Picture this, you are hanging off the edge of a plane, 15000 feet lie between you and the ground below, 15000 feet to where normal people live. And you ask yourself “Why in the name of God am I doing this ?”. Well, too late because you should have thought of that before you signed up for the sky dive.
Sky diving was not really on my to-do list in this month long trip to the US. But AJB, my fellow team mate convinced me to do this. Also this blog desperately needed an update, And so my dear readers..reader..well, whoever that accidentally stopped by on this page, I decided to sign up for the sky dive for you, even though it does not come cheap (may be the one without a parachute does but I suspect it is not as popular). The jump was scheduled the last weekend but did not happen because of cloud and fog. So we went back again today. It was a tandem jump. The jumpmaster who I would be hitched to helped me with the harness and gave a quick crash course (pardon the pun) on the do’s and don’ts. And then we boarded the plane with the others.
15000 feet in the air, I was looking down into emptiness, hanging out of the edge of the plane and suddenly I find myself being thrown into space. The first few seconds are a blur, I feel this blast of air on my face and then I realize I am in a free fall, shooting down at more than 100 miles an hour. The wind continues to blow up my face without relent, so hard that I forget to breathe for a moment or two.
I look around, the scene around me is beautiful, I see the outline of Monterey bay and the clear blue ocean. The jumpmaster asks me to put my hands out, I do and it feels like I am flying. The photographer, who jumped a moment before we did, is busy shooting the video of the jump. I manage to signal a thumbs-up sign to the camera. We are still hurtling down like there is no tomorrow and suddenly I am pulled upwards abruptly. The jumpmaster just deployed the chute. We had covered 10000 feet in about 70 seconds. The descent then on was slow and steady, relatively speaking. It gave me more time to take in what had just happened and also to enjoy the view around. Four minutes later, I am back on Terra Firma.
And I figured out why I did this...because it is an adrenaline rush that blows your mind away. So to sum it up... WOW !!
Friday night, my colleague here took me to my first Ice hockey game. I enjoyed it immensely especially the part when fights would erupt between the players and they go raining blows on each other. And yes, San Jose Sharks, the home team that my colleague (and hence me too) was cheering for, won beating Anaheim ducks 6-0. Ducks Suck...Go sharks !!
But as memorable as the match may have been, skydiving was an experience so incredible that it dwarfs everything else for now.
Like the T-shirt at the skydiving centre said - “Sky is not the limit, the ground is”.
So just shut up and jump...and don’t soil your pants...
Showing posts with label Misc. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Misc. Show all posts
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
'Back' in Business
The last two weeks I have been laid low by a persistent pain in the back. No, no, I am not talking about quality processes at work. It was really a physical back pain which kind of sneaked up on me.
I think it was a muscle pull or a really bad sprain that decided to hang around for a couple of weeks. Infact, on a few days it was so bad that I could not get out of bed. And, take it from me, it is just not pleasant lying on the bed the whole day not being able to move. The only position that one can be in is a straight line sleeping like Tutankhamen in his sarcophagus. It was like I had swallowed a lamp post.
I was on pain killers and gels that helped a bit but by far the best remedy for back related ailments, as I discovered, is to sleep on the floor. No mattress, no bedding, just plain old floor. A week of sleeping on the floor and looks like my back is almost as good as new and I hope it stays that way.
Anyway, the best part about the whole incident is that it gives me something to blog about this month which otherwise has turned out to be a pretty bland month so far.
I think it was a muscle pull or a really bad sprain that decided to hang around for a couple of weeks. Infact, on a few days it was so bad that I could not get out of bed. And, take it from me, it is just not pleasant lying on the bed the whole day not being able to move. The only position that one can be in is a straight line sleeping like Tutankhamen in his sarcophagus. It was like I had swallowed a lamp post.
I was on pain killers and gels that helped a bit but by far the best remedy for back related ailments, as I discovered, is to sleep on the floor. No mattress, no bedding, just plain old floor. A week of sleeping on the floor and looks like my back is almost as good as new and I hope it stays that way.
Anyway, the best part about the whole incident is that it gives me something to blog about this month which otherwise has turned out to be a pretty bland month so far.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
The price of patriotism
Why should anyone bother to be patriotic ?. If the word even means anything these days. I rarely write on a whim but this news item really got to me
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7771243.stm
We have our very own Valarie Plame episode here. Only this time, it is the brazen stupidity of the Calcutta police that was responsible.
A friend of mine who was scathingly critical of the intelligence failure that led to the Mumbai carnage seems almost justified in his cynical view of the intelligence capabilities of the Indian establishment. On my part, I continue to believe that there are dedicated and brave individuals working in the intelligence network which allows our agencies to keep a tab on activities against the state. The person whose identity has now been compromised is a good example of the actors in the intricate mesh that has been built by the agencies.
However, the Calcutta police (there is no reason to believe that such callousness is endemic to Calcutta police alone) for whatever reasons best known to them, my guess is, for a few seconds of cheap publicity, chose to blow apart the secret identity of an undercover operator.
Knowing the workings of the law enforcement of this country which does not have a witness or any other protection programs, there is little chance that this man can even hope to be protected by the establishment that he chose to serve. The terror groups have demonstrated how easy it is to get the better of our intelligence agencies. The poor man will probably be left to fend for himself and his family.
Not to mention the security personal who died in spite of having bullet-proof jackets on. Obviously, as it goes in India, somebody got richer by approving the purchase of sub standard gear since they would not be the ones to wear them. These low lives are as guilty of terrorism as the perpetrators. Such acts should be treated as treason and dealt with accordingly.
So why would anyone want to risk their lives in the name of the country when idiots abound waiting to sacrifice the last ounce of their integrity at the altar of ego, money, fame and one-upmanship.
Why would anyone not be satisfied with lighting candles, writing blogs or holding placards instead of actually putting their lives and the lives of their family members on the line for the notion of love for country and countrymen when the establishment could not care less about them.
Patriotism is turning out to be an act of sacrifice where the dedicated ones suffer in order to protect the scum of the society who do not give a hoot.
Is there an alternative or does it even matter…..
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7771243.stm
We have our very own Valarie Plame episode here. Only this time, it is the brazen stupidity of the Calcutta police that was responsible.
A friend of mine who was scathingly critical of the intelligence failure that led to the Mumbai carnage seems almost justified in his cynical view of the intelligence capabilities of the Indian establishment. On my part, I continue to believe that there are dedicated and brave individuals working in the intelligence network which allows our agencies to keep a tab on activities against the state. The person whose identity has now been compromised is a good example of the actors in the intricate mesh that has been built by the agencies.
However, the Calcutta police (there is no reason to believe that such callousness is endemic to Calcutta police alone) for whatever reasons best known to them, my guess is, for a few seconds of cheap publicity, chose to blow apart the secret identity of an undercover operator.
Knowing the workings of the law enforcement of this country which does not have a witness or any other protection programs, there is little chance that this man can even hope to be protected by the establishment that he chose to serve. The terror groups have demonstrated how easy it is to get the better of our intelligence agencies. The poor man will probably be left to fend for himself and his family.
Not to mention the security personal who died in spite of having bullet-proof jackets on. Obviously, as it goes in India, somebody got richer by approving the purchase of sub standard gear since they would not be the ones to wear them. These low lives are as guilty of terrorism as the perpetrators. Such acts should be treated as treason and dealt with accordingly.
So why would anyone want to risk their lives in the name of the country when idiots abound waiting to sacrifice the last ounce of their integrity at the altar of ego, money, fame and one-upmanship.
Why would anyone not be satisfied with lighting candles, writing blogs or holding placards instead of actually putting their lives and the lives of their family members on the line for the notion of love for country and countrymen when the establishment could not care less about them.
Patriotism is turning out to be an act of sacrifice where the dedicated ones suffer in order to protect the scum of the society who do not give a hoot.
Is there an alternative or does it even matter…..
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
A post on blogging (aka this title sucks)
Ok, since I could not think of anything else, I might as well blog about..well..what I blog about. I see that my posts overwhelmingly lean towards humor. It's not that I don't attempt other areas but I prefer humor for a few reasons.
Firstly, a blog should and will invariably capture the personality of the blogger. Blogs reveal the domain of comfort of the author and for me that domain is humor. All of us have an opinion on everything and blogs are a way to express them but does the reader really care about what you feel about rising interest rates (unless you are the RBI governor blogging) or how you analyze core dumps on BSD unix ?. So I might as well keep it light and fun. If someone tells me that they blog only for themselves and don’t care if people read it or not, then I think they are just full of it. Those guys are better off writing a dairy. The very fact that someone chose to put something out on the internet shows an interest in having it read by somebody else. I only want to make sure that in case that somebody else bumps into this blog, they will stay here for a second longer before bouncing off. That’s not to say that I will not write about serious stuff. I have and will blog on other issues if I feel strongly about them. But more often than not I just let them be, which leads me to the second reason.
A blog post is typically under 600 words, any longer and it will be difficult to sustain the interest of the reader. I need to think of something that is interesting enough and short enough. Humor is one way to do it. And in the 'short stories' stuff, I usually go for something that has a shock value or fun value. One can achieve that in a short post. A serious story, on the hand, requires considerable situational setting and mood build up which would be difficult to fit into a blog post.
And lastly, blogging is therapeutic for me. Some people smoke, some drink, I blog. I know it’s probably a poor choice over the other two but hey, no fines on blogging in public and you can drive after you blog.
So there, I have managed to get one post in, this month. So long folk(s), I will be back when the next idea strikes me or when it’s time for therapy (that should be soon).
Firstly, a blog should and will invariably capture the personality of the blogger. Blogs reveal the domain of comfort of the author and for me that domain is humor. All of us have an opinion on everything and blogs are a way to express them but does the reader really care about what you feel about rising interest rates (unless you are the RBI governor blogging) or how you analyze core dumps on BSD unix ?. So I might as well keep it light and fun. If someone tells me that they blog only for themselves and don’t care if people read it or not, then I think they are just full of it. Those guys are better off writing a dairy. The very fact that someone chose to put something out on the internet shows an interest in having it read by somebody else. I only want to make sure that in case that somebody else bumps into this blog, they will stay here for a second longer before bouncing off. That’s not to say that I will not write about serious stuff. I have and will blog on other issues if I feel strongly about them. But more often than not I just let them be, which leads me to the second reason.
A blog post is typically under 600 words, any longer and it will be difficult to sustain the interest of the reader. I need to think of something that is interesting enough and short enough. Humor is one way to do it. And in the 'short stories' stuff, I usually go for something that has a shock value or fun value. One can achieve that in a short post. A serious story, on the hand, requires considerable situational setting and mood build up which would be difficult to fit into a blog post.
And lastly, blogging is therapeutic for me. Some people smoke, some drink, I blog. I know it’s probably a poor choice over the other two but hey, no fines on blogging in public and you can drive after you blog.
So there, I have managed to get one post in, this month. So long folk(s), I will be back when the next idea strikes me or when it’s time for therapy (that should be soon).
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Kudos
Time for some good news and bad news - first the good news, ISRO scientists have made the nation proud with the successful launch of chandrayan. The bad news – they forgot to put Mamatha Bannerji onboard.
On inquiring with ISRO on this omission, the spokesperson’s response was “Not far enough”. Apparently, ISRO plans to start work on an even grander space shuttle and will make sure that Ms.Bannerji gets on it. The intended destination for the new shuttle is the Sun.
Until then let’s rejoice this milestone that India has achieved in the realm of space exploration.
Ps: I am currently suffering from a disease known as 'Writer's Block' and words refuse to flow out. I hope to get out of it soon. I may be a little irregular in my blogging for sometime to come. So all you people out there who don't read my blog, you can continue to not do so.
On inquiring with ISRO on this omission, the spokesperson’s response was “Not far enough”. Apparently, ISRO plans to start work on an even grander space shuttle and will make sure that Ms.Bannerji gets on it. The intended destination for the new shuttle is the Sun.
Until then let’s rejoice this milestone that India has achieved in the realm of space exploration.
Ps: I am currently suffering from a disease known as 'Writer's Block' and words refuse to flow out. I hope to get out of it soon. I may be a little irregular in my blogging for sometime to come. So all you people out there who don't read my blog, you can continue to not do so.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Tips on humor writeups
[I had posted this last week but just realized that it is missing, I must have deleted it by accident. So here goes]
In this post, I shall put down my thoughts on how I go about writing humor. If it seems gratuitous, that’s because it is. I just could not think of anything else to write this week and hence I thought I might as well jot down a post on how I approach the ‘Laugh Out Loud’ posts that I write. Here are some of the rules that I have for myself
1. There is no such thing called ‘universal humor’ because humor is *always* context based and you cannot expect everybody to share the same context. So forget about trying to come up with a post that everyone will ‘get’.
2. Do not try to explain the context in detail. It kills the joke. Like I said, you cannot target everyone; people who get your sense of humor will keep coming back. At the same time, do not pick a context that is obscure and too specialized. For example, a pun that goes “Mary had a little lamb…for breakfast” would have a lot more people chuckling (except a few vegetarians maybe) than something like “Does Pavlov’s name ring a bell ?” which probably very few people would get.
3. Assume that your readers are at the same level of intelligence that you are – no more, no less. If you don’t have too many readers, then you are a gifted person...either way.
4. People ask me if the posts where I write about my experiences actually happened that way. Humor writing is to writing what caricature is to drawing. Is a caricature the exact representation of the person ?. No. If so, then is it false ?. No again. See, a caricature is an exaggeration of certain features that are slightly more prominent than the others. Humor writing is very much the same; you take a certain incident and then depict it with a different interpretation.
5. Humor is as much about the ability to get the person to ‘see’ what you are talking about, as it is about leaving enough to their imagination to complete the picture. Write such that it conjures up an image in the person’s mind. Then give just enough hints for the person to complete the situation in their mind. I use this technique the most.
6. Remember that the humor that you are attempting to put across should be something that made you laugh when you first thought about it. A forced attempt at humor is going to show easily. Some of my posts started off as a one liner in my head while driving.
7. Finally, the toughest aspect of humor write-ups is to come up with the right combination of words that will most effectively deliver the joke. This may seem trivial but I believe that certain word combinations can evoke a stronger response than others that mean exactly the same.
These are the rules that I work with. If you have any inputs on how you approach humor, do share them here.
Digressing a bit, it would be great to know who my readers are (other than a few who are forced to read my posts just because they happen to be my friends). Do drop a line to let me know if I am getting better or worse over time. Without feedback, it is difficult to judge if my posts have the intended effect.
In this post, I shall put down my thoughts on how I go about writing humor. If it seems gratuitous, that’s because it is. I just could not think of anything else to write this week and hence I thought I might as well jot down a post on how I approach the ‘Laugh Out Loud’ posts that I write. Here are some of the rules that I have for myself
1. There is no such thing called ‘universal humor’ because humor is *always* context based and you cannot expect everybody to share the same context. So forget about trying to come up with a post that everyone will ‘get’.
2. Do not try to explain the context in detail. It kills the joke. Like I said, you cannot target everyone; people who get your sense of humor will keep coming back. At the same time, do not pick a context that is obscure and too specialized. For example, a pun that goes “Mary had a little lamb…for breakfast” would have a lot more people chuckling (except a few vegetarians maybe) than something like “Does Pavlov’s name ring a bell ?” which probably very few people would get.
3. Assume that your readers are at the same level of intelligence that you are – no more, no less. If you don’t have too many readers, then you are a gifted person...either way.
4. People ask me if the posts where I write about my experiences actually happened that way. Humor writing is to writing what caricature is to drawing. Is a caricature the exact representation of the person ?. No. If so, then is it false ?. No again. See, a caricature is an exaggeration of certain features that are slightly more prominent than the others. Humor writing is very much the same; you take a certain incident and then depict it with a different interpretation.
5. Humor is as much about the ability to get the person to ‘see’ what you are talking about, as it is about leaving enough to their imagination to complete the picture. Write such that it conjures up an image in the person’s mind. Then give just enough hints for the person to complete the situation in their mind. I use this technique the most.
6. Remember that the humor that you are attempting to put across should be something that made you laugh when you first thought about it. A forced attempt at humor is going to show easily. Some of my posts started off as a one liner in my head while driving.
7. Finally, the toughest aspect of humor write-ups is to come up with the right combination of words that will most effectively deliver the joke. This may seem trivial but I believe that certain word combinations can evoke a stronger response than others that mean exactly the same.
These are the rules that I work with. If you have any inputs on how you approach humor, do share them here.
Digressing a bit, it would be great to know who my readers are (other than a few who are forced to read my posts just because they happen to be my friends). Do drop a line to let me know if I am getting better or worse over time. Without feedback, it is difficult to judge if my posts have the intended effect.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Monsoon Showers
Monsoon, the season when thick clouds envelope the sky and the cool breeze bring much needed relief from the heat of summer, the rains quench the thirst of the parched earth, the trees sprout back to life with new greenery, the birds chirp away in search of a mate and the drains overflow, the mosquitoes breed like crazy and then there is a cholera outbreak.
Well, excuse me for being an unromantic killjoy but if you went through what I did last Sunday, you would want to migrate to Sahara too.
A new movie featuring another new kid on the block who has not yet wiped off the chocolate sticking on his face, throw in a few young cousins who somehow have gotten into their heads that the purpose of life is to watch this movie and learn all the lyrics by heart and then there is me, the big brother with a car. I had no option but to take them out to the evening show on Sunday.
The movie began, the movie ended. That’s enough about the movie. We came out and it was the lovely monsoon in full flow. As I was driving back, there was one stretch of road where there was pretty heavy water logging so traffic was being diverted to another street. It was 10.30 in the night and there was total chaos with almost no movement in traffic. I was behind this city bus and the bus guy decided to drive right through the water laden main road and I foolishly decided to follow (after all how much water could there be, right ?). The moment my car entered the water, I realized that I was screwed. Before I knew it, the car was almost three feet in water. The water almost reached the door handles and began seeping into the car through the rear doors.
The exact thoughts that went on in my brain (which, I am convinced now, is still under construction) were
“Shit, shiiiiit, craaap...$*##***...damn”
The car was struggling to move and there was a real danger of water entering into the engine through the exhaust. I remembered a tip that a friend had given me during a casual conversation several months ago – “Never let go of the throttle when driving through water”. I literally stood on the accelerator pedal, the car inched forward. The bus driver for some reason decided to stop, forcing me to stop as well
“(more expletives)”
But even with the clutch pressed down, I kept the accelerator in full throttle, praying desperately to God and Spiderman (my two favorite imaginary superheroes) that the engine does not switch off. All the while grunting, yelling, pressing into the pedal and pushing the steering wheel. One of them must have heard me, since the car slowly inched towards dry land. I finally made it to the other side !!
This was the scariest fifty meters that I have ever traveled. Of course, my cousins in the back seat were thrilled about the whole incident (their words - “Wow, what an adventure. It was such fun”)
They did not realize how easily the situation could have gotten real worse. And, the only thing that saw us through was the tip from a friend and the superhero who answered my prayers.
Thanks Spidey!!!
Well, excuse me for being an unromantic killjoy but if you went through what I did last Sunday, you would want to migrate to Sahara too.
A new movie featuring another new kid on the block who has not yet wiped off the chocolate sticking on his face, throw in a few young cousins who somehow have gotten into their heads that the purpose of life is to watch this movie and learn all the lyrics by heart and then there is me, the big brother with a car. I had no option but to take them out to the evening show on Sunday.
The movie began, the movie ended. That’s enough about the movie. We came out and it was the lovely monsoon in full flow. As I was driving back, there was one stretch of road where there was pretty heavy water logging so traffic was being diverted to another street. It was 10.30 in the night and there was total chaos with almost no movement in traffic. I was behind this city bus and the bus guy decided to drive right through the water laden main road and I foolishly decided to follow (after all how much water could there be, right ?). The moment my car entered the water, I realized that I was screwed. Before I knew it, the car was almost three feet in water. The water almost reached the door handles and began seeping into the car through the rear doors.
The exact thoughts that went on in my brain (which, I am convinced now, is still under construction) were
“Shit, shiiiiit, craaap...$*##***...damn”
The car was struggling to move and there was a real danger of water entering into the engine through the exhaust. I remembered a tip that a friend had given me during a casual conversation several months ago – “Never let go of the throttle when driving through water”. I literally stood on the accelerator pedal, the car inched forward. The bus driver for some reason decided to stop, forcing me to stop as well
“(more expletives)”
But even with the clutch pressed down, I kept the accelerator in full throttle, praying desperately to God and Spiderman (my two favorite imaginary superheroes) that the engine does not switch off. All the while grunting, yelling, pressing into the pedal and pushing the steering wheel. One of them must have heard me, since the car slowly inched towards dry land. I finally made it to the other side !!
This was the scariest fifty meters that I have ever traveled. Of course, my cousins in the back seat were thrilled about the whole incident (their words - “Wow, what an adventure. It was such fun”)
They did not realize how easily the situation could have gotten real worse. And, the only thing that saw us through was the tip from a friend and the superhero who answered my prayers.
Thanks Spidey!!!
Thursday, December 20, 2007
A lovely day
Yet another bad hair day, I told myself this morning as I tried my best to press down an unruly mop of hair on my head that stuck out like a bunch of overgrown weeds on a neatly mowed lawn. The zit on my nose right between my eyes seemed to have gotten bigger overnight. Pushing thirty and still having problems with zits, that’s not really comforting. The traffic was a monster on my way to work and the weather was bad with overcast skies and a gloomy atmosphere. All in all, it looked like another terrible workday that I would have to pull myself through. The morning went by, dull and drab.
And then the clock struck three.
A bus load of kids came over to our office. Today was the day when we had arranged a fun event for underprivileged kids. We had gotten in touch with an NGO called Global Concerns India who sponsor the education of children of people with low income. We wanted to have the kids over at our office for an afternoon get together so that they can get a feel of the corporate world and hopefully be inspired to work towards a better education for themselves. But more importantly, we wanted them to have fun.
So over the next three hours, we had them eating their snacks and mingling with a lot of us, asking questions, singing, dancing and in general having a blast. We had organized a one hour magic show which was a big hit with not just the kids but also with the employees. After all, who does not like magic ?.
At the end, we gave each of them a small gift consisting a school bag and some stationery to help them in their studies. As the kids left the office premises, I could not help feeling a surreal sense of satisfaction on a day well spent.
The zit is still there and my hair still refuses to get back in place as I pack up to leave for home and I don’t care because today has been a lovely day.
And then the clock struck three.
A bus load of kids came over to our office. Today was the day when we had arranged a fun event for underprivileged kids. We had gotten in touch with an NGO called Global Concerns India who sponsor the education of children of people with low income. We wanted to have the kids over at our office for an afternoon get together so that they can get a feel of the corporate world and hopefully be inspired to work towards a better education for themselves. But more importantly, we wanted them to have fun.
So over the next three hours, we had them eating their snacks and mingling with a lot of us, asking questions, singing, dancing and in general having a blast. We had organized a one hour magic show which was a big hit with not just the kids but also with the employees. After all, who does not like magic ?.
At the end, we gave each of them a small gift consisting a school bag and some stationery to help them in their studies. As the kids left the office premises, I could not help feeling a surreal sense of satisfaction on a day well spent.
The zit is still there and my hair still refuses to get back in place as I pack up to leave for home and I don’t care because today has been a lovely day.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
We still have a long way to go
So what I suspected for a long time has finally been proved by Science that chimpanzees are smarter than you and me.
http://deccanherald.com/Content/Dec52007/foreign2007120539491.asp
For a keen observer of the human race, this should come as no surprise. I can think of a few reasons why
1. So how many world wars do you know that were started by chimps ?. We have two on our side and maybe if we try a little harder, we can muster enough dumbness for one more.
2. The last time I checked, the chimps still had no clue about religion.
3. All they do is eat, sleep, poop and make babies in between. We do the same too but squeeze in time for killing, polluting, abusing and discriminating just for kicks.
4. George W Bush
So can you think of any more reasons ?. And while you think, let me go get myself a banana
http://deccanherald.com/Content/Dec52007/foreign2007120539491.asp
For a keen observer of the human race, this should come as no surprise. I can think of a few reasons why
1. So how many world wars do you know that were started by chimps ?. We have two on our side and maybe if we try a little harder, we can muster enough dumbness for one more.
2. The last time I checked, the chimps still had no clue about religion.
3. All they do is eat, sleep, poop and make babies in between. We do the same too but squeeze in time for killing, polluting, abusing and discriminating just for kicks.
4. George W Bush
So can you think of any more reasons ?. And while you think, let me go get myself a banana
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
FYI Post
As we approach, November 1st, Karnataka Rajyothsava day (State formation anniversary of Karnataka), I would like to mention that Wikipedia is going to publish an article on Karnataka, as their Featured Article on their main page.
Do check this out on Nov 1
http://en.wikipedia.org
The info on Karnataka can be found at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karnataka
A friend of mine is a Wikipedia contributor and he has worked on the Karnataka wiki. I thought I would do my part in spreading this info.
Do check this out on Nov 1
http://en.wikipedia.org
The info on Karnataka can be found at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karnataka
A friend of mine is a Wikipedia contributor and he has worked on the Karnataka wiki. I thought I would do my part in spreading this info.
Friday, October 26, 2007
On the flag and the national honour
The Indian cricket team has been sued for insulting the national flag.
Apparently, the way the flag was handled during the after match celebrations was deemed insulting.
Team India accused of 'insulting' tricolour
We seem to be seeing more and more of such lawsuits that border on the trivial. A couple of months ago, Infosys founder Narayana Murthy was subjected to this farce as well for allegedly insulting the national anthem.
Anyone in India knows that cricket is a binding force and the Indian cricket team is a substantial cohesive influence on the country. Mud slinging these youths is just an attempt at petty publicity.
We are a flag crazy country, every time a politician needs to make an impact, a new flag pole is erected and a flag hoisted there. Every city has at least a bunch of these poles flying either the national flag or the state flag. The real insult to a flag happens here. Most of the flags end up being weather beaten and torn with gaping holes. Nobody seems to perceive this as a problem.
But these publicity hounds are always on the lookout for individuals that they can target for maximum mileage, the bigger the individual, the greater the witch-hunt.
Since we are on flags, I might as well write about something that had bothered me for a long time and only recently have been able to appreciate the use of it. I am talking about USA where the freedom for citizens to burn their national flag is permitted by law.
How can a country allow it's citizens to burn it's own flag ?. A conventional outlook will not give us the answer. For me, a flag represents a set of values that a country was built upon. It is a metaphor for the principles that are the foundation of a country's constitution. If these principles are blatantly flouted by its own government, then a citizen may feel that this can be best demonstrated by burning the flag as a way symbolizing that the value system of the country is being burnt down.
In India, we have had situations which have been a blot on our founding values. The Babri masjid issue, the Bombay blasts, the Godhra train carnage and the subsequent Gujarat riots. As exposed by the media, at various levels, official complicity was involved in most of these events.
Every time official machinery turns a wanton blind eye to obvious desecration of constitutional values, the Indian flag burns.
When looked at it this way, the American law makes sense.
But I would like to quickly add that I do not support such a freedom in India, for the simple reason that in our culture, we have used burning as way of demonstrating hate. Effigies of personalities are burnt, buses are burnt and so on. The intent of burning in these cases is vastly different from the intent of burning a flag. Hence this is a freedom that we cannot comprehend or afford.
By the way, as an aside, did you know that the most preferred way of disposing the Indian Flag is to burn it ?.
THE PREVENTION OF INSULTS TO NATIONAL HONOUR ACT, 1971
PART. III
HOISTING/DISPLAY OF THE NATIONAL FLAG BY THE CENTRAL AND STATE GOVERNMENTS AND THEIR ORGANISATIONS AND AGENCIES.
SECTION V
3.25 When the Flag is in a damaged or soiled condition, it shall be destroyed as a whole in private, preferably by burning or by any other method consistent with the dignity of the Flag.
Next time you buy a flag during Independence day, make sure you don't dump it in the dustbin but give it a decent disposal (yet another reason to shun the plastic ones).
That would be truly honouring our national symbol.
Apparently, the way the flag was handled during the after match celebrations was deemed insulting.
Team India accused of 'insulting' tricolour
We seem to be seeing more and more of such lawsuits that border on the trivial. A couple of months ago, Infosys founder Narayana Murthy was subjected to this farce as well for allegedly insulting the national anthem.
Anyone in India knows that cricket is a binding force and the Indian cricket team is a substantial cohesive influence on the country. Mud slinging these youths is just an attempt at petty publicity.
We are a flag crazy country, every time a politician needs to make an impact, a new flag pole is erected and a flag hoisted there. Every city has at least a bunch of these poles flying either the national flag or the state flag. The real insult to a flag happens here. Most of the flags end up being weather beaten and torn with gaping holes. Nobody seems to perceive this as a problem.
But these publicity hounds are always on the lookout for individuals that they can target for maximum mileage, the bigger the individual, the greater the witch-hunt.
Since we are on flags, I might as well write about something that had bothered me for a long time and only recently have been able to appreciate the use of it. I am talking about USA where the freedom for citizens to burn their national flag is permitted by law.
How can a country allow it's citizens to burn it's own flag ?. A conventional outlook will not give us the answer. For me, a flag represents a set of values that a country was built upon. It is a metaphor for the principles that are the foundation of a country's constitution. If these principles are blatantly flouted by its own government, then a citizen may feel that this can be best demonstrated by burning the flag as a way symbolizing that the value system of the country is being burnt down.
In India, we have had situations which have been a blot on our founding values. The Babri masjid issue, the Bombay blasts, the Godhra train carnage and the subsequent Gujarat riots. As exposed by the media, at various levels, official complicity was involved in most of these events.
Every time official machinery turns a wanton blind eye to obvious desecration of constitutional values, the Indian flag burns.
When looked at it this way, the American law makes sense.
But I would like to quickly add that I do not support such a freedom in India, for the simple reason that in our culture, we have used burning as way of demonstrating hate. Effigies of personalities are burnt, buses are burnt and so on. The intent of burning in these cases is vastly different from the intent of burning a flag. Hence this is a freedom that we cannot comprehend or afford.
By the way, as an aside, did you know that the most preferred way of disposing the Indian Flag is to burn it ?.
THE PREVENTION OF INSULTS TO NATIONAL HONOUR ACT, 1971
PART. III
HOISTING/DISPLAY OF THE NATIONAL FLAG BY THE CENTRAL AND STATE GOVERNMENTS AND THEIR ORGANISATIONS AND AGENCIES.
SECTION V
3.25 When the Flag is in a damaged or soiled condition, it shall be destroyed as a whole in private, preferably by burning or by any other method consistent with the dignity of the Flag.
Next time you buy a flag during Independence day, make sure you don't dump it in the dustbin but give it a decent disposal (yet another reason to shun the plastic ones).
That would be truly honouring our national symbol.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Uncomfortable moments
Uncomfortable Moment 1
It so often happens in the workplace when you see this other colleague walking your way, both of you know each other but not enough to stop and have a conversation. That leaves just a smile and a ‘hi’. But the important part is the timing of when you do that. If you have eye contact too early when the other person is still a distance away, then you will be forced to say ‘hi’ much earlier and then keep smiling on and off till you both pass each other, an awkward situation for both. So we normally pretend that we haven’t seen the other person and continue to walk towards each other, developing an interest in the paint on the walls or a new found fascination for the shape of the tiles on the floor and then when we are close enough, acknowledge each other and get done with the mandatory smiles.
Uncomfortable Moment 2
How many times have you spoken to someone but for the life of you cannot recall the person’s name. But by then you have spoken long enough and you have passed the moment where you can ask their name. So it would continue when you meet the person again, since you did not ask the first time, it would be too embarrassing to ask for their name now. In my case, I would meet this one person on the bus whose name I could never remember. Once I asked him for his email address, hoping that it would have his name and not some weird id like voodooprince@yahoo. It worked, the id did have his name that I promptly forgot soon after. I met him again on the bus a few months down the line, now I could not use the email id trick, so this time I asked him for his visiting card, it worked again but I soon lost the card (seriously how many visiting cards have you retained) and forgot his name yet again. I don’t know what I would do if I bump into him the next time (one can ask for visiting cards and email addresses only so many times without sounding creepy)
Uncomfortable Moment 3
This is another incident on the bus where I saw this young lady boarding the bus and as all the seats were taken, she remained standing. I was seated and on seeing this women, I was in a dilemma of whether to give up my seat for her or not (hold your thoughts, it had nothing do with trying to get attention alright). See, this lady had a slight paunch and the problem was that I was not sure whether she was pregnant or she was merely skipping her gym classes. If I did give up my seat and the lady was not pregnant, she would feel pretty bad and I could end up feeling stupid (it’s not like I gave up my seat to a senior citizen). So considering the pros and cons, I decided to remain seated and hoped I was right. Well, a few months down the line, I saw this woman again and it was apparent she was indeed pregnant. I still feel bad about not having given up my seat that day.
So much for those uncomfortable moments we all encounter. Do you have any?. By the way, come to think of it, voodooprince is a great mail id to have.
It so often happens in the workplace when you see this other colleague walking your way, both of you know each other but not enough to stop and have a conversation. That leaves just a smile and a ‘hi’. But the important part is the timing of when you do that. If you have eye contact too early when the other person is still a distance away, then you will be forced to say ‘hi’ much earlier and then keep smiling on and off till you both pass each other, an awkward situation for both. So we normally pretend that we haven’t seen the other person and continue to walk towards each other, developing an interest in the paint on the walls or a new found fascination for the shape of the tiles on the floor and then when we are close enough, acknowledge each other and get done with the mandatory smiles.
Uncomfortable Moment 2
How many times have you spoken to someone but for the life of you cannot recall the person’s name. But by then you have spoken long enough and you have passed the moment where you can ask their name. So it would continue when you meet the person again, since you did not ask the first time, it would be too embarrassing to ask for their name now. In my case, I would meet this one person on the bus whose name I could never remember. Once I asked him for his email address, hoping that it would have his name and not some weird id like voodooprince@yahoo. It worked, the id did have his name that I promptly forgot soon after. I met him again on the bus a few months down the line, now I could not use the email id trick, so this time I asked him for his visiting card, it worked again but I soon lost the card (seriously how many visiting cards have you retained) and forgot his name yet again. I don’t know what I would do if I bump into him the next time (one can ask for visiting cards and email addresses only so many times without sounding creepy)
Uncomfortable Moment 3
This is another incident on the bus where I saw this young lady boarding the bus and as all the seats were taken, she remained standing. I was seated and on seeing this women, I was in a dilemma of whether to give up my seat for her or not (hold your thoughts, it had nothing do with trying to get attention alright). See, this lady had a slight paunch and the problem was that I was not sure whether she was pregnant or she was merely skipping her gym classes. If I did give up my seat and the lady was not pregnant, she would feel pretty bad and I could end up feeling stupid (it’s not like I gave up my seat to a senior citizen). So considering the pros and cons, I decided to remain seated and hoped I was right. Well, a few months down the line, I saw this woman again and it was apparent she was indeed pregnant. I still feel bad about not having given up my seat that day.
So much for those uncomfortable moments we all encounter. Do you have any?. By the way, come to think of it, voodooprince is a great mail id to have.
Monday, February 19, 2007
A weekend with Snakes
After a long time, I had the opportunity to do something I have wanted to for a really long time...to attend a herpetology workshop. No, it has nothing to do with herpes and no, it is not the study of your girlfriend's pets either. It is the study of snakes(actually reptiles and amphibians) and being interested in them from my childhood, I signed up, I also signed my will you know..just in case. It was a three day workshop held by Gerry Martin (if you watch National Geographic, you probably recall that he had his own show for sometime). It was at a farm near Hunsur, in a place called Ratnapuri. The farm abuts a lake and this was an ideal habitat for snakes.
Some of you probably have that look on your face which says how can he even like those slimy, disgusting crawling creatures. Hey, I don't like politicians too but we are talking about snakes here, people. Please stay focused.
I was also secretly hoping that one of these snakes would turn into a beautiful damsel. Hindi movies have shown that this is possible and I see no reason to disbelieve them. I know you are thinking "What a dope, he really thinks a snake is going to turn into Sridevi !!!...what if the snake is male ?". I admit, you have a very valid point there but that's a risk I was willing to take.
The three day workshop dealt with the introductory aspects of snake handling. The first day, we had the opportunity to listen to 'snake shyam' (who was also featured on National Geographic). He drives an auto for a living but rescues snakes for a life. He is quite a character, rings on all his fingers, trinkets and chains around his neck and wrists, long locks of hair and a beard and mustache giving his signature looks. He mentioned an amusing incident, apparently in a fancy dress competition one of the kids who had dressed up like him got the first place while the Jawaharlal Nehru costume came in second. Anyway, it was fun listening to his talk.
Over the next couple of days, we got to handle rat snakes, green vine snakes, checkered keelbacks and of course, the cobras. We learnt how to pick up a cobra using a snake hook and then bag it safely. The Russel's Viper though was out of bounds for us. Gerry demonstrated how to bag one but we were not allowed to try. I got to try picking up a rat snake and I did so many mistakes that if it were a cobra and if you were mentioned in my will, you would be rich by now. Later, I also tried bagging a cobra and it was a pretty exhilarating experience for a first timer.
Finally, the three days were over and it was time to head back home. Back to the city, back to traffic and now back to work. It was a great weekend and worth every moment of it.
Some of you probably have that look on your face which says how can he even like those slimy, disgusting crawling creatures. Hey, I don't like politicians too but we are talking about snakes here, people. Please stay focused.
I was also secretly hoping that one of these snakes would turn into a beautiful damsel. Hindi movies have shown that this is possible and I see no reason to disbelieve them. I know you are thinking "What a dope, he really thinks a snake is going to turn into Sridevi !!!...what if the snake is male ?". I admit, you have a very valid point there but that's a risk I was willing to take.
The three day workshop dealt with the introductory aspects of snake handling. The first day, we had the opportunity to listen to 'snake shyam' (who was also featured on National Geographic). He drives an auto for a living but rescues snakes for a life. He is quite a character, rings on all his fingers, trinkets and chains around his neck and wrists, long locks of hair and a beard and mustache giving his signature looks. He mentioned an amusing incident, apparently in a fancy dress competition one of the kids who had dressed up like him got the first place while the Jawaharlal Nehru costume came in second. Anyway, it was fun listening to his talk.
Over the next couple of days, we got to handle rat snakes, green vine snakes, checkered keelbacks and of course, the cobras. We learnt how to pick up a cobra using a snake hook and then bag it safely. The Russel's Viper though was out of bounds for us. Gerry demonstrated how to bag one but we were not allowed to try. I got to try picking up a rat snake and I did so many mistakes that if it were a cobra and if you were mentioned in my will, you would be rich by now. Later, I also tried bagging a cobra and it was a pretty exhilarating experience for a first timer.
Finally, the three days were over and it was time to head back home. Back to the city, back to traffic and now back to work. It was a great weekend and worth every moment of it.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Culture and Change
Given enough time, any system of practices tends to degrade and lose the essence for which it was created in the first place. And no where else has it manifested itself so apparently as in India. A country where rituals abound and sheer force of habit overcomes reason.
I still remember from school, one stanza from Tagore’s Gitanjali that went something like ‘Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit’. It makes as much sense now as it did when Tagore wrote those lines.
A change in thinking can come about either organically (from within the society, but without explicit effort this would be a pretty slow process since it takes someone to question existing norms and also be influential enough to change them) or the change can come inorganically (if the society comes to interact with another society with a different set of ideas). To quote Swami Vivekananda "There is not one single instance of any civilisation being spontaneous. There was not a race in the world which became civilised unless another civilised race came and mingled with that race." (Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda - Volume 2 - 'Hints on Practical Spirituality’).
It is probably an exaggeration but nonetheless holds truth. Though, he was speaking about this in a spiritual context, it holds just as true when applied to the social context as well.
The United States would probably serve as a very good example in how they have been able to attract talent from different cultures and have been able to forge ahead of most countries.
The British rule of India was one such interaction where we were exposed to a new culture. To their credit, the British were the first to outlaw the barbaric act of sati and among other things introduce English education in India. Raja Ram Mohan Roy’s exposure to western ideas came in handy in shaping his outlook and his reform movement. I would assume the British too had a lot to learn (eastern spirituality, yoga etc).
Today, the Internet is emerging as the virtual civilisation which is constantly evolving and presenting new vistas of thought that can influence and mould behavior of individuals. The beauty of the internet is that people do not actually have to mingle with each other to influence one another. The Internet is probably the most conducive environment (albeit limited in its reach currently) for the creation of new ‘memes’ or for the diffusion of existing ones. Meme mutation is best accomplished by exposure to newer meme sets and the Internet is playing a small but increasingly significant part in this memetic evolution.
A more powerful and effective agency of meme evaluation is the education system. I believe that an atmosphere that allows questioning of preexisting notions should bring about more objective thinking among the participants. This culture of open discussions and objective debates can be nurtured best by incorporating such an approach in our education system wherein our students are encouraged to debate and discuss on issues in an objective way rather than simply accept the things as they are taught. Thus giving an opportunity for examining existing meme sets and either accept or reject them.
This helps create a progressive environment where it becomes possible to scrutinize and hopefully eliminate defective practices and belief sets, thereby evolving popular culture.
I still remember from school, one stanza from Tagore’s Gitanjali that went something like ‘Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit’. It makes as much sense now as it did when Tagore wrote those lines.
A change in thinking can come about either organically (from within the society, but without explicit effort this would be a pretty slow process since it takes someone to question existing norms and also be influential enough to change them) or the change can come inorganically (if the society comes to interact with another society with a different set of ideas). To quote Swami Vivekananda "There is not one single instance of any civilisation being spontaneous. There was not a race in the world which became civilised unless another civilised race came and mingled with that race." (Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda - Volume 2 - 'Hints on Practical Spirituality’).
It is probably an exaggeration but nonetheless holds truth. Though, he was speaking about this in a spiritual context, it holds just as true when applied to the social context as well.
The United States would probably serve as a very good example in how they have been able to attract talent from different cultures and have been able to forge ahead of most countries.
The British rule of India was one such interaction where we were exposed to a new culture. To their credit, the British were the first to outlaw the barbaric act of sati and among other things introduce English education in India. Raja Ram Mohan Roy’s exposure to western ideas came in handy in shaping his outlook and his reform movement. I would assume the British too had a lot to learn (eastern spirituality, yoga etc).
Today, the Internet is emerging as the virtual civilisation which is constantly evolving and presenting new vistas of thought that can influence and mould behavior of individuals. The beauty of the internet is that people do not actually have to mingle with each other to influence one another. The Internet is probably the most conducive environment (albeit limited in its reach currently) for the creation of new ‘memes’ or for the diffusion of existing ones. Meme mutation is best accomplished by exposure to newer meme sets and the Internet is playing a small but increasingly significant part in this memetic evolution.
A more powerful and effective agency of meme evaluation is the education system. I believe that an atmosphere that allows questioning of preexisting notions should bring about more objective thinking among the participants. This culture of open discussions and objective debates can be nurtured best by incorporating such an approach in our education system wherein our students are encouraged to debate and discuss on issues in an objective way rather than simply accept the things as they are taught. Thus giving an opportunity for examining existing meme sets and either accept or reject them.
This helps create a progressive environment where it becomes possible to scrutinize and hopefully eliminate defective practices and belief sets, thereby evolving popular culture.
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