Oh, btw, author Amish Tripathi referred to a book - Underworld by Graham Hancock. Plan to read it sometime. Hence putting it on my list of "Books for a rainy day" :-) Also another one - "The Indus Civilization - A Contemporary Perspective" by Gregory Possehl.

The Immortals of Meluha – by Amish Tripathi (Spoiler Alerts!)

I had seen the book in the library on earlier occasions. The front cover depicted someone who looked like Lord Shiva. ‘The Immortals of Meluha’ the title read. Maybe another fantasy novel for kids, I would always think before moving on. Even when a young colleague in office excitedly mentioned reading it, I didn’t think about reading it myself.

Then over lunch, one day, I asked her what Shiva’s connection to this ‘Meluha’ was. She said that the book is about  Shiva’s journey from an ordinary person to the Mahadev – The God of the Gods. Interesting! Maybe this will be a practical take on the mythological tales. I remembered reading the translated version of ‘Parva’ by noted Kannada writer S. L. Bhyrappa. Its contents had left me fascinated and shocked at the same time.

Intrigued, I brought the book with me on my next visit to the library. I picked it up, started reading and then began looking forward to the evening bus journey home when I would get a chance to pick up from where I had left off the earlier day. This indeed is a journey of Shiva’s life before he became Mahadev. The characters in his life – Sati, Daksha, Nandi – are more or less the same. But their journey is different than the one depicted in the scriptures. Some ancient terms like Somras are explained in practical terms. So much so that you wonder why didn’t you think of it this way before. On the other hand, some material sounds bizarre like e.g. the Chief Scientist of Meluha talking about anti-oxidants. But all in all, I rather like the Shiva who says ‘Damn it’ and doesn’t mind flirting harmlessly than the one who sits on Kailash grim-faced and angry. :-)

That said, some aspects of the story are eerily similar to the modern day and age e.g. the letter sent by the Chandravanshi king to Daksha denying their role on the attack on Mount Mandar seems as if it is sent straight from Pakistan. This, when combined with the information that the Chandravanshis flaunt the symbol of moon as an important part of their ancestry makes one wonder if this was just a coincidence. The author mentions that Ram Chandra means ‘moon faced’ – but I doubt if ‘Ram’ means ‘face’ in Sanskrit. Similarly, the word ‘Namaste’ does not come from ‘Nama astu te’ but from ‘Namah te’. ‘Namah astu te’ becomes ‘Namostute’. The word ‘Varjish’ from ‘Varjish Graha’ sounds more Persian than Sanskrit.  The author mentions Prahar as a measure of time and then talks about minutes & seconds while measuring the speed of the archers. Oops!

I must admit though that I read one paragraph 2-3 times before I moved on – what the priest at the RamjanmaBhumi temple tells Shiva about good and evil.

The strength that evil has it overestimated, my friend. It is not so difficult to annihilate. All it takes is for a few good men to decide that they will fight it. At practically all the times that evil has raised its head, it has met the same fate. It has been destroyed.

With the news of Sarabjit Singh’s death so fresh in my mind, the words sounded oddly comforting. I almost wished I was at the temple instead of Shiva. :-(

So all in all, I loved the story and was mightily disappointed when the library attendant told me that none of the copies of the 2^nd part of the trilogy – The Secret of The Nagas – were available. My colleague offered to lend me her copy but I told her I would wait. 

It’s always worth waiting for good things :-)

seasonwatch.in

In Mumbai, it will be rare to find someone who is aware of subtle changes in the season - given that there isn't much change in the city's hot humid weather throughout the year. But if you are a member of this endangered species, then do check out http://www.seasonwatch.in/. They are a small group of citizens across India who keep track of things like changes in the trees, their flowering patterns and birds that populate them.

That's one more reason to gaze fondly at the thick foliage of the tree right outside your window :-)

NCPA Anand 2013

If you love experimental theatre and can spare some time over this weekend, then you should head out to NCPA. They are staging 3 plays - Dilon Ka Shahzaada,Yeh Hai Bombay Meri Jaan and Mitro Marjani - as part of Anand 2013. For more info, check out http://www.ncpamumbai.com/event/ncpa-ananda-2013

I use Asana for managing team's tasks at work. And must say that I find it very handy. It doesn't take long to master its features. There is no poring over lengthy manuals or help sections. You can do all the basic things like creating tasks for different projects, assigning them to team members, adding comments, uploading related documents, creating sub-tasks (with their own comments, due dates and assignees), putting a due date on tasks and adding followers for monitoring progress. The system sends mail alerts till the job gets done. Very neat and efficient!

But there are a few things I wish it had. One, I cannot assign a joint responsibility for any task. Each task has to be assigned to one and only one person. Two, I cannot force order in which tasks get completed. So I cannot create a pipeline in which the next party in the stream knows when the predecessor's output is ready to be used as input for its task. Lastly, I cannot archive tasks selectively.

But there is no denying that it has boosted the team's efficiency to a great extent besides saving a lot of emailing that goes into keeping all interested parties informed. So I am loving it! :-)

महाराष्ट्रदिनाच्या हार्दिक शुभेच्छा

जय जय महाराष्ट्र माझा, गर्जा महाराष्ट्र माझा

रेवा वरदा, कृष्ण कोयना, भद्रा गोदावरी
एकपणाचे भरती पाणी मातीच्या घागरी
भीमथडीच्या तट्टांना या यमुनेचे पाणी पाजा
जय जय महाराष्ट्र माझा ...

भीती न आम्हा तुझी मुळी ही गडगडणार्‍या नभा
अस्मानाच्या सुलतानीला जवाब देती जीभा
सह्याद्रीचा सिंह गर्जतो, शिवशंभू राजा
दरीदरीतून नाद गुंजला महाराष्ट्र माझा

काळ्या छातीवरी कोरली अभिमानाची लेणी
पोलादी मनगटे खेळती खेळ जीवघेणी
दारिद्र्याच्या उन्हात शिजला, निढ़ळाच्या घामाने भिजला
देशगौरवासाठी झिजला
दिल्लीचेही तख्त राखितो, महाराष्ट्र माझा

We need a hero to fix the mess

I am sure there are many of us who have thought this more than once - especially in the last few months. And yet, we have been unsure of what we as individuals can do to bring about a change. Check out this article and tell me you can do none of these things.

I guess it is high time that we Indians realize that change, like charity, begins at home.

Wondering what the kids will do during the summer holidays? Check out this article for some interesting projects.

Books Ahoy!

I felt like a kid in a toy store. I must admit though that I had thought about giving Ashish Book Center’s book exhibition in Sunderbai Hall a miss – especially after a disappointing trip to Strand’s book exhibition earlier this year. But good sense prevailed. Ashish Book Center’s book exhibitions have been instrumental in building most of my home library. And I attend all of their exhibitions in the city every year to add on to it.

So back to the kid in the toy store! I picked up the basket at the entrance and walked to the shelves where the classic series books were laid out in their reddish hard covers. I have bought all the books that I want to from this series but that doesn’t stop me from gazing at them longingly. Every time I do so, I think of a cozy room, a comfortable recliner, a cup of steaming hot cardamom tea and a quiet evening. Memories of some past life? Maybe. But I like to think that they are also glimpses of a life after retirement J

The next isle had lots of books – Rs 50 each. I don’t particularly like this section because the books aren’t arranged author-wise. So you have to be particularly lucky or exceptionally patient to find a good bargain. I think I am neither. I wasn’t familiar with most of the authors whose novels were on display but based on the summary at the back of the book, I managed to find four good titles. I also found one of Clive Cussler’s novels – for just Rs 100 and hunted for more of his books nearby. No luck. So I moved on.

Luck favored me in the next isle when I chanced upon the whole treasure trove of Cussler’s novels. I bought about 10 of them. J I picked up a few novels of Robert Ludlum and John Grisham as well.

I had gone with the budget of Rs 1000. But when I totaled my loot, it came to Rs 1450. Almost 50% more than what I had budgeted for. I looked longingly at the rest of the isles. Most of the remaining exhibition was about cooking books, arts and crafts etc. But I would have found a good bargain or two.

But a budget is a budget is a budget, right? So I walked to the checkout counter. There’s always going to be a next time J

I have stopped watching news channels – again! I am filled with a curious mixture of sadness and anger every time I hear anything about Sarabjit Singh. I am sad because I can feel the pain of his wife, daughters and sisters. I am sad because I cannot imagine the pain that was inflicted on him. I am angry because the inefficient government still seems to be following Gandhiji’s Mantra of turning the other cheek when slapped on one and I can do absolutely nothing about it!

Why do we have to behave as if it’s Satya Yuga when it comes to our meddlesome neighbors – be it China or Pakistan? Why can’t we take a decisive stand? Why can’t we hit them where it hurts the most? What do we, the citizens of this country, have to do to not feel as if we are a nation made up of straw people?

Lots of questions – and no answers! So it is best not to watch the news. Ignorance is indeed bliss!

The Amul brand has always been one of my favorite ones. And not just because they make yummy ice-creams J I know some of the locations where they put up their famous hoardings – with a funny (and sometimes sad!) take on the latest happenings in the country as well as the world. Whenever I pass those areas, I make it a point to look out the bus, car or cab to catch a glimpse of them. And so far, they have never disappointed me.

Same goes for the latest ad featuring their butter. It successfully brings out the fact that in this country whenever someone says butter, he/she means Amul most of the times. The mouthwatering dishes they show make you want to sit down with a hot paratha or crispy dosa with a dollop of the famous golden butter on top. The ad is sure yummy to the last bite!

Wish I could say the same for their Macho ad. L

I also like the Tata Sky ad – the one about the escaping prisoners – though it leaves me with a nagging doubt – is Tata Sky meant for helping hardworking Indians like the officer-in-charge or is he hard-working because of Tata Sky?

Much has been said about Virat Kohli’s recent outburst against Mumbai spectators for booing him. I guess what they say about people staying in glass houses is true, isn’t it?

Speaking of Kohli, I wonder what Sachin Tendulkar is doing in Mumbai Indians team. He is either not scoring much runs or scoring them at such a slow pace that they end up doing more damage than good to the final tally. He is no use for bowling either. I am no fan of Ricky Ponting. But I must say that he at least has the good sense to sit the matches out admitting his lack of form.  Wish Tendulkar takes a leaf out of his book or someone has the guts to make him sit outside – and soon. 

Oblivion

Saw ‘Oblivion’ a couple of days back. The plot has a now-familiar ring to it. It’s sometime in future. The earth as we know now is no more. There has been a war and many casualties. The humans are fighting the invading aliens called as Scavengers (scavs) for the last precious resources on earth – one of them being, of course, water. Jack (Tom Cruise) and Victoria are some of the last drone repair-persons left.  Though their memories have been obliterated at the start of mission, Jack finds it strange that he keeps remembering stuff which he possibly cannot. One of the particularly haunting memories are of a woman – who for all intents and purposes is a stranger to him.

With just 2 weeks left before they can complete their mission and join whatever is left of mankind on a planet called Titan, Jack comes across a space shuttle that seemingly drops out of a sky because a beacon triggered by the Scavs has summoned it back to earth. Despite his efforts, he is able to save only one passenger, Julia, before the drones kill the rest. To his utter amazement, she is the same woman who he seems to remember from his visions.

Julia refuses to answer any questions about her mission or her identity. Instead, she insists on retrieving the black box from their shuttle. Jack accompanies her – only to discover something about him, Julia and the scavs – something that shocks him to his very core.

An interesting twist to the much-used alien-invasion-of-earth plot – the movie keeps you guessing right till the end. But in an attempt to keep it fast-paced, the director has moved the plot back and forth between the past and the future at such a dizzying speed that sometimes it becomes difficult to gauge whether what’s happening is from the present or the past. We did overhear a family having a heated discussion about the end as they exited from the movie hall.

So if invading aliens and earth’s destruction are topics that excite you, go watch the movie, if you haven’t already done so. If you can figure out the end, good for you! If not, then there’s always imdb.com J

CLUB 99

Once upon a time, there lived a King who, despite his luxurious lifestyle, was neither happy nor content.

One day, the King came upon a servant who was singing happily while he worked. This fascinated the King; why was he, the Supreme Ruler of the Land, unhappy and gloomy, while a lowly servant had so much joy.

The King asked the servant, 'Why are you so happy?'

The man replied, 'Your Majesty, I am nothing but a servant, but my family and I don't need too much - just a roof over our heads and warm food to fill our tummies.'

The king was not satisfied with that reply. Later in the day, he sought the advice of his most trusted advisor. After hearing the King's woes and the servant's story, the advisor said, 'Your Majesty, I believe that the servant Has not been made part of The 99 Club.'

'The 99 Club? And what exactly is that?' the King inquired.

The advisor replied, 'Your Majesty, to truly know what The 99 Club is, place 99 Gold coins in a bag and leave it at this servant's doorstep.'

When the servant saw the bag, he took it into his house. When he opened the bag, he let out a great shout of joy... So many gold coins!

He began to count them. After several counts, he was at last convinced that there were 99 coins. He wondered, 'What could've happened to that last gold coin? Surely, no one would leave 99 coins!'

He looked everywhere he could, but that final coin was elusive. Finally, exhausted he decided that he was going to have to work harder than ever to earn that gold coin and complete his collection.

From that day, the servant's life was changed. He was overworked, horribly grumpy, and castigated his family for not helping him make that 100th gold coin. He stopped singing while he worked.

Witnessing this drastic transformation, the King was puzzled. When he sought his adviser's help, the adviser said, 'Your Majesty, the servant has now officially joined The 99 Club.'

He continued, 'The 99 Club is a name given to those people who have enough to be happy but are never contented, because they're always yearning and Striving for that extra 1, saying to themselves: 'Let me get that one final thing and then I will be happy for life.' We can be happy, even with very little in our lives, but the minute we're given something bigger and better, we want even more! We lose our sleep, our happiness, we hurt the people around us; all these as a price for our growing needs and desires.

That's the "Club 99"

(Forwarded - by, who else, but HR!)