Hemal Modi's Diary

Strange are the ways of this world

2008-09-14T16:50:00.004-05:00

I just booked my ticket for India !!

I'm so excited to finally be travelling for something other than work and a trip back home is always filled with the excitement of meeting the good old family & friends and also checkout some new people... :-)
However, there is also some unknown fear... :-(

Sometimes I feel that the world is a cruel place where emotions are not accounted for, where each individual is for himself or herself. However, some people come across our way so unexpectedly and leave some great memories that last a lifetime, before they move out, never to be seen again - selflessly spreading the joy in someone else's life.

As a friend Manish Modi says,

Life is a journey. Moving towards a destination we know nothing about, at a pace we have no control over. Many are the stoppages. Far too many co-travellers leave us midway through the journey. Each halt brings on it, its share of fellow travellers, some good, some bad. Some pleasant, some not. The roads we travel on are often like the weather - unpredictable. This journey brings laughter and tears in equal measure.

Google’s Chrome Story

2008-09-01T22:00:00.003-05:00

Many have heard about the new browser launched by Google in seemingly unorthodox manner as every other google product. This is marketing at its best!

Few years ago there were speculations about a google browser but as mentioned by technilogizer that was confirmed as a rumor on the blogosphere.

This open-source browser seems to run on Apple's WebKit rendering engine from safari, that is supposed to be faster. However, even if the browser is slow or crappy during the first beta release, it has already created a buzz in the past few hours and with the usual euphoria around any google product, it is bound to have a decent market share within the first few days. Google has proved its marketing genius by using a comic as a great piece of storytelling that tells us everything we need to know and spread the Google Chrome story to other people without the usual technical spec sheet.

It is interesting to note that as microsoft get more serious about the Internet Explorer, Mozilla, Opera, Apple & Google are also trying their best to steal the market share from Microsoft's still-dominant browser. Mozilla’s recently launched Firefox 3 with a staggering record-setting debut day in mid-June, with more than 8 million downloads in 24 hours and I guess google's chrome would do better than that :)

The news release was indeed comical!
Release date: September 2, 2008
Slideshow of the comic and the Screenshots are now available.
More generic information might be updated on wikipedia, if you are interested.

Caveat: As google grows bigger and bigger, the more concerned everyone should be about its privacy policies.

Scrubs

2008-08-09T15:29:00.000-05:00

More than two years have passed since my last post... while I have been waiting patiently for certain issues to be resolved...

Sometimes we learn it the hard way and sometimes we learn from the experiences of the people around us. The following statement says it all:

"The scariest thing was I thought he was stronger than all of us. But maybe it's not about being the best. Maybe it's about finding the little things that get you through the day. Whether it's the support of someone close to you, or letting yourself feel overwhelmed if only for a moment. Or being selfless every once in a while. I don't know, I guess in the end it's about surviving anyway you can."

[Scrubs - season 1, episode 7]

Office-Office

2006-06-16T22:29:00.000-05:00

We have a new employee in our company who acts like he knows everything. He went to our head office that has over 100 employees, second time after his first visit there during the interview process about six months ago. He was introduced to a lot of engineers then. During this visit he met a young Project Manager and had the following conversation.

A: You must be new here. What is your name?
B: Pete.
A: Hi Pete. When did you join?
In a matter of fact way he replied,
B: Six years ago. :)

By the time he came back we had an email about that incident and everyone in the office was gleefully awaiting his arrival.

Today he had the following conversation with my colleague C.

C: (Tears in the eyes because of some dust)
A: Do you have allergies?
C: (with a mad look) - No. I'm crying because you work here. :)

After a long time

2006-06-16T22:25:00.000-05:00

On Monday I saw the The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. It is about the underground drag racing scene where young men drive at insane speeds through city streets. Don't dwell much on the story, but simply enjoy the some pretty cars doing amazing things and call it a day. And it ends with a short & surprise entry of Vin Diesel.

On Tuesday I saw a typical Jack Black movie, Nacho Libre. He plays a haf-mexican priest at an orphanage who dreams about becoming a famous masked wrestler. The leading lady Ana de la Reguera reminded me of the good old Penelope Cruz. I don't know why it got such rave reviews and recommended by film critics except that it was a good natured and simple movie.

Sometime back I even had the opportunity to watch the pre-screening of Over the Hedge. I find it a really buoyant and funny animated film with amazing well written dialogues, slapstick humor and good screenplay. Its hard to pick a scene that made me laugh out loud, but there was once undeniable uproar in the theatre when the dim-witted and guileless squirrel asks "Wanna help me find my nuts?!" without any trace of self-awareness. It is a charming movie and in the suburban infiltration sequences, "Hedge" is a clever contraption, mixing light satire on suburban social traditions and the bad nutritional habits of humans with expected goofiness. Also the value of family is emphasized repeatedly via Verne the turtle who is very methodical de facto leader of the assorted clan.

End of last month I spent some good time with an old buddy from the hostel days, who I haven't seen much of lately. The perfect weather of San Diego was an added bonus. It definitely was the best time I had in the past few months and a visit to Sea World was the highlight of the second day of the trip that gave me some good memories to relish for the next few months and years to come.

All this brought me out of an introspective period in my life -- as I emerge from my cocoon, I find more enthusiasm and need to write to more. I try to answer all my phone calls, and resist screening anyone now :). I just sent out a few 'How you doing?' emails to some people and shared some of the most recent details of whatever I've been up to -- no matter how boring I might think it is – like this post. I think this is the time to connect back with the people who make life so pleasant.

Jama masjid Blasts

2006-04-15T20:42:00.000-05:00

We shall not let terrorists destroy the communal harmony that seems to have been established after the heart wrenching Godhra incident. I am glad that we saw people remain calm after the explosions at the mosque along the same lines as Varanasi remained peaceful despite the bomb blasts in the Vishwanath temple.

I am appalled when politicians make statements like - The attack on the mosque must be taken "seriously" - as if anyone would take the incident lightly. But one thing we must realize is that we need to be proactive and report any suspicious activities to the concerned authorities and be more responsible towards the society, as the armed forces cannot keep a tab on every activity in the neighborhood.

No reservation at IIT & IIM

2006-04-12T13:53:00.000-05:00

I hope that we all understand the need to respond to this recent irresponsible decision from some bearcats about the Quota Raj with 49.5 per cent reservation of the total seats in IITs, IIMs and Central universities, including Delhi University, for OBCs, SCs and STs. It is obvious that this policy will undesirably dilute the competent environment in an effort to reduce the disparity between the elite technical institutes & other universities.

I am confident that you are aware of the articles that have been all over the media about the recent uproar on this issue. Some links that you may refer to are - 'Mandal Redux' & 'Quotas in IIMs will be a disaster'. It was also mentioned in the recent IITBHF & IITBAA Newsletter.

I totally understand the disparity and insist that we need to provide the under privileged the assistance but am not in favor of an reservation based admission. The government may as well provide free primary education but reservations at the university level are detrimental and shall result in damage beyond repair. This will be worse that changing the JEE pattern and renaming a couple of universities to IIT. It is indeed sad that when we all see the undesirable effects of such decisions how can the policy makers turn a blind eye and use it for political mileage.

I hope you all might have already signed the petition and you may send mails to the concerned government offices.

Govt. of India Contact Information

Google News search for news about reservations policy ...

President of India
Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi - 110 004
EPABX : 91-11-23015321, Fax : 91-11-23017290 & 91-11-23017824
Website : http://presidentofindia.nic.in
E-mail : presidentofindia@rb.nic.in

Prime Minister's Office (PMO)
South Block, Raisina Hill, New Delhi, India-110 011
Telephone: 91-11-23012312. Fax: 91-11-23019545 & 91-11-23016857
Website: http://pmindia.nic.in/
E-mail: pmosb@pmo.nic.in

HRD Ministry:
Website: http://www.education.nic.in/Secondary/secondary.asp
E-mail: webmaster.edu@nic.in

When the pro-reservation person claims to be aware that "quality primary education is a distant dream for the lower castes", why do they still insist upon allowing the same not-so-technically-competent people to graduate out of those prestigious universities?

Rather than giving examples that relate to the present condition he fancies to use the age-old debate of Brahmin's vs. lower castes and suppression over the years. It would be more appropriate, IMHO, that this is almost like saying that lets amass all the wealth from the top industrialists and distribute it among the underprivileged people. It would be rather more logical to provide them the right opportunity and help them grow into competent and challenging individuals. So it is my understanding that providing them primary education is the best we can do.

If this is bill is approved, it is not worth arguing whether an illiterate person should later be made a professor at these institutes based on the same reservation rather than based on his qualification.

NOTE: I sincerely urge everyone to use the technology to our advantage, refrain from moving to the streets and rather sign petitions, send emails and mails to the President's & PM's Office and also the HRD Ministry. If you have any contacts in the media bombard them with protest mails. :)

Celebrate

2006-03-14T20:41:00.000-06:00

Today is March 14 (3.14 ~ pi day for the math geek in me).

Time to celebrate Holi, the festival of colors. (Actually has nothing to do with pi or Einstein)

This season I moved to a new apartment, with a new car, a new room-mate, and shall join a new job on 20th. This is hopefully the begining of new life.

*look over my shoulders*
*give a sigh*
*get back to work*
*still busy unpacking*

Varanasi blasts

2006-03-08T01:03:00.000-06:00

A series of terrorist bombings rocked Varanasi. It is a shame that terrorist outfits targeting Hindu religious places and our politicians and decision makers are busy blaming each other. This is a big blow to India’s communal harmony and a matter of serious concern about integrity and sovereignty of our country.

The first blast took place at 6.30 PM inside the famous Sankat-mochan Hanuman Temple near the Kashi Vishwanath temple. The temple had thousands of devotees for the evening ‘aarti’. This was followed by another blast at the cantonment railway station on platform number one. The Delhi bound Shivganga Express was waiting on the platform.

The unofficial death toll has risen to 23, with at least 60 seriously injured.

LeT had earlier managed to carry out suicide attacks at the Akshardham temple in Ahmedabad as well as the Raghunath and Panbakhtar temples in Jammu.

President A P J Abdul Kalam, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other prominent political leaders have strongly condemned the blasts and sent out appeals to maintain calm and harmony.

The worst part is:
1. The attack has happened... as it happened in past... and again targeted at a religious community
2. I am sleeping in my home... working... earning... eating... and then again... sleeping...
3. Police is saying, "the situation is in full control"
4. Now since bomb blast has happened… there would be tight security... Red Alert... do you think that the terrorists are foolish enough that they will attack again in same place
5. CM has announced some money to people who have died... The gesture is a considerate one. But how far can money compensate for a life!? – Further, that money will never reach them.
6. BJP is opposing the congress... they will do some dharna and some public meetings... and blame it on the 'soft' policies of the UPA government and the 'minority appeasement politics' of the Mulayam Singh government... out come is nothing
7. Congress will blame BJP... and may also bring out the Gujarat issue once again... but will not make an effort to come up with a contingent plan to counter-attack and avert any future untoward incidents.
8. This shall lead to a greater rift between the Hindus & Muslims – blame game – Religion has taken priority over Humanism.
9. A bomb blast will happen again... somewhere someday... and not very far in future... and if i dont die in it...
10. I will be again sleeping, working, earning, eating and go about doing the same daily chores.

Other related posts:
BBC
New York Times - edited by editors
Cynical Nerd

Technorati tags: Varanasi

There was also a 5.2 earthquake last night in north Gujarat.

GDrive

2006-03-07T01:21:00.000-06:00

I happened to read a lot on GDrive tonight after the controversy that was created because Google published, then retracted, a massive document containing slides with "speaker's notes" on product plans and financial targets. This was to be presented, without the comments, at its annual "Analyst Day" presentation for Wall Street at its Silicon Valley headquarters last Thursday.

While Google's Analyst Day seemed to go off without a hitch on March 2, 2006, word began leaking out today about some inadvertantly released notes on Google's Analyst Day powerpoint slides, prompting Google to release a Form 8-K to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

The document came to light when blogger Greg Linden of Seattle picked up details from it. According to a number of bloggers who captured the original presentation, it also described an unannounced plan to offer online storage to Web users, creating a mirror image of consumer hard drives. It also mentioned some program called lighthouse.

His original post is located at:
http://glinden.blogspot.com/2006/03/in-world-with-infinite-storage.html

other related posts:
ZDnet
Techcrunch
Absolutvalue blog
scottschnaars.com

Technorati tags: Google, GDrive, Storage.

Holidays

2005-12-21T20:49:00.000-06:00

As the year 2005 winds to a close and we all prepare for the Christmas holidays and the start of a new year, I want to take this opportunity to once again thank all the people I came across this year and made a big difference in my life. I saw some ups & downs, highs & lows, good times & tough times and shall strive to retain those memories for first time ever. I usually start afresh each year and eagerly look forward to a new start of New Year, the new challenges in life. I guess this year I shall carry some old baggage with me for various reasons. Moving on with this post, this will be the final update I send out until January, so I also want to wish all of you Happy Holidays & a Happy New Year now. I hope your holidays will produce great times and great memories. But even as we close the book of 2005, I want to remind you that there might still be scads of issues left unresolved - plenty of unfinished business to be taken care of. So lets get right back to it after this anecdote that I intend to mention here.

My eldest sister once said I need to smarten up and read more – like a whole book – and I started with ABCs. Then she gave a book – "The Famous Women". The first thing I learnt was that women need credit for every thing they do. I got into trouble for saying that aloud and she said the moment she took the road she would see signs that declare – "Men at work" and proclaimed that they don’t need such signs as "I’m cooking, washing clothes or doing dishes" in the kitchen. Then after a little while as I expressed my surprise at the first lady to fly aircraft over the ocean I exclaimed that she indeed maneuvered a fascinating feat by flying across the large ocean, without taking a break to visit the restroom. Further it is an accomplishment as there was no other lady to accompany her to the restroom, incase she had to visit. This broke the hell loose and my sister declared that all the great explorers were men – men who wouldn’t ask for directions. I couldn’t talk any further as I realized that she had more ammunition than I do. So I resigned (and read "The Famous Men").
I am not bitter, and am just expressing my testimony. ;-)

I am going back HOME on 29th December 2005 and shall return during the first week of February 2006.

My eldest sister - First child – a beacon & hope for the new generation, very organized.
My second sister Middle child - Sometimes she feels invisible.
Myself - Last child – have the right to cuddle up and act as a baby.

America & I

2005-12-15T13:01:00.000-06:00

America is all about being able to verbally express yourself,
and expressed in a politically correct manner.

Maybe, as Rae Ann of my office said, "There are no bad choices, only next choice."

lost hope

2005-12-10T17:03:00.000-06:00

I am desperately need something and have been trying my best to patiently wait for it to happen. And looks like I'm not fortunate enough to have it. It has been almost a year and actually rather than improving, the situation has been deteriorating much faster than what I can cope up with. Looks like I'm never gonna have it. I hate today and I will hate the Friday evening that brought down every hope that I had managed to hide in the corner of my heart. I try, keep trying, and will always try, to put a smile on a special someone’s face, just a smile - it would brighten my day seeing him smile. But I never got it back, the same smile, the same dream that I try to put in others. End of the year 2005 is soon approaching and I still long for that smile, that lost dream, that hug, that moment....

My future has always been uncertain and I never complained about it and deal with it as it unwraps. But unfortunately, the person I’m concerned about, seems to think that I have a secure future and I don’t worry about anything and am enjoying my life while he is busy trying to un-sort his life even after two decades of hard work. I know the person is working real hard, but it wouldn’t hurt if he managed to understand that all I’ have been wanting was a smile on his face. I sincerely hope to drag his attention to the other folks that need his attention just as much as his work and his wife.

I resort to writing, diary & blog, to get rid of those hard feeling and once I take off that load, I can smile and make others smile.

It is again one of those sad posts today, that I promised I wouldn’t post on this blog ever again. But I am just losing control and am waiting for a new beginning. Just as season does not stay forever, I am certain things shall change for the better with the coming new year. I’m eagerly waiting for this New Year, new sunrise and a new day that will brighten up his life and my life.

Diwali

2005-11-01T12:00:00.000-06:00

सभी को दीपावली की ढेर सारी शुभकामनाऎ,
आपकी दीपावली मगंलमय हो।

Many diwali wishes to you all,
may you have a auspicious diwali!

નુતન વષૉભિનંદન = Happy New Year

May This Diwali be as bright as ever.
May this Diwali bring joy, health and wealth to you.
May this Diwali bring the utmost in peace and prosperity.
May the spirit of light illuminate the world.
May lights triumph over darkness.
May peace transcend the earth.
May the happiness and contentment last the whole year through and beyond
May this Diwali bring you all the happiness and love you have ever wished for.
May the festival of lights brighten up you and your near and dear ones lives.
May you recieve the warmth and splendor, that are a part of this auspicious occasion.

----------------#---
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-----------#######----       May the light that we celebrate at Diwali
-----------#######----       show us the way and lead us together
------------######----       on the path of peace and social harmony.
-------------#####----
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-----------------#----
######################----
--####################----
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*Let there not be any more Diwali blasts.

Its gonna be a good day

2005-10-21T11:07:00.000-05:00

I woke up early in the morning to realize I had no milk...
I said its gonna be a good day!

So I went to restroom and was out of toilet paper...
but have some coffee filter, so... its gonna be a good day!!

Then I went to this grocery store on my way to office,
and saw a lady with long hair and clear skin, in the frozen food asile,
so its gonna be a good day ;) !!!

To strike up a conversation, I said why do they write everything in spanish,
and she said "usted no entiende espanol?!
I said to myself, its gonna be a good day!!

I reached office with toilet paper, soap and milk,
to see my boss back in office, though he was supposedly on a vacation until Monday,
I said its gonna be a good day!

Storms

2005-09-23T18:29:00.000-05:00

I have been intrigued by the occurrence of a second storm within a month to hit land with such severity and have been monitoring it to the best of my abilities. As expected the wind speeds have dropped to 135 MPH as the storm is approaching shallow waters and hopefully by the time it strikes land, it shall most probably be a category 3 storm, with sustained wind speeds not exceeding 130 MPH. I would also like to mention that it is highly possible that the storm won't hit Galveston and shall be approaching the west of Texas & Louisiana border. This ensures that Galveston shall be on the left side of the storm, ensuring that it shall have to confront the trailing edge of the storm with lower wind speeds and rain. But now the pressing and substantial concern shall be the fact that most of the towns in its wake are inundated with chemical factories and oil rigs that might pose a contamination threat and loss of oil production.

Some satellite images and other pictures are available at my photoblog.

Hurricane-Structures

2005-09-21T18:26:00.000-05:00

I recently learned that Galveston might see a catastrophic hurricane. From what I understand the sustained wind had reached 175 MPH and the
coast might have to prepare for a 20' surge that might go inland for about 5 miles and hope that the wind speed reduces as it hits the shore. Most of the buildings on the coast are probably designed to sustain winds of 140 MPH, but many of the old buildings may not have the capacity.

It was indeed a brief respite to learn that the early suburbs of New Orleans, that dates back to 1800s, was on relatively high grounds and so many of the historical landmarks were damaged but not destroyed and there is still a hope to bring back New Orleans and other affected towns back to life. Unfortunately earthquakes manage to sneak up on us, but hurricanes of category five leave us aghast to helplessly
watch the impending disaster to destroy everything. I wished that the historical and cultural landscape of the New Orleans and other cities in Louisiana and Mississippi could have been saved form the disastrous effects of Katrina and hope that Galveston and other towns on the coast don't appear like that in the aftermath of the Rita.

Katrina

2005-09-06T15:21:00.000-05:00

A few weeks before hurricane Katrina's devastation, India's financial capital Mumbai (aka.Bombay) was drowned completely by a 48-hour downpour, the heaviest recorded in the last 100 years. The Indian electronic media showed images of people helping shopkeepers save their merchandize, it showed people throwing open their doors to strangers who couldn't reach their homes, it showed slum dwellers, who themselves had lost everything, serving hot tea to those struggling back home wading through waist-deep waters. The Mumbai floods made heroes out of ordinary people. Watching images of the New Orleans disaster, nothing could have been so much in contrast. Parts of Moss Point, Biloxi, Pascagoula, Bay St. Louis and other towns in Mississippi were demolished, and you might have sure read about Orleans.

I do appreciate the relief efforts by federal and faith based agencies, but I just cannot understand how the media can brag about the relief efforts and term it the 'best disaster management response' while the recent natural disaster in India was more effectively managed and made heros out of ordinary people.

Some facts:
inches of rain in new orleans due to hurricane katrina... 18
inches of rain in mumbai (July 27th).... 37.1

population of new orleans... 484,674
population of mumbai.... 12,622,500

deaths in new orleans within 48 hours of katrina... 100
deaths in mumbai within 48hours of rain.. 37.

number of people to be evacuated in new orleans... entire city... woohh
number of people evacuated in mumbai... 10,000

Cases of shooting and violence in new orleans...Countless
Cases of shooting and violence in mumbai... NONE

Time taken for US army to reach new orleans... 48hours
Time taken for Indian army and navy to reach mumbai... 12hours

status 48hours later... new orleans is still waiting for relief, army and electricty
status 48hours later... mumbai is back on its feet and is business is as usual.

USA...world's most developed nation
India...third world country...

But, I think the reactions of victims of Mumbai and New Orleans cannot really be compared. New Orleans residents are experiencing a disaster of this magnitude for the first time and so they don't know exactly how to react. They don’t have water drink, food to eat and are feeling totally lost, neglected and hopeless and so the natural tendency of survival of the fittest is kicking off violent behavior. In contrast, Mumbai residents have their share of previous experiences during numerous bloody religious riots and it seems Mumbai residents have learned from those experiences.

For better analysis refer to Amardeep Singh, Vatul and Physorg.

Raksha Bandhan

2005-08-19T19:39:00.000-05:00

Just read this warning:
Agar aap bus, train, plane ya kahin se bhi aa jaa rahe hoon
aur kisi mahila/ ladki ke hath mein phool, dhaga, chain ya chamakti hue koi bhi vastu dekhein
to turant wahan se bhag jaye.
Ye vastu RAKHI ho sakti hai.
Apki zara se laaparwahi apko BHAI bana sakti hai.

Bharat Sarkar dwara purush hit me Jaari.

Looks like women need the rakhsha, while men want the bandhan :p

On second thought I miss my sisters dearly. As most of us know, it is this affection and love that is celebrated on the Raksha Bandhan. It is the day that strengthens the family ties, it is this festival that magnifies the sibling relations. It is this festival that underlines the love and companionship of siblings in mind and sole forever. It is the festival that spreads the feeling of brotherhood.

Everybody ought to have a sibling... I am strictly against the one child per family policy. Who would single children fight with? Argue with? Make plans for the vacations with? Cry with? Laugh with? Make faces at? Irritate?

A poem dedicated to my sisters:

A sister is love that you never outgrow.

No matter where our paths may wind,
those childhood days we left behind
are with me in my heart and mind,
as I remember you...

Each memory I'll hold so near
of my sister's love most dear
to ever relish through the years
as I remember you...

For time can't change the bond we share
miles can't change how much I care
you're always with me everywhere
as I remember you.

Office-Office

2005-08-16T15:43:00.000-05:00

A few months ago, everyone in the office was picking on the new kid on the block, yeah that’s me.

During the first week at office when I was sincerely working, the secretary passed by and found me searching for something and said with a smile "looking for trouble, eh!"
(I should have said "Yeah, I was looking for YOU" – man I was so busy looking through the stack of papers that I didn’t see that coming and failed to retort back).

And few weeks ago I said "I'm working hard" to a colleague at around 5:45 PM when most of the employees had left for home... and my boss overheard and said sounds more like "hardly working"

Further just a few days back I had a conversation with my sister and explained how much I am learning at this job and how it is shaping up my career. Later, right out of the blue, she insisted that I visit them all within the next six months or be prepared to face the consequences. I tried my best to reason out and get away to move over to other topics. But she confronted me as follows:

Sister: Is there any reason you could not visit us?
Me: I don't want to be away from my job that long.
Sister: Can't they do without you at work?
Me: Yes, but I don't want them to know it. :)

Another one of those anecdotes from my college days - Once I asked the career counselor at the Career center at TAMU about the FAQ on weakness and the conversation went as follows:
Me: when you go into a job interview and they ask you what three of your weaknesses are, what do I say?
Advisor: You tell them that you’re indecisive... and then stop talking ;)

Independence day - 58

2005-08-15T08:38:00.000-05:00

Greetings on the 58th anniversary of Independence.

So now that we realize that it was 58 years ago that India, as we know today, gained its independence from the British Raj, I just wanted to remind us that go ahead and enjoy the celebrations, but don’t ever forget what my forefathers gave up for it.

Patriotism and Indian music have long been blended together in countless melodies; in different moods, in different situations, in different genres of the Indian Cinema (Bollywood), yet all of them invigorate that pure feeling every time you hear them. And what better day to hear to them all, than on the day when we stood free... so come, let’s wander through the lanes of the most famous patriotic songs, and indulge in the flavor of patriotism...

The supreme... and the most sung...

Practically no Indian can forget the infectiousness song sung and re-sung; tuned and re-tuned, patriotism never reached such heights as with Vande Mataram. At this moment, I will just mention three versions which have mesmerized me each time I hear them. (FYI: "Vande Mataram" is derived from Sanskrit and means "I salute my motherland".)

Vande Mataram! Sujalam, suphalam,
malayaja shitalam, Shasyashyamalam,
Mataram !
Shubhrajyothsna pulakitayaminim
Phullakusumita drumadala shobinim
Suhasinim sumadhura bhashinim,
Sukhadam varadam, Mataram !
(Sung fabulously by the nightingale of India, Lata Mangeshkar for the movie Anand Math, this one boasts of the original lyrics, as written by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, and remains one of the best tunes conveying the feelings of every Indian towards his motherland! Simply unbeatable!)

Ehasaas Thoda to Jagaaye Apne Dilon Mein Hum...Vande Mataram
Kya Naam Hai Apna Jahaan Mein, Khade Hain Kahaan Pe hum... Vande Mataram
(This version sung again by Lata Mangeshkar in 1998 holds one more value - that of realization of one’s responsibility in changing times. Powerfully composed by Ranjit Barot)

Maa Tujhhe Salaam Maa Tujhhe Salaam
Vande Vande Mataram Vande Vande Mataram Vande Vande Mataram Vande Vande
Rukna Kabhi Seekha Kahin Jhookna Hume Aata Nahin
Jab Tak Hai Jaan Jab Tak Hai Dum Badhte Rahenge Apne Kadam
Himmat Hai Jo To Rok Le Dharti Se Hum Darte Nahin
Apna Lahoo Kehta Hai Yeh Hum Veer Hai Marthe Nahin
(Released in 1997 at the confluence of India’s 50th Independence Day the song Vande Mataram was reborn, hitting the national consciousness, making those who had forgotten remember, and invigorating the young who have always taken freedom for granted. This one was sung with full gusto by the present music maestro A.R. Rehman, and remains one of the most powerful tunes ever sung for India, bringing together the rustiness, and the soul of Indian soil in the most brilliant blend ever heard of!)

As Rediff presents: "India is not just a country. It is our identity.
India enthrals, elevates and captivates. It can be infuriating, but those who know it love it unflinchingly."

India is my home and I like its diversity, cultural and intellectual wealth, the differences that co-exist and the visceral quality of life here. Further, after so many years of Independence (not sure about the freedom though) we have certainly moved ahead in the field of technology and science. There is definitely a surge towards development, but the progress is being defined in a very narrow manner. We need to re-imagine the definition of progress that we have today. Development also has brought with it a greater confusion. India no longer has the clarity on what it wants to be or how it wants to grow. I think when my parents were growing up they were clearer on what the country stood for and what it was about. I don't have that clarity or see it in my generation.

When I grew up watching movies like Purab aur Paschim and TV programs on Doordarshan and especially the ones like Mile Sur Mera Tumhara, I could identify with it and connect to it. However, today television seems regressive and I just can't identify with the images. Unfortunately, in India, the youth just listens and sees to what is given, instead of taking what it wants and rejecting the rest. There is very little critical thought and evaluation. For instance, we have everyone tuned-in to the MTV and everyone unwittingly jumps on to the MTV bandwagon. Very few lyrics in the bollywood songs make any sense unlike what we saw during the golden era (60’s to 80’s).

In general, it is my opinion that, we have such a great culture, amazing history and such a huge talent pool, and even if half of this is utilized appropriately by the country, there can be no one stopping India. Further, if we don't tackle corruption and unemployment, that have plagued the society, development will mean little as it will then not affect the masses. The need of the hour is general civic sense and honesty in all spheres of life.

India and Cross-cultural training

2005-08-08T13:40:00.000-05:00

Just read this excerpt from the speech by Thomas Friedman of The New York Times.

"When we were young kids growing up in America," said Friedman, "we were told to eat our vegetables at dinner and not leave them. Mothers said, 'think of the starving children in India and finish the dinner.' And now I tell my children: 'Finish your maths homework. Think of the children in India who would make you starve, if you don't.'"

I am glad to note that India is now amongst the top ten economies in the world.
According to the World Bank gross domestic product rankings for the year 2004, India stands the tenth largest economy in the world with a GDP of $691.876 billion.

The table below gives the rankings for the top 20 economies in the world.

Total GDP 2004
Rank	Country	($ billion)
1	United States	11,667.515
2	Japan	4,623.398
3	Germany	2,714.418
4	United Kingdom	2,140.898
5	France	2,002.582
6	Italy	1,672.302
7	China	1,649.329
8	Spain	991.442
9	Canada	979.764
10	India	691.876
11	South Korea	679.674
12	Mexico	676.497
13	Australia	631.256
14	Brazil	604.855
15	Russia	582.395
16	Netherlands	577.260
17	Switzerland	359.465
18	Belgium	349.830
19	Sweden	346.404
20	Turkey	301.950

Source: World Bank, July 2005
Taiwan is not included in the World Bank statistics.
Rankings include only those economies with confirmed GDP estimates.

I bet this is a result of the globalization and along with it came the need for formal cross-cultural training.

Cross-cultural training is a relatively new term, but is already a big business. You may know the concept in a simple form that has been practiced for long within India, the land of many cultures. For instance, wisdom has been imparted in the North for those going South as:

'Don't call them Madrasis. Every South Indian is not a Madrasi'

'If you see someone rolling up his lungi in Madras, don't look alarmed. It is as natural to them as rolling up the sleeves and they don't mean any harm'

'Two by three coffee in means that three small tumblers of coffee are consumed but you are charged only for two'.
And its reverse in the South:

'Don't stop at a red light if you are driving in Delhi, you will be hit from behind.'

'Don't say nonsense ever to a Bengali. It is the highest form of insult.'

'Don't be alarmed if you are invited to snake bitings in Ahmedabad. You will get dhoklas, kachoris and such other snacks.'

As befitting a Third World country such training was through word of mouth, in what is called these days, the unorganized sector. No schools and no fees.

With globalization and people going here, there and everywhere, new words and concepts evolved - accultarisation, trans-ethnic understanding, cross-cultural dialogue etc. One inexorable aspect of globalization is commercialization and the mushrooming of schools to teach some of these fancy techniques, thanks to some good marketing gurus.

Read more about the scores of schools bloomed in India to train young college graduates for jobs in call centers at the original Rediff article.

Life never ceases to surprise, all life, but specially life in the foreign land. After all these years of dealing with these aliens, I am now convinced that they can never be absolved from the obligation of honoring people from other parts of the world for their skills/talents and acknowledge that everyone has at least one strong talent, with other talents varying in intensity. Anyways, I promised no rants. So let’s proceed.

America is a highly organised society where courses are taught methodically and the basic course is always called '101'. It is the starting point for understanding everything. Here is what some of the basic lessons of 101 for realtors wanting to sell houses to Indians would look like:

Do not assume that a family means two or even 2 + 2. A family can consist of three generations living together. Grandparents, who also double up as resident baby sitters, two 'providers' both with PhDs (work room must need space for two computers, at least), and children (who will continue to live in the house, even when adults).

Do not emphasize the swimming pool. It will be regarded as a liability and not an asset.

Do not assume that the living room is the most important area. It is not, though there should be space for about a 100 when parties are held. (Seating is not necessary. Many will take the floor, so stress on the brown carpet, which will hide the whiskey spill).

The most important part is the kitchen. This is what they will see first.

Identify a closet large enough for about fifty pairs of shoes. Indian clients, however wealthy, will never throw away their old shoes.

If there is a small room, stress its virtue as a potential temple (if you can manage call it the pooja ghar -- it is an important sales pitch).

Do not ask how they intend to finance it or about the credit arrangements. Assume that they will not see the house, before they have saved up.

Further the following are the advises given to the foreign employees before they come to India. It was quite amusing to read them. Some of the gems are reproduced below :)

Behaviour at Office

Indians may not acknowledge small favors and may not use words like "sorry", "excuse me", or "thank you". This is not a sign of rudeness – quite the opposite... Indians simply may not be accustomed to the use of these polite phrases in the English language. It also indicates that they feel comfortable being "informal" with you, since Indians reserve such acknowledgements for formal situations and for people who are not friends or colleagues.

Supervisors and workers generally do not socialize outside of the office unless they have known each other for a long time. There are very few project team parties.

Office privacy, size and location are symbols of status.

It is advisable to be punctual to appointments. Indian executives prefer late morning or early afternoon appointments.

Business lunches are preferred to dinners

Hospitality, such as tea and small talk is a part of conducting business.

Offices are reserved for management. The person of highest authority or rank has the largest office. Employees generally work in open spaces. Cubicles are limited to a few.

Language Usage

Never, ever shout to be understood. Speak humbly and remove hyperboles such as "great", "fine" and "terrific".

Avoid word pictures unless they are literally what you mean (e.g., "run that by me again", "walk me through this", etc.).

Do not use "Baseball English" (e.g., "ballpark figure", "touch base", "pinch-hit", "home run", "off the wall", etc.).

Avoid negative/positive questions (e.g., "You aren’t coming are you?" might be answered "Yes (I am not coming)", where you might expect a "No".).

Other 'gyaan'

Public displays of affection are not acceptable within any of India’s ethnic groups. You should avoid hand holding, hugging, kissing, or any other physical contact other than a handshake while you are in public. However, you may notice a man with his hands around his male friend’s shoulder. This does not indicate sexual preference.

Vaccinations
The following are immunization recommendations when traveling to India:

Hepatitis A – Recommended for all travelers

Hepatitis B – Recommended for all travelers

Japanese Encephalitis – May be recommended if spending more than 30 days in rural areas

Rabies – Recommended for expatriates and long term visitors. This is also recommended if quality medical care may not be available within 24 hours of being bitten or scratched by an animal.

Typhoid – Recommended for expatriates and long-term visits. Recommended for most travelers.

Yellow Fever – May be required if coming from an infected or endemic country.

Polio – Recommended for all travelers

Updates recommended for all travelers for Tetanus, diphtheria, measles and varicella (chickenpox).

Have you ever realized that we, Indians are actually immune to all these diseases now. :)

Yes, globalization is indeed a two-way street and soon Udipis will be as ubiquitous as Pizza Huts one day.

Change

2005-07-30T14:05:00.000-05:00

If it is true that we learn the most when we make the biggest mistakes then in the last six months I have learnt a lot. My uncanny indifferent and impassive behavior got me into a lot of trouble. I made a very bad mistake. I don't ever want to make a mistake like this again. I looked back at my life in an attempt to figure out why I am the way I am. I feel there was something amiss.

A few incidents in the recent past have upset me and now I realize that I am probably picking on myself. So no more rants here on and I shall try to portray the bright side of "This American Life". With the new perspective I now have, I can see clearly all of the wonderful things that were always a part of my life. Besides, you know, there were more that were wonderful than were not. And if it took a lightning bolt for me to see that, then so be it.

Joining my job had actually taken me away from my friends and left me feeling very lonely and alone. I had a sudden sense of panic and a felt I had fallen so far behind in life, I might never be able to catch up. Now I realized the mistake I had made all of these years was to spend all my energies on the academic and intellectual pursuits I was already good at and yet I could only make small incremental improvements at, while avoiding the things I wasn't very good such as social interaction despite the opportunity to make great improvements in these areas if only I spent a little time at them.

Becoming aware of my weakness and having a strong reason to want to change may allow me to overcome my weakness and hence we shall see a different Hemal from here on.

FYI: I just saw the Hindi movie "Anand" and that ignited this change in me.

Why we do, what we do?

2005-07-23T02:46:00.000-05:00

Its been three months since I blogged properly. I don’t know why I am not blogging... well... that is a good thing in a way, as it probably shows there is no sorrow within me or work is keeping me busy. (true or not? )

Writing a blog is a significant time investment. But I feel, the benefits are also immense. It takes time for the benefits to accrue, while the time clock starts from day one. I have been maintaining four blogs now for over a year. The blog has its own value chain – to write, I need to read, think and build my own view of the world.

As I browse through my old journal entries, I realized that night after night intricate thoughts had haunt my mind in the past few years as frustration and disappointment that could not be blamed on any object caused me to toss in the darkness of my bedroom. The never evident conclusions to the endless questions forced me to break the shell and start writing an online blog. Fortunately I have always been surrounded by family and some close friends and in their absence I felt the need to vent out when I feel an emptiness and a sadness with the way I lead my life in this land far away and thus I started blogging.

These days I have been thinking (yeah I think!) – “Finding a purpose to one's life is the ultimate goal”. The thought process is like a deep dark tunnel with no end in sight - no answers and only more questions.

The uncertainty of my future is both horrifying and refreshing. I felt very unsure lately about the life that I am leading. I have spent a great deal of time battling my thoughts without yielding any conclusions. I feel as if I am in a situation that I cannot escape. I feel as if I am trapped in time and will never be able to gain my freedom. As I look back on my recent past I can only think of what I didn’t do, not what I did. I cannot see what I accomplished but only what I didn’t accomplish. I find myself wishing that many things could be different. When I think about my past, as I look to the future I become very anxious and weary. What is to become of me? What purpose am I to serve?

I have realized that searching and finding one's purpose in life is like being blind and then seeing. Like Andrew Crum says, “Without a purpose, darkness and uncertainty overcome the light and understanding in the world. Finding one's purpose is the cure for the frustration and disappointment in life.”

Alright again this leads me back to what I started to write before. It feels like all I am doing is go round and round the circle but haven’t found the center yet!! Anyways, so keep thinking... I still am...

Bharat

2005-07-10T17:35:00.000-05:00

I usually avoid talking about movies as there are numerous websites that talk about them. I see a lot of movies and the peak was during my senior year in Mumbai (2002-2003) when on an average I saw four movies every week. However, today I saw 'Lamhe' and felt an urge to write about the Indian movies. Last week I saw 'Kisna' and during the last week of June, I saw 'Purab aur pachhim'. In the meantime, I realized that there is a generic difference between India and the rest of the world. There is so much of love, passion, emotions, and feelings without the undue provocative exposing contrasting what we have seen in few of the recent Hindi movies and most of the Hollywood movies.

Reviews from random websites.

Lamhe (1991)
The story is of Anil Kapoor playing Viren who returns to his hometown in Rajasthan to visit her nanny who he fondly calls Dai Jaa played by the talented Wahida Rehmaan. Viren falls for his next-door neighbor, Pallavi played by Sridevi. But the problem is though Viren comes from a liberal London, union of Viren and Pallavi looks unlikely because Pallavi is elder to him and an elder wife is not accepted in traditional rajasthan. Before Viren could confess his love for Pallavi, tragedy strikes and Pallavi’s father dies. Viren comes to know about Pallavi’s love. In a few days Pallavi gets married to an Air Force officer. Both Pallavi and her husband die in a car accident leaving a small daughter, in the care of Viren. Viren cannot get over Pallavi’s death and lives a life of pain and sadness when he comes face to face with Pallavi’s daughter, Pooja again played by Sridevi. Pooja is in awe and in love for Viren and vows to marry him in her childhood. Viren cannot forget Pallavi and at the same time cannot look beyond the face of Pooja who has the same face as Pallavi. The rest of the movie is how Viren comes in term of Pooja’s love and accepts pooja’s love as Pooja and not as Pallavi’s lookalike.

Kisna: The Warrior Poet (2005)
A young Indian, Kisna (Vivek Oberoi), defies his family and shields a British girl, Katherine (Antonia Bernath), who is also his childhood friend, from an enraged mob of nationalists. Catherine happens to be the young daughter of a ruthless British Deputy Commissioner (Michael Maloney). The Indians attack the Commissioner's house and Kisna takes it upon himself to save Catherine from their clutches. Supported by his mother, he decides to escort Catherine to the British High Commission in New Delhi, but he has to face opposition from his evil uncle (Amrish Puri), elder brother Shankar (Yashpal Sharma) and a scheming, lusty prince, Raghuraj (Rajat Kapoor).

Purab Aur Pachhim (1970)
Bharat (Manoj Kumar) an ideal young man who is in love with his own country is the only child of a freedom fighter who was betrayed by Harnam (Pran) before escaping to London. Bharat also goes to London for further scientific studies. During his foreign stay, he is stunned to meet Indians, including Harnam and his son Omkar (Prem Chopra) who are ashamed to call themselves Indians and who refer to their country with contempt and derogatory words. Bharat is also saddened to meet Indians who are compelled to live abroad for economic reasons but who are always haunted by the memories of their own land. To them, all Bharat presents the image of proud Indian, a young man who tells them: "You need India and India needs you. Be proud of India and let India be proud of you." Then in London Bharat also meets Priti (Saira Banu), an Indian born girl raised in the cradle of western civilization. They are in love and Priti is impressed with Bharat's idealism. She wants to marry him but she does not want to stay in India, Bharat insists that she should atleast once go there and see what India feels like.

Looks I need to add a little more here.

Rant

2005-07-04T03:49:00.000-05:00

Chemical equation
Radium + Barium + Silver + Boron + \Helium/~~> strong bonds

But recently I have seen these chemicals leaving each other... the strong bonds are broken... getting weaker and weaker...

Boron knew these problems for years, tried to express out, but no one reacts nor thinks about it, until a couple of years back when Silver regretted for not listening to Boron, and he realized that the bond is really starting to break. Well, they don’t have much to talk about (they have given up and some lost interest in our previous interests) therefore, gradually the things to talk about is getting lesser.

Moreover, (sad to say) Radium threatens to leave us and he seems so far to Boron, very distant, as though they never met before. Recently Helium, as inert as ever, entered their life and Boron talked about it, but still they didn’t know what to do. Sometimes Helium didn’t appear to care much about it, while he did the effort but still unsuccessful. He didn’t even know what actually transpired between Radium and Boron that changed the bonding so drastically. It is so hard to communicate now after such a long time. It is indeed very sad and hurting to see this situation as Helium remembers this group had so much fun and laughter last decade. But now... some don’t even talk a single word to anyone in the group for days... gatherings seem so cold... (I would say they don’t have gatherings so often now). Honestly, Boron felt so left out by the end of the chemical reaction that I am afraid that there will ever be an equilibrium achieved. Silver wants to ask, talk, chat with Radium, but he was so afraid that Radium will scold him or give attitude back because of the uncanny natural radioactivity. I know Boron doesn’t want to break this relationship and Radium and Barium are having it their way and the poor Silver has to oscillate between the Boron and the Radium.

When Helium joined them, they were happy that he might act as a catalyst, but as fate had decided, he was inert, though he tried reversing the reaction to the best of his abilities resulting in a saturation. Maybe Silver lost all the hopes and went a little overboard to treat Helium in an undesirable way too and force him to act according to his whims and fancies. Helium is just visiting for a short period (year or two) and he didn’t want to risk to tread any further in this unknown territory or else quarrels might happen. So everybody seems to be right in their respective stance, but the overall picture suggests that sometime went terribly wrong somewhere at some point in time. But it is my understanding that you need two hands to clap.

But should Helium leave it as it is now? or should he try to help up in rebuilding the relationship?
Can Helium, being an outsider, dare to point the individual mistakes?

Floods

2005-07-03T20:41:00.000-05:00

As I write this blog entry the Child's rhyme "Rain rain go away" lingers in my mind. The South west Monsoon has started in India vigorously. The rains that started almost a week ago is in full swing. The River Tapi at Surat is flowing with high water level. The flood alert has also been issued by Civil adminstation by June 28.

Disruption in rail traffic has been reported all along the Mumbai - Ahemadabad Route and passengers got fustrated at staions along the route. Passengers were found stranded at Surat and Vadodara railway stations. The Main Cause was water indundation along the rail track between Surat and Vadodara as river Narmada was found flowing at higher level at many places.

The water level in dams, lying dry for the past several months, increased vigorously in three days as heavy rains were reported from Junagadh, Amreli, Jamnagar and Bhavnagar districts after the onset of the monsoon. Just few days back it was Hot, Humid, and Hazy. The sun was beating down relentlessly. The atmosphere was a smoky haze. No one had ever imagined that the intolerable heat shall be followed by the incessant rains that resulted in floods and some even termed it as aerial tsunami to indicate the scale of devastation caused by this recent fury of nature. A friend of mine said “It just stormed like is hasn't stormed in years here. We are having a wet and stormy summer.”

Violent storms cause a chaotic end to the sunny spell, with heavy rain and thunderstorms moving across India (China & UK too). Thousands of villages and millions of people were affected by this disaster. Few of the places are already under 10 feet of water and there is not much the people or government can do to bring respite in this aggravating situation as most of these places are now inaccessible. All the rivers are flooded and the sea is again ready to take its toll. People are marooned with no connection to media – television, radio or newspaper. With no access to water, electricity and telephone lines this situation can be described as – ‘water, water, everywhere, nor any drop to drink’ (factoid: It's from The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge - when the Ancient Mariner is stuck in the middle of the sea.)

Army and paramilitary personnel have been deployed to reach those trapped, state officials said, but bad weather prevented rescue helicopters from lifting those stranded in many places. In the recent past we have seen Earthquakes, Drought, Political rampage and killings and now Floods. It is intimidating to note the increased frequency of these tragedies resulting in highly traumatic circumstances. To add fuel to the fire, the poor and helpless people lose everything by the time they are rescued and may not even have the motivation to continue their life. It was utmost intriguing to note that the major news papers took almost a week to publish this while people realized the severity of the situation after the three days of continuous and heavy downpour. On June 28, flood alert was declared and the official death toll as of now has been announced as about 124. In four days, Gujarat received the water that usually rains over a period of four months and that undoubtedly results in an intense runoff and flash flood situation. Almost all the dams in the region have crossed the danger mark.

Though from what I read at TOI just moments before I published this blog entry, about return of some normalcy after the rains stopped, I am writing this to ensure that this shall be revelation and not yet another episode that the government and people will easily forget. We need to learn to respect the nature, and understand and improve our schemes to manage and utilize the natural resources.

Sorry

2005-05-05T15:50:00.000-05:00

There shall probably be no post here until Mid July.

Secular State

2005-03-30T20:14:00.000-06:00

The reason for this unexpected not-so-well-written and poorly organized concoction being here in my post is that I want to share with you all this profound but simple truth (sounds cliched, I know).

What does "Secular State" mean to us?!

Consider the fact that India which although majority Hindu still has the second largest Muslim population in the world. For most Muslims, the issue is more "theological" than "political" in nature; and, for the more radical Muslim groups, the term "secular state" is an oxymoron.

With the adoption of its constitution on November 26, 1949, India officially became a "sovereign socialist secular democratic republic." In accordance with this vision the constitution lays out numerous articles which guarantee both freedom of expression of religion and freedom from persecution on the basis of religion. Yet despite these noble aspirations India’s history has been tainted by repeated episodes of religious violence, intolerance and, according to many, governmental mismanagement.

While on the surface these conflicts appear to be isolated and localized many have accused both the federal government and various state governments, as well as political parties and nationwide advocacy groups of, at best standing idle while these conflicts spread and, at worst encouraging their propagation and intensification. These accusations and the questions that come with them have grown to an international scale in recent years with worldwide media attention, the involvement of international religious and human rights organizations, and negative attention from both the United States and the United Nations. By studying recent religiously motivated conflicts, the actors involved, and the political backdrop of these conflicts, we may see in what measure the political apparatus of India at both the state and federal levels is responsible for both provoking religious violence and intolerance, and for failing to stem its growth.

The Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) alleges that the Hindu fundamentalist groups of the Sangh Parivar, which include the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), the BJP, and the Bajrang Dal, have been responsible for the recent religious riots.

According to the Annual Report of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, "since 1998, there have been hundreds of attacks on Christian leaders, worshippers, and churches throughout India." The report also identified member organizations of the Sangh Parivar as being some of the primary instigators of violence, most notably the Sangh Parivar’s political wing, the BJP. The commission also gave significant mention of the February 2002 mob killings of fifty-eight Hindus on a commuter train by Muslims and the subsequent torture, rape, and killing of close to one thousand Muslims throughout Gurajat state and around the country. However, despite these occurrences, the commission recommended not to include India on the US State Department’s list of Countries of Particular Concern. Since the release of this report, the same commission has found some improvement in the situation in India with more improvement anticipated thanks to the election of the moderate United Progressive Alliance.

Over the course of the past four odd years that I've been an avid reader of blogs and articles and columns on Sulekha, I've encountered inspiring and thought provoking pieces written by several contributors. Sometimes I found myself agreeing with their rationale, sometimes plain abhorring the ideas. I started writing some articles on spiritual topics, topics that were relevant to me, in my quest for knowledge.

With the rise of Hindutva, I am sure it is on the verge of taking us back at least a few decades. I hope that the more aggressive organizations like RSS realize how detrimental this is going to prove for our society.

Sometimes when I am sitting alone in my room, I think like a mournful optimist in the deafening silence of night and realize that I can only give out a silent scream, and I hear that rumbling deep inside and keep hoping that it’s like some demented dream. I guess that’s the price I shall have to pay.

Religion & Ignorance

2005-03-29T20:14:00.000-06:00

Within India itself, we witness a great deal of ignorance about the Hindu religion and its scriptures. Although Hindus form 80 per cent population of India, there is still only one university which teaches Hinduism, whereas there are five which teach Islam, five which teach Christianity, two which teach Sikhism and one that teaches Jainism.

You would find every Muslim would know a couple of verses from the Quran; but you can hardly find a Christian who has not read the Bible. But Hindus who know Sanskrit or a few shlokas are rare. Most educated Hindus of our generation might have managed to read more from Bible or something compared to some scripture of their religion. Don’t you find it strange?!

You don’t have to run away to forest and become an ascetic to understand your own religion. But read a few scripture regularly and they shall remind you of your duties and responsibilities and make this world a better place to live.

Christians & Muslims have always been so aggressive in spreading their religion and associations like YMCA have gained wide acceptance. But for some reason the Hindu associations are viewed with skepticism. One reason I can think of is that the media seems to have given the prerogative of Hindu identity to the RSS and VHP and secular-minded Hindus would not like to associate with these two organizations. As a result many Hindu’s shy away from their own identity. But believe me if you read Vedanta or Gita or Jain Agams or any other scripture for that matter, you shall be proud to be a part of a great heritage & culture.

I don’t understand why we are so willfully ignorant about our own religion. I believe that India cannot make a distinct mark on the world if it ignores its religious and spiritual heritage.

If these methods sound harsh, I am only being cruel to be kind. I think it is important for us to understand and recognize the significance of our culture.

INDIA vs USA

2005-03-25T20:16:00.000-06:00

I am here after a brief hiatus and am making a comeback to the blogging world... so I shall post this a lengthy summary (pardon the oxymoron) straight from my diary. However, I doubt it would compensate for the discontinuity though :)

I undeniably remember the day of 4th January, when I left College Station for good. An hour before dusk, the plane began its descent. The city of Las Vegas appeared – an enormous sprawl that covered almost a hundred square miles (I guess with a population of 600,000). I watched the sea of lights over the strip, a 4-mile neon-lined portion of Las Vegas Boulevard, and wondered how one city of gambling could hold the economy of the whole state. Further long-established casinos characterize the downtown area of Las Vegas, known as Glitter Gulch, most of which were influenced or owned by criminals after the state of Nevada legalized gambling in early 1930s.

The new job and the beginning of a new phase of life caused a short bout of anxiety, but it ended when a pretty blonde flight attendant asked me to buckle my seat belt. The airport was swarmed with people even on a weekday. I waited for my luggage with some fellow Texans and some rowdy Chinese tourists. Other languages flew around me, especially English and Spanish coming over from most of the crowd. Isolation settled in, slowly at first. In the midst of multitudes, I was a lonely man. Almost no one knew where I was at that moment and damned few people cared. I didn’t know a soul, until I spotted my uncle enthusiastically coming to pick me up. As we were leaving the airport, cigarette smoke from the tourists boiled around us and we walked quickly away towards our car.

I missed the hostel days at IIT. Though initially I hated the place for I had to leave my family to get into the prestigious institute, in the hindsight the idea had merit. You need such an environment to get oriented to face this big bad world. Though I also missed the countryside with the vast, lush and green lands, rolling with hills, dotted with small villages and crisscrossed with red-brown dirt roads. I vividly remember the burnt orange soil and the roads that run haphazardly from one settlement to the next. Highways were virtually flanked by food joints (dhaba) on either side. Against the "simcity" type well organized looking roads and buildings plotted all over in the cities across United States.

As we hit the main road, there was traffic. There were tall buildings, a crowded downtown that we gladly avoided, and the obligatory new construction all over the booming Las Vegas, thanks to the gambling business that made the "sin city" a bustling city and also the hottest tourist destination in US. Most of the roads still look too wide with three lanes on either side almost everywhere in the US, and I realized that I was comparing everything with India. This had to stop.

But for some reason I still have loving memories of Mumbai and Hyderabad with me squinting in the brilliance of the sun and sweltering heat during most part of the year. Compared to Mumbai, Hyderabad was a lazy, pleasant little city. Merchants sat in the shade of their storefronts, waiting for customers and chatting with each other. Teenagers darted through the traffic on scooters and bikes. Barefoot children ate ice cream at sidewalk tables. I guess in Hyderabad the clocks ran slower and noting was urgent (at least for me!). Time was not crucial, though I wear a watch almost 24/7.

In Mumbai most of the houses are small and buildings with up to five stories had no elevators. The houses have narrow beds very close to the floor and had thin mattress on a wooden bench and don’t need those box springs to speak of. Also the basic necessities like a desk with a chair near a window and a window unit of AC and others were usually available.

Along with the well-designed highways and streets the other noticeable feature of US was the American style of litigation, that I saw regularly in News everyday. It was marvelous to see the things lawyers (attorneys, as they prefer) did and said on CNN. It is amazing to see how they clamor for attention. It is really fascinating to see lawyers staging press conferences, and hustling from one talk show to the next, chatting about their clients. It was unheard of in India.

I regularly talk to my parents back home, recounting my journey through the US, with emphasis on the fact that I was doing well, still sober and looking forward to the rest of the adventure. (you might think why I am so proud of still being sober – well it’s a long story :) )

Most of the Americans might totally freak out when a regular car driver would give them a ride in a car, with no AC, slowing only slightly at red lights, completely ignoring stop signs (if any), and in general bullying smaller cars and motorcycles. I bet the Americans would sit with their feet planted on the floor, one hand clenching the window frame, the other holding the seat and the heart stopping with each new intersection as our heroic driver clutches the wheel like a race driver! Evidently the drivers back in India understand traffic system where the rules of the road, if any, were ignored. As a result there are rarely any accidents and no carnage. I guess by default, everyone manages to stop or yield or swerve, just in the nick of time.

Next time I shall write about religion in India

Narendra Modi denied a US Visa...

2005-03-18T16:28:00.000-06:00

Did this letter stop Modi?
Letter to Karl Rove, Political guru to Bush in response to this incident.

Can you believe that the US officials denied visa to Narendra Modi due to improper handling of 2002 riot's????

I have actually stopped framing opinions based on government reports - who knows who is funding whom to prepare these reports. Further US always seems to make decisions based on tactics for American gains only - I don’t seem to understand why Washington had maintained friendly relations with Pakistan despite it being clear that terrorism perpetuated by that country was responsible for the ouster of the entire minority Hindu community from Kashmir.

(What a joke?
Musharaaf gets to invited as a state guest of USA despite the fact that Pakistan was involved in the butchering of 65000 Indians in Kashmir. No one protests his visits.
And Mr. Bush launched war against Taliban - was it necessary? Shouldn’t they banish Mr Bush from the American soil?)

I do not see any reason to panic about the visa rejection to Modi. He is neither a Saint nor a Good Samaritan. He is just a CM of Gujarat. I am not here to support Modi’s deeds in anyway. But denying Visa to him and reason they gave are totally absurd. It only shows the double standards followed by US. They deny Visa to a guy like Modi, who was infact elected by the same people after the massacre, but welcome Israeli politicians. Is not a "violations of religious freedom", what Israeli government is doing?

US needs a scapegoat to show the world (read Americans) they are the saviors of Muslims buy denying visa to Modi who violated freedom of Muslims, where in other part of the world they kill Muslims in the name of FREEDOM!!!

US government's denial of visa to a chief minister of a state in India is unacceptable. I have certain interesting points to share with everyone. Any one who wants to respond can respond to this blog, if they are meaningful.
Any country which is taking the same decision what US took, should try to know the history of India a bit.

Facts to be understood about India:-
1. Even Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Mohammed ali Jinnah could not stop India and Pakistan from separating and countless number of people were killed.

Fact:- When it is a mob fight, when people becoming more intolerant to what other people from other sector does to each other, no one can control them. So, for India Pakistan separation, one can not deny VISA to GANDHI, Nehru or Jinnah if they were alive.

2. India is (shamelessly) a largest democracy in the world. No country or its administration can be proud of having a country like India in the world.

Fact: So, in a country of this sort, sectarian violence like this is possible. But, In India it is very very less and India is certainly doing fine. So, Modi like chief ministers could not be accounted for these problems. If police shoots at the people, more and more people will die like they did in Bombay.

3. India has its own legal system. Its doing great. Modi was not set free easily. He is liable to answer the court on this issue. The central investigation team is working on it. So, the governments are doing their job and so the judiciary in India.

Fact: It is so ridiculous that the US denying visa to a man who is not only a dignitary of India and also he was not proven guilty yet by the court of law or law of the land. So, denying visa to him particularly saying sectarian violence as the reason is unacceptable and it shows the immaturity of its rulers and its secretary of state.

4. By denying visa to Modi, US is not trying to be humanitarian. But, instead US is trying to induce few more sectarian violences in India and trying to spilt India the same trick what the British did.

Fact: This is the age-old tradition that the Western world has followed of "divide and rule". Now by talking about the riots, they are refueling problems in India between Hindus and Muslims. If they cannot create problems through Kashmir issue, they will at least try to create problems between Hindus and Muslims by opening the wounds of a problem of the past. The main aim is to keep problems in India active so that we cannot concentrate on progress and development, which is a thing of envy to the Western world.

(Borrowed a few ideas from a discussion group)

Discussions on Orkut

2005-02-25T19:09:00.000-06:00

Modi - Holy ****
I guess you love agitating people... and debating just for the heck of it....
that's bad

Pratik - Well, certainly agitating others is not my aim. So, why do u debate ? I learn a lot of new things when I debate. Not from others, but mostly from my search of counter argument.

Modi - To be honest... to scratch anything and everything around till I find my answers or find the counter arguments satisfactory...
but I try ma best to avoid the need of a moderator and make sure that my opponent is not agitated or pissed off (kinda never ever make him feel like - You're stupid and nobody likes you)

Modi - I would like to use logical arguments and would prefer the opponent to have the similar sense of responsibility and intellect to proceed with the argument/ debate.
But the golden rule is to be a daunting force of intelligence difficult to reckon with - but never intimidate him into submission.

Modi - You are the manifest profusion of delusional ideology incarnate if you do not fulminate against the institution of argument with great superciliousness and promulgate the preeminence of debates with minimum slander & intimidation.

Pratik - Ok..I really don't want to use dictionary to get what you said above I am sure that comes from barrons.
When I give so many points and the oposite person just doesn't see them at all and keep on ranting the same crap, I don't know what to say. That's agitating me for me. You can really go through the threads carefully to get what I am saying.

Modi - I got a another approaching dead line and shall take time to read those posts and reply back... But I hope to get back to you on the topic of rebirth (and maybe the significance of viruses in that topic, if any) by the end of the week.

Pratik - Please post it in simple english
No seriously, I believe that among the people who are counter arguing - only u can post sensible stuff. So till then, I'll just mess around.

Modi - Plz take care when you are messing around...
That is one group where I wouldn't want the 'junta' to lose the enthusiasm. There has been a tremendous effort to bring the group to its present standards and to ensure proper interaction to supplement each other's efforts, exchange of ideas and to promote understanding of the philosophy rather than following the rituals just because the family does. I hope you understand the delicate situation and respond accordingly.

Pratik - Sure. I'll be careful. Ok - I won't mess around. I will just be concentrating on gathering more points against common beliefs.

Modi - Thanks for the consideration & compliments.
This has been an informative group and facilitates better understanding of our actions and value system. Its good to be skeptic with an open mind to learn and understand the variety of issues that affect the society and us. So I personally wouldn’t want to hurt the feelings of the people who have volunteered their time & efforts to maintain the activity at the community and am sure you can relate to my feelings.
Looking forward to a clean discussion for/against the common beliefs.

It was fun!!

Work in US

2005-02-23T18:45:00.000-06:00

Warning - Sounds more like something just out of a personal diary than an article

When I came to the US, I felt some excitement and a sense of dislocation. I was trying hard to feel pleased at this supposedly "golden opportunity" to go abroad. One thought that came recurring to me was - what can be so special about staying in America, leaving all your family and friends back home? Better life style maybe, was the only reason that I could think of. The only thing that struck me within the first few hours of the drive here, as a civil engineer, were the freeway. The second big thing was spending hours shopping at these malls which I would never envision of doing back in India. And I kept sending home the digital pics of my carpeted apartment, my car and mentioned my shopping experiences (be it at JC Penny, Dillards or Walmart) and me visiting Starbucks more often than I used to visit Café coffee day. As the mails from my siblings kept pouring in asking, to ensure, if America is really the most coveted place with all the amenities at one's disposal, I used to think about the time spent alone and the moments you want to hold your mother's hand, feel your father's presence or need friends to share anything and everything only to realize that you have left them back in India.

Sometimes I still sit alone and try to decipher what exactly is the aim of all the trouble that we are pushing ourselves through. And believe me moments of loneliness once in a while are not necessarily bad and in fact they will let you contemplate a bit on life (and am sure you too might have experienced that at some point in time). I never said anyone what I wrote down in my journal during those self-evaluation sessions, for the fear of sounding crazy:) – neither did I ever mention that I cannot meet some desi professionals over the weekend without a prior appointment!

Till date I have only talked about the typical hype that surrounds the American life which makes the desis live like they do and sent back stories that most people from here do... setting up dreams for another set to come in and realize their big "American Dream" though I feel that nothing can compare with the compassion, feeling of a community, and the sense of belonging to a great heritage in India. It must be the pearls of knowledge and wealth of culture that helped us survive for ages.

These days I feel that being away, you can analyze about good and bad aspects in India better from here. I know that nothing in life is only good or only bad. There are only shades. You may call this ‘cognitive dissonance’, if you will.

Obviously, not everything is rosy in either India/ US. But I recently joined a firm full time and my worst nightmare and best hope came true. I love working as an engineer and felt that this country induces individuality and appreciates personal excellence. So I don’t know when I will cross the fine line between leaving back for India and settling in this country.

As I am writing this, following song (that is so profound and true about life in general) comes to my mind.

kabhi kisi ko mukammal jahan nahin milta...
kahin zameen to kahin aasmaan nahin milta..
tere jahan mein aisa nahin ke pyar na ho..
jahan ummeed ho uski, wahan nahin milta...
*sigh*
but that’s life.
I know we need to count our blessings, feel blessed, and live life as best as we can... and the song seems to say it all, and probably applies to almost every human being in some way or the other.

It is one of those songs that I can listen to on a rainy day sitting on the porch, sipping hot coffee, and staring into the horizon and reflecting on life appreciating everything life brings with it - pain and joy!

where to start?

2005-02-21T18:39:00.000-06:00

Yadda yadda, busy life, yadda. So, since the last post I've been through with my graduation, first day at job and getting used to my new car (already drove 1000 miles). And all the stuff in-between. I've really been insanely busy. In fact, I'm insanely busy right now too but I can't do the work I need to as I am still contemplating about the stuff I need to transfer from my diary to the blog.

I know it's been almost two months since I updated my blog... though I don't mean to use the clinched phrase 'been busy', I shall try to post an entry to explain the situation as and when time permits.

Seriously speaking, life has been tremendously busy & beautiful these days, as I had to move from TX to NV. And that doesn't mean I am not pondering over the facts of life... and I don’t blame "busyness" on why I haven’t written anything for a long time but I figured I had to take care of the mundane things and get settled before I can get back to the blog with a new philosophy!

Meanwhile I felt like I have been at the borderline, of the edge, and walked alone... and still feel like I was blinded from the start and just realized where I am supposed to be, and hope to passionately pursue my "actual" goals now.

Update: With the New Year began a New Era in my life. I am having fun at work place and enjoying the new lease of life. [Started working on 10th January].

On second thought, lets push over the topic to let bygones be bygones and rejoin over at the collective thoughts!

I can't promise but shall try to bring up some intriguing & thought-provoking topic over the next few weeks!

Updates on Tsunami from Rediff.com

2004-12-31T20:14:00.000-06:00

A senior railway officer who visited the tsunami-hit coastal areas of Visakhapatnam described in the article entire village has disappeared the scene as those depicted in hindi movies during the time of partition – All men, women and children looking haggard and marching towards the town with a notable grief on their face and unusual absence of any conversation whatsoever. Further to his surprise when he reached the village all he could notice was water - The entire village had been swept away!
It was another devastating force of nature and everyone there has a horrifying tale to cite.

Then I had a look at the Chronology of earthquakes in 2004 and had to reluctantly accept the fact that No one can predict a Tsunami. Now as we all know that we can hardly predict the earthquakes and the best we can achieve in this case would be to record the occurrence of Tsunami and alert all the coasts in the anticipated range, so the worst hit that are closest to the epicenter hardly have any opportunity to take any measures and the others only have the time between the actual occurrence of the subsidence and the time the wave takes to reach the shore. And now even if the coastguard or some agency received the news just a few minutes before the incident (that has never occurred in the past and caught everyone unaware) the best they could have achieved on a lazy day after the Christmas celebration by announcing it would be pure chaos & panic. Further I cannot emphasize enough the fact that there is NO recent history of Tsunamis in Indian Ocean and so obviously no one ever considered having a sensing system. It’s like considering buying a health insurance in India - will you ever buy one?! Yet the government shall soon acquire a early warning system (EWS) that detects tsunamis for the humanitarian cause and install these special sensors at the earliest.

When I first read that India rejects foreign aid for relief work I was totally confused as to why would India do that only to realize that it is indeed a good gesture to divert the immediate need of food and other relief work where it is more in demand and we might find that requisite aid when we incur the resurrection costs. Finally I read that India has not spurned foreign aid but only stalled it so as to get a better grip on the situation and to use the funds that we already have allocated for such disasters in our disaster management programs and this also helps the funds to be distributed to other countries that might need it more at this point in time. Additionally though UN can't go to a country without a request it’s great to see so many nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) coming forward to help the needy in this moment of crisis and Locals contributing to relief efforts in their own ways.

In conclusion I feel that maybe we have the resources for immediate disaster management as the Central government promised funds couple of days back and the states have taken the IMMEDIATE damages on themselves. But we might need some financial aid later during the reconstruction phase, unless they have any strings attached. So as of now there is no shortage of money, but we need a lot of manpower, equipment and logistics to handle the situation appropriately. Further I guess this has signaled that India has a strong economy and good disaster management programs.

Wishes from my attorney

2004-12-30T20:18:00.000-06:00

Under huge pressure from nobody in particular I forgo the usual pleasantries and pass you all visitors these wishes mentioned below and by reading it you hereby acknowledge and agree that this was the best New Year wish you ever received.

From me ("the wishor") to you ("the wishee") please accept without
obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally
conscious, socially responsible, politically correct, low stress,
non-addictive, gender neutral, celebration of the winter solstice
holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious
persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with
respect for the religious/secular persuasions and/or traditions of
others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions
at all.

I wish you a financially successful, personally fulfilling and medically
uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted
calendar year 2005, but with due respect for the calendars of choice of
other cultures or sects, and having regard to the race, creed, colour,
age, physical ability, religious faith, choice of computer platform or
sexual preference of the wishee.

By accepting this greeting you are bound by these terms that:

* This greeting is subject to further clarification or withdrawal.

* This greeting is freely transferable provided that no alteration shall
be made to the original greeting and that the proprietary rights of the
wishor are acknowledged.

* This greeting implies no promise by the wishor to actually implement
any of the wishes.

* This greeting may not be enforceable in certain jurisdictions and/or
the restrictions herein may not be binding upon certain wishees in
certain jurisdictions and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wishor.

* This greeting is warranted to perform as reasonably may be expected
within the usual application of good tidings, for a period of one year
or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes
first.

The wishor warrants this greeting only for the limited replacement of
this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the
wishor. Any references in this greeting to "The Lord", "Father Christmas",

"Our Saviour", "Rudolph the red nosed reindeer" or any other festive
figures, whether actual or fictitious, dead or alive, shall not imply
any endorsement by or from them in respect of this greeting, and all
proprietary rights in any referenced third party names and images are
hereby acknowledged.

This greeting is made under Blogger Law.

Government of Blogspot

Oh, what the heck. Wish you all a very Happy New Year!

I feel the need to add the following indemnification to protect the Wishor in the event the Wishee’s merriment exceeds legal limits or causes injury:

WISHEE agrees to indemnify WISHOR from, against, and in respect of, any and all losses, damages, liabilities, libels, suits, actions, expenses (including attorney’s fees) and proceedings arising from, or in connection with, any claim, complaint, suit, proceeding or cause of action against WISHOR alleging physical injury, including death, brought by, or on behalf of an injured party, and arising out of the negligence or willful malfeasance of WISHEE in execution of aforementioned holiday.

Did you make a wish?!

Microsoft, Linux & India

2004-12-28T20:33:00.000-06:00

How to hate Microsoft, a blog by an MS employee.
Microsoft and Indian Languages - impressive work.

Microsoft seems to be putting in lot of resources to capture the Indian market by focusing on Multilingual systems, Geographical information systems and Sensors and sensor network applications.

Remember "Your potential. Our passion."

As far as my opinion is concerned I have been enjoyed working on Win2k (WinXP is fine, but needs requires lot of RAM and hopefully Longhorn version might be a better as it might be Bill Gates desperate attempt to prove that he can innovate :P)

"The last generation of operating systems cost about a billion dollars to develop. In fact Apple spent roughly a billion dollars to deliver OS X . They get to amortize that investment over 3 million annual buyers. Microsoft spends the same billion dollars to develop XP and they get to amortize that investment over roughly 120 million users a year ... [Apple] can't sustain that business model. The next generation operating system, the one that will ultimately replace OS X and XP, is probably going to cost $1.5 billion to $2 billion dollars. So, Apple's underlying economics will never allow them to support their next generation operating system. If (Microsoft's) Longhorn is ever successful, the pressure that will place on Apple will be enormous because Apple simply will not have the resources with 8 million active users to ever be able to support it." - Where Does Apple Go from Here?

Also worth reading is an article What's next for Google.

But for some reason it is essential to promote OpenSource & GNU

Its not as if all open source softwares are free. In fact some of it is copyrighted too. Take for instance Linux... the operating system is open source, but there are many versions of it in the market. Most famous being Red Hat Linux, which retails for about 7000 rupees a copy!! Then there are loads of freeware... like versions of linux brought out by tech magazines and stuff...

Another minor point is that linux shell programming is not an easy job... it takes a team of people days, sometimes even weeks just to replace all instances, configure the binaries and RPMs (these are pre packaged software u get with any linux installation... they vary form installation to installation) etc...
How many CDs does windows come in?? One. Red Hat Linux 7 comes in FIVE CDs... and most magazines bringing out versions of linux have at least 3 CDs.

Have you ever wondered why Microsoft pays well, hires good people and has so much resources for R&D... yet unfortunately most of its products are not technically the best - yes they do well, but its probably more due to the questionable use of muscle power, unfair business practices and good marketing strategies for these very substandard products... (Mac OS-X has great GUI while Unix is almost perfect as the OS and IE & Outlook suck big time and the best alternative these days are Firefox & Thunderbird)...

Linux:
Redhat has virtually stopped their linux version for desktop users. They now support a project named fedora which is absolutely free. Mandrake is the only remaining free, stable and user-friendly Linux distribution I guess. Others (SUSE/Novell etc) are not really free or maybe they are there just for the hype and to form a "bandwagon".

Yeah, some zealots will say Slackware or Debian but those are for experienced people in my opinion. Though people on some newsgroups and communities have been claiming to be using Debian and Knoppix for more quite some time now and promoting them as great, infact FAR more easier to maintain than any other distro they have known, I am yet to try my hand on it.

Most of the non-nerdy guys, like me, have some flavor of Linux installed besides the Windows OS and we ocassionally boot into it, go to KDE, do some routine stuff and log out. Linux gurus love Debian or Slackware and its good, and for Gentoo you really need broadband connection. Also Mandrake 10.1 seems to be the best choice if you need linux on a loptop. I think the lack of affordable broadband is the only real major hurdle against a linux boom in india.

Just a comment on one community: Google Luit Linux, a small [50 mb] distro compiled by an Indian dude...I checked out the live CD..runs XFCE...sweet...I think second hand desktops from the first word with XFCE in indian villages could work wonders for literacy and awareness amongst rural folks...

Sometimes I feel totally lost and just cannot comprehend the lingo at these communities and newsgroups.

Tsunami Earthquake Relief Fund

2004-12-28T13:27:00.000-06:00

As you are aware India along with other countries in the region has been severally hit by Tsunami tidal waves caused by an earthquake on 26th December 2004. Thousands of people in the coastal Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Union Territories of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Pondicherry have lost their lives and property worth millions of dollars has been damaged.

The Prime Minister of India has issued an appeal to all citizens to donate generously to the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) to help fund the relief and rehabilitation measures.

The donations can be made as detailed below:

Cheques or draft or money order in the name of "The Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund" may be sent directly to: Prime Minister’s Office, South Block, New Delhi – 110001 (India)

Contribution may also be made directly to the following Prime Minister’s Relief Fund Account: In US Dollars : Account No.000-03847-4 with HSBC Bank USA New York (SWIFT CODE:- MRMD US 33 )

Please visit http://pmindia.nic.in/relieffund.htm for more details for sending your generous contribution to the Prime Minister National Relief Fund - INDIA by Credit Card, etc.

You may also make a donation through Red Cross or AidIndia or Asha for Education.

Info on Quake Disaster can be accessed at CNN and BBC

More information available at a blog dedicated to this disaster.

Other Blogs:
1. tsunamihelpneeded
2. tsunamihelpoffered
3. aidtsunami
4. vichaar.org

Videos:
1. tsunamiphuket.wmv
2. katc.wmv
3. zeebeving.avi
4. patong_beach

* Please understand that even a day's wage can also make a lot of difference, if you are wondering what a reasonable contribution will be.

To eliminate your 'I was too lazy' excuse, let me remind you that you can do it online with the same credit card you use to order pizzas.

A video taken by a tourist.
An animation for better understanding.

This link shows top video clips linked in blogs. I guess presently the top ones are all related to the tsunamis.

For Brazilians!

The New York Times has a useful graphic that shows how the wave spread across the Indian Ocean.

Computer simulation by the NOAA based on seismic data from the event.

Swades

2004-12-24T19:06:00.000-06:00

Yesterday night I saw Swades and then I had a feeling that we have a lot to do and its high time that we all realize this and put efforts in the right direction to enable us to achieve the vision 2020 set by some visionaries. As I went back home, I scribbled something in the dark and the only significant line I could write was "There is no fire, but I feel warm; There is no light, but I can still see..."

Its so true that under pressure we rely on our culture and family values that make us the best among all the nations, but if we really had any respect for our culture and heritage, why would we still follow some of the inhumane practices and rituals and still have racial differences and are prone to communal riots? I guess something went wrong somewhere and we need to rectify it at the earliest.

We have two huge goals – Technology & Innovation and Communal harmony & compassion for all. (Hame shaktishali banana hain aur apna sayaam bhi banaye rakhne)

I know I have expressed idealistic overview of the changes, but we need to do all this to move ahead – We can share ideas at India needs a revolution (a Orkut Community)

Conspiracy Theory

2004-12-22T15:56:00.000-06:00

Do you really believe that laptops were mistakingly designed with this flaw? Some ne'er-do-well concoted this elaborate scheme of distributing these gonad numbing devices of seletive breeding to depopulate South Asia one tech geek at a time.

For some reason, I think this is related. Am I wrong? Probably.

Links

2004-12-22T15:49:00.000-06:00

Orange - wav file
Haryana Call Center - zip file (audio)

Lets order a pizza

zoom - flash file
Nerdy Horn Guy - wmv file

An Epic on Technology - nice presentation
India - PPS file

Take it in the right spirit!
Shockingly funny* - A chat transcript by a 17 year old girl from San Diego.
*Warning: Full of uncensored words. Read at your own risk

Aftermath of graduation

2004-12-20T03:01:00.000-06:00

I am not sure why I am staying up late these days - it feels like I am waiting for something, I am not sure what.

I had my diploma in hand on the 17th December and was lucky have my maternal uncle and grandfather along with my friends Pillai & Ritesh. We had some strange feelings and it was a great day for me, Nilesh & Rakesh and as the president of TAMU said we had a reason to be proud. It was indeed an intriguing experience and felt great to be a part of a tradition. It is difficult to explain the traditions at TAMU in words and it is indeed something you need to experience at this 125 year old university with the corps of cadets and their traditions.

I am in better spirits now, though I still feel an impending doom heading for me. Next week will be tricky, as I begin my quest for a fulfilling job and prepare to leave my friends with no clue about our next meeting.

I agree that the people you meet in college are the people you will be friends with for life. I have been out of IIT for almost two years, and still try to keep in touch with all the people I considered friends. But things change when you go away. I kept in touch with a few people and cut a few people loose. By end of this year I lost touch with almost everyone and found myself talking to only Avinash, Siva, Anuj, Sachi, Srinivas, Vamsi, Shikha, Kongu, Sammy & Jeet. I guess things just change. Everyone else is just memories, I will occasionally hear something through the grapevine, but it loses meaning after a while.

Sometimes I look back and wish I had tried harder to remain friends with some people. I miss my three high school buddies the most – Muralidhar, Manoj & Pranay. There is so much history with some of my friends. It's a shame to let it go. I suppose there is nothing stopping me from picking up the phone, maybe one day I will.

Here at TAMU, the guys that are closest to me are Pillai, Mandar, Nilesh, Rakesh, Shilpa and Sashi. I also made friends with P$, but it soon turned out that she would prefer to be just a typeface on a computer screen, someone who may respond when asked "How are you today?'. Though I hate to say this I tried my best to not include her in the people that are just names, they blink on and off, with no conversation, no idea how they are doing aside from what their yahoo/ orkut screen name might be. It's like calling someone and not talking. I know you are there, but I am not going to talk to you. It's a strange concept if you think about it.

After the graduation ceremony I can feel another "high school" shift coming on. I sense that people that were once considered close, will start to fade away.

Transition

2004-12-18T18:20:00.000-06:00

It was the 17th December (D-day ) and I was there in my black graduation robe, sitting with my friends in Reed Arena and my mama & nana (maternal uncle & grandfather) along with other families feeling proud and beaming with delight. I felt contended. Though I am not sure if I really did anything worthwhile since I left my parents and flew all the way to USA, but when I saw the glow on their faces I felt I was on the right track now and was sure I shall make my dad’s dreams come true. Now I see myself happy and content, smiling and satisfied.

During the ceremony I found myself amidst many new faces ready to take over the world with faces glowing with competence and confidence and compassion. As I move ahead on the road to glory, I see many things around me - Happy faces that share my joy, participative faces that make me feel I am not alone, sad faces caught up in a world of their own, dreamy faces lost in their thoughts - everybody has a purpose in life, and I pray and hope to see them all in a position to be able to fulfill it. I am sure everybody made many sacrifices and compromises to reach here.

I don't think the undergrads or even the graduate students were any surer of what they wanted to do, but they were more confident that "something" would be there after graduation. I was really glad and felt like honored to be a part of the Aggie tradition – as the adage goes "There's a Spirit can ne'er be told..." – and its really difficult to explain the tradition of this 125 year old university. I guess I shall cherish this day all my life. Though the school may be classed as average, as far as the technical/academic standards are concerned, but I really appreciate the "Grand ole tradition" at TAMU. The Aggie spirit is really a force to be reckoned with.

Now after the "Graduation" I feel I have finally made the choice. I have crossed the bank, jumped over to the other side and from here I can see lush green grass, swaying daisies and trotting horses. I can feel the freshness in the air, the aroma of peace and experience the joy of making the right choice and the satisfaction that makes my heart praise myself. I feel like I am moving ahead every time I breathe and am coming closer to my dreams, my visions of myself and finally the pieces in the jigsaw puzzles are falling into place. Few weeks back I was too confused, maybe because I was biased. Now I feel I am lighter, happier, better, refined and honored. What I gained today was what my dad was eyeing since a long time and it fell into my lap today, elevating me to a different level, a higher floor. I am now taller than I was before. I am climbing up, moving on, and making myself capable of handling everything that may come.

I am confident that this journey is always going to continue and I am always going to keep moving, because no one can stop the man who knows where he is going! [ahem].

I was so busy this weekend. I had to go to Dallas on Thursday for an interview and drove about 400 miles and then on Friday after the ceremony went to Austin with mama, nana, nilesh, rakesh & ritesh for dinner and just managed to cancel my Houston trip on Saturday and instead spent the whole night at rakesh’s place talking and watching ‘The Cable Guy (1996)’ and ‘Maverick (1994)’.

Ambition and Delusion

2004-12-14T21:09:00.000-06:00

IT’s graduation day tomorrow!!! Yipeeeee... I’m feeling so so so so darn excited right now! Hhhahaa feeling so enthusiastic with butterflies in my stomach!!! Hmmm... what’s going through my mind now?! Hahaha thinking of all the last minute preparations that I did during my graduation at IITB... hmmmm and the moment I "walked" to receive my diploma and the presence of my family and friends In the audience at the commencement ceremony… wow… that was amazing! It was truly a great feeling to hear my name and then walk across that stage. I had made my parents proud. That was the best part of the day. [The worst part – I had to depart with no clue whatsoever when I shall see my buddies again in my life – I really miss that feeling of togetherness]

I went a little crazy last month due to the excess workload, but I am loving it... I have never enjoyed my work so much... or was I trying to escape from something?!

Last two weeks I was totally freaked out... I didn’t have a clue where I was going… I stopped all the activities and decided to take a break from everything and just concentrate on one project at a time. I took baby steps and I am glad I did that and just managed to finish everything on time. But in the process I did manage to hurt some people, who I care about the most. I even got a few hate mails and some people even managed to ignore me. But I hope I shall catch up with them soon.

Sometime I’m a very hard person to really get to know. I just don’t like to be vulnerable. It’s this fact that really hit me on the way home. I have to live and try to change the reasons because the results are already evident and present. It is really hard to be lonely especially when you are partly to blame. I think I’m a very nice and funny person but have many superficial relationships because I’m afraid to put myself out there. In retrospect, I see that in college I have made tons of acquaintances and know quite a few people but when I try to boil down the "real" friends, I have less than a handful. This again was hard to swallow. I always held myself as the person who took the harder road, but looking back it was just the easy road that I made harder. It was always easier to be angry or mad at someone else for the reasons my life had sucked, it is so much harder to look back and see that it is what I did in those times that has shaped who I am today and I’m not fond of the mold.

Somewhere during the beginning of graduate school I realized that I was slowly becoming dumb. Unless the questions asked of me by others regarded the world of civil engineering, I couldn't be bothered to answer. Previous to graduate school, I felt well-rounded, eclectic and even knowledgeable. Back during the undergraduate year at IIT I read philosophies, classics, and the occasional trashy romance just to keep it real. I listened to a whole variety of songs, ghazals, talk-shows and whatnot. It was only during my summer internship that I found myself listening to the thoughts in my head, nothing else, and they're not even original. I'm starting to wonder if I'm becoming one of those people who become content and fail to grow any longer. I felt as though I'm losing myself. So I started blogging and decided to take up six graduate courses instead of the recommended three courses.

I began to write for hours on end and words seemed to flow from my fingers faster than my mind could contemplate the syntax that would organize the thoughts. Now, I find myself repeatedly pausing to write even this blog. I can't think of synonyms, antonyms, and hell half the time I can't even think of a word to begin with. I think "you know, that word, the one that means... God, what does it mean, I know what I want to write... but I can't think of the words."

Are college graduates more likely to dumb themselves down? Do we become more accepting and forgiving as we get older? Am I more tolerant? Is this a good thing?? Is graduation the death of education?

Aargh... you might say why am I writing all this... Honestly speaking, I myself don’t know… But I guess I just wrote down what no one says aloud... I don’t care if you fail to relate to my feelings... but this is what I having been going through for the last few weeks and would like to maintain this here for my record.

Words of wisdom:
I was having a discussion with siva few days ago, late in the night and really he made me feel that I was right in understanding the importance of my decisions. I think you should always want to be better, and be "good". You always want to find yourself making good decisions. Everyone is always trying to make the "perfect" decision and to be honest, they don’t exist.

You have one life, live it. I find life would be a shame if you looked back on it and said "I think I would have done that differently". That is no way to live and regret is a feeling that you shouldn’t have. You made a decision, good or bad. Remember this: You are always one decision away from making a "good decision".

Now a question I have for you is this. What are you living for, what inspires you and are you not doing things because of what others may think? Are you only inspired to do things for money?

If you have nothing in life that inspires you and you are just living for how others think you should live: It needs to stop. Find something that makes you feel worth living for and go for it 100%. If you see a good cause in life, go for it and never look back. Don’t listen to what people think and stop living for other people. You weren’t made for that. Believe me, you were not made to work a crappy little job, get hammered, do drugs, find a partner, get married, etc. Yet why are you living for that? Because other people are and they make you think this is the way?

In closing this was the motivating message from my friend. You are a good person, not a perfect one. You make good decisions, not perfect ones. Live your life for you, for your inspirations and not for others. Because if you don’t, you will miss your call in life and that my friend will be the biggest failure of all. Love you lots.

Tatha says: "abe u have great potential, but its ur maverick thinking that doesn't let u concentrate on one thing. If u did, u'll make it really big.. remember my words!!"

Aninash says: "hathoda tab maarna hota hain..jab loha garam hota hain"

Thanks Siva (guide), Tatha (philosopher) & Avinash (friend). If I had a star for each time you guys brightened my day, I guess I shall be holding a galaxy in my hand.

why i write down what i feel

2004-12-01T20:02:00.000-06:00

I guess writing these blogs makes me keep in touch with myself...
when I feel something really strong at a certain time it's like writing them down makes me capture the moment, even if others fail to notice it...

and when I dont feel anything, I cannot write... no matter how hard I try to stay focused...

sometimes, like Eminem says, I feel that maybe one day we'll wake up and this will all just be a dream

Story:
A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighborhood street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something.

As his car passed, a brick smashed into the Jag's side door! He slammed on the brakes and drove the Jag back to the spot where the brick had been thrown. The angry driver then jumped out of the car, grabbed the nearest kid and pushed him up against a parked car shouting, "What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing? That's a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money. Why did you do it?"

The young boy was apologetic. "Please, mister...please, I'm sorry... I didn't know what else to do, "he pleaded. "I threw the brick because no one else would stop..." With tears dripping down his face and off his chin, the youth pointed to a spot just around a parked car. "It's my brother," he said. "He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up." Now sobbing, the boy asked the stunned executive, "Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too heavy for me."

Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. He hurriedly lifted the handicapped boy back into the wheelchair, then took out his fancy handkerchief and dabbed at the fresh scrapes and cuts. A quick look told him everything was going to be okay.

"Thank you and may God bless you," the grateful child told the stranger. Too shook up for words, the man simply watched the boy push his wheelchair-bound brother down the sidewalk toward their home.

It was a long, slow walk back to the Jaguar. The damage was very noticeable, but the driver never bothered to repair the dented side door. He kept the dent there to remind him of this message:
"Don't go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention!"
God whispers in our souls and speaks to our hearts. Sometimes when we don't have time to listen, He has to throw a brick at us.

Happy days are here again

2004-11-28T14:31:00.000-06:00

I am in awfully good spirit today. I am happy to be here. Life is rocking!!

Oh, I'm so glad that it's the Thanksgiving weekend! The past two weeks seemed so long, it just went on forever and never ended, but at least it's done now and I had four whole days of relaxing with no worries. Yeah, I still have a huge amount of homework, studying and reading to do, but I'm not worrying about that this weekend, I'm just chilling and hanging out and making the best of my time.

Today morning I talked my sister, back in Hyderabad, for 45 minutes. It made my day!

There was a day when I was sad and blue, I was so sad that I didn’t want to be here. But I realized I have a little sister that made me happy. She is so cute, she made me happy that I was her brother. Her name means aspiration and has regularly been my source of inspiration. She gave me a reason to be Happy.
Thanks sis.

Don't judge yourself by somebody else's standards. You will always lose.

My only source of Gujarati songs. My favorite are the Family/ Folk/ Marriage Songs.
[Includes - Maa Baap Ne Bhoolsho Nahin & Jay Jay Garvi Gujarat]

choices in life

2004-11-26T15:06:00.000-06:00

The interpretations of Robert Frost’s poem, "The Road Not Taken", vary from reader to reader, but the essential implication of the poem deals with choices in life.

[My Disclaimer]
Being a libran, I am not sure how good I am at taking decisions. But few years down the line, if I feel like you want some spice, then I may supply you my story again, but just for you I might rearrange the facts, invent few characters and incidents, supply information missing from the record from my imagination and inject a dose of Lone Ranger. ;)

Though I might cover the facts I don't know or can't accept, I shall have a true chronology of events in my blog and more specific details in my diary, somewhere well hidden for my own record.

In the Dilbert Principle "the most ineffective workers are systematically moved to the place where they can do the least damage: management". Scott Adams usually refers to Engineers.
My Views:
We "Engineers" tend to see the big picture. Though a friend of mine likes to say - 'Engineers' are far ahead in human evolution which make us different from regular people like accountants or the average bureaucrats found on a daily basis. (if you have doubts, read Darwin)
Now, if you mention about the clothes and behavior, this is because clothes are terribly boring, (or as my friend says - if we could we would work naked because this avoids static energy accumulation which can damage delicate systems) and yes, we are not weird. It's just that most people are too normal.
We engineers tend to see the big picture. So, in wide angle, we tend not to see the stain of coffee on our shirt or how ugly the pants we wear are. It’s that simple.

Lost again

2004-11-20T01:28:00.000-06:00

I am lost again (though after a really long time)...
I guess I need a mentor - someone who will understand me and guide me...
Even Sir Isaac Newton & Swami Vivekananda had a mentor - So I should have one too. It's only fair; I am not asking for a lot. Am I?

For first time in life the acads have kept me so busy. I am having a nightout every week and am sleeping for about 6 hours/day for the months of October & November, instead of the regular 9 hours/weekday and 12 hours/holiday. I am not sure how good my decision to take up six graduate level courses this semester was. Though there have been some nice developments recently usually the most enjoyable moment is talking to my Sister & Parents and I look forward to talking to them every Sunday morning.

[edited on 11/22/04]
This weekend I was DEEP into work.... gosh I have never been so busy all my life... I needed a breather and thought of calling my new friend in college station... but the friend had left for Houston and didn't answer the phone... :(

So I got back to sulking at my profs again... the same old story right... and the worst part is that I am insanely enjoying working on my projects (though it is still not running!!)... looks like no respite for the next couple of weeks at least... I slept for 4 hours on Saturday and then 8 hours on Monday.
[/edit]

1. I need someone to escort me in my personal life,
2. I need to break my shell - I am so painfully introverted these days, probably because of some recent incidents that had an impact at a deep personal level.
3. I need to understand my competitors,
4. I need to understand the right stuff for engineering market
5. I need to understand the four steps for engineers to make more money,

Does it make any sense:
Did you know that a relationship that got initiated through an online community may die before it even has a chance to blossom... I am not sure about you, but I was kind of shattered to learn that.

Diwali

2004-11-10T09:34:00.000-06:00

Another opportunity to turn night into days :)
Too busy with stuff right now... shall right my memories of Diwali over the coming weekends. Till then have a happy & prosperous new year.

As kids Diwali was a whole lot of fun. First of all it meant the house was thoroughly cleaned - we'd take soap and water and literally wash the house from end to end as if we had to wash away the evil from it or something - but for us kids it was more of playing in the soapy water and slipping on the floors and laughing our heads off when anyone fell. Then there'd be stuff made especially for Diwali – sweets (mithai) such as magaj, mohanthal, ghari, and ghughra and salty (namkeen) items like mathiya, fafra, chaklis and chivdas. New clothes were something we looked forward to with great anticipation - we already knew what we were going to buy each diwali. [These Gujarati delicacies are your perfect excuse to give up on dieting & keep hogging all the way!]

The house had this festive atmosphere. We'd try out so many new things to make the house look festive - we'd light real diyas and they'd keep going off so one person was assigned the duty to keep them burning. Then we'd take these small glasses filled with water and float the diyas in them so that they burnt for longer and we had this thing called cool floating diyas. As kids our eyes were always on the flame.

Diwali holds absolutely happy memories because we were all together - the whole family, the people in my building, the kids all trying out daring things with crackers and getting scolded for it and falling into giggles - it's always been great fun. My dad has four brothers and a sister in Hyderabad. So for those six days around Diwali we have a tradition of arranging get-togethers and have breakfast at one house per day. On the day of Diwali we have Laxmi Pujan & Chopda Pujan at the shop and then we go and wish everyone at their respective shops and have lots of good stuff to eat. Each of us is well known for our specialty and is expected to be present with it. As kids the best part of Diwali we to go to everyones house and shop to wish them saal mubarak and that we'd be fed with great Diwali mithai. Our taste buds and our palate seem to make such a powerful impression on our minds that our fondest memories are those triggered off by food. When love is strongly associated with such remembrances they become the core of our being and provide succor even much later in life. A time for optimism every year.

Diwali was so special during childhood because it was associated with the 'Diwali vacation' too - it meant feast time in every way. For some reason diwali suggests joy - it's about everything new and bright. New clothes, even new shoes, new jewellery - starting from the feet till the head we got everything new - it was so exciting.

Amongst all four Diwali days, I adore the Laxmi Puja day and Bhai Dooj.

In essence - Diwali means traditional clothes, family get-togethers, scrumptious food and loads of fun. Diwali is a time to bond with your relatives

I was so glad I could get in touch with Sachi, Avinash, Schow, Naga, & Basanti before Diwali. After Diwali I got in touch with Tatha, Hetu, Dhiendra, Nitesh & Siva.

Dandiya

2004-10-24T20:44:00.000-05:00

Once again it's that time of the year when night turns into day and the city reverberates to the beat of countless drums. It’s Navratri time as we all know. Let me explain how this dance evolved.

Among all the dance forms, Raas Garba is the most well known outside Gujarat and is the most ancient one too. Ideally, two circles formed by men and women move in clockwise and anti-clockwise directions with two sticks called dandiyas held in their hands. The song sung on the occasion is essentially an amorous one. Raas is a very energetic, colourful and playful dance providing opportunity for acting and exchanging messages through eye contact. It is no wonder that many romances bloom during Navratri and hence the popularity of the dance among the younger generation.

I ejoyed the Dandiya on 15th & 16th this month and will again have one session on 5th November. Playing Dandiya and Garbha here was a really a wonderful experience. It was fun with Jasmitaben & Monaben :)

On 5th again I played Garbha with Monaben & new version of Dandiya (Mumbai style) with Jasmitaben. This was my best Dandiya in about 3 years (Khaali charigay pag ma!). My precioussss memory of the last few days in CS I guess!

O-YES OS

2004-10-19T15:53:00.000-05:00

An Indian Guy developed an 32-bit OS !!!

The below content is spreading around as a mail very fast recently.

This is not only ground breaking news; it's space-breaking news indeed. Fwd it to as many Indians as possible.

"Ramlal Bhagat, a Class XII. student from Haryana,India has developed a 32-bit operating system demonstrated to be far Superior to any of the desktop operating systems in the market today. The program has been named "O-Yes". O-Yes provides operating system services on any Pentium-based personal computer (PC) and does not require MS-DOS as a base operating system.

The operating system's capabilities were demonstrated in a student convention at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), New Delhi. HCL Ltd. conducted benchmarks on the system and published results,which are partly reported here:
* O-Yes is 34% faster than Microsoft's Windows 95 on similar hardware.
* It is 29% faster than IBM's OS/2.
* O-Yes loads 54% quicker than Windows 95 or OS/2.
* O-Yes has a customizable, user-friendly graphical User Interface (GUI), in which every program can be accessed with a maximum of two button clicks.
* The operating system provides plug n play capability with numerous hardware devices.
* It has a superior memory management function.
* The operating system is compatible with Windows 95 & Windows NT 4.0.

HCL, Ltd. has offered an unknown amount to Ramlal Bhagat for purchasing the rights to the software. Ramlal Bhagat, described as "quiet and philosophical" by his peers, was not available for comment. Suresh Reddy, spokesman for HCL Ltd.,said, "this is the operating system that the world has been waiting for". On HCL's move to purchase the rights to the software, he said, "We are here to ensure that Mr. Ramlal gets fair recognition and compensation for his innovation. HCL Ltd. can provide him a firm launch-pad to market software globally".

Is this the beginning of the end of the Bill Gates' monopoly? Let's see..."

Though from the screen shot it seems to be some kind of linux (*nix distro), it is very well optimized. Also it only uses the latest kernel 3.0 which is developed mostly by this boy. It has its own window manager which resembles kde and runs kde applications too. The desktop loads in a few seconds. (The star in the left top corner is a dead giveaway as it distictly looks like MDK 10.0, with KDE 3.2)

Well the other side could be -- It may be a hoax as it just struck as odd to me that the test benchmarks this "legendary OS" against IBM's OS/2 and Windows 95. So I did a google search and saw this news site though relatively unknown, I hope it's true.

If "at all" this is true do you think that the Government of India would have left this that cheaply/ easily!!! Won't they have published about this to the world market? Wouldn't there be a chat show with Ramlal Bhagat in almost all TV Channels? Won't the print media explore this and make as much money as they can?

Anyways, if interested to try it out, you may Download it ...

Presidential Debates

2004-10-09T20:10:00.000-05:00

Transcript from St. Louis Debate (October 8, 2004)
Transcript from Vice Presidential Debate (October 6, 2004)
Transcript from Coral Gables (October 1, 2004)

Croc Shock @ IITB

2004-10-06T14:06:00.000-05:00

Just when residents of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) campus in Powai were getting used to leopards prowling in their backyards, they received a croc shock on Sunday night. Have you ever closely seen a 9-foot crocodile in your garden. Apparently, it had crawled out of the adjoining Powai Lake and lazily crossed a 15-feet wide road before settling down, somewhat confused, in the garden. People were enthusiastic to catch a glimpse of the huge creature, but the security guards allowed them to see it only from a distance. One teenager said wryly, "It feels like we’re living in a zoo. Monkeys and leopards are regular visitors already. Now, a crocodile!"

Plus ... Croc numbers are up in Powai Lake - Mumbai Newsline.
IIT-Powai plays host to visiting crocodile - Times of India

India

2004-10-06T13:22:00.000-05:00

"Knowledge is inherent in man; no knowledge comes from outside; it is all inside.We say Newton discovered gravitation. Was it sitting anywhere waiting for him? It was in his own mind; the time came and he found it out. All knowledge that the world has ever received comes from the mind; the infinite library of the universe is in our own mind. The external world is simply the suggestion, the occasion, which sets you to study your own mind." - Swami Vivekananda.

The point here is what we today term as a "modern classic" (Matrix) was crystal-clear to Swami Vivekananda even then! And, thus, maybe the great forgotten thinkers of ancient India... Hence don't you feel that we need to research our own history & literature. We have a huge cultural resource, but do we really use it?!

yes, indeed. We need to understand what is at stake and wake up to the fact that we are short on lifeboats, that the hull is breached, the captain has ignored the warnings, the builders have messed up the design, and the binoculars were missing. Vivekananda said something similar I think about100 years back "Awake, Arise ... "

It isn't enough to be on the right track; you're liable to get run over if you just stay there.

(Modern Day Robin Hoods)

where am I?

2004-09-29T20:25:00.000-05:00

I might repeat to myself slowly and soothingly, a list of quotations beautiful from minds profound – if I can remember any of the damn things.
— Dorothy Parker

NOSTALGIA

Happy Birthday Modi!

2004-09-25T21:34:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to Hemal aka Masterji!
Happy Birthday to you!

One year older, one year funkier, one year cooler and one year smarter.
I wish you all the best for your future undertakings and may you stay happy and cheerful always!

This may be useful to send gifts in India - Bazee

The Beginnings Of A Madness

2004-09-21T20:30:00.000-05:00

The Beginnings Of A Madness is the best article I have read till date. No doubt, it is a depressing story, yet scarily realistic. After reading the article I was quite speechless, and frankly speaking scared.

Las Vegas Trip

2004-09-09T15:20:00.000-05:00

Las Vegas is the best place in the world. It is also the worst place in the world.

I went there to work. Not at a casino, but at a Structural Engineering (Design) firm named Martin & Peltyn. The pay is decent and I wouldn't mind getting a job there. Unfortunately I have to get up at the crack of dawn if I do get the position, and I am NOT a morning person. An Internship in Las Vegas @ $13.00 an hour, though, was hard to refuse.

Gambling mecca, vacation paradise, premier business destination - these are all definitions of the city that never sleeps. Reality takes a hike when you enter the world of glittering casinos with their 24-hour gambling excitement. The scarcity of clocks adds to the fantasy of those taking time off from the real world. It is filled with pretty women, free booze, great food and lots of fun. Time stands still.

I could so live there.

Read more here

Also worth visiting is Grand Canyon

US is a funny place

2004-09-08T15:26:00.000-05:00

America's coasts are home to its most extreme characters. The common perception is that the East Coast is dirty, crowded and populated with rude, violent psychopaths, while the West Coast is all sunny beach front property peopled with drug-addled hippies and actors. While this is all true, it's hardly an accurate portrayal of the lifestyle of the remainder of the American population. You enter this world and you see Blacks, Chinese, Hispanics and Whites all speaking at least two languages, one usually English.

I could pick up phrases and words here and there but it is far enough from standard English to be an entirely distinct language. Verb conjugations are non-existent, everything is abbreviated and accented very heavily and vernacular expressions are standard. They even use words that we would consider diminutive in every day speech, like addressing each other as “boy”. And when they want to be polite and they want something from you, you are called “boss”. “Baad” means good, and “haaht” means “hard”. It's fascinating, especially when a Black man starts talking to you, like “Yaaah man”. They abbreviate “And then I said...” to “An nen I seh”.

It's a natural fact that humans are products of their environments of which language acquisition is a major part. So why is it that we have such a hard time getting over our preconceived notions that one language belongs to one people. When a black man speaks eloquently in unaccented, academic English, some blacks call him an “Oreo”. When a white kid speaks fluent street slang, some say he is a “poser”. But here, when you see a Chinese restaurant owner speak to his family in Cantonese and then turn to a black customer and start jawing away in this new language nobody bats an eye but me. At the end I just shake their hand and say “nice to meecha man.”

As I walk away I think about the natives, and just realized that the white settlers made room for shopping malls by herding the state’s Native American populace into tiny patches of land called “reservations.” Today those reservations are home to lucrative casinos, where gambling addicts from all over the Midwest come to blow their childrens’ college money.

Let us talk about the driving scene here now –
Americans love to drive. They don’t care much for their own kind, and certainly don’t like the idea of getting on a crowded subway train full of strangers. Instead, each American drives his own vehicle — the larger and less efficient, the better.

The most popular American automobile is the Sport Utility Vehicle. In your country, they are known as “tanks” or “anti-personnel vehicles.” Besides allowing motorists to sublimate their fears of penile inadequacy, SUVs are great for “off-roading” — that is, when their narrow wheelbase and high center of gravity tips them off the road and over an embankment, they can roll and roll with minimal damage to the outside of the vehicle.

It is important to note that driving under the influence of alcohol is illegal in America. Americans looking to cause car accidents instead use their cell phones and change CDs in the player while driving.

Only in America
1. ...can a pizza get to your house faster than an ambulance.
2. ...are there handicap parking places in front of a skating rink.
3. ...do drugstores make the sick walk all the way to the back of the store to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy cigarettes at the front.
4. ...do people order double cheeseburgers, large fries, and a diet coke.
5. ...do banks leave both doors open and then chain the pens to the counters.
6. ...do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars in the driveway and put our useless junk in the garage.
7. ...do we use answering machines to screen calls and then have call waiting so we won't miss a call from someone we didn't want to talk to in the first place.
[Just a passing thought: If people spent half the time planning their marriage that they spend planning their wedding, the divorce rate in US would be half of what it is.]

So what does Texas need to survive as a Republic?

NASA in Houston, Texas (we will control the space industry).
We refine over 85% of the gasoline in the United States.
Defense Industry (we have over 65% of it).
The term "Don't mess with Texas," will take on a whole new meaning!

Oil -
we can supply all the oil that the Republic of Texas will need for the next 300 years.
Yankee states? Sorry about that.

Natural Gas -
Again we have all we need. Too bad about those northern states.
The president of 'rest of US' will figure a way to keep them warm....

Computer Industry -
we currently lead the nation in producing computer chips and communications:
Small places like Texas Instruments, Dell Computer, Compaq Computers, EDS, Raytheon, National Semiconductor, Motorola, Intel, AMD, Atmel, Applied Materials, Ball Semiconductor, Dallas Semiconductor, Delphi, Nortel, Alcatel, etc,etc.
The list goes on and on.

Health Centers -
We have the largest research centers for Cancer research, the best burn centers and the top trauma units in the world, and a whole lot of other large health planning centers.

Learning Centers -
We have enough colleges to keep us going:
Texas Tech, University of Texas, Texas A&M, Rice, SMU, University of Houston, Baylor, University of North Texas, Texas Women's University, etc.
Ivy grows better in the south anyway.

We have a ready supply of workers (just open the border when we need some more).
We have control of the paper industry, plastics, insurance, etc.
In case of a foreign invasion, we have the Texas National Guard and the Texas Air National Guard.

We don't have an army but since everybody down here has at least six rifles and a pile of ammo, we can raise an army in 24 hours if we need it.
If the situation really gets bad, we can always call the Department of Public Safety and ask them to send over a couple of Texas Rangers.

We are totally self sufficient in beef, poultry, hogs and vegetable produce and everybody down here knows how to cook them so that they taste good. Don't need any food.

This just names a few of the items that will keep the Republic of Texas in good shape.
There isn't a thing out there that we need and don't have.

Now to the rest of the United States:

Since you won't have the refineries to get gas for your cars, only the President will be able to drive around in his 9 mile per gallon SUV.
The rest of the United States will have to walk or ride bikes.
You won't have any TV as the space center in Houston will cut off your communications.

Signed, The People in Texas

Just stumbled upon an interesting article on Why I'm an anti-anti-American

Election fever heightens the coverup scandals

2004-09-07T13:12:00.000-05:00

Camera tricks and pre-planted explosions, all done so that US would have a viable pretense to invade the middle east ?!

Flash file for the Pentagon Conspiracy?!

Regardless, the flash file makes some good points which Snopes' conspiracy theory does not answer:

* Why wasn't the lawn more messed up than it was?
* Where's the fire damage? Isn't it usually black when stuff (like fuel) burns?
* What's with the tiny airplane on the Pentagon cam?
* Why weren't the other footages released?
* Why did it sound like a small/military/missile engine? I am sure people who have lived around both commercial and military airplanes and jets for a good portion of their life can tell the difference between a military and a commercial engine.

Eh...but I like conspiracies anyway.

ok, I'm intrigued. So I further went to the CNN website to have a look at the video link. Watch the date instead of the plane. Sep 12? 5pm? Any math major interested in tackling the shadows on the ground and tell me whether they're consistent with a 9:00 strike? It seems so ... obvious ... but it's the same thing a slight-of-hand guy does--distract you with something cool to make you not look at the way he's doing it. Why is the date wrong?

So I was listening to the radio on the way to school on 3rd and they played a sound byte that said if you dont support bush then you're a freedom hater. Then immediately the Patriot Act comes to mind. Though they say that all it does is allow the intelligence community to more effectively communicate with the law enforcment community, I have my doubts. It seems to me that if you DO support Bush you're a freedom hater.

Is anyone else getting tired of hearing nothing but attacks during this US presidential campaign? Bush and Kerry don't talk about what they're gonna do for the country. They seem to be talking about what horrible, evil things the other one will do. This is the nastiest campaign season most people have ever seen.
Bush is putting the focus on the war on terror because it's the safest place he's got to stand, and Kerry is putting the focus on Bush. Now this is Politics as usual to me.

I've added the links to the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Amendments as reported on a discussion group at my University.

Don't ever make a speech with more than one thousand words. The speech should contain and repeat certain key words like: "people," 81 times; "our country," 26 times; "liberty," 17 times; "the poor," 33 times; "I promise you," 77 times; and call all opponents "incompetent as many as you can say it.
-- Grandma Soderquist's Rule for Political Speeches

Just another interesting news site!

[Saw 3 movies - The Lost castle, Predator 2 & What's the worst that could happen]

Flowing with the flow

2004-09-06T17:41:00.000-05:00

Things seems to be going pretty well. I managed to convince the professors for the course waiver and then I finally submitted the Degree Plan with graduation date December 2004. I shall file for graduation by the September 10 deadline and wait for a call from Martin & Peltyn.
On the other hand I went to Gym on Saturday & Sunday evenings and went to jogging on Sunday morning with Mandar. I took a break today to finish the paper work and shall make exercise a routine from tomorrow.

Will Bush increase the H1 Quota?!

Rules at TAMU

2004-09-03T09:10:00.000-05:00

Student rules clarify existing rules pertaining to academic misconduct, physical abuse, hazing, rights of accused students, and restructures in the appeal process. The Student Rule revision process is coordinated through the Office of the Dean of Student Life at (979) 845-3111, or studentlife@tamu.edu.

Then we also have the Academic Integrity Web-site to learn more about the Aggie Honor System.

The full text of President Gates' remarks at the Freshman Convocation on
August 29 and Academic Convocation on August 27 can be found online too.

Other interesting offices at TAMU are the Student Counseling Service, the Department of Student Life, the International Programs Office and the Department of Student Financial Aid.

TAMU also has many traditions and the costliest one being Aggie ring. These traditions make you feel like being a part of the Aggie family. It is great to see the Aggie Spirit welling up in these kids here. Tamu is one of the few US universities with so many traditions.

Fortunately/ unfortunately, if you are a prospective student, you may need to visit the Office of Admissions and Records or call them at 979-845-1031.

I love to read the hate threads at discussion forums

BACK TO SCHOOL

2004-08-28T14:43:00.000-05:00

I reached here on Thursday night and my roommate reached here about 24 hours later. Both of us have gained considerable weight and plan to go to the gym daily.
Now I am in the department lab to write a report to convince the professors that I have the requisite skills to graduate in December and hope they waive the steel design course requirement.

I NEED TO GRADUATE IN DECEMBER

2004-08-20T19:23:00.000-05:00

From: Modi, Hemal Kumar [mailto:hemalmodi@neo.tamu.edu]
Sent: Fri 8/20/2004 12:56 PM
To: Hueste, Mary Beth
Cc: Luciana Barroso
Subject: RE: Degree Plan for ME

Dear Dr. Hueste,
I really appreciate your prompt reply. I shall be back in college station on 28 and shall meet you on 30 (Monday) morning.
In the order specified in the 'Coursework Requirements for Structural Engineering' attached in your earlier mail, my course work is as follows:

MATH 602 Applied Mathematics
CVEN 633 Solid Mechanics
CVEN 657 Structural Dynamics
MEMA 647 Finite Element Analysis
CVEN 671 Prestressed Concrete
CVEN 659 Steel Design -- *
CVEN 686 Offshore & Coastal Structures
CVEN 689 Advanced Dynamics & Control
CVEN 685 Direct Studies
ARCH 646 Historical Preservation
ARCH 648 Building Preservation Technology

-- * Need to substitute this steel design course maybe with 686 or 689

Also I have attached a degree plan for your perusal. I would again like to emphasis that I had a good exposure to many design aspects in steel, concrete & masonry construction during my Internship at Martin & Peltyn.
Thanks
Hemal

From: Luciana Barroso
Sent: Fri 8/20/2004 5:08 PM
To: Modi, Hemal
Subject: RE: Degree Plan for ME

Dear Hemal

As indicated by Dr. Hueste, we must talk before you meet with her. I have class on Monday morning from 8-9am and then again from 12:30-1:30pm. Please get back to me ASAP with a time between those hours for us to meet.

Keep in mind then when first discussing the possibility of substituting composite for steel design, we did talk about the fact that this substitution was not automatic and would require special consideration. Substituting your internship experience this summer for the steel design class is definitely not automatic and will almost certainly require some additional work/documentation from you at the minimum. So when we meet, come prepared with the report you are going to submit for the 685 credit for this summer (at least a draft). Once I have a better handle on what projects and responsibilities you had this summer, we can more fully discuss options and possibilities.

Regards,
Dr. Barroso

WHAT?!
Now what the hell do I write in a report when I have worked on different aspects of various projects?! I guess I have messed it up.
Now I also need to work on my direct studies report for the 3 credit hours that I took last for spring 2004 semester and did a good enough literature survey of the work done in the field of Damage Detection/ Substructuring for use in health monitoring applications. I probably will have to go through the huge pile of research papers and rewrite the summary as I hardly remember those and can't remember where I kept the one page summary of each.

Another problem - though my boss (an Attorney) and the staff seem to be happy with me, they won't give me a Job Offer. I guess I will have to be patient and keep in touch with them.

My mad mind also want to do COSC 624 Project Acquisition & Control, COSC 465 Application Of Construction Law - making it six courses for FALL 2004, while three being the minimum. I am sure goin' to have a blast with double course work. Why do I always get interested when I am about to leave. I miss the IIT days and now at TAMU, I wish I could take more courses, and further at Martin & Peltyn, I wish they gave me more (interesting) work.
Civil Engineering

Windows XP SP2

2004-08-20T10:42:00.000-05:00

I Installed Windows XP SP2 on my computer at home (an ancient P3 with 256 MB of RAM). The installation took a good 20 minutes, but here are the few things that are worth noting...
1. The installation file is huge, its almost like a brand new operating system being installed.
2. First thing to note when you reboot your computer after the installation finishes - your computer starts as if Windows is being run for the first time after fresh installation. (Also, for people with eagle eyes, you will note that if you are having Windows XP Professional, theirs time starting screen, just says WINDOWS XP, the "professional" words missing.)
3. Before you login for the first time, A big dialog box pops up, asking you to turn on automatic updates.
4. After you log-in Windows Security center comes up. The amazing thing here is, that it automatically integrates itself with your firewall (Mine is Norton Firewall) and also with your Antivirus (Norton in my case). Infact it is so good at integrating that it reports the status of all these programs and points out problems if any.
5. Also, the personal firewall has received a major overhaul, with detailed settings to fine-tune everything.
6. Control panel now sports at least 5 new icons - Network Setup Wizard, Portable Media Devices, Wireless Network Setup Wizard, Security Center, Windows Firewall.
7. Add/Remove programs no longer show the each tiny-winy updates you install from Microsoft's site, thus giving you a manageable short list of programs you have installed.
8. The automatic updates in the system properties has also been overhauled to give it a more scheduler kind of look.
9. Internet Explorer now comes with an inbuilt Pop-up blocker.
10. The 266 MB network installer is available for download from microsoft.

Overall, my verdict is to go for it and that too in a BIG way.
This update is meant to resolve all the vulnerabilities in Windows that viruses were repeatedly attacking. At least the whole paraphernalia with Windows Firewall, successfully blocks any oncoming attack, closes many vulnerable ports and strengthens many processes.

XP SP2 Firewall or Zonealarm | Personal firewall leakage tester

Bharat Natyam Arangetram

2004-08-16T22:48:00.000-05:00

Bharathanatyam is one of the oldest classical dance forms of India that originated in the southern parts of the country. Like most other Indian dance forms it is a blend of nrtta - the rhythmic elements, nritya - the combination of rhythm with expression and natya - the dramatic element. Bharathanatyam is also an acronym for Bhava (expression), Raga (melody) and Tala (rhythm). The dance themes are usually devotional or based on Hindu mythology and the music is in classical Carnatic style.

The Arangetram is a key milestone in a dancer’s training. It literally means ‘to ascend the stage’. The dancer completes basic training, and is presented to the audience by the teacher. She performs her first solo margam or full Bharathanatyam repertoire. This effectively states that she is now not merely an amateur, but a budding professional.

The first Arangetram I attended was of my cousin in Mumbai in 2003. Then I was fortunate enough to attend another one in Las Vegas, of Sneha Parikh on August 15, 2004. Sneha had Bharat natayam lessons for 8 years and had her guru was Ms. Asha Gopal.

One thing that I have noticed about desis in America is that we have the two extremes. We either find 'confused desis' or the ones that have immense love for our culture. I guess humans realise the value of something only if they have to pay an arm & a leg for it or if they have the fear of losing it. Given the population ratio, I think we have more people interested in classical dance and music here than in India. We also have more shows organised by SPICMACAY all over the world.

Just a passing thought - Why do people follow religious ceremonies so fervently?
Wasn't religion introduced as a code of conduct to make us better individuals and the world a better place to live?

The essence of most of the religions is Humility & Non-violence. I would rather pray on my knees in my closet rather than doing a great ceremony in a temple/ altar and boast about it to everyone. I guess I will start a fresh topic on religion

Happy Independence Day !

2004-08-15T13:52:00.000-05:00

I shall more here on Monday.

Film - Purab Aur Paschim
Music - Kalyanji Anandji
Singer - Mahendra Kapoor

Jab Zero Diya Mere Bharat Ne
Bharat Ne Mere Bharat Ne
Duniya Ko Tab Ginti Aai
Taaron Ki Bhasha Bharat Ne
Duniya Ko Pehle Sikhlayi
Deta Na Dashamlau Bharat To
Yoon Chand Pe Jaana Mushkil Tha
Dharti Aur Chand Ki Doori Ka
Andaaza Lagana Mushkil Tha
Sabhyta Jahan Pehle Aayi
Pehle Janmi Hai Jahan Pe Kala
Apna Bharat Woh Bharat Hai
Jis Ke Peeche Sansar Chala
Sansar Chala Aur Aage Badha
Yoon Aage Badha Badhta Hi Gaya
Bhagwan Kare Yeh Aur Badhe
Badhta Hi Rahe Aur Phoole Phale

Hai Preet Jahan Ki Reet Sada
Maein Geet Wahan Ke Gaata Hoon
Bharat Ka Rehnewala Hoon
Bharat Ki Baat Sunata Hoon

Kaale Gore Ka Bhed Nahin
Har Dil Se Hamara Naata Hai
Kuch Aur Na Aata Ho Humko
Hamein Pyar Nibhana Aata Hai
Jise Maan Chuki Saari Duniya
Maein Baat Vahi Dohrata Hoon
Bharat Ka Rehne Wala Hoon...

Jeete Hon Kisi Ne Desh To Kya
Humne To Dilon Ko Jeeta Hai
Jahan Ram Abhi Tak Hai Nar Mein
Naari Mein Abhi Tak Sita Hai
Itne Paavan Hain Log Jahan
Maein Nit Nit Sheesh Jhukata Hoon
Bharat Ka Rehne Wala Hoon...

Itni Mamta Nadiyon Ko Bhi
Jahan Maata Kehke Bulate Hain
Itna Aadar Insaan To Kya
Pathhar Bhi Pooje Jaate Hain
Us Dharti Pe Maine Janam Liya
Yeh Soch Ke Maein Itraata Hoon
Bharat Ka Rehne Wala Hoon...

Paryushan Parva

2004-08-13T10:52:00.000-05:00

Paryushan Parva Celebration August 13 - 20.

I will write few more details later... I have been busy for almost 2 weeks now... :)

"Hate, jealousy and bitterness are like taking poison and hoping the other guy dies."

virus attacks mobile networks

2004-08-05T10:44:00.000-05:00

According to McAfee, mobile viruses have been with us since September 2000, with the Liberty Horse Trojan, with at least eight other Trojan, SMS and other types having been discovered to date.

Frankly speaking, we expected viruses to hit mobile devices even earlier, as all conditions for that have been available for years.

You may read more on this at computershopper.co.uk. (if you need a login: use abcd_ilu for User Name and abcdilu for Password)

But I would surely classify "Ace-?" with other such virus rumors as a hoax. Please refrain from further spreading this virus rumor and to in turn inform colleagues and friends that this is actually a "non-existent" or "hoax" virus.

From an email that I received today:

Idea or Disease?

2004-07-30T11:10:00.000-05:00

Thought blogging was a waste of time?, not really. Now MIT Media Labs has taken weblogs as a research subject. Their new offshoot Blogdex tries to study the diffusion of information through the intricate relationships between blogs and websites. I quote their explanation below: "Ideas can have very similar properties to a disease, spreading through the population like wildfire. The goal of Blogdex is to explore what it is about information, people, and their relationships that allows for this contagious media.".
The Blogdex tool crawls through the blogs as they get updated, and lists the fastest spreading disease/idea in its front page using its own ranking algorithm(which is still evolving). It should be a good idea to enlist your blog in their directory as you would be doing service to the online community in general. So next time you make an entry into your blog and think of it as an insignificant shit in the cyber ocean, think again as Blogger aptly puts it as:
"..Not every individual post has to be a masterpiece. Does the lone bird see the cohesive beauty of the flock, but this fact remains: the whole is greater than the sum of all it's parts. As a blogger, you are both an individual force and a neuron in the giant, interconnected mind that is the blogosphere. Yes, it sounds like a bad sci-fi movie, but it's all true."

Brief History: The term 'blog' is a shorter version of the term weblog or web log.

502 Server Error? -- what the hell is going on?

2004-07-30T10:57:00.000-05:00

I often see this picture infront of me when I punch in www.orkut.com in my address bar. Ironic isn't it?. Though Orkut is still in beta form, a lot of people are using it, most of whom are not aware of this fact. And the worst part is that it's in no way helping Google improve its image especially during the times when the Google IPO thing is catching up. I must admit, I'm a fan of Google, its ideology and technology. But there are still some things that really freak me out, the image is an example. So why do you think Google is taking so much pain to retain Orkut. To increase its popularity?, hmmm...I don't think so. Its all about data mining. I would advise you guys to read this interesting piece that elaborates on this fact.

Google Web Alerts & News Alerts are impressive tools too.

Added on October 15:
Yesterday Google threw down the gauntlet to Microsoft by announcing the Google Desktop. While all other rivals are playing catch-up with their improved Web searches, Google pushes the technologoy frontier further. The Desktop search application, like all things Google, is elegant, blazingly fast and integrates beautifully with Google's other products.
Has anyone tried the [Newborn] Walla - http://mail.walla.com for a 1GB account?!

Beware of procrastination

2004-07-29T16:05:00.000-05:00

Procrastination is an addiction, never get addicted to it. I am now in rehab so I know better. It's just like the Newton's first law, you are in a state of procrastination until and unless an external impetus (like your advisor) acts upon you. I had made a resolve to go to the gym to shed the extra fat that I had put on sitting designing and running simulations on my comp for the larger part of summer. But as I said before, never actually did it. My ex-roommates have been trying to help me out of this addiction for a long time now. I am sure they would be glad to see this change in me.

Apart from my work, I've been noticing a lot of old and new friends resorting to blogging. Thanks guys, this gives me a chance to peek into your lives and share your happiness and miseries alike.

What is addiction?

2004-07-29T14:19:00.000-05:00

"Habitual psychological and physiological dependence on a substance or practice beyond one's voluntary control"

Websters

That made me think over it... so here are my views on what addiction is.

The first question I pondered on was - If an addiction doesn't cause Light-headedness, mood swings, nausea, loss of appetite, general withdrawal, glazed over appearance, etc... does it still fall under the category of addiction?

I would say - Probably Passion is an emotion, while Addiction IS used for a habit that is harmful.

On further contemplation I would prefer to say compulsions are habits which one feels that one is compelled to do and repeat, while addictions are really just habits that have gone wrong. One generally denies the harmful effects of the addictive substance, situation, or behavior. Addictions are thus active and perpetual states of denial.

If you wish, lets put it your way: virtues are good addictions and vices as bad addictions. I mean a "positive addiction enhances the values we hold dear ", while a negative addiction "pulls our life apart ". [The good addictions are as much fun as the bad ones, and are much better for me and those around me.]

But to me the word addiction usually brings along a negative sense.

I will leave it at that and go about my compulsive or even obsessive activities of bathing, eating, reading, discussing, orkuting and watching movies. For those of you who go online for other pursuits, here is an article on Addiction.

So Long And Thanks For All The Chain Letters...

Mehmood the comedian

2004-07-23T18:31:00.000-05:00

Legendary Hindi film comedian Mehmood Ali died in the United States early today. He was 72 and was the uncrowned monarch of slapstick comedy. Mehmood had given absurdity a new dimension. He transformed inane senseless scenes into comedy.

Charlie, Johnnie Walker, Mehmood, Kishore Kumar, Tun Tun, Mukhri, Keshto Mukherjee... just the mention of these names brings smile on one’s face.

Johnny Walker ruled for nearly two decades as one of Hindi cinema's most sought after funmeisters. He was hindi cinema's first comic star and his popularity began to wane in the 1960s as Mehmood took over as the top comedian of Hindi films. Both were the best and Indian cienema will miss them.

The funny movies that come to mind are:
*~*Angoor, Chalti ka naam Gaadi, Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron, Padoson, Golmal, Chupke Chupke, Choti Si Baat, Anand, Khoobsurat (1980), Andaz Apna Apna, Hera Pheri *~*

Just missed

2004-07-21T11:20:00.000-05:00

One of my colleague, Pete, told me this funny anecdote. He was with his friend when they were learning the car over a weekend and he was about to hit a girl. Pete was the driver and the girl was furious. He is the biggest flirt I have seen and thank god, they escaped from the scene.

Girl: You ass**** !! What do you think you are doing? What do you think...
Pete: I think you are amazingly beautiful.
Girl: Excuse Me !!!
Pete: I think I was thinking about you and I hit you.
Girl: (Somewhat, soothing ..) You was about to hit me. You learning?
Pete: (Smilingly) Yeah !!!
Girl: Drive safe, man !!!
Pete: Yeah, I will.
Girl: OK. Bye and have a nice day.
Pete: (Still smiling.) I have some other plan.
And they get into the car.

Money Talk

2004-07-20T14:42:00.000-05:00

I was just pondering what the best way is to transfer the money to India. So I had a chat with a personnel at CITIBank NRI services.

If anyone reading this can suggest a better way I shall really appreciate it.

Vipassana

2004-07-19T15:02:00.000-05:00

During the 3rd weekend of July, my cousins, Nimesh & Harshil (~13 yrs old) went to the Vipassana Camp (or retreat – as they call it) near Yosemite National Park, CA. The California Vipassana Center, in North Fork, CA, is dedicated to the practice of Vipassana meditation as taught by S. N. Goenka. So here is a compilation of their feelings and some material I found over the Internet in their absence.

Over the years, various meditation movements have achieved popularity in America. In the 1950s, authors like Kerouac and poet Allen Ginsberg popularized Zen meditation. Later, with the rise of the Beatles, the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's transcendental meditation became something of a fad.

Vipassana, which means "to see things as they really are" is one of India's ancient meditation techniques. Practitioners are initiated through a 10-day course, during which they sit for hours-long stretches in absolute silence, without eye contact, writing, or communication of any kind except with teachers at the end of each day.

The goal is freedom -- often from the self.

"Instead of wandering like a monkey here and there, the monkey mind gets calm," Goenka said. (Goenka story on LATimes)

The camp/retreat presented vipassana meditation as taught by S.N. Goenka, a Burmese teacher in the lineage of Gautama, the historical Buddha. It is a tradition preserved in Asia for twenty-five hundred years. Goenkaji was not there in the flesh, yet his spirit, humor, and wisdom filled the meditation hall, thanks to audiotaped instructions each day and videotaped discourses every night.

An Introduction to the technique is worth a reading.

Meditation Camp: 11 Days to an Enlightened You an interesting article in LATimes. (if you need a login: use abcd_ilu for Member Name and Password)

It is not our abilities that show what we truly are...
It is our choices - Albus Dumbledore

Siva's B'Day

2004-07-16T03:10:00.000-05:00

Called siva at 12:15 AM and he woke up to anwer the call after 3 rings (as it was 2:15 AM there). Then we talked for almost 40 minutes. The Deloitte has a huge office in chicago. They have a concept of mobile workstation as the consultants are supposed to be on the move and rarely found at office. The office represents about 60 nations - [hmm... Unity in Diversity!]

They also implement all the latest technologies for office space management and to connect to office from any where using VPN and dial-up connections. They also let you print at any remote office worldwide and also search for the various projects and the appropriate project manager. Phew... thats too much.

After a long wait

2004-07-14T19:31:00.000-05:00

Finally I got the courage to ask for a high structure to work on Monday and Steve gave me an existing structure to model as they might need for a lawsuit. I had to model the elevator shaft for the five-story casino in Arizona using ETABS. I finally finished the almost perfect model by Wednesday afternoon and got Steve to verify it. We realized that we had only a quarter inch of deflection and we had an allowable of about 2.5 inches. We shall compare it with the calcs for the building tomorrow morning. In the meantime I asked him if it would help to do a construction law course at school. He smiled and answered that he is not the right person to answer as he has a law degree and had worked as a lawyer for some time. He said it wouldn’t hurt but it would be better if Accounting and Technical Writing courses are done to reach a managerial level. He says 'its definitely not a good idea to do four finite element courses'

But unfortunately I have to take Steel Design, Math & Finite Element as compulsory courses in my last semester. But I shall try to take up Accounting & Construction Law – even though I shall have to do five courses this semester . I want to finish it all at once. I think I have hardly learnt anything at school for the last 2/3 years; So I shall end my educational career with a bang!!

"If builders built buildings the way programmers wrote programs, then the first woodpecker that came along would destroy civilization."

Monday Blues...

2004-07-12T11:02:00.000-05:00

I started my work on some retaining walls around a pool area in some resort casino. I need something more challenging to work on. How can my boss think that I shall be happy designing tanks, swimming pools, boundary walls, roof trusses and some masonry design?!

Today is Siva's first day at work. I wish him luck and eagerly await for the end of the day to hear back from him!

Gmail Yahoo Rivalry

2004-07-10T19:23:00.000-05:00

Yahoo escalated its newfound rivalry with Google by acquiring Oddpost, a San Francisco startup known for its innovative e-mail service.

Gmail Bug Sparks Storage Rumors

On May 19th rumors that Google is offering users of its Gmail service an unprecedented 1 terabyte of storage space are untrue, the company said Wednesday, blaming a bug in the system for the confusion.

Read this email before you spam someone about your website!

ALL

2004-07-08T09:36:00.000-05:00

Today all the family members came to drop me at the office!!
I reached office at 7:30 AM . Well nothing special today, actually they had to finish some errands in the morning, but I am sure my boss might have been impressed!

Moms

2004-07-04T10:09:00.000-05:00

Enjoy the answers given by elementary school age children to the following questions:

Why did God make mothers?
1. She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.
2. Mostly to clean the house.
3. To help us out of there when we were getting born.

How did God make mothers?
1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.
2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.
3. God made my Mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts.

What ingredients are mothers made of?
1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.
2. They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use string. I think.

Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom?
1. We're related.
2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's moms like me.

What kind of little girl was your mom?
1. My Mom has always been my Mom and none of that other stuff.
2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.
3. They say she used to be nice.

What did mom need to know about dad before she married him?
1. His last name.
2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook?
3. Does he get drunk on beer?
4. Does he make at least $800 a year?
5. Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?

Why did your mom marry your dad?
1. My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my Mom eats a lot.
2. She got too old to do anything else with him.
3. My grandma says that Mom didn't have her thinking cap on.

Who's the boss at your house?
1. Mom doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because dad's such a goofball.
2. Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.
3. I guess Mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than dad.

What's the difference between moms and dads?
1. Moms work at work and work at home, and dads just got to work at work
2. Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.
3. Dads are taller and stronger, but moms have all the real power 'cause that's whom you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friend's.

What does your mom do in her spare time?
1. Mothers don't do spare time.
2. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.

What would it take to make your mom perfect?
1. On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.
2. Diet. You know, her hair. I'd diet, maybe blue

If you could change one thing about your mom, what would it be?
1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that.
2. I'd make my Mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it and not me.

Life is not fair

2004-07-02T14:52:00.000-05:00

Sometimes (or usually?), when I really try and work hard to achieve or complete most of my work in a day, I end up finishing very less; But when I don't worry about how much I have to achieve and no goals set for the day, I end up finishing with more than a day's work. Life's like that; the more you try to get out of it, the less you had achieved at the end of day. The moment we give up and let the things happen; suddenly you start enjoying every moment of it.

Takdeer banane wale tune kami na ki,
Her kisi ko kya mila ye mukkader ki baat hain

You must see this. It will remind you of our culture instantly!!
Please wait for complete loading. Europe v/s Italy (or India?)

Quiz

2004-07-01T10:55:00.000-05:00

I'm A 1990s Geek

Cool, confident, and very powerful, you're the sexiest geek ever! Buckle in, your decade is one hell of a ride.


I'm Chandler Bing from Friends!	Forrest Gump!

Harry Potter

2004-06-29T14:58:00.000-05:00

My results for Which Harry Potter Character are you like?

#1 Minerva McGonagall
#2 Albus Dumbledore
#3 Bill Weasley
#4 Charlie Weasley
#5 Ginny Weasley
#6 Hermione Granger
#7 Percy Weasley
#8 Remus Lupin
#9 Rubeus Hagrid
#10 Gilderoy Lockhart

Origin of these names

Minerva McGonagall, a former Quidditch player, is professor of Transfiguration and the head of Gryffindor house. She is one of the few living wizards who is an animagus (that is, she can transform into an animal), and her animagus form is a cat. Professor McGonagall first appears in the opening chapter of book 1, when she and Dumbledore discuss the tragic deaths of James and Lily Potter, and the fate of their son Harry. McGonagall is famous at Hogwarts for her strictness, her fairness, and her intelligence, though she also has a warmer, fun-loving, Quidditch-obsessed side. She helps Harry and his friends in subtle ways, and she attends every Quidditch match, crying happily when Gryffindor finally wins in Harry's third year.

The sorting hat says that I belong in Ravenclaw!

Said Ravenclaw, "We'll teach those whose intelligence is surest."

Ravenclaw students tend to be clever, witty, intelligent, and knowledgeable.

Belief-O-Matic

2004-06-28T20:30:00.000-05:00

The top score on the list represents the faith that Belief-O-Matic, in its less than infinite wisdom, thinks most closely matches your beliefs. Belief-O-Matic then lists another 26 faiths in order of how much they have in common with your professed beliefs. The higher a faith appears on this list, the more closely it aligns with your thinking.

My Results
1. Hinduism (100%)
2. Jainism (89%)
3. Mahayana Buddhism (81%)
4. Theravada Buddhism (68%)
5. Neo-Pagan (68%)
6. Unitarian Universalism (63%)
7. Sikhism (63%)
8. Bahá'í Faith (52%)
9. Liberal Quakers (46%)
10. Orthodox Judaism (46%)
11. Scientology (44%)
12. Orthodox Quaker (41%)
13. New Age (41%)
14. Reform Judaism (40%)
15. Taoism (39%)
16. Islam (38%)
17. New Thought (36%)
18. Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (31%)
19. Secular Humanism (31%)
20. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (27%)
21. Seventh Day Adventist (26%)
22. Jehovah's Witness (21%)
23. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (18%)
24. Nontheist (18%)
25. Eastern Orthodox (17%)
26. Roman Catholic (17%)
27. Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (15%)

No sleep

2004-06-28T19:34:00.000-05:00

I slept at 4:30 AM and woke up at 7:30 AM and just managed to reach office by 8:30 AM. But after a long time I had a really good discussion with mama and I wish I have the stamina to do this every day. We talked on almost all the possible topics and had the best time since I came to Las Vegas.

Reporting From The Job Front

2004-06-26T19:02:00.000-05:00

There are so many things that we take for granted and just do without serious planning, very much moaning or anything else.

Now a typical schedule for me is to get up at 6:30 AM, take a bath & shave (yeah daily… can you believe it!), take a breakfast, talk to grand parents for a while & finally leave for work at exactly 7:45 AM and reach office by 8:30 AM. I leave the office at about 5:45 PM and reach home by 6:30 PM. Then talk to grandparents again for a while about how they day went by and then play with the kids and finally have dinner at around 8:30 PM. Then I talk to uncle about the work at office and learn some new tactics from him. Finally I go to my room at about 11 PM and read some book for about an hour and go to sleep.

Once in the office I change hats and work on my job. I had been fortunate enough to get a hands-on experience on many different softwares and real life structures. It's been a little over a month now and I have used quite a few softwares to design different structures, with different building design codes.

I had the opportunity to design 4 roof trusses & Masonry walls around the stairs for a Casino, a water storage tank (size about 10'x10'x10') and a concrete tank (Manhole) 6' below the ground (size about 8'x13'x10') for connecting two pipes of different shape & sizes that carry storm water drain. Also I think I had the rare opportunity of designing a church in the city of Las Vegas. The church is a masonry & wood structure and the chapel has a capacity of about 100 people. I thought I mighty miss the Composite Structures course by Dr. Fry offered at TAMU this summer, but fortunately I managed to learn at least some aspects of the composite design. Also I designed about 6 table & chair sets (Duh… what's the big deal eh!) - Well actually they are to be used for an Acrobatic Show at Le Reve Casino by Steve Wynn and will be suspended in midair. Unless I design them to sustain the design loads they won't get a permit to fabricate them and have the performance at the show that they plan to organize in the Casino. Finally I hope to get a chance to work on some high rise towers (Condos & Casinos).

The first day I was really excited and nervous. It seemed like this summer is going to be long. I came to this place that they call office at about 8:15 AM (I managed it). Then the secretary showed me the place and introduced to the other engineers and draftsmen. There I met the only Indian - He is from COEP and is going to Pune for marriage between 30 May and 30 June and his bride is from Ulhasnagar :)

I had the opportunity to learn RAMsteel, RISA (truss design), Retain Pro (Retain walls) & ADOSS (concrete design). After 10 hours I finally completed a tutorial in RAM Modeler and then I learnt other softwares as the projects came by. They also use ETABS a lot for the design, but I didn't get a chance to use it on any of the tasks assigned to me yet. Sometimes I feel that I am taking a little more time than the others, on the tasks assigned to me, but I hope its ok as long as I can design it without errors.

I am hit

2004-06-26T01:32:00.000-05:00

Damn....
Why do I go by Instincts & Intuitions ?!

Thought for the day: "Intelligence is a gift from god....so is stupidity"

His Dilema Or Mine?

2004-06-23T17:34:00.000-05:00

On one hand I have this particular junior of mine (G**.) who keeps writing and I just don’t know what to reply to him and on the other hand I have a budding IIT aspirant (Reva). Just have a look at our conversations and help me to help them out.

Thought for the day: There r 3 stages in a mans life..
1. he believes in Santa Claus.
2. he doesnt believe in Santa Claus.
3. he is Santa claus :)

Good old days

2004-06-21T15:05:00.000-05:00

I was feeling nostalgic and wrote the the anecdotes that I could remember from my school days. Herein I talk about my school, then I how managed to move on to Ramaiah's incubation center and finally to IIT.

Incredible news:
1. Rediffmail now has 1 GB storage. 1 GB!!!
What was 66.68% used is now 0.34% used. neat aaaa!
2. Yahoo is 100 MB & I managed to get a GMail invitation from our good old friend Jitendra Agarwal AKA Jitu bhai.

Reporting from Las Vegas

2004-06-18T15:03:00.000-05:00

I have been working at a structural company titled Martin & Peltyn, in Las Vegas for almost a month now and am having a nice time. It sure is HOT out here.

I had two good news in this week:
1. My sister gave birth to a handsome boy on Sunday 13th (Man how I wish I could catch the next available mode of transportation and reach Hyderabad).
2. My dearest friend Surabathula Siva Surya Prakash (first room-mate ever) completed his MS program at the NorthWestern University, in Chicago, and is all set to launch in the famed American Corporate world.

I am *busy* right now and will start writing a regular blog instead of the present pattern of writing it sporadically, at my earliest convinence. Till then take care and may God Bless All.

Jai Jinendra.