As the days go by .......

Some indian facts

2008-10-18T19:24:00.000+05:30

Bhaskaracharya calculated the time taken by the earth to orbit the sun hundreds of years before the astronomer Smart. Time taken by earth to orbit the sun: (5th century) 365.258756484 days.

Budhayana, was the first to calculate the value of ?pi?. He then went on to explain the concept of what today is known as the 'Pythagorean Theorem'. He discovered this in the 6th century long before the European mathematicians. Algebra, trigonometry and calculus came from India. Sridharacharya developed quadratic equations in the 11th century.

The largest numbers the Greeks and the Romans used were 106, whereas Hindus were using numbers as big as 10 to the power of 53, as early as 5,000 BCE during the Vedic period. Even today, the largest used number is Tera (10 to the power of 12).

IEEE has proved what has been a century old suspicion in the scientific community, that the pioneer of wireless communication was Prof. Jagdish Bose and not Marconi. The earliest reservoir and dam for irrigation was built in Saurashtra.

According to Saka King Rudradaman I of 150 BCE, a beautiful lake called Sudarshana was constructed on the hills of Raivataka during Chandragupta Maurya's time. Chess (Shataranja or AshtaPada) was invented in India.

Sushruta is the father of surgery. 2,600 years ago he and health scientists of his time conducted complicated surgeries like cesareans, cataract, artificial limbs, fractures, urinary stones, plastic surgery and brain surgery.

Most Sleep... One Awakens... To the REALITY

2008-08-14T11:51:00.001+05:30

‘Jealousy is the tribute; mediocrity pays to a genius’ this quote aptly describes the state of our nation. We are a nation of one billion plus with more than half the population struggling for power (Electricity) to light their bulbs at home

The nation becoming a super power is definitely a long road ahead…..

India’s image in the rest of the globe is that of a soft and mediocre nation whose economy has boomed courtesy of talented people and the price charged for their intellect. We are a society full of rules but no followers and nobody to execute. No Super power in the world has become a force with out an element of dictatorship in their execution. We need leaders who also have dictating abilities in order to administer things.

Gone are the days of protests which would fetch results after years of struggle and a few deaths to add on to. The road is there but we drive too slowly, in order to establish ourselves as a commanding nation. India needs drastic change in policies and systems. History has shown that no country have become a super power by buying weapons and aircrafts. They have risen to the current level by inculcating first certain basic amenities which would make their people strong both mentally and physically. The entire world counts on a decision made by a super power and all the global economies are linked to its power in some way or the other. This can happen only if the civilization of the country is resourceful and strong enough to make an impact.

We need to market our abilities in a much more systematic manner in order for people to realize that we are not a land with just people all around, but a land of geniuses who are not mediocre by any means. To add-on to we should not remember these things on specific occasions like the Independence day and the feeling of enthusiasm should be there year around.

Unconventionality is the need of the hour and implementation of unconventional rules will attract a lot of protest. All powers in the world have been opposed to or protested but they still remain to reign over the world.

Since the occasion is the biggest for any Indian and patriotism will be flowing in the nerves and veins of many, for the day, many of them who read this might disagree to what is written above and be optimistic about India becoming a super power in the near future. But since democracy allows you to express opinions I feel that there has to be huge wave of revolution for us to achieve something like that, and that wave also can be brought about by the people of the nation.
But it takes a lot of determination to do that and hopefully we all put in that effort.

To conclude: In order to achieve something you never had ,do something which you never did.

Advance Happy Independence Day.

I Understand.....

2007-08-12T11:11:00.000+05:30

I feared being alone
Until I learned to like
Myself.

I feared failure
Until I realized that I only
Fail when I don't try.

I feared success
Until I realized
That I had to try
In order to be happy
With myself.

I feared people's opinions
Until I learned that
People would have opinions
About me anyway.

I feared rejection
Until I learned to
Have faith in myself.

I feared pain
Until I learned that it's necessary
For growth.

I feared the truth
Until I saw the
Ugliness in lies.

I feared life
Until I experienced
Its beauty .

I feared death
Until I realized that it's
Not an end, but a beginning.

I feared my destiny,
Until I realized that
I had the power to change
My life.

I feared hate
Until I saw that it
Was nothing more than
Ignorance.

I feared love
Until it touched my heart,
Making the darkness fade
Into endless sunny days.

I feared ridicule
Until I learned how
To laugh at myself.

I feared growing old
Until I realized that
I gained wisdom every day.

I feared the future
Until I realized that
Life just kept getting
Better.

I feared the past
Until I realized that
It could no longer hurt me.

I feared the dark
Until I saw the beauty
Of the starlight.

I feared the light
Until I learned that theTruth would give me
Strength.

I feared change,
Until I saw that
Even the most beautiful butterfly
Had to undergo a metamorphosis
Before it could fly.

Vande Mataram :)

2007-01-26T10:17:00.000+05:30

As India celebrates herself on being a socialist democratic and republic country on 26th Jan 07, one can feel the sense of pride resonating among the general public. Billions of Indians and millions of India’s well-wishers the world over celebrated yet another anniversary of India being republic.

What exactly are we all celebrating ?

Not a half century of India’s existence. India itself is of course much, much older, with over 7000 years of continuous history from the age of Ramayana, that make it one of the very few millennial civilizations in the world. Nor is it more than 50 years of democracy in India. The democratic tradition in India goes back much longer. More than 2000 years ago, the small kingdoms in north and south India, that long predated both the advent of Alexander the Great in the 4th century BC and the mighty Mauryan Empire of Chandragupta and Ashoka the Great that followed, already embodied the fundamental principle of democracy – that a government should depend on the consent of the governed. It was recognised, even in those ancient Indian states that the king ruled only with the approval of his subjects. The Mughal rulers enriched India by bringing in Persian and Arabic form of Architecture and lifestyle. Rulers such as Tipu Sultan showing us how a king should govern his subjects and yet respect their religious sentiments.

We celebrate today what happened 57 years ago, on January 26, 1950, the full emergence of India, after nearly 100 years of direct British rule and nearly 200 years of British colonialism, as a modern, independent nation state. India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, had said, in his famous midnight “Tryst with Destiny” speech to mark the independence of India, “At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom”. Two and a half years after India became independent, at midnight between August 14 and 15, 1947, the country shook off the last vestiges of the colonial connection and became a full fledged Republic, with its own Head of State. On January 26, 1950, India was fully awake and raring to go.

And it is going. Just read few excerpts

This one from PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC)

By the year 2050, In U.S. dollar terms, India’s economy that has been the fastest-growing in the world for many years would be the 3rd largest behind only the U.S. and China in size.

By 2010, India will earn $87 billion in revenues from software and services, including $60 billion from exports. As recently as 1990-91, the size of India’s software industry was only $150 million.

Goldman report on India's economic future

Here's the key portion:
"Indeed, India’s GDP (in US$ terms) will surpass that of the US before 2050, to make it the second largest economy. India’s contribution to world growth will also be high and increasing."

On the military front India is way ahead of even US too…

BrahMos is the only supersonic precision missile in the world developed jointly by India and Russia. BrahMos Aerospace, the company which builds this missile has exhibited its products at different international and aerospace exhibitions in Abu Dhabi, Singapore, Brazil, Chile, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Africa, Thailand and Russia. The missile has placed India among a small club of countries that produce cruise missiles. "BrahMos is a state-of-art product and it will take France and America at least five years to replicate the supersonic technology," explained a defence scientist at BrahMos.

These are just a few examples of the NEW INDIA that is rising steadier and faster than any of its counterparts.

Yet there are a lot of shortcomings that are strewn in her path of growth.

Some of the potential riders.

India’s economic growth can only be seen in the major town and cities, the rural parts of our country are still deprived of it.
Our country though may be seen as one of the largest economy by 2050, her per- capita income would still be the lowest if compared to any of the developed countries at that time.
Though technologically advanced than most nations, she is still dependent on the nature for agricultural and water supply facilities.
Though strict measures and relentless drive by the government, polio still remains a threat. A disease which has almost been eradicated from the developed nations.

There are some reasons to cheer and be euphoric of what we have accomplished in such a short span and yet there are other unaccomplished ones which need to be pondered at.

But all I can say is that up till now Going has been good….. What the heck !!!!...... the going has been GREAT……

LAGEY RAHO INDIA !!!!!

I am REBORN !!!

2007-01-18T23:40:00.001+05:30

Call it change....makeover..... facelift.....but I guess this was long overdue. After trying out a hell lot of combination of templates I settled for this one. Though I may add, I have made certain cosmetic changes of my own, [knowledge of HTML and Javascript helps :)]

Well.....not much to post now......but I am on a short story once again.....[:)].......will most probably will put it in by early next month.

Watch this space

Whistling away to glory.......

2006-09-11T21:16:00.000+05:30

It was the Geography class and as usual I was dozing off, being a back bencher helped. The rest of the class had already trekked over the Andes, visited the grassland of South America and were now on their way towards the Amazons. Well that was the usual thing for me and it was a mutual agreement between Mrs Banerjee and me, my Geography teacher, not to disturb me when I’m busy (dozing). My brilliance was already well known to her since she had just corrected my mid-term paper. You see that’s why it is said that like minded geniuses think alike….(myself being one). It isn’t that I’m boasting but was true. Anyways I don’t want to discuss my major accomplishments and achievements since that would mean making you feel inferior to me.

Back to my story……

Where was I……oh yes!!!……I was happily dozing when suddenly I felt or rather I experienced an acute pain at a place where till now I used to believe my shoulder blades to reside.

It was Partho my back bencher buddy pounding me. “C’mon man he is calling….” he gritted between his teeth and almost broke my shoulder. “Who is he… yaar?”

“Arrey baba he….man HE IS CALLING YOU” Partho was yelling. I had learnt in my English class that the word ‘he’ is a common noun applicable to all that is masculine in nature. Even with such a genius brain at hand I couldn’t figure out who was HE.

“Will you come or shall I…….” Partho glared at me. Now you don’t mess with someone who is 6’2 and arms equal to my thighs. So I finally decided to do what I haven’t done till now …..ever…… in a geography class. “Maam …… err excuse me Maam??......”Mrs Banerjee looked up and her shocked look can only be described as the way Red Indians must have felt when they discovered that Columbus had paid them a visit.

Maam….he is calling……I mean I need to go out…?? I stuttered

“Yes, Yes ….. please” she said “and do take your own time” she added

As soon as we were out of the class….Partho grabbed me by my hand and started running “come along….he is waiting for you”. He again…..who is this ‘he’???..... . Anyways we ran down the stairs to the ground floor, rushed towards the auditorium.

Our school auditorium may not be one of the biggest of places but can still house atleast 150 students at a single time. Well, there we were inside the auditorium and I was facing HE who was sitting with a guitar in his hand. “He is Sandeep Ghosal. He is the one who would be training our band for taking part in the annual inter-school music competition.” Partho told me proudly.

“Hey dude jus call me Sandy mann…” grinned Sandeep Ghosal and shook hands with me. Ok now he is Sandy and that’s the way he wanted me to call him …. Will keep him happy.

I looked at the instruments - guitars, tabla, keyboards, drums and other weird stuffs strewn all around the place. To the best of my knowledge, presuming I knew myself the best, music and I were as good companions as Einstein and Beethoven.

“Err…what am I doing here exactly?” I asked Partho. They definitely didn’t call me for cleaning all the mess they had made inside the auditorium……..or had they.

“The song which we are rehearsing has this……small part……which requires someone…….to whistle……and we thought…..that since you are really good at that…. maybe u can…….” Debu, another class mate of mine chipped in.

Ok……. so my friends……Debu and Partho in all these years……instead of seeing the real potentials in me (though I’m still figuring them out) could only think of one good thing, that I could whistle.

“You see…..I am kind of really busy with that Geography subject….You know that Amazon forest thing…..and……” I tried to say. Moreover I hate to say ‘no’ on anyone’s face.

“What!!!! What are you talking about !!!!” Partho shouted. I could see the vein in his neck pop out and any more shouting from him, I’m sure, they would burst. Moreover my shoulders were still hurting a bit.

“Ok…..fine if you guys insist” I said.

“Cool…..thanks a lot yaar we knew we could count on you” Partho and Debu patted (you can almost say hammered) my head. If I knew saying yes would hurt me so much, I rather would have said no.

“Ok then lets not waste any more time guys…..lets rock baby” shouted Sandy.

“Here’s your part……let’s start everyone” Sandy said and handed me a paper.

Well the rehearsal was going smoothly until it was my turn.

The conversation between Sandy and me went on like this.

Sandy: “STOP STOP…..hey man you are not catching the right octave”

Me: “what is an Octave?”

Sandy: “I mean you are not in the flow”

Me: “what is the Flow?”

Sandy: “You are not in sync dude”

Me: “what is sync?”

Sandy: “Catch the music?”

Me: “what music?”

Sandy: “listen to my guitar”

Me: “what is a……”

Sandy: “Pleeez !!!!!”

Now I can’t very well ask what is please and moreover I hate seeing grown men cry. In the entire auditorium it seemed that a cylinder of laughing gas had just got opened. My friends were already rolling on the ground clutching their stomach.

I was basking in my new found glory when I turned around and saw this girl.

She wasn’t exactly laughing. Her lips were curled into a half smile and the way she was looking at me made me feel as if I was a 3 yr old kid caught stealing a cookie. I had this sudden urge to check whether I had dressed properly.

“Everyone please be serious……come on now…..” cried sandy.

All through the rehearsals I had this feeling of turning back and looking at this girl and see if she was still looking at me. It was kind of weird considering the fact that I didn’t even know her. Why this sudden interest in her? I kept thinking of her for the rest of the day. The way she was looking at me…….and the feeling I got……I hadn’t felt anything like that ever before.

That night, after dinner as I was about to go to bed that wisdom dawned on me suddenly. I knew why I was feeling like that. Yes I knew. I knew it was love. Yes yes it had to be LOVE !!!! This was the only thing I had never experienced till now. So it must be that LOVE bug which had bitten me. I wasn’t even bothered about who she was let alone know her name.

The next day in school I declared it to my friends proudly about the entire thing and the reaction was as I had expected but no less, a dramatic one. Debu dropped the book he was reading. Nikhil rubbed his eyes then figured that it wasn’t the right gesture, so rubbed his ears.

“Who is that unfortunate one?” Partho finally asked.

“Well…..” I said sheepishly “I am not sure of her name but she stands behind me during the rehearsals” I added.

“WHAAATTT!!!” cried all my friends in unison.

“Do you know who she is???” Debu asked me.

“Her name is Sonali Ghosh and she is the lead singer for our song, in case if you haven’t figured that out yourself by now idiot. She also happens to be trained in hindustani classical as well as western music. Apart from that just for your knowledge dumbo she happens to be a topper in her class.” Added Nikhil.

“I am not bothered” was all I could say. Of course why should I be perturbed by all the mundane details such as the ones Nikhil mentioned about her. I was in love remember…..though I would like to mention that her long list of qualifications did throw me a bit off guard.

Anyways I had decided to speak to her during the rehearsals that day come what may. Entire day I kept on thinking on what was the best way to approach her. Partho and Me went over and over again on the countless possible scenarios that may arise, Nikhil and Debu giving me disapproving looks that it wouldn’t work out either ways.

“Ok guys, Good job for today…….lets pack up…..will meet tomorrow again” declared said Sandy.

While everyone started packing up and were leaving, Partho came close to me and whispered “Now is the time……now now NOW”. I saw her leaving the auditorium. I collected my bag and just dashed through the main door and ran towards her. She was walking slowly……lost in her own thoughts.

“HI !!” I said loudly.

“What!!….oh yes Hi” she said startled. As her dusky eyes dawned upon me, I got a bit nervous and was groping for words just to keep the conversation going.

“So ummnn you are part of our group right??” she asked and saved me.

“Yes I am the one who …… well…..errr….” I was thinking of the right word to describe someone who has now been certified by his friends as an all time great whistler.

“Oh yes, I know, you are the one who would do the whistling part. You are good at it. ” She said and giggled. Wow her laugh was the best thing I had ever heard; it was music to my ears.

“Yeah….” I said awkardly and smiled back.

As we strolled little further with only silence being the company, I dared to ask her “So are you free to join me for a coffee…”

And wonder of wonders she accepted. I gave myself a pat on the back. Way to go man!!!. Yippee!!!

“I love Beatles and the Scorpions too. How about you??” she asked me on the way.

Now given a chance to use my brain and I can assure you that I wouldn’t think twice before putting my whole feet in my mouth.

“Don’t know much about them….pretty tiny creatures…I don’t know what purpose they serve…..I think we should try to exterminate them from our planet” I said thoughtfully.

The tone in her voice and her eyes which reminded me that Antarctica must be a really cold place to stay she said that she remembered some important work and had to finish it off immediately. Saying that she walked off in a huff.

What??....what happened…..what wrong did I do?? I stood there bewildered.

It was only when Partho told me that Beatles and Scorpions were actually music bands that I understood what blunder I had committed. Beatles and Scorpions! What weird names! What would be next…? Crabs and Cockroaches?? There should be some law now banning weird band names.

To make the matter worse I felt every single person on this planet had come to know of my brilliance. People whom I didn’t know ever existed came up to me to ask how were the Beatles and if I had made any progress on exterminating the Scorpions. All courtesy, my friends who had done a better job than BBC and CNN could ever do.

I tried to make amends with Sonali during the next day rehearsal but it seemed that once again someone had opened the laughing gas cylinder in the auditorium. She walked away even before I could start the conversation.

My first love affair had ended even before it began. Anyways I tried consoling myself for the folly. And I knew, TIME- the greatest healer would slowly mend the wounds. The rehearsals kept going on and finally the D-Day approached, the day of the music competition.

Each team was given twenty minutes for their song. A total of eight schools had participated and we were sixth on the list to come on stage. I saw Sandy pacing up and down the green room. “Everything should go on as planned…..no mistakes…… I mean….. no mistakes” he kept on repeating tensely. I guess everyone was tensed. We could hear the crowd ranting and raving which made our situation even worse.

Our turn came and we silently trudged our way to the stage. “Ok guys your time starts now” announced the host. The first thing which happens to Nikhil is that if he is tensed he would do all the wrong things at the right time. While putting the drums into their place one of them slipped off his hands and rolled into the center of the stage. Debu helped the cause by breaking the strings of his guitar. And once again it seemed someone had opened a can of laughing gas. Someone shouted “Losers” and slowly but surely the entire crowd joined in. “LOSERS…..LOSERS” chanted the crowd.

Sonali stood there rooted to the stage not knowing how to manage the crowd. She turned back at us looking for help. In the backstage sandy had gone livid. He couldn’t help us as his coming onto the stage would mean disqualification of our school from the competition. I don’t know what happened to me but according to Nikhil afterwards I looked like a raging ball of fire, went towards Sonali and took the microphone from her.

“Ladies and gentlemen” I said.

“Huh…..what !!! ….. who???” someone shouted.

Damn, c’mon man this is not a debate for god’s sake, I thought to myself.

“Guys and gals out there” I started once again. “I know that we didn’t have a rocking start to our performance but I am sure that before we end our song, each one of you out there would be swinging to our tune. As of now it doesn’t look that we are the best but at the end of this event we might be the coolest group around.”

The crowd had stopped their ranting and had actually listened to what I spoke. Someone shouted “go on”. And that clinched it. I (quaking from head to toe) handed the mike back to her. We started our song. Through midway we knew the crowd was with us. Some guys even joined me in whistling when my bit came.

When the results were about to be announced we had hoped to bag the third prize at least. But when the third and even the second prizes were declared we understood that we had lost. We had started walking back to pack our bags, I must admit we were all pretty dejected.

The anchor announced the first prize and at first none of us heard it all clearly.

“Did he just say our name?” asked Sonali bewildered.

“Guys ….. Oh God …… its us…… we made it …… we MADE IT !!!!!” screamed Sandy.

We had expected to be somewhere in the lowly third or even fourth place but getting the first prize well …… we didn’t dream about that. Nikhil gave a war of whoop and ran to the stage and we all followed. Wow it was all like a dream and none of us wanted it to get over.

The next day it was school as usual. A lot of appreciation from our principal teachers, moreover from Mrs. Banerjee who understood that whistling was better suited to me than learning why there were basins in Africa. I guess I wasn’t that happy, cos with the competition over there wouldn’t be anymore rehearsals and so no more seeing her. I would get over this.., I reconciled myself.

Well, school got over and I was about to leave when I heard someone call my name. “No no its not her. I must be dreaming” I said thoughtfully. Again the same voice “hey stop, I wanna talk to you”. I turned back to see her waving at me. “Might be someone else she is waving” I corrected myself.

“Hi” she said. Those beautiful eyes, I was lost once again in them ….

“Hi” was all I could manage.

“It was really great the way you handled the crowd yesterday, you saved the day for us.” She said

“Hey no problem…..we were in the same team right.” I said.

So where were we…..last time we spoke?” she asked me.

“Ummn….we were…” I remembered about the Scorpions and the Beatles.

“We were going to have Coffee remember…..” She said and giggled.

“What!! Oh yes…..right” I chuckled.

“So shall we go now….??” She asked

“Sure maam….whatever you say.” I said.

And there it all began; I must say my first experience in love didn’t turn out all that bad.

All credit goes to me of course. You see, if I wasn’t dozing in that Geo class and if Partho wasn’t breaking my shoulder and if Sandy hadn’t cried during the rehearsals and if Beatles didn’t exist and if I hadn’t calmed the crowd in the competition….. I wouldn’t be actually having coffee with her.

Well I should say coffee tastes better on a hot summer noon especially if you have someone so cute like Sonali.

Y happens…..sooner or later……

Proud to be an Indian !!!!

2006-08-23T11:15:00.000+05:30

Wanted to write heaps and heaps on 15th Aug. But I guess this pic says it all.

Wait and Watch - is that all we can do?

2006-07-19T10:42:00.000+05:30

The smoke from the burning trains and dead bodies may have vanished into the sky......the blood littered bogies have now been thrown into the junk yard......politicians have gone back into their safe haven....

What has been our reaction to this horrific incident.........apart from massive outpouring of sympathy.....anything???

Now hear this:

One Israeli soldier taken hostage by the Hezbollah terrorist outfit......reaction......heavy and continuous bombarding of Lebanon. Over 120 civilians dead and hundreds injured.

Latest report from Reuters News Agency:

Jul. 18 - Israeli warplanes pound Lebanon, killing at least 13 people, as diplomatic efforts brought no signs of an early end to the week-old attack.

Israeli attacks have emptied the streets of Beirut's southern suburbs as residents take cover, fearing further air strikes.

In the latest attacks, Israeli warplanes pounded Lebanon killing at least 13 people, as diplomatic efforts brought no signs of an early end to the week-old assault launched in retaliation against Hizbollah attacks.

So who is correct: our patience or Israel's brazen show of armed power?

To take the side of Israeli actions, after seeing the blood soaked compartments of Mumbai local trains is easy, but is an 'eye for an eye' reaction really hold good??

Showcasing military might to snuff out jehadi groups is a part solution but it doesn’t wholly solve the perennial problem of TERROR.

Using our armed forces may aid in wiping those who glorify these acts of terror but the source would still remain.

What can be done ………. I leave it open to you ......

A short story

2006-05-18T05:55:00.000+05:30

Here's a short story I wrote, pardon me for the errors committed as this is my first time.

Well........here it goes.......

Just another day

Chris got up in the morning and just like any other day he was late, grumbling and cursing everyone he could think of, he got off from his bed. There was so much of work to do from cleaning the house to meet the new project schedule, Jim, his manager had laid out in the previous meeting. When would he ever have peace, a word that had come to elude him, how much he longed for that.

Rushing through the daily chores Chris left for office. Living alone in the city had taught him to prioritize his work, or so he assumed. On the street as usual there was mad frenzy. He jostled among the crowd going towards the subway. Thinking to himself that if somehow if he could make it for the 9:00 AM subway express and reach on time Jim wouldn’t shout at him.

Anyways he made it to the station just to see the train leave. Shrugging to himself and cursing God he looked at the electronic screen showing the arrival time for the next train. The screen showed the next train arriving at 9:10. "Shit" he said to himself, "late once again".

Nothing to do for the next 10 minutes he looked at the people around him, scanning for known and unknown faces. Somehow spend the next ten minutes. There weren’t many people as the 9 AM train had taken the entire crowd . He looked at the other side of the subway station. Few people strolling here and there, probably late like himself, a guy going through the financial times, a couple of kids engrossed in playing the new portable gamestation and a girl standing few feet away from all of them.

Chris eyes darted back to the girl. Did he know her ? No he was sure he hadn’t ever met. But then why did he felt as if he knew her. Or did he feel like knowing her. Wearing a white top and a blue skirt and her hair falling over her shoulders she looked like one angel. Chris realised that it was ages since he had ever cared to look at himself, forget looking at someone else. His office projects had taken up all the priorities in life, until now.

Chris found himself wanting to speak to her. Was there anyway he could? How he wished he could forget all the work slated for the day and just approach her. The girl on the other side suddenly became aware of this stranger looking at her. But still he couldn’t take his eyes off her. The platform on both sides had started to fill up as the next trains were due to arrive shortly.

How chris wanted to stop the time. He was oblivious of the people around him. Was there anything he could do, maybe know her name. Just before the trains arrived he felt that the girl smiled at him or rather, he thought.

The trains had arrived and people around him rushed to get into. Chris didn’t want to, he wanted to go to the other side of the platform and meet her before she boarded her train. He was still standing on the platform when the doors of the train closed on him. How he wanted the girl to be there..... Waiting for him……. Hoping against, hope…..

The trains started to leave and in few moments they were gone. The crowd had thinned out and only a few people were there. Chris’s eyes turned back towards the other side in a desperate search for her. Was she still there?? Would she wait for him? Why would she…….she didn’t know him ? So many questions crossed his mind in a flash.

He looked the other side ………….and oh yes !!!!...........there she was, standing, looking at him. Chris smiled for the first time since morning. And now he was sure, he didn’t need to imagine , cos he could see it on her face.

She had smiled back.

The story of History's most hated man - Gospel of Judas

2006-04-24T03:41:00.000+05:30

The news that historians have been able to piece in the story of Judas finally, had been simmering for quite sometime now. Finally NGC came out with a documentary on that. And boy! it was superb.

What impressed me was the after effects of this shocking revelation.....bcos there was hardly any. There were no scenes of marches being carried out, no riots.....looting and other forms of human animalistic behaviour. And even Vatican made no fuss about it. Though I can say that news like these hurts the very core of Christiandom.

Has Christianity as a religion suffered. Has it got weakend by this revelation? My answer to this is a firm NO. On the contrary it has grown stronger and has shown more maturity

There's a lot one can dislike about the West, but at the same time there's much more one can like about it. Conversely, there's such a lot one can love about India, and at the same time there's so much one can dislike about it.

Just imagine, if similar revelations about any Hindu deity was revealed, would we have accepted it calmly. Would fanatic groups like Bajarang Dal sit quietly. Surely not !

We were the first in terms of having a purely liberal religion. Temples in Khajuraho affirms to my point. Yet today we have let dogma take over and stultify everything.

Getting back to the Gospel…. What struck me the most as I watched the documentary was the language that was attributed to Jesus Christ:

'...You will sacrifice the man that clothes me...' Jesus is said to have told Judas. For us in India, this is a familiar language, and one can turn to our Vedas for this and so many of our mystics who deride that the physical body as an impediment after realising their self. This again points out to the fact that Jesus may have in some form come in contact with the eastern form of spirituality.

And again I will question the western historians why have they tended to IGNORE this fact, which seems very much plausible.

Which is the real tragedy.

Russell Peter

2006-03-21T08:38:00.000+05:30

The guy is an awesome stand up commedian. From where does he get all the stuff he speaks. He is truly one of the best I have ever seen. Just take a look at this act of his.

Historic Win !!!!!!!

2006-03-15T23:14:00.000+05:30

434 !!! chasing and winning!!! Phew !!!! That requires more than human effort. And thats what the South Africans showed on Sunday 12th of March 2006, that if there is a will to succeed and committed effort is made towards that, then we can say that every goal is achievable.

In an exhalirating dispaly of batting prowess South Africa overcame Australia's mammoth score of 434 what is now famously touted as one of the finest chases in the entire cricketing history. If it was the sheer brilliance of Pointing stroke play for Australia then Gibbs answered the same for his country through his raw power and excellent technique. It was the tremendous self-belief among the team which enabled the South africans to reach home.

At the end it was Cricket as a game which won !!!!!

And finally.......Something to ponder for the Indian cricket team ???

Tsunami - A year on

2005-12-27T06:13:00.000+05:30

A year has passed since the day the killer waves struck. Life.........oh yes.......it has moved on. 26th Dec 2005, when I am walking on the beach......the sea is calm...just another beautiful evening in Chennai...amidst the playful shrieks of kids playing in the water...it is hard to imagine the events that had happened a year ago.

The only thing that diffrentiates the day is the massive outpouring of public sympathy towards those who lost their dear ones. I see silent marches being carried out.

Fisherfolks have decide to stay away from the sea fearing another Tsunami,It seems science has little role to play in matters like these.........

An old fisherman who stands beside, tells me that for more than 50 yrs, fishing has been his source of livelihood. For him the sea was his best friend and just one look at it would tell him how it would be the entire day.But on that ominous day his friend deserted him,it offered him no clue on the impending danger. The sea took away his grandaughter.

"I lost my grandaughter in front of my eyes", he says tearfully

It has been an year since he has ventured out into the sea and I am doubtful if he would ever.............

It seems that the sea too lost an old dear friend on that fateful day.............

Gangotri glacier

2005-10-26T17:11:00.000+05:30

The Gomukh glacier is the source of the Ganges, amidst the snow-capped Himalayas. The sight is truly astonishing, mere words can't explain that. For long this place was almost inaccessible. Many who used to venture out ........never returned back.

Human Interference
Thanks to modern technology and better transport this is the latest addition to India's religio-adventure tourism circuit Â the other two being Vaishno Devi in the north and Sabarimala in the south. Every year more than a lakh of people visit Gomukh in the month of July. They have to be young to undertake this gruelling task. All of them return with a pot of water from the Gomukh glacier the ice from which becomes the Ganges River.

Is the Glacier Receding?
According to Hindu scriptures, Gangotri is the spot where the Ganges descended from the locks of Shiva. The temple of Ganges is also located at Gangotri. Locals believe that many years ago, the tip of the glacier was at Gangotri, but Gomukh, where the Ganges rises, has now recedekilometersetres downstream.

British traveler Samuel Burn once wrote that when he reached Gangotri in 1866, the local people opposed his wish to travel further to Gomukh. According to Burn, they believed that Gangotri is the holiest place and human interference in Gomukh is non-religious.

The Gangotri glacier has been melting as the part of global changes after the last Ice Age. But scientists say the rate of melting has doubled since1970s1970s.

A tragedy in the offing
According to Glaciologist the rate of melting has since increased due to the emission of green house gases more predominantly due to human intervention. The consequence........earlier, there were nine tributaries to the Gangotri glacier now we are left with five.

To make the matter worse Gangotri is not only receding, but the dimensions of the glacier have decreased considerably in the last few years. I fear if this continues, we may end up with the Ganges being a monsoon-fed river by the end of this century.

Even the WWF echoes the same sentiments.
(According to our studies, due to the rise in temperature, the river flow will increase by 20 per cent initially because of more snow melt. But, ultimately, the flow will decrease by 20 per cent. A population equal to Europe lives in the Ganges basin. Their livelihoods are dependent on the river. You can imagine the size of the tragedy we are talking about here.)

But is anyone listening???

I guess the Government is not prepared to deal with this issue, since the glacier tourism is generating enough revenues!!!!

According to our Hindu scriptures the river Ganges will return to heaven by the end of this yug (though I severly doubt the prediction methods they must have used)

But at the rate the pollution of this sensitive environment continues, the prediction could become true.

What serious climatic changes will that accompany?? Are we prepared to see that catastrophe and live with it??

Y I P E E E ! ! !

2005-09-15T19:37:00.000+05:30

Its time to pack my bags once again and before you start concluding.......its only for a short time (2 weeks only).

Will be going to meet my parents and my sis. Will be with them on my b'day [:-)] and also during the annual durga pujo celebrations. Phew !!! that would keep me away from the daily hum-drum of life (no work.....at all).

Also a visit to Kerela (Ajai.... my friend u heard it right) is on the cards. There will be no postings till that time after this one. But when I come back you can expect some awesome pics of GODs OWN COUNTRY, taken by the ace photographer (and thats me.....who else !!!).

The Price of growing up ???

2005-08-03T07:51:00.000+05:30

I don’t remember when was the first time my parents held my hands….or I held theirs….those tiny little hands clutching the fingers ……. Behold!!! What a sight it must have been…..for them…..and for me…..it must have been my first understanding that out there were people on whom you can fall back on.

Times have changed…….. we have adapted ourselves to so many changes that our rate of adaptation has outpaced our appetite for life.

I have always wondered when a man and woman bring among them a new life. For years they nourish and watch that life grow into a person. One day quite abruptly, that child leaves home and goes far away.

For me that day was six years back. The year I crept out of my school.

I barely knew myself then let alone understand the complexities of life that lay in the outside world. I wonder what did my parents think about me at that time……living under a protected environment for all of my eighteen years, they must have felt quite concerned of having me go out on my own. It was tough…..maybe it’s the same for everyone in the beginning. But I gradually started to cope with it.

Heck no!!! I actually started liking my freedom…..

But this transition also brought a frightening realty. Over these years the relationship with my parents has changed drastically. I sometime wonder whether we have quietly become strangers. I have allowed the Time to have slipped by like sand through a weak grip.

I hate to admit this……but I have been just a mute spectator, as if staring at it will heal the wound by itself or bear a solution.

It makes me question if parenthood is so utterly thankless, its fruit so completely insecure, in the hands of their children who decide to squander its rewards.

Life @ Reuters

2005-07-28T10:47:00.000+05:30

It’s confirmed now…….I am completely out of touch. And that’s because it’s been quite a while since I last posted something.

Just look at the way I have begun this post! Even the word ‘awful’ would not fit the right description. Blame it on too much of work.

Saying that…….work is fun……..in Reuters….yup u read it right. It’s the pressure and the challenge that pumps up the adrenalin. Work environment is excellent too.

Since I have joined our training/production (yup learning and application is going hand in hand) is on full swing. My counterparts in Singapore have been quite helpful to me during this period. They have backed whenever there was drop in my level of confidence.

Apart from that I am starting my preparations for IAS. Let’s see how it goes about. My parents are very keen on this issue……especially my dad and I don’t want to disappoint him.

I N D I A

2005-06-04T15:03:00.000+05:30

India’s pretty intriguing. Even for Indians.

When you travel the length and breadth of the country (which I haven’t) I guess you’ll be surprised every inch. The latest incident that surprised me was the episode involving the rickshaws.

I remember traveling in auto in Delhi during my initial school days – when I was maybe ten years old. That was the age when you don’t really know what sympathy means. All I wanted back then was a game of cricket every evening before crashing into the bed. I was then was transported to richer places like Coimbatore and Chennai (occasionally) and Bangalore. I almost forgot about the existence of rickshaws coz there were none in these places. Almost 12 years later, I traveled in rickshaws that are driven by men – sans motors – in Delhi and I’m pained. Not that I didn’t know about its existence, but traveling in them was like really tough all of a sudden.I tried the Metro in Delhi for the first time this weekend. It was AWESOME. It beats most of the metros that I’ve seen in Hollywood movies. The thing works like a breeze – with zilch noise and terrific acceleration. The whole station, metro, escalator – everything – is clean like crazy. Hell, you wouldn’t believe you are in India. It just costed seven bucks for like a 7 Km ride. I wouldn’t’ve minded paying 35 bucks! Once you are out of the metro, you see the rickshaws. Loads of them. I’ve come to realize that this is the first thing that strikes a foreigner. A life of contrasts. Five star hotels, and rusted vehicles outside. 1st class trains and platforms filled with people without shelter. Flashy cars and bullock carts squeezing for the same space. The place we wanted to go was two streets away, and we didn’t want to walk in the Delhi afternoon sun. Rickshaws seemed to be the answer. I couldn’t believe that we were going to take a rickshaw. We hesitated to walk, and are we going to make that guy pedal a huge thing with two bullies inside? Sounded like the 1900 master-slave culture. I really couldn’t make up my mind. But not using the rickshaws would also mean no business for those folks. My friend said: “Well, this is India, and this is their livelihood. Let’s take it. Give them some business”. I gave in. I couldn’t convince myself that not traveling in it was a solution, simply because it wasn’t. It was one of those moments that really put you on hold with no way to go.

It was even more painful to see the guy pedaling on slopes. He literally had to put the whole body load on the pedal. Fortunately, the road was pretty much even throughout, and that saved him. We didn’t have to get down either. I gave him 15 bucks instead of the 10 bucks as agreed. I really don’t know why I did it. My extra five bucks isn’t a solution to anything. We aren’t going to change India through charity. But still, it kind of gave a satisfaction. Maybe I thought he deserved it.

Even worse was the next incident. We were walking along a small pavement with soft drink bottles in hand. The place was pretty rotten and smelling real bad. We were pretty much scrambling out of the place when a rag kid asked us some alms. We were in no mood to give charity. After realizing that we aren’t going to give him anything, he cursed us… loud enough for us to know. I was pretty depressed for a moment. For such kids, it’s almost a right to claim for alms. Wonder what that kid would become if he grows up. It would be no surprise if he goes out of the way. For him, it’s just his life and everything he does is justified. You really can’t straighten out guys these later after having grown up in an ambience like this.
All this makes me think of another issue. Lots of people I know give alms, which is a short term solution to a long term problem. A lot of them don’t because they believe alms would just encourage these folks. For me though, it remains a tough question. For once, both parties seem right.

B A N G A L O R E !!!!!

2005-04-11T06:35:00.000+05:30

It has been almost a month since I landed in Bangalore. The place is so different from Chennai my last stopover. The culture, its people is so vibrant and hits you immidiately(very much similar to mumbai)

My first week in Reuters has been quite entertaining one. From Skits to role playing, quizzes.....you just name it, I experienced everything. This is the way Reuters welcome newcomers its a great way.

Last week we had a party at hotel Leela for the entire Data Operation team and ........we had a B L A S T.

The infrastructure is pretty cool with flat screen monitors, personal telephones with STD & ISD facility, Reuters Messaging Service (similar to MSN)etc etc.

But the amount of passwords one is supposed to remmember is quite intimidating. IDs for telephone, PC, Bridgestation, 3000xtra, Oracle......the list goes on and on.

To meet the alreadu existing high standard is quite a challenge but as others have done it so will I .......

WISH ME BEST OF LUCK GUYS

Bizarre Stuff........

2005-04-02T13:52:00.000+05:30

Wat is life coming too....or is it that people are ready to go to any extent just to grab a few .......foreheads.....

I got this info from one of my friend..... and this is the bizarrest stuff I ever heard......

Pratik Patel has put up a part of his body - theforehead - as ad space on an Internet auction site. Sold on the idea of the human billboard?

Well,21-year-old Pratik Patel, is convinced that he willfind takers on the auction website on which he hasbecome the first Indian to auction a body part as adspace. Yes, this computer management student from Punedoesn't deny being inspired by "fellow advertisers" onthat particular auction website. "I was rather surprised by the overwhelming responsethat Andrew Fischer got. He sold his forehead as spacefor advertising and got $37,375. When he can earn somuch through his forehead, why can't I?"

And what of other body-part auctioneers like AngelBrammer of Scotland, who sold her bust as ad space;and the pregnant Elise Harp of Georgia, who auctionedher protruding tummy as ad space? "Well, if I had whatthey have, I would do it too!" he saysFor those interested in buying Pratik's forehead as adspace for 30 days, bids start at Rs 1 lakh. "Listingis free of cost. However, the transaction fee of 5% onthe final value is what the advertiser has to give theportal," informs Deepa, corporate communicationsmanager of the website, "The rest is all his."

Money, however, is not his only criterion, insistsPratik. "Money apart, I also want to be famous. Thisattempt to auction my forehead is a stepping stone tothe UK, where I intend to pursue higher studies. Ofcourse, the more I am paid for my forehead, the betterwill be the quality of my education, the life of myparents and friends, and the life of tsunami victimsas I want to make a donation too. I also plan to buy alaptop." If Pratik has already planned how to spend what heearns, it's because he's confident the concept of bodyparts as ad space will work in India. "Why not? It's a unique concept. It's a matter oftime.

The moment this becomes a trend here, there willbe no looking back." Adds Deepa: "If corporates come forward to plant theirlogos on someone's forehead, it won't be long beforethe trend spreads like wildfire. As far as body partsgo, being an Indian portal, ad spaces will always haveto cater to community viewing." Pratik, in turn, is game for everything. "Put any logothat you want on my forehead as long as the money isbig."

Did we hear a bid out there?.....

Nonsense

2005-03-03T12:30:00.000+05:30

Ah........ I have to hurry and jot my thoughts down. The more I think about what to write beforehand, the worse it'll come out when I try to express it.

Well, several times, I thought about giving up on this site. Several times, I read a few old posts and felt like (no actually I knew......) it was all trash (crap...... bullshit).

Several times, I asked, when did I have such moronic ideas? So I wondered, why not throw it all away, since it does not represent my current beliefs?

But if I do that, I will never have a decent record of my younger years, because when it comes down to it, my views are always changing.That's why this blog will remain. New layout, new style, but nothing of the past will be deleted. This will only mark the stepping-stone of my growth.

For one day I will look back on this post and say to myself, when did I have such shitty ideas?

Adios ! ! !

2005-03-01T11:45:00.000+05:30

Well .... its time....

Time to pack my bags ......... and ......... start my journey ......... once again .......... the winding path of life lies ahead of me.

I knew the stay was temporary ......... and so were my companions. A few of them will join me ...... others will be forgotten in the vast milieu of crowd.

This is the time for retrospection ........ times that flew by (partying???) ....... and those which didnt (classes which were held exactly after the lunch). But the time spent here wasn't bad at all. I learnt quite a few things about me ........ about those around me ...... and more importantly about ............. we ............. humans.

As I pack my bags ......... I just cant help remembering the days we enjoyed ....... and those we hated (read the exam days) .......... our trip to MGM ........ freshers party .......the management meets ..........

And now some parting thought .................. to my friends .........

Old and good friends share a piece

Of passion, pain, and pleasure

That no one else, no family can

Begin to know or treasure.
It's as if a secret room

Held their private store,

And every time they met, they could

Go through some special door.
It doesn't matter if they see

Each other every day,

Or years and years go by before

They come and go away:
The moment that they meet it all

Is there--the memories of

Fierce loyalty and times of need

And gratitude and love.

PS: Do remember me friends ....... I am not that bad........... after all!!!!

The Sacred India - From the eyes of Paul Brunton (P B)

2005-01-30T12:06:00.000+05:30

One of the best books on spirituality I have ever read till date. What I like about this book is the that the author adopts a no-nonsense attitude right from the beginning. He doesnot merely believe in words or is overawed by the acts of wonder workers (miracle men).

PAUL BRUNTON

Born in the year 1898, in the land of the queen, the author was greatly interested in the art of yoga & meditation. Infact it can be said that PB introduced this art to the west after having himself mastered it in India.

HIS QUEST

PB travelled extensively to the east (which doesnot necessarily correspond to India), went to Egypt, Japan among other countries. During his journey, PB came across various spiritual person, Mstics and Saints.

Some were fake.......some were genuine. The account of his meetings with various wonder workers in India to read.

While going through the book.......PB's feeling of restlessness comes to the fore. It is as if he is in search of something.....something he knows exist........yet he cannot find it. It is his restlessness that brings him in contact with some of the finest spiritual masters during that time. Sri Sri Lahiri Mahasaya, Sri Shankaracaharya, Meher Baba to name a few.......

His search ends in Arunachala at the Ashram of Sri Ramana Maharishi..........

And as the author puts in.....

"the sky is strewn with stars, which clusters in countless thousands.....close over our heads. The rising moon is a thin crescent disc of silver light. On our left the evening fireflies are making the compound grove radiant and above them the plummed heads of tall palm trees stands out in black silhoutte against the sky

My adventure in self-metamorphosis.......is.......over."

Height of Joblessness !!!!

2005-01-12T09:30:00.000+05:30

Should the word 'Sindh' in our national anthem be replaced by some other word or the name of an Indian state???

Only a jobless person.........who has nothing else to do in life apart from ........well ....... staying alive...... would have thought of such an atrocious thing.

What amazes me the most is the fact that even the Supreme Court ....... India's apex institution on law order has taken this issue seriously. It has decided to seek a response from the Center in Public Interest.

Public Interest????

How many of us really bothered to ponder on this issue.....

And believe me there is nothing to think about......

At this point of time miliions of cases are pending in the high courts & other law enforcement agencies.

Why burden the judiciary with a case which is at best insignificant and at worse irrelevant ?

According to the petition the presence of the word Sindh in our national anthem is anomalous, both geographically and politically. This petition is based on the fact as Sindh the region is in Pakistan, singing in praises in of land belonging to a foreign nation would hurt the sentiments of all right thinking Indians.

Bullshit !!!Absolute f****** shit.

Here is my viewpoint......

The word Sindh in the national anthem doesnot have any particular geographical significance.

The same should be applied to the entire anthem. It should be regarded essentially as hymns or a song that expresses the true patrotic feeling of an Indian.

Take the case of Britain's national anthem 'God save the queen'. The poem was written when Britain had large colonies in the east. Does that mean in the post colonial era their anthem needs to be changed.

Another instance could be of Singapore's anthem 'Majulah Singapurah'. This anthem is written in Malay.......a language most Sinaporeans don't understand.

As seen above, it is the poetry & patriotism rather than ground realities that dictate the choice. The literal meanings of the word do not always determine the sentiments national anthem evoke. A country as diverse as ours, can only be united by the patriotic feeling that is invioked through our national anthem.

Chopping and changing it may not mean much to the common man........ but it would be an insult to the Constituent Assembly comprisisng of emminent personalities who on 15 Aug 1947 adopted Rabindranath Tagore's rousing invocation of India's ...........

New Spirit......

Jesus and India - is there a connection.....

2005-01-05T12:40:00.000+05:30

Of all the saints, mystics and spiritual masters, I have heard of till date.....one intrigues me the most- Jesus Christ. My curiosity arises not from what he spoke and preached.....but who he was??? His life???.

MY QUESTIONS:

The Holy Bible is also silent ......and mentions it as the unknown days of Christ. Why is this so...was it done deliberately......or was it out of mere ignorance.....
After the crucification there has been numerous Islamic, Buddhist and Hindu scriptures which have recorded accounts of travelling of a saintly man from the west.....to the far east.......why has Christianity chosen to deny it.....

SOME POSSIBLE ANSWERS:

According to Holger Kersten a renowned researcher.....Jesus came to India......during his teens.....in search of truth.....
Kersten provides irrefutable evidence to this fact.......from the writing in the Buddhist scriptures and certain excavation conducted by him in an around Jammu & Kashmir*. This can be understood from the fact that at that time (and possibly even now)..... India was the powerhouse of spiritual knowledge. Supported by kings....and their subjects...... spiritual activities were given the highest priority in their daily life.

This is the reason why certain teachings of Jesus have marked similarities with Hinduism and Buddhism.

After crucification

Not only did Christ survive the Crucifixion, he travelled with his mother (Mother Mary) to India and finally died at an old age. The tomb of Jesus still exists in Kashmir. Accounts of his second arrival to India can be found in the Bhavishyat Mahapurana (a hindu scripture written in Sanskrit) and also in writings of Mullah Naderi.

What pains me is the fact that proponents of Christianity have chosen to ignore these irrefutable truth for such a long time and possibly will do it in the future......but why.......do they consider that associating christianity with the religions of the east would make it inferior........or is it something else........

Christianity as a religion is as good as any other religion in any part of the world. It is the acts of some people and their vested interest that hide the truth from coming out.

But ...... as they say........ truth has its own way coming out..........

Sooner or later !!!!

* The only trade link available between India and the west was through the Silk Route..... men and material passed through this route only.

Do visit this link http://www.sol.com.au/kor/7_01.htm to know more.......

Bye Bye 2004.........Welcome 2005

2005-01-01T12:18:00.000+05:30

On the new year's eve........chill out with friends.....party hard all night........usher in the new year among your loved ones...........so that.......... it remains that way all the year round.

On the 1st of Jan........start the day auspiciously......pray to the Almighty.......that he is there with us in this year too......as he has been there for all this time.

Have a GREAT......GREAT......GREAT new Year.........

All the very Best.....

The day after tomorrow........

2004-12-27T09:50:00.000+05:30

The day after Christmas in the year 2004 will forever remain etched in the mind of chennaites and to those, whose lives changed forever after those killer waves crashed onto their loved ones.

Wherever I put my eyes on I can only see death and destruction. Life has come to a standstill in Chennai on 26th Dec 04. It was around 6:30 AM (IST) when I felt the first tremor that rocked Chennai. The tremors continued for about 15-20 min. After the experience of Gujarat earthquake (I was in Mumbai that time), I understood that the epicenter of the quake would be somewhere away.

Little did I know what was in store for the day?

The first Tsunamis struck at around 9:30 AM (IST). I was at home when I heard the chaos…..people running around in panic. At first, I couldn’t understand what had happened. There was lot of confusion…..and rumors started spreading. It was only when my friend, who was at the beach, called me up that I could get the true picture. I rushed out of my house towards the beach (curiosity……..it’s in our genes).

And then I saw something which made my heart froze. A huge wave….. almost equal to a two storey building ……..and still increasing…….came crashing onto the beach. People were running everywhere…….for their dear life.

'Life'....huh!!! .....the word has given a new meaning to me now. I understand how precious are the days when one feels the warmth of their loved ones all around them....what it takes to wipe tears of others while holding back ones own. True how a shocking incident can test our….. character.

By 12:00 PM (IST) the actual extent of devastation began to sink in……overturned catamarans…….sinking fishing boats…………merchant ships struck to each others...… floating planks…..and above all thousands and thousands of human lives. What makes the situation worse is the fact that majority of the dead were children who were either playing or had come with their parents for a walk on the beach.

The epic devastation of Bhuj and Latur earthquake on land remains etched in the country’s collective consciousness……..one more has been added……

Its night know when I write ……deathly silence engulfs us all…….broken only by the roaring sound of waves crashing onto the beach.

It has been a day of grief…..pain…..but as life goes on……the agony of those who have left their dear ones…….will be overcome…….I know they will…..

WE SHALL OVERCOME
WE SHALL OVERCOME
WE SHALL OVERCOME……….SOMEDAY
O DEEP IN OUR HEARTS
I DO BELIEVE
WE SHALL OVERCOME
SOMEDAY

Economics of Life

2004-11-29T14:02:00.000+05:30

During my 12th grade, I happen to read in economics (I actually did that....can u believe it !!!) that resources available to the society were always limited, in comparison to our limitless desires.

One question that's been bombarded me umpteen times: "What do you want to be?or"Do you have an(y) aim in life??" (latter one being my dad's way of phrasing the same question....with the "y").

When I was 6 - 7 yrs old........I wanted to become just like the ice cream vendor who used to come every evening (not sell ice creams.......but to have all of them).

When I was around 11 yrs old ....... I was sure that my future was in gardening .......I had seen the gardner sit around lazily, chatting with his friends.......simple life........ no problems whatsoever

As I grew up Diego Maradona used to fascinate me.......I just wanted to become like him......what skill he possessed......outstanding!!!!

Then came Tendulkar.......Vishwanathan Anand..... the list goes on and on........

History had always envinced an interest in me........I always wondered how those historians, archaeologists etc used to come up with amazing discoveries. I wanted to be one of them.........probably ........probably even now.....

By the time I was in senior secondary the ocean of accountancy engulfed me.......... in the beginning I found it tough......but slowly got the hang of it......

Then came college hmmnnnn..... no........life aint that bad.....this is what I felt then........especially in the company of friends.........

And here I am......... almost on the verge of completing my MBA in finance...........

As I look back in the past , I wanted to be a lot of things. And I guess I'm no different from others. We watch action movies, and we want to be there, to do that. We see bungee jumpers perform astonishing feats, and we feel an urge to emulate them. Finally.........it is what we do in life is important........ not the one we left back.

Those options that went off into thin air were not entirely unachievable. But I just didn't opt for those.

Why?.......... It probably wasn't the best option to choose.

In effect, we all desire a lot. We also have a lot of options to choose from. But we chose some of them ......not all , coz we didn't have the time or resource to be in all of them at the same time. In other terms, we couldn't have bit more than we could've chewed!

And that's what economics is all about - the science of choice, given the infinite wants and limited resources!

Quite funny, isn't it?

Bangalore Ahoy !!!!!

2004-11-20T15:52:00.000+05:30

I am off to Bangalore......for only a day though......

Going for the Reuters interview........hope I make it.........

Last time 24 of us from the college and it was great fun........full partying (and ....... !!!). Lets hope the going is good and I come out successfully.

From the brief time I was there I got the feel that it was almost had that Mumbai touch in itself. Actually I felt Bangalore to be a lot better than chennai (which is full off @#$%*&^).

If I hit the bulls eye then the next 2 yrs (hopefully) would be in Bangalore (yippeee!!!!).

By the way I am already placed in INDIABULLS an equity trading company. (hehehe)

But if I get in Reuters then I am ready to ditch this job.

So pray for me guys pleaseeeeeeee!!!!!

.:. Diwali .:.

2004-11-15T12:05:00.000+05:30

Hey guys

wishing u all a very happy deepavali.

It has still been raining quite a bit, even on the day (and night too) of Diwali. So......by now you must have guessed how much I would have enjoyed........this time.
Didnt post for a long time......

I still havent got that bug to post everyday......

College is going on.....the same......

I have started to work on this project on building a website on the nuances of Finance. Lets see when I am able to actually put it online. Keep you guys posted on the latest on this front.

Apart from that life is busy as usual ....... travelling from home to college consuming half of my day (I hate that !!)

Cya

Its raining.....raining.....raining........&......

2004-11-08T15:22:00.000+05:30

Thats wat is happening in chennai for the last few weeks. This used to happen only in Mumbai.... seems like chennai got the rain (bug) too.

And with change of weather bring (especially during rain) with it sufficient dosages of .... running nose....sore throat....and worst of all F E V E R. Even I couldn't escape its clutches.

To make it worst the roads are all clogged with water (sewage and bloody stinks like hell). The roads in and around Mandevli and Mylapore (chennaites would know them better) test even the best of the drivers .......worst if you are in the bus (standing).....with your entire body doing all forms contortions (quite..... painful I should say).

Rain or no rain ......our classes will go on and on and on ...........morning to evening.......the next day............the day after...........

Ma Durga r Pujo

2004-10-24T12:30:00.000+05:30

Can you smell the intoxicating fragrance of Sharat kaal and hear Anandamayee’s footsteps in the air ? Does your heart beat in the rhythm of Dhaak and K(N)asar coming from within ? Yes, it is that time of year once again.

Thats wat every bengali live for..... The entire year we wait for those three days (sapthmi....asthami...&...navami it means 7th 8th and the 9th day) when the entire bengali community comes together to celebrate Ma er Aagomon (Mother's Homecoming).

Hmmnnnn.....the three days .......one doesnt even know how time flies by........it just feels yesterday that I was listening to Mahalaya....and..........

Well.....coming back...... the traditional six day countdown to Mahasaptami starts from Mahalaya. Goddess Durga visits the earth for only four days but seven days prior to the Pujas, starts the Mahalaya. The enchanting voice of Birendra Krishna Bhadra fill up the predawn hours of the day thus marking the beginning of "devipaksha" and the beginning of the count-down of Durga Puja.

To commemorate this festive occasion , the preparation starts about a 2-3 months back. No stones are left untouched to make this occasion a success. Afterall it is our Ma who comes to visit us only for a few days after an entire year.

The ocassion ...... as I told above..... starts with Mahalya ....thats the first of the ten days of the festivities. On this day bengalis living in Kolkatta visit the Holy Ganges.

The following days are spent on various activites such as giving finishes touches to pujo pandals .... running everywhere for chaanda (hehe) etc.

The real celeration starts from Mahasapthmi ie 7th day of Ma staying with us. Its fun and frolic all day around....adda with your friends being the only exercise of the day (and to top it all.........u get to savour the lip smacking........bengali cuisine.... damn I feel hungry already).

Mahashthami and Navami passes in the same manner.

The day of Vijaydashami is generally marked by gloom and saddness. Well.....atleast I felt something like that. Especially during the time of Bishorjon of the Idol of Ma.

To tell u the truth ........ I........I couldn't stop my eyes from getting moist. Especially because this was the first time I ever went for bishorjon. With heavy hearts me and my friends departed to our houses......back to life.......as usual.......work as usual......huh??

But as they say "Ashchey bochor abar hobey" (Next year ..... again).

Before I finish this very......long..........Post......of mine.

Lets.....atleast.....for the last time.......this year.......shout in unison.

BOLO DURGA MAI KI........JAI !!!

PS: I FORGOT.....SO BAD OF ME....

Today I turned 23.....

2004-10-02T11:51:00.000+05:30

One more year gone. One more year old (old??.....no way!!!!).

To my parents and sis who were the first one to wish me (dot at 12:00). As always loving and supporting me.

To my friends in Chennai Shwetha, Parvadha, Nalini, Sudha, Sriram (thanks for the tip on good life and good WIFE !!!) .....Ajai..... my friend in Mumbai ......thank you all for wishing me....each one of you have contributed in your own way in making this day so special ... Its overwhelming to know that you are still important in the eyes of some people.

Today, while cleaning my room (finally,....did it after.......ummnnn...... dont remmember).

coming back......when I was cleaning my room....... I came across some pictures (very old........atleast it looked old to me). I uploaded some of them here.....

On my second b'day

The day I turned 5 yrs old ... me on the left........ with my cousin brother.

With my grandmother

The return to innocence........

2004-09-23T09:18:00.000+05:30

It takes ages to create something out of nothing. The sweat of every man involved in that creation............years of effort....years of pain........years of reversals........but man is confident and has determination to reach his goal........ultimately he wins.

Voila!!!! what a beautiful sight must be for those whose hard work finally paid off.

It takes a few fleeting moments to destroy man's very own creation........by himself...........what an irony!!!!.

Its in our nature to destroy ourselves..............

And yet we forget about HIM.........He who gives us all.......the power to think...........to create.........

I probably dont know why I am writing this ...............probably you wouldnt even understand what I meant to convey.

What prompted me to write was this picture taken from columbia space shuttle in its last mission.

The photograph attached was taken by the crew on board the Columbia during its last mission, on a cloudless day.

The picture is of Europe and Africa when the sun is setting. Half of the picture is in night. The bright dots you see are the cities lights. The top part of Africa is the Sahara Desert.

Note that the lights are already on in Holland, Paris, and Barcelona, and that's it's still daylight in Edinburgh, London, Lisbon, and Madrid. The sun is still shining on the Strait of Gibraltar. The Mediterranean Sea is already in darkness.

Show me the M O N E Y..........

2004-09-22T14:44:00.000+05:30

Its time. Yup my friends.......it is that time of the year when the employers start searching for their prospective employees (read bonded labourers) .

Slowly........... it would become a mad rush. Trust me man............. a month or so........only one question will be hanging in the air..............Which company is coming.............. or for that matter..........did u get in somewhere???

Welcome.......welcome to the M B A Placement season. Here no one is your friend. Steal, Kill do anything but get a job somehow.

As my classmates say "who cares about others when your life is all hay and sunshine"

A vision of Spring...........

2004-09-20T22:32:00.000+05:30

Just had some thoughts coming in my mind. What better way than to jotting (rather typing) down in the blog.

Some sketches of them.

The pyramids of Egypt – Pharaoh’s Glory Gold………. Diamonds rubies dazzling wealth……….. monuments of magnificence……..today stands stark forlorn, forgotten, against the arid particles of the desert ………….the Sahara

The grandeur of the Maya people ………. The genius of their astronomy and mathematic ………………skeleton of an empire……………the bare bone of a city……….. swamped in the Amazon jungles of South America.

The crumbling columns of the Colosseum…………..the empty galleries of theatre & forum where once music, dance, logic and politics flourished.
Alas! the Greek tragedy.

The might of the Caesar………the brilliant oratory of the senators……….the built – up gospel “ALL ROADS LEAD TO ROME” …………..that great Roman empire today………..shadows ……..shamble……….the ruins.

This is the consistency confounding story of Man everywhere. We are a peculiar creature ………..the innocence and gentleness of a child………..the perservity and fiendishness of Mephisto…………….the beauty and love of an angel…………..All three coexist……..

What a marvel of the creation???

Who created the earth……….the sun…………….the moon……….stars. How did our space and time come into being?

What was before????

What will be AFTER ????

Yipppeeee!!!!

2004-09-17T18:02:00.000+05:30

I feel great. My grades came out for the summer project. I got an A........ yes an A....... that means out of a GPA of 10 i got 10. I feel like flying to somewhere...... This is one of the happiest day of my life.

But I know......... there is still two terms to go and I have to work really hard to keep my grades up.

I am thinking on creating a site which will deal with issues related to Finance. Actually my site layout is ready. Time permitting I will start with this one too. The reason for this second site is that I dont wanna put financial stuff in my personal site which basically deals with SPIRITULAITY.

See the layout.......... does it look good........please tell me.

Rachael !!!!!!!

2004-09-15T17:24:00.000+05:30

GOD

She looks just amazing............

beautiful....................

soooooooooo cute............

Today I was watching the movie American Crime and the only thing I remember about the movie is rachael...........rachael...........& only RACHAEL.

And she is not one of those dumb bimbos............she acts quite well.

I had watched her movie josie and the pussycats twice.........given a choice I will watch it again & again & again.....

PS: DON'T APE AT THE PICS........@##$%^&

In search of T R U T H

2004-09-14T12:29:00.000+05:30

Picked up this book In search of Secret India by - Paul Brunton

Dr. Paul Brunton

Its a book that describes Paul Bruton's search for a guru in India in the early part of the twentieth century. After meeting many acclaimed yogis, he decides his true guru is Sri Ramana Maharshi and returns to Arunchala for several weeks of intensive instruction.

The final chapters describe the oral teachings given to Brunton by Ramana and the subjective experience of practicing Ramana's method, including the first sudden experience of the true Self.

This book seems to be a thought- provoking- one. and I am sure, I will be hooked onto it this entire week.

BPOs...................

2004-09-13T12:31:00.000+05:30

Ha ha ha
So much for those who were proud of the fact that they were working in a BPO/call center........ in particular............ night shifts !!!!. Hmmnnn.......Nice way to work (Mixing business with pleasure)

I recently got a mail from someone in Infosys which brought to true light what was actually going on. Then we had the Economic Times coming out in their headlines about this issue (See the article: Its freedom after midnight in BPOs).

This was bound to happen, young people in their early twenty's (like us). But I can tell you that this is a temporary pahse. The industry is in its nascent stage. It is growing and with growth comes a lot of changes. This is one part of it.

We (the young bloods) are capable of understanding the pros and cons of every situation we come across. How we deal with it is a matter of perception which differs from person to person.

Mergers and Acquisitions

2004-09-10T16:58:00.000+05:30

This is what I read in 'THE ECONOMIST' about the new way of doing M&A deals.

The article said:

FOR some Japanese firms, acquiring another company may soon be a little like getting a pizza delivered. On September 1st, Strike, a Japanese consulting firm that advises on mergers and acquisitions (M&A), launched a new service to help clients put a price on potential deals. Strike promises a speedy response. It will deliver your calculation within a week, or you get it for half price. Clearly, the service is aimed at small firms and internet start-ups.

This is a complete changeover from the methods practiced till now on.

Moreover its good......for these companies donot have that much of monetary power to suffer the long process of the acquisition cycle.

But the million dollar question is

WHETHER THIS METHOD CAN BE APPLICABLE IN CASE OF INDIAN COMPANIES??

Watch this space??

Life@IBS

2004-09-09T14:03:00.000+05:30

God......... you never know how time........ flies by.

It seems just the other day I joined IBS (Icfai Business School)......and now a year has passed. The other day we had the welcoming party for the freshers. The party went up till 2 AM. and it was quite a good one considering the financial limitaions we seniors had to put up with.

In this one year I gained a lot (of weight) and lost a lot (of friends.....not that all due to my fault).

One thing has remained the same though.......my understanding of other people has remained a null as before. It seems to me that it would be better to leave it to God...... matters regarding these.

Oh !! By the way I have just pasted a Shoutbox on my site.

Hope you guys would like it.

There was a problem with my SMS facility before........it took me a day or two to fix it up. Now its workin just fine.

Thats all for now

Cya

A LoNG tImE...........

2004-09-08T03:18:00.000+05:30

Well its has been a long time I put down my precious 'gyan' (actually priceless...).

Last few days (a month....) I have been really busy. Exams till Sat and before that case study presentations and top it all Internal evaluation by the faculties. This is H E L L.

Went to Tirupathi and by God's grace the weather was just amazing.

Thinkin about going to Delhi to just refresh myself..........meet old buddies..........relatives. I havent gone back to my hometown in the last 2 yrs (can u believe that!).

So till now thats what I have...

Keep u posted with the latest.

Bye

Yesterday............

2004-08-09T22:30:00.000+05:30

Did not even touch my books.

Felt so tired that I just slept by 12:00 am.

I have to stop my partying business. Anyways exam pressure is building on my head. Subjects like Security Analysis is keeping myself busy. So much to do..........so less time.

GOT TO DO IT.

Otherwise it would be detrimental on my CGPA.

EXAMS ROUND THE CORNER !!!!

2004-08-05T12:19:00.000+05:30

Yes, its B A C K, and that is making me have sleepy days and snoring nights (hehehe).

I have analysed that as the D day appraoches I feel more and more SLEEPY (zzzzzzz......)

Other than this life is going on anyways, with nothin major to write about.

Back at home Sis has almost gone nuts talkin about Harry and its Potter as the name of the new book has been announced .............Harry and the half Blood prince (no, harry and the half dead prince .......whatever.....). I think a day or two in a mental asylum would be fine for her (Does Hogwarts have one?). Not that I have any grudge on my sis or on Master Harry Potter. But if you keep on hearing the sentences like "oooooooooo he sooooo cute!!!", "oh wwwoooowww !!!!" or for that matter "Daniel is so sweeeeet !!!!" everytime she happens to find a pic or gets to watch the Potter trailer. How long can u contain urself?She already has a Life size poster of Hrithik Roshan in her room and now wants to put a Harry potter of that same size. And mom dad don't seem to mind at all.

That is wat I envy about her. Tell me can I put up a Pamela Anderson poster or for that matter a Jenna Jameson one? My mom is surely gonna tear me apart if she finds one in my room.Well as of now this is the situation back at home. I would keep you guys posted with the latest happenings.

Thats all for now.

ByeTake care...........

Do we know them ???

2004-08-03T15:52:00.000+05:30

Friends we call them.......but are they???

Think about it........

People all around you......walking past you....... few touching your life in some way or the other.

Sometimes helping you and sometimes..............

Well......we call this our social life. But is it ??

Aren't we all alone..........basically. Trudging the long, lonely path of life. But for how long??

How long ....... thats the question.......thats mankind to us.

Will be the same to our children.........and to theirs.........and to theirs.

We never change. And history tells us that we won't do in the future too.

Ask yourself a simple question - ARE YOU HAPPY???

If you answer it from the bottom of the heart then......... maybe ............ even if a smallest part of it..........will understand ..................

......H I M .....

2004-08-02T21:37:00.000+05:30

Time 7:00 AM - Mom Shouting " Wake up or......... !!!!"

Not a bad way to begin the week. Especially, if you know that its gonna be a long and hard one.
My classes have started in full swing. Financial concepts & jargons are thrown at us by our professor(s). (makes me feel like facing Shoaib Akhtar, without an L-guard and helmet !!!!)

Well, its time to do a bit of hard work.

My site has become a bit of drag on me as I have to still upload a lot of pics.

Will be postponing it.................for the time being.

Almost forgot !! I would like to thank everyone for wishing me on Friendship Day. Nice to feel that some friends do remmember me.

In search of TRUTH........

2004-07-28T13:23:00.000+05:30

Aren't we all doing that. Searching for that final truth/happiness/peace/nirvana or whatever we may call it.

And I am sure most of us (that includes me too) will keep on searching for it for the rest of our lives. The reason is.........That in our quest for it......We travel far and wide. Look in seemingly impossible directions. Think about absolute worthless things. But we forget the small things in life......That matter most.

I remember this story.........I read it in one of those books on Shri Sadguru Saibaba of Shirdi.
One day when baba was sitting alone in his masjid, a man approached him. He seemed to be a very wealthy man. Baba asked him what did he want?

The man said that he wanted to understand the meaning of infinity, space and time. And whether God really exist.

Baba said to the man " Acquiring knowldege in these subject require very high skill as one has to bring together all the FIVE sensory organs into control. One also needs to part away from this material world.

The man said that he can do it and therefore Saibaba could start teaching him.

Baba thought for a while........he replied " Yesterday when you came out of your house, there was a beggar standing in front of your door. This beggar hadn't eaten for days. He asked only for a rupee. But did you give him.........NO ! u didn't. Even though you had FIVE hundred rupees in your pocket.

One who cannot part with a single rupee.......do u think he can understand the meaning of infinity.

The man felt ashamed and left immediately.

It is not in the outside world that peace exist.........It is inside.........In ourselves.

The last week................

2004-07-27T13:29:00.000+05:30

My summer project got over a week before that.

My final presentation went absolutely amazing. It was the best I had ever given. Only drawback was that it took a rather lengthy time (approximately one and half hrs.). My guides were rather impressed. Well now I just hope to get a good grade out of it.

Coming to the last week...............was rather boring. As I didn't have anything to do. Movies.............Food........Sleep..........thats all what I was doing.

Somehow managed to find time .................to............... upgrade my site a bit.

Seems to be workin fine.

Me more than happy to get back to college (It makes me feel younger too)................starting tommorrow.

Refleksuns

2004-07-14T12:33:00.000+05:30

There I was watching a movie 'Josie and the Pussy cats' in HBO. Take my word the movie sucked. The only thing that made me glued to the screen was the lead actress RACHAEL LEIGH COOK. She is so CUTE. She is so GORGEOUS. Everythin is so perfect about her. Her eyes, nose, lips (O GOD!!), I mean everything is so beautiful. She has this childish smile.....an innocent face. You can see her by clickin on this linkwww.rachaelleighcook.net

Other than that life is goin as usual. Waitin anxiously for the intership to get over so that i can again be among my buddies.

One of my very old friend Sid is in Bangalore, plannin to vist him soon. We were together in school right from the sixth grade.

At that time this guy was a big fan of Arnold Schwazenneger (I hope I spelt it right!!!). I dont remmember how many times he has watched that TerminatorII movie.

I even gave him a lifesize poster of that movie on his B'day. Afterwards I heard from him that he used to pray in front of that poster every morning (HAHAHA).

Overall he was a very nice guy to talk to. I remmember how he & I used to fight when we were in the 11th grade. Then we wouldnot speak for some days. Pallav another friend of urs used to act as the mediator (HEHE). But he was always a helpful one. Very optimistic when I was down.

After passing out from school.........we lost contact with each other. I came to Mumbai, did my graduation there. And it was only a few years ago that he mailed me. Thanx to ur school site www.dpsrkp.com.

I really miss my school days. And I really miss him a lot. I never got a friend like him again. I used to irritate him, get him into trouble, do all sorts of childish stuff, he used to mind sometimes, but never broke his friendship. For that I am greatful to him. I will always be. Because in him I found one of my finest buddy. My Best friend - SIDDHARTH RAMAN SINGH.

She changed my entire report...........

2004-07-13T10:44:00.000+05:30

I can't believe it. I burned my ass all this time on my report and just before I am about to take the print, myFACULTYtells me to realign the entire report,change the graphs, change the font size vagerah vagerah.

This would take atleast a week to do justice to the entire mess she has made now. I feel like killing myself (No I feel like strangling her neck). Why Why this had to happen to me.

Will be now starting now to make the changes. Lets see how much time it takes.