300-year old palace reduced to ashes in Himachal Pradesh

The following news on Times Of India site saddened me:

"A centuries old palace made of wood and stone in traditional Himalayan style architecture has been reduced to ashes in a tiny Himachal Pradesh town. The palace was around 300 years old and belonged to the erstwhile rulers of Kumarsain in the Shimla hills."

It seems short circuit was responsible for sending 300 years' history up in smoke. :-(

Isn't it high time we, the citizens of the country did something to protect our heritage?

Put the glass down - today

Another forwarded mail................

When you leave office today, Study this small story. Hope that makes a BIG change in you.

Professor began his class by holding up a glass with some water in it. He held it up for all to see & asked the students,' How much do you think this glass weighs?'

'50gms!' .... '100gms!' .....'125gms' ..the students answered.

'I really don't know unless I weigh it,' said the professor, 'but, my question is: What would happen if I held it up like this for a few minutes?'

'Nothing' the students said.

'Ok what would happen if I held it up like this for an hour?' the professor asked.

'Your arm would begin to ache' said one of the students.

'You're right, now what would happen if I held it for a day?'

'Your arm could go numb, you might have severe muscle stress & paralysis & have to go to hospital for sure!' ventured another student & all the students laughed.

'Very good. But during all this, did the weight of the glass change?‘ asked the professor.

'No' 'Then what caused the arm ache & the muscle stress?' The students were puzzled.

'Put the glass down!' said one of the students.

'Exactly!' said the professor.' Life's problems are something like this. Hold them for a few minutes in your head & they seem OK. Think of them for a long time & they begin to ache. Hold them even longer & they Begin to paralyze you. You will not be able to do anything.

It's important to think of the challenges (problems) in your life, but EVEN MORE IMPORTANT to 'put them down' at the end of every day before You go to sleep. That way, you are not stressed, you wake up every day fresh & strong & can handle any issue, any challenge that comes your way!'

So, When you leave office today,

Remember friend to 'PUT THE GLASS DOWN TODAY! '

Akbar Jodha

Saw shots of Hrithik Roshan from the upcoming movie "Akbar Jodha". Must say if Akbar were this handsome I wouldn't have minded becoming one of the ladies from his Harem :-)

I am Legend (Spoiler)

Will Smith owes me some money! The amount I spent on the tickets for his movie 'I am Legend'. :-)

I have loved his earlier movies like Enemy of the State, Independence Day and Men in Black. That and the tagline "The last man on earth is not alone" - I fell for these.

I liked the way the movie began - the empty streets, the special bonding between Smith and his pet dog "Sam", the sudden downing of shutters on the windows at night indicating that something is wrong, his talking to the mannequins in shops. In fact I liked everything until the lady from Maryland arrived with her kid in tow.......

After that I didn't understand the movie. I mean what was God's plan? To start life fresh on earth? Or to kill all bad people?

Why couldn't Will Smith keep his dog Sam alive even after she became infected while he was doing experiments on other infected animals?

Why didn't the people in the colony at Vermont catch Smith's daily bnroadcast?

Why couldn't he throw the granade and escape with the lady and the kid?

And someone please tell me why in the end the movie sounded as if they ran out of budget and decided to wrap it up in a hurry? :-)

What kept echoing in my mind was Smith's tearful "Someone please say Hello to me". Hope humanity's hatred, prejudices, wars, terrorism and genocides don't turn reel life science-fiction into real life nightmare for the last man on the planet - if any is left at all.........

A quote that captures the spirit of Christmas perfectly:

When we were children we were grateful to those who filled our stockings at Christmas time.

Why are we not grateful to God for filling our stockings with legs?

Awards for Builders

Listen to this and laugh your guts out:

The Builders Association of India (BAI) is demanding that they should get recognition - in the form of awards - from the Indian government for their service of nation building and eradication of poverty!

That leaves poor me wondering - the last time I checked activities like land grabbing, cash transactions, mass destruction of trees and turning the cities into concrete jungles did not classify under either "nation building" or "eradication of poverty".

On the lines of "who moved my cheese" I am asking 'who changed the definition" :-)

I was reading about Pravin Mahajan trial on Times Of India site and came across the following gem:

"Gopinath Munde had told the court that Mahajan had named Pravin as the person who shot him while he was being rushed to Hinduja Hospital. The judge treated it as a dying declaration since it was made to Munde, a former minister and a responsible citizen who was not expected to lie to the court."

Now I have a few questions:

1. Aren't all ministers - former or otherwise - supposed to be responsible citizens? If not, then why is "and a responsible citizen" tacked on after "former minister"? :-)

2. If a former minister is not a responsible citizen is he expected to lie to the court? :-)

3. Whatever gave the judge the idea that ministers - former or otherwise - cannot lie to the court? :-)

What does love mean?

Sometimes forwarded mails are good :-) Here's what I got today:

A group of 4 to 8 year-olds was asked, "What does love mean?" The answers they gave were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined.

--"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toe nails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love." (Rebecca - age 8)

--"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You know that your name is safe in their mouth." (Billy - age 4)

--"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs." (Chrissy - age 6 )

--"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired." ( Terri - age 4 )

--"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK." (Danny - age 7)

--"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday" (Tina - age 7)

--"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well." (Tommy - age 6 )

--"During my piano recital, I was on a stage and scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling! He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore. That's love" (Cindy -age 8)

--"My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night." (Clare - Age 5)

--"Love is when mommy gives daddy the best piece of chicken." (Elaine - age 5)

--"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day." (Mary Ann - age 4 )

Hospital ceilings are boring

"Hospital ceilings are boring. Drive safe" I remember reading this message at one of the busy traffic junctions. A nice humorous attempt to keep crazy drivers in check!

A friend of mine seems to have found a solution to this problem of boring hospital ceilings. After her recent small surgery she advised her doctor to get some fairies and angels painted on the ceiling of the operation theatre.

"Imagine" she said to me "the look on people's faces when they wake up to see fairies and angels dancing about. "Yeah, your doc might as well start tying up with brain and heart surgeons for the package deal for the patients" I replied.

I seriously hope that her doctor hasn't implemented her suggestion. And if he has, I pray that I don't end up in his hospital!

How tall is your Christmas tree?

Christmas is just around the corner and I am yet to shop for a tree and decorations. :-(

When I think of a Christmas tree I always remember the incident from my B-School days. To brighten up the room I had placed a small Christmas tree on the study table at the beginning of the year. The housekeeping staff usually assigned to cleaning the room had seen it.

Then around Christmas a new housekeeping guy was assigned to my quad. I was sitting in the common living room as he went about cleaning my room. When he came to me to tell me that the room was done he asked me if I celebrate Christmas. I said, yes.

He had a puzzled look on his face and asked me if I am a Christian. Now realization dawned on me. He couldn't link my idols of Ganesha and Krishna with my Christmas tree. I said with an amused smile "You don't have to be a Christian to celebrate Christmas, do you?". He smiled at that and left.

I remember that after he left I had sat there wondering if I had the right to be amused at his reaction. Years before I had asked one of my Chinese colleagues about the religion he followed. I had the same confused look when he said "None".

So as I sit worrying over whether I can buy a taller tree this year, the following quote comes to mind:

Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree.

In the eyes of children, they are all 30 feet tall.

Cyclops

So I am back to reading Clive Cussler. I am still having trouble accepting the computer that responds to verbose commands. But the hunt for the El Dorado with Dirk Pitt is simply irresistible!

Death on the Nile

Saw this 1978 film adaptation of the Christie novel. Actually I missed the first few moments of the film. So when I saw Peter Ustinov (playing Poirot) I thought he was one of the other characters. :-)

I remembered David Niven (playing Colonel Johnny Race) as the guy who makes an awkward dive seconds before the Guns of Navarone get blown to smithereens.

Oh, and it was a surprise to find old Hindi movie comedy actor I.S. Johar playing one of the Egyptian characters.

One more thing.....in the temple scene - where a boulder is pushed off a pillar almost killing Simon and Linnet Doyle - the shot of various people moving at different locations reminded me strongly of a similar scene in an old Hindi thriller "Gumnaam".

Gender bias and me

- NASSCOM TO STUDY WOMEN’S ISSUES
- HR MANAGEMENT RESISTANT TO WOMEN BEING PROMOTED: EXPERTS
- WOMEN TO CONSTITUTE 45 PERCENT OF IT WORKFORCE BY `10, SAYS NASSCOM

These were some of the news items from an office email that caught my attention. The 2nd and 3rd points sound rather contradictory, don't they? I mean why would more women want to join the workforce if they are going to be overlooked every time the promotions are announced?

What was frustrating me for past few days was that for the first time in my career I came across collagues who seemed to be gender-biased. It always happened with friends. And I have advised them to be calm and deal with it in a matured fashion.

But when it started happening to me I realized why it is not possible "to be calm and deal with it in a matured fashion". Simply because your calm is considered your weakness and your maturity goes unnoticed. To add insult to the injury, the very people who probably can't even spell the word "professionalism" have the cheek to ask you "to be a professional"!

After a while I realized that argueing will get me nothing except for high blood pressure - and possibly ulcers. About the same time a lunch with a friend passing through the city was a wake-up call. He reminded me that my health, peace of mind and personal life were far more important. I knew he was right.

Maybe I am not doing the right thing but I have decided not to lose any more sleep over it.

An old prayer comes to mind:

Oh God give me the strength to change the things that I can control
The patience to accept the things that I cannot control

And the wisdowm to know the difference between the two.

I think I just got wiser! :-)

Murder on the Orient Express

I have been feeling like a movie critic already. :-) Saw this movie adaptation of the Agatha Christie book. Few of the cast members that I could recognize were Sean Connery, Ingrid Bergman and Anthony Perkins (he is responsible for the pain caused by soapy water getting into my eyes. Just couldn't close my eyes while taking bath for a few days after watching his Psycho!).

This story got its inspiration from the incident of the Orient Express getting stuck in the snow for 5 days a few miles off Istanbul. At the time this movie was made the train was already out of operation and the shooting was completed using the coaches kept in museums.

This was also the only movie adaptation done while Agatha Christie was alive. She attended the premiere and liked the movie.

I enjoyed the movie even though I knew "who-dun-it". :-) But I didn't like Albert Finney who played Hercule Poirot - Christie's Belgian detective with an egg-shaped head who always gets annoyed on being called a Frenchman.

I think David Suchet fitted Poirot's description from Christie's books to a T - or should I say to a P!

Teri movie bhool-bhulaiya

Really feel like singing this to Priya Darshan! I continued doing "parallel processing" while watching Chak De but dropped all my work and sat glued to the screen to watch this film - because I have liked all earlier PriyaDarshan movies. However, disappointment was just around the corner waiting to hit me after intermission!

I liked the way the movie began and progressed. Maybe it was because I have read "Twisted" recently I realized who could be doing it all. But I kept on hoping that the twist would be something else. I went on hoping even after my hunch was proved right.

I think the movie drags on painfully after the culprit is revealed. Priyadarshan sounds confused about whether this is a comedy movie, a psychological thriller or an out-and-out ghost story. I had lost all interest in the movie when it finally concluded.

The songs appear as if they were added as an after-thought - however I liked most of them - right from "Teri aankhen bhool bhulaiya" and "labon ko labon se" to "Allah Haafiz".

Must say that Akshay Kumar was a surprise package of the movie for me! He alternates between being funny and being serious with ease. And his comic timing is just too good! Shiny Ahuja doesn't have much to do except for running through the vast rooms of the palace every time someone screams. Amisha Patel looks cute but acts as dumb as her debut movie "Kaho na pyaar hai". Vidya Balan looks positively frightening in her "Monjulika" awatar. I will shudder every time I see a roshogulla now :-) I wonder if Vikram Gokhale himself has a clue as to what he was doing at the end of this movie :-)

Finally, I wonder which palace was this film shot at. The place looks simply awesome! At times like this I regret not having the kings and princes around anymore in India. :-(

Watching Chak De

I will be definitely termed as a "Laggard" if the Rogers model for adoption and diffusions of innovations is applied to movie-watching. :-) I watched Chak De India and Bhool Bhulaiya long after the rest of the Indians watched these movies, criticized/appreciated and forgot about them.

First about Chak De. I can't say I watched the movie in its entirety. I haven't still been able to make myself tolerate Shahrukh on screen for long. So I watched it in bits and pieces while I continued finishing up some pending work at home.

But I was in for a pleasant surprise. Shahrukh wasn't Shahrukh "King" Khan in this movie - he was Kabeer Khan. :-))

The scene I loved most was the one where the girls teach a lesson to some eve-teasing idiots at McDonald's. :-) I dropped what I was doing and clapped - much to the amusement of the rest of the family :-)

And of course the scene of the Indian team winning the Championship! I kept on telling myself that it's only a movie, that we are miles away from it happening in reality.

But there is something in that saffron-white-green flag with the Ashoka Chakra in the middle that fills me up with a lot of hope,pride and confidence - we will do it one day India!

Twisted

Nope....I am not referring to my present frame of mind :-) This is a book by Jeffery Deaver that I just finished reading. It's a collection of short stories with a twist in the end.... much like Jeffery Archer's "Twist in the tale".

First, the stories that I liked and couldn't see the twist for:

For services rendered
Beautiful
Triangle
Nocturne
The Christmas present

Just loved the way the murdered is nailed in "Lesser Included offense" :-)

But I guess after a few stories you kind of start to figure out the possible twists as you go on reading a story. That happened with me for the rest of them.

The book made a delightful reading nevertheless!

Time for New Year resolutions

It's that time of the year again - time for making resolutions. And I have a whole laundry list of them:

- Laugh a lot

- Stick to regular exercise

- Keep in touch with friends

- Keep up reading good books

- Start learning a foreign language

- Tour at least one foreign country

And most important of all.....

Keep writing this blog!

2007 - hope you have many more wonderful moments in store for me in your last month. :-)

2008 - Looking forward to meeting you.........:-)

Wishes wishes everywhere.....

"Like all great travelers, I have seen more than I remember, and remember more than I have seen." – Benjamin Disraeli

The Great wall of China.....

The Valley of Flowers.....

The “Red Rose” City of Petra.....

The tigers at Ranthambore.....

Chichen Itza of the Mayans.....

The sand dunes of Jaisalmer....

The Ruins of Machu Picchu.....

The monasteries at Leh-Ladakh.....

The Colosseum at Rome.....

The shikaras in Kashmir.....

Mount Fuji.....

Cruise on Nile.....

The Pyramids of Giza.....

The Land of Midnight Sun.....

Hazaro khwaaishe aisi ki har khwaaish pe dam nikale.....

The Coffin Dancer

Intriguing title, isn't it? But I have suffered in the past because of some "Intriguing Titles" of not-so-intriguing books. So I decided to check out the back cover. I read about the words "detective Lincoln Rhyme" but it didn't ring a bell. Then the words "Amelia", "Protege" and "Quadriplegic" brought back image of Angelina Jolie running to stop a subway train....The Bone Collector!

Sure enough.....this book is by the same author "Jeffery Deaver". And I finished it in 2 days flat - just loved it! Now I hope the library has more books by the same author. :-)

Water water everywhere

It's probably my need to keep both feet solidly planted on the Terra Firma at all times possible. I mean the reason why I am crazy for mountains and forests but never cared much for the stuff that occupies 3/4th area on this planet - the sea.

However, this week I had an occassion to observe it at different times of the day at close quarters - as close as one can be without getting in water that is. :-) And I fell in love with it. I had absolutely no idea that the sea can be so beautiful.

Early morning came with the water gently lapping at the shore. The waves following each other in succession reminded me of a story. The waves are the darling daughters of the sea king who has a beautiful palace at the bottom of the sea. They liked to visit the shores. Their only grief was that they felt homesick soon. The Sea King had a solution - every 7th wave to visit the shores will go back to the palace to meet her parents. From then on, it is said that anything thrown in the 7th wave to lap at the shore goes to the bottom of the sea :-( and you never get it back! I didn't have anything that I wanted to send away forever so I just watched the sea with all its little boats and flocks of sea birds.

It was late afternoon when I next got a chance to look at the sea again. But what I saw made me gasp and I stood rooted to the spot. The whole sea was shimmering like a bed of precious jewels. The sight was bewitching and for once I knew what "feasting your eyes" means.

I made it a point to look out the window about the time the sun was setting. The whole sky was a riot of colors and somehow the sea looked sad at the prospect of losing the source of light. It was oddly comforting to see the birds coming back to their nests. Someone had once told me that it is inauspicious to look at the setting sun. But I have always loved the sun more when it's setting it seems so gentle and mellow then.

I knew there wouldn't be much to look at when the night fell. But fortunately for me, I woke up in the middle of the night. A half moon was up and one patch of sea was lit up like a pathway in the moonlight. I remembered the scene from the movies "Macanna's Gold" and "The Mummy" where the shaft of sunlight shows the way to be followed. Was this the road to the Sea King's palace? :-)) I almost expected a pair of dolphins to jump up high in the air in the glistening moonlight or a lovely mermaid to rise up from the waves.

I couldn't tear myself away from the sight for a long time and when I finally could I promised the sea that I will continue his love affair!

What are your priorities?

A friend forwarded this mail to me today:

Five things are happening in your house at the same time. In which sequence would you solve them?

1. The telephone is ringing!

2. The baby is crying!

3. Someone's knocking or calling you from the front door!

4. You hung the clothes out to dry and it is beginning to rain!

5. You left the tap on in the kitchen and the water is already overflowing!

In which sequence would you solve these problems? Write the sequence and check below how your decisions were made.

BUT BE HONEST, THE FINDINGS ARE EXCITING.

First write YOUR sequence from 1 to 5 then scroll below and read after

......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......

Answer:

Every individual point represents something in your life.

On the list you can see which meaning every point has:

1. Telephone represents Work

2. Baby represents Family

3. Door represents Friends

4. Clothes represent Money

5. Tap represents Love Life

Your chosen sequence determines the priorities in your life. Be careful while determining them !!



I chose 2,1,3,4 and 5. However, it doesn't exactly match with my priorities in life.

My reasoning for the ordering was this. I agree that in choosing baby first I indicated that my 1st preference is for family. So far so good.

Next was 1 - telephone because someone might be calling me urgently but not necessarily from office. God knows I wouldn't pick up the phone if it were someone from office :-)

I chose 3 next because someone at the front door can wait till I am done with the person on phone.

Since the water is already overflowing no use in rushing to turn the tap off. I might as well save the clothes from being washed again in rain so my next choice was 4 and last one was 5.

I am still figuring out how an overflowing tap is supposed to represent my love life though!

Violets are blue

I read a book that I want to forget I ever read - Violets are blue by James Patterson.

I admit that under ordinary circumstances I wouldn't have picked up the book. But I was in a hurry and I didn't see any other books close by with the words FBI, vampires and possibly bestseller. So I picked it up,hurried through it in 2 days flat and now am trying hard to forget about it.

Somehow the plot seemed wafer-thin - vampires on rampage biting the hell out of people all over the US of A and a detective stalked by a super-criminal trying hard to solve this case. I wondered what took Alex Ross so long to figure out who the Mastermind is.

And all that talk of blood made me so sick that I was sure if I so much as pricked my thumb I would throw up at even a tiny drop of my own blood!

So as far as vampires (and James Patterson) go it's garlic and Holy Water for me!

Shahrukh and BCCI

Listen to this - if you haven't already heard it and laughed your guts out. BCCI is reportedly upset at the presence of Shahrukh "six packs" Khan at the cricket matches. It claims that SRK is using these matches as a platform to promote his latest film Om Shanti Om. While SRK says that he is doing it out of his love for sport and that his kids are fans of Sachin, Saurav and Dhoni.

Now I have a few questions.

1. Weren't Sachin and Saurav part of the Indian team before this?

2. Weren't SRK's kids fans of these players before?

3. What Divine Intervention was instrumental in making SRK aware of his love for the sport?

Any answers, Shahrukh????

Remixes

The other day I listened to a remix and almost died of cardiac arrest! It was remix of the song "Yaara sili sili" from the movie "Lekin".

Let me make it clear here that I am not anti-remix. I have found some remixes like e.g. "Thoda resham lagata hai, thoda sona lagata hai" or "Tu tu hai wahi dilne jise apana kaha" to be better than their originals.

But this remix of "Yaara sili sili" did not do justice to the mood of the song. The original song had a haunting feel about it - it fit perfectly with the lonely lost soul played by Dimple Kapadia. While this remix felt as if someone is singing it while prancing about in the garden. :-(

I tried listening to the remix - just for the sake of the beautiful lyrics but it was painful with all that "wrong" music. So I gave it up finally and listened to the song in my mind. The lines played back.....

Tuti hui chudiyon se jodu yeh kalaai mai
Pichhali gali me jaane kya chhod aayi mai

Chain mails and me

About 2 days back a colleague forwarded an email claiming that if I forward it to everyone I know on this earth (and who happens to have an email ID), Bill G (yes, of Microsoft) will part with a share of his fortune. In plain words, for every forward of that email by me and for every forward of it thereafter will get me some $$$ from Microsoft. I wasn't even done through reading that mail when there were more replies to it - from people who didn't want to miss their chance of getting rich. And some of these people I hadnt even heard of before - total strangers.

I wonder where were all these people when this email was doing the rounds of the internet last year or the year before. This hoax is as old as time for Heaven's sake!

I could have done better by just setting up a filter for the subject line and getting on with my work. But No, I have this habit of getting myself into trouble. So what did I do? I got hold of a site proclaiming in no uncertain terms that this is a hoax and Bill Gates is not going to give a dime of his fortune even if you broadcast that email to the whole world! And I sent this link to everyone on the original mailing list. But I forgot to remove the stupid content of the original stupid mail.

What did I get in return? 2-3 more mails from people who either didn't bother to check the site or didn't believe that it was telling the truth.

I could have still set my filter. But I made another mistake. I sent an email requesting to get me off this mailing loop. That did it!! There were more "me too" replies. One girl went ahead and just did ReplyAll to my "get me off this mailing loop" without adding a word of her own!

I was hopping mad in the office ready to strangulate the colleague who started this nightmare. But he was smart enough to stay out of my way.

I have learnt my lesson now - the hard way as usual. Next time I get such an email claiming to get me fortune or good luck or both I am just going to set my mailing filter and forget about it.

The only silver lining I see to this sorry episode is, I hope, that people from the original mailing list who know me must have learnt by now that they shouldn't send me such chain mails unless they are absolutely fed up with their lives!

Wish everyone knew that there are no free lunches in this world!

It was rather a case of "putting the cart before the horse". Almost halfway through "The Assassini" I found time to go through the Author's Note. I was taken aback to read that there were people who tried to stop him from publishing this book.

Is this just some publicity stunt from the author? In case it's not, I don't want to think about other possibilities..............

Assassini

Maybe it isn't wise to depend on keywords all the time. I am finding it out the hard way as I find my way through "Assassini" by Thomas Gifford. :-(( The keywords in this case - the Vatican, Pope, age-old brotherhood of killers........

And yet, the book has been a disappointment so far. There is too much analysis of personalities of leading characters, too much of church history, too much of philosophy.......for my taste at least.

But since I have started reading it now, I must finish it.

Deception Point

The keywords were all there - NASA, meteorites, NRO, Ice shelf and finally White House. I must confess these were solely responsible for me picking up this book by Dan Brown. And I am glad I did. Though a lot of stuff like snow and desert rifles - kind of an on-the-spot ammunition - clearly seemed futuristic at best, I aint complaining :-) Just loved every minute of reading it!

The Wikipedia mentions an interesting nugget about the code that is found at the end of the book. Do check it out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deception_Point

Oh and BTW though the book just passingly mentions the ghost of Abraham Lincoln haunting the White House, it amused me no end that Winston Churchill was among those who actually cited the ghost!

Miracles do happen!

I read about the case of a girl called Lakshmi born in a village in the Indian state of Bihar with a partially formed twin - thus giving her four arms and four legs. As usually happens in such cases, the villagers flocked to her home to have a look at the "re-incarnation" of Goddess Lakshmi. One can argue that the Hindu Goddess in question has 4 arms but not 4 legs. However, superstition and logic don't go hand in hand, do they? Lakshmi though was lucky to have parents sane enough to know that their daughter needed medical treatment.

A team of specialists with the Sparsh Hospital at Bangalore operated on her for 27 hours. Lakshmi was separated from her twin and is on her way to a complete recovery now.

I never believe in Ganesha idols drinking milk or sea water turning sweet or statues weeping tears of blood but news such as this makes me think that if ever there was a miracle this is one!

I finished reading Frederick Forsyth’s “Double Deal” and the emphasis in this sentence is on the word “finished”. The thought that “since I have started this book I must finish it” was what drove me to read up to the last page. I have read Forsyth’s “The Odessa file” as well as “Day of the Jackal” and loved both books. But I could not deal with “Double Deal”! :-))

It started on an inauspicious note anyways. I started reading it and then got very busy so there was a gap of good 5-6 days before I finally picked it up again. By then I had forgotten the plot and the names of the leading characters. Add to that the different kinds of German designations in SS along with a heavy dose of Sergeants, Lieutenants and Majors and I was totally lost.

Though the book wasn’t directly about the human suffering brought about by Hitler I kept thinking about the saying that goes something like - All that is needed for evil to become powerful is for good men to do NOTHING!

Are all the good men doing all that they can now so that the evil doesn't rise again?

I recently read that Shahrukh Khan has said that he doesn’t understand why he is so popular. Well Shahrukh, you are not alone, some of us have been wondering about it for years – especially when Shahrukh is Shahrukh is Shahrukh – whether he is playing Don, Devdas or Samrat Ashoka!

Sometimes I have wondered if the people who make all these documentaries on NatGeo and Discovery are mortals. They make such impossible documentaries.

Last weekend I was watching a program on caves on Discovery. A small animal was shown which can be found only in 2 caves on earth. And there was a species of white crab which can be found in only one cave. And I could clearly see both animals as if they were crawling on the armrest of my chair.

I agree that there are zoom lenses and cameras set up for auto-shoot and some more advanced kind of photography. But still the end product is just plain amazing! And the patience required must be monumental. Hats off to you guys! Just love your shows!

Seems like I am coming here after ages. Life suddenly got very busy. It has a way of doing that when you least expect it, doesn't it? Anyways......as they say in movies "I will be back!" :-)

Teraa chehera sanam ek rubaai si hai

Here are the lyrics of another song I just love:

Jaane kaisi shab dhali, Jaane kaise yeh din khila
Jaane kaise kab kaha chal padaa yeh silsilaa
Meri aankho ko yeh kaisa manjar milaa
Tere har nakshq me bas khuda hi khuda
Teraa chehera sanam ek rubaai si hai
Mere dil jism-o-jaan pe tu chhayi si hai

Betabiyon ke shaam-o-sahar se
Waaqif na tha mai dard-e-jigar se
Gujaraa nahi tha mai to kabhi bhi
Pyaar ki dilkash raah-e-gujar se
Diwanagi ki yeh imtehaa hai
Har chehere me chehera tera
Saari duniya teri parchhai si hai
Mere dil jism-o-jaan pe tu chhayi si hai

Teri kashish ka jaadu ajab hai
Har waqt muzko teri talab hai
Yuhi nahi mai besudh hua hu
Is pyaas ka to koi sabab hai
Tere siwa na ab koi aarman
Ab jindagi hai tuzse meri
Bin tere har jagah tanhai si hai
Mere dil jism-o-jaan pe tu chhayi si hai

P.S. This beautiful song with lovely music is wasted on screen on Rahul Khanna and Tanushri Datta :-((

Amul girl might go to Guinness book of World records

This one piece of news really gladdened my heart. The picture of this cute cartoon character of a 4-year old girl accompanied by a catchy take on one of the latest happenings has over the years made me look out for Amul posters. Each time it has given me a chance to smile - irrespective of my mood. And each time I have wondered at the geniuses who create it. Check out the ads at http://www.amul.tv/amultv/advertisements.html

I was surprised to read that it has been 40 years since the ads started - 1967 to 2007. And so "utterly butterly delicious" might end up in the Guinness book of World records as the longest running outdoor advertizing campaign.

Thank you Amul girl for making me smile all these years! And hope you are around for 100 more.

Three cheers for the "The taste of India"!

Ria lost the battle

Ria lost the battle on Monday - against leukemia. Who was Ria? Check out http://giveindia.org/give/pledgepage/donateforria

I am sad and angry at the same time. I continue to go through my daily chores but she is in my mind. And the nagging persistent question - why do such young children have to pass away while there are thousands in this world who are living when they don't want to? If at all God calls me one day this is the first question I am going to ask Him....

About the giveindia site. It lets you donate to charity of your choice. It tells you exactly where your money went and also gives you proof for that. Do check it out.....

A salute to Major D. Raghuraman and Major Vinay

Very few of you would have heard of Major D. Raghuraman and Major Vinay. I hadn't - till today morning. And when I read the news I said to myself "How many more?".

Major D. Raghuraman from Delhi and Major Vinay from Hyderabad died in the line of duty while fighting the terrorists in North Kashmir. Major Raghuraman would have been a proud father in just 2 more months. Major Vinay was to get married this month.

I thought about how the TV channels and newspapers went crazy over India's winning the Twenty20 World cup. Don't get me wrong - I was proud too. But I think the media overdid it.

Why doesn't the media cover the sacrifices that our soldiers make day in day out at the borders so that some crazy good-for-nothing terrorists don't get an upper hand?

Why doesn't common man like you and me say aloud that rather than covering the "Breaking News" of some political parties tangled up in their sick "power-sharing" arrangement, tell us about these soldiers because of whom we can sleep soundly at night?

When are we going to stand up for what is good and noble?

I understand that the armed forces do have their code of conduct and for reasons of their own they might not want all the details published. But I also believe that we owe a lot to these soldiers who give the most precious thing that a country can ever demand from them - their life!
We have to show that we care.....

So here is an attempt to show that I do. A salute to Major D. Raghuraman and Major Vinay!

One night @ the call center

I recently finished reading this book by Chetan Bhagat and just loved it! I highly recommend it to all - those who love to spend time with books and even those for whom the word "reading" is synonymos with "sleeping" :-)

I was fishing about in the library for some book other than mystery, adventure or biography when I chanced upon this one. I had read an earlier book by Chetan Bhagat - Five Point Someone. So I picked it up and turned it over to read the synopsis on the back cover. The sentences "It was the night they got a phone call. That phone call was from God" and "Are you ready to take the Call?" got my attention and I checked the book out.

I can say that I finished the book in 2 sittings. It took 2 because unfortunately I had to go to the office :-)

I don't want to spoil the fun for those of you haven't read the book so I won't reveal the story line. But I would like to say that I just loved the character of Vroom - and yes, the name too. I agreed wholeheartedly with him when he talked about how just when life seems all happiness and security it can pull the rug right out from under your feet. What was that line Amitabh Bachhan had sung in "Muqaddar ka Sikandar"?

Jindagi toh bewafa hai, ek din thukarayegi
Maut mehbooba hai apane saath lekar jaayegi

Life practices this deception not only at the end but at many points in between too. The sooner we learn, the better....

I also said "Atta Boy Vroom" when he said that even though India is poor he couldn't stop loving it. My "grammatical" antenne was screaming at me - "countries are referred to as 'she' - not as 'it' " but I ignored it for once. Vroom said it for me when he said "It is mine".

I have read many articles about the BPO industry but this book opened my eyes to a wholly different side of it. Ok, the trick used to jack up the call volumes to save the call center seemed rather childish but it was funny too :-)

And Vroom asked the question that nags many of us - across different industries, in different job profiles - in our (increasingly rare) moments of peace - are we doing anything concrete to build the India of our dreams?

The car for the masses

Everyone is going ga-ga over the "One Lakh" car that the Tatas are going to bring to India's masses.

I don't know about any other metro in India but as far as Mumbai goes, the Tatas would do well to give wide stretches of pot-hole-free roads and parking slots free with the purchase of this car!

The Gandhian Pledge

On the occassion of 2nd October, here's the India of Gandhiji's dreams.........

I shall work for an India in which the poorest shall feel that it is their country,
In whose making they have an effective voice,
An India in which there shall be no high class and low class of people;
An India in which all communities shall live in perfect harmony.

There can be no room in such an India for the curse of untouchability,
Or the curse of intoxicating drinks and drugs.

Women will enjoy the same rights as men.
We shall be at peace with all the rest of the world.

This is the India of my dreams.

--- Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

As I watched the "Boys in Blue" celebrate their victory by hugging each other and jumping in air I also saw that the Tricolor was on the ground for a few moments. "Oh, oh, now someone is going to cry foul for this" I remember saying to myself. And sure enough, there were letters from angry citizens in the newspapers.

I am not saying we should let the Tricolor fall on the ground. Soldiers have died defending it and its honor must be protected. But aren't we doing the team an injustice? Couldn't you see the pride in their eyes as they did the victory laps around the ground waving the Tricolor high in the air? As they wrapped it around their bodies? Afterall, it wasn't just their victory, it was India's victory.

And if we are so sensitive about this issue then what do we do about the hundred of flags that litter the streets after every 15th August? Why don't we tell our newspapers that we are not interested in knowing about the internal squabbles in the political parties but tell us about the soldiers who are guarding our borders? When we ignore the soldiers aren't we insulting the Tricolor? Aren't we shaming the Tricolor when we don't condemn communal strife? when we treat women violently? When we litter the streets with garbage?

What has these things got to do with the Tricolor? Everything. Because "the Tiranga" represents everything that is noble and good in this country. And whenever we do something that is not noble we insult the Tricolor. Simple, isn't it?

So what was that line against throwing stones from a glass house?

Is the author telling the truth or is it an attempt to glorify the woman who was her friend for years?

I wondered for the first time since I started reading the book on Indira Gandhi by Pupul Jaykar. The book said that during the shortage of wheat and rice in India in 1966 Indira Gandhi had stopped eating both. The fact that India had to go with a begging bowl to the US of A for food seems incomprehensible in today's India with a booming economy. But what seems more bizzare is that a politician should care so much.

Could it be that I have become too cynical after watching the juvenile behavior of some of the current Indian politicians? Is it possible that there was once a species of politicians who despite their dirty bag of tricks, leg-pulling and back-biting really cared for what happened to India and her people?

-----

Here's a riddle. There's a thing that we all chase throughout our lives and very few of us seem to really get it. It's described by a 5-letter word. If you said "Money" you are wrong, my friends!

There's another clue and this time you should be able to get it. After Bangala Desh was formed Indira Gandhi made a comment to Pupul Jaykar. That indicated that she was also chasing it - but for the country.

"Glory" you said? Wrong again! The answer is "Peace". And Indira Gandhi's comment was something like "Will we be able to get peace?"

36 years down the lane and India is still chasing it!

I am not one of those who have only hatred for the British for colonizing us. I agree that they did a lot of good things for India - though from a purely selfish point of view. But I will never ever forgive them for sowing the seeds for breaking this country apart.

I am not saying Hindus and Muslims would have "lived happily ever after" if there hadn't been a partition. But we would have worked out our differences and saner voices on both sides would have prevailed. Now it's an uphill task at the best and it will be always tinted with the bitter memories of the partition - even after those who actually suffered are gone. :-(

----

I am not a fan of politics and politicians - except for ex-president Kalam. But he is not a politician anyways :-) So I started reading this book by Pupul Jaykar with an open mind. I wanted to know not only about Indira Gandhi as a person but also about the era during which she held the office.

And I wanted to know about the Emergency. What I read shocked as well as saddened me. In this day and age when a plethora of TV channels and a variety of media is churning out all sorts of information - useful as well as banal - it is shocking to think of the time when there was a gag order against media.

But what saddened me most was if the issue of population control had been handled sensitively and with taking people into confidence, it would have been a huge gift to India from a very dark era in her history.

Jindagi ne Jindagi bhar gam diye

Meaningful lyrics have become so rare these days in Hindi songs. So when you hear some, they get itched in memory. Here’s one beautiful song I have listened to a lot. Hope this is not going to cause any copyright violation but I really don’t know which movie this song is from:

Jindagi ne Jindagi bhar gam diye
Jitne bhi mausam diye sab nam diye

Jab tadapataa hai kabhi apanaa koi
Khoon ke aasoo rula de bebasi
Jee ke phir karanaa kya muzko aisi jindagi
Jisne jakhmo ko nahi marham diye

Apane bhi pesh aaye hamse ajanabi
Waqt ki saazish koi samazaa nahi
Be-iraada kuchh khataaye hamse ho gayi
Raah pe patthar meri har dam diye

Ek mukammal kash-m-kash hai jindagi
Usne hamse ki kabhi na dosti
Jab mili muzko aasoo ke who tohfe de gayi
Has sake ham aise mauke kam diye

Jindagi ne Jindagi bhar gam diye
Jitne bhi mausam diye sab nam diye

Gungi Gudiya

I am now reading a book on Indira Gandhi by Pupul Jaykar – who was her friend for many years. I have always been fascinated by this lady who was called “Gungi Gudiya” (Dumb Doll) when she first became the Prime Minister in a patriarchal country like India.

From my limited reading on her I knew that she didn’t have a happy secure childhood. Nehru family’s involvement with freedom struggle and the rift between her parents both were responsible for that. But I didn’t know that she didn’t have a planned education either. Contrast this with today’s scenario – any politician worth his/her salt packs off his/her kids abroad to get education in the topmost schools. Any exceptions really prove the rule!

We all have read that Jawaharlal Nehru was born with the proverbial “Silver Spoon”. And yet, at one point, owing to the confiscation of their property and belongings by the British government, this family faced shortage of money. A poor politician sounds like an oxymoron these days, isn’t it? :-)

I remember as kids we used to celebrate children’s day on 14th November. A Prime Minister who loved kids! But my image of “Chacha Nehru” took a severe beating as I read the book. How can a person daring to wear a red rose in his buttonhole treat his wife so callously?

The personality of Kamla Nehru too left me puzzled. Here is a woman who astonished everyone in the family by transforming from a shy, gentle “bahu” to a fierce lady wholeheartedly dedicated to the freedom struggle! And yet she was broken-hearted because her husband didn’t pay her attention. As a woman, I can understand her initial pain and disillusionment but couldn’t she later overcome it with some other purpose in life? Not even a cause as big as the freedom struggle?

You know what Indira Gandhi wanted to do with all her heart before she became actively involved in politics? She wanted to settle down with a husband and kids! She didn’t want a life full of stress and strain. She wanted peace. Does life always deny us what we ardently wish for? There is a saying that goes like “when life says No to what you ask for, it gives you something better”. Was this true in her case as well? Then how do you make sense of her death by assassination? Or was that a price for a better life?

I remember the tagline of a Hindi movie on Mahatma Gandhi – the tragedy of a family was the price of a nation’s freedom. Maybe Jawaharlal Nehru’s family paid that price too.....

Thank You Ganapati Bappa!!

The whole of Maharashtra is gearing up to bid farewell to Lord Ganesha as today is the immersion day.

As far as I am concerned, He has granted my wish -Twenty20 world cup for India :-))

Thank you, thank you, thank you Bappa!!

WE won, WE won, WE won

India did it again!

It felt good to see the entire team doing the laps of the stadium with the Tricolor!

It felt great to see them lift the cup against the backdrop of waving Tricolors!

But I don't have words to describe what I felt when the words "Congratulations India Twenty20 Champions" appeared on the billboard! :-)))

Great show guys and "Congratulations India!!!"! YOU ROCK!!

A miracle

I forgot to add another miracle in the earlier post - India's win against Australia in the semi-final of Twenty20 World Cup Championship :-) Not many expected India to win and it seemed nothing short of a miracle as we defeated Aussies by 15 runs.

Jokes apart, seems the team played really well and the energy as well as team bonding was there for all to see. I am saying "seems" because I was too scared to watch the match. Saw only the last 3 balls. And then the highlights :-)

Of course, Sreesanth could have done better to restrain himself. It was downright childish to thump the ground the way he did after dismissing Hayden. And not at all professional! But maybe what they say about everything being fair in love and war is applicable to cricket too.....

Here's wishing team India all the best for the finals!!

Science versus Religion

My earlier post might make me seem like an atheist. But I am not. I believe in God but that doesn't mean I dont believe in scientific explanations for phenomenons that might be considered as miracles. I remember a few years back in India there was this instance of all the Ganesha idols suddenly drinking the milk served as offering. People went crazy and all the temples got crowded with people bent on offering their share of the milk to the deity. But I didnt go. And I think the scientific explanations that were later offered completely explained the phenomenon.

Hence I eagerly read another angle explored in Dan Brown's "Angels and Demons" - science versus religion. I dont think that if we can explain the miracles in a scientific way that in any way proves that God doesn't exist. He does exist - only that he brings about his miracles in a much more subtle way.

God does show His hand when people risk their lives to save strangers, when people give up their well-cushioned jobs to help less fortunate ones,when people fight adversity in life with sheer will-power and when people go out of their way to make life a teeny bit easier for others.

If these aren't miracles I confess I don't know what a miracle is!

Omnipotent-Benevolent

My knowledge of Christianity is very limited. But when I read one of the Swiss Guard (in Dan Brown’s "Angels and Demons") ask about the apparent contradiction in this "Omnipotent-Benevolent" concept I thought someone was voicing my doubt.

If the God is all powerful (Omnipotent) and has only love for the humans (Benevolent) why is there so much suffering on earth? Why doesn’t He step in to stop all killings? Why does He allow intense blind hatred that won’t pause to think before butchering others? Why does He let the voice of sanity - the voice that proclaims that He is one, no matter what people choose to call Him - get drowned in the maddening chaos worldwide?

Since He is not doing any of this, he must either be powerful but not caring as to what is happening in His world or else he cares but is powerless to do anything about it. The apparent contradiction!

The Swiss Guard in Brown's book gets his answer - there is pain and suffering because that’s how we grow. Just like your parents let you fall because otherwise you will never learn to be careful.

I remember a parallel story from the Hindu epic Mahabharata. There is a story that Pandava's mother Kunti asks grief from Krishna in blessing. She explains that grief strengthens the soul like no amount of happiness ever can. That’s why probably they say that adversity brings out the best in people.

I must confess that this answer only partially convinced me. That's because I still can’t accept that so much of pain is necessary for all of us - isn't it rather a steep price to pay for growing spiritually? Is it necessary for innocent children to die in sniper fire? Is it necessary for people to die in genocides? Is it necessary for soldiers to die a lonely death in battlefields because countries cannot agree on the location of their borders? Is it necessary for people to die in blasts because some people disapprove of others' way of praying? I think NOT.

Using the same analogy, will our parents stand back and watch if we are about to jump off the cliff? NO. Then how can God watch when the human race is standing so close to the brink of extinction?

As far as I am concerned - the contradiction remains!

Personal perfumes, anyone?

Today I read that now perfumers based out of Paris and Italy (where else!) are developing personal perfumes for clients who can afford to pay the steep price for the same.

The process starts with profiling i.e. asking questions to gauge the client's personality. This is followed by sampling of scents and tests on which ingredients suit the client skin. Then the development and testing of the finished product. The formula used to make the perfume can also be used to make bath oil, body lotion, shampoo, soaps and incense sticks!

How I wish we all could bottle up all the scents we love. I would go for the scent of the earth after the first shower of the season, the ssentl of the flowers that grow in forests away from prying eyes, the earthy fragrance of the mountains and the scent of the tall green grass sparkling with rain-drops......

I think Dan Brown's "Angels and Demons" ended on a weak note. :-((

I don't want to play a spoiler for some soul who might chance upon this post and hasn't either read the book or worse, is in the middle of reading it. So I won't explain my disappointment any further.

Trust the Japanese to come up with weird gizmos. Today I read in Economic Times about an electronic kettle that sends an email twice a day to the relatives that the elder person who the kettle belongs to “made tea today”! This vaguely sounded like baby monitors – sort of confirming what is said about old age being the second childhood.

But what was disquieting about this was the confirmation that though the technology is progressing by leaps and bounds humans are getting lonelier. :-(

It will be interesting to see how Dan Brown has chosen to end his "Angels and Demons".

I liked Clive Cussler's "Atlantis Found" - but when I finished reading it I couldnt help but feel that he had ended it like one of those mutated-creature horror flicks. When everyone is busy rejoicing,hugging, congratulating and back-slapping each other, there is always a small creature or eggs left some place as a provision for a sequel.....:-)))

666666

No, no....I haven't turned into a devil worshipper. Those who saw yesterday's Twenty20 match between India and England won't take long to understand the reference. For those who came in late, this refers to the 6 sixes that Youvraj hit in one of English bowler Broad's over.

If I have to borrow from Mastercard....

The price of watching India bat first - high probability of suffering a cardiac arrest.

The expression on the faces of Broad and English captain Collingwood after the 5th six was hit - PRICELESS.

Irrespective of what happens in the next match for India - it was payback time for England yesterday (and I aint talking about Pound). Dimitri Mascarenhas, are you listening??

Research on body odor

You will never know what scientists will uncover. Yesterday I read that some research has discovered that a single gene is responsible for how we perceive body ordor. I dont have any objection to that.

But what I read next completely amazed me. It said that due to this gene the same person's body odor can smell like vanilla to one person, like urine to another one and someone else might say that the person does not have body odor at all!! huh? come again?

I am not sure the researchers have come up smelling like roses this time around :-)

Vanishings

“Oh, another story about UFOs or alien abduction” I said to myself as the title “Vanishings” flashed at the beginning of the program. It turned out to be a story of a Cessna aircraft vanishing along with its 20-year old pilot somewhere over the Bass Strait near Australia in the 70s. Before disappearing the pilot had reported a strange metallic capsule like object tailing his aircraft – so another UFO story. But still I watched it. Such is the fascination to find out if there is another life form anywhere else in the galaxy.

Though I am an ardent fan of Captain Kirk and his crew that “boldly went where no man had gone before”, I have always laughed at the human-like appearance of Klingons and vulcans. But then even the creatures from Species series and other sci-fi movies like “The war of the worlds” also seem unrealistic. So I guess we won’t know for sure what these aliens look like (if at all they exist) unless they are absolutely hanging over our heads like “The sword of Damocles” – as in The Independence Day!

This program was a bit different as it did not attempt to offer any scientific explanation for the vanishing except for some theories about aircraft malfunction and possible crash into the seas. Few years later another pilot did see remains of an aircraft at the bottom of the sea but that claim was refuted. Interestingly, a few people who had been standing on top of a hill nearby Bass Strait reported that they had seen a metallic looking object chasing a small aircraft over the sea. But they did so after 12 years! So the jury is still out on the disappearance of the little Cessna aircraft and its 20-year old pilot.

You know what? When yesterday I saw the picture of a mother in Iraq holding the body of her 6-year old son who was hit by a sniper, I seriously wished that a huge alien craft descend from the clouds. Somehow that seems to be the only way to band all humans together – irrespective of our castes, creeds, religions and the kind of God we believe in (if at all we do).

Watch what you speak

The following appeared as a clarification in yesterday's Economic Times:

"A news report published in ET on September 14, 2007, titled Tata Indicom Launches Samsung Explore, stated that the new handset Samsung Explore offered average Internet access speed of 415 kbps. This was based on a senior company executive’s statement at a press conference in New Delhi.

The company has now clarified that the Internet access speed on its new handset is in the range of 40-60 kbps."

Speaks volumes about the senior company executive as well as the reporter covering the conference, doesn't it? :-))

World’s richest Muslim entrepreneur

I was more angry than amused by The Wall Street Journal mentioning Azim Premji as the world’s richest Muslim entrepreneur (‘How a Muslim Billionaire Thrives in Hindu India’ by Yaroslav Trofimov, 11th September, 2007).

What is the need to point out that he is Muslim? Ok, Muslims are a minority in India but does that make India a “Hindu” country? Don’t they realize that by making such references they are in a way fostering “us-versus-them” mindset in impressionable minds?

The Colleseum

I have seen Gladiator and from whatever I have read I know that the Colleseum was a place where a lot of blood was shed. But I was shocked to read that castrations and gang-rapes of women also happened there!! Is this entertainment or horrortainment?

A true love story

This one made me do a double take. I wouldn’t have believed it possible hadn’t I read about it myself in the paper.

It took place in Kozikode in Indian state of Kerala. The lead characters – a hindu girl and a muslim boy. They fell in love but of course marriage was out of question. Both refused to marry anyone else. Then at the age of 34 the guy died in an accident.

This real life story takes a twist here from the predictable end – the guy’s mother met the girl and asked her to start living with them so she could treat her like a daughter-in-law. The girl accepted this. The mother also gave her full responsibility of the school that her son was looking after. The girl has been taking care of it ever since – she is in her 60s now.

What’s more, when the guy was alive they had met only once - their love survived and flourished through letters and letters alone.

I was stunned when I read this. If this is not true love I don’t know what is.

National Treasure re-visited

I had enjoyed this movie starring Nicolas Cage immensely. But couldn’t help feel that the thread running from pyramid and all-seeing eye on the dollar bill to the Masons was pretty thin at best.

Now Dan Brown's book talks about the same things – the Masons are back along with the Illuminati. Oh Boy!!

Twenty20 and me

It is called the “Fast food of cricket” but I loved the idea of a match that got over in 3 hours flat. You get to watch a game and don’t end up postponing important things.

But after India’s loss against the Kiwis I am not sure I have more stomach for this. I wouldn’t have minded if they had lost by 40-50 runs but losing by mere 10 runs hurts like hell……

Ganapati Bappa Morya

You won't understand the heading unless you are a Maharashtrian or have stayed in Maharashtra for some time. :-)

The whole of Maharashtra is busy welcoming Lord Ganesha on earth. He will be with families in private homes and also grace the public pandals decorated innovatively. This festival is to Maharashtra what Durga Puja is to West Bengal. So we will pamper him with food, decorations, offerings and also request him to fulfill our most ardent wish. :-)

What's going to be my wish? Maybe the Twenty20 world cup for India. "Ganesha will tell you to ask for something easier to give" jokes my brother. Well, we will see. If He wishes it, He will grant my wish. Won't you Ganapati Bappa? :-))

Angels and demons

I am almost ashamed to admit that it took me 2 weeks to finish "Atlantis Found" - almost twice the normal time. NUMA's artificial intelligence system MAX sounded a bit too advanced for my taste but overall I thoroughly enjoyed the book.....

Now I am onto Dan Brown's "Angels and demons".....just loved his Da Vinci Code. :-)

What makes a nation?

Couldn't help think about this as I watched the Twenty20 between Aussies and Zimbabwe. My heart bled for the Zimbabwe team as they sat through the final over waiting tensely about the fate of the match. But a four was hit on the last but one ball and I jumped for joy along with the Zimbabwe team. :-) It felt good to watch them run with their flag and I thought again 'Amazing isnt it what a piece of cloth does for a nation"......

So what makes a nation? What makes India?

Is it people who look similar to you in their skin color, height and facial features? In India, the people from the North East look different than the rest. There is also difference between the south and the north.

Is it the rivers and the lakes and the mountains? A common weather? In India climate changes a lot - from the deserts in Rajasthan to the fertile land of Punjab to the rain soaked forests of the North East.

Surely it is the food. In India, the North eats lot of butter, fish is the staple diet in West Bengal while the south can't do without rice.

How about traditions and culture? Punjab dances when its baisakhi time, state of Maharashtra goes festive during Ganesh chaturthi, Gujarat swings to the beat of the garba during dussehra, for the Bengalis its DurgaPuja, the south celebrates Onam and pongal......

The language then. I know which major languages are spoken in India but I confess I wont be able to name the countless dialects that are spoken.

What makes a country then? All this and much much more. And the flag of the country symbolises it.

That's because I know that when a flag containing the tricolors of saffron, white and green with a blue wheel in between flutters against the sky I miss a heart beat. As I watch it being carried all across the country in Rehman's "Maa tuze salaam" video it brings a lump to my throat. And this flag is what binds each of my countrymen to each other despite our squabbles over caste, creed and religion. I know we will rise over them one day.

I think the same is true for all nations on the face of this planet.

Ethiopia rolled into 2000 7 years after the rest of the world did

Pretty interesting, isnt it? They follow a calendar of 13 months. And so ushered in their new millenium on 11th September, 2007

Official prototype of kilogram mysteriously losing weight

http://www.siliconvalley.com/news/ci_6872313

Dirk Pitt again

I have found another Clive Cussler novel at the library and this time it is "Atlantis Found"! Every night I have to tear myself away from the book to go to bed and it is killing me :-((

Thought for food or Food for thought????

It is said that there are 2 categories of people - those who eat to live and those who live to eat. I fall in the second group. However, I am not very adventureous when it comes to eating exotic food.

So when I watched Globe Trekker episode on New Zealand I was taken aback with the steamed fish eye balls, duck tongue, fried sheep testicles and finally raw sheep testicles....definitely not the "Food for thought" for me. :-)

Chak de India

I am posting this message despite the fact that India lost against England in the 7th and decisive Natwest ODI. That's because this message is about the 6th ODI.

I was of course overjoyed that India really "Snatched victory from the jaws of defeat" as the newspapers so often put it. They dont do that often. I didnt see Robin Utthapa playing the last ball but I was there in time to see the expression on England captain Collingwood's face. Boy! Did that warm my heart :-)

And then Yuvraj came running on the ground. That was followed by what can only be termed as the mix of bhangada and kathakali :-) Ganguli and Zahir also ran on the ground and it was so heartening to see the spontaneous celebration of the team which is plagued by internal politics.

So at the cost of sounding melodramatic I will use the phrase that is being used so often these days.....Chak De INDIA!

Friendly neighbourhood pilot

"Very true" I said as I read the beginning of the news item in yesterday's economic times. It said how most people "hear" rather than "see" their flight's pilot.

I can understand his welcoming us on board (sometimes even that is done by one of the crew members on the captain's behalf), saying goodbye at the end of the journey....even telling us what altitude we are flying at. But I havent still fathomed why he has to tell us what the current outside temperature is. It sends a shiver down my spine every time he mentions it. Visions of an aircraft torn at the back and people holding on to things for dear life!

But I digressed....

This news item told about a friendly United Airlines pilot who invites children to cockpit, takes photos of their pets, ensures that unaccompanied minors get window seats and when the flight gets delayed the snacks are on him. And all this post 9/11.

Talk about the passengers being in 7th heaven!!

How partition affected Indian companies

I read an interesting article about how partition affected Indian companies. It menioned that Wipro's Mr. Azim Premji's dad was offered a ministerial position in Pakistan if he moved there. He declined. Pakistan's loss, India's gain!

There was also a mention of one Mr. Ghulam Mohammad who set up Mahindra and Mohammad with the Mahindra brothers. He went to become finance minister of Pakistan. The company was then re-named Mahindra and Mahindra.

It was interesting to read that at that time some people thought that they could stay in India and do business in India as well as Pakistan. They didnt realize to what extent the partition would affect both countries.

One more tidbit - in 1966, Mrs. Indira Gandhi's socialistic views and failing monsoon both were sufficient to convince some people that Pakistan is a much better place to do business in than India!

The article mentioned the book that was used as source - The Oxford History of Indian Business by Dwijendra Tripathi.

UFO Politics at the White House

Annoyingly I dont remember the channel which showed this program - history channel or discovery...well, it doesn't matter. The program was interesting. It featured what the attitude of the US presidents - right from Roosevelt to George Bush - was about UFOs and our extra-terrestrial friends.

I could not believe that there are books written on the subject...one of them being "UFO Politics at the White House" by Larry W. Bryant. God!! These people do write about everything under the sun (and in the space). There really isnt any ground where "no man has gone before" as far as the world of words goes, is it? :-))

As I watched the program I couldnt help but think about the scene in the movie "Independence Day" when the US president says that there never was a Roswell....and one of his security advisors says "Mr. president, thats not entirely true" :-))

Air Force One Is Haunted

Presently I am reading this book "Air Force One Is Haunted" by Robert J. Serling. The plot can be summed up in a line as: the president of the US - who is plagued with many domestic issues such as unemployment and a looming recession along with the international issue of dealing with the (then) USSR - starts seeing the ghost of a famous ex-US president aboard Air Force One. And this ghost advises him on many issues.

The plot outlined on the back of the book made me smile. Makes one just wish that leaders of many countries in the world be visited by saner personalities from an era gone by. :-)) There would be so much peace on earth.

Hole-in-the-wall featured on "Daily Planet goes to India"

I was watching this program "Daily Planet goes to India" on the Discovery channel. There was a clip on the activities done in Delhi by Hole-in-the-wall - a site I had mentioned about 3-4 days back on this blog. An alumni from my B School had forwarded the link to the community.

They showed how they simply installed 3 computers in the wall at a location where education is not easy to obtain for the children. These children were to learn to use these computers on their own w/o any supervision. One of the ladies working for the cause talked about how one of the children referred to the mouse pointer as a "Sui" - that is a Hindi word which in English means a Needle. When asked what the needle does the boy replied that he has to move it to make things happen. Another child termed the folders as "Cupboards". He explained that when it's opened things come out. It was fascinating to see how these children use their own vocabulary to understand things.

The founder Dr. Sugata Mitra also talked about the pattern of learning that they observed. The bullies would crowd around first edging out the smaller quiter children, but they wouldnt be able to figure out things, then a small quiet child would come and do something, the bullies would step back and actually ask the child how he/she did it.

We need many such holes in the wall to crash the wall that stands between education and many of India's under-privileged children!

Attention all bloggers

Check this out

http://blogactionday.org/

Hole in the wall

http://www.hole-in-the-wall.com/ - go find out what they are doing.

Nokia and batteries

I am not sure why people say that this battery recall is going to hurt Nokia. I rather think that if there is something wrong with my phone I would like the handset manufacturer to be someone who comes out in the open and says so before any lasting damage is done. Is there anything more to this whole thing than meets the eye?

A Zen Story

Anyone for a Zen Story? Well....there was this zen master whose master passed away. He started crying and lamenting the loss. One of the people present asked him "Why do you cry so much when you are yourself a master?"

He said "I am mourning my master because he was an extra-ordinary man".

The person asked "What was so extra-ordinary about him?"

The zen master said "He was the only extra-ordinary person I knew who considered himself ordinary!"

2 amazing news items

Someone has said "It's not a news if dog bites man but it's news if man bites dog". These days media has pretty much pulled out all stops when it comes to delivering the "Breaking News" but I found 2 pieces in the printed world that rather amused me.

The first one was about this border town in Mexico - this whole town thrives on the industry of sending illegal immigrants thro the Sonoran desert into Arizona. There are grocery stores where you can purchase eatables and water to tide you over the long trek. Moreover, a bank has opened a branch for people whose relatives in US send money for the journey. As Mr. Spock of Star Trek would have said "Fascinating!"

The other news was about the Indians (not red Indians but people who are from India) in US who were rather irked by the immigration authority USCIS over the delay in processing their green card applications. What did they do? They sent flowers to the Director of USCIS - as a "Get Well Soon" gesture. Those folks who have seen the Hindi movie "Lage raho Munnabhai" will recognize this as a form of Gandhigiri. Isnt it funny that these people who want to stay in US have to resort to "Satyagraha"tactics by the Father of the nation - Mahatma Gandhi?

The Runaway Jury

I have seen many court room scenes in which the presiding judge asks the members of the jury if they have reached any verdict. They say they have so the judge asks the defendent to rise. And then the leader of the jury finds the defendent either guilty as charged or not.

But I had no idea that an elaborate process exists for jury selection and that both the sides - the plaintiff as well as the defendents - appoint jury selection consultants. But John Grisham's "The Runaway Jury" talks about this and many other things......I know I am going to like this book :-)

India's Independence

I was reading an article about India's Independence. The writer mentioned what a British High Commissioner said back in the 60s about it. He referred to a mutiny by the Indian Royal Navy in 1946. The writer said that many in the audience that time including himself were surprised at the mention because none of them had heard about it. I dont remember reading about it either. The British High Commissioner said that this mutiny rattled the British because they thought it was going to be a repeat of the 1857 mutiny. Their fear also stemmed from the fact that they had trained many Indian soldiers for the World War II. They feared that they will now rise against the British slaughtering them down to the last man. That's the reason they finally left India. I dont know how much water does theory hold.

So I am done reading with "The fourth protocol". Didnt understand half the words mentioned in the preparation of the SAS team.....I am still not sure whats the difference between SAS and SIS :-) Just a naive question.....won't publishing all such details in the books help criminals?

The Fourth Protocol (16th August)

I am currently reading Frederick Forsyth's "The Fourth Protocol". In the beginning it sounded pretty dull compared to Forsyth's other books - The day of the jackal, Odessa file, The Afghan and the Fist of God. I was seriously thinking of abandoning it. But somehow I hung on and am being amply rewarded for it. I can hardly keep it down now that it has reached its final few pages of climax.

It's printed on the front page of the book that it was made into a movie starring Michael Caine and Pierce Brosnan. Pierce Brosnan!! :-) I have never been a fan of Bond movies but when Brosnan was 007 I watched Bond movies religiously. I think he was a perfect fit for the character of Bond. :-)

So let's see what the final pages have in store for me......:-)

It's my sweetheart's birthday today (15th August)

I got an SMS today morning. The 1st few lines rather had me worried. They went something like this "I know you love her, it's not a secret anymore. She's pretty, she is hot, she is so rich and cultured". What's this all about? I scrolled down and the rest of the message went like this "She turned 60 today! Happy Independence Day!" I plead guilty as charged. :-) Happy Birthday India!!

Inca Gold! (4th August)

I read another Clive Cussler book "Inca Gold" :-) Fascinating!! I was surfing the TV a few weeks back when I stumbled on a movie called "Sahara". I was about to change the channel when I heard the word "NUMA" and I was like "Did he say NUMA?". Sure enough it was a movie version of Cussler's book "Sahara" and the character of Dirk Pitt was played by Matthew McConaughey. The only movie in which I have seen McConaughey so far is "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" :-) so I was a bit taken aback. As I watched I liked him though. Guess it will be Matthew's face that will rise before my eyes when I read all future Dirk adventures. :-)

Ruskin Bond's Green Book (4th August)

Recently I read Ruskin Bond's Green Book. Almost at the beginning there is a lovely poem called "Trees" by Alfred Joyce Kilmer (1886-1918)

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is pressed
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robbins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snows has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain;

Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.

This book is a collection of stories by different authors including Bond himself. In one of the stories, it is mistakenly mentioned that the secred tree of the hindus is Peepal whereas it actually is the Banyan tree. Then there is a very beautiful story about why animals have come to fear mankind. I especially loved the story about tippity - the flyinf squirrel. I have always found Elephant fascinating - and just love the baby elephants running along side their parents :-) Long Live Natgeo and Animal Planet!! This book contains an article that says that when the elephants know that their end is very near they go deep into the forest to the Elephants' Graveyard!

I dont know what kind of animal a ratel is - must search on the net. But one of the stories does mention that this animal is very fond of playing by itself. The writer of the article has mentioned how he came about one playing by itself in the moonlight! I almost envied the writer for this rare experience :-(

Then there is a story of the flute player which reminded me of another book called The secret garden that I had read years back - a very simple innocent world of children which sadly has become the land "where no man has gone before" for today's children.

I am of the generation which knows Maneka Gandhi as the wife of late Sanjay Gandhi and as a lady who raises hell when stray dogs are killed. :-) But she writes and writes well. This book contains a very touching story of a sparrow called "numm numm" :-)

All in all a very delightful book for people who love animals, nature and forests :-) Dont I sound just like a critic?? ;-))

Harry again (24th July)

So now about the movie..... I liked it as usual. Especially the part where the tiresome and irritating Dolores Umbridge is swept off her feet :-) by Hagrid's half-brother. Boy! I clapped like hell. Then I was reminded of something else that my colleague had said long time back as an answer to my "I dont read books on wizards". she said "Its magic for grown-ups". She was so right! The books took me to a wonderland I wished and hoped existed. And now the movie turned me into a child again......not ashamed to clap when I like something very much.

Recently I read a story:

An old man is sitting with his grandchild outside his house as the sun is setting. He looks at the sun and says to his grandchild "You know child, there are 2 wolves inside every human being. One good and the other evil and there is a constant struggle between the two of them." The child looks up at his old face and asks "which wolf wins grandpa?" To which the old man replies "The one you feed, child".

I guess Potter movies are doing an excellent job of feeding the good wolves in all of us when they show triumph of good over evil. And again it is not a black-white scenario. Not everything goody-goody. He does harbor doubts that he might be evil in reality. He gets angry and still finds it within him to fight back the evil wolf and let the good one win. All of us can see a little Harry inside us. And that makes him really special I think :-)

Harry potter and other things (24th July)

So I finally watched the latest potter movie. I remember the time when 2 of my colleagues gave me the first 2 books as a birthday gift. My first reaction was "In case you havent noticed I am well past the stage of reading books on wizards and witches". One of them assured me that her father-in-law who also had the exact same opinion has become a confirmed Potter fan. It didnt sound as too much of an assurance for me but I didnt want to sound rude about her pa-in-law so I took the books with me. A weekend was coming up so I put my feet up to the walls, grabbed a basket full of roasted chestnuts and decided to see what this was all about. The rest as they say is history :-))

Long time no see (22nd July)

God!! I cant believe I didnt come here for 3 weeks. But now I have net access at home. So I guess I will come here more often from now on..........

Another story (30th June)

Here’s another one that I read. I believe it originally is from some collection of Russian stories.

This is about a young boy called Dennis. Every evening after coming back from school he keeps his school-bag outside the closed door of his house and plays with a friend who stays close by. This is because his parents both work and little sister is put in a crèche. One day he is playing with his friend showing him the new toy car his parents got him a day before. They play with it for a while and then its time for the friend to go home. Dennis is sad as he has to spend the next few moments alone - till his parents come home with his baby sister – with only the gathering twilight for company.

His friend waits a little longer to show Dennis what he has in his school-bag. Dennis's eyes sparkle as he looks at the small match-box. Soon his friend goes home. Dennis’s parents and his sister come home to find him sitting on the stairs with the matchbox in his hand. His mother ruffles his hair affectionately and asks him about the new car. Dennis shows her the matchbox and tells her that he traded his new car for it.

His mother is astonished that her son should give away the car he so wanted for the matchbox. She leans forward to see what’s inside. As she catches sight of the small fire-fly in one corner of the matchbox her son explains "Mom, I traded because this one’s alive!"

All a matter of attitude (30th June)

Here’s a story I read recently

A man was taking a train to the new village to which he had been transferred. While chatting with an old lady he said “I am not sure what kind of people I will come across in the new place”. The old lady asked him “what were the people like in the village that you left?” “Oh, simply horrible!” said the man. “ “they were very selfish, didn’t want to help anyone and I was glad to get out of there” “I don’t know how you are going to cope in the new village then” said the old lady “because the people there are also like that”.

After a few days the old lady met another young man from the same village on his way to his new place of work. He voiced the same concern and the old lady asked him the same question. The man smiled and said “They were very good people, took very good care of me and were always ready to help” “Then you should not have any reason to worry, the new village has pretty much same kind of people” said the old lady.

Was the old lady speaking the truth or lying to the young men?

She was speaking based on her study of the men’s attitude towards life and people they met.

Bhutanese food, anyone? (27th June)

Recently as I was surfing the TV channels I came across a program about food from Bhutan. I don’t know what dishes make up a lunch/dinner table in a Bhutanese house so I watched it.

I could not believe that when about 5 dishes were cooked ¡V each had just 4 ingredients. As far as spice was concerned there were only pieces of big red chili and salt. For an Indian like me who cannot do without my mandatory quota of garam masala, mustard, turmeric and chili powder this was like a culture shock :-) What? Not even a pinch of pepper? I exclaimed incredulously.

And 2 of the dishes had cheese in it as one of the ingredients! I cursed my luck for not being born into a Bhutanese family where I could consume cheese as part of my daily staple food :-) Some people have all the luck!

The food must have tasted nice too because the person anchoring the show sat down to consume it at the end. I watched him closely as he put a spoonful in the mouth. I have seen many cookery shows where the anchor-person on tasting food makes vague sounds like “oh, interesting”,”ok¨, ‘hmmm’- trying desperately to keep a happy face. But in this case, there was genuine delight J along with the comment “these chilies are rather hot”!

Good poem off a blog (25th June)

life is interesting,
interesting enough to keep you hooked

life is fast,
fast enough to miss it completely

life is alive,
alive enough to make its presence felt

life is postitive,
positive enough to give you hope

life is real,
real enough to take it seriously

life is naughty,
naughty enough to play pranks

life is smart,
smart enough to oversmart you

life is precious,
precious enough to value it

life is cute,
cute enough to caress it

life is mysterious,
mysterious enough to explore it

life is Life,
Life enough to live for it

(From http://www.akshaysurve.com/blog/2006/07/)

Good one (25th June)

A hotel was having problems with people stealing towels. Instead of putting up a sign saying, "Please don't take the towels." They made up a cute sign saying, "We are a little family hanging here for your use. Please don't take any of us out of this room, as we are very attached to each other. We do, however, have some cousins down in the gift shop that love to travel. They would be happy to go home with you!" They said the number of towels being stolen virtually stopped and they had numerous customers asking if they could take a copy of the sign home with them!

Sea-shore again (25th June)

I had been to the sea-shore again last evening. I watched as the last rays of the setting sun disappeared off the water and stars made their appearance in the skies. The sea was neither rough nor calm – but it appeared like a playful child as its waves lapped the sea shore, breaking into a pearly white froth with a crisp sound as they touched the still warm sand.

And I stood there thinking about the Carpathia, Mary Celeste and thousands like her who met their watery graves in the seas and oceans all around the world –sometimes along with their passengers and crew. Death’s never a pleasant affair – even if you believe in re-incarnations. I remember falling into the river while attempting rafting for the 1st and possibly last time somewhere in Pennsylvania. And I didn’t like it one bit. Died a thousand deaths before friends pulled me back to the safety of the boat. The oceans all over the world must have witnessed so much of pain and suffering.

Its difficult to express exactly what I felt as I stood there watching the waves – a mixture of awe, sadness and grief. A story read somewhere came to mind – a story of 7 waves who were sisters. They always wanted to visit the shores but their parents being parents didn’t want to let them out of sight. Finally, a solution was found. The 7th sister to visit the shore will go back to meet the parents living at the bottom of the sea. From that time onwards, it’s said that the 7th wave to hit the shores will carry anything thrown in it to the bottom of the sea.

I thought of the small collection of beautiful shells that I have back at home. I decided that next time I come to the shore I will get one of them and throw it in the 7th wave -my way of paying homage to all those resting there forever.

How much Electronics can a house have? (12th June)

I am not much of an electronics person. It was only recently that I got fed up of people taking potshots at my age-old Ericsson phone and decided to go for a new one. This time I honoured Nokia with my business and this new baby has a camera which takes beautiful pictures.

Apart from the mandatory laptop I dont think I can boast of owning any gadgets with cutting-edge or what they now call as the bleeding-edge technology. So my jaw nearly touched ground when I read the following:

http://www.siliconvalley.com/deantakahashi/ci_6112502

I guess the only thing that is lacking is the transporter room - like in Star Trek!

Another book (12th June)

There is another book that I am reading besides Sea Hunters. Actually both these books are arranged chapter-wise where each chapter doesn’t have much to do with either its successor or predecessor, so I can read them in parallel. The other day one of my friends spotted me with this second book and nearly fell off his chair laughing. "What on earth are you reading Dickie Bird’s autobiography for?" he managed to ask between hysterical bouts of laughter. "Are any special intellectual capabilities needed for reading this book? Of course you wont know of them anyways" I shot back with as much sarcasm as I could muster in my injured tone. But by now he has become immune to it so he calmly answered "A basic working knowledge of cricket must be the pre-requisite".

Now it is true that I only understand the sport in its broadest terms – when the batsman is run out, when he is stumped, when he is caught, when a six is hit and when it’s a four. Despite trying hard I have never been able to understand an LBW. I don’t understand a Yorker or a swing. And I have never bothered to find out where exactly is the silly point. So in the cricket parlance I score a duck when it comes to the technicalities of the game.

However I don’t see this as a handicap when I read the auto-biography. Sure, there are pages where such a knowledge is needed to figure out what Mr. Bird is saying but despite skipping such pages I am enjoying this book because it tells me a lot about what it takes to work as an umpire. I mean we all see these 2 people signaling in weird gestures – curse them when they don’t signal a four or a sixer when our favorite team is batting or signal an out when our favorite team is fielding. But they had to pay attention to a lot of things – especially in those days when there was no 3rd umpire. The laws of the game seem complex as well. And the spectators have become more aggressive over the years. Mr. Bird says rightly that the umpires and the groundsmen who prepare the pitch don’t have an enviable job! I guess the next time I watch a game I am going to be more sympathetic towards the umpires.

Finally, it’s interesting to read about the players and their personalities. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes this sport about which George Bernard Shaw said

"The English are not very spiritual people, so they invented cricket to give them some idea of eternity."

Sea Hunters II and NUMA (9th June)

The book that has got me hooked on completely at present is Sea Hunters II. Now you might be saying isn't it rather like watching the sequel first?¡¦. I admit that it is so but I was suffering from an overdose of Agatha Christie mysteries (though I am really fond of them) so I was hunting for some other kind of thrilling books. From the name I thought this must be about some long lost treasure at the bottom of the sea but it turned out to be about the hunt for sunken boats. And this is real - not fiction.

That brings us to NUMA - The National Underwater and Marine Agency that was founded in 1979. Dr Clive Cussler who is the chairman of NUMA is one of the authors of this book. NUMA undertakes missions for discovery and then preservation of ships of historical importance to the USA. This book talks about the hunt for the ghost ship Mary Celeste and RMS Carpathia (which picked up survivors from Titanic) among others.

Time for another confession :-) much of this is 'uncharted waters' for me. I still can't remember whether starboard side is the right side or Portside is the right side. I haven't seen an anchor except for in movies (most probably Titanic). And I won't be able to tell a magnetometer from an odometer if you keep both instruments side by side :-) But it is intriguing to read as for each ship( or steamboat or whatever it is that floats on water) the book first talks about how it sank and then about how its discovery was attempted.

Needless to say, once I am done with the sequel I am going back to the book that started it all :-)

I am hopelessly addicted…… (6th June)

to Discovery Travel and Living channel. It has shows on 2 of my favorite things – travel and food! I have been a fan of their “Globe Trekker” program and I love “Passport to Europe with Samantha Brown”.

As far as food goes, I watch almost everything that they “dish out” – Floyd’s India, Oliver’s Twist, Anthony Bourdain, Planet Food. I guess the only show that I don’t like watching is Hell’s Kitchen. I feel sorry for all the participants who are trying their best and I cannot tolerate the chef yelling at them :-(

Another of my favorite cooking show is Kylie Kwong: Simply Magic. Kylie makes cooking seem so simple. And everything is “Gorgeous” and “beautiful” for her – even a freshly cut piece of spring onion! She almost makes you get off the couch, venture into kitchen and whip out something delicious…..just “almost” :-)

Internet cafe (6th June)

Read this: "Last week, a Shanghai court ordered operators of an Internet cafe to pay $11,200 to the family of a 15-year-old boy who collapsed and died after playing online games for two straight days, the newspaper China Youth Daily reported. Internet cafes are supposed to limit the number of hours that minors are online."

My reaction: What were the kid's parents doing? Was there no one else who wondered why this kid hasnt come home?

something I wish I had when I was in school..... (31st May)

And here's something I wish I had when I was in school.....

http://www.siliconvalley.com/deantakahashi/ci_6018503

A smart pen.....it can tie up what your professor is saying with your handwritten notes and you can even upload the notes on your laptop. What a blessing!

I remember my days in the B School when I used to struggle through after-lunch lectures - fighting off drowsiness, figuring out what the prof is saying and taking notes at the same time! But I could only do one thing at a time. So I would either doze off with my eyes open or make notes of 2-3 sentences as the professor raced off. My notes would invariably end up with a lot of doodling.

I am painfully reminded of the class on M&A. The prof taught well but I missed out on a lot because it was a post-lunch session always :-( I wish I had this Smart Pen then...........

Lines from a Beatles song (31st May)

Today I was reading about the joint appearance of Bill Gates and Steve Jobs at a Digital Conference. (http://www.siliconvalley.com/news/ci_6025485)

There was a reference to some lines from a Beatles song:

"You and I have memories that are longer than the road that stretches out ahead." Pretty haunting, arent they?

I wonder if I can find the lyrics of this entire song.

A child amongst you is taking notes!! (22nd May)

I had been to the sea-shore the other evening. A crowd of people had gathered near one of the buildings. Soon a fire engine rushed over. I was puzzled – couldn’t see any smoke. There can be smoke without fire. Can there be fire without smoke? But it seems there was neither fire nor smoke. A bird had got itself entangled in a tree branch and someone had informed the fire brigade. After struggling for 10 minutes or so the bird was set free. As it soared back into the evening sky a bunch of kids keenly observing the whole process clapped with gusto. I wanted to clap too – but I didn’t.

Scene 2 – I am struggling over the menu at the coffee shop – don’t they have anything without cream or ice-cream? A tiny kid walks in with his mother in tow – a boy. As he passes me he looks at me – his chubby finger lightly tapping the surface of the table as he moves past. When I zero in on what I think is the lowest calorie drink on the menu I look up and see the kid sitting with his mother at the far end of the café. His mother is busy scanning the menu and I see him watching everyone in the café with frank curiosity. He looks at the couple sitting by the window. He looks at the group of college girls who are busy paying each other off after settling the bill. He looks at the executive who is typing busily into his laptop. And I wonder if I looked at anyone of them as I walked into the café. Of course I threw the occupants a cursory glance to gauge if there was a vacant seat but beyond that it is always – oh, how can you stare at people like that? But the kid has that luxury.

Food arrives for him and for me. I am careful as I swirl the liquid with the spoon, he is happy making as much noise as possible by banging spoon against the saucer. I am careful to wipe my lips as I tuck into the sandwich. His mouth is splattered with bits of chocolate cake. I say to myself this sandwich is heavenly, he shows his appreciation for the food by lip-smacking.

I suddenly keep my spoon down – I feel so jealous that I know it’s absurd! :-)) I envy the kid for the luxury to let himself go – a luxury I can no longer afford. I suddenly look back at all the birthdays gone with sadness. Have I lost the opportunity forever?

And then the Eureka moment strikes. I remember the scene at the sea-shore building. I haven’t lost the opportunity yet – I say to myself – no one ever does. I have simply stopped noticing when the appropriate opportunity presents itself!!

I am not going to let it slip by unnoticed next time – I decide and then an odd quote from Bible comes to my mind “A child amongst you is taking notes”. It doesn’t hurt to take notes from a child sometimes, does it?