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!)
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