferrari would
have an advantage over every other team.

However, Ferrari's expectations were exceeded, as during the crew's first practice session; not only were 'da boyz' from Bombay able to change the tyres in under 6 seconds, but within 12 seconds had resprayed the car, filed off the chassis number and sold the vehicle over to the McLaren Team!! "

Pu La

2005-05-10T07:07:00.000-07:00

An interesting read.

IF !

2005-05-05T07:16:00.000-07:00

There is this one poem by Rudyard Kipling that I have really liked, for years. Its called " IF ".

IF

If you can keep your head when all about you
are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream--and not make dreams your master,
If you can think--and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!

--Rudyard Kipling

Magic of Music

2005-04-13T17:10:00.000-07:00

These are one of the moments that are so intoxicating - You are just going about with your humdrum existance, the usual rigmarole and suddenly you listen to this perfect piece of music which just strikes some chord. You feel like everything has started to make more sense than before. Everything seems different. Everything seems a tad more beautiful. I dont know to explain the feeling - Just that the affect that some good music can have on the mind - is just magical !

Sachin ... Sachin

2005-04-11T07:13:00.000-07:00

With the passage of time, you seem to loose touch with things that once seemed so very important to you.

The days when cricket seemed to be a matter of life and death - seem to be in my memory, just as if it was yesterday.

Cricket was almost a religion. We would not miss a single cricket match- come what may !

I remember not studying at all for my F.E Mathematics exam - just because of the memorable Ind- SL match at Taunton, where Ganguly had hit 180 odd runs. Despite the protests from my parents - I was throughly convinced that, the Cricket match was more important than the odd F.E exam.

We watched cricket at our homes- at friends homes - in the college canteen - in front of electronic shops in the streets - listen to the commentary in buses/trains - just about anywhere.

I remember the famous last day of the last test match of the Ind -Aus series of 2001 - the one where harbhajan, rahul and sachin got us to win the series 2-1 ( after trailing 0-1) . We had our semester practical examinations at that time, and we were listening to the commentary of those last overs - along with the examiner, on the old radio that the examiner had brought ! I remember us ( the students and the examiner) discussing cricket - of what could happen and what should have happened - just like old friends - and of us celebrating together after India won. After the test match was over - the normal situation resumed and we were the students again and he was the examiner.

Then there was the time when my family and me had been to Delhi/Agra. We ( or rather my mom and younger sis) were unfortunate enough - that we decided to have the trip at the same time as the Sharjah series - In particluar that one , when Sachin had hit 140 odd runs in both the semi-finals and the finals. I m sure everone remembers that one. Who can forget that ? ? . I distinctly remember the displeasure that my mom and my sister felt, just because me and dad refused to leave the hotel room in Delhi because we were watching the cricket match. Who would want to go sight-seeing when you could watch apla Sachin destroy the arrogant aussies ? I remember us changing from a "non cable room " to a "cable room " in the hotel for the cricket match.

There are so so many cool memories associated with cricket matches that may be I could not even list them all.

Anyways, Hoping the best for the Indian team against Pakistan. Go Sachin !

5 year old married to a dog !

2005-04-08T07:09:00.000-07:00

I dont even know what to say about this

Dan Browns 51st State !

2005-04-01T07:10:00.000-08:00

Check out this news.

While most of you would either be outraged or be plain amused by this, just think about the possibilities it raises.

Imagine Kashmir being the 51st state, and of all us desi engineers working at a place which is a stones throw/ grenades throw (in airline distance) away from home. You get to earn thousands of dollars per year - and all the sundry benefits of working in USA, and then you get to fly home to say 'hi' to your parents about every weekend.

More seriously - I really feel that Dan Brown ought to get himself a life. I wonder what he is going to come up with next ?

He will observe that a torn kellogs corn-flakes box resembles the map of Maharashtra and claim that Kellogs Corporation had bartered the state for a kilo of corn-flakes. The agreement papers, according to Dan Brown, being signed with a pen which wrote with sugar syrup-ink - which unfortunately got destroyed by a hungry 3 year old.

Unless of course this is an April-fools joke by the times web-site !!!

Music - ahaaa !!!

2005-03-08T16:47:00.000-08:00

There is just something magical about music. Any kind is fine. Hindi - great.! English - great ! Marathi - great ! Classical - great ! anything else at all - great !

Dont want to say anything more. I am going back to get myself some music :)

The Science of Happy

2005-03-07T07:03:00.000-08:00

A la descartes, I am turning this blog into an analysis of things . Apologies for that. Bear with me for now. I shall change gears soon.

Anyways, the topic I want to discuss is happiness. What is happiness ?. It is an emotion right ?. Well, fundamentally you could break down human emotions into two sets - happy and sad. The rest are just the variations of these two basic emotions in different ways, say greed, envy, love, hate and so on.

The first question that one can raise is - why do humans need to be happy ?. Why does everyone want to be in that state? Why not be sad all the time ? What is it about this emotion that makes it the "preferred emotion " ?

Analyzing a bit more - Happiness and the positive emotions are a state where your mind says "this is the way things should be ". So this would mean that happiness is a state where you would not like to change anything. Everything is just as it should be. Again, Sadness and the other negative emotions is where you want something to change.

Doesn't this reflect the laws of nature ? Din't Newton say "Every body shall continue to be in its state, unless an external force is applied "- the famous law of inertia ?

So could we say that it is by this law of inertia that Humans want to be in a state where they dont want to change anything ? That is the exact reason you would like to be with people about whom you wouldnt want to change anything ( or as few a number/quantity of change of things), or you like to eat food to which you just dont want to add any more ingredients. Its just perfect. Its just following its natural inertia.

On the other hand if you think that your food needs some more salt, or your bank account needs more money - well things need to be changed. That is where the inertia is broken and we are in the realm of the negative emotions.

But then there is no perfect inertia in the real world. There are always some forces right? There is friction, there is gravity and electromagnetism and what not.

In the same way - there can be no perfect happy state. There are always forces that keep changing things. Not only the changes in our lives but changes in our likes, our ideals, the way we want things to be. This is the reason people cannot remain in a "happy" state for long.

But what if you start liking change - irrespective of what the change may be ?. What if you say "Isnt it great that I am losing my job - now i get a chance to look for a new one ! ". Wouldnt such an attitude make you perpetually happy ? .

[ It is a another argument that if this were the case, then humans would still have been happy to live in trees and would never have invented anything !! ]

Well, then "to be happy" would be to say "Well there is change - I know it exists. Let me deal with it the best I can". Would that guarantee perpetual happiness ?

How can I find perpetual happiness ? How can I solve this mystery ? How can I solve the biggest problem that billions of people grapple with, the biggest problem that plagues humanity ? How can I ?

Thats Ok ! , I dont want to solve any more problems or change anything in the world - I am perfectly happy with just the way things are right now . Problem Solved ! :)

Ways of Life.

2005-03-03T16:45:00.000-08:00

It all started in the water. Some molecules get together and interesting patterns start developing. There is a structure. It looks good. The molecules keep combining with each other. They keep organizing and re-organizing. The structure keeps getting more complex.

Then there is life.

The ancient life form keeps evolving. Organisms are formed. They learn to thrive in the water. They learn to live on the land. They learn to fly. The process continues. Some ones are good, some not so. Creatures are manufactures, some live, some die. Darwin is happy.

There are these strange creatures that start walking on two legs. They are different from the rest. They are not so strong, nor so fast. They have some other quality. A quality that had never before played a pivotal role in the battle for survival, suddenly seems to be more important.

This power is akin to the power that afficianados of "age of empires" might be familiar with. It is when out of nowhere you discover that you have something that even though did not seem important before, has become a very important tool indeed.

This quality is the harnessing of the mind.

The humans continue to run the show. They take over the planet. They build their own beautiful structures and they destroy some beautiful natural ones. They love each other and keep the species growing. Some hate each other and kill a few here and there. But on the whole all is well.

New tools are developed. New ideas are thought of. Good tools, Bad tools. Good Ideas, Bad Ideas. Humans continue to change. They adapt to what they percieve and the process continue.

All this while they are living in this physical world. That is about to change.

Someone invents the internet.

It starts growing. Slowly at first. But the disease keeps growing. There is this fascination. There is this new world.

The very minds that once harnessed this gigantic piece of rock and had the entire planet to its mercy. These very minds now stop existing in the physical world.

These minds start living in a virtual world. They stare at screens and the process of evolution starts takes its toll. They dont need their muscles too much. Moving in the physical world is inconveniant.

They dont need to listen too well nor do they need to have a sharp vision. The sense of smell is gone. After all, there is no physical danger that they encounter as they sit in front of their screens.

Their physical faculties start deteorating, just like say the animal tails. If you dont need it ... well then it goes away.

Their mental powers keep getting sharper. They are thinking and processing more and more information all the time.

Slowly these physical creatures start living virtually. Their brains and the internal organs are the only organs that they need. All else is non-essential for survival. Everything starts disappearing.

There is a time when the humans as we know it, are nothing but their thoughts - present in some virtual world.

You dont see humans. You dont need to interach with each other. Your world is the computer screen. If you want to convey your thoughts to someone , the virtual human sends an e-mail. There are blogs. There are a variety of other things. Its a collection of electronic thoughts and electronic feelings.

The human species as we know it exists on the internet.

Then the power goes off.

Why are smart people single ?

2005-03-01T16:47:00.000-08:00

Times of India reports this study which, by my interpretation explains, why all smart people remain single.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1020016.cms

My favorite part is where they explain love - "...they should realise it is akin to being mad. You become deranged ..." :)

Home - India V America

2005-02-10T07:12:00.000-08:00

This is the debate that must keep raging in every "desi in amrika''s head. I am no stranger to being in this quagmire too.

And it gets worst once you get out( at least somewhat) of the academic rigmarole. In the initial months of a typical desi student settling down in america, he spends so much of his time thinking about the day to day worries, say like making a few dollars, thinking about your career and so on, that the debate of "India V America" is pushed to the back of your mind.

But then there comes a stage when you start feeling more at ease with your daily grind, and then the debate starts kicking up.

Where would I want to be 10 years from now ? 5 yrs ? 2 yrs?.Would I want to be cruising to my office in my BMW convertible on some American Interstate ( of course assuming that I have a decent job ;0) ), or would I want to be driving my motor-bike or riding a train in the monsoons of India ?

America has given me so many things and offers so many things in the future. There is comfort. There is independance. There are tremendous career opportunites.

But then, there is that Indian in me too. The call of family and friends. The need to be among bustling crowds and noise. The irony of feeling so much at ease in so utter a chaos - that is India.

Sometimes I feel that comparing being in India or America is like the comparision between watching a cricket match at Eden Gardens or at Lords.

India is like the chaotic, noisy, disorganized crowd at Eden Gardens. While America is like the strawberry eating, one-hand clapping, organized Britishers at Lords.

And it is so hard to take one side and stick to it, as both the sides have their positves and negatives, and I wont even get into the details of those.

What a typical desi would say when asked this question is that " I will stay here for some time and then return home ". But can that work ?. After becoming acclimatized to the cosy american life, can someone adjust to being in India ?

Well, I guess the answer depends on mainly 2 variables. How long you stay in USA and what the situation is like in India when you decide to go back. The longer you stay here the harder it will be to go back, but then since India itself is becoming transformed so rapidly, one might as well be able to easily adapt there - even if you spend a few years here.

And then there is that dark question that you try not to think about. What if you decide to go back to India and then are unable to adjust there. what happens then?Well, but I m sure 'not liking to be in India' - that would be a very improbable thing to happen, or would'nt it ?

So should I just spend a couple of years here and go back to sweet India, or stay here some more for a green card ? Do I want to do that ? or could I stay on even more than that ? or much much more ?

Can we reduce this all to just a debate about whether you want to have a good home (i.e. Be in India) or have a good office (i.e. Be in USA). ?
[ Well I understand that it 'could' be possible to have a home in USA or one 'could' do cutting-edge important work in India ...but lets just ignore that for sake of discussion ]

Well, It is so satisfying for you and your ego to do great work, earn great money, in a great environment on a great day at a great office. But then at the end of the day,-- after all is said and done -- when all the dust settles down -- doesnt everybody just want to be - home sweet home ?

Or then, should one just step back - and look at the world as a big global village - and not be bothered by such trivial changes in locations by a few thousand miles ? ?

Aaaah well -- time will answer all the questions !!!

I am thinking - I am GOD

2005-02-07T06:58:00.000-08:00

What do people think ? Why do they think? How does what they think affect what they think ?

Thinking is such a complex topic to talk about. Even when i think about talking on thinking, I am actually thinking about thinking.

What is a thought? Is it some neurons that are fired randomly in the brain ? Is it a physical phenomenon ? Or would you atrribute to it some meta-physical value ?

Can some-one stop from thinking ? But if that person has stopped thinking, how does he know that he has stoped thinking ? Can someone 'think' he is not 'thinking'.

Think about this question - what is it really like - to meditate ? Meditation is described as 'directing your thought' rather than 'absence of thoughts'. [ The Bhagavad Gita and the Vedas does talk about "directing your thoughts" towards the concept of bramhan. ]

But consider why we need not 'think' this way ? If you are directing your thought only in one direction, then doesnt that mean that you are NOT truly understanding the world in its "entirety" ? Are you not missing so many things ? Arent you becoming a vegetable ?

Was not the concept of "brahman" founded in some human thought ? It is ironic that the "concept of brahman" would have not even originated had it not been for someone "thinking" of different things - thinking of Brahman. Then why do "Yogis" "think" of GOD and only GOD ?

Could it be that it is wrong to "direct your thoughts" and it is more appropriate to just "let your thoughts be " ? Say, Forget brahman. Forget everything else. Forget all rules. Just let your thoughts explore.

May be the only reason the ancient people "invented" the concept of brahman was because "exploration" of thoughts causes bewilderment in people. It causes them to explore new things, which in turn leads to them to being scared. There is this inherent human nature to detest anything that is "new" and unexplored and be afraid of it. ( I could totally diverge the topic to "why is it 'not ok' to be scared, but i will spare you from that for now. )

Could it be that after the experience gained by these "scary experiences" - humans decided that it was better to "categorize" and to "limit" the knowledge of what they see and what they feel feel. That could be why humans need to insist on the concept of a central "GOD". Something universal but constant. Just so that the mind has this one direction that it thinks it is leading to - the mind is no longer bewildered into "ever-new" or the "nothing".

But may be we are just fooling ourselves ?

Consider this - GOD would never have been born, had us humans not thought of him. So doesnt that mean WE ARE THE CREATORS ? We created GOD in our minds - through our thoughts ! We created this perception of the world that we have !

Doesnt that lead you to the conclusion that "the human thought is the real GOD - the real CREATOR " ?

Hmmmm ...but wasnt this all "thought" by me ?

Enough of meta-meta-thinking ... back to my mundane existence :)

Of Search and Re-Search

2005-02-01T16:52:00.000-08:00

I have heard the word "research" being thrown around by the so called intellectuals so much, that I start to wonder what is research ?

The word research, by itself means "re search" i.e to search again. Doesnt this mean that the very word in itself, lacks originality ?

Let me make it more clear. Most of the so- called research that I see being done is nothing but searching through existing work and a 'putting together of borrowed ideas".

The world is full of such people who live in a delusional world of grandeur. They think themselves to be intellectuals just because the combine they ideas of a person A and a person B.

I think there is a need for differentiating true seminal work from these "copy-machines".

I know that people would argue with the "standing on the shoulder of giants" retort, but then there are still truly original thinkers. These, my friend, are the true intellectuals. Imagine conjuring the concept of gravity right from nowhere, or thinking of making machines that fly. How about thinking of space-time continuum or thinking of the existence of electromagnetic waves.
Personally, I would have much more respect for minds that seem to derive ideas from the "grass root" level, rather than ones who have a great understanding of two complex phenomenons and knows how to make them work together.

It is refreshing to come across ideas, that even though may seem wrong, follow a new direction.
Thus, I would give more credit to the discoverers listed above, than say, the inventor of the light bulb or the telephone.

So, have we seen a decline in such "original intellects' ?. Or is it that most of the good ideas have already been taken by the people of the past ?

We can never know, but one thing is for certain. It is becoming increasing apparent that the term research should refer to "where to look for ideas" rather than "to think of some ideas" .
Ok. Enough of such topics on the blog for now. I pledge to make my next post a little more on the ludicrous side.

Trepidations of using the cell-phone

2005-01-24T16:50:00.000-08:00

I just got an email message, sent to me with an "urgent" status. Well, even though I found no reason to believe the self proclaimed importance of that pesky e-mail, it got me thinking in another direction. Why can we not have the same system on one of our living-links-to-the-rest-of-the-world, our cell-phones.

Imagine a situation say, when you are thinking of calling someone up to discuss some trivialities, just for the heck of it. And then to your amazement, you are reprimanded by that person, because you called him - just as he was about to find out, if aamir khan would be able knock the last ball out of the ground in the movie lagaan .

And yes, it works the other way round too. Haven't you ever received a call while you are busy doing something important or critical, say you are deep in thought debugging a 10000 line code with 1000 nested 'if' loops and then some one calls you. You think to yourself, "Hmm - could this be an important call, or is this just someone calling me to discuss his views on the general state of the universe at that point of time ? "

Wouldn't it be cool if you could just send a "urgent talk"/"casual talk" flag along with your call while calling someone. Just to make life a little more convenient both for the caller and the callee.

So, where is my patent ?

OMG ... My first Blog

2005-01-22T16:43:00.000-08:00

Well, this is my first blog.

Am i supposed to say something poetic ? Give you some earth-shattering news ? Write odes for this - the creation of something that will forever change the way people look at the world ?

I guess not.

Heres to an ordinary diary that would hold the ordinary thoughts of just one of the ordinary humans, living on this ordinary piece of rock revolving round this ordinary star, in this ordinary universe, in this ... -- well I guess you get my point.