Provoked

Blog

2006-06-28T10:26:00.000+05:30

This blog will not be updated anymore. However, if you may be interested, you may access my own weblog at www.adityeah.com

Thanks!

Real Life Swades

2005-08-18T08:22:00.000+05:30

A group of NRIs from America and Canada leave their homes, careers to come to India. Objective: Starting an institute for higher Education in a remote backward area in the state of UP. They want to give back, a "fraction" of what India has given them.

In a place called Jahangirabad, they have started a media institute. What I liked most in their effort was the place they have chosen. They could have easily started the same operation in Delhi or any other city where the resources are more in abundance than this small rural town but they zeroed in to Jahangirabad because- it "needed attention" and for the upliftment of this small rural township. Whats more, people like Javed Akhtar, Tarun Tejpal and Aparna Sen are also a part of this project.

A real life Swades, dont you think?

The Hindu reports here.

Thrilling Ashes

2005-08-16T00:39:00.000+05:30

What a treat it is to watch the Ashes, I tell you! There is less that could get bigger than this! I write this as the Australians have just escaped defeat at The Old Trafford and what a match it has been. Truth be told, the Aussies never had the game in their hands from day 1 and England has only gone better since the the last 10 days they have played Test cricket. The First match went to Australia but the second to England and the third match, almost, to England too- words do not do justice to the heart of a thrill seeker cricket fan and the Ashes Series, so far, as been Test Cricket at its best, to say the least.

No television coverage here and I was glued to this very computer screen seeking the ball by ball update on the internet and I prayed badly for an English win..An Australian win won't please me. The kangaroos, what has been their contribution to world cricket since the last decade or so- they have just made it all boring, one sided. This time, however, we have got some match in our hands! And the best part is- its not yet over.

Way to go, England!

More coverage here and here.

Chocolat...

2005-07-10T17:05:00.000+05:30

Wow, I have chocolate over the edges of my shirt and some on my pyjamas and tell you what, my clothing smells great right now. I wonder how could I be so careless that I let the dripping chocolate (from the choco-bar, I had this afternoon) drip in the first place. But now that it is done, I absolutely love the smell of my clothes!

Advani cRAP

2005-07-09T03:25:00.000+05:30

More of Advani Crap. Like the Jinnah Statement was not enough. This gentleman is never short of controversial comments.

"Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president LK Advani on Friday declared that the construction of a grand Hindu temple at the site of the razed Babri mosque in Ayodhya would end India's problems including terrorism."

Want more? Head here .

Oh, how I despise politics.

Where we went wrong...

2005-06-24T22:23:00.000+05:30

Sometime back, my school friend from Delhi, DJ called me. It does not take long for us to go back and cherish those childhood days. The few good memories I have of my otherwise "not-so-good" childhood, DJ has been a part of some of them.

So I ask him, "Wasn't it good? Remember we played hide and seek at lunchtime in the school?"

DJ replied, "I remember..but you know, actually, that was the time when we went wrong".

"Went wrong? How come?", I say.

"Other guys were chasing the girls, while we were chasing each other. The results are for you to see", DJ hits back.

Well, yeah.

:)

Busy

2005-06-24T01:21:00.000+05:30

People, I have been a little busy (than usual) with work. Shall be back soon. :o)

In the land of Pi...

2005-06-19T18:50:00.000+05:30

All this while that I have seen of Tamil Nadu, in the cities of Chennai and Pondicherry, the language barrier has been a problem. I do not know Tamil. Most of the people I have talked to here do not know Hindi or English. But amidst this confusion and chaos, there have been some beautiful revelations.

Conversing in Sign language, broken English and some Hindi has been a new experience. It is only because the generosity of the people of these cities that I have had a nice tour. Some memorable experiences in Pondicherry were taking a ride to the city of Auroville from someone who did not know anything but Tamil. Then taking a ride to the matra mandir, from a German on his shabby bike. And coming back in a cab, a rented van, that included some American and some European people. Different people, different languages, different cultures encountered, rich stories told about diverse cultures, all just in a 2 hour journey around Pondicherry. Ah, and yes, this is where Pi, the central character in the Booker award winning book, "Life of Pi" came from. Pondicherry.

More on it, later.

Don't drink and drive: in Chennai

2005-06-18T11:44:00.000+05:30

Am in Chennai/Pondicherry for the weekend.

Yesterday saw a big banner on the sidewalk, along a busy road in Chennai. "Do not drink and drive" and below it, a big picture of Shahrukh Khan, as Devdas, with arrays of liquor bottles.

Before my mind could make any connection with "Devdas" and driving in Chennai, the poster proclaimed with the punchline, below the picture: "Even Devdas never drove".

Funny, eh?

No smoke without fire

2005-06-15T18:40:00.000+05:30

Ah, and afterall the smoking ban on Indian Television has been stayed. I could not find any link online but this was reported in TOI today. "Infeasibility to implement the ban", they say, was the core reason.

Our movie villains can now smoke afterall. And I am sure Rajnikanth fans must have had a sigh of relief.

Wouldn't it be better if the government thinks, decides on the "feasibility" before chalking out rules like these and in the process, making all this a laughing matter?

Update: On a contrasting note, the above stated report seems was wrong! They are finally imposing this rule. I do not know how TOI came up with that story though.

Look Ma, my blog

2005-06-15T00:28:00.000+05:30

A friend of mine stopped publishing her blog because she came to know her parents had been 'secretly' reading her blog.

I think her reaction was justified.

Blogging comes in different flavors, there are no strict rules. Hers was a kind of blog she was more comfortable with her friends reading it. The fact that her parents read it too, secretly, made the situation akin to something like, listening to her conversations on the phone with her friends. Of course, no one would be comfortable with that.

All that depends on what you write online. Its okay with me if my parents read my writings. But its different with everyone.

A post worth mentioning

2005-06-15T00:23:00.000+05:30

Please check out Uma's excellent post here.

All I want is U2

2005-06-14T00:21:00.000+05:30

Finally, this weekend I completed my whole U2 mp3 collection. Its complete. 16 Albums. Even the Best of 1980-1990 B sides which I was so badly after.

Feel free to ask me for it.

On "The Hindu"

2005-06-12T22:50:00.000+05:30

I had no idea my photo was published, in the Sunday Magazine of "The Hindu" until I checked Uma's blog. I am so thankful to her for that.

"Blogger's Park", is a page 4 story in the Sunday magazine of the Hindu. It takes into account the "very much" active Bloggers communities in the cities of Bangalore and Chennai. In fact, in the last bloggers meeting, we had some people come in from Chennai too and to my surprise, most of the bloggers were Tamils!

I am seriously considering having my own domain name for serious blogging. I mean, this already is serious blogging but that would be the ultimate in serious blogging! Any suggestions for domain names please?

Ah, to read the whole story and check out the picture on The Hindu, you can take a look here. I am second from left. First from left is Anand, my college buddy. Check out his blog too.

Tagged

2005-06-12T22:40:00.000+05:30

I have been book-tagged by Sanket. Quite a nice surprise to tell you the truth, since I never thought people read my blog. Actually I had been book tagged long back, so this post is a late, and long overdue.

The number of books I have: In Bangalore hardly 15-20. But back home..hmm..should be close to two hundred.Thats after giving a loads of them to charity since my parents find hard to carry my books when we get transferred, on an average, once every 5 years.

Last book I bought: hmm.. It was "The Glass Palace" by Amitav Ghosh. I am a very slow reader. I read a few pages and I keep the book aside. I can read fast, but time does not let me :) I have been reading this book at a crawling rate.

Last book I read: Michael Crichton's State of Fear. Typical Crichton Sci-Fi. His books are really gripping. But the best is, of course, Jurassic Park. That got me completely hooked.

Five books that have meant a lot to me:

1. Patrick Duncan's Courage under fire: I believe that if the writer, by the means of his words is able to intrigue you to a personal level, that is good writing. This book did that. I grieved one day following the events of the book. Very good read.

2. J.Harr's A Civil Action: This is non-fiction. And this is serious stuff. As good as a real life law drama can get. Amazing story telling skills, the events just keep on happening. But you would like it if you like court room dramas.

3. Amitav Ghosh's The Hungry Tide: Dr.Ghosh's story telling abilities are one of the best I have ever come across. A must in the collection of modern Indian Literature, this book opened a whole new world of writing to me. There is so much that I have learnt by reading his writings.

4. Rohiton Mistry's Family matters: Another great book. Captures the spirit of the parsi community in the pulse of Bombay. There is a spirit unknown to people who have never lived in Bombay. This is the closest you can get to it. Probably next best to being in Bombay for real. Read it.

5. Grisham's The Rainmaker: The movie starring Matt Damon touched me so much that I purchased the book. I later went on to read all John Grishams. But this, clearly is the best. Shows how boys become men, and in process sometimes, Heroes.

Do you notice, 3 out of the 5 books I mentioned later became movies. Among the movies, I have just seen the Rainmaker.

Btw, Grisham's Bleachers, Jhumpa Lahiri's Interpreter of maladies, Works of Swami Vivekananda are some of the other books I like.

Tag five people and have them do this on their blog: To be frank, I do not know five people who visit my blog. Really. But I would surely like if Zhenia takes this tag ahead. I would also like Uma to at least take a look at this tag-post, but then, I am not quite sure if they visit this blog in the first place.

Does it matter, Mr Advani?

2005-06-09T23:13:00.000+05:30

Since everyone is pouring his or her own views whether M.A.Jinnah was a secularist or not, I have one statement to make: I am glad Mr Advani could not be a PM. He is simply not fit for the job.

Going to Pakistan is one thing, calling Mr Jinnah a secularist is another. I ask, does it matter? Does it matter now?

Clearly emotions got the better of him. One can notice how emotional the BJP leader was while he was delivering his speech.

Quoting rediff.com's Kanchan Gupta, Jinnah was responsible for the bloodshed that began on August 16, 1946. The pains of partition are felt till this day. He said, A united India could never survive. Fine, so let us cut it in two parts.

But could this new Pakistan survive? It is on the brink of being called a rogue state, a failed economy.

While Mr Advani says:

"...the whole of Pakistan continues to travel rapidly on the path to prosperity and all-round development."

Advaniji, I beg to differ.

If Jinnah was secular, so is Modi. About Modi's real colors, better to stay mum.

Calling Jinnah secular is advocating the two nation theory. In other words, it is advocating the cause of existence of Pakistan and the division of India.

There was simply no need for something like this. Ah yes, maybe Mr Advani badly wanted to be on the front pages of the newspapers for a few days. It had been a long one year away from the seat at the center.

A statement like this should not have been made in the first place. If it was made, a reaction like this should not have been there. The veteran leader, though on more of a personal visit, should have thought about his saffron brigade back home, of how will they accept this, if at all they accept his statements that is. He should have thought about how his statements fit into the ideology of a political party he has served most of his life.

Or was it all a well thought out strategy and Mr Advani's 'planned' swan song as he nears his retirement from his political career.

Here we are, morons, discussing and arguing over Mr.Jinnah, person who was the chief architect of divided India, someone who was not popular among the majority of Congress leaders of the 1940's, someone whose being secular or not is never dwelled upon by his own people, in his own country.

Does it matter now?

PS:

Further reading (and a must read): Kanchan Gupta on Jinnah

Fudged up

2005-06-09T22:57:00.000+05:30

The next time you read any sentence starting as "According to a recent study..." do not just simply accept it.

15 percent of American scientists have admitted to this fact, that they "fudge up" with their research results for various reasons. Either to become famous, to suit their sponsors or for "other" reasons. Oh the American love for "f-ing" up things. The scientists "fudged up".

Read it here.

So moral of the story is- Most of the time, any sentence that contains "A recent study/survey.." is, quite simply, selling you one thing or the other.

Well this report starts with "The first large-scale survey of scientific misbehaviour..", now, I am skeptical- what if they have "fudged-up" this survey too?

Catch 22?

Back to the books

2005-06-07T17:18:00.000+05:30

J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter, Dan Brown's Code, Anurag Mathur's Inscrutable Americans, Jhumpa Lahiri's Interpreter of maladies, Five point someone (with a book I cant remember the name of) and the list goes on and on...Am not a fan of these authors, but I do not hate them for a single reason.

" Most books don’t make money. Most publishers need one or two best-sellers to make up for the other losses. Remember, books move slowly. Unlike vegetables, they are not perishable goods, but people can do without them."

Time and again, they have got people back to the books. To most people, they give the reasons to visit the local bookshop.

Diesel on Discount

2005-06-06T10:40:00.000+05:30

Every two months there is a hike in fuel prices in India. Compared to International market, the price of Petroleum is one of the costliest in India.

So what does the Indian government do?

It supplies fuel to Pakistan, at discounted rates.

"Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) has offered to sell 320,000 tonnes of diesel to Pakistan at a discount, company officials said ."

Hard to believe, we are doing this for a country with which our relations attribute to a higher defense budget every passing year.

"In order to woo Pakistan's diesel import order, IOC is willing to sell the product below the current landed price, irrespective of the production cost incurred by Indian refineries"

This is too much.

To Savanadurga

2005-06-06T02:23:00.000+05:30

Saturday afternoon was the bicycle hike to Savanadurga hills. We started from Chinnaswami stadium, four buses and about 40 people to Savanadurga. The journey was about 2 hours from the city. I did not expect much because all I wanted to do was cycle around the lake. My instant friend was a 12 year old boy called Sachin. I thought it was impressive that this kid was travelling alone with strangers for a bicycle hike.

Controlling the urge to open the food hamper only in the first hour of the journey was not easy for me. But I managed. It was smelling "burgers" all over the place and even though I had had 3 chapatis, paneer, raita, dal, rice, papad, capsicum-potato to top it all with butter milk and a peda, I could feel the urge to open up the food hamper and indulge in. I refrained. Dont ask me how.

I had nice sleep until we reached the destination and there I saw the fleet of bicycles waiting for us. Heavy lunch, Nice sleep are certainly not the recommended pre-conditions for a cycle hike, but it all fell in place as we got ready to paddle through the shrub forest.

Top: The view as we started off

Bottom: With new found friends: (left to right) Me, Sachin and Nishant

A village came on the way where the boys chased me as Shahrukh Khan was chased in the movie Swadesh when he arrived with a trailer in the village. It was fun. I felt so important.

Top: Within the creeks, amidst the cracks, life manages to creep in.

Below: Along the lake, with another friend I made, Mr Giridhar.

Meanwhile, the food hamper kept in the bus made sure that I kept going, with an undying spirit. I did not know what worked for Sachin. It is true that kids have so much energy. The 12 year old lad was the first one to reach the destination. I relished his company and he promised to call me on the phone as we parted.

Please do that I said, but stop calling me Uncle.

"Yes Uncle", he replied.

Amidst the shrub forests, hills and along Manchenbelle lake, we cycled about 16 Kms. As the hike came to an end, it was a day well spent.

Bored?

2005-06-02T15:14:00.000+05:30

I never knew one could do so many things to rejuvenate a boring day! For example:

Scare Stephen King
Rotate your carpet
Watch a game show...take notes
Watch the minute hand move

And so on. Kudos to the author who came up with such a list. Check it out here.

More Crap...

2005-06-01T17:07:00.000+05:30

...And this time, the culprit is our very own government in New Delhi.

Okay I will cut the crap and come to the point- Does it make sense to ban smoking on screen? Imagine, Sanjay Dutt without a smoke in a movie! and what about the villains? What will they do? How will they exult without the red-tipped tube in the mouth just after they pump in some bullets in the chest of a good guy? How will they be, bad?

So smoking on screen encourages people into smoking. By this logic, a murder scene on screen should encourage more murders. Or showing the hero having alcohol would encourage more alcohol consumption. How would Devdas be made then? Says the report:

"With these stringent rules, India becomes the first country to ban smoking on screen."

Of course, where else do you expect a decision like this to be taken?

"It is part of a Health Ministry initiative to give more teeth to anti-smoking laws."

Trust me, with this decision, they are two steps behind. Instead of coming up with laughable, unfeasible and irrational decisions like these, I think it would be better to make sure that the existing, so-called, anti-smoking laws are implemented in a more stringent way.

But wait, there is a reason why I call it unfeasible. Now the government has to figure out this:

" 'Nobody can constitute awards in the name of cigrette brands, even the cigrette brands appearing on Formula 1 cars will have to be removed,' said Bhavani Thayagarajan, joint secretary, Ministry of Health, announcing the new measures.How sportscasters showing F-1 races will tackle this is unclear"

I think, no one should be surprised if the government, or to be more specific, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry bans F-1 racing on Indian Television. Then probably you would have to go to the pirated CD-wala to get your weekly dose of Formula-1.

Indian Express calls it a bizarre order. I call it the mother of all bizarre orders.

Crap

2005-06-01T11:55:00.000+05:30

Have got some time to spare? Wish to read some crap?

We have had so much of speculations and so many people, after so much of analysis, telling us everyday on when will Sachin Tendulkar's career come to an end. It is almost a regular feature nowadays, every 2-3 days there is someone commenting on what he should do, how he should play and when should he retire. Now here is some more crap based on, guess what- astrology. Pure, unadulterated Bull manure. Bring it on, I say.

here you go!

Comment on Streetwise

2005-06-01T09:28:00.000+05:30

In my third correspondence with Dr Amitav Ghosh, he, to my sheer joy, has commented on my 'Streetwise' post, which appeared on this blog in the first week of April. This is what he said:

Dear Aditya

Thanks very much for this message. I am glad to know that you are trying
to broaden the range of your writing. I thought the pieces were
interesting, even if I didn't follow all the technological references.

Good luck and keep writing!

Amitav Ghosh

So even if he did not say much, the fact that he said something at all is enough to fuel my enthusiasm for a long time. :) Isn't it great when the person who has written some of the books kept on your bookshelf comments on 'your' work?

Meanwhile 'Steetwise' can be read here.

Too Shabbi-r for ICC

2005-05-31T22:58:00.000+05:30

It seems ICC has made it a habit to have one bowler or the other under its scanner all the time. So just three days after India's Harbhajan Singh was cleared for bowling, it is now the turn of Pakistan's Shabbir Ahmed to keep the ICC bowling experts busy for the season. By the way, the Pakis are having a fluctuating season, after having a good tour of India they have just lost a test match to the not-so-mighty West Indies, add to it, the Younis Khan-Shahid Afridi-Inzamam row. And if all this was not enough, the suspect action of Ahmed.

Sri Lanka's Murlitharan, India's Harbhajan, Pakistans Shoiab Malik and now, Shabbir Ahmed. ICC finds a lot of flaws in Asian bowlers....

Submarine Developments

2005-05-31T20:24:00.000+05:30

Oh so the Naval Chief's finally met in the Nation's capital. This comes just a couple of days after Admiral Prakash expressed concern over the ageing submarine fleet of the Navy. On a personal front, I am always happy when our armed forces, especially the Navy, ink new deals or launch new defense systems.

By the way, more on what I have been blabbering about here.

Forget the dog...

2005-05-31T10:59:00.000+05:30

Seen written on a wooden board outside the house gate:

"Forget the dog, Beware of the master!"

update: .... This, my recently married friend has just modified to:

"Forget the dog, Beware of my wife! "

My god, is it this scary after marriage?!

The Indian Railways Experience

2005-05-30T19:55:00.000+05:30

Now this is a topic on which Vivek Kaul's and my thinking go parallel. Just like the two tracks that form the railway line.

I myself have had innumerable good and bad experiences in the Second Class sleeper coaches while travelling in the 7 (and counting) years of my experience of living away from home.

In one of them, I met a Russian Traveller who loved having masala chai while smoking cigerrates while standing on the door, having a crystal clear view of the surroundings as the sun washed the landscape. When I asked, which Russian city he completed his education from, he stretched his arm outside the door, looked at me, smiled and said: "I'm still learning".

In another experience, while me and my friend waited at the Khandwa Railway Station, going to our respective homes for the Deepawali of 1998, we saw two young boys playing cards on the platform. When enquired, we came to know that these boys were also waiting for the same train as my friend- the Dadar- Bhagalpur express. About an hour later when the train pulled in, my friend rose to board the train he had been so anxiously waiting for. To our surprise, the two boys did not appear to be interested in the train at all. When my friend asked them the reason why they were not boarding the train since this had been the same train they had been waiting for too, they replied "yeh? yeh toh kal wala hai! (this? this was supposed to come yesterday!)"

Silently, in utter surprise and a hint of shock- my friend's jaw dropped and he was speechless. His hands, that had so excitedly held the handle of the door, slowly slipped themselves off it. A train, more than 24 hours late.

Now, I am certainly not suggesting that trains are always this late. Just a one off incident. But as Vivek Kaul's article suggests, this was one of the journeys that left a memory that makes me smile every now and then.

Bowring Institute

2005-05-28T22:17:00.000+05:30

On St.Marks Road is Bowring Institite, a club of which I could be a member of but was not aware- until a month back.

So this sunny afternoon, I went to Bowring and not to my surprise, it more or less is like a typical Navy club- which I have been to lots, all my life.

The building is almost a century old and reminds you of the British Architecture, one of the few good things the Brits left India with.

But overall it is a good place to find some silence and solace in the middle of the city. They have a swimming pool, a health club, a rich library, a decent reading room, a small, cozy, coffee shop and a Gents room which has "foot-operated-taps". Thats right. Something that I was not aware existed, Taps that are controlled by your feet and whats more, they worked.

I should mention that the Chicken Sandwich that they serve is completely out of this world, divine, probably the best I have ever had. For once, if you happen to visit their coffee shop, please do not think of the calories and order the Chicken Sandwich. Indulge liberally.

Overall, an afternoon well spent, in a quiet place, with some geniuinely nice crowd, in the heart of the city.

Here is more on Bowring Institute.

Ageing Submarines

2005-05-28T21:40:00.000+05:30

Admiral Prakash thinks if we start now, we can probably replace the ageing submarines which would start retiring in 2012. Wishful thinking, I guess but that alone does not solve the matter does it? I say this because the first of the Project 75 submarines is supposed to be serving the Navy by the year of 2007. Some sources say the date to be sometime in 2010.

More on this here.

Meanwhile the Navy has built a new Stealth Frigate, INS Sahyadri, surely something to be proud of. With INS Talwar and INS Tabar, both Stealth Destroyers, I believe the fifth Largest Navy in the world is a really strong contender for moving up in the ladder.

Rain, rain everywhere

2005-05-28T21:17:00.000+05:30

It takes only 10 minutes of downpour on this city to expose its infrastructure (if any). Power goes off, roads turn into mini-swimming pools, traffic comes to a standstill and lord be kind to you if you are a pedestrian.

Yesterday was'nt any different.

What beats me is- Rain is not new to this city. Then what is it, that prevents the city architects from making roads that do not turn into tunnels of chaos when rain happens?

More on it? Read this from the Hindu.

What did the books do to you?

2005-05-25T19:53:00.000+05:30

This is what is written on a makeshift banner which is stuck on a railing near Churchgate Railway Station:

"What did the books do to you?"

So the "Shanghaisation" of Bombay, or what we call Mumbai, is underway. Suddenly, after decades, the state government has finally woken up to the fact that having the worlds biggest slum colony in a city is not a matter of pride but a dubious distinction. The reactions that follow, the steps taken just after hitting the panic button are predictable and chaotic as well. First it was the bulldozing of slums and now it is the clearing of the booksellers pavement from Fountain to Churchgate.

Cybernoon.com quotes a stall owner who wished anonymity, "We have been told to pull up the awnings because they say it makes the surroundings look ugly". These bookstalls have been in place for 25 years now, in fact some of them for over 50 years. Are you telling me it took more than 2 decades for the BMC to realize that the bookstalls could be causing difficulties while walking, to the pedestrians? And this clearing of bookstalls is because they want the pedestrians to have a "better" walking experience? Sorry, but I am not buying that.

Are there only inhuman ways of dealing with situations like these? Did the police have to walk on these books? Tear them? I guess Bombay police can be expected to do things like these, after all, it was hardly a month back when one of their own raped a girl inside Marine Drive's police station. On the pavements were, after all, books.

But why books? Even Fashion street is on a pavement, why not that? Or why not the uncountable pirated CD shops? Selling of books does not hurt the economics in any way. In fact, books play a part in maturing the society. They carry words that can change opinions, change people. And they removed 9000 kg of book for a better, less-congested pavement to walk on? Heck, the politicians could not even come up with a proper excuse, because it's almost ridiculous and rubbish to be told that this is for a better walking experience. It makes me want to hate the civic authorities. I despise this fact that people who take decisions like these do not even have something known as basic rational thinking on these issues. I do not blame the policemen for being violent and abusive, old habits die hard. But come to think of it, is this a way to deal with a problem which has its nucleus in something as simple as book selling?

This is a city where, in the words of Lindsay Pereira, dance bars were okay till two months back, but people selling books on the pavement are not accepted anymore. I have spent a good amount of time in Bombay walking on this road, from Fountain to Churchgate, browsing books for hours. Sadly now, one big reason to visit Bombay has gone missing.

A Real Army man

2005-05-25T19:30:00.000+05:30

On someone who is a real Army Man, a genuine Doctor and above all, a nice human Being. Take some time out, read the story of Dr S Subramaniam. Click here.

Hopping to Hampi

2005-05-22T22:24:00.000+05:30

A recent pattern, that I see happening with myself often, is my longing to get out of the city, almost every weekend. You may call it strange, but I do not mind travelling alone at all. And there are so many places around Bangalore that after going through their descriptions and photographs which I read from the "Outlook Traveller 52 weekend breaks from Bangalore", I am lured to be there. The only problem, of course, is getting the bus/train tickets to that place and since these urges occur to me mostly when the weekend is just about to start, I see myself disappointed of not planning the trip at least a week in advance.

So this time, the travel bug that bit me, conveniently asked me to visit this place called Hampi, which is a small town up north of Karanataka and I thought why not, plan the trip and get the tickets in advance. A few internet searches, some encouraging and beautiful pictures and I am once again lured to visit some place, and this time it is, the ruins of Hampi.

So next weekend, I should be there. Hope to get some photographs and post it here.

So much to do

2005-05-04T01:32:00.000+05:30

There is so much to do. So much left to do. So much to learn.

And here I am .

Promising myself at every end of the day, and at every time I pray to god, with folded hands at the start of the day, and in those momentary lapses of confidence that sometimes happen more than once a day, sometimes extending to hours- that it won't be much late to do so. To achieve what I wish to. I have done it before, in my own ways, I know what it takes and how it is to be there, the agony and stress one has to go through and the sweetness encountered thereafter. Then what is it that keeps me back, holds me back? Laziness? Oh come on, thats too lame a reason. Give me some more time on this, it should happen, no use cribbing about it, this is a new blog, readers (if any) would run away.

Well, the Times, have been okay. Listened to the sweet melodious voice of Dido after a long time. Her voice is magical, really. And so are her looks. Oh she looks like an angel walking this earth. Meg Ryan, her version in the movie, "You've got mail", comes a close second. On the work front, well, it was okay, as it has been like this week. Do not know how things go at a later stage. Did I tell you about my work? I am a software engineer, a computer programmer to be precise and I stay in a city called Bangalore in a country called India.

I have been blogging for close to two years now- my first and the only one blog before this, now fully devoted to writing literature and experiences that inspire me in small and little ways. Here, I would like to talk about the things going on in my life, and hence the title of this blog. Basically, think of this blog where I do not think thrice about writing and posting. (Yes, I do think twice. ) On my other blog, well, I do not write lightly. So basically when I would have to say things and let them out of my mind, I would come here. And yes, I would probably be posting some of my posts from my other blog here too. I hope you like it. In case you are reading this far, which I must say, is quite a lot, I must thank you (probably you are one of my loyal readers from the other blog, eh).

U2 cd, Dido, Java Certification, work, sleep, food at midnight,..... so many things occopying my mind right now.

So much left to do. :o)

In the Coffee House, with Mr. Vasudevan

2005-04-30T21:39:00.000+05:30

The coffee house, as I expected was half full. With old furniture, its wooden benches and tabletops which had developed cracks of all lengths and depths, just like the wrinkles which were as common in almost every attendant, spelled the longevity of time this coffee house had witnessed.

As I said, the coffee house was half full, but no where was a complete empty table in sight. Next to its glass window, I chose to sit, on a table whose lone occupant was an elderly gentleman completely immersed in his reading. By the time I satisfied my hunger I thought of striking a conversation with the gentleman, who at that time, could be my only company.

As it was revealed, Mr Vasudevan, was a retired Aviation Quality Inspector. I knew his white hair suggested wisdom, but possession of wisdom of the aviation kind was not only a surprise but a pleasing one too. I could smell the prospects of an exciting conversation right there.

The mention of India's latest indigenous combat aircraft, LCA (Light Combat Aircraft) struck the right chord. Excitement is inevitable, once LCA is mentioned to any Indian Aviation Enthusiast.

"I retired in 1992. When the LCA entered advanced stage of development in 1995, they needed people with experience. As it so happened, I was re-called and was a part of the LCA team. I was one of the four quality Inspectors. I was a part of the team when LCA took its first flight in 2001. I worked till 2003. Eight more years", he said with a hint of excitement in his voice.

And what did he have to say about the first flight?

"Everyone was nervous. Our creation was touching the sky for the first time. During those moments, I went to a corner of viewing area, alone. I was too nervous. There are so many things that can go wrong in the first flight. My responsibility was to ensure the safety of the pilot. I was the quality inspector for Seat Safety/Ejection. But the take off went fine and people rejoiced. Obviously, I could not afford that joy."

And why so? If the take-off was fine, why was he more nervous when the bird was in the air? I knew what he was coming to but I wanted him to say it himself. And so he did.

"Landing!!" he exclaimed with a new burst of excitement. "How can you miss that my friend! Touchdown is the most important aspect of the whole flight! That is when most things can mess up. Things can go haywire."

"I remember", he continued, "It was an 18 minute flight. The longest 18 minutes of my life. The machine we built was up there, and so was my heart."

And how was touchdown?

"I cried. People came and shook hands and I had to hide my emotions. There were sweets distributed, accolades given. And after that, I tested 137 flights of LCA. In my career, I gave the quality thumbs-up for 138 of LCA flights. Nothing can match that."

And on the current trends of aviation which are embedded in the LCA?

"1.6 Mach, I think should be the top speed of LCA. You have to understand, in our Air-Force, LCA has to play the role of a major force in Air-to-Air combat. Air-to-Air combat doesn't go beyond 1.6 Mach. We have to suite those requirements. Plus the microprocessor handling of LCA is such that it lets the pilot concentrate on what he should- Combat".

And on the wing-design? I remarked, that I had noticed LCA's wings are the Delta-designed ones, similar to Mirage-2000.

"Ah, yes. They are critical to achieve a high lift for supersonic flights. Talking about wings, do you know how many flaps per second does a housefly make? 200. Imagine. And a dragon-fly? 600. These are god created miracles that most of us oversee in everyday life. The cobra manoeuvre that we talk so highly about in Sukhoi aircrafts, is performed by the housefly all the time. These facts inspire me."

Here was someone, in his late 60's or early seventies, who had dedicated his life to Aviation. And where did his inspiration came from? Houseflies and mosquitoes.

"I have the knowledge to tell you the most technical aspects of flight without quoting scientific principles. I was only a quality inspector, but I played a part in this achievement."

"I like cricket, I like car-racing and I like books. But at my time I could not afford it simply because I did not have the time. Sometimes I regret this fact. But soon I am overwhelmed to realise that I have been one of the privileged few who have been able to realise the kind of dreams like I had."

So true, Mr. Vasudevan. Ask those who couldn't.

On Blogging

2005-04-26T23:40:00.000+05:30

When it started some years back, nobody including me had heard of blogging. But it seems to be catching up nowadays. Having a blog has become something like having an email.

But I have serious doubts of how many people would be blogging, say, after two years from now. For all we know, this might be a passing stage. A phase which is on a high note, for the moment. I already know a couple of people who are now bored of blogging.

Of course, some of them shall continue to write for it provides them solace. I have been blogging for almost 2 years now. Though my blog has evolved, my writing has evolved. In my main blog, unlike my earlier posts, I do not mention personal life, on the other hand I attempt to write good literature. Snippets of good literature, I like to call them. Circumstances do not let me talk about my life. Plus, there is always this fact on my mind that people are reading, every single letter I write. Posts are re-read, comments are left, expectations have to be fulfilled as what I write has been praised. So when I post, I go through it again and again. I see if it fits the "Standards" I have set for myself. Sometimes it becomes a boundation because I cannot write my own but try to be better each time than the previous post. This is just a place where I write anything I want. Where I write, at the end of the day. Where I do not worry about saying the truth, nor do I worry about saying a lie. Just being myself, thats all.

Streetwise

2005-04-05T21:47:00.000+05:30

The sound of my Nokia pierces conveniently through the silence that envelopes my room at 7 AM. The only sound besides the noise this Nokia makes is the distant humming of my computer. But as the cell phone hums "Streetwise", one of its long 4KB polyphonic ring tones, the sound is making inroads into my little world of sleep. A world built so slowly, in the course of the night. One by one the walls that protect the fortress of this world of mine come crashing down. The siren grows shriller every passing second. A hero in this world of mine, now I am scared. There is always a sense of urgency in this world, but I manage to pull off my feats before the inevitable happens. Sometimes I save a dogs life, sometimes, one more time my heart breaks as I go back in the past, sometimes I just about manage to withdraw the much needed cash from the ATM. And as I end up with one of these visual experiences, the inevitable happens.

"Streetwise" sings.

The meracious sound of this damn gadget, so much without guilt, facing almost no resistance, and with the added element (read punch) of surprise, manages successfully, yet another time, the job of bringing me to the reality of this world, in its own harsh way. As I open my eyes, with little success, I see the dim chrome-yellow LED of my monitor. The blinking red infra of the mouse. The three yellow circles on the keyboard. And some more light from, I do not know, where. On my left is a white glow. focussing on its source, the screen of my Nokia, I see some characters which, after passing through a state of temporary bewilderment, my mind deciphers and one by one joins them to the word "Alarm!" and these characters, ask the question "Stop" or "Snooze”. I am obliged to answer, for if I dont, the siren threatens to go on. I hit something at random hoping that should be the end of it but the ordeal continues. More answers are needed. "Switch the phone on? Yes or No". Another question requiring my attention. This time the sound is no more. But the blinding light persists. Oh stop it, I say. I hit another button. I hope the gadget's questions, all of them, are convincingly answered. A few seconds pass. Right. No more lights. no more alerts. But the damage has been done. No more feats. My fortress is no more. The world I owned gone, into thin air. Just like that.

Come to think of it, I had set this plot myself. Before going to sleep, the night before. Myself?.

It's 7 AM. Bingo.

continuing from where I left.

2005-03-24T15:50:00.000+05:30

Its me, Truman.
They took up my idea and made a movie out of it.
They even cast my favorite actor as me.
But I have never complained. I think it was splendid.
How it happened, I do not know.

Anyway.

I am here to continue from where I last left.

It certainly feels lighter now. A sigh of relief. Free.