My post Enterprise and Flying Adventure was quoted by Mumbai Mirror, in the section Blogger's views! This is amusing since I never went and linked my blog, they did it themselves. Thats fine.
I'm not going to start a copyright violation or whatever thingy, like Rashmi did. I think as long as people who are quoting you say that they're quoting you, its fine.
Infact, Siliconeer, a Silicon Valley based magazine wanted to cover my engineering project, Deepti. After a brief intro email, and a few questions, they disappeared. That month they featured the project as cover story - a senior walking down a San Jose street saw the magazine and called to ask if I was the same "Rahul Jindal"! The Siliconeer guys had marked the "story" as authored by me! A large part of the content was taken from the project website (earlier at http://deepti.nourl.org), but I think that is fine, as long as they're crediting the author (me in this case) and driving the point (the content) home.
Funny as it is, even though I work as an Intellectual Property (which includes copyright) Analyst, I'm open-source when it comes to myself :)
Monday, November 28, 2005
Saturday, November 26, 2005
[Some more] [Mirage] [of Sublimity]
मैं हूँ मुशताक़-ए-जफा मुझ पर जफा और सही
तुम हो बेदाद से खुश इस से सिवा और सही
[मुशताक़-ए-जफा = keenly oppressed, जफा = oppression (v.), बेदाद = oppression (n.)]
हुस्न में हूर से बढकर नहीं होने के कभी
आपका शेवा-ओ-अन्दाज़ो अदा और सही
[हूर = Virgin of Paradise, शेवा-ओ-अन्दाज़ो अदा = your style (way?) of beauty]
तेरे कूचे का है माईल दिल मुज़्तर मेरा
काबा इक और सही किब्लानुमां और सही
[कूचे = lane, माईल = obliged, मुज़्तर = restless, काबा = house of Allah in Mecca, किब्लानुमां = direction for prayer]
क्यों ना फिरदोस मैं दोज़ख को मिल लें या रब
सैर के वासते थोड़ी सी फज़ा और सही
[फिरदोस = heaven, दोज़ख = hell, फज़ा = environment/atmosphere]
मुझको वो दो के जिसे खाके ना पानी मांगू
ज़ेहर कुछ और सही आबेबका और सही
[आबेबका = nectar (?)]
In case you were wondering, I don't provide an interpretation because I believe doing so is error prone, and more importantly, limiting. Poetry in general and Ghalib's poetry in particular is supernatural in the sense that state of mind affects the interpretation and out-of-context (for an other) often sounds ridiculous. That said, I'd love to find one to discuss interpretations of Ghalib's masterpieces!
तुम हो बेदाद से खुश इस से सिवा और सही
[मुशताक़-ए-जफा = keenly oppressed, जफा = oppression (v.), बेदाद = oppression (n.)]
हुस्न में हूर से बढकर नहीं होने के कभी
आपका शेवा-ओ-अन्दाज़ो अदा और सही
[हूर = Virgin of Paradise, शेवा-ओ-अन्दाज़ो अदा = your style (way?) of beauty]
तेरे कूचे का है माईल दिल मुज़्तर मेरा
काबा इक और सही किब्लानुमां और सही
[कूचे = lane, माईल = obliged, मुज़्तर = restless, काबा = house of Allah in Mecca, किब्लानुमां = direction for prayer]
क्यों ना फिरदोस मैं दोज़ख को मिल लें या रब
सैर के वासते थोड़ी सी फज़ा और सही
[फिरदोस = heaven, दोज़ख = hell, फज़ा = environment/atmosphere]
मुझको वो दो के जिसे खाके ना पानी मांगू
ज़ेहर कुछ और सही आबेबका और सही
[आबेबका = nectar (?)]
In case you were wondering, I don't provide an interpretation because I believe doing so is error prone, and more importantly, limiting. Poetry in general and Ghalib's poetry in particular is supernatural in the sense that state of mind affects the interpretation and out-of-context (for an other) often sounds ridiculous. That said, I'd love to find one to discuss interpretations of Ghalib's masterpieces!
Friday, November 25, 2005
Enterprise and Flying Adventure
It is just co-incidental that I came across, in a matter of 2 days, three different (and separated in time from each other) instances of very enterprising and successful men having a penchant for attempting daring record making (or record breaking) feats.
First, I happened to watch Aviator, starring Leonardo DiCaprio in the role of Howard Hughes. Hughes, a locally famous moniker for a telecommunication software company, was a first generation entrepreneur, who ventured into several diverse ventures, from movies to computer networks. Hughes, among other things got extremely interested in flying (and building) planes. If the depiction in the movie is accurate, Hughes would fly every first model himself (and risk his own life) and make records in the process. He also built (and defended against the monopolistic giant, Pan Am) a cross-Atlantic airline TWA. Interesting note: Hughes, a school dropout, started his career as a movie producer.
Second, History Channel was running the biography of Sir Richard Branson. He too founded, a cross-Atlantic airline, Virgin Atlantic, after running a successful records company, Virgin Records. Branson is also an acclaimed adventurer, especially flying related adventure. In order to garner publicity for the new airline (with only one second-hand 747), Branson set out to break the then existing record for a sea-cruise across the Atlantic, with the Voyager mission. The mission was a failure, but not big enough to daunt Branson. He did end up breaking the record in the sequel to the mission, called Voyager 2. Continuing risking his own life (again for the purpose of publicity for his airline), and satiating his desire for adventure, he undertook record-making, and almost always ending up in a potentially fatal disaster, hot-air balloon trips across the Atlantic, across the Pacific, and across the world! In one of the trips, his balloon shot up suddenly to a height of 42,000 Ft, in another lost 3 cylinder full of gas, blew away and crash-landed in Algerian desert in another, and landed in the Pacific in yet another. But nothing would daunt the enterprising spirit. Interesting note: Branson started his career with a record shop (again, not as a pilot, and just like Hughes, fought against and survived British Airways' 'Dirty Tricks' campaign). Still more interesting, Branson blogs at BransonBlog!
Third, CNBC ran a small before-the-event feature on "Singhania's daring attempt". Dr. Vijaypat Singhania, Chairman Emeritus of the Raymond Group, is a well-recognized proponent of aviation related adventure. Singhania holds the solo aviation related Guinness Book of World Records record for solo flight in a microlight aircraft from London to Ahmedabad in 1988. He's again attempting (also here and here) to break a world record today, by flying to 70,000 Ft in a balloon (the size of a 30-storey building). He's got 5,000 hours of flying experience, among other aviation related feats, and is an honorary Air Commodore of the Indian Air Force, and a WW II war-bird owner. Interesting note: He financed a flop Hindi movie!
"The sky is the limit", must be the most cliched inspiring thought in any form and scale of enterprise. Guess, some take it more seriously!
Update: Vijaypat Singhania creates hot-air balloon record. He did it!
First, I happened to watch Aviator, starring Leonardo DiCaprio in the role of Howard Hughes. Hughes, a locally famous moniker for a telecommunication software company, was a first generation entrepreneur, who ventured into several diverse ventures, from movies to computer networks. Hughes, among other things got extremely interested in flying (and building) planes. If the depiction in the movie is accurate, Hughes would fly every first model himself (and risk his own life) and make records in the process. He also built (and defended against the monopolistic giant, Pan Am) a cross-Atlantic airline TWA. Interesting note: Hughes, a school dropout, started his career as a movie producer.
Second, History Channel was running the biography of Sir Richard Branson. He too founded, a cross-Atlantic airline, Virgin Atlantic, after running a successful records company, Virgin Records. Branson is also an acclaimed adventurer, especially flying related adventure. In order to garner publicity for the new airline (with only one second-hand 747), Branson set out to break the then existing record for a sea-cruise across the Atlantic, with the Voyager mission. The mission was a failure, but not big enough to daunt Branson. He did end up breaking the record in the sequel to the mission, called Voyager 2. Continuing risking his own life (again for the purpose of publicity for his airline), and satiating his desire for adventure, he undertook record-making, and almost always ending up in a potentially fatal disaster, hot-air balloon trips across the Atlantic, across the Pacific, and across the world! In one of the trips, his balloon shot up suddenly to a height of 42,000 Ft, in another lost 3 cylinder full of gas, blew away and crash-landed in Algerian desert in another, and landed in the Pacific in yet another. But nothing would daunt the enterprising spirit. Interesting note: Branson started his career with a record shop (again, not as a pilot, and just like Hughes, fought against and survived British Airways' 'Dirty Tricks' campaign). Still more interesting, Branson blogs at BransonBlog!
Third, CNBC ran a small before-the-event feature on "Singhania's daring attempt". Dr. Vijaypat Singhania, Chairman Emeritus of the Raymond Group, is a well-recognized proponent of aviation related adventure. Singhania holds the solo aviation related Guinness Book of World Records record for solo flight in a microlight aircraft from London to Ahmedabad in 1988. He's again attempting (also here and here) to break a world record today, by flying to 70,000 Ft in a balloon (the size of a 30-storey building). He's got 5,000 hours of flying experience, among other aviation related feats, and is an honorary Air Commodore of the Indian Air Force, and a WW II war-bird owner. Interesting note: He financed a flop Hindi movie!
"The sky is the limit", must be the most cliched inspiring thought in any form and scale of enterprise. Guess, some take it more seriously!
Update: Vijaypat Singhania creates hot-air balloon record. He did it!
27 Interesting Facts
I found this link interesting (follow the link to see pointers to webpages containing proof for the points below)
Top 27 unbelievable facts that most people don’t know
27. The cigarette lighter was invented before the match.
26. The average chocolate bar has 8 insect legs in it.
25. Right-handed people live, on average, nine years longer than left-handed people do.
24. Its impossible to smoke oneself to death with weed. You won't be able to retain enough motor control and consciousness to do so after such a large amount. (Common Sense)
23. Uncle Phil, from Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, did the voice of Shredder in the TMNT cartoon.
22. Every drop of seawater contains approximately 1 billion gold atoms.
21. The US national anthem actually has three verses, but everyone just knows the first one.
20. During World War II, IBM built the computers the Nazis used to manage their death/concentration camps.
19. The total combined weight of the worlds ant population is heavier than the weight of the human population.
18. The deadliest war in history excluding World War II was a civil war in China in the 1850s in which the rebels were led by a man who thought he was the brother of Jesus Christ.
17. Just about 3 people are born every second, and about 1.3333 people die every second. The result is about a 2 and 2/3 net increase of people every second. Almost 10 people more live on this Earth now, than before you finished reading this.
16. Happy Birthday (the song) is copyrighted.
15. The number of people alive on earth right now is higher than the number of all the people that have died. Ever.
14. The average American consumes 1.2 pounds of spider eggs a year and eat 2.5 pounds of insect parts a year.
13. The Kamp Krusty episode of the Simpson’s was originally meant to be made as the Simpsons movie.
12. Men can breastfeed babies
11. There is a rare condition called Exploding Head Syndrome which you've probably never heard of.
10. Scientists have determined that fungi are more closely related to human beings and animals than to other plants.
9. In some (maybe all) Asian countries, the family name is written first and the individual name written second (opposite of the America method). That's why Asian athletes like Yao Ming and Ichiro Suzuki have Yao and Ichiro written on their jerseys. Those are their family names and in America their names are written Ming Yao and Suzuki Ichiro.
8. Abe Lincoln bought 50 cents worth of cocaine in 1860
7. A German World War II submarine was sunk due to malfunction of the toilet.
6. Washington State has the longest single beach in the United States. Long Beach, WA.
5. The largest living thing on the face of the Earth is a mushroom underground in Oregon, it measures three and a half miles in diameter.
4. The town of Los Angeles, California, was originally named El Pueblo la Nuestra Senora de Reina de los Angeles de la Porciuncula.
3. 9 out of 10 people believe Thomas Edison invented the light bulb. This isn’t true; Joseph Swan did.
2. Honey is the only food that does not spoil. Honey found in the tombs of Egyptian pharaohs has been tasted by archaeologists and found edible.
1. The Population of the world can live within the state boundaries of Texas.
(Though some of the [apparent?] facts are also contested! See the link)
Top 27 unbelievable facts that most people don’t know
27. The cigarette lighter was invented before the match.
26. The average chocolate bar has 8 insect legs in it.
25. Right-handed people live, on average, nine years longer than left-handed people do.
24. Its impossible to smoke oneself to death with weed. You won't be able to retain enough motor control and consciousness to do so after such a large amount. (Common Sense)
23. Uncle Phil, from Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, did the voice of Shredder in the TMNT cartoon.
22. Every drop of seawater contains approximately 1 billion gold atoms.
21. The US national anthem actually has three verses, but everyone just knows the first one.
20. During World War II, IBM built the computers the Nazis used to manage their death/concentration camps.
19. The total combined weight of the worlds ant population is heavier than the weight of the human population.
18. The deadliest war in history excluding World War II was a civil war in China in the 1850s in which the rebels were led by a man who thought he was the brother of Jesus Christ.
17. Just about 3 people are born every second, and about 1.3333 people die every second. The result is about a 2 and 2/3 net increase of people every second. Almost 10 people more live on this Earth now, than before you finished reading this.
16. Happy Birthday (the song) is copyrighted.
15. The number of people alive on earth right now is higher than the number of all the people that have died. Ever.
14. The average American consumes 1.2 pounds of spider eggs a year and eat 2.5 pounds of insect parts a year.
13. The Kamp Krusty episode of the Simpson’s was originally meant to be made as the Simpsons movie.
12. Men can breastfeed babies
11. There is a rare condition called Exploding Head Syndrome which you've probably never heard of.
10. Scientists have determined that fungi are more closely related to human beings and animals than to other plants.
9. In some (maybe all) Asian countries, the family name is written first and the individual name written second (opposite of the America method). That's why Asian athletes like Yao Ming and Ichiro Suzuki have Yao and Ichiro written on their jerseys. Those are their family names and in America their names are written Ming Yao and Suzuki Ichiro.
8. Abe Lincoln bought 50 cents worth of cocaine in 1860
7. A German World War II submarine was sunk due to malfunction of the toilet.
6. Washington State has the longest single beach in the United States. Long Beach, WA.
5. The largest living thing on the face of the Earth is a mushroom underground in Oregon, it measures three and a half miles in diameter.
4. The town of Los Angeles, California, was originally named El Pueblo la Nuestra Senora de Reina de los Angeles de la Porciuncula.
3. 9 out of 10 people believe Thomas Edison invented the light bulb. This isn’t true; Joseph Swan did.
2. Honey is the only food that does not spoil. Honey found in the tombs of Egyptian pharaohs has been tasted by archaeologists and found edible.
1. The Population of the world can live within the state boundaries of Texas.
(Though some of the [apparent?] facts are also contested! See the link)
Friday, November 18, 2005
... I've Been Thinking
... I've been thinking. Tomorrow it will be 28 years to the day that I've been in the service. Twenty-eight years in peace and war. I don't suppose I've been at home more than ten months in all that time. Still, it's been a good life. I love India. I wouldn't have had it any other way. But there are times... when suddenly you realize you're nearer the end than the beginning. You wonder... you ask yourself... what the sum total of your life represents... what difference your being there at any time made to anything... or if it made any difference at all really. Particularly in comparison with other men's careers. I don't know whether that kind of thinking is very healthy... but I must admit I've had some thoughts along those lines... from time to time.
-Colonel Nicholson in The Bridge on The River Kwai - said this on the evening the bridge got completed.
(A must watch movie, for more reasons than one)
Other personal quotes from the actor, Alec Guinness, who very finely played the role of a military martinet in the movie.
"Failure has a thousand explanations. Success doesn't need one."
"We live in an age of apologies. Apologies, False or true, are expected from the descendants of Empire builders, slave owners and persecutors of heretics, and from men who, in our eyes, just got it all wrong. So, with the age of 85 coming up shortly, I want to make an apology. It appears I must apologise for being male, white, and European."
In 1985 he told the Guardian newspaper that he hoped by the end of his life to have put everything in order -- "a kind of little bow, tied on life. And I can see myself drifting off into eternity, or nothing, or whatever it may be, with all sorts of bits of loose string hanging out of my pocket. Why didn't I say this or do that, or why didn't I reconcile myself with someone? Or make sure that someone whom I like was all right in every way, either financially or, I don't know..."
Alec Guinness once sent a script back with a polite rejection. The writer came back with a "we tailored it just for you." He simply replied: "But no one came to take measurements."
"I gave my best performances during the war - trying to be an officer and a gentleman."
"Getting to the theatre on the early side, usually about seven o'clock, changing into a dressing-gown, applying make-up, having a chat for a few minutes with other actors and then, quite unconsciously, beginning to assume another personality which would stay with me (but mostly tucked inside) until curtain down, was all I required of life. I thought it bliss."
"An actor is an interpreter of other men's words, often a soul which wishes to reveal itself to the world but dare not, a craftsman, a bag of tricks, a vanity bag, a cool observer of mankind, a child, and at his best a kind of unfrocked priest who, for an hour or two, can call on heaven and hell to mesmerise a group of innocents."
"Personally, I have only one great regret - that I never *dared* enough. If at all."
Source: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000027/bio
-Colonel Nicholson in The Bridge on The River Kwai - said this on the evening the bridge got completed.
(A must watch movie, for more reasons than one)
Other personal quotes from the actor, Alec Guinness, who very finely played the role of a military martinet in the movie.
"Failure has a thousand explanations. Success doesn't need one."
"We live in an age of apologies. Apologies, False or true, are expected from the descendants of Empire builders, slave owners and persecutors of heretics, and from men who, in our eyes, just got it all wrong. So, with the age of 85 coming up shortly, I want to make an apology. It appears I must apologise for being male, white, and European."
In 1985 he told the Guardian newspaper that he hoped by the end of his life to have put everything in order -- "a kind of little bow, tied on life. And I can see myself drifting off into eternity, or nothing, or whatever it may be, with all sorts of bits of loose string hanging out of my pocket. Why didn't I say this or do that, or why didn't I reconcile myself with someone? Or make sure that someone whom I like was all right in every way, either financially or, I don't know..."
Alec Guinness once sent a script back with a polite rejection. The writer came back with a "we tailored it just for you." He simply replied: "But no one came to take measurements."
"I gave my best performances during the war - trying to be an officer and a gentleman."
"Getting to the theatre on the early side, usually about seven o'clock, changing into a dressing-gown, applying make-up, having a chat for a few minutes with other actors and then, quite unconsciously, beginning to assume another personality which would stay with me (but mostly tucked inside) until curtain down, was all I required of life. I thought it bliss."
"An actor is an interpreter of other men's words, often a soul which wishes to reveal itself to the world but dare not, a craftsman, a bag of tricks, a vanity bag, a cool observer of mankind, a child, and at his best a kind of unfrocked priest who, for an hour or two, can call on heaven and hell to mesmerise a group of innocents."
"Personally, I have only one great regret - that I never *dared* enough. If at all."
Source: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000027/bio
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
The Story of Our Lives
फिर कुछ इस दिल को बेकरारी है
सीना ज़ोया-ए-ज़ख्म-ए-कारी है
[ज़ोया-ए-ज़ख्म-ए-कारी = searching for a deep wound]
फिर जिगर खोदने लगा है नाखून
आम्दे-ए-फस्ले-ए-लालाकारी है
[आम्दे-ए-फस्ले-ए-लालाकारी = arrival of the harvest of flowers]
फिर उसी बेवफा पे मरते हैं
फिर वही ज़िन्दगी हमारी है
बेखुदी बेसब्ब नहीं ‘ग़ालिब’
कुछ तो है जिसकी पर्दादारी है
[बेसब्ब = without reason, पर्दादारी = hiding something, especially a fault]
सीना ज़ोया-ए-ज़ख्म-ए-कारी है
[ज़ोया-ए-ज़ख्म-ए-कारी = searching for a deep wound]
फिर जिगर खोदने लगा है नाखून
आम्दे-ए-फस्ले-ए-लालाकारी है
[आम्दे-ए-फस्ले-ए-लालाकारी = arrival of the harvest of flowers]
फिर उसी बेवफा पे मरते हैं
फिर वही ज़िन्दगी हमारी है
बेखुदी बेसब्ब नहीं ‘ग़ालिब’
कुछ तो है जिसकी पर्दादारी है
[बेसब्ब = without reason, पर्दादारी = hiding something, especially a fault]
Friday, November 11, 2005
AIM is a Liar!
No, this post isn't directed to the AIMCATs conducted by T.I.M.E.
This post is also not directed to Asian Institute of Management, Manila.
Though, this post is directed to AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) interface. See the adjacent screenshot. The person's online time is 3 hours 22 minutes, while he has been idle for 6 hours, 44 minutes! Guess, he was born idle! I guess he was! :)
By the way, I wouldn't mind if the title of this post is used for directing a flame to either of AIMCATs, or AIM-Manila
;-)
This post is also not directed to Asian Institute of Management, Manila.
Though, this post is directed to AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) interface. See the adjacent screenshot. The person's online time is 3 hours 22 minutes, while he has been idle for 6 hours, 44 minutes! Guess, he was born idle! I guess he was! :)By the way, I wouldn't mind if the title of this post is used for directing a flame to either of AIMCATs, or AIM-Manila
;-)
Thursday, November 10, 2005
[Humorous] Interpretations of [God]
Disclaimer: I am a believer in God. My faith in Allah is equally devout as in Bhagwan or Rabb. The following is only an attempt at wit and is not at all intended to mean malice to any religion. If anyone objects to this post, I will apologize and remove it.
I am very interested in Ghazals. Now, the poetry (that is consumable by mortals like me) being based mostly in Urdu does tend to take one into the realm of love. And, in my limited experience, there are occasions where there is an ambiguity between interpreting the love to be directed to the beloved or to God. So anyway, I oft find myself wondering about Islam (renderers especially like Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan sahab have rendered religious compositions and others equally well). I am especially a fan of Shikwa and Jawab-e-Shikwa, and Tum Ik Gorakh Dhandha Ho.
The ghazal in my previous post had an introduction (from the life of Mirza Ghalib), and the introduction mentioned the differences between the Shia and Sunni sects of Islam. I read about the differences in the article, The Origin of Shia/Sunni Split in Islam. The page also mentions several interesting things (heard about them earlier, but never really understood the reason for existence of a conflict despite these).
1. Abraham, Issac, Jacob, Joseph, Job, Moses, Aaron, David, Elisha, John the Baptist, and Jesus are mentioned as prophets of Allah (as mentioned in the Holy Quran)
2. Jesus is also recognized as a law bringing prophet.
3. The gospel revealed to Jesus is counted among the books of Allah.
The same page mentions positive and negative (the language on the page, not mine) attributes of Allah. Since I've heard about similar attributes for Bhagwaan and Rabb, I will treat these attributes as those of God.
So anyway, I mentioned the positive attributes to a friend on a skype chat. See what those got displayed as on the chat.
See the smiley - 8) - against the attribute, "[God] is truthful. His words and promises are true."
Interpretation: Believe it, if you like!
It gets more interesting when we come to the negative attributes and read those in the context of modern day life. The negative attributes (again, the language used on the page, not my words) are (I'm replacing specific mentions to Allah, with [God]):
THE NEGATIVE ATTRIBUTES OF [GOD]
1) [God] has no partners.
God is not a team player!
2) [God] is neither made, nor composed, of any material.
God is not patentable subject matter!
3) [God] is not confined to any place and has no body.
God is mobile, so should be you!
(Orange will love this, fear of irking sentiments notwithstanding!)
4) [God] does not incarnate into anything or anybody.
Dikhaawon pe mat jaao, apni akal lagao!
5) [God] is not subject to changes. [God] cannot change.
Dynamism and Evolution are man-made, God doesn't believe in them!
6) [God] is not visible. He has not been seen, is not seen, and will never be seen, because he has no form or body.
And you thought that Rayban Aviator was a good buy!
7) [God] is not dependent. [God] is not deficient, so he does not have any needs.
God pays his own taxes, is not dependent. Please follow suit, pay your taxes!
8) [God] does not have added qualifications. The attributes of [God] are not separate from His being.
And you? Mortal being! You want an MBA? You fool!
My addition, [God] lives in all of us, so our humor is his. [God] bless!
I am very interested in Ghazals. Now, the poetry (that is consumable by mortals like me) being based mostly in Urdu does tend to take one into the realm of love. And, in my limited experience, there are occasions where there is an ambiguity between interpreting the love to be directed to the beloved or to God. So anyway, I oft find myself wondering about Islam (renderers especially like Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan sahab have rendered religious compositions and others equally well). I am especially a fan of Shikwa and Jawab-e-Shikwa, and Tum Ik Gorakh Dhandha Ho.
The ghazal in my previous post had an introduction (from the life of Mirza Ghalib), and the introduction mentioned the differences between the Shia and Sunni sects of Islam. I read about the differences in the article, The Origin of Shia/Sunni Split in Islam. The page also mentions several interesting things (heard about them earlier, but never really understood the reason for existence of a conflict despite these).
1. Abraham, Issac, Jacob, Joseph, Job, Moses, Aaron, David, Elisha, John the Baptist, and Jesus are mentioned as prophets of Allah (as mentioned in the Holy Quran)
2. Jesus is also recognized as a law bringing prophet.
3. The gospel revealed to Jesus is counted among the books of Allah.
The same page mentions positive and negative (the language on the page, not mine) attributes of Allah. Since I've heard about similar attributes for Bhagwaan and Rabb, I will treat these attributes as those of God.
So anyway, I mentioned the positive attributes to a friend on a skype chat. See what those got displayed as on the chat.
See the smiley - 8) - against the attribute, "[God] is truthful. His words and promises are true."
Interpretation: Believe it, if you like!
It gets more interesting when we come to the negative attributes and read those in the context of modern day life. The negative attributes (again, the language used on the page, not my words) are (I'm replacing specific mentions to Allah, with [God]):
THE NEGATIVE ATTRIBUTES OF [GOD]
1) [God] has no partners.
God is not a team player!
2) [God] is neither made, nor composed, of any material.
God is not patentable subject matter!
3) [God] is not confined to any place and has no body.
God is mobile, so should be you!
(Orange will love this, fear of irking sentiments notwithstanding!)
4) [God] does not incarnate into anything or anybody.
Dikhaawon pe mat jaao, apni akal lagao!
5) [God] is not subject to changes. [God] cannot change.
Dynamism and Evolution are man-made, God doesn't believe in them!
6) [God] is not visible. He has not been seen, is not seen, and will never be seen, because he has no form or body.
And you thought that Rayban Aviator was a good buy!
7) [God] is not dependent. [God] is not deficient, so he does not have any needs.
God pays his own taxes, is not dependent. Please follow suit, pay your taxes!
8) [God] does not have added qualifications. The attributes of [God] are not separate from His being.
And you? Mortal being! You want an MBA? You fool!
My addition, [God] lives in all of us, so our humor is his. [God] bless!
The Brilliance of Ghalib
The following is just one of the several (hundred?) examples, the man wrote for one occasion but the poem can be interpreted to be relevant in contemporary contexts.
18 सितंबर को देहली और क़िले पर अंग्रेज़ों का क़ब्ज़ा हो गया। गोरों ने शहर में दाखील होते ही बेगुनाहों और बेनवांओं को क़त्ळ करना शुरु कीया। हाय इतने यार मरे के अब जो मैं मरूंगा तो मेरा कोई रोने वाला भी ना होगा। बिछड़े हुए क़्यामत को ही जमां हों तो हों, सो वाहां क्या ख़ाक जमां होंगे, सुन्नी अलग, शीया अलग, नेक जुदा, बद जुदा।
बस के दुशवार है हर काम का आसान होना
आदमी को भी मयसर नहीं इंसान होना
[दुशवार = difficult, मयसर = possible]
गीरीया चाहे है ख्रराबी मेरे काशाने की
दरो दीवार से टपके है बयाबां होना
[गीरीया = wretched, काशाने = of the house, बयाबां = deserted]
इश्रते क़त्ल गहे अहेले तमन्ना मत पूछ
इद-ए-नज़ारा है शम्शीर का उरीयां होना
[इश्रते क़त्ल गहे अहेले तमन्ना = desires of people in seeking joy by murder of others, शम्शीर = (my guess) some character in the religious text, the word itself means sword (symbol of strength/pride?), उरीयां = naked]
की मेरे क़्तल के बाद उसने जफा से तौबा
हाय उस ज़ूद पशेमां का पशेमां होना
[जफा = oppression, तौबा = Repentance, ज़ूद पशेमां = quickly embarrassed, पशेमां होना = be embarrassed]
18 सितंबर को देहली और क़िले पर अंग्रेज़ों का क़ब्ज़ा हो गया। गोरों ने शहर में दाखील होते ही बेगुनाहों और बेनवांओं को क़त्ळ करना शुरु कीया। हाय इतने यार मरे के अब जो मैं मरूंगा तो मेरा कोई रोने वाला भी ना होगा। बिछड़े हुए क़्यामत को ही जमां हों तो हों, सो वाहां क्या ख़ाक जमां होंगे, सुन्नी अलग, शीया अलग, नेक जुदा, बद जुदा।
बस के दुशवार है हर काम का आसान होना
आदमी को भी मयसर नहीं इंसान होना
[दुशवार = difficult, मयसर = possible]
गीरीया चाहे है ख्रराबी मेरे काशाने की
दरो दीवार से टपके है बयाबां होना
[गीरीया = wretched, काशाने = of the house, बयाबां = deserted]
इश्रते क़त्ल गहे अहेले तमन्ना मत पूछ
इद-ए-नज़ारा है शम्शीर का उरीयां होना
[इश्रते क़त्ल गहे अहेले तमन्ना = desires of people in seeking joy by murder of others, शम्शीर = (my guess) some character in the religious text, the word itself means sword (symbol of strength/pride?), उरीयां = naked]
की मेरे क़्तल के बाद उसने जफा से तौबा
हाय उस ज़ूद पशेमां का पशेमां होना
[जफा = oppression, तौबा = Repentance, ज़ूद पशेमां = quickly embarrassed, पशेमां होना = be embarrassed]
Ghalib: And the band plays on...
ना था कुछ तो खुदा था, कुछ ना होता तो खुदा होता
डुबोया मुझको होने ने, ना होता मैं तो क्या होता
हुआ जब ग़म से युं बेहिस, तो ग़म क्या सर के कटने का
ना होता ग़र जुदा तन से तो ज़ानो पर धरा होता
हुई मुदद्त के ग़ालिब मर गया पर याद आता है
वो हर एक बात पर केहना के युन होता तो क्या होता
डुबोया मुझको होने ने, ना होता मैं तो क्या होता
हुआ जब ग़म से युं बेहिस, तो ग़म क्या सर के कटने का
ना होता ग़र जुदा तन से तो ज़ानो पर धरा होता
हुई मुदद्त के ग़ालिब मर गया पर याद आता है
वो हर एक बात पर केहना के युन होता तो क्या होता
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
फासले ऐसे भी होंगे ये कभी सोचा ना था
ना उड़ा यूं ठोकरो से मेरी खाकेकब्र ज़ालिम, यही एक रेह गयी है मेरे प्यार की निशानी
फासले ऐसे भी होंगे ये कभी सोचा ना था
सामने बैठा था मेरे और वो मेरा ना था
वो के खुशबू की तरह फैला था मेरे चारसू
मैं उसे मेहसूस कर सकता था छू सकता ना था
रात भर पिछली ही आहट कानों में आती रही
झांक कर देखा गली में कोइ भी आया ना था
याद करके और भी तकलीफ होती थी ‘अदीम’
भूल जाने के सिवा अब कोई चारा ना था
फासले ऐसे भी होंगे ये कभी सोचा ना था
सामने बैठा था मेरे और वो मेरा ना था
वो के खुशबू की तरह फैला था मेरे चारसू
मैं उसे मेहसूस कर सकता था छू सकता ना था
रात भर पिछली ही आहट कानों में आती रही
झांक कर देखा गली में कोइ भी आया ना था
याद करके और भी तकलीफ होती थी ‘अदीम’
भूल जाने के सिवा अब कोई चारा ना था
Sunday, November 06, 2005
Handwriting Does Tell You a Lot!
An analysis of my handwriting was triggered by my ex-teacher's, whom I met after 9 years, second most prominent recollection of me, I had a BAD handwriting. Driven by co-incidences as my life is, today morning I found a link for Handwriting Analysis on Sanjukta's blog. The results of the analysis are as follows:
For a graphologist, the spacing on the page reflects the writer's attitude toward their own world and relationship to things in his or her own space. If the inputted data was correct Rahul has left lots of white space on the left side of the paper. Rahul fills up the rest of the page in a normal fashion. If this is true, then Rahul has a healthy relationship to the past and is ready to move on. The right side of the page represents the future and Rahul is ready and willing to get started living now and planning for the future. Rahul would like to leave the past behind and move on.
So far so good!
Something is incomplete in Rahul's life. He feels frustration relating to his physical needs and desires. Somewhere in his life there is some disappointment, non-fulfillment, and interruption. This is very likely to relate to Rahul's sexual needs.
Now now, this embarassing stuff. Damn you, analyzer!
Rahul is sarcastic. This is a defense mechanism designed to protect his ego when he feels hurt. He pokes people harder than he gets poked. These sarcastic remarks can be very funny. They can also be harsh, bitter, and caustic at the same time.
Hmm...
Rahul's true self-image is unreasonably low. Someone once told Rahul that he wasn't a great and beautiful person, and he believed them. Rahul also has a fear that he might fail if he takes large risks. Therefore he resists setting his goals too high, risking failure. He doesn't have the internal confidence that frees him to take risks and chance failure. Rahul is capable of accomplishing much more than he is presently achieving. (Boss, are you reading this?) All this relates to his self-esteem. Rahul's self-concept is artificially low. Rahul will stay in a bad situation much too long... why? Because he is afraid that if he makes a change, it might get worse. It is hard for Rahul to plan too far into the future. He kind of takes things on a day to day basis. He may tell you his dreams but he is living in today, with a fear of making a change. No matter how loud he speaks, look at his actions. This is perhaps the biggest single barrier to happiness people not believing in and loving themselves. Rahul is an example of someone living with a low self-image, because their innate self-confidence was broken.
Man! I am amazed at the degree of accuracy of this analysis! Most of the above is true. But can't recollect who 'someone' was, if there was one. Your days are numbered, buddy!
In reference to Rahul's mental abilities, he has a very investigating and creating mind. He investigates projects rapidly because he is curious about many things. He gets involved in many projects that seem good at the beginning, but he soon must slow down and look at all the angles. He probably gets too many things going at once. When Rahul slows down, then he becomes more creative than before. Since it takes time to be creative, he must slow down to do it. He then decides what projects he has time to finish. Thus he finishes at a slower pace than when he started the project. He has the best of two kinds of minds. One is the quick investigating mind. The other is the creative mind. His mind thinks quick and rapidly in the investigative mode. He can learn quicker, investigate more, and think faster. Rahul can then switch into his low gear. When he is in the slower mode, he can be creative, remember longer and stack facts in a logical manner. He is more logical this way and can climb mental mountains with a much better grip.
Someone pinch me! Am I being watched? Is this a remake of The Truman Show? I think all of the above paragraph is accurate.
Rahul will be candid and direct when expressing his opinion. He will tell them what he thinks if they ask for it, whether they like it or not. So, if they don't really want his opinion, don't ask for it!
Boss, now you know why I talk the way I do!
Rahul is moderately outgoing. His emotions are stirred by sympathy and heart rendering stories. In fact, he can be kind, friendly, affectionate and considerate of others. He has the ability to put himself into the other person's shoes. Rahul will be somewhat moody, with highs and lows. Sometimes he will be happy, the next day he might be sad. He has the unique ability to get along equally well with what psychology calls introverts and extroverts. This is because he is in between. Psychology calls Rahul an ambivert. He understands the needs of both types. Although they get along, he will not tolerate anyone that is too "far out." He doesn't sway too far one way or the other. When convincing him to buy a product or an idea, a heart rendering story could mean a great deal to him. He puts himself in the same situation as the person in the story, yet he will not buy anything that seems overly impractical or illogical. Rahul is an expressive person. He outwardly shows his emotions. He may even show traces of tears when hearing a sad story. Rahul is a "middle-of-the-roader," politically as well as logically. He weighs both sides of an issue, sits on the fence, and then will decide when he finally has to. He basically doesn't relate to any far out ideas and usually won't go to the extreme on any issue.
Correct again! Mostly! I mean I do have the tendency to contemplate going to the extreme.
People that write their letters in an average height and average size are moderate in their ability to interact socially. According to the data input, Rahul doesn't write too large or too small, indicating a balanced ability to be social and interact with others.
Correct.
I am impressed! Sorry, I am Rahul.
(One thing the analysis missed is that Rahul has a natural gift for cooking horrible jokes. Of course, the 'joke' part is understood and acknowledged only by him! For instance, if a poor joke is represented as PJ = P + iJ, where i is iota, we can see that the Joke part (J) is imaginary. *Shameless smile*)
For a graphologist, the spacing on the page reflects the writer's attitude toward their own world and relationship to things in his or her own space. If the inputted data was correct Rahul has left lots of white space on the left side of the paper. Rahul fills up the rest of the page in a normal fashion. If this is true, then Rahul has a healthy relationship to the past and is ready to move on. The right side of the page represents the future and Rahul is ready and willing to get started living now and planning for the future. Rahul would like to leave the past behind and move on.
So far so good!
Something is incomplete in Rahul's life. He feels frustration relating to his physical needs and desires. Somewhere in his life there is some disappointment, non-fulfillment, and interruption. This is very likely to relate to Rahul's sexual needs.
Now now, this embarassing stuff. Damn you, analyzer!
Rahul is sarcastic. This is a defense mechanism designed to protect his ego when he feels hurt. He pokes people harder than he gets poked. These sarcastic remarks can be very funny. They can also be harsh, bitter, and caustic at the same time.
Hmm...
Rahul's true self-image is unreasonably low. Someone once told Rahul that he wasn't a great and beautiful person, and he believed them. Rahul also has a fear that he might fail if he takes large risks. Therefore he resists setting his goals too high, risking failure. He doesn't have the internal confidence that frees him to take risks and chance failure. Rahul is capable of accomplishing much more than he is presently achieving. (Boss, are you reading this?) All this relates to his self-esteem. Rahul's self-concept is artificially low. Rahul will stay in a bad situation much too long... why? Because he is afraid that if he makes a change, it might get worse. It is hard for Rahul to plan too far into the future. He kind of takes things on a day to day basis. He may tell you his dreams but he is living in today, with a fear of making a change. No matter how loud he speaks, look at his actions. This is perhaps the biggest single barrier to happiness people not believing in and loving themselves. Rahul is an example of someone living with a low self-image, because their innate self-confidence was broken.
Man! I am amazed at the degree of accuracy of this analysis! Most of the above is true. But can't recollect who 'someone' was, if there was one. Your days are numbered, buddy!
In reference to Rahul's mental abilities, he has a very investigating and creating mind. He investigates projects rapidly because he is curious about many things. He gets involved in many projects that seem good at the beginning, but he soon must slow down and look at all the angles. He probably gets too many things going at once. When Rahul slows down, then he becomes more creative than before. Since it takes time to be creative, he must slow down to do it. He then decides what projects he has time to finish. Thus he finishes at a slower pace than when he started the project. He has the best of two kinds of minds. One is the quick investigating mind. The other is the creative mind. His mind thinks quick and rapidly in the investigative mode. He can learn quicker, investigate more, and think faster. Rahul can then switch into his low gear. When he is in the slower mode, he can be creative, remember longer and stack facts in a logical manner. He is more logical this way and can climb mental mountains with a much better grip.
Someone pinch me! Am I being watched? Is this a remake of The Truman Show? I think all of the above paragraph is accurate.
Rahul will be candid and direct when expressing his opinion. He will tell them what he thinks if they ask for it, whether they like it or not. So, if they don't really want his opinion, don't ask for it!
Boss, now you know why I talk the way I do!
Rahul is moderately outgoing. His emotions are stirred by sympathy and heart rendering stories. In fact, he can be kind, friendly, affectionate and considerate of others. He has the ability to put himself into the other person's shoes. Rahul will be somewhat moody, with highs and lows. Sometimes he will be happy, the next day he might be sad. He has the unique ability to get along equally well with what psychology calls introverts and extroverts. This is because he is in between. Psychology calls Rahul an ambivert. He understands the needs of both types. Although they get along, he will not tolerate anyone that is too "far out." He doesn't sway too far one way or the other. When convincing him to buy a product or an idea, a heart rendering story could mean a great deal to him. He puts himself in the same situation as the person in the story, yet he will not buy anything that seems overly impractical or illogical. Rahul is an expressive person. He outwardly shows his emotions. He may even show traces of tears when hearing a sad story. Rahul is a "middle-of-the-roader," politically as well as logically. He weighs both sides of an issue, sits on the fence, and then will decide when he finally has to. He basically doesn't relate to any far out ideas and usually won't go to the extreme on any issue.
Correct again! Mostly! I mean I do have the tendency to contemplate going to the extreme.
People that write their letters in an average height and average size are moderate in their ability to interact socially. According to the data input, Rahul doesn't write too large or too small, indicating a balanced ability to be social and interact with others.
Correct.
I am impressed! Sorry, I am Rahul.
(One thing the analysis missed is that Rahul has a natural gift for cooking horrible jokes. Of course, the 'joke' part is understood and acknowledged only by him! For instance, if a poor joke is represented as PJ = P + iJ, where i is iota, we can see that the Joke part (J) is imaginary. *Shameless smile*)
Sunday was a Bright Day, Yesterday
What a day it was, Sunday.
I begin the day with my sister waking me up, for there was someone on the phone for me. On asking who was it, she shouted "Some Major [aa... sound]", I thought she meant Major uncle, so I shouted back at her to redirect to phone to Dad, sure it would be for him, right? But she insisted 'twas for me. So anyway I meekly murmur a hullo into the phone, "Hi Rahul, This is Major Ankur Shrivastav, Remember me?" Wow! The last I met this guy was in 2002 when I was in Pune, and he was heading to [somewhere near] Srinagar, the normal approximate location as these Army guys tell ya. And then he was a fresh officer, a Lieutinent, posted in a sensitive area after education and Training at Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC), National Defence Academy (NDA), Indian Military Academy (IMA), and Young Officer's (YO) course at Nashik. Well, as it may be evident, I am very proud of and in awe of this guy. He is a perfect embodiment of the military way of life strengthening you to take on anything. Anything.
"You're alive!" exclaimed I, he had told me that in Srinagar (and may be all sensitive areas) the militants and the army across the border "will know about Lieutinent Srivastav reaching there, days before he arrives"! "Alive and Kicking!", said he. "Kicking some Pakistani Butt!" was my insensitive joke. I am ashamed at this wrong usage of language, I actually meant "Pakistani Butts"! No offence to people like us on the other side of the border, I hate the self styled jehadis, and I agree with Rashmi's post. "Very glad to connect and will be in touch now, you take care", my closing sentence.
Then, I went to meet my senior from college and Infosys, Vipula Mehta who married another senior from college and a fellow geek from Cel-Pec, Nikhil Goel. The couple is now based out of Singapore, and it was glad to hear about the Singaporean way of life. More so, since I've been contemplating an MBA from NUS for sometime now (Budget budget ki baat hai!).
Then, out of nowhere I was strong on meeting my Math teacher from School, Jaswant Singh, the typical embodiment of a hard task master. I met him after 9 years! I took A Beautiful Mind: The Life of Mathematical Genius and Nobel Laureate John Nash, and To Sir, with Love for him. Hope he likes them!
Talking to Sir about people from our class of 1996 was fun. I hunted down and contacted Shantanu Jindal, Gaurav Suri, and Shivani Passi, all classmates from school. Awesome!
And if this wasn't enough of a good sunday, I ended the day with "a heavy icing"! Talked to Anantesh Verma, buddy from Infosys, Pune and Mohali. I told him how I spent my Sunday, so he was the one who volunteerly offered his [humble] self, "so I'm the icing on the cake, a heavy one!". :)
All in all, a great Sunday, for old time sakes!
Sunday was a bright day yesterday... (borrowing the first and the only relevant line from Moby's beautifully rendered, "The Day Before My Birthday". Btw, its my sister's birthday today. Silly funny co-incidences!)
I begin the day with my sister waking me up, for there was someone on the phone for me. On asking who was it, she shouted "Some Major [aa... sound]", I thought she meant Major uncle, so I shouted back at her to redirect to phone to Dad, sure it would be for him, right? But she insisted 'twas for me. So anyway I meekly murmur a hullo into the phone, "Hi Rahul, This is Major Ankur Shrivastav, Remember me?" Wow! The last I met this guy was in 2002 when I was in Pune, and he was heading to [somewhere near] Srinagar, the normal approximate location as these Army guys tell ya. And then he was a fresh officer, a Lieutinent, posted in a sensitive area after education and Training at Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC), National Defence Academy (NDA), Indian Military Academy (IMA), and Young Officer's (YO) course at Nashik. Well, as it may be evident, I am very proud of and in awe of this guy. He is a perfect embodiment of the military way of life strengthening you to take on anything. Anything.
"You're alive!" exclaimed I, he had told me that in Srinagar (and may be all sensitive areas) the militants and the army across the border "will know about Lieutinent Srivastav reaching there, days before he arrives"! "Alive and Kicking!", said he. "Kicking some Pakistani Butt!" was my insensitive joke. I am ashamed at this wrong usage of language, I actually meant "Pakistani Butts"! No offence to people like us on the other side of the border, I hate the self styled jehadis, and I agree with Rashmi's post. "Very glad to connect and will be in touch now, you take care", my closing sentence.
Then, I went to meet my senior from college and Infosys, Vipula Mehta who married another senior from college and a fellow geek from Cel-Pec, Nikhil Goel. The couple is now based out of Singapore, and it was glad to hear about the Singaporean way of life. More so, since I've been contemplating an MBA from NUS for sometime now (Budget budget ki baat hai!).
Then, out of nowhere I was strong on meeting my Math teacher from School, Jaswant Singh, the typical embodiment of a hard task master. I met him after 9 years! I took A Beautiful Mind: The Life of Mathematical Genius and Nobel Laureate John Nash, and To Sir, with Love for him. Hope he likes them!
Talking to Sir about people from our class of 1996 was fun. I hunted down and contacted Shantanu Jindal, Gaurav Suri, and Shivani Passi, all classmates from school. Awesome!
And if this wasn't enough of a good sunday, I ended the day with "a heavy icing"! Talked to Anantesh Verma, buddy from Infosys, Pune and Mohali. I told him how I spent my Sunday, so he was the one who volunteerly offered his [humble] self, "so I'm the icing on the cake, a heavy one!". :)
All in all, a great Sunday, for old time sakes!
Sunday was a bright day yesterday... (borrowing the first and the only relevant line from Moby's beautifully rendered, "The Day Before My Birthday". Btw, its my sister's birthday today. Silly funny co-incidences!)
Saturday, October 29, 2005
Getting Old
My time has come. It was inevitable. Blame it on brilliance. And some on elegance too. Okay, before you think I've totally lost it, I meant that I'm (for the nth time) revelling in the beauty of old hindi songs, a la Mohd. Rafi. It is interesting that about 10 years ago I would get irritated by these things, and here I am, a total chameleon, appreciating every bit of those. Take this one for example:
Chuu lene do naazuk honthon ko
Kuch aur nahin hai jaam hai yeh
Kudrat ne jo humko baksha hai
Woh sabse haseen inaam hai yeh
Sharmaakar na yuhin kho dena rangeen jawaani ki ghadiyan
Betaab dharakte seeno ka armaan bharaa paigaam hai yeh
Acho ko bura saabit karna duniya ki puraani aadat hai
Is mai ko mubaarak cheez samajh, maana ke bahut badnaam hai yeh
Andaaz-e-guftgoo par gaur farmaaiye janaab!
Guess, growing old is accepting the past to be golden. Is it a compromise or lack of a contemporary identity? Whatever, revel in it as long as you can, who knows when you get old :)
Chuu lene do naazuk honthon ko
Kuch aur nahin hai jaam hai yeh
Kudrat ne jo humko baksha hai
Woh sabse haseen inaam hai yeh
Sharmaakar na yuhin kho dena rangeen jawaani ki ghadiyan
Betaab dharakte seeno ka armaan bharaa paigaam hai yeh
Acho ko bura saabit karna duniya ki puraani aadat hai
Is mai ko mubaarak cheez samajh, maana ke bahut badnaam hai yeh
Andaaz-e-guftgoo par gaur farmaaiye janaab!
Guess, growing old is accepting the past to be golden. Is it a compromise or lack of a contemporary identity? Whatever, revel in it as long as you can, who knows when you get old :)
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Punchline
I guess it's a world of punchlines. Having a punchline is as important for a meaningful existence as having an NRI dad, with earning in dollars and spending in rupees. Critically examining the following punchlines, I have decided to have one of my own.
SingingFish - It's a strange world. Fish it.
Pangea3 - The world is yours. Profit from it.
CNBC-TV18 - Profit from it.
So, here goes mine:
I am dumb. Profit from it.
I guess one way of cooking punchlines is to see what's happening with the entity, in this case - me, put it to words (5-10) and call it your punchline. So you know what's been happening to me!
Of course, the other way is to just copy it and randomly junxtaposition arbitrary words to the right and left. Of course, lots of brains go into deciding where to put the punctuation.
Talking of punchlines, Microsoft used to have Where do you want to go today? till some time ago. I wonder if discovery of Linux got them to coin this one! Legend has it that when software started coming out with the requisite "Requires Windows 98 or better", did people start using Linux. Better, ain't it? What do I know? Being naive comes naturally to me. I am dumb. Profit from it!
SingingFish - It's a strange world. Fish it.
Pangea3 - The world is yours. Profit from it.
CNBC-TV18 - Profit from it.
So, here goes mine:
I am dumb. Profit from it.
I guess one way of cooking punchlines is to see what's happening with the entity, in this case - me, put it to words (5-10) and call it your punchline. So you know what's been happening to me!
Of course, the other way is to just copy it and randomly junxtaposition arbitrary words to the right and left. Of course, lots of brains go into deciding where to put the punctuation.
Talking of punchlines, Microsoft used to have Where do you want to go today? till some time ago. I wonder if discovery of Linux got them to coin this one! Legend has it that when software started coming out with the requisite "Requires Windows 98 or better", did people start using Linux. Better, ain't it? What do I know? Being naive comes naturally to me. I am dumb. Profit from it!
Wassup?
As with all other people with an IQ of 150 or less, I am often expected to answer the very tough questions, "Wassup?", "Kya chal raha hai?", "How's the job coming along?" and so on.
Well, previous attempts at answering with a:
Well, previous attempts at answering with a:
- Bas, normal types
- Standard scene
- Nothing ya
- Kuch nahin yaar
- Nothing exciting
- Nothing to die for, Nothing to kill for
and so on not having rendered themselves as a satisfying reply, I have decided to use the following for sometime now:
I begin each day by asking myself: Abort, Retry, Ignore?
So, now you know about me. Wassup?
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
Late Night Ramblings about Seeking Him
Barson mein tere naam pe khaata raha fareb
Mere Khuda kahan hai tu, apna pata to de
It seems to me that there is a very fine difference (of which I'm not fully aware) between being agnostic and being a modern day Punjabi Hindu, like me. I mean if I am to ask myself, or my parents for that matter, about The One (no, we're not talking about Neo here), not sure if we can be talking for more than a few minutes. I think I/they know more about and are more inclined to Sikhism than Hinduism. Another complaint of mine is that Hinduism is way too complex to be born in 1981 and find an easily "assimilatable" version of it. Someone help me.
Manzil na de charag na de, haunsla to de
Tinke ka hi sahi tu magar aasara to de
But at the end of the (tough) day I still seek Him. How real am I being? How real is He? Is this Identity Crisis?
Beshak mere naseeb pe rakh apna ikhtiyaar
Lekin mere naseeb kya hai bataa to de?
Who am I kidding? May be "destiny" was just misheard, the Creater actually meant "destination", such that only at the end of the journey, called Life, would one know what destiny was.
Maine yeh kab kaha ke mere haq mein ho jawab
Lekin khaamosh kyon hai tu, koi faisla to de
Will I turn rightfully religious or atheist? Will the heavens answer? Will I spend more time just as ill-informed, un-enlightened as this day? I don't know.
Screw it, its time to sleep! If I wake up, there is God. (Easy, isn't it?)
Mere Khuda kahan hai tu, apna pata to de
It seems to me that there is a very fine difference (of which I'm not fully aware) between being agnostic and being a modern day Punjabi Hindu, like me. I mean if I am to ask myself, or my parents for that matter, about The One (no, we're not talking about Neo here), not sure if we can be talking for more than a few minutes. I think I/they know more about and are more inclined to Sikhism than Hinduism. Another complaint of mine is that Hinduism is way too complex to be born in 1981 and find an easily "assimilatable" version of it. Someone help me.
Manzil na de charag na de, haunsla to de
Tinke ka hi sahi tu magar aasara to de
But at the end of the (tough) day I still seek Him. How real am I being? How real is He? Is this Identity Crisis?
Beshak mere naseeb pe rakh apna ikhtiyaar
Lekin mere naseeb kya hai bataa to de?
Who am I kidding? May be "destiny" was just misheard, the Creater actually meant "destination", such that only at the end of the journey, called Life, would one know what destiny was.
Maine yeh kab kaha ke mere haq mein ho jawab
Lekin khaamosh kyon hai tu, koi faisla to de
Will I turn rightfully religious or atheist? Will the heavens answer? Will I spend more time just as ill-informed, un-enlightened as this day? I don't know.
Screw it, its time to sleep! If I wake up, there is God. (Easy, isn't it?)
Saturday, October 22, 2005
Its a Small World!
Cliched!
No doubt, it is cliched. That said, all of us go through our share of "Oh!"s when revelation tickles the spaghetti in the brain. A very flimsy example is the circulation of the same forwards every time a new generation of (engineering) college graduates enters the naukri sponsored cyberspace (as in office wala free Internet).
So anyway, my (re)discovery of the world being a small place seems to happen everyday and often in an entirely new way. For starters, I work for a company called Pangea3, the very name leading us to believe that things are very well connected across the oceans and its a small world, as in American attorney's may get their work done from the person across the wires. The wires being undersea cables leading from NY to Mumbai!
Then on-and-off I login to orkut on days when the 'Does anyone even care whether I exist?' question chooses to bother me (of all the rest damned ever bulging population, including the sucker Arindham Chaudhari!). Anyway, relevance-to-context is that orkut lets you click on a random chick's photograph and then see how are you linked to her! It is really awesome, a great way to find out about lost friends, and be amused at finding how friends of friends or friends are your friends too. Try it! Pardon my language, I just saw on TV, the cool (khool?) people call pretty (to very pretty) girls, having rotund (to very rotund), big (to very big) portions of body as chicks, though I have never understood why. I want to be khool too!
Finally, the webapp that made me write this post. The "Oracle" developed by some khool guys at the Department of Computer Science, University of Virginia. The link is http://www.cs.virginia.edu/cgi-bin/oracle/movielinks. The webapp is no rocket science in itself, but yes, as with a zillion other webapps, it leads to some VERY interesting findings. The webapp links movie actors (btw, I've noticed that this term - actors - is used unisexually, and I approve such usage) names at imdb. So after wasting close to a couple of hours, I thought it was worth a post, this one. See how Juhi Babbar, the pretty (and rotund at right places) daughter of Raj Babbar is linked to the babaji, Al Pacino.
Juhi Babbar was in Kash... Aap Hamare Hote (2003) with Om Puri
Om Puri was in Wolf (1994) with Peter Gerety
Peter Gerety was in People I Know (2002) with Al Pacino
Interesting? Go waste a few hours. Its fun! After all, not being khool and having to spend an average of 65 years on this earth can be very boring. Thank God for the webapps!
No doubt, it is cliched. That said, all of us go through our share of "Oh!"s when revelation tickles the spaghetti in the brain. A very flimsy example is the circulation of the same forwards every time a new generation of (engineering) college graduates enters the naukri sponsored cyberspace (as in office wala free Internet).
So anyway, my (re)discovery of the world being a small place seems to happen everyday and often in an entirely new way. For starters, I work for a company called Pangea3, the very name leading us to believe that things are very well connected across the oceans and its a small world, as in American attorney's may get their work done from the person across the wires. The wires being undersea cables leading from NY to Mumbai!
Then on-and-off I login to orkut on days when the 'Does anyone even care whether I exist?' question chooses to bother me (of all the rest damned ever bulging population, including the sucker Arindham Chaudhari!). Anyway, relevance-to-context is that orkut lets you click on a random chick's photograph and then see how are you linked to her! It is really awesome, a great way to find out about lost friends, and be amused at finding how friends of friends or friends are your friends too. Try it! Pardon my language, I just saw on TV, the cool (khool?) people call pretty (to very pretty) girls, having rotund (to very rotund), big (to very big) portions of body as chicks, though I have never understood why. I want to be khool too!
Finally, the webapp that made me write this post. The "Oracle" developed by some khool guys at the Department of Computer Science, University of Virginia. The link is http://www.cs.virginia.edu/cgi-bin/oracle/movielinks. The webapp is no rocket science in itself, but yes, as with a zillion other webapps, it leads to some VERY interesting findings. The webapp links movie actors (btw, I've noticed that this term - actors - is used unisexually, and I approve such usage) names at imdb. So after wasting close to a couple of hours, I thought it was worth a post, this one. See how Juhi Babbar, the pretty (and rotund at right places) daughter of Raj Babbar is linked to the babaji, Al Pacino.
Juhi Babbar was in Kash... Aap Hamare Hote (2003) with Om Puri
Om Puri was in Wolf (1994) with Peter Gerety
Peter Gerety was in People I Know (2002) with Al Pacino
Interesting? Go waste a few hours. Its fun! After all, not being khool and having to spend an average of 65 years on this earth can be very boring. Thank God for the webapps!
Friday, October 21, 2005
Being 'Touchy and Feely'
Another email!
Interesting! My reply to the person who sent me this mail (a girl) was this:
So what do you think about the engineers now?
Did the illustrative proof below lead to an influence in the probability of a change in the way you look at the engineers, and do you think the description below is a necessary and/or sufficient matter to swing your tendencies of treating engineers as equal beings? ;-)
Gosh! Being nerdy comes naturally to me! But swear to God, the one that I love, I love that one more than I possibly can. Heck, now that's a very "un-engineer" statement. How can you exceed 100%? The answer my friend, is being 'touchy feely'!
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Subject: FW: "Can engineers be 'Touchy feely'?" (femina article on engineers by ChetanBhagat)
Can engineers be 'Touchy feely'?
Can engineers be 'Touchy feely'? Apparently they can... says author Chetan Bhagat
I remember the incident - I was in a restaurant, and one girl in our group was especially charming. So I, like any other male, tried to put on a wooing act. You know the routine, a nanosecond extra eye contact, a few more nods to whatever she says, and attempts to throw in those one-liners which you know you wouldn't if she weren't there. And it seemed to be working. She leaned forward when she spoke to me, and every now and again, we'd have a small conversation of our own, separate from our group. She laughed at my approach with the fork and knife, and I teased her about her hair band, which had little teddy bears. Yes, we were flirting. A while later, she asked me the question - what did I study? I said engineering, without any particular meaning attached to it.
And then like a cold metal rail, she went stiff. My jokes weren't funny any more. Her eyes wandered to everyone else. What was it? Why? Why? Why? Two days later, I still couldn't get over my great start that had dissipated listlessly upon mentioning my education. Engineer? What was wrong with that? My mom had wanted me to become one since I was five! I had to call her. 'So what happened to you that day, hot and cold, missie?' And then she said, trying to be nice, 'Well, it's just that I am skeptical about engineers as friends. I don't know, they can be, you know, very logical and everything... not very touchy feely'.
Not touchy-feely. Now what the heck did that mean? Well, she obviously did not mean it literally, since girls don't really suggest that sort of stuff, certainly not in the first meeting across the table. I guessed it was something to do with feelings, sort of having an emotional side. The stereotype being, the nerdy guy who sees relationships like laws of physics, to whom love is just a bunch of chemicals going crazy in your brain, and getting to know a person means obtaining their bio-data. It's time to set the record straight. It's true that a lot of what engineers study (and they end up studying quite a lot), has to do with formulaes, laws and numbers. No matter how hard we try, some of the vocabulary we read all day gets into our language. So when my mother said, 'Are you getting married next year or not?' I was liable to say, 'Well, at this moment in time, the probability is relatively low,' and felt it was completely normal to say it. And when my sister went sari shopping and couldn't explain the shade she wanted, I told the shopkeeper the percentages of pink, orange and red in the sari. Yet, ladies, I don't think we're bad at relationships, love and getting to know people. We too, can be touchy-feely, as that is part of our education as well. The reason for this is that most engineering students live in the ultimate educator - boy's hostels. Now, let me explain how this plays into this 'touchy-feely' thing. Relationships. Imagine eating, sleeping, brushing your teeth, bathing (ok rarely this one) and partying with the same people all the time. So, when you are kicking that bathroom door down for the tenth time, or when you stand in line for 'gulab-jamuns' in the mess, and when you are done with the vodka bottle and sharing all your secrets, you know it is good practice. Yes, hostels maketh the man. So, next time you are in a flirtatious situation with the techno types, go on, flirt a bit more. Of course, I am biased towards my kind, but if you find the conversation turning too geeky, just ask them, 'So, what were your hostel days like?' and chances are, you'll see a heart behind the calculator. Coming back to my missie, I thought of what would make me win her over. Flowers... too cheesy. Music... don't know her taste (nor trust mine). Teddy bears... don't even go there. Desperate for some good lines, I just turned it right back at her. 'Yes, I know what you are saying about engineers. The thing is, unless people with depth like you start hanging out with us, we won't get any better. Can you meet me some time for some touchy/feely... oops, I mean coffee/tea?' She giggled. When they giggle, you have won. Hence proved.
----ends----Interesting! My reply to the person who sent me this mail (a girl) was this:
So what do you think about the engineers now?
Did the illustrative proof below lead to an influence in the probability of a change in the way you look at the engineers, and do you think the description below is a necessary and/or sufficient matter to swing your tendencies of treating engineers as equal beings? ;-)
Gosh! Being nerdy comes naturally to me! But swear to God, the one that I love, I love that one more than I possibly can. Heck, now that's a very "un-engineer" statement. How can you exceed 100%? The answer my friend, is being 'touchy feely'!
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
Proud to be Indian, relax oye!
The following email came screaming for a reply. What could I do!
-----Original Message-----
AN Indian discovered that nobody can create a folder
anywhere named as "con" in any drive
This is something pretty cool...and unbelievable... At Microsoft the
whole
Team, including Bill Gates, couldn't answer why this happened!
Try it out yourself..
--------- Reply---------
"Hmm Please record my name also, as I claim that you can't make a folder with the name "PRN"!
Alright, now coming to the logic behind this (I am surprised who asked Bill Gates and the whole MS team!): There were certain "reserved names" in the underlying OS, that time called DOS - Disk Operating System.
CON was the reserved name for CONsole (i.e. a display system) PRN was the reserved name for PRiNter (i.e. a printer).
These reserved names were used to output to display system, such as a monitor, and a printer respectively.
So to be "backward compatible" such names are disallowed even today. There are more such names.
My sympathy for Bill Gates."
Are we, Indians, really suffering from such an identity crisis? Bah!
And that also brings me to my theory that with each new "batch" of people inducted into the cyberworld, there is an increase in the per capita spam/forwards. More on this later.
By the way who was that Indian? :)
-----Original Message-----
AN Indian discovered that nobody can create a folder
anywhere named as "con" in any drive
This is something pretty cool...and unbelievable... At Microsoft the
whole
Team, including Bill Gates, couldn't answer why this happened!
Try it out yourself..
--------- Reply---------
"Hmm Please record my name also, as I claim that you can't make a folder with the name "PRN"!
Alright, now coming to the logic behind this (I am surprised who asked Bill Gates and the whole MS team!): There were certain "reserved names" in the underlying OS, that time called DOS - Disk Operating System.
CON was the reserved name for CONsole (i.e. a display system) PRN was the reserved name for PRiNter (i.e. a printer).
These reserved names were used to output to display system, such as a monitor, and a printer respectively.
So to be "backward compatible" such names are disallowed even today. There are more such names.
My sympathy for Bill Gates."
Are we, Indians, really suffering from such an identity crisis? Bah!
And that also brings me to my theory that with each new "batch" of people inducted into the cyberworld, there is an increase in the per capita spam/forwards. More on this later.
By the way who was that Indian? :)
Friday, September 30, 2005
Yeh Mujhe Kya Ho Gaya
Its not that some love has hit me. Its not that memories of some old crush are tickling me again. Its not that I met/saw someone pleasant, hell, I haven't been out of my room for days now. Its just that I thought about this song. Its just that I thought of posting on this blog.
Baadalon Se Kaat Kaatke,
Kaagazon Pe Naam Jodna
Yeh Mujhe Kya Ho Gaya?
Doriyon Se Baandh Baandh Ke
Raat Bhar Chand Todna
Yeh Mujhe Kya Ho Gaya?
Ek Baar Tumko Jab Baraste Paaniyon Ke Paar Dekha Thha
Yoon Laga Thha Jaise
Gungunaata Ek Abshaar Dekha Thha
Tabse Meri Neend Mein Barasti Rehti Hai
Bolti Bahut Ho Aur Hasti Rehti Ho
Jo Tujhe Jaanta Na Ho Us-Se Tera Naam Poochna
Yeh Mujhe Kya Ho Gaya?
Dekho Yoon Khule Badan
Gulabi Sahilon Pe Aaya Na Karo
Tum Namak Bhare Samundaron Mein Yoon
Is Tarah Nahaya Na Karo
Sara Din Chandni Si Chhaayi Rehti Hai
Aur Gulabi Dhoop Baukhlai Rehti Hai
Jaamno Ki Naram Daal Pe Naakhoon Se Naam Khodna
Yeh Mujhe Kya Ho Gaya?
This song is from the movie Satya, can listen to it here at Raaga.com. This isn't the best love/longing song ever. On the contrary, its a fairly "lower middle class" composition, but I love it. Of course, its fairly "lower middle class" to write X loves Y, with an unevenly drawn heart shape, having an arrow piercing across it, on the bark of a jamun tree!
But inspite of it all, this song makes me feel happy. So does looking at Parizad Kolah!
Baadalon Se Kaat Kaatke,
Kaagazon Pe Naam Jodna
Yeh Mujhe Kya Ho Gaya?
Doriyon Se Baandh Baandh Ke
Raat Bhar Chand Todna
Yeh Mujhe Kya Ho Gaya?
Ek Baar Tumko Jab Baraste Paaniyon Ke Paar Dekha Thha
Yoon Laga Thha Jaise
Gungunaata Ek Abshaar Dekha Thha
Tabse Meri Neend Mein Barasti Rehti Hai
Bolti Bahut Ho Aur Hasti Rehti Ho
Jo Tujhe Jaanta Na Ho Us-Se Tera Naam Poochna
Yeh Mujhe Kya Ho Gaya?
Dekho Yoon Khule Badan
Gulabi Sahilon Pe Aaya Na Karo
Tum Namak Bhare Samundaron Mein Yoon
Is Tarah Nahaya Na Karo
Sara Din Chandni Si Chhaayi Rehti Hai
Aur Gulabi Dhoop Baukhlai Rehti Hai
Jaamno Ki Naram Daal Pe Naakhoon Se Naam Khodna
Yeh Mujhe Kya Ho Gaya?
This song is from the movie Satya, can listen to it here at Raaga.com. This isn't the best love/longing song ever. On the contrary, its a fairly "lower middle class" composition, but I love it. Of course, its fairly "lower middle class" to write X loves Y, with an unevenly drawn heart shape, having an arrow piercing across it, on the bark of a jamun tree!
But inspite of it all, this song makes me feel happy. So does looking at Parizad Kolah!
Yeh mujhe kya ho gaya!
Monday, September 26, 2005
Wow, Infy!
I normally refrain from using the phrases akin to "Hats Off!" looking at the deeds of men, women and organizations they run. But this one deserves something to that tune. Indian Express reports the following with the headline, "Infosys airlifts its employees out of Houston jam":
With Hurricane Rita hurtling towards the Texas coast, Indian IT major Infosys has evacuated over 86 people including employees and their families from Houston on a chartered flight.
The evacuation on Thursday night (IST) was ordered after a specially set up Infosys Rita watch panel, Task Force Rita, indicated danger for employees in Houston, Texas.
There are nearly 100 Infosys employees working in the region. Infosys officials at the company’s headquarters in Bangalore said that the decision to charter a plane for the evacuation of employees and their families was made after reports that roads from Houston were blocked as scores of people attempted to flee.
This is really worth a praise, probably more than just a praise. I have worked for Infosys; these guys are masters at hospitality. I mean they really know how to take care of their employees, clients, and shareholders. May be that is why they are a loved company. Even though the nature of work they do, as I've blurted at other occasions, is not the best one could do after engineering, but that is more of an industry characteristic than Infy's.
I was in the first trainee batch which was supposed to undergo a fast track training (Mysore, August 2002), and rather than expect us to find a place to live in the town, Infosys opened the executive resorts for us (which were normally reserved for the C-level execs coming to train at the Infosys Leadership Institute within the Mysore Campus). I'm not sure how many companies would exhibit this level of "Corporate Care". And, yes, we're talking about the company behind Infosys Foundation, which is doing many-a-noble things all the time.
So, here's to Infy's commitment to employee care , "Hats Off!".
PS: Cynical as this may sound, this move of Infy may have a secondary motive of garnering good press, but then, that's just fine, as long as stranded employees were helped.
With Hurricane Rita hurtling towards the Texas coast, Indian IT major Infosys has evacuated over 86 people including employees and their families from Houston on a chartered flight.
The evacuation on Thursday night (IST) was ordered after a specially set up Infosys Rita watch panel, Task Force Rita, indicated danger for employees in Houston, Texas.
There are nearly 100 Infosys employees working in the region. Infosys officials at the company’s headquarters in Bangalore said that the decision to charter a plane for the evacuation of employees and their families was made after reports that roads from Houston were blocked as scores of people attempted to flee.
This is really worth a praise, probably more than just a praise. I have worked for Infosys; these guys are masters at hospitality. I mean they really know how to take care of their employees, clients, and shareholders. May be that is why they are a loved company. Even though the nature of work they do, as I've blurted at other occasions, is not the best one could do after engineering, but that is more of an industry characteristic than Infy's.
I was in the first trainee batch which was supposed to undergo a fast track training (Mysore, August 2002), and rather than expect us to find a place to live in the town, Infosys opened the executive resorts for us (which were normally reserved for the C-level execs coming to train at the Infosys Leadership Institute within the Mysore Campus). I'm not sure how many companies would exhibit this level of "Corporate Care". And, yes, we're talking about the company behind Infosys Foundation, which is doing many-a-noble things all the time.
So, here's to Infy's commitment to employee care , "Hats Off!".
PS: Cynical as this may sound, this move of Infy may have a secondary motive of garnering good press, but then, that's just fine, as long as stranded employees were helped.
Sunday, September 25, 2005
Katrina, Rita and Parizad
Well, if you too have been wondering where these creative names for these cyclones, that have been hitting the hit-by-outsourcing land, came from, here's the link.
For one, it does add some fun in the lives of people. In my case, I'm just waiting for some colleague in Mumbai to ask me, "Where's Rita?" to which I can reply with a smartass "Duh!" (Rita is our colleague in the US.)
Or may be like Shekhar Suman used on The Great Indian Laughter Champions, "Suna hai Katrina ne Bharat ke ilawava USA mein bhi tabahi macha rakhi hai!".
Ah, the show! Good laughter, great marketing, AWESOME host! I mean I just love Parizad! And to my utter frustration, there just aren't enough photos of hers on the web, though she is such a wallpaper material. Anyway, about the show, I like the idea about retaining people ("champions") whose humor for one has a (flimsy at times) national appeal, while having a strong regional appeal.
Btw, here's my current wallpaper
Paichan Kaun? Duh!
For one, it does add some fun in the lives of people. In my case, I'm just waiting for some colleague in Mumbai to ask me, "Where's Rita?" to which I can reply with a smartass "Duh!" (Rita is our colleague in the US.)
Or may be like Shekhar Suman used on The Great Indian Laughter Champions, "Suna hai Katrina ne Bharat ke ilawava USA mein bhi tabahi macha rakhi hai!".
Ah, the show! Good laughter, great marketing, AWESOME host! I mean I just love Parizad! And to my utter frustration, there just aren't enough photos of hers on the web, though she is such a wallpaper material. Anyway, about the show, I like the idea about retaining people ("champions") whose humor for one has a (flimsy at times) national appeal, while having a strong regional appeal.
Btw, here's my current wallpaper
Paichan Kaun? Duh!
Friday, September 23, 2005
New Blog
I've started a new blog, Legally Yours, about Legal Process Outsourcing.
Hope to keep it updated regularly. Watch that space!
Hope to keep it updated regularly. Watch that space!
Saturday, September 17, 2005
The Blind Men and the Elephant
It was six men of Indostan
To learning much inclined,
Who went to see the Elephant
(Though all of them were blind),
That each by observation
Might satisfy his mind.
The First approached the Elephant,
And happening to fall
Against his broad and sturdy side,
At once began to bawl:
"God bless me! But the Elephant
Is very like a wall!"
The Second, feeling of the tusk
Cried, "Ho! What have we here,
So very round and smooth and sharp?
To me 'tis mighty clear
This wonder of an Elephant
Is very like a spear!"
The Third approached the animal,
And happening to take
The squirming trunk within his hands,
Thus boldly up he spake:
"I see," quoth he, "the Elephant
Is very like a snake!"
The Fourth reached out an eager hand,
And felt about the knee:
"What most this wondrous beast is like
Is mighty plain," quoth he;
"'Tis clear enough the Elephant
Is very like a tree!"
The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear,
Said:"E'en the blindest man
Can tell what this resembles most;
Deny the fact who can,
This marvel of an Elephant
Is very like a fan!"
The Sixth no sooner had begun
About the beast to grope,
Than, seizing on the swinging tail
That fell within his scope.
"I see," quoth he, "the Elephant
Is very like a rope!"
And so these men of Indostan
Disputed loud and long,
Each in his own opinion
Exceeding stiff and strong,
Though each was partly in the right,
And all were in the wrong!
So oft in theologic wars,
The disputants, I ween,
Rail on in utter ignorance
Of what each other mean,
And prate about an Elephant
Not one of them has seen!
John Godfrey Saxe (1816 - 1887)
Buddhist version
Islamic version
To learning much inclined,
Who went to see the Elephant
(Though all of them were blind),
That each by observation
Might satisfy his mind.
The First approached the Elephant,
And happening to fall
Against his broad and sturdy side,
At once began to bawl:
"God bless me! But the Elephant
Is very like a wall!"
The Second, feeling of the tusk
Cried, "Ho! What have we here,
So very round and smooth and sharp?
To me 'tis mighty clear
This wonder of an Elephant
Is very like a spear!"
The Third approached the animal,
And happening to take
The squirming trunk within his hands,
Thus boldly up he spake:
"I see," quoth he, "the Elephant
Is very like a snake!"
The Fourth reached out an eager hand,
And felt about the knee:
"What most this wondrous beast is like
Is mighty plain," quoth he;
"'Tis clear enough the Elephant
Is very like a tree!"
The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear,
Said:"E'en the blindest man
Can tell what this resembles most;
Deny the fact who can,
This marvel of an Elephant
Is very like a fan!"
The Sixth no sooner had begun
About the beast to grope,
Than, seizing on the swinging tail
That fell within his scope.
"I see," quoth he, "the Elephant
Is very like a rope!"
And so these men of Indostan
Disputed loud and long,
Each in his own opinion
Exceeding stiff and strong,
Though each was partly in the right,
And all were in the wrong!
So oft in theologic wars,
The disputants, I ween,
Rail on in utter ignorance
Of what each other mean,
And prate about an Elephant
Not one of them has seen!
John Godfrey Saxe (1816 - 1887)
Buddhist version
Islamic version
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Legal Process Outsourcing
A great post on the area I work in - Legal Process Outsourcing - at http://shyster.blogspot.com/2005/09/busting-legal-monopoly-outsourcing.html
The post liberally mentions the company I work for.
Wonder if LPO will be as much of a mover and shaker as IT was.
Finally, LPO is not mere BPO. Those who think it is, die!
The post liberally mentions the company I work for.
Wonder if LPO will be as much of a mover and shaker as IT was.
Finally, LPO is not mere BPO. Those who think it is, die!
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
Sick of Life
Paralyzed.
Nothing's getting through to me.
Hypnotized from all my surroundings.
I wanna be something
I could never be.
I wanna say things that I could never say.
Yeah, I'm gonna do it again!
Sick of my life.
I'm tired of everything in my life.
Dragged down.
Rubbing my face in the ground.
No time for the undecided.
I wanna know why I've always felt alone,
And I wanna love.
Why am I untouchable?
Yeah, I'm gonna do it again!
Sick of my life.
I'm tired of everything in my life.
I never wanted to be sick of my life.
I'm tired of everything in my life.
--Godsmack
Nothing's getting through to me.
Hypnotized from all my surroundings.
I wanna be something
I could never be.
I wanna say things that I could never say.
Yeah, I'm gonna do it again!
Sick of my life.
I'm tired of everything in my life.
Dragged down.
Rubbing my face in the ground.
No time for the undecided.
I wanna know why I've always felt alone,
And I wanna love.
Why am I untouchable?
Yeah, I'm gonna do it again!
Sick of my life.
I'm tired of everything in my life.
I never wanted to be sick of my life.
I'm tired of everything in my life.
--Godsmack
Friday, September 09, 2005
Being Spiritual
I met one of my uncles yesterday after like 3 years. I've been close to him for the past 21 years, earliest memories include going to the Golden Temple during peak of militancy with him (with an onion on my head for tying a patka, that was like mandatory during that troubled time), aunty taught me to tie shoe laces (alright, I haven't been a good student when it comes to shoe laces!), and so on. Among other things, he wanted me to learn to be spiritual "from early on in life" (as if 24 is like early!). Anyway, so he told me about the "mool mantra", from the Guru Granth Sahib (the 11th Guru of the Sikhs, the Holy text).
Ek Omkar Satnaam Kartapurakh Nirbhav Nirvair Akalmurat Ajuni Saybhung
The above, he told me, is like the definition of God.
[Ek = one
Om = one that is unique
Kar = continous, immutable
Sat = undestroyable
Kartapurakh = The creator is within the creation
Nirbhav = fearless
Nirvair = enemyless
Akalmurat = eternel being
Ajuni = unclassified species, there's no other. The species are classified as being out of eggs (andaj), born out of a womb (jeraj), born out of sweat/moisture (setaj), born out of earth (utphuj). There was also a mention of existence of 84,000,000 species, half of them being underwater.
Saybhung = born out of itself]
To be in the sight of the above-defined God, one has to remember him, starting with at certain times - like morning and evening, and moving on to a state where in a continuous alaap of the God's name comes from within.
Gurprasar, Jap Aadsach Juugaadsach Haipisach, Nanak, Hosipisach
[Gurprasar = By the blessings of the Guru
Jap = Always remember
Aadsach = The first truth
Juugaadsach = The truth that spanned all the juugs, Satyug, Treta, Dwapar, and Kalyug
Haipisach = The current truth
Hosipisach = The truth forever]
After telling me about the mool mantra, he went on to describe a snippet, from the holy text, that advocates doing good Karma and remembering God, because that is what matters in the end (yes, some may yawn now!). Quoting him:
Je Juug Chaare Aarja, Hor Dasooni Hoye
[Even if you live ten times the span of the four juugs]
Nauwan Khandaan Wich jaaniye, Naal Chaalai Sab Koye
[You're known all over the nine khands, and all are with you]
Changa Naun Rakhaayekey, Jas Kirat Jug Le
[Attain fame/respect/wealth the world over]
Je Tis Nadar Na Aavaye, Taan Vaat Na Pooche Koye
[But if you're not able to see the God, then you have nowhere to go, none to turn to upon death]
Keetan Andar Keet Kar, Doshi Dosh Tarey
[Even the lowly insects - metaphorical for the miniscule - point fingers on you]
Nanak, Nirgun Gun Kare, Gunvateyan Gun Daye
[But Nanak says, by remembering Him (God), even the talentless (metaphorically) can attain the skill similar to those who are talented]
My uncle also advocated meditating (He says it leads to the tenth opening - somewhere within the forehead, the place where God appears, when you meditate - the other nine being: 2 earholes, 2 eye sockets, 2 nostrils, mouth, anus, rectum).
Well, I've always believed in a superior spiritual power, but may be a part of growing up, is to know more about Him, and know about more things that make sense. I am still to see myself immersed into meditation, but hopefully that should be a real task for me someday. Till then as Naaz Khialvi put it:
Ho Bhi Nahin Aur Harjaa ho,
Tum Ik Gorakh Dhandha Ho
Har Zarre Mein Kis Shaan Se Tu Jalwanuma Hai
Hairaan Magar Akl Ke Kaisa Hai Tu Kya Hai
Tujhe Dair-o-Haram Mein Maine Dhoondha Tu Nahin Milta
Magar Tashreef Farma Tujhko Apne Dil Mein Dekha Hai
Dhoondhe Nahin Mile Ho Na Dhoondhe Se Kahin Tum
Aur Phir Yeh Tamasha Hai Jahan Hum Hain Wohi Tum
(Beautifully rendered by NFAK sahib)
Funny as it sounds, everyone seeks to find The Omnipresent, duh!
Ek Omkar Satnaam Kartapurakh Nirbhav Nirvair Akalmurat Ajuni Saybhung
The above, he told me, is like the definition of God.
[Ek = one
Om = one that is unique
Kar = continous, immutable
Sat = undestroyable
Kartapurakh = The creator is within the creation
Nirbhav = fearless
Nirvair = enemyless
Akalmurat = eternel being
Ajuni = unclassified species, there's no other. The species are classified as being out of eggs (andaj), born out of a womb (jeraj), born out of sweat/moisture (setaj), born out of earth (utphuj). There was also a mention of existence of 84,000,000 species, half of them being underwater.
Saybhung = born out of itself]
To be in the sight of the above-defined God, one has to remember him, starting with at certain times - like morning and evening, and moving on to a state where in a continuous alaap of the God's name comes from within.
Gurprasar, Jap Aadsach Juugaadsach Haipisach, Nanak, Hosipisach
[Gurprasar = By the blessings of the Guru
Jap = Always remember
Aadsach = The first truth
Juugaadsach = The truth that spanned all the juugs, Satyug, Treta, Dwapar, and Kalyug
Haipisach = The current truth
Hosipisach = The truth forever]
After telling me about the mool mantra, he went on to describe a snippet, from the holy text, that advocates doing good Karma and remembering God, because that is what matters in the end (yes, some may yawn now!). Quoting him:
Je Juug Chaare Aarja, Hor Dasooni Hoye
[Even if you live ten times the span of the four juugs]
Nauwan Khandaan Wich jaaniye, Naal Chaalai Sab Koye
[You're known all over the nine khands, and all are with you]
Changa Naun Rakhaayekey, Jas Kirat Jug Le
[Attain fame/respect/wealth the world over]
Je Tis Nadar Na Aavaye, Taan Vaat Na Pooche Koye
[But if you're not able to see the God, then you have nowhere to go, none to turn to upon death]
Keetan Andar Keet Kar, Doshi Dosh Tarey
[Even the lowly insects - metaphorical for the miniscule - point fingers on you]
Nanak, Nirgun Gun Kare, Gunvateyan Gun Daye
[But Nanak says, by remembering Him (God), even the talentless (metaphorically) can attain the skill similar to those who are talented]
My uncle also advocated meditating (He says it leads to the tenth opening - somewhere within the forehead, the place where God appears, when you meditate - the other nine being: 2 earholes, 2 eye sockets, 2 nostrils, mouth, anus, rectum).
Well, I've always believed in a superior spiritual power, but may be a part of growing up, is to know more about Him, and know about more things that make sense. I am still to see myself immersed into meditation, but hopefully that should be a real task for me someday. Till then as Naaz Khialvi put it:
Ho Bhi Nahin Aur Harjaa ho,
Tum Ik Gorakh Dhandha Ho
Har Zarre Mein Kis Shaan Se Tu Jalwanuma Hai
Hairaan Magar Akl Ke Kaisa Hai Tu Kya Hai
Tujhe Dair-o-Haram Mein Maine Dhoondha Tu Nahin Milta
Magar Tashreef Farma Tujhko Apne Dil Mein Dekha Hai
Dhoondhe Nahin Mile Ho Na Dhoondhe Se Kahin Tum
Aur Phir Yeh Tamasha Hai Jahan Hum Hain Wohi Tum
(Beautifully rendered by NFAK sahib)
Funny as it sounds, everyone seeks to find The Omnipresent, duh!
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
About a Girl
I need an easy friend
(I do) With an ear to lend
(I do) Think you fit this shoe
(I do) But you have a clue
I'll take advantage while
You hang me out to dry
But I can't see you every night (for) free
I do
I'm standing in your line
(I do) Hope you have the time
(I do) Pick a number to
(I do) Keep a date with you
I'll take advantage while
You hang me out to dry
But I can't see you every night (for) free
I do
I need an easy friend
(I do) With an ear to lend
(I do) Think you fit this shoe
(I do) But you have a clue
I'll take advantage while
You hang me out to dry
But I can't see you every night, no I can't see you every night...
For free
--About a Girl, Nirvana
(I do) With an ear to lend
(I do) Think you fit this shoe
(I do) But you have a clue
I'll take advantage while
You hang me out to dry
But I can't see you every night (for) free
I do
I'm standing in your line
(I do) Hope you have the time
(I do) Pick a number to
(I do) Keep a date with you
I'll take advantage while
You hang me out to dry
But I can't see you every night (for) free
I do
I need an easy friend
(I do) With an ear to lend
(I do) Think you fit this shoe
(I do) But you have a clue
I'll take advantage while
You hang me out to dry
But I can't see you every night, no I can't see you every night...
For free
--About a Girl, Nirvana
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
Why was the man expected to be a saint?
Recently, this picture of J L Nehru has been circulating...
The title of the mail is "Pyaare Chacha Nehru". I see sarci.
Earlier I've seen pictures of the man having a laugh with Lord Mountbatten's wifey. I saw sarci there too.
Never understood why do we expect our leaders to be saintly? I mean they're men and women after all, right?
Why would I like some Chacha any less if he smoked. Don't see sarci.
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
Venkatesa Suprabhatam
I've often thought of turning more religious than I presently am (which is traces of religion in my life), I've often believed in and advocated the power of Hindu chants. Recently had a chance to listen to Suprabhatam. The "lyrics" and their English interpretation are available here. More information is available at http://www.suprabhatam.org
I have another more "consumable" version, called Suprabhatam-Remix (mail me at rahul.jindal@pangea3.com if you'd like to get that). I know "remix" turns sensual images. But this is religion, not sensual, in most instances. In some instances, it is.
I have another more "consumable" version, called Suprabhatam-Remix (mail me at rahul.jindal@pangea3.com if you'd like to get that). I know "remix" turns sensual images. But this is religion, not sensual, in most instances. In some instances, it is.
Sunday, August 21, 2005
After the war
Nach Nach Laashaan Utte Kalla, Man Hi Man Itranda Hai
Khabar Nahin Key Unhon Behka, Shaitan Khada Muskanda Hai
--After the War, Indian Ocean - Jhini, 2003
(He's gleeful as he dances alone over the corpses,
Little does he know that the Devil is happy influencing him so)
War and malice are no good.
Peace.
Khabar Nahin Key Unhon Behka, Shaitan Khada Muskanda Hai
--After the War, Indian Ocean - Jhini, 2003
(He's gleeful as he dances alone over the corpses,
Little does he know that the Devil is happy influencing him so)
War and malice are no good.
Peace.
Saturday, August 20, 2005
What makes Instant Messaging so popular among teens?
A very interesting study is at http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~kraut/RKraut.site.files/articles/Boneva04-TeenCommunicationInIMEra.pdf
One thing that I love about my job is the scope to author such studies, even though this one wasn't authored by us :)
One thing that I love about my job is the scope to author such studies, even though this one wasn't authored by us :)
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
This and That
An excellent photo-series on Sufism
Inadvertently, I had refered Sufism to be kind of an addiction in a discussion at office. People called smoking an addiction and said (yawn) that it leads to deterioration of health. It causes trouble, not only for the smoker but his family. So its a social phenomenon. I couldn't agree more with them, but my point was that the social phenomenon thing is true for any other addiction. Take Sufism for example. People get so much into it that they leave home. They become disconnected, I did. Try listening to Man Atkeia Beparwa De Naal by NFAK. That is a social phenomenon like no other. Religion is. Who has quit religion? But, yes smoking is worse. Quit now!
As with most other times, my inadvertent remark made me probe, so I came across the photo-series and I am glad.
Here is a great link from The Hindu about the American way, a do's and don'ts checklist for Indians :). Quoting:
Americans are fussy about personal cleanliness. Body odour makes them shudder in disgust. Personal care products such as shampoos, deodorants, dental floss and mouthwash are multi billion dollar industries. Put these down on your shopping list and use them liberally and frequently.
Finally, Sunil's excellent posts on AID-India are here, here and here. I had joined the AID-Delhi mailing list while I was in Gurgaon, but didn't do much apart from lurking on the list, but I do appreciate their spirit. For the more filmy inclined, Ashutosh Gawariker movie Swades was inspired by a group of AID-India members who worked at making a village self-sufficient when it comes to electricity.
Inadvertently, I had refered Sufism to be kind of an addiction in a discussion at office. People called smoking an addiction and said (yawn) that it leads to deterioration of health. It causes trouble, not only for the smoker but his family. So its a social phenomenon. I couldn't agree more with them, but my point was that the social phenomenon thing is true for any other addiction. Take Sufism for example. People get so much into it that they leave home. They become disconnected, I did. Try listening to Man Atkeia Beparwa De Naal by NFAK. That is a social phenomenon like no other. Religion is. Who has quit religion? But, yes smoking is worse. Quit now!
As with most other times, my inadvertent remark made me probe, so I came across the photo-series and I am glad.
Here is a great link from The Hindu about the American way, a do's and don'ts checklist for Indians :). Quoting:
Americans are fussy about personal cleanliness. Body odour makes them shudder in disgust. Personal care products such as shampoos, deodorants, dental floss and mouthwash are multi billion dollar industries. Put these down on your shopping list and use them liberally and frequently.
Finally, Sunil's excellent posts on AID-India are here, here and here. I had joined the AID-Delhi mailing list while I was in Gurgaon, but didn't do much apart from lurking on the list, but I do appreciate their spirit. For the more filmy inclined, Ashutosh Gawariker movie Swades was inspired by a group of AID-India members who worked at making a village self-sufficient when it comes to electricity.
Remembering KC
The safe landing of space shuttle Discovery brings back the memory of a landing that wasn't safe. In fact, it wasn't a landing at all.
The Jan 13, 2003 special issue of India Today had a picture on its covers with the words ‘American Astronaut Kalpana Chawla’ written on the lower-left, the theme of the issue, ‘The Global Indians, doing us proud’.
Almost around six-and-a-half-years ago, we (at Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh) were introduced to Kalpana ‘Global Indian’ Chawla by Prof. Gurdial Singh saying, “These are the very benches where she sat and attended lectures, lets see how far can you go.’ “How far can one go than the space itself?” was, may be, the passing thought.
That was a year after she became the first Indian women to ‘rocket into space on a NASA fact finding mission on microgravity’. Quoting from India today, “In the 16 day trip during which disconnected bubbles of water were caught for taking a cosmic shower, Chawla traveled 6.5 million miles, made 252 orbits of the earth and logged close to 400 hours in space”.
Soon after she came back from her first trip to the stars, she sent back to her alma mater a photograph of the entire crew personally signed by each crew member. This photograph even today is on the walls in the admin block at PEC. Everyone waiting to see the principal looks at the photograph outside his office. “To the teachers, students and staff of Punjab Engineering College”, says the caption she wrote.
When her second flight was announced some time early this year, the students of Aeronautical Engineering Department sent her a letter with letters from Governor of Punjab and others. “You do us proud”, was the headline of the article describing the letter the next day in a local newspaper in Chandigarh.
Cut to a few years later...
Saturday, 1st Feb, 2003, about 7:00 a.m. IST: Seeing her photograph on the top of Times of India, I told my friend, “I heard she’d be visiting our college sometime this year, may be during the convocation”. She was scheduled to land that day after a 16 day long trip in the NASA space shuttle Columbia that took off on the 16th Jan.
Saturday, 1st Feb, 2003 about 8:00 p.m. IST: We watched with gross shock and disbelief a bright streak of light on the Texan sky, something the newsflash called the “Crashing Space Shuttle Columbia”. “First time in the history of NASA has a space shuttle crashed while landing” said the voice behind the screen.
But with that first time, we also lost the First Indian woman in space, but with that first time, we also lost the first Indian to go to space twice, but with that first time we also lost the ‘First among the stars’ as India Today called her.
“All Indians must be immensely proud of her”, said a voice on CNN. Seeing the TV channels this seemed true.
I remember KC, American Astronaut, who attained eternity, literally among the stars, with these words...
“…after partition my family was left without possessions but we learnt you couldn’t lose by working hard.”
We're working hard, KC Ma'am. We won't lose. Discovery did land safely.
Thursday, August 04, 2005
Dropping the Albatross
Not so long ago, in a place that demands the most raw of the survival skills, where wild animals, Jaats, prowl free, there existed a firm. Name is not important. Only that it was “The Firm” wannabe. Hah!
The place was infested by khabris, dreary and sly men (and women?), men of no honor, in fact they sold their honor on that hungry night at Convergys. They bought half-a-plate Maggi doing so.
Deleted the rest of the post (about 1-1/4 pages more) to sound politically correct.
The place was infested by khabris, dreary and sly men (and women?), men of no honor, in fact they sold their honor on that hungry night at Convergys. They bought half-a-plate Maggi doing so.
Deleted the rest of the post (about 1-1/4 pages more) to sound politically correct.
Thursday, July 28, 2005
Bad Times, Good Spirits
Umr jalwon mein basar ho, yeh zaroori to nahin
Har shab-e-gam ki seher ho, yeh zaroori to nahin
This must have been on the minds of my colleagues from office who stayed at the corporate house for the second consecutive night, been away from their families for 36 hours by then. After all, not on all days can one be with family. And some nights, especially second in a row, with uncertainty looming large, is shab-e-gam after all, and expecting a sunny morning (seher), even literally, would be expecting too much.
The gam ranged from a submerged car to a four-year-old who wanted mamma to come home (in Kandivilli, from Colaba) by "aeroplane", if bus, car, and train are not running. Then there was this lady who was planning for her mother's birthday for days, and all that she could do was to call her up using a cell phone with an ever-wavering signal. So much for planning. Life is a typical project, planning to plant apples, red and delicious, and end up eating mushroom, poisonous at times. Yes, you can always add peas to the mushroom, if you are north-Indian, but c'mon, expecting peas to taste like apples, is weird even by Jaat (Gurgaon Police) standards.
Of course, gam, like mushrooms also comes in several varieties, from missing mom's birthday (Rachita), to trying to breathe under earth after a landslide has hit you (an old woman in Saki Naka), to going hungry for 36 hours straight (Ghushe), to walking through 5 feet water (Neha), to spending two nights in office (Doctor), to still having a wild shrub for hair (me), Fructis notwithstanding.
We decided to have the second evening in the Corporate House livelier than the previous one. Pardon me, we did not decide to, some odd beast, called Torrential Rains, and the instinct of not letting the beast dampen our spirits, forced us to. You can wet a Mumbaikar's body, but you can't dampen his spirit. After all you are no more than some menacing H2O. That doesn't even sound scary. You can strand our lives, but not keep them from playing Dumb Charades. And that is what we did. Everyone seemed to understand...
Neend to dard ke bistar pe bhi aa sakti hai
Unki aagosh mein sar ho yeh zaroori to nahin
After all, when the mother and the four-year-old embrace (aagosh), all will be mended, and mended damn well. Meanwhile, research is on about correct way of embracing such that lack of a Colaba - Kandivilli flight can be properly put to perspective.
While one Dumb after the other took centre stage, prayers must have been on in everyone's minds. No silly, the movie names were not that tough that you need pray to get them right.
Prayers for him/her, prayers for his/hers, prayers for theirs, prayers for ours. Sab ke liye sajde
Shaikh karta to hai masjid mein Khuda ko sajde
Uske sajdon mein asar ho, yeh zaroori to nahin
As fresh rain knocked at the window pane, weariness and helplessness flashed many a face. One of those moments when the question that you've been avoiding for a while now, "Does God exist?" needs a revisit. From the funny, "Is there a complaint redressel register up there?" to the more mundane, "Am I going home tomorrow?", the effectiveness of the prayers was yet to be seen.
Earlier in the day, I had walked down to the Marine Drive near NCPA, to dump some of my weariness. What I saw is probably what is called the Mumbai Spirit. Each face, young or old, braids or bald, pretty or otherwise, grateful-but-not-showing townie or stranded-but-so-what suburban, had a lets-live-it-now, a we'll-meet-tomorrow-when-it-comes, look. In fact, it was so cheering that I too decided to go right till the far end and sit on those crab laden tripod shaped cement rocks. Let's live it now, we'll meet the crabs tomorrow.
On my way back I saw an old man, rich and apparent, white kurta pyjama, folded hands, bare feet as in a temple, looking at the sea, probably calling his God (Saaki). It could very well be a this-year-an-eighty-percent-on-my-stocks-please thing, but praying he was...
Sabki nazaron mein ho Saaki, yeh zaroori hai
... and so were people at the corporate house.
Sabki nazaron mein ho Saaki, yeh zaroori hai magar
Sab pe Saaki ki nazar ho yeh zaroori to nahin
My colleagues did end up going back to their houses this afternoon, almost after 50 hours.
While the industry and the economy mourn a Rs. 1000 crore loss, I'd be glad to know if the old rich man gets his eighty percent.
Sab pe Saaki ki nazar ho yeh zaroori to nahin
Dear Saaki, my expectations are only sixty percent, kindly oblige. I know you're overworked. You've just been to Mumbai, after an unexpected break.
Ah, when the Gods ensured that it won't be a dry day, we could do nothing but follow suit. So wine did keep us Dumbs happy. The toast was: "Bad Times, Good Spirits". Literally.
Har shab-e-gam ki seher ho, yeh zaroori to nahin
This must have been on the minds of my colleagues from office who stayed at the corporate house for the second consecutive night, been away from their families for 36 hours by then. After all, not on all days can one be with family. And some nights, especially second in a row, with uncertainty looming large, is shab-e-gam after all, and expecting a sunny morning (seher), even literally, would be expecting too much.
The gam ranged from a submerged car to a four-year-old who wanted mamma to come home (in Kandivilli, from Colaba) by "aeroplane", if bus, car, and train are not running. Then there was this lady who was planning for her mother's birthday for days, and all that she could do was to call her up using a cell phone with an ever-wavering signal. So much for planning. Life is a typical project, planning to plant apples, red and delicious, and end up eating mushroom, poisonous at times. Yes, you can always add peas to the mushroom, if you are north-Indian, but c'mon, expecting peas to taste like apples, is weird even by Jaat (Gurgaon Police) standards.
Of course, gam, like mushrooms also comes in several varieties, from missing mom's birthday (Rachita), to trying to breathe under earth after a landslide has hit you (an old woman in Saki Naka), to going hungry for 36 hours straight (Ghushe), to walking through 5 feet water (Neha), to spending two nights in office (Doctor), to still having a wild shrub for hair (me), Fructis notwithstanding.
We decided to have the second evening in the Corporate House livelier than the previous one. Pardon me, we did not decide to, some odd beast, called Torrential Rains, and the instinct of not letting the beast dampen our spirits, forced us to. You can wet a Mumbaikar's body, but you can't dampen his spirit. After all you are no more than some menacing H2O. That doesn't even sound scary. You can strand our lives, but not keep them from playing Dumb Charades. And that is what we did. Everyone seemed to understand...
Neend to dard ke bistar pe bhi aa sakti hai
Unki aagosh mein sar ho yeh zaroori to nahin
After all, when the mother and the four-year-old embrace (aagosh), all will be mended, and mended damn well. Meanwhile, research is on about correct way of embracing such that lack of a Colaba - Kandivilli flight can be properly put to perspective.
While one Dumb after the other took centre stage, prayers must have been on in everyone's minds. No silly, the movie names were not that tough that you need pray to get them right.
Prayers for him/her, prayers for his/hers, prayers for theirs, prayers for ours. Sab ke liye sajde
Shaikh karta to hai masjid mein Khuda ko sajde
Uske sajdon mein asar ho, yeh zaroori to nahin
As fresh rain knocked at the window pane, weariness and helplessness flashed many a face. One of those moments when the question that you've been avoiding for a while now, "Does God exist?" needs a revisit. From the funny, "Is there a complaint redressel register up there?" to the more mundane, "Am I going home tomorrow?", the effectiveness of the prayers was yet to be seen.
Earlier in the day, I had walked down to the Marine Drive near NCPA, to dump some of my weariness. What I saw is probably what is called the Mumbai Spirit. Each face, young or old, braids or bald, pretty or otherwise, grateful-but-not-showing townie or stranded-but-so-what suburban, had a lets-live-it-now, a we'll-meet-tomorrow-when-it-comes, look. In fact, it was so cheering that I too decided to go right till the far end and sit on those crab laden tripod shaped cement rocks. Let's live it now, we'll meet the crabs tomorrow.
On my way back I saw an old man, rich and apparent, white kurta pyjama, folded hands, bare feet as in a temple, looking at the sea, probably calling his God (Saaki). It could very well be a this-year-an-eighty-percent-on-my-stocks-please thing, but praying he was...
Sabki nazaron mein ho Saaki, yeh zaroori hai
... and so were people at the corporate house.
Sabki nazaron mein ho Saaki, yeh zaroori hai magar
Sab pe Saaki ki nazar ho yeh zaroori to nahin
My colleagues did end up going back to their houses this afternoon, almost after 50 hours.
While the industry and the economy mourn a Rs. 1000 crore loss, I'd be glad to know if the old rich man gets his eighty percent.
Sab pe Saaki ki nazar ho yeh zaroori to nahin
Dear Saaki, my expectations are only sixty percent, kindly oblige. I know you're overworked. You've just been to Mumbai, after an unexpected break.
Ah, when the Gods ensured that it won't be a dry day, we could do nothing but follow suit. So wine did keep us Dumbs happy. The toast was: "Bad Times, Good Spirits". Literally.
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
Maximum City
Its 5:30 a.m. and I just came back after seeing Mumbai. No, I wasn't out partying, wasn't even working late.
I saw Mumbai, a city paralyzed. Jammed roads, Intimidating sea, Halted trains, Dysfunctional phones, Blacked-out suburbs.
Around afternoon, it started getting *quite* dark. But ever since I installed Konfbulator and its nifty little widget for weather, and configured it for Mumbai, looking outside the window has become a passé. The widget punchline itself says, "So that you never have to look outside again".
So, anyway, the widget showed cloudy sky with those gray streaks, so large that they seemed to run across the section on the widget for the current date. I didn't quite bother interpreting what it could mean, a torn city, perhaps. As I said, I didn't bother.
As the day progressed, the commotion (excitement?) in the office increased. Things like, "...you live in Colaba (close to the office, that is), why would you bother...” For me what was strange was to find this particular boat in the sea, that one sees from the window near the elevators on the floor where my office is, missing. I distinctly remember seeing it twice in the day, once about 2 PM and then about 4 PM, during my excursions. But at about 5:30, the boat was no where to be found. Either they took it, or *it* did.
By about 6 it was sort of "... (Houston) we have a situation!” Pizzas were ordered, and I was prepared to welcome guests from the office to the Corporate House, where I stay. If it is to be, it will be, so it was.
I finished my work at about 11. By then the ladies from the office had left for the CH, while we were, seven of us, unfair sex (each unfair than the other), in the office, no where to go, no place to call our own. So went the usual trip, and Ghazals plus Google earth kept us just fine.
Ah, not to forget, the little office-alone adventure that happened in the suite adjacent to ours. Apparently, a man had gotten drunk and somehow got himself locked in the office. So helpless, and stupid, as he was, and selfless, and jobless as people in my office were, a good amount of time went in setting the drunkards (actually there were two, too drunk) free.
How stupid the drunkards were, we'll never know. But we were *quite* jobless, so at 4 we decided to "checkout" (I hate ambiguous words, I do) the sea @ Marine Drive. So intrepid as we were, went down towards NCPA only to make fun of the sissy sea (we had expected more aggression) and the umbrella-holders amongst us. Frankly, I didn't think the sea was sissy, a little more and I wouldn't have been writing this!
As in other mundane and boring stories, hunger set in. Only that it was for food this time. So we went to Churchgate. And boy, it was one of those days when I think not owning a digicam is the second biggest mistake of my life. The first one being turning 24 and comfortably forgetting to plan a life strategy, but then, that’s a different story, perhaps a different blog entry.
Churchgate! That place didn't have church, and not even a gate, but yes it had .... It had people. People. People. Some more, people. And some more. And some more. Sleeping; on the floor, with or without newspaper ("mattress"); on the benches; in the parked trains. Watching; life, universe, and everything. Wondering; when are the trains going to start, if their families are safe and fed, if office tomorrow will understand, how long will they discuss their i-was-at-foobar-when-we-got-stuck stories with friends at work, whose story would become most popular, and if all 24 year olds have a life strategy. Okay, I made the last one up. In fact, I made all of them up.
Then there were the ones who believed more in the power of screaming, than sleeping. So merrily, they were making the lives of the authorities miserable, by enquiring about the time the trains were supposed to restart. It amuses me to be among the few who understand that rains are still the work of an external force. By the way, why not take this golden opportunity to blame it on Pakistan?
Anyway, as any aspiring entrepreneur would sense, I wondered about the existence of an amazing business opportunity, given the sheer number of potential customers with a need. Food. As with any other mundane and boring story, the hunger sets in, remember? And the story of all our lives is mundane and boring, let’s face it.
As with most "innovative" ideas, this one too was doomed for failure. This is Mumbai, my friend, a city that has the cash-upon-an-opportunity-and-cash-it-now attitude even among the house flies. Soon I discovered a bun-butter-jam vendor and a make-and-shift-if-you-don't-shift-then-BMC-will tea stall around the place. And, they were doing brisk business. Its 4:30 in the night and we're talking about a literally rainy setup. Thou shalt strive to maximize end-user comfort and make money in the process. And thou shalt soon change thou damned name. T-h-o-u is archaic!
Cut to search for smoke (one of my colleagues wanted it bad enough, in fact, the smokers always want it bad enough), and Regal cinema was the place where one always finds cigarettes, pan, tea, biscuits, chocolates, and happiness. Okay, I lied about the happiness part.
Striking thing about all these we're-open-24-7-365 shops is the absence of ridiculous inflation, when the consumer need becomes greater than usual. So we got all the stuff from each of the vendors at the normal rates. Very unlike in northern parts of the country, Homo Sapienus Fleeceus!
On our way back, we tuned into one enterprising FM channel which, in its endeavor to comfort the denizens, was up much beyond the normal time. They were taking calls from people stranded across the city and making announcements informing the families of those stuck, about the well being of those who couldn't be with their families that night, motivating people to send food to some 250 kids stuck in a building in Goregaon that’s flooded 10 feet, and so on.
Nobility, I think is a much undervalued virtue. And comforting those in need is fairly, and affordably, noble.
Here are my 2 cents and several bytes (see above, if you haven't already) for the cause.
Move 'Maximum City' Mumbai, tomorrow is another day, and I have to go to the office. Its 5:30 no more, damn!
I saw Mumbai, a city paralyzed. Jammed roads, Intimidating sea, Halted trains, Dysfunctional phones, Blacked-out suburbs.
Around afternoon, it started getting *quite* dark. But ever since I installed Konfbulator and its nifty little widget for weather, and configured it for Mumbai, looking outside the window has become a passé. The widget punchline itself says, "So that you never have to look outside again".
So, anyway, the widget showed cloudy sky with those gray streaks, so large that they seemed to run across the section on the widget for the current date. I didn't quite bother interpreting what it could mean, a torn city, perhaps. As I said, I didn't bother.
As the day progressed, the commotion (excitement?) in the office increased. Things like, "...you live in Colaba (close to the office, that is), why would you bother...” For me what was strange was to find this particular boat in the sea, that one sees from the window near the elevators on the floor where my office is, missing. I distinctly remember seeing it twice in the day, once about 2 PM and then about 4 PM, during my excursions. But at about 5:30, the boat was no where to be found. Either they took it, or *it* did.
By about 6 it was sort of "... (Houston) we have a situation!” Pizzas were ordered, and I was prepared to welcome guests from the office to the Corporate House, where I stay. If it is to be, it will be, so it was.
I finished my work at about 11. By then the ladies from the office had left for the CH, while we were, seven of us, unfair sex (each unfair than the other), in the office, no where to go, no place to call our own
Ah, not to forget, the little office-alone adventure that happened in the suite adjacent to ours. Apparently, a man had gotten drunk and somehow got himself locked in the office. So helpless, and stupid, as he was, and selfless, and jobless as people in my office were, a good amount of time went in setting the drunkards (actually there were two, too drunk) free.
How stupid the drunkards were, we'll never know. But we were *quite* jobless, so at 4 we decided to "checkout" (I hate ambiguous words, I do) the sea @ Marine Drive. So intrepid as we were, went down towards NCPA only to make fun of the sissy sea (we had expected more aggression) and the umbrella-holders amongst us. Frankly, I didn't think the sea was sissy, a little more and I wouldn't have been writing this!
As in other mundane and boring stories, hunger set in. Only that it was for food this time. So we went to Churchgate. And boy, it was one of those days when I think not owning a digicam is the second biggest mistake of my life. The first one being turning 24 and comfortably forgetting to plan a life strategy, but then, that’s a different story, perhaps a different blog entry.
Churchgate! That place didn't have church, and not even a gate, but yes it had ...
Then there were the ones who believed more in the power of screaming, than sleeping. So merrily, they were making the lives of the authorities miserable, by enquiring about the time the trains were supposed to restart. It amuses me to be among the few who understand that rains are still the work of an external force. By the way, why not take this golden opportunity to blame it on Pakistan?
Anyway, as any aspiring entrepreneur would sense, I wondered about the existence of an amazing business opportunity, given the sheer number of potential customers with a need. Food. As with any other mundane and boring story, the hunger sets in, remember? And the story of all our lives is mundane and boring, let’s face it.
As with most "innovative" ideas, this one too was doomed for failure. This is Mumbai, my friend, a city that has the cash-upon-an-opportunity-and-cash-it-now attitude even among the house flies. Soon I discovered a bun-butter-jam vendor and a make-and-shift-if-you-don't-shift-then-BMC-will tea stall around the place. And, they were doing brisk business. Its 4:30 in the night and we're talking about a literally rainy setup. Thou shalt strive to maximize end-user comfort and make money in the process. And thou shalt soon change thou damned name. T-h-o-u is archaic!
Cut to search for smoke (one of my colleagues wanted it bad enough, in fact, the smokers always want it bad enough), and Regal cinema was the place where one always finds cigarettes, pan, tea, biscuits, chocolates, and happiness. Okay, I lied about the happiness part.
Striking thing about all these we're-open-24-7-365 shops is the absence of ridiculous inflation, when the consumer need becomes greater than usual. So we got all the stuff from each of the vendors at the normal rates. Very unlike in northern parts of the country, Homo Sapienus Fleeceus!
On our way back, we tuned into one enterprising FM channel which, in its endeavor to comfort the denizens, was up much beyond the normal time. They were taking calls from people stranded across the city and making announcements informing the families of those stuck, about the well being of those who couldn't be with their families that night, motivating people to send food to some 250 kids stuck in a building in Goregaon that’s flooded 10 feet, and so on.
Nobility, I think is a much undervalued virtue. And comforting those in need is fairly, and affordably, noble.
Here are my 2 cents and several bytes (see above, if you haven't already) for the cause.
Move 'Maximum City' Mumbai, tomorrow is another day, and I have to go to the office. Its 5:30 no more, damn!
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
They Are Therefore I Am
Hi Mummy and Papa,
If you consider your kids to be the greatest "milestone" from the glorious 25 years that you have spent together, let me just say that you have been extremely successful in attaining the milestone. Twenty-five of the many reasons are:
1. Both of your kids couldn't have been happier being born to a different set of parents.
2. Both of your kids cannot be more thankful of their upbringing.
3. Both of your kids have seen you through thick and thin.
4. Both of your kids have admired you every single day of their lives.
5. Both of your kids feel safe in the world that you have provided to them.
6. Both of your kids look forward to you in times of distress.
7. Both of your kids want to be with you in times of their joy.
8. Both of your kids attribute every single thing they have attained to you.
9. Both of your kids moved on, when things seemed rough, only because of you.
10. Both of your kids have their dreams that they have because of you.
11. Both of your kids immensely appreciate the devotion that both of you have towards our little sweet home.
12. Both of your kids learn from you that one can never lose by working hard.
13. Both of your kids are humble because of you.
14. Both of your kids are motivated to attain higher because of you.
15. Both of your kids need no feel for external support because of the pillars that both of you have always been .
16. Both of your kids feel accountability only to you and no one else.
17. Both of your kids seek comfort from you and no one else.
18. Both of your kids carry your values.
19. Both of your kids are what they are because of you.
20. Both of your kids will be what they will be because of you.
21. Both of your kids rejoice the small pleasures in life because of your naivete.
22. Both of your kids have big dreams in life because of your sophistication.
23. Both of your kids are weak when you are weak.
24. Both of your kids are strong when you are strong.
25. Both your kids love you the way you are.
Thank you mummy and papa, you are the greatest! Have a great silver jubilee party!
All of our love,
Shivali and Rahul
If you consider your kids to be the greatest "milestone" from the glorious 25 years that you have spent together, let me just say that you have been extremely successful in attaining the milestone. Twenty-five of the many reasons are:
1. Both of your kids couldn't have been happier being born to a different set of parents.
2. Both of your kids cannot be more thankful of their upbringing.
3. Both of your kids have seen you through thick and thin.
4. Both of your kids have admired you every single day of their lives.
5. Both of your kids feel safe in the world that you have provided to them.
6. Both of your kids look forward to you in times of distress.
7. Both of your kids want to be with you in times of their joy.
8. Both of your kids attribute every single thing they have attained to you.
9. Both of your kids moved on, when things seemed rough, only because of you.
10. Both of your kids have their dreams that they have because of you.
11. Both of your kids immensely appreciate the devotion that both of you have towards our little sweet home.
12. Both of your kids learn from you that one can never lose by working hard.
13. Both of your kids are humble because of you.
14. Both of your kids are motivated to attain higher because of you.
15. Both of your kids need no feel for external support because of the pillars that both of you have always been .
16. Both of your kids feel accountability only to you and no one else.
17. Both of your kids seek comfort from you and no one else.
18. Both of your kids carry your values.
19. Both of your kids are what they are because of you.
20. Both of your kids will be what they will be because of you.
21. Both of your kids rejoice the small pleasures in life because of your naivete.
22. Both of your kids have big dreams in life because of your sophistication.
23. Both of your kids are weak when you are weak.
24. Both of your kids are strong when you are strong.
25. Both your kids love you the way you are.
Thank you mummy and papa, you are the greatest! Have a great silver jubilee party!
All of our love,
Shivali and Rahul
Sunday, July 17, 2005
Eric Von Daniken and Google Maps
The register reports about a certain impression, they claim to be of Jesus Christ, in a Peruvian sand dune http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/07/15/google_spots_jesus/
Well, for me it is only reminiscent of the theory in Eric Von Daniken's (http://www.world-mysteries.com/pex_3.htm) book titled, "Chariots of the Gods". I bought this book around the time I came to Mumbai this Feb. The most interesting aspect of this theory and thus the book was its concurrence with what I was discussing with Kabra in our trip to Shivpuri (The exact location where we discussed this is in the accompanying picture).
One of the things we discussed was our (at least mine) disbelief at accepting that in the billions of years since the earth formed, we (our race, our ancestors) are the most advanced/developed beings than existed. Alright, the veracity of earth's age is also debatable, since we depend on calculations as to earth's age done by our "edition" of earth dwellers.
Cut to Mumbai, and I am set thinking about it again while reading Von Daniken's book.
Cut to the register article, I'm thinking again. Sorry, I meant I'm blogging again!
Adding the other Von Daniken books to the wishlist now...
Well, for me it is only reminiscent of the theory in Eric Von Daniken's (http://www.world-mysteries.com/pex_3.htm) book titled, "Chariots of the Gods". I bought this book around the time I came to Mumbai this Feb. The most interesting aspect of this theory and thus the book was its concurrence with what I was discussing with Kabra in our trip to Shivpuri (The exact location where we discussed this is in the accompanying picture).
One of the things we discussed was our (at least mine) disbelief at accepting that in the billions of years since the earth formed, we (our race, our ancestors) are the most advanced/developed beings than existed. Alright, the veracity of earth's age is also debatable, since we depend on calculations as to earth's age done by our "edition" of earth dwellers.
Cut to Mumbai, and I am set thinking about it again while reading Von Daniken's book.
Cut to the register article, I'm thinking again. Sorry, I meant I'm blogging again!
Adding the other Von Daniken books to the wishlist now...
Monday, April 04, 2005
Sea, she and me
One evening, watching the free birds fly
Over the dark sea, into the dark sky
I thought of her and heaved a sigh
Where was she and where was I?
I turned to walk away from the sea
Neither could I help it, nor could she
For loving is meeting and then going free
She was hollow and so was me
The meeting of souls is a fabled tale
The reality is a heart going pale
In the age of careers, love must fail
Easy it is, to forget the trail
The trail on the paths that we walked
The many lovely hours that we talked
Alas! A career has rendered locked
The door to her heart that I knocked
Its evening again, I walk to the sea
I look at people, they look at me
The birds in the skies still fly free
I'm smiling again and so would be she!
Over the dark sea, into the dark sky
I thought of her and heaved a sigh
Where was she and where was I?
I turned to walk away from the sea
Neither could I help it, nor could she
For loving is meeting and then going free
She was hollow and so was me
The meeting of souls is a fabled tale
The reality is a heart going pale
In the age of careers, love must fail
Easy it is, to forget the trail
The trail on the paths that we walked
The many lovely hours that we talked
Alas! A career has rendered locked
The door to her heart that I knocked
Its evening again, I walk to the sea
I look at people, they look at me
The birds in the skies still fly free
I'm smiling again and so would be she!
Sunday, February 13, 2005
Depressing
Yes, the first few letters taught to a kid being B L A C K is depressing.
I do not see myself as being a competent authority to write a review on the movie, but just because I spent a few bucks and a few hours am I writing this.
The story revolves around a girl, played by Ayesha Kapoor (around the age 8) and Rani Mukherjee (between the ages 20 through 40), and her teacher, played by Amitabh Bachchan.
Call me a chicken, but the thought of being blessed with a 'special' child is scary. Unlike the McNealy family, I'm not sure how many families would be able to afford a special teacher for the 'special' kid.
Call me a chicken, but the thought of having no conceivable way of teaching a kid about words and what they mean, is scary.
Call me a chicken, but the thought of not feeling helpless about the failure at the part of the child to learn, is unreal to me.
Unlike a lot of other people who saw the motion picture, I do not think that the performances are, to quote, Oscar material. Call me lacking, but I think that such a subject does tend to bias the audiences towards calling the act as great. Many aspects of the movie seem artificial or implausible, even from the perspective of filmmaking. For example, I'm not sure, but I think that not at all times, all actors (including the characters of Rani's mother and her sister) have used communication through the 'sign language' appropriately. Then, at the instances when Rani communicates using the 'sign language', the other characters speaking aloud what she meant seems artificial, for the lack of a better word. I mean, c'mon, the director (Sanjay Leela Bhansali) could have used some form of 'subtitles' for the same, or so I think. At other instances, the script seemed lacking, for example, Rani's college failing her, year after year after year, because she could not type fast enough to complete the paper is really not acceptable. I mean, c'mon, the day you decided to admit a special student, was the day when you also agreed to give special treatment to the student. And, giving extra time to type the answers in Braille really isn't unjustified.
All in all, people seemed to have liked the movie, if quotes like, "What a powerful film!" are to be believed.
Yes, a blind and deaf born child is depressing.
Yes, Alzheimer’s disease in the final years of one's life is depressing.
Yes, being called a chicken and lacking at reading this review, would be depressing.
I do not see myself as being a competent authority to write a review on the movie, but just because I spent a few bucks and a few hours am I writing this.
The story revolves around a girl, played by Ayesha Kapoor (around the age 8) and Rani Mukherjee (between the ages 20 through 40), and her teacher, played by Amitabh Bachchan.
Call me a chicken, but the thought of being blessed with a 'special' child is scary. Unlike the McNealy family, I'm not sure how many families would be able to afford a special teacher for the 'special' kid.
Call me a chicken, but the thought of having no conceivable way of teaching a kid about words and what they mean, is scary.
Call me a chicken, but the thought of not feeling helpless about the failure at the part of the child to learn, is unreal to me.
Unlike a lot of other people who saw the motion picture, I do not think that the performances are, to quote, Oscar material. Call me lacking, but I think that such a subject does tend to bias the audiences towards calling the act as great. Many aspects of the movie seem artificial or implausible, even from the perspective of filmmaking. For example, I'm not sure, but I think that not at all times, all actors (including the characters of Rani's mother and her sister) have used communication through the 'sign language' appropriately. Then, at the instances when Rani communicates using the 'sign language', the other characters speaking aloud what she meant seems artificial, for the lack of a better word. I mean, c'mon, the director (Sanjay Leela Bhansali) could have used some form of 'subtitles' for the same, or so I think. At other instances, the script seemed lacking, for example, Rani's college failing her, year after year after year, because she could not type fast enough to complete the paper is really not acceptable. I mean, c'mon, the day you decided to admit a special student, was the day when you also agreed to give special treatment to the student. And, giving extra time to type the answers in Braille really isn't unjustified.
All in all, people seemed to have liked the movie, if quotes like, "What a powerful film!" are to be believed.
Yes, a blind and deaf born child is depressing.
Yes, Alzheimer’s disease in the final years of one's life is depressing.
Yes, being called a chicken and lacking at reading this review, would be depressing.
Monday, February 07, 2005
Tibetan Incantations
http://sim.may.ru/b/mp3/Tibetian%20Incantations/
More details on my addictions to these later, I bought a CD in Rishikesh and have been hooked since...
More details on my addictions to these later, I bought a CD in Rishikesh and have been hooked since...
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