Noman's land

The first day of the rest of your life ...

2011-12-30T22:17:00.000-08:00

These are the lyrics from Matt Maher's song "Hold us together", one of my current favorites. It has been a while since I posted anything on this blog, so a drug induced post on the last day of one of the biggest years of my life seemed appropriate.

2011 has been a year of great change in my life. I celebrated my first anniversary a few days ago and am officially out of the honeymoon period. Over the years I have heard various married couple tell me that marriage truly shows you have selfish you are/have been and 2011 showed me how true that adage was. But here we are at the end of 2011 without killing each other and surprisingly more in love with each other - a fact that still continues to amaze me.

This was also the year that my body emphatically told me that I am old, and even though my spirit is willing the flesh is weak. I have spent the last 6 weeks mostly stuck to the couch with a banged up knee and will possibly be spending the next 30 weeks in rehab. The silver lining has been that I have been able to spend a lot more time with the better half while being waited on hand and foot. I am hoping that this rehab period would give me enough time to be reconciled to the fact that my body is middle aged even though my mind refuses to get over the 20s.

As I sit here feeling like I can fly (These pain killers rock), I can only think of how wonderful and blessed my life has been and how Jesus has been with me every step of the way, through the ups and downs, the victories and defeats, the terminal cancer and the marriage, the debilitative shy formative years and the gregarious 'crazy redneck' 20s. I cannot imagine a life without him being a integral part of me.

When I look back on the last three decades of my life, there is so much that I need to be thankful for. The only reason I did not turn out to be a maniacal psychopathic serial killer was the love filled family environment that I grew up in and I am not just talking about my parents and siblings but the wonderful extended family that would be the envy of the world. And inspite of all the fights and tears, I know they have my back and that they have and will always be the foundation on which God built my life. I am proud of them as they have been of me all these years. My parents have been God's guiding light in all my paths and the main reason for being on the straight and narrow, while my sisters have been God's support for my life.

I know that it might sound conceited and a cliche but I probably have some of the best and craziest friends in the world. And even though some of them are weird according to the world's standards, they have been the perfect tools in the hands of my maker who is working on making me a masterpiece. Some of them have been in my life for decades and some for only a short time; some are not there anymore but God put them all in my life at the right time. Friends have been one of the biggest blessings of my life and the cause of the richness of my life.

As I look forward to this new year and the rest of my life be it a day or 50 years, I can only think of each day per the title of this post. God has finally found and put into play his most important tool in my shaping and oh what a tool it is. God has found my perfect counterpoint and I can only imagine the great things that he has in store for us and how amazing the masterpiece is going to look like when He is done with it.

I wish everyone reading this a joyful and blessed new year 2012. May God make His face shine on you and may all his promises be fulfilled in your life and if you haven't tasted His grace may this be the year you do.

The Answer

2009-08-26T20:19:00.001-07:00

Well I am back once again after one more long hiatus and some boring excuse. So I will get right to the post instead of justifying my absence which in all probability went unnoticed.

So what is the answer that I am talking about? Well the answer to most questions when it is all boiled down to the core. Risking being labeled a fanatical, fundamentalistic, lunatic blowhard, I would like to categorically state that the answer is JESUS! Whether you are brown, white, red, black or yellow; whether you are pro-life or pro-choice; whether you are right-wing or left-wing; capitalist or communist; saint or sinner; theist or atheist; monotheist or polytheist; rich or poor; foward, backward, OBC, MBC, scheduled caste or scheduled tribe; jew or gentile; Hindu, Chrisitan, Muslim or Buddist.

The reasons for me to come to this conclusion are varied both from sources claiming to know HIM and abhor HIM. It is a fairly simple inference from the fact that nothing or noone else promises you the answer without expecting something else in return. Only Jesus claimed that He first loved us even when we didn't care and dared to proclaim Himself as the only way to God, making Himself exclusive. He claimed to be the Truth and truth is exclusive by definition. And the best part is that I didn't have to pay for my sins, beat that!

This post is the boiled down core of all the posts I wanted to write and wrote in my mind these past few months!

God bless!

Jesus did not come to make bad people good but He came to make dead people live!

What I have learned from Palm Sunday

2009-04-08T19:09:00.000-07:00

This is not another religiously pompous and theologically thought provoking post on the significance of Palm Sunday, atleast not in the conventional sense. There are probably tons of them floating around. This is all about one lesson that I stumbled upon at a very epiphanic moment: Do not put your trust in people or other things temporal! Why you ask? Because one week they would be riding you triumphantly on an ass into the city waving palm branches and proclaiming you the king while the very next week they are baying for your blood and leading you out the city on foot with a freaking wooden cross on your back. To add insult to injury they kill you in the most excruciating way possible.

People's mind are as fickle as they come and I still wonder why HE took this crap from people who don't really care!

The shaky moorings of an ideological centerist

2009-03-24T18:39:00.000-07:00

I had a more cooler title for the post but I can't remember it for the life of me! The title could be misleading in many ways, because the definition of a centrist varies depending on who you ask; from a spineless rat to a highly practical deal breaker. I am personally not very comfortable with the tag of a centrist seeing that there are too many pseudo centrist out there, which brings us to the question of the definition of a centrist.

The reason I find the moorings shaky is because they do not have the adamantine morality of the right or the freewheeling social boundaries of the left. This is further compounded by the fact that they hate both extremes but are equally poised to embrace either on most issues.

On the topic of definitions, I have seen - all the more frequently now-a-days - that conservatism and right-wing are used interchangeably. I beg to differ on that synonym as all right-wingers are social conservatives but not the other way around. A simple point of reference is that the right-wing in the US generally tends to be the Christian right while in India they would be the Hindu right. Conservatives on the other hand tend to be hard to define along religious views. Same applies for the left too, while the serious left have no religious underpinnings, the liberals are from all religious and non-religious persuasions.

That being said, I am ready to prod on with my rambling. So how does a left of the right of the center conservative liberal find myself at the crossroads? that question hides the answer!

There are times when I wish that things were simple and right and wrong was black and white like the conservatives want us to believe. The very idea seems Utopian and gives you the familiar longings of a simple life. Then there are times when I wish people would understand that traditions were made for men and not the other way around. Growing up in an ultra-conservative society with very rule based and sometimes hypocritical values I have come to recognize and value the solid comfort that conservative ideas provide. There is not much of a grey area when it comes to conservative ideals while across the spectrum its a lot more grey with no idea of the were the black and white start.

I have often wondered how this ultra-conservative boy could move to the non-conformistic and shifting sands of the center? It was probably the cultural shock of the contradictory characteristics of conservatism in different cultures. More importantly though, it was the realisation that the conservations "WWJD" Jesus I was raised to believe was more a non-conformist liberal who challenged the prevalent traditions and cultures. I never thought to question the fact that Jesus ate with "sinners" while I would not be allowed to talk to "morally bad" people.

Does this make me want to be a hippie? (A lot of people in South America really think that all Indians are Ganja smoking hippies). Far from it, I could never truly be a snob (Inspite of various attempts). And why would I not be able to call myself a liberal? The fact that I would have to care more about animals than humans, the perpetrators than victims and assign all responsibility of evil to the society rather than the individual.

Starting on this blog I really didn't know where I was going with it, neither has then position changed in the last couple of days that I have been trying to finish it. It started out more as a attempt at putting down my frustration in finding people with exactly similar views. I do realise now that by my definition I am not going to find somebody else with the same exact views on all topics. I have also come to realise the fact that inspite of the shaky moorings, I would not want to be self righteous, condemning right-winger nor a snobbish, superficial left-winger.

I also did realise that I needed to finish this post!

1200 Israelis dead ...

2009-02-15T16:09:00.000-08:00

This month my church has been having a series of sermons on racial equity and reconciliation. Dwelling on the fact that Jesus' message cut across all nations, class and race, even 2000 years back. I know a lot has been achieved in the last half a century towards a goal of equity for everyone, but there is definitely a lot more distance to be covered. If there is one thing we have learnt above all else in these years of trying to attain equality for all men - be it their race, gender or caste- it is that the society plays a bigger role than laws.

So why am I rambling on about equality when the heading talks about 1200 Israelis being dead? Firstly, the heading is false, if there were that many dead Israelis you would have seen it on network TV 24 hours a day. Secondly this statement is true for the stateless Palestinians (the death toll was higher), but they do not warrant the same amount of network coverage or people time. No, I am neither an Israeli basher nor a Palestinian supporter. Also I am not fond of watching people die or hearing sad tales of loss. What made me think about it was that it seemed a double standard that one group of people dying would sound more terrible than another group of people.

This lethargy is not just confined to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. You can see it manifest most frequently in the African nations. The fact that the western world thought that Saddam Hussain was more "bad" or "cruel" than some of the ethnic-cleansing, genocidal and baseborn dictators in the third world speaks volumes.

Closer to home I have been following the conflict in Sri Lanka, between the majority Sinhalese and the minority Tamils, with whom I share my ancestry. This conflict has been going on for decades with no solution in sight. Infact the LTTE (Liberation tigers of Tamil Elam), which is the largest armed tamil group, have the distinction of being the originators of suicide bombings. The struggle started peaceful enough with the minority Tamils wanting equal rights in all aspects of life. Soon it spread to armed struggle that got out of hand. Most people including yours truly have labeled the LTTE as terrorists - they got me on board by killing one of India's most beloved leaders in a suicide attack. I am not likely to withdraw that label, since they killed him in my home state of Tamil Nadu(country). Lately though I have come to realise that if this were a Tamil majority and Sinhalese minority conflict the roles would have been reversed and the Sinhalese resistance group would have been called terrorists.

At the end what it all boils down to is the fact that we are all prejudiced against people who don't look like us, don't talk like us or even eat like us. Until we change from the inside to believe that all men are born equal and not similar, we are going to have to keep paying in blood.

I personally believe that once you have Jesus in your heart, it becomes easier to overcome such prejudices.

Eurotrip

2009-01-05T02:12:00.000-08:00

I wonder if people realise that you get lazier as you get older. I have been meaning to write on my European adventure for a quite a while now even planned on making it a journal with interesting tit bits. The only accomplishment has been to write it over and over inside my head and never put it down on either physical or electronic paper. All those ideas for the journal with daily information have now been boiled down to this on post, if I can finish it. So here it is after 5300 Kilometers, 12 countries (Germany, Switzerland, Lichtenstein, Austria, Italy, Monaco, France, Spain, Andorra, Belgium, The Netherlands and Luxembourg) and countless cities in 11 days.

At the outset let me state that driving through 12 countries in less than 12 days is sheer madness and is not fun unless of course you are crazy yourself (an attribute that I can claim to an extent). It also boils down to what you want to see and what motivates you. I am not a big fan of old medieval architecture, though I do get awed by it every now and then. I wanted to just tick certain countries off my bucket list and this was a good chance for me to do it. I did want to see the Eiffel tower and the streets of venice, other than that I just wanted to add some countries to the "been there" list. Unless you are driving you wouldn't be in Liechtenstein, Monaco, Andorra or Luxembourg. For the uninformed, those are principalities in western Europe, smaller than most large cities. Of the four Monaco is worth visiting, mostly to see the most interesting F1 track. They also tend to be cheaper compared to the rest of Europe, but not the US of A.

Driving in Europe is definitely easier than driving in the East but not as easy as in the US of A. Everything from the roads to signposts, are inferior to the US and I don't even want to talk about the GPS. The one that came with my car only showed me the correct location of the hotel on two occasions. A couple of times even the cities that I was supposed to stay was available in the GPS. The fact that there are no street signs in most of europe is compounded by the fact that there are few people on the streets late at night, unlike India where the pedestrians are the only source of street information. It was almost a daily ritual for us to spend more than an hour trying to find the hostel each night. The worst was either Italy where we finally had to settle for a expensive hotel because the hostel was supposed to be on a mountain that did not exist or Luxembourg where we spent over two hours to find the castle hostel. Though it was these "searches" that made the trip interesting and adventurous; that and the people who refused to acknowledge English.

Driving through Europe was an experience in itself, because of all the different landscapes that we drove through. Be it the tunnel filled mountains of Austria or the coastal French Riviera along Nice and Monaco. Throw in some snow, rain and sunshine and you have all the different weather rolled into a single trip.

Switzerland

Odyssey - Book 4 - Eurotrip

2008-11-14T14:39:00.000-08:00

This only the third time this year that I am writing on here. I have been a lazy bum and consequently have lost most of my eloquence with the written word! So here is another attempt at getting back on track. This year has been full of various adventures from the streets of Rio de Janeiro to the leaning tower of Pisa, but my current planned trip might top them all yet. The plan is to visit 11 countries counting small principalities in 11 days. Its going to be more driving than visiting.

This will hopefully give me ample opportunities for keeping an interesting travelogue.

Day >0 : Its been interesting visiting Germany for work. Did I mention that German's love beer? I couldn't get a hotel in town because of a "Beer trade fair" and was put up in a B&B in the middle of nowhere. It was a pretty place but still in the middle of nowhere!

Day 1 starts tomorrow with the trip to Switzerland!

Live to Impact

2008-09-04T15:00:00.000-07:00

That was the title of the sermon at my church this past Sunday. An apt motto for those who really want to live rather than just survive. A motto I have aspired to for a long time. It is not a one step or multi step process but a way of life. The irony of the situation is that it does not matter if one wants to impact or not, ones actions always have an impact on the surrounding environment for better or for worse.

The assumption of the title is to make a positive impact. The simplest way would be to reduce your negative impact, which is easier said than done. A few days ago I was driving with some friends and was (as is usual) boasting about my Indian driving skills i.e. jumping red lights, driving on the opposite side of the road, etc etc, when I realised that it was not something to be proud about. I know that sounds corny but the truth of the matter is that if you want to 'live to impact' (for good) you have to make conscious decisions on such simple things.

A lot of people, of which yours truly is foremost, provide a lot of lip service to such a life but their actions betray most of what they say. But people like Gandhi, Mandela, Mother Teresa did not just impact the world with their words but their actions. The fruits of their actions are testament to the impact that they have had in the lives of others.

There is no denying the fact that our life has an impact, the question remains weather it is for better or for worse?

In Memorium - DGS Dhinakaran

2008-03-12T19:26:00.000-07:00

It has been another long hiatus ... probably the longest thus far. The reason for me being back is not a joyous one though, the loss of the only person I considered as my spiritual father and idol (Yes I said Idol).

Dr. DGS Dhinakaran, or to me (and tens of thousands of others) Dhinakaran Thatha (grandfather) was not one of those fire and brimstone preachers but a person who let the power God speak for itself. He responsible for the the life changing and saving experience that I had written about sometime back. That was the not the only impact he had on my life.

It all started with my father, searching for a job, dedicating his life to Jesus at one of Thatha's meetings way back in 1987. He was probably the only person of The Word not ridiculed by my father and that is saying something. Through the years my family got to know him in a more personal way and got to see that he lived his life in accordance with what he preached.

I am not one given to fawning over people or idolizing them. One of the rare exceptions to that was Dhinakaran Thatha. He was not a God man but man of God, who was blessed with rare powers. For the pseudo secularist this may sound as hocus pocus, probably I would have been at the forefront of such thought if not for the miracle in my own life. I have seen him call out individual people from among hundreds of thousands. I have not seen a more strong proponent or knowledgeable person of the Bible. It was this biblical knowledge that made me aspire to be like him. He was not one of those "theological" or "modern" preachers, but a back to basic Bible believing evangelist. He was the most prominent Indian preacher of the last half a century and probably one of the most prominent ever. He transcended boundaries of race, creed, caste and social status.

All of it did not come easily to this did not come easily to him. It is a long way from the person who could not pass his bachelors for two consecutive years and was on the way to committing suicide at an early age of 20. His life changing moment came when his unsuspecting uncle led him to Christ on his way to the railway track. It was not all rosy after the conversion;Contrary to popular belief Christ does not offer a problem free life he offers free life through all problems of this world. The long list of sickness and troubles ranged from kidney failure, heart attacks, accidents with most bones in his body broken to the loss of his daughter. Through all this he had his family have been the beacon of God's love to Millions. There were times when I have prayed that I wanted the powers that were manifest in his life, but I scaled back on them when I understood that all of this came at a great cost. Like he used to say, the only way that you could feel compassion for your fellow beings was to walk in their shoes, that my dear friend is not easy.

The character that I really wanted to imbibe from him was his study of the bible and his time on his knees. He could quote more scriptures than any person I knew and would buttress all that he said with the Word. He would also spend more time on his knees than any person I know. On a personal note, he was probably the only preacher that had my father's full attention inspite of how tired I was which is saying a lot again for those of you who know him. There probably are more eloquent and charismatic preachers but none of the eloquence or charisma can help a person in need only the word of God could and that's what you got from him with a whole lot of singing and wit.

He had his detractors, mostly from the Christian community who couldn't couldn't stand his fame or who wanted fame by criticizing him. It only galled them even more when he didn't respond to their criticism. One incident stands out in my memory, when his daughter died a Pastor of a fundamentalist church sent him a letter stating that she was killed by God for have flowers on her hair (According to him too ostensible for a Christian).

His ministry was to the broken hearted, a ministry of Compassion. He could relate to him like few others could, just becasue of all that had happened in his life. He knew what it was like to loose a loved one, what it felt to be in constant physical pain and agony and the emotional pain of failure, poverty and ridicule. That was the cost he paid to bring hope to millions and to touch the lives of many more.

He was probably not the most famous or well known of men but to me he was somebody that I want to be like. Somebody who ran the good race and finished it with his head held high. Somebody who touched millions of life with his words of comfort and hope. Somebody who was instrumental in me having a second life.

I will always miss him!

P.S : I know this is not like my usual posts but this is personal.

Odyssey - Book 3 - Chapter iv - Grand Canyon

2007-10-23T18:45:00.000-07:00

So here I am once again. I assumed that this would be a easy enough job to kick start, but a month has passed and along with it thousands of thoughts and the only thing that I have to show for it is a post on yet another trip. I didn't know if I should consider my trip to Halifax, Nova Scotia in Canada was worth a chapter, but even though I enjoyed the scenic drives through the coastal roads I couldn't really consider it worthy of being on my main blog, maybe the odyssey but the lack of time killed it. Me being on conference calls through most of the drive didn't help.

Grand Canyon is not so easy to pass over, even though I spent most of my time in Las Vegas sleeping than at the Canyons. The fact that I was back to my "get a ticket" life was in itself enough put it on my blog.

So the bad news first, Yes I got a ticket after a gap of two and a half years in the US bring the total to 7. I have actually done much better in Brazil, where I drive during the weekends only, raking up 6 tickets in the last 8 months (I have only been here half the time). Though I have a valid excuse, I was trying to see the sunrise at the Grand Canyon after having slept past the intended time, tired from a long drive (I can hear the snickers already).

And the Good News, The Canyon is worth the visit, better still would be a hike down the side, which I am hoping to do someday, hopefully with some company. I am tired sometimes of having to go see the world alone. At least need a cameraman to prove that I was there. As much as I like the Grand I am not a big fan of the desert, give me the green mountains of Carolinas over the Nevada Desert or better still give me the host, sweaty and burning streets of Chennai! Yes thats my homesickness showing through, I am going to back in December and if any of you chums are reading this, I would love to meet up sometime.

No trip to the Grands is complete without mentioning 'sin city'. I was supposedly at a conference though it was a good excuse to catch up on much needed sleep with free food and boarding thrown in. Frankly I don't understand what people see in Vegas, I don't know who in their right minds would want to even take a vacation there! surprising as it might seem, and in spite of the awe inspiring architectures (Don't forget to visit the Venetian), I wouldn't pay money to go there and loose some more money.

This whole trip was followed by a trip to Eugene's (My sister for those of you who don't know) home in San Jose to celebrate my Nephew Hansel's first birthday, just to remind me how how old I am getting.

Its back to the grind now.

Till laters God Speed!

Odyssey - Book 3 - Chapter iii - Amazonia

2007-09-25T17:52:00.000-07:00

I am back ... atleast for a short while. Its been a long break for me. I now understand perfectly how procrastination works, like any other addiction it grows on you slowly and then takes a death grip on you before you realise what hit you. The only way to get out of such a slumber is a rude and almost forceful self-awakening, like I am trying right now.

These past four months have been the busiest of my short life thus far and lesson learnt is that a workaholic is not born, a workaholic is made. I have also been clocking crazy airline miles. I am writing this note sitting in a Canadian Hotel about a trip I made in Brazil!

Amazon was possibly the best vacation I have ever taken so far. There has been no place that even comes close to it. Most of the other places I have been to have been more touristy and places that most people can claim to have been to. The Amazon can truly overawe anybody just by its sheer size. The river is so huge that it almost felt like a sea out there.

This trip was also the first time that I ever caught a fish and a Piranha at that. They are as tasty as they are dangerous. One of my boat members almost lost his pinky finger.

The highlight of the trip ofcourse was attending a indeginous Indian wedding. Most of the cermony was around the ritual of the 12 year old groom letting himself being bitten by huge ants to prove his manhood. He does this after taking a pinch of snuff.

Check out the pictures.

Amazon

Smoking is injurious to health

2007-05-27T13:07:00.001-07:00

Brazil seems to have tried to take on smoking by its horns. They don't just tell you that cigarette smoking is injurious to health but also give you the proof. I got these pictures right off of the cigarette boxes themselves. Not that it has don't any good to the hardcore smokers but the new ones are taking the hint!!

If only the other countries would do the same. Even though I think its stupid when tobacco companies get sued by people who use tobacco, I have had to change my opinion on how the advertisements affect young minds. I was talking to a kid who quit smoking a couple of years back, seems his main motivation factor was seeing the Marlboro cowboy smoking a cigarette on a horseback. Brazil has banned smoking commercials for the past few years because of this reason.

I couldn't get a picture but I saw a warning with a dead fetus!

License to Kill

2007-04-27T20:14:00.000-07:00

No I am not talking about Mr. double O seven, I am talking about the fundamental right that everybody has to kill another person in Iran. All you have to do after you kill them is to claim that they had questionable morality. Even the supreme court would side with you. The best part : you don't even have to be right. So if you don't like the guy that your ex is going out with ? shoot him and claim that you saw them both walking together (two of the victims were killed for this reason).

If only rest of the civilised world would adopt this policy we wouldn't need the police, the people would police themself. Just imagine how much better this world could be if you were allowed to kill anybody you didn't like ??? wouldn't just the people you love make it a better place ? And this would reduce the population control issues that India and China are facing. Now I know why a theocracy is wonderful and why Pakistan got it right.

People the mixing of religion and state should be promoted across the globe, it should be the next great idea after communism. The concept is not bad, the wonderful people who are more closer to God than us can tell us how to live. They know becasue they are more closer to "God". So if they say kill, there should be no problem. If they say hate, no problem with that too ... because it is the will of God and we are all the devils.

Odyssey - Book 3 - Chapter ii - Brazil I

2007-04-12T22:31:00.000-07:00

I wrote this stuff like a month ago ... and a lot has changed since, which I would probably update in the next post!

Firstly ... and lastly I like this place. Its a mix of India's craziness and America's resources. It has made me bring back the Odyssey to the main blog instead of being relegated to the diary (That nobody really reads) as it usually is. The traffic and driving best describes this mix of the developed and developing country senarios. There is organised chaos on the roads everyday. Most people follow the lanes like America, but they also cut each other out often, just like in India.

There is no better way to start about Brazil than its meat and fruit eating passions. Brazilians eat more meat than any other country that I have seen or heard of. The best part is that they eat more fruits than anybody else too. With all the red meat they eat I was surprised to find that Brazilians were actually thin. And since I wasn't Brazilian, I put on more than 10 pounds in the last week. I was literally pampered by them, once they found out that I was a carnivorous India (Which surprised them, as they expected me to be worshiping the cow instead of eating it). Any group of people who are willing to take me home and stuff me with food are bound to be some of the best on the earth. braziliaros scored big on that count. Almost felt like I was back in India not having to dutch every meal :). Or I would just give them top marks for providing with all the Mango that I could ever eat, add coconut water to that mix and voila Ulysses David was bowled over.

The traffic gets as crazy as India and as crowded too. But it has some redeeming qualities like the decent and smiling cab drivers. Oh and also the wonderful GPS system. I was surprised to find a mud road on the GPS. This is definitely a step up from India where your only GPS and map are the people on the street. The people also surprisingly follow the western lane system with flashes of Indian zig zaging!

The women are pretty ... just like in any other part of the world. Not wanting to shoot down the Brazilian hype I'll say no more. Or maybe I will! The statement that Brazilian woman are more beautiful than others is possibly because of her. I only provide a like to her image and not display it becasue she has choosen Tom brady over Ulysses David. So what if he is a Star athlete? That being said, Brazilian's are proud of two things; their football skills and their women. Nowhere else have I seen people asking you to agree with them that their women are the best in the world ( I have had quite a few talk highly of everyone accept their own fellow countrywomen ).

The only thing probably hinger on the Brazilian list than food and women is football (Soccer for you Yankees). I did try to take it upon myself to teach them a thing or two about football only to sprain my thigh with the first kick. This gave me enough reason to claim what a wonderful player I was if only I had stretched! The games were fun though. I was the star as I was the foreigner (I am soaking up all the attention), and everytime I touched the ball (being a goalkeeper) the crowd started chanting my name - also a sign hoe poorly they thought of my football skills!

A lot like the rest of the world, Brazil swings between the haves and and the have nots. Luckily for me I was entertained in a million dollar mansion, in a wonderful middle class house and was able to walk through a slum - probably the most dangerous thing I have done here. Though it was much much better than the city of God one ... probably better than some Indian ones. In the richer neighborhoods the architecture is spellbinding, something the American suburbs lack. While the poorer sections are more dangerous than the worst parts of St. Louis and Detroit. It's an unwritten rule that you don't stop at red lights ... in India thats more out of a lack of respect for the law while here it is out of respect for your own life. Though in truth it did not stop me from driving here ... also getting lost once (the GPS is not perfect!)

Laters for more ... also check out http://tamilnole.blogspot.com for more recent updates!

Brazil

Free will

2007-03-11T18:13:00.000-07:00

Same story different "moral soldier". In a story repeated sporadically across America, a few pharmacists have taken it upon themselves to convert lost souls by refusing them legal medicine. The irony of the situation is that those perpetuating this ideology conveniently choose to forget that the person who came to convert(Jesus duh!) didn't himself force anybody.

The whole basis of Christian faith rests on the fact that it is offered free with no strings attached to those WHO WANT IT. Its not something that is to be forced down somebody's throat or something that can be bought. History has been kind enough to teach us that no real evangelism is possible by the might of a sword. If there is something that the crusades and the torturing of Galileo has thought has it has been this that Jesus never intended Him to be defended by swords or persecution. All it leads to is defeat like in the case of the crusades or utter foolish like in the case of Galileo. If He had intended human hands to defend Him, He would have done so before be crucified.

I strongly believe that those using their personal conviction as rouse to beat somebody else's are not saints but megalomaniacs wanting the world to conform to them.

To add insult to injury, these same egotists would complain about al-queda, VHP and other such entities who do the same as them only with bombs and guns and knives.

All I have to say to them is this

"Judge not that you be not judged" - Matthew 7:1

India the superpower ... not

2007-02-18T12:16:00.000-08:00

Came across this hard hitting article on India's current economic state. I receive a mail forward almost every week from all the tops and dicks and Harry's on why India is a super power; they talk about the IT sector and the growth of the middle class and the rise of consumerism and a lot of other such external polishes which only is true for the minuscule portion of the population. It's true when Maybach came out with the world's richest car it was prebooked for two years in India but it does not speak well of the fact that for every such maybach buyer there were a million looking for their next meal.

So of my friends might take offense to this article and may even go so far as to call it a western attempt to diminish (sic) India's image. But the fact remains that reality bites. There is no point in blowing the trumpet that Indian Americans are the richest ethnic group in America why the rest of the population back home is beset with poverty and corruption.

Freedom

2007-02-11T19:05:00.000-08:00

I was at the world war II memorial in London the other day and came across these words "... gave their lives for the freedom of the world ...". The irony of the statement wouldn't strike everybody, but being that I am from a former colony of the British Empire, it was an eye opener. This statement was made when numerous countries including mine was under the oppressive English hands.

Does freedom only belong to a select few individuals? Or does it only belong to the people that the media says it belongs too? In this day and age when everything gets a sense of legitimacy by using the word freedom, it is imperative on us to consider the broader picture and not confine our self to our narrow world view.

The Indians and the Nigerians and the Ugandans and the countless others British colonies deserved their freedom as much as the British or the french deserved from the Germans. Maybe the days of "Dogs and Indians not allowed" are like water under the bridge but it is still trying to repeat it in different fashions! And history be damned there are always enough snoots around to spoil the broth for us.

So people might think that I am just joining the rhetoric of bashing the British of yesteryear but then you are not in my shoes. Sometimes my blood just boils over when I hear of the hypocrisies of "freedom loving" "democratic" countries which try to take the glory for all the world's good and nothing of the blame for it's evil.

The English bashing probably is because of my first trip there and the sight of the Kohinoor diamond on the queen's crown, instead of being in the hands of an Indian. That being said no freedom is 'freedom' until it belongs to everybody. There is no clause to withhold it from a few or from the dis-advantaged.

On a personal note the pictures are available on my diary

Ano novo feliz

2007-01-02T16:38:00.000-08:00

Wish you all a wonderful and blessed year ahead.
May god make his face shine on you.

two months and counting

2006-12-21T08:37:00.000-08:00

It's been two months and counting since I made a comment online about anything! I've been tied up with a lot of changes and a lot of travel including India and Brazil, not to mention the new city of residency and a new job that is as much work as it is fun ... that's my excuse and I am sticking to it.

Having accepted the fact that I would have to live on the road for the better part of each month I am kick starting my writing skills on the road, sitting at Miami International airport in transit from Sao Paulo, Brazil to San Jose, California. Sitting here enjoying a perk of the travelling job (free Internet on the road), I can watch with detached amusement the chaos all around me, a chaos caused by mechanical failures and snowed out airports. The holiday season only gets more frustrating instead of the supposed peace of mind and job its supposed to bring to each person.

I have had so much to say and have said so little ... not that it has any bearing on the earth's rotation. So knowing my place in the cosmos, I'll refrain from boring you with my dull ramblings ... for the time being ... and attack you with all vengeance once I have renewed my brain cells.

I am an Uncle

2006-10-12T13:03:00.000-07:00

I am an Uncle as of 2:40P.M CST October 11th!!!!!!!!
Introducing Mr. Hansel John!

The case for war

2006-09-28T13:41:00.001-07:00

Its finally time that I get into the war debate, four years after it began. I see that the rhetoric has shifted too and the momentum has clearly swung the anti-war way, atleast most of the noice is coming from the anti-war lobby. What an oppurtunate time for me to defend it

It’s often been said, and rightly so, that for evil to prosper good men do nothing. I have read and heard about the Sheehans, the Moores, the Clooneys and others of the ink who seem to think a little to highly of themselves then they ought too, while sneering down on plebeians like us for not seeing their point of view. Before I dwell deeply into it, I think a little background - from my viewpoint - is needed.

Iraq is this country formerly part of the region called Mesopotamia and it has tons of oil. The westerns, namely the British, the French, the Americans and the Russians, try to overrun it for the oil with a mixed success rate. And there is this guy called Saddam who rises up in Iraq and takes over the ruling party that had previously deposed the King and becomes “the President” with 100% of all eligible votes (It was just a ballot with his name on it). So like any dictator, he had absolute control of the country with no open opposition (Even closed opposition had to be outside the border) also modeling the South African style, he was part of the minority community. A very mitigating factor in his favor was that he had a neighbor that the west hated more than they hated him, and so they fought with his authoritarian rule against the totalitarian rule, helping him with biological and chemical weapons.

Once that war got boring, the west (America), lost focus which normally happens here with a change of COC*, and forgot about the tons of biological and chemical weapons! And then Hussein probably committed his biggest and only mistake, he got greedy and decided for whatever weird reason that he was Nebuchadnezzar and wanted to rule another country. Unfortunately for him, it was the end of the cold war which left Bush Sr. with a ton of old arsenal. So they bombed him back to his city and then chickened out before they could get the job done (just like some people are trying to now). The regime changed and America’s sometimes flawed foreign policy was in full affect, the new COC was more interested in a certain Ms. Lewsenski than in an old guy who fished using grenades. Then 9/11 happened and people wanted blood, Bush Jr. saw his opportunity to leave behind a legacy. Afghanistan was easy, but then it was not enough, the next logical choice was between doing something in Sudan, Iraq, Iran or North Korea. Sudan only had its deserts as a prize ditto for North Korea, albeit it had more forest cover. Iran was too powerful to take on while Iraq seemed much easier, with Sadam’s regime in taters due to a decade of sanctions. The administration knew they could use the chemical and biological weapons as an excuse, after all wasn’t it the US that provided it. It was a win-win situation, American’s largest and most powerful lobby (the gun lobby) could make a ton of money for replenishing the arsenal and the second most powerful lobby (Read the oil lobby) could finally get control of the second largest oil reserves in the world.

Then all hell broke loose, Sadam was and has been much smarter than they expected in hiding the weapons, or probably he had already used it all up, what with having to put down a plethora of revolts after the first gulf war. The administration had not been prepared for a long drawn out battle, also they had believed their own propaganda that technological superiority was enough on the battlefield. They also failed to understand that a dictator never has the whole country against him; there is always a section of people that have benefited from his patronage, who would feel the heat when he is gone. A prime example is the non-white sympathisers of the British Empire who are now citizens there. They went there as the empire was falling, rather than risk loosing their lives in their home country!

This should be enough of a digression.

So why support a war which has seen its opposition grow exponentially each day? ‘cause once the cacophonous rhetoric from either side is dissected, it will clearly emerge that the issue is more complex and greyer than both sides want us to believe. At the core of the issue as I see it is, not the WMDs but deciding when the issue is internal to a sovereignty or and when it becomes imperative for the world to step in. Don’t know if many of you remember the person called Ahmed Chalabi, he was part of an umbrella Iraqi opposition group that wanted to topple Saddam and took the normal Iraqis’ plight to various governments. Some of his information, which was heavily relied upon by the US government, on WMD have been shown to be false, for which he is in the dock right now. Looking at it from another perspective, the lies could be the sign of a desperate group of people tired of living under a draconian ruler. Indians should be well aware of such feelings, Netaji Subash Chandra Bose allied with the Japanese during to the Second World War to fight the British colonists in India.

The same people who are demanding US withdrawal are also asking for foreign intervention in Darfur! These also are part of the same group of individuals that want the international communities to do something about Iran and North Korea and Tibet and Taiwan and … the list goes on. Is there a double standard here or is there a lack of spine to face difficulties. Is running away at the first sign of trouble the mark of any self-respecting nation? Like dad used to compare certain cribbers to asses that would bite when you stand in front and kick you when stand behind.

Another rhetoric has been the human cost of it, the sacrifices of the soldiers and how they did not sign up for this. If the soldiers and the marines did not sign up for war what did they sign up for, guard duty in a safe place in the middle of America in a air conditioned room? I say this having seen and been with immediate family members in all wings of the Indian military including two active duty members in the navy currently. Some might say that I have not served in the army so I wouldn’t know, all I have to say is that if I joined the army I wouldn’t crib about it neither would I like anybody cribbing for me. To see civilians asking for withdrawal using the causalities as an excuse is not only a grave affront but is also short sighted. Those who have died or have been injured didn’t do what they did for nothing. The people who join the armed forces are not fools who do not know what is expected of them and if they are not ready to stand up then they have no reason to enlist. Like a ship is only useful if it is able to loose sight of land, the armed forces is not an ornament that a country wears but is there for a very specific purpose. The world’s supposedly greatest army does not earn its colours by staying home.

This also fits in well with larger problem of an opportunistic American foreign policy. If we just drop everything and walk out of Iraq right now, there would be anarchy there and it would have been better if we had not tried to help them out. The last sentence probably made a few of you snigger, but that is the truth according to NoViCe! The Iraqis were living under a dictator, and there is no going around it. There are probably a few other more notorious totalitarian regime in the world, but there is no established pecking order that the world can use to dismantle them. The muddle foreign policy was the one that prevented the job from being finished in ’92, which also probably caused the death of thousands of Iraqis who rose up in revolt against Saddam and then were left to die by a weakened American foreign policy that withdrew at the first sign of trouble.

I remember as a kid hearing about the letters that some churches in Indian received from certain extremists’ organizations like RSS and VHP - as the right-wing BJP was gathering a wider foothold in India – threatening them with expulsion from their Indian once they come to power. As absurd as it might sound right now, my immature mind started thinking of what happens when the state turns against its own people. I wondered if any other country would help us or if the rest of the world would even bother. Now that the world has done something about it in a country that needed it, with any number of hidden agendas included, we can only stay the course.

We cannot under any circumstances let the terrorists dictate terms to us, we would not be really free if we are not ready to make any sacrifices whatsoever. The news of the torture and killings that emanate from Iraq and Afghanistan only tend to fortify my opinion that we must stay the course. Would I like to stay in a country where I am told what to wear, eat, think and say or in a country that has high terrorist activity with my freedom intact? It’s like asking if I would like to die once with honour or die everyday of fear.

In every country the views that get the most exposure is not the majority opinion - which more often than not is middle of the road – but the opinion of fringe groups from both extremes that tend to muddy the whole affair.

Until we are able to see above ourselves, our family, our city, our state, our country we would not have really lived. This is the time for action and its either a free world or back to the stoneage!

*Commander-in-chief

Odyssey - Book 2 - Chapter viii - The RoadTrip

2006-09-20T18:20:00.000-07:00

9 Days; 3600 Miles (5800 Km); 9 Cities; 17 states; 2.4 GB of pictures; 6 tapes worth of video footage; 65 hours of driving and a deep hole in the pocket, mix it all up and what do you get? The great American roadtrip. After all my travels so far, it was finally time to make a official full function roadtrip. And what better way to do it than to use your parents as guinea pigs for the same! At the end of the day they did enjoy it!

As any great roadtrip should start, ours started with a plan, that there would be no plans. We knew where we would begin and end, while the middle was kinda(a lot) fuzzy.

The practice runs for the long drive ahead was me commuting two hours to work(one way) each day of the previous week, ofcourse I had to take the last day off to preserve my sanity being destroyed by Chicago's traffic and prevent me from using my Marlin 30-30 in a way that would put me in the dock. Not only was it some of the craziest traffic I have seen on uncle Sam's road, but the way people drove below the speed limit to talk on the cellphone/put on makeup/eat during the only time the Interstate seemed empty irked me to no end! If there must be laws of the road it must be for such people ... also the smart Aleck that assume they were going really fast while the vehicles on the right side of the road were flying past them, need to either have their eye's checked or their brains exploded. Anyhoo now that I have sung my sob story, on to more better and beautify things

The trip itself started off good, Chicago's traffic delay was compensated by Indiana's open roads and 70mph speed limits, with our first stop in Dayton, Ohio at Ravi's place. Its always fun to watch the parents of bachelors trying to scheme together on changing the relationship status of theirs sons. Ravi came out the worse in this round with my parents getting enough info on him to add his profile to mine. A trip to the Air force museum would have been good but with a schedule like ours there was just not enough time.

Day two was a whole lot of traveling with a pit stop in Atlanta on the way to Tallahassee. Had a fellow traveler, Mike, join us on the leg from Atlanta to Tally. The pit stop was also a meet and greet with Katie and her family, who were unfortunately calling a hotel room their home 'cause of their neighbor's sewage leakage, something that I thought happened only in India. Just a side note, Atlanta is a place I would love to live in, it's got all the charms of a Big city with a markedly less amount of the problems. And ofcourse it south enough that I don't really have to worry about waking up every winter day to snowfall!

Tallahassee, which was next on the list was the only place that we stayed the whole day for, as always courtesy of Koshy and aunty. My parents got a top class guided tour of the town and university courtesy of none other than your's truly. Had a wonderful lunch with a few of my friends (If 40 is few) and their family. Learnt that mom's are the same all over the world, after hearing that Mrs. Owens had concerned with my mom on have being clean shaven with a short hair looks better on me. Parents! always old fashioned, they don't understand the effort it takes to look uncomly and unkept with holes in the clothes! While in Tally my dad decided that Florida beaches were in noway better than the ones in India, also he 'felt' it would sound cooler to tell people that he had been to Niagara rather than St. Augustine! I was all game as this saved me three hours of driving!

Day four found us slowing snaking through the picturesque Smoky mountains. Incidentally it is called so because of a natural blue colour haze that hangs over the mountain ranges. It's a place I would recommend for a weekend of camping, if you ask me nice, I might even tag along!

The following day was spent traveling to Washington DC - one of the two things that has impressed me the most in the US of A, the other being July 4th fireworks. On the other hand my parents seemed to be more impressed by mobile homes, they just couldn't comprehend the sight of moving homes. DC by night or day is a sight to look at. The monuments and the Smithsonian museums and the way the buildings are planned around each other thought I am yet to see the insides of any of these museums, a task for the next trip there. I recommend parking at the Union Station and taking one of the trolley tours around the city. Its a good way to see the city at your own pace. We did it in half a day, since we only walked around a few of the monuments. The last time I was there with a bunch of college kids, we walked to all the monuments, grossly underestimating the distance between them 'cause of their size. They are so huge that they look like they are just a block away. If get a chance to go there check out the golden Pegasus behind the Lincoln memorial on the way to Arlington cemetery.

The time saved by not going to the beach also helped us make it to NYC between DC and Boston. It suited well for me having seen NYC by with Ramya and Rajeev, this time was a good opportunity to see it by night, probably the only time you could drive in it without hitting somebody. But then for a person who learnt his driving lessons in the streets of chennai this only brought back fond memories of the lawless traffic back home. Its probably the Indian cabbies who transplanted the Indian style of driving to NYC. The highlight of the trip was driving through a city park and being stopped by a undercover cop for doing it. All I had to do was feign ignorance of any law that prevents us from driving inside a park and across a monument! Add a little bit of a hard to understand accent and you are home scot-free. This was also the day for me to try Korean food right next to the empire State Building. At that moment I felt like how countless Americans feel inside an Indian restaurant, the pictures on the menu helped, thought not enough to allow my parents to finish what it was they ordered. I'll try anything ones!

Day seven was probably the easiest of the whole trip with only a driving of 4 hours to Boston from NYC, thought it was the most expensive tollwise. Don't understand whatsup with the Northeasterners trying make us pay for all their roads, and to boot its not even cheap. The hotel that I stayed in Boston was probably the most snobbiest ... be warned of Club Quarters, unless ofcourse you are CEO of some MNC. In other things though Boston is pretty nice, it's old but nice.

Day eight brought us to Niagara falls, just after the lights had be been shut. Though we did get a good view early morning of day nine. If somebody tells you that the Canada side is better than the American side of Niagara ... don't believe them!! I have seen it from both sides and they are just different. You get to go to the goat island and the three sister's island on the American side while its all big towers and hotels on the Canadian side. Though you do get to see the rainbow clearly from the Canadian side.

There was no rest even after we came back since my parents had to leave the early next morning. But then again sleep is overrated.

All in all a definitely wonderful try without any untoward incidents whatsoever. It was so good that it has warranted a posting on my main blog. But then again with all the confusion of the past few weeks, I really haven't written much of a post.

Here are some pictures from the Trip ...

Chicago

Sep 20, 2006 - 27 Photos

RoadTrip

Sep 20, 2006 - 248 Photos

The riddle of the right and left hand!

2006-08-30T20:42:00.000-07:00

I am still not off the topic of charity, 'cause I missed the most important aspect of giving ... forgetting. No not forgetting to give but to forget that you gave. Not only does this keep your ego in check but also helps in differentiating between a loan and a gift.

The reason I call it important is because I have struggled with this aspect of giving for as long as I know. There have been several occasions when I have boasted about my giving, there is a very fine line between boasting and edifying, a line I have crossed many times. I can blame it on my youth but not anymore.

A few of you would have figured out what the title refers to, for the rest here is the meaning: it refers to a sermon of Jesus which talks about how even your left have should have not know what your right had is giving. Though it sounds absurd the crus of the matter was that you are not to do good for the sake of showing off. Its principle that few even attempt, something that I have only seen in a very few people, like my dear friend Koshy living in Tally.

I have never come across a person more ready to help a stranger than him and more importantly not willing to remember his help to others. He could care less weather you are grateful or not, and even if you are of the not variety, he would still help with all his might. There have been times when I myself have called him a fool for the all out way he goes to help people but he is content to disregard it with a shrug of his shoulders. All he ever quotes is the Bible to prove that its better to give without expecting because his aim his eternal life and not worldly riches.

This is an aspect of giving that would not sound as important unless you believed in something more important than us. That there is a God and that he rewards us with eternal life. Some might even say that its not really giving unselfishly because, we are expecting something in return from the "higher power"! And they maybe true, because at the end of it we crave for happiness and contentment.

But I would rather crave for fulfillment rather than hold my giving and my helping as a stranglehold on the people benefited by it. This is something that not only helps in giving but even in our relationship ... so many relationships could be saved if we did all our kind acts without expecting anything in return. I used to always wonder how Koshy kept his faith in humanity after meeting so many 'unappreciative people and then I realized that he never expected anything for himself from them.

I have heard so many people tell me that they would only do more for others if there were more appreciative people around, which made me realise that they only wanted to give so others would speak well of them and not for the sake of giving. As I wrote in the previous post, people need kindness more than material help, so all your giving is going waste if giving itself is not your ultimate goal.

So here's hopin that more people would give and live above themselves!

Give without expecting, receive without forgetting

The essence of Charity!

2006-08-15T14:47:00.000-07:00

Charity
- The theological virtue defined as love directed first toward God but also toward oneself and one's neighbors as objects of God's love.
- Benevolence or generosity toward others or toward humanity.

The charity I am talking about is the King James version (KJV), unrequited love towards all men, not the one that is commonplace now, giving to score brownie points. The human ingredient of love in giving is the most important part of it, more than all the other factors put together. Also in the KJV version of the bible, the word charity is used in place of love.

Give early, give Always

I once read somewhere that charity is not throwing a bone to the dog but sharing a bone with the dog when you are just as hungry as the dog. I am not suggesting that we need to get into an unenviable position to help others but that our own circumstances must not be a hindrance to acts of charity.

The excuse given my most people I know for their lack of charity is the hardships that they themselves are facing. They want to give back once they have more money and worse some even suggest that all the richer and more powerful people should practice charity before they do it themselves. The problems with this logic are that there is now set limit for more money and its all was the poor who give and not the rich. From experience I have come to realise that there is no limit to wanting more money, I am just as broke now as when I was earning 1/5th of what I earn now (With a definite increase in material possessions).

The only way to break out of this circle of waiting-to-give-when-you-have -more-money is to give when you have no money. I have my parents to thank for, for instilling in me the sense of charity by first practicing it in all circumstances and by initiating me into it even with the first real money I ever made (Incidentally it was an inconsequential amount won in quiz competition). It was also their persuasion that made me realise that if I didn't give when I had the burden of the student and other loans, I wouldn't give when I had no such burdens. There have been times when even some of my close friends have questioned my wisdom in giving when I could have used it to close all my debts and there were even times that I myself had doubts about my decision. But now that I look back on that decision, I am convinced without a iota of doubt that it was one of the best decision that I have ever made.

Its pretty simple to see why I wouldn't have been able to give now if I didn't give then, my needs and comforts have dramatically grown with my pay scale, giving them a run for their money, and anybody who has had the 'privilege' of knowing me would know that I am not given to moderation when it comes to the good things in life ... oh what a waste it would have been!

Before you all start thinking that I am trying to blow my own horn, I am just trying to pass on some practical advice that I got, with a living proof in me. Of course it is not for everybody, but then again what is?

Give cheerfully

I had always wondered what Jesus had meant when he said God loves a cheerful giver, and then it struck me, that He was trying to make the point that people would remember the spirit and cheer in the gift long after the gift itself is forgotten. As I said earlier charity is more than monetary and material gifts, its the heart that makes the gift worth it. A kind word and a smile with your act of charity is of infinitely more value than just the act of charity alone. What the needy like all homo sapiens need more than money is a cheerful face that makes them feel wanted. It is the only need that cannot be bought, it has to be given.

The other more compelling reason for giving cheerfully is more self centered. For the only reward of KJV charity is happiness and contentment. As any financial advisor will tell you that the less you invest the less you get back, if your giving is cheerless, don't expect any returns of happiness and contentment. Far worse, charity without cheerfulness looses itself.

Be good stewards

Some people think that giving is just to cut a check out to every Tom dick and Harry, which more often than not is foolish. It is your hard-earned money, so treat it the same way you would treat your own business dealings. Personally I keep track of all beneficiaries of my charity and have a goal to reach certain groups of people through education, maybe I could expand on it but for now I know my target group and that's what each of us needs. Its always a good idea to have a field of focus, even Bill Gates is not capable enough of solving everyone's problem. Try not to go with the crowd all the time (sometimes its prudent to ignore this), and focus on small issues that really get a hold of you and consume you with passion. The passion of a motivated heart is insurmountable.

The reason for being good stewards is pretty obvious, there are some rotten apples who are out to make a quick buck and some issues which may not really be an issue like the society to promote vegetarianism (I could be wrong about that ha-ha). It also ensures that Charity is available where its due and not in the back pocket of a conman. Also you don't have to sow where somebody else already has already.

Be innovative

All the previous rules lean more towards material or monetary giving, so what if you can't afford to give any such thing. There is always something to give in everybody no matter how high or how low you might be in the natural food chain. Time is more important than money and more often than not it is much more in short supply. I would love to spend more time on my passions but unfortunately I hold a job that consumes most of my time. Its always best to give what you have than to say that you have nothing to offer the world. Charity is not for the Bill gates of the world but also for the Toms and Dicks and Harries.

If you have money, give money;if teaching skills, then teach;if organising skills, then organise;if caring, then care; as the parts of the body are different and equaly important so are all these different forms of charity.

At the end, What you spend is forgotten, what is save is for somebody else but what you give is what remains, there are people who keep it all for themselves and become poor and those who give away everything and yet get richer.

"And now abideth faith, hope, charity(love), these three; but the greatest of these is charity(love)" - 1 Corinthians 13:13

While I am on this subject, just an update on the kids that come for the evening school run by "Falcon Foundation" in Chennai... It's been great going so far and the number of kids has stayed constant so far, with a marked improvement in their academic abilities. Planning to get a few computers so they can start on it at a early stage. Also looking for other locations to start up a similar evening school and a adult education program. Soon you should be able to get more updates on it's own website.... and no this is not a plea for money :). If you have any brighter plans for the slum kids talk to me ;).

An eye for an eye

2006-08-08T19:16:00.000-07:00

5:45 P.M : he was excited, it couldn't have come sooner, he would become a man or so he thought. He was a year older and ready to take on the world, after all he has proved to be a great elder brother, yes he knew he was a grown up now … officially. At ten years he was a typical boy who wasn'’t old enough to drive and thought he was too old to be called a kid. It was his birthday, and as was family tradition they were going to have a party at the local ice cream shop. Life couldn'’t be better!

9:45 P.M : He woke up with a start, how couldn'’t move there was a seething pain going through his body, people shouting and running all around, he tried to cry out for his mom and dad without any affect, he was scared and then the drugs took effect.

Three days later: His grandparents were there and so were some of his cousins but his own parents and sisters were no where in sight. He did not know the loss his grandparents had suffered, they had lost three kids on the same day. He was crying now, all thought of being grown up far away. He wanted his mom's kisses and his dad'’s strong arms, where were they, where was his baby sister who was always getting in his ways?

One month later: He now knew that his parents weren'’t coming back neither was his sister. He wasn'’t going to be the big brother anymore, just a person growing up alone. He knew the people who did it, though he couldn'’t comprehend their rationale, but it didn'’t matter now for he was going to have his revenge. His sole purpose in life now was to see the same pain inflicted on those that he thought were responsible for this pain ... and he knew he was going to succeed.

15 years later ...

It was one of the biggest wedding's in the city, people had come from far and wide. It was not often that people had something to cheer about in these trying times and yet they still had hope. One moment there was dancing and good natured revelry and the next moment the sky was falling. Scattering bodies, bones, blood and bricks, producing with it more righteous anger and revenge filled hearts.

So the cycle continues all over the world...

You can substitute any nationality in the above story and it would fit, giving a template for the cycle of war that continues around the world.

I once read a story of a boy asking his parents on how wars start ... now I know the answer 'cause war never really end, it just waits for more angry people to be born.

The only way is forgiveness, an oft used word that is never really practiced. The world is divided everywhere because of stiff-necked leaders with vengeanceful souls I n their command. From Kashmir to the middle east, from Korea to Sudan, normal people just want food while the incompetent leaders rule the only way they know, by making martyrs and murderers.

PURE UNADULTERATED HELL!

2006-07-29T16:03:00.000-07:00

I had a couple of topics in mind that I wanted to write about, something I hadn't had the time for in the past several days. And then today I heard some dolorous news from one of my very dear friend, who decided to write her pain away, so here it is in her own words, much better than I could ever pen it or feel it.

29th July 2006

The following is written by a Ms.Graceful Girl-Next-Door who is well-educated and lives in India and whose Arranged-engagement got cancelled today, a few weeks before the engagement date, due to some Silly "Official" reason, the real reason being the Guy's obsession towards Skin Color and Appearance - the guy who first saw her in a saree in which she apparently looked "beautiful-and-fair" enough for him to give a green-signal to the "Marriage Process" (which meant that the Engagement and Marriage Dates to be decided and close friends and relatives could be informed about the engagement) and who later saw her at her office in a churidhar. Probably it was the sun or scorching heat, she apparently looked "dark" enough for him to have his second-thoughts and for God-only-knows-what reason continued to talk to her over phone/mail about nothings and somethings until yesterday when he was supposedly fully occupied in his "MEETINGS". The Bombshell was delivered at 7:00 AM via a call from the Guy's mother who kept parroting about the Silly "Official" reason while her parents were trying their last attempt to somehow salvage the situation, in vain.

Have you ever cried so much that there are no more tears to shed?

Have you ever seen your usually introvert father who loves you, cry aloud in front of you, because of the pain he sees in your eyes?

Have you ever tried to suppress your emotions and your tears just so that your aging parents may find a little peace, at least in front of you?

Sound dramatic???

Well...let me tell you by experience, if you've experienced the above, it means a part of you dies.
Yes, a part of me died...today. At 7:00 A.M to be precise. I read somewhere that, when you are in pain, if you pour your anguish out into words, the pain eases. So, I am trying this out now, as I think, writing is something I am good at.

For those who know me...
I am what you call an extrovert, a person who loves to smile and laugh, a girl who loves to find humor in everything and a loyal friend to a lot of good people. And now, this instant, I am really not sure if I will be really able to smile, ever in my life.

All this because of a person who doesn’t deserve any tears! A person who is so shallow, so selfish, so uncaring and so faithless, that I know I am lucky not to be associated with him any more. Yes, heart-in-heart, I am glad that I need not even talk to him anymore and pretend that everything is just fine...Pretend that we are going to live happily ever after, even with all the basic differences between him and me...Pretend that I am one of the few lucky people in the world for whom arranged marriage would really find my better-half. But at that time, I didn’t even realize how I hated that pretense. Looking back, I admit that I should have really listened to the most important person in my life...ME!

And may be things would have ended differently.

What if I had stopped the "process" instead of him?? I would have had to spend sometime to make my parents understand the situation and I am sure they would have helped me out. I would have been termed ‘Arrogant and un-compromising’ by the Guy's people about whom I don’t and won’t care. At least, I wouldn’t have seen the pain in my parents' eyes. And now, I’ll never know what would have happened if I had stopped pretending and took matters into my hand and dealt with them by being just what I am...just by being HONEST to myself.

Now that the matters are really out of my hands, after the initial denial, shock and anguish, my foremost thought is freedom...I have a sense of freedom and relief...I am thankful and grateful for this chance to be honest to myself. My rational mind tells me that I should just forget this incident ever happened, that he didn’t deserve me and that I am better of without him.

But there lies the most difficult question, which I guess, eats anybody who is under shock and depression...

Why me???
Why should this happen to me? What’s the meaning of this? What should I learn out of this?
There are lots of people for whom the marriage "process" in this society is just a piece-of-cake.
Along with the parents, boy meets girl, they like each other, the 2 families like each other, engagement and marriage dates are decided, engagements gets over and marriage gets over and the life goes on with the promised ups and downs. Why me, who has been very particular not to hurt anybody, the process has to stop half way through?! Now that this has stopped, what should we tell our friends and relatives?

I guess I need not worry about my friends as they really know ME and are loyal to me.
The problem is, I am afraid that in situations like this, the so-called "society" plays this "Blame Game" - somebody is made the scapegoat for everything. And unfortunately most often, it’s the girl even if the real culprit, as in my case, is the boy. And for my parents' who belong to the earlier generation, it’s only understandable, that this is their primary concern. And now I have to rely on my reputation till date to save me from the "Bad Name"!! I really don’t want to care to what others think, having professed the same to others. But, being a social animal, I DO care.

Now comes the difficult part which is eating me...Am I not good enough for this "Marriage" Process which promises to fetch your better half? I know that I cannot be termed as "beautiful" or "striking". When I really dressed-up for an occasion, I can fall under the "Pretty" category.
So what?! That’s me. That’s the real me. I am a person who is trying to just live up to the meaning of my name. Even now, I still believe that my man should see the real ME...not what I wear or what color I am. I am being told there are some good guys out there who are not shallow...who value character more than color. I feel like a fool for trusting him enough to think that he will snap out of his obsession towards color and appearance. Apparently, he never did!

And the lessons learnt???
That’s for me to answer, right? First and foremost, I will be honest to myself and never compromise too much for this "Marriage Process". Now, one would wonder why there is "too much" in the above sentence. I am still realistic...I know that I need to make some compromise but next time, there will be a pre-defined limit to the level of compromise. And, next, probably this episode will make me more confident and push me firmly towards (at least) my career goals.

Truly speaking, as of now, my self-confidence is in shreds...but deep inside I know that I will make through this. And my self-confidence should be stronger enough to keep me out of Self-pity. I know wallowing in self-pity will not take me anywhere...it will just give me a few more tears (which I don’t want to shed for such an unworthy cause) and get sympathy from others (which I don’t need).

The above Rants and raves have been helpful to some extent in distracting me from my pain. Sometime during the period I was writing the above, I became a spectator of my own life.

The Big Picture... is promising.

I have escaped from a greater doom.

But today was HELL. PURE UNADULTERED HELL.

I won’t wish this on even my worst enemies. Well, I don’t have any...but still, that’s the phrase one says to express the depth of one's pain and hurt.

Probably tomorrow will be better….

There is HOPE. And thank God for that.

Knowing her, I know she has more than hope!

The castist Church!

2006-07-18T19:22:00.000-07:00

I know its been some time since I have ruffled some feathers. So here I go again.

It all started out because of this issue called "marriage", and when it was determined that I like my peers had attained the marriageable age, the proposals have started pouring in putting me on the defensive.

These proposals have added a new word to my lingo, "caste" (I am a nadar if you must know) which has never been a part of the my conversational jargon, suddenly finds itself in preeminent position.

The fact of the matter is that there is a can of worms waiting to explode in the church in India, atleast the ones that the generational Christians belong to. It has always been a open secret that caste has always factored in the church inspite of no theological grounds for differentiation between people.

Some may argue that the denominational split in the Christian church gives some leeway for castism to be practiced within the church. Some other appeasers of castism use the example of the tribes of Israel, which cannot but be called asinine.

Before I get ahead of myself, for the uninformed the connection between my proposals and caste is that in India, its not just enough to have the same belief system (as in religion) but you need to be part of the same 'caste' or social system. Theoretically Christians and Muslims don't have the caste system. Which has prompted various 'lower caste' people to convert to Christianity, Islam and Buddhism.

The fun part of it is that the generational Christians have always been following the caste system specially when it comes to marriage and such. I can't speak for Islam or Buddhism but the non-castist nature of Indian Christianity is a farce.

So why this sudden outburst from your's truly? Because I just snapped, because I just want to make a stand, because I am crazy and most importantly because the God I know does not differentiate. And if he does not differentiate who am I to do so (Romans 14:4)?

I cannot stress enough the negative and demoralising effect of castism in general, but to have it as part of my creed just makes my blood boil. Those who don't learn from history are bound to repeat it ... and the Indian Christians haven't learnt anything from their western counterparts. I know it would be hard to wipe away, people being people, but looks like there is nobody ready to tackle the issue head on. What about me? me ... I am nobody, I can't even convince some of my own close relatives of the oxymoronic nature of a Christian caste system! So I do what I do best write about it and hope I can break down a few walls in the process.

I definitely have some earfuls coming my way for this post, but then again I got a thick skin and it is always funny to watch people defend something that is indefensible.

Those to whom arranged marriages seem incomprehensible, this additional castist corollary would only add to the mystery.

So here it is the gist of the whole post, castism has no place in Christianity ... for that matter no place anywhere else.

This is a call to arms against dowry and castism. Somebody has to so its gonna start with me!

“I have no color prejudices nor caste prejudices nor creed prejudices. All I care to know is that a man is a human being, and that is enough for me; he can't be any worse.” - Mark Twain

“Ideas are fatal to caste” - E.M Forster

Leaving Saint Louis!

2006-07-09T15:17:00.000-07:00

So the change has been effected and I cannot reiterate enough what a big pain moving is!!! Atleast when you stop being the agile, mobile person with only two suitcases to your name!! The last two weeks have been so hectic and I have done so many new things and learnt a couple of trades that could help me with a job, if one day Computers stop working ... I can drive a truck or become a porter!!

I didn't know how much I could be stretched till today. The whole moving looked out to prove Murphy's law. Started out with U haul giving me a 26Ft truck instead of a 10ft one. I couldn't even cover the whole surface of the truck with my stuff. With the trailer on the back it was next to impossible to reverse on this!! I didn't know how friendless I was in Chicago till this move. Having mad Mike help me out in STL, it was so much more of a pain when I could get neither friends nor movers to help me unload in CHI!! Only goes to speak of my organising skills I guess! To top it all off U Haul decided to have fun with me by having me run around town for well over three hours in that blasted trucktrailer searching for a UHaul center that didn't exist.

Well the flip side to it all was that Murphy's Law wasn't really proved 'cause Mike made my loading and starting out a grand success, while I had a good Samaritan help me with unloading the couch and another helping me find the right UHaul place.

Actually the whole thing was an adventure, now I can boast to my grandkids of how I single handedly unloaded the whole truck (Ofcourse I am going to exaggerate) and maneuvered that huge truck with a trailer in city roads. Before the move I was fretting how I would going to effect it without any help on the way (a couple of my friends even called me a whiner!), but then at the end of the day when it was all done, it was not bad I guess these are the kinds of things that build character and also helps people say that they have been there done that!!

A few things I learnt on this move:

If you are driving something tall watch for the over passes and trees ;)
If you are driving something with a trailer the don't go anywhere where you have to back out off!!! I tried ... 50 feet in 30 mins!!!
Lifting the bed, don't dig into the covering ... they tear
Using UHaul ... don't!!! Uhaul service is horrible!!! I might even start a award series for this :D
dollies don't help if you have stairs
Spread out your books on different boxes ... in a single box they weigh a ton!
If you don't need it throw it away ... including that PC magazine from 1995 that you still plan on reading ...
If you can throw out the heavy stuff do it
Don't let people who haven't done it, sucker you into believing how easy it is, and why you are a whiner for even thinking you need help!
Finally if you can live off of two suitcases ... do it!!!

At the end of the what matters is if the juice was worth the squeeze, in this case the move worth the new place, so far the biryani I have been able to get is making me say yes!!!

Sleepless in Chicago

2006-07-04T14:08:00.000-07:00

So have moved to Chicago (jus me for now) and what a change it is. In STL I had to drive 30 miles to go to an Indian restaurant, here there are more than three within a mile of each other. There is just loads of stuff around ... but then not the people I know. So its back to square one of making new friends ... then again I am supposed to be used to it by now.

The hard part of carrying my earthly possessions is still left undone, not for long though, its back to STL this weekend to finish the job.

The last two days have been spent in the hotel mostly, trying to catch up on the sleep that I have lost over the last couple of weeks. Sometimes its not too much fun to go through a new place without company but then again I am used to that too!! Only thing that the loneliness of the first few days does is to make you feel sorry for yourself and ask yourself what in God's own earth you are doing here. The moment the daily grind starts though its all forgotten.

So here's to a new beginning!!!

"Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end."

Change

2006-06-24T22:39:00.000-07:00

I have heard it said that 'the only thing constant in this world is change', just to drive the point home life has proved it to me countless number of times. As things go its time for another change in my life, moving on to a different job.

I have just been offered a job in Chicago, around 4 hours from my current location. All this just as I was starting to enjoy life in 'the middle of nowhere'(St. Louis). Its a funny thing how you get used to a place, when almost always you started up hating it. I guess even the good changes are almost hard to get used to in the beginning.

Moving from a college town to a big town like St. Louis which was not really much fun, I told myself repeatedly how much I disliked it and was looking for the first opportunity to fly away. Two years can change things and perspectives I guess. I had been always under the impression that, the coast and the south were fun, what I didn't figure out till later was that it was the people and the environment that made a place fun.

Though I didn't meet too many people my age I did get to meet a lot of people who made my stay here worthwhile. The youth mentoring at the church is definitely the best time I had in St. Louis, and probably what I would miss the most. Those youth have encouraged and humbled me more than they can imagine.

It's always hardest to say good bye and leave familiarity, but for better or worse change has always been good to me. In this instance it would significantly increase my bank account. Like my mom always said, you can't have the cake and eat it too.

Through my journey through life so far I have had a constant companion in my Best Friend and he has guided and guarded my life so far. The best part of this journey has been the people he has introduced to me so far and the joy that he has provided me through the most gloomy of circumstances. I might not know what tomorrow brings but I know what waits me at the end of my journey. As in all endeavors the goal is want keeps me going.

The great equaliser - Football

2006-06-11T20:00:00.000-07:00

Put your football cleats on its World Cup time! The Football (soccer to Yankees) is probably my favorite sport in the whole entire world. Its charm probably is in its simplicity. Two sides, one ball and all you got to do is kill the ball with a small space. You don't even have to buy a leather ball, paper rolled into the shape of a ball and held together with rubber band would do as well ... also forget part of the cleats, just need your two feet!

I was watching the Argentina vs Ivory Coast match yesterday and I was given many more reasons to love this game. I watched as a opponent got fouled and then in amazement the culprit giving the victim a hand to get up ... also saw a couple of opposing players patting each other after a particularly good dribble or shot. You would be hard pressed to see such scenes in any other professional team sports specially in America.

The sportsmanship was not the only thing that struck me, the fact that Ivory coast was observing a ceasefire for the duration of the world cup was a testament to the universal appeal of the game. If only it helped solved such situations permanently ... I know that is wishful thinking.

I have been talking to a couple of friends of mine who think its a girlie game 'cause you don't get t beatup on your opponent like in American football or Ice hockey and my only retort to it was that this was a poor man's game. This can be played in slums unlike the other aforementioned games. Also the slums have produced the best players the world has ever seen. This is the only stage in the world that the countries at the bottom of the food chain can beat the ones at the top. I remember playing in my school against the evening schoolers(from the nearby slums), they would literally cream up in our Nike cleats with their bare foot.

I know lots of people would like to say that the Olympics would hold the honour of uniting the world. I know the Olympics has its place but football is special, for the only reason that there is only gold and there are more people (Almost a quarter of the world's population) watching you kick the behind of the best countries in the world.

Its not without its fault. Racism in the European countries has been on the rise, and in a drastic measure, the captains of the teams read a massage against racism before each game. Its obviously caused by a fringe group of people.

The thing that irks me the most personally is the fact that the two countries with one third of the world's population don't have the capacity to qualify for this tournament while puny countries like Trinidad and Tobago could. I would easily like to put the blame on the system ... but countries like Ivory coast don't even have a system ... and then I realise what a great leveler football is!

BTW : My football jersy number is 4 and Maradona was the best football player ever!!!
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A bird in hand

2006-06-05T19:09:00.000-07:00

I was listening to the radio a couple of days back when I heard this song which goes something like 'A bird in hand is worth one in the bush is worth one on a electric wire', which instantly sounded like one of those meaningless songs that are the rule rather than exception now-a-days. And then suddenly realization hit me like a ton of bricks on a glass window, this song had a deeper meaning that I could ever imagine.

'A bird in hand is worth two in the bush' is one of those oft' quoted and misquoted sayings. The song though was at a entirely different level, subtle though it might be. How often do we esteem one person over another? How often do we put down one person to show up another? Or how often have we knowingly or unknowingly estimated one life over another?

I know what some of you are guessing, I am getting sensitive here (An unknown quality to me).

We thinking highly of a person in power more than the homeless. I have been in situations where somebody gets a place of honour just because they know somebody who is powerful. I don't want to get into the argument about how a person works all his life to be recoganised. The differences that I want to point out is in judging a person by the what he belongs to, by who he knows, by what society says rather than by what he is.

To further drill this point home, the sermon at my church last week was a eye opener. The Pastor passed around the flyer that wanted people to write down a list of various things that people thought were important. It ranged from important clothing brands to important women not in the entertainment industry. More often than not people picked the expensive ones for inanimate objects and people in power for the people centric questions. And then he proceeded to ask us why we didn't consider the brands that we normally use as important? Why we didn't consider our own relatives and friends as important? The worst part of it all was that he was right.

Our sense of importance seems to be highly wrapped and twisted. We cannot survive without our friends and family but we accord more importance to people we don't even know or will never meet. We don't consider the simple things in life that we cannot live without as important rather spending all that adulation on things that we don't need, that we would buy just to impress people we don't have to!

It was definitely an eye opener for me, atleast God is not a respecter of personsRomans 2:11, or I am definitely screwed(Pardon the French)

Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour.
Leviticus 19:15

Check out my other blog tamilnole.blogspot.com

The Passion of the Code

2006-05-28T20:50:00.000-07:00

I know I am joining the party late, oh well better late than never. All this rhetoric about the Da Vici code has finally gotten to me. I can't remember another book generating this kinda reaction from people in a long time since the Satanic Verses by Salman Sushide.

Though there is no scope for a fatwa here, there have been book burnings, call for banning and all other sorts of melodrama by people who want to wear their religious patriotism on their sleeve. Being a person of the faith that is technically at the receiving end of this 'book/Movie', I am left scratching my head if this what Jesus would do (WWJD).

From my 'limited' knowledge of the Bible I know that He asked us to famously turn our other cheek not talk about blasphemy and call for the head of people with different views. I have heard some people even call it treason! What I don't I don't understand is how can you commit treason against something you don't belong to? Technically I can't commit treason against Uncle Sam can I? Against India, heck ya! The asininity seems to have permeated people in all walks of life including the Vatican.

The film in itself doesn't seem to have made much of an impact like the book. Though I must agree that it was good marketing tactic jus like Mel used for the Passion Of Christ. And the Catholic church just bought into it lock stock and barrel.

The vacuousness of the whole opposition is that it would erode the faith of the 'faithful' which is a whole lot of balderdash, according to me ofcourse. The bottomline is that the church has failed in its duty to educate the flock. They have spent more time trying to figure out what the wordings of the doctrine is than to attend to the simple moral and religious foundation of its existence, the divinity of Jesus Christ. And now to put all the blame for the weakening of the faith on a two bit movie is not only preposterous but also just plain irresponsible.

I think its time for the church to start on its commission and let the burning and protesting to the others.

But I(Jesus) say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
Mathew 5:44-48

Odyssey - Book 2 - Chapter iv - the South African

2006-05-24T19:33:00.000-07:00

This is jus a teaser ... you would need to check my personal blog tamilnole.blogspot.com for the whole deal. I know I have been kinda lazy about this this month .... bear with me ... changes are coming ;).

The pictures of the wedding are here while the pictures from the trip are here.

Divide and rule!

2006-05-02T20:30:00.000-07:00

A technique invented by the British imperialists, now perfected by the Indian politician. Divide they do by caste, creed, religion and geography, specially when its election time. This time round with elections occurring for five states in India.

The biggest divider this time around happens to be the "Human Resource Development" Minister Dr. Arjun Singh. He let out the cat among the pigeons by calling for reservation in the post-graduate level education at the premier educational institutions, medical colleges and private industries. It is a good election time gimmick to gather some votes, but it stinks of 'rasheadedness'.

At the outset let me state that I am not against reservation(caste/race based). Mainly because I do not have an alternative solution to it.

I just have an issue with how it is implemented. If the government spent as much time on primary education for the lower castes to bring them in par with the mainstream, we wouldn't have to resort to reservation at this level. There are certain fields that I believe should not be touched by reservation and the major area is medicine. I would feel safe to know that my doctor has the brains to get into medical college and has not had the medical degree forced on him due to reservation. It would be definitive be better to raise the standards of the down trodden rather than lower the bar. It would be oxymoronic, to call the Indian IITs and IIMs as one of the best in the world while we try to get in people under reservation.

In reality this reservation would only benefit the ricer of the lower caste, who have any idea of the perks of the system and would not really reach the intended audience of the lower income group. Instead of trying the top down model, the powers that be would be better off to try the bottom up model, if they really want to make a change.

The other interesting question that arises is how politicians implement such polarising moves with impunity. The cause lies in the fact that the middle class never really votes ... they are just happy to live a contended life with no social responsibility. What the politicians are trying to do is speak to the uneducated (Who incidentally is not helped in any by such measures) who speak the language of division. Its easy to get the loyalty of a person who does not understand the consequences of such actions and whose caste loyalty is worn on his sleeve.

If the middle class and the educated masses want to prevent such divisive policies from seeing the light of day, they would have to put aside their complacency aside and be ready to actively exercise their social responsibility. The best way to do it would be by voting (against such policies)!
P.S: For daily updates ---> The Odyssey

Wired

2006-04-24T20:02:00.000-07:00

I know I am growing old, the 'generation next' has given way to the 'generation virtual'. Gone are the days when email and the occasional website were cool enough, now they are the bare minimum. In this day and age of instant gratification, instant relationships weren't far behind. Enter the networking sites to bride the gap. I remember learning the ropes of getting penpals across the globe first by using magazines and then through websites. Now its all about the instant messages, pictures, videos and a 101 different ways to communicate with mostly non-lasting relationships ... not that my penpals lasted too long :)

I, like everyone else, hate to loose touch with friends and these new modes of keeping in touch have almost eliminated the chances of loosing touch (Ofcourse there is no antidote to apathy or the technologically challenged). It has also spawed a new era of virtual relationships, that sometimes really throw you for a spin ;)

Before I continue here is a rundown of these sites that I am aware of!

Orkut - This one is from Google. Sends you for a spin with its undependable server responses. Has a huge Indian/Hispanic presence and a good way for the IT guys to show how cool they are ... lets you set people's coolness,sexy and trusty levels. As expected I am non of those!!! Atleast according to this site. Lets you upload upto 12 pics and has a limit of 500Mb for each one.
Hi5 - Huge Asian/Hispanic presence, and is more cumbersome than orkut. Makes up for it by letting you have complete control over your page. Lets you post unlimited numbers of pictures. Lets you give "Hi5" to your friends ... surprisingly I got a few of those. Also have friends of friends put up photoshop edited images of mine with their "friends".
MySpace - Probably the most famous of these sites. I only became a member yesterday after being told about it by more than 10 people in a single day. Has more than 63million members and growing and according to a source the second most visited site currently. Comes with its own baggage of being too well known. Too much advertisement!!!
Facebook - A networking site designed specifically for College and high school students in the US. Networks you according to your school or alma mater. You need a valid US college or high school email id to join. Lets people keep in touch by using the comments feature.
Bebo - Mainly American presence, uses the person's school to network. Mainly used by High school kids, and before you all think I am a phedophile, want to remind you that I am still a kid ... at heart!

There are million others like Xanga, Ringo ... each tragetting a different demography, geography and social network.

They are indeed a great tool to keep in touch, I can't count the number of old friends that I have hooked up with 'cause of these sites. They also seem to fill the deep seated voyeuristic thirst of homo sapiens with all the wealth of information about completely random people! I am surprised by the amount of personal information that one can glean from these sites (Including mine). Obiviously in the race to be known by millions privacy ranks near the bottom.

The lack of privacy of most of these sites have led some colleges to even block access to them. A college in Texas just did it, while a school that my friend is working at, is very seriously considering the same measure. These are pretty fertile ground for sexual predators and stalker. Am not trying to be too negative but then that's the world we live in. Ofcourse I personally don't have the fear of being sexually assaulted, jus' 'cause who in their right mind would want to do it to me ?? Joking apart its always good to take personal conversation offline at such sites and maintain as much control on your own information as possible.

The other major sign of this new generation is the virtual social net that this has provided. For people who not only want to keep in touch with old friends but make new ones too this is one of the best option. It really speaks to the socially challenged to be bold and be people they really are not. I guess it makes them feel happy to have so many hundreds and thousands of "friends". All I can say is "whatever makes you happy".

I don't know how much of it is good, but it is indeed funny to see yesteryear's movies with virtual holographic girlfriends and almost seeing it in reality now. I am not a psychologist or a psychiatrist but I do know that these virtual relationships don't help in building any real people/social skills. I see so many of these people almost living in the virtual box with all their social interactions being virtual. Its almost like you a real life prep kid! The person across the network has noway of knowing you other than by what you write and that is an easy way out for people with things to hide or with a low sense of self-esteem. And this it not a sweeping generalisation of all users, but just a group of them.

This environment has almost no real consequences for your actions on it. You can say and do almost anything that you want and nothing is going to come off it. If you try saying more half the things that is said on these sites in India and you would sure to have a ton of bricks fall on you :). That probably is its huge appeal, the ability to be a rebel with out consequences.

Before I let you go take a taste of this virtual world, I'll leave you with a taste of what you can expect ... these are actual comments taken from these sites... these are the "pickup lines"!

hey ...sa wur profile...impressive...wud like to know more abt u ....so wat do u do ???. me in to advertising.................u?

Hi,this is ***** from hyderabad.I want to be your orkut friend.waiting for your scrap.byee

hey wassup dear????
u look like a die hard rock fan...is it sooo????
wat type of music u listen yaar????

These aren't even the funniest once :( where does all the information go when you really need it!!!

P.S: Sign up has started for the preview of the new look www.ulyssesdavid.com. Have finally started on this long overdue project. So if you want to be part of the beta testing team, let me know. Those signed up for updates would be automatically included ;). As usual don't forget your daily dose of tamilnole.blogspot.com

Odyssey - Book 2 - Chapter ii - The Village

2006-04-17T20:45:00.000-07:00

The second trip of the year had to wait three months after the first trip. Another interesting trip as usual.

This was to spend Easter with a close friend Rajesh and also see the interiors of the US of A. Salem, Indiana is one of those places you would have to search on a map, set in the midst of hills and Ghat roads with a town hall right in the middle.

I can now claim to have stayed in the villages of America, thanks to this trip. Though I did crib about the time it took to travel through the winding roads, it was still fun to take the curves at 80MPH(128 KMPH). Not to mention flooring the gas to 125(201) on the interstate (I-64).

I-64 has been the best interstate that I have traveled so far ... no traffic and most importantly no cops!!! Was able to touch 125 and maintain an average of 80, not bad for one trying not to get another traffic ticket.

Also the trip helped me to meet up with an old friend in Lexington and experience the worst Indian restaurant I have ever been to (In the US). Shonda hope I didn't spoil your appetite for India food. The food actually was bad but the place was a dump ... probably because their A/C was out but that doesn't excuse the ton of onion skins that were all over the place.

This also was the first time that I had frog legs!! Yes frog legs and they don't taste like chicken ... they taste like frog legs. As we stay on food I need to add Ostrich, Kangaroo and Bison to my list of meat eaten, courtesy of the gun show that I attended a few weeks back. Those were some of the best jerkies that I have ever eaten.

Any description of these remote places of Indiana and Kentuky would not be complete without the town hall in the middle. I had always assumed that the town hall was in the center of the town/city as part of the downtown, not literally like I saw in Salem. It was indeed the center of the town and had a moat like road all around it so if you drive thro town you had a kind of traffic circle.

Check out the pictures here

Miles travelled : 960 Miles (1545 Kms)
No. Of States : 4
Top Speed : 125 mph (200kmph)
Average : 75 mph (120 kmph)

“Americans have more food to eat than any other people and more diets to keep them from eating it”

Check out my diary

Concrete Angel!!

2006-04-09T18:52:00.000-07:00

...Somebody cries in the middle of the night,
The neighbors hear but they turn out the lights;
A fragile soul caught in the hands of fate,
When morning comes it will be too late.

Through the wind and the rain,
She stands hard as a stone in a world that she can't rise above;
But her dreams give her wings and she flies to a place where she's loved ...
---Martina McBride

Abuse is of those oft used words that I have heard but never seen in my own life. The amount of news and laws that I see in the US about it makes me wonder if I am living in an alternate universe. It almost looks as if the US is in some sort of sadistic self-decadent spiral, while India is unblemished by such effeteness.

Then you scratch the surface and it all comes tumbling down out of the closet. I have got to hear about these stories of sexual and physical abuse after all these years of believing that such do not exist in the India society. How wrong was I!!!

As with most things Indian, all such depravity have been swept under the carpet, under the guise of familial or personal honour. The sheer number of incidents that I hear about now, makes me wonder whether the protected childhood that I was so proud off has given me a skewed idea of the ways of the world.

The reasons for such abuses being swept under the carpet make me want to wring somebody's neck. Some of them have included "Oh he is my brother", "He is family", "You must have done something inappropriate" and the flat out "You are lying". This posture of people most close to the victims makes it a double burden to carry. The emotional scares are never really healed and nobody seems to take any notice of it.

India does not have a comprehensive child abuse laws. Only now is some effort being put into it, but the effectiveness of it is still suspect. Especially with the family trying to more often then not support the offender, it makes it almost impossible to deal with it.

The first time my nephew learned at school that he could dial 911 if he was spanked at home, scared the heck out of cousin. Now that I am seeing the world in a different light it all fits in somehow. I always imagined it was a western issue and that the eastern societal culture had no such problems. The new stories were all eye openers.

The fact of the matter is that most of the perpetuators are known and close to the victims which makes it all the more hard for the victim. Do you try to get somebody close to you arrested or would anybody believe you at all? The actions of the parents are all the more baffling in such situations. These are people who will give their lives for their kids but refuse to accept that their kid has been a victim of abuse. The worst is when the parent is him/herself the abuser, there really is no where for the kid to turn to in India currently

Don't get me wrong I am all for a pat on the butt once in a while... I have got quite a few stories to tell about that :). But when I was reprimanded at home I knew it was with love, I knew that I was still loved, only my action was not. But I guess there are enough numbskulls out there with a distorted view of appropriate punishments.

I might have made sweeping generalisations in the above paragraphs but somebody has to do it and who better to do it than me!

“Child abuse casts a shadow the length of a lifetime.”

Checkout some new pics at my diary
A good source for child abuse in India
P.S: Martina McBride is a country music singer and concrete angel is her hit single about child abuse. You need to check out the video for it ... really poignant.

Green Card!!!

2006-04-01T23:52:00.000-08:00

No not green bucks!! Just a card, which states that you can have the rights that you pay your taxes for. Ask any Indian (For that matter any other national on worker's visa) in the US and he would be a subject matter on this, even somebody like me who will violently defend his plan to go back "home".

And before I continue, yes I have applied for green card. Now that the full disclosure is done ...

The reason for this post was a lunch discussion that I had with a few colleagues of mine on the merits of going back to India versus settling down in the US. And boy was there a wide gorge in our opinions. But the general consensus was that, it is a very personal choice that every individual has to make depending on his or her situation.

The thought process that went into deciding on staying in the US was led by the charge that India is woefully lagging in the technological advancement compared to the US. You just can't get an iPOD as easily in India was a favorite refrain. Add to that the noise and other sorts of pollution and corruption ... its a pretty dirty list, explained by a single phrase "standard of living".

On the other hand for people like me its the people that make all the difference. And in that I don't mean that people are better anywhere, its just that blood is pretty thick for me. That and plus I don't have to cook, clean or wash ... ever!

There is a third group of people who complain that they would go back if things got better. In sense the corruption, poverty and pollution went down and the standard of living went up. The catch in this line of reasoning is that there is nobody to take a lead to make a change. This is like asking someone to bear the pain so you can enjoy the fruit. Not that it's wrong in a capitalistic environment but doesn't it sound hollow when you act concerned but don't do anything about it. The road to hell is paved with good intentions

"The quickest way to a green card is marriage"

Check out my other blog that's updated more often and is more like a journal

Demartyred

2006-03-27T18:13:00.000-08:00

If ever there was a word like that.... there seems to be a happy ending to the beheading ... there is not going to be one. Atleast not for the moment. Also depends on how soon he is wisked out of the country! Thats not where the story ends though, for the thousands of others like him. For them the fight for survival just comes out into the open.

I just couldn't stop the temptation to upload this ...

“You can never have a revolution in order to establish a democracy. You must have a democracy in order to have a revolution.”

Checkout tamilnole.blogspot.com

Martyred!!!

2006-03-25T14:10:00.000-08:00

I know I said that I wouldn't dissect this topic but being me I just can't refrain from doing that. As I anticipated this issue took some time to develop into a major news story ... given the sensitiveness of the issue its a hot potato for all the governments involved and a hotter human interest story for the news syndicates.

This article spoke of how his family was the one responsible for reporting him to the police. Family honour is a much bandied and misused excuse in this part of the world. Having seen it everyday of my life I can't really blame the family for what they did ... they would always look at it with the prism of prejudice that they have grown up with.

I don't think this is a religious issue as much as it is a cultural issue. I bet most families in the east would disown their offspring for breaking ties with what they think is acceptable morality, spirituality or proprietyness, in a single word "tradition". Try pushing the boundaries of 'acceptable' actions and see how fast your friends dwindle and loved ones run away. Don't get me wrong I don't have any issues ... actually I do like and understand social responsibility, but then like all things too much of a good thing is not really good ;). I have always believed that "traditions were made for men and not men for traditions". It was the same two thousand years ago too, and Jesus called them "white-washed tombstones".

Honour killings are a part of everyday life in the some parts of the greater Indian subcontinent, probably already dwelled a lot upon it here. Being a part of everyday life doesn't make them alright... 'cause the ones that do happen don't really have honour at the core of the reason but some vested reasons of the perpetrators. There is not even a standard (as if there is a reasons for these killings themselves) for these killings, it could be as small as looking at one's sister to eloping with a person from a different caste/religion. But this is the first case wherein the free land's court is going to hang a person for a moral conviction. I know there are a lot of other Muslim countries that practice the shariat, but I haven't heard of any other country prosecuting someone for conversion.

Now that the western and other governments have started putting pressure on the Karzai government about freeing the person, it has got all the more complicated with no easy solutions in sight. Especially for the Afghan government its a choice between a rock and a hard place. But then it is also a chance for them to make a strong statement about their resolve to move in a different direction than one taken by the Taliban government.

I'll be back with more ramblings on this ...

Well I have also started a new blog to just write some person musings and something that would be updated more often than this (Hopefully!!!) also CrackerJack after a short stint here has decided to start his/her own blog pretty soon!! I am looking to change the format of this website but its still on the back burner at the current moment.

“Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."
Matthew 5:11-12

What would you die for?

2006-03-20T19:29:00.000-08:00

Just came across this news article on a death penalty case involving a afgan man who converted to Christianity 14 years back. The picture shows the bible that was seized from him.

apparently he could have avoided all this by just telling them that he is converting back to Islam, if only for namesake that would have saved him his skin. It is precisely this kind of moral courage in the face of insurmountable danger that baffles me. Call it faith or belief or any other thing ... it takes a lot of conviction to stand firm behind your decision. Some people may compare this to the kamakzie/suicide bombers and other "freedom fighters" who wouldn't mind killing for their belief. But there is a world of difference between them. Its easier to kill than to die for your belief ... people who kill are afraid that they could be wrong, while those that die have no such fear.

Being that I don't know, if I have his kind of moral courage yet ... I'll refrain from dissecting this issue and let you learn or be encouraged by this One Man ... Martyr to some, heretic to others.

"Give What You Can't Keep to Gain What You Can't Lose"

New World Order

2006-03-13T18:44:00.000-08:00

I can vividly remember the Coco-Cola company coming into India, with the opening up of India's economy in 1992, as the first MNC riding piggy back on the shoulders of India's market leaders at that time the Gold Spot company, . Within a very short period of time Coco-Cola had flexed its muscle and staged a successful hostile take over of the company. The Thumbs Up pictured on the left and Limca are the only remnants of the old soda range. The flagship Gold Spot was replaced by fanta. The hostile takeover scared the other India companies to such an extent that all talks broke down between them and the MNCs for a whole year. So why this lesson in history? Two recent events ...

The first was me getting a case (24 count) of "Thumbs Up" from the India store. I remember how we used (still do) call Coco-Cola and Pepsi as a wimp's drink compared to Thumbs Up! So it brought back memories of how the fledging new open economy was attacked by the well loaded MNCs.

The second event ... flash forward 14 years and a technology boom later. The world has turned more capitalistic than ever (even red china), thanks mainly to the pressure of the US of A and the third world countries are finding the pros of having a capitalistic society. And then its protectionism all over again, this time from the flag bearer of the Capitalistic free society, good 'ole Uncle Sam. I am talking about the Dubai Ports Deal, which provided a common ground for both democrats and republicans. And it seems that prejudicial politics has overcome the basic tenets of free trade and a level playing field. Am I calling them racist .... no... its just shows that they are not ready for the new world order. How can a bunch of horse riders "barbarians" living in a kingdom gain a foot hold in their own backyard. I don't think there would have been so much furor if this had been a European "civilized" company.

This is not an isolated event ... across the ocean, France is trying to prevent Lakshmi Mittal (An India) take over Europe's largest steel manufacturer. And here racism is pretty apparent. They just can't seem to comprehend how a country that they controlled not more than half a century ago, would now have to the guts to come into their house and rule their ... steel. Its unthinkable for the Europeans who weren't below putting up "Dogs and Indians not allowed" signboard in India to now loose to an "Brown" owned company.

Welcome to the reality of capitalism ... its a dog eat dog world, the pandora's box has been opened and no amount of tears over job loss and out-sourcing is going to close it. The best thing to do is to get on your feet and eat before you are eaten.

It is hypocritical for feminists and intellectuals to enjoy the pleasures and conveniences of capitalism while sneering at it.... Everyone born into capitalism has incurred a debt to it.
Camille Paglia

Pro Choice Pro Life!

2006-03-05T20:47:00.000-08:00

I am going to be an Uncle! And yes that is the ultra sound picture of my niece/nephew. So why is this leading to a pro-choice pro-life debate?? Seeing the picture and hearing about it from my sister has made me reevaluate my stand; that and the recent spurt of bills being tabled in different states (in the US).

I am one of those crazy fellows who lean towards pro choice while at the same time being strongly rooted in their faith. As much as this being one of the biggest issues in the good ole' US of A, it is almost inconsequential in the east (read India) where female infanticide is a way of life.

I guess I have already covered what I think about this topic and the cultural differences affecting it. What sparked this revisit of the abortion issue was when my sister said how the doctor her the measurements of the baby et all. That put a doubt in my mind whether abortion is really killing a human being?

This doubt is not strong enough to convince me that a person who is a victim of rape or incest shouldn't be given the choice to abort. And when the mom's life is in danger don't even ask me! As a side note I was almost aborted because I wouldn't come out :-). But it is strong enough to make me feel that its not a trifle thing to do ... when somebody kills a pregnant woman they are held liable for both the lives ... does that mean that in one instance the baby is human and another time it is just some cells?

This picture has definitely turned me from being strongly pro-choice to shaky pro-choice (excluding rape and incest)!

Some of my past posts on this topic ;)
3/13/2005
3/19/2005
6/30/2005

"Seventy-seven percent of anti-abortion leaders are men. 100% of them will never be pregnant"
Planned Parenthood advertisement

"The greatest destroyer of peace is abortion, because if a mother can kill her own child what is left for me to kill you and you to kill me? There is nothing between."
Mother Teresa

...great America....poor india

2006-03-01T19:51:00.000-08:00

Ok before you guys go beating up on me for that statement, just wanted to let you guys know that, it is not my statement. This is one my mom oft quoted statements, whenever I don't agree with her point of you. Its actually even higher than "you are more educated than me"(Which is false since she has two degrees to my one).

I am not going into the merits of the statements itself, I'll leave it to the "nationalists" of both countries. The reason I brought this up is to talk about psychology! Ok I don't have a psychology nor am I a psychologist but am sure a master at the defensive offensive strategy. That's again a new phrase ... I am talking about the way people usually lower themselves so the other would feel guilty.

It's pretty useful if you want to say whatever you want and then hide behind the supposed direness of your situation. This strategy was pretty effective in college when a trio of us used to make fun of everybody and then would self-deprecate ourselves so others wouldn't get a handle to make fun of us.

It's usage that really bugs me though is when it's an emotional blackmail and yours truly has given as much as he has got. My sisters have most often been my victims, the closer you are to me the more you would be emotionally blackmailed ;) while my mom and uncles have been pretty effective giving it to me.

So why am I writing this ?? Well just confessing my sins in the open so I won't repeat them again... hopefully ... and who is to be credited for making a saint out of a sinner? Somebody who is trying the greatest defensive offense on me.

If you can't beat em', join em'..
If you can't join em', bribe em',
If you can't bribe em', blackmail em'..

Anatomy of an Indian Movie

2006-02-23T19:47:00.000-08:00

I am finally stepping into the unknown and writing about stuff that I have no business about, not that I had any business with the previous ones. But for a guy who hasn't seen an Indian movie in well over 11 years, I do know a lot about it (Or so I think). Why would you let a guy who once infamously asked who Ramba(A then famous Tamil actress) was? The picture says it all.

All I need is one minute of the film to tell which of the general plotline it would take, so lets dig in and try to conjure up one right now. To begin with need a few songs with lots of dancing shot in various locations around the world. Then you need to decide if you want a love story between a rich girl and a poor guy or vice versa, this can be exchanged for a urban - rural matchup or a literate - illiterate match up. This will form the skeleton structure of the movie.

Next come the muscles, need to make the hero stronger than Superman, able to as the picture indicates walk with a bullet in the heart. Also needs strength to cut a bullet into two using a knife and kill two people using those sliced pieces. Also helps if the hero is always outnumbered 1000 to 1.

Ofcourse you need the heart which would be 10 minutes of crying for whatever reason it might be. Maybe everytime the sacrifice of the hero is mentioned, it could turn into a sob scene.

The skin is provided by the fairer sex, specially with their "item" numbers*.

There is no need for a brain in this anatomy, if it had one, there would be a stroke as soon as it started functioning.

No movie is complete without the perfect climax, a pot pourri mix of fighting, blood(preferably from the hero), death (of one of the hero's close family/friend) and the triumph of good over evil.

If only I had the money or the backing of the underworld.

"I'll be back."

* Item numer -> When you have a pretty lass who has no connection with the storyline dance sensuously as a popcorn break during the boring part of the movie.

Credits to Vijay for the picture.

My first major brickbat ... ouch!!

2006-02-19T16:56:00.000-08:00

Finally I did get under the skin of somebody, atleast somebody with the good sense to take me to task. Followed in italics is the email about a previous post Goddamned!... don't forget "If you are not outraged, you are not paying attention"

"... The Christians protest anything that goes against their definition of family values, the Muslim imams add fuel to the fire by adding pictures that were not even published and go against their own code by carrying around the picture of the prophet. The Muslims don't want anybody to make fun of their prophet but will make fun of the Jews and the holocaust. The Hindus will not let valentine's day corrupt their culture (Do you know where Kamasutra comes from?), they will send their sons and daughters to America and wear Nikes and Reaboks, but will blame the ...."

"Y do u blame others for what they are ... u blame Muslims and Hinduz for what they r but what good r u first ... I mean don't u think u r doing the same ... reading what u have written I don't find u any better to (than) the description u have given for (a) Muslim or (a) Hindu ... Touch ur heart and first tell u have not made fun of any religion or religious person or ritual which may mean nothing to u but must have meant everything to someone else ... What the heck u tell about someone when u have so much in urself ...

(I'm) Not trying to tell everyonez fine and u have said is something wrong ... Yes Muslims do make fun of .... and hindu (BJP Politicians ) for their own selfish publicity bet up the shopz and y didn't u talk about Christians(sic) ... I really wish Christians stop talking about rituals of any hindu as dumb and stupid (I have seen 90% of them doing it... and I have not seen much of hinduz or muslims talking things about other religions..)

Every religion has their own cultural values.. I think the best would be when no one pokes their nose into others and mind their own bloody business (sic)... We need to look at people like human being and not like hindu christian or muslim ... I don't know when we can see that day in India

Itz not that everyone in India wants to celebrate val day... itz just that shops and fast foodz get more of business in the name of this day... no parents would feel that their kidz go (to) celebrate val day (and) dance around in roads and night parties (heard so much of it happening here) and I really think itz different from using a nike shoe.... I have known so many who fear if their kids r fine without an affair... (that doesn't mean i'm for people hitting the shops and beating up people in parties ...) and what does val day got to do with kamasutra.. totally irrelevant.. u r not talking about sex education or sex in movies to pull ks here...

I really wish to stay in a place where we look at each other as human being... I have always wished to since my school days... Don't know how things will be.. Have not seen anything changing ... I personally have never commented about any religion or culture but yes I'm not for the idea of aping western without even knowing what it is all about ..."

I don't know how that started off, but heck I have made fun of everybody and everything that mean nothing and everything to me, starting from the Pope to the Sankaracharya! I don't know if you have read all my posts, if you had you wouldn't have made such a sweeping judgment of me (Atleast not by the views expressed in the blog). My definition was not of a Muslim or a Hindu (or for that matter a Christian) in general, but the fringe elements in each. I don't think I (of all people) would promote atheism or agnostism by attacking religions ... I might attack some of the practices of each but then that's what I do (Atleast a part of what I do). Also my aim is not to just attack but to spark a debate. If you had gone further with your quote, It would be hard to come to your conclusion, Atleast if you know about the crusade and whets been happening in the US with the topic of evolution.

While talking about my double standard, you mention BJP when you talk about the Hindus but make no such differentiation when it comes to Muslims. It is indeed a big deal to know what 90% of Christians feel and do, while I am still trying to find what atleast mille-fraction of them feel or do. Looks like you have a beef to settle with one of the communities and I don't know if I am the right scapegoat for the same.

Let me also point out, religions don't have cultural values, they have religious values. Untouchability and the caste system started off as a religious edict that entered into the cultural mainstream. No amount of sugar coating it is going to make me believe that it didn't/doesn't exist as it has.

If you had seen my next post, you would have known that I don't really care about V-day. I was talking about the hypocrites who publicly protest it as a western influence but privately don't mind doing the same. Why was kamasutra brought into it? To negate the feeling that V-day has broken India's culture by promoting promiscuity (It most definitely does), while we have the homegrown subject matter expert and one of the most well known exports of our country. The reference to nike was to show what some protectors of Indian industry and darlings of the right in India (read the RSS and Swadeshi Jagran Munch) who promote Indian products themselves use western ones and who talk about Indian ethos, send their kids westwards to follow a different path.

The thought of utopia is like the search for Atlantis ... hope you find it. But lastly you did comment about other religions in this same mail! What do you think is aping ??? Ghandi said that western culture would be a good idea so you lost me there :)

But you know what? I realise that I have pussyfooted the message I was trying to convey. I was talking about the issue in California organised mainly by the Vedic Foundation and which denied the effect of untouchability ... I didn't want anybody to think that I was attacking the Hindu religion and included something about Christianity and Islam into it to make it balanced (And thus the pussyfooting effect!). It could be called as one of those Aryan vs Dravidian thing (Which only a few could understand) I should have probably mentioned in passing that a number of South Indian associations were opposed to the interference of the Indian right, which in itself would have been enough to prove the cultural significance of this move (rather than the religious).

I did generalise it and tried to point out the various fringe elements in all religions. Just because I attach those fringe elements doesn't mean I am attacking everybody (Unless ofcourse you are part of it)

So no more pussyfooting and lots of dishing. I may not be perfect but heck I still got a blowhorn, take what you want and ...

“In order to keep anything cultural, logical, or ideological, you have to reinvent the reality of it.”

P.S: To the one who wrote this email - Hope you don't get the free time again (jus' kidding as always)

25000 Miles, knife in a shredder and other stories

2006-02-14T19:11:00.000-08:00

To take a break from world politics and concentrate on my own... SO here goes the shorter version of my musings!

25000 Miles
I have officially broken the quarter century mark on my car in 14 months (If you discount my trip to India then it was 13!). The average mileage for a car in the US is between 12 and 15K miles. So much for me being average. I have decided to run this car to the ground so I am not holding back on account of the resale value.

Knife in a shredder
This is a never before seen footage (image). I was just trying to get the paper jam out. What really happened is plain to see.

Also goes to show that I have no patience for product manuals!

Speaking of products, these pictures are courtesy of my newest phone a TREO palm top. Its officially my ninth phone in three years. What can I say, my and my cellphones never seem to get along.This might also be my coolest one so far. With all the things it can do, from being used as a phone to working on office documents and acting as a low resolution video camera, I have been finally suckered by technology.

My first bachelor party
This weekend also was my first bachelor party. It was not for the faint hearted... no I am not talking about girls jumping on your lap out of a cake, but a full blown HALO LAN party. With some sprinkling of Dave and Busters where a 14 year old girl whipped my behind in simulation soccer. Also felt my age, when I almost pulled my groin muscle.

The weekend of my first bachelor party was also the weekend of me getting my first gun. Its a Marlin 30/30 calibre 30WA rifle.

That leaves me no time to talk about anti-valentine's day or the politically right term being Singles Awarness Day!!! But then I didn't think Feb 14 warrented any special attention from me!!!

In real love you want the other person's good. In romantic love, you want the other person.

Goddamned!!!

2006-02-08T11:57:00.000-08:00

You heard me right!!!

I am just sick'n'tired of a bunch of Jackasses hijacking my religion and my culture. Not satisfied with just hijacking it they also want to represent me!! And I am not the only one affected by it, almost all cultures and faiths seem to have been taken over by bigots!

I watched the evolution debate rage on in the American education system and didn't say anything 'cause I wasn't affected by it but when a bunch of people start messing around with my culture and history in the American education system, I got serious issues with it.

To give you a little background on this issue ... It all started with the review of the history syllabus in the California state education system. A bunch of people took it upon themselves to correct some "misconceptions" about ancient Hindu practices in India and rewrite a little bit of history according to them. There were some valid corrections to be made but they used this chance to create their own version of history.

The fact that this effort was led by a bunch of RSS (Rashtriya swayamsevak Sangh) off shoots damages their credence in my sight. Joined together by a group of organisations that we would call "communal" in my country, they decided to make merry. And to support their arguments they were supported by bogus expert indologists.

So how did this bunch outrage me? They denied the caste system as it existed/exists, denied that it was hereditary, denied that the 'untouchables' ever existed/exist in India (sic). They want the kids to learn that the untouchables were called so because day performed the dirty jobs and not vice versa.

Again they didn't just stop there ... they want the kids to learn that the Aryans were the real residents of Ancient India (sic), which negates the widely accepted theory that the Dravidians occupied most of ancient India before the 'Aryan' Indo-European race came and settled in the north of India. I should know being one of the Dravidian! Why should we(Indians) ask American kids to learn any different when we are taught the Aryan invasion theory in Indian schools(If you do a google search now, you would see that most of the top results call it a myth or question it).

To those who are not so intimately connected to this development it might not be a big deal but it did touch a raw nerve in me. The fact that they tried to use subversion to get their point of view across by setting up a pseudo website pretending to care about the welfare of the untouchables. The site looks innocent enough now but they didn't start out that way. Most of the links on their website pointed to communal groups that usually took advantage of them until a research group decided to take notice.

It takes a lot to push me over the edge, obiviously this was not the only event that singularly pushed me over the limit. The protests over the cartoons are still going on.

I wasn't really going to get into that controversy (for fear of my life ..ha ha) but CrackerJack did give it a shot. What I see in all this is just plain hypocracy. The newspapers claim that they want to prove a point about freedom of speech by printing the cartoons, while the selfsame newspaper refused to print a satiric portrayal on Christ sometime back. The west seems to be wondering what all the fuss is about but talk to them about abortion and watch the violence erupt. The mullahs issue fatwas while teleevangelist issues assassination lists (But ofcourse in the west they apologize).

The Christians protest anything that goes against their definition of family values, the Muslim imams add fuel to the fire by adding pictures that were not even published and go against their own code by carrying around the picture of the prophet. The Muslims don't want anybody to make fun of their prophet but will make fun of the Jews and the holocaust. The Hindus will not let valentine's day corrupt their culture (Do you know where Kamasutra comes from?), they will send their sons and daughters to America and wear Nikes and Reaboks, but will blame the west for its own decadence. The Jews, well they just don't care about anybody but themselves, 'cause we are all gentiles. The Christians, they can't understand jihad, but the crusades?? That's another story.

They believe that they are blessed for all that they do, some expecting 70 virgins, some hoping for a higher position in their rebirth and some hoping to get a golden mansion, but they don't relise that they are "Goddamned"

So where does it leave us all who really want to follow our creed says ?? Somewhere in between

Matthew 5:44 - But I(Jesus) say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you...

P.S: A partial list of violent reactions

Of Gods and men

2006-02-02T21:23:00.000-08:00

Its finally time for my second post. Couldn't let Ulysses have all the fun!!!

And straightway music and singing beguile the immortals. All the Muses together, voice answering heavenly voice, Hymn the undying gifts of the gods and the sufferings of men, Who, enduring so much at the hands of the gods everlasting, Live heedless and helpless, unable to find for themselves Either a cure for death or a bulwark against old age. --Homeric Hymn to Apollo 3.188-192

This past few days one of the major news story seems to about cartoons. You wouldn't figure out how much some damage some cartoons can cause. I have seen some tasteless cartoons but this seems to have really caused a nuclear explosion. Though this doesn't seem to be an instant explosion but a slow reacting one as the timeline suggests.

For those of you who have been out of this world for the last few days, this is all about cartoons of the Islamic Prophet Mohammed that appeared in some Danish dailies. I was going to link to a different site, but apparently the guy decided to take it off 'cause of quite a number of threats he received (As a side note, if somebody needs a death treat it is this person) And for those of you who don't know, a portrait of the prophet is a sacrilege to a Muslim (I know because my friend dates one).

It would have gone below the radar(who cares about the Danes!) had not a Norwegian paper reprinted it. And from being a news article it became a fight between religious sensitivity and the freedom of expression, ultimately turning into a Arab world versus the west.

Freedom of expression, like any freedom is not absolute in its boundaries. I have been mad by a lot of things that have been done using it. Some thing that really pissed me off was the
last temptation of Christ. I was so mad at the director who decided to make it and all the people who were involved in it, and I cheered when it bombed at the box office. But one day as I was discussing with some friends about some of the difficulties faced by Christians in some communist and middle eastern countries, it just dawned on me just how one sided I had been. Sure enough I was mad at the people but then that is democracy for good or for bad.

If I were to declare war on all people who did not hold my belief (Just like the church did in the middle ages), I have no reason to live in a democracy, might as well as live in a theocracy. Being born in this culture, I am more predisposed to be take it in its stride than somebody from a totally different belief system. I am also less likely to be militant about my religious believes than somebody from the east (Most of us just worship money!), and that is when it gets out of hand.

This controversy is as much about the freedom of expression as it is about plain common sense. I am all for freedom, but isn't there something called overkill? The media is as much to blame for this as anybody else in this. The other thing that really is funny to me is how people in so many different places of the world have taken it upon themselves to show their anger even though they had more pressing and important matters at hand.

Looks like the European papers are not taking it lying down (They don't care able their circulation in the middle east) atleast for now. They maybe stoking the fire or getting their revenge for restrictions that the church put on them during the middle ages. Maybe its time that the religiously convicted lived with the fact that they can't just kill the detractors.

So what is my take on this ... just get on with life and live your own faith, without forcing somebody else to live yours!! If I wanted to issue fatwas then I have a long list in my hand, unfortunately so do the people that I want to issue those fatwas against.

I may disagree with what you have to say, but I shall defend, to the death, your right to say it. --Voltaire

The Man stiffs us - Indian Style

2006-01-28T16:30:00.000-08:00

Many of you might have read that Ford and GM are going to be cutting a lot of jobs to keep up with the competition and many more of you are aware of the technology driven resurgence of the Indian economy. The connection might not be apparent but there is definitely one if you look below the surface.

I am definitely pro out-sourcing (even though one day my job might be on the line), it is the price you pay to have a capitalistic economy. And the past few years have out-sourcing has been specially good to India. Kids my age are earning what their parents would have earned when they retired (If they were lucky). This has been driven by the information technology industry to a large extent. But the rosy picture belies the harsh well guarded truth, in a word sweat shops have been out sourced to the developing nations by the developed nations.

The bottom line has forced the companies out source, but I still can't figure out what motivates the off shoring companies to use sweat shops and screw(pardon my French) their own country men!

The source of all this rage is more close at heart... recently the vendor that I am contracted through to MasterCard was bought over by Wipro, one of top three technology/out sourcing companies in India. Though the change of guard did not affect me, it definitely had a big impact on their direct employees (Most of whom were expecting a better deal from such a well know /recognized company. The first transition meeting went on pretty good I guess, but then that was just a charade (Now I know what they teach in business school).

Yesterday one of colleagues who is a direct employee (Now called a wiproite) heard from them, the new package that they were getting. He was pretty let down, not only did they rescind from their word at the first meeting, they pretty much screwed(for lack of a better word) the employees. Their overtime was taken away (Even though my friend spends most of his time at the office), they sick leave was taken away and the vacation days was reduced drastically. To add insult to injury, their insurance was downgraded so they had to bear a part of the month payment.

This is not a isolated incident, my friends working for the technology companies either here or in India are almost slaves to the company. The salary is definitely better than any other business sector, but money does not make all things right. A lot of my friends working both in India and the US work from 7:30 to 8:00 in the morning to 11:00 in the night and a lot of times even later. All this while receiving only 1/5 th of the hourly rate that their companies get paid for them.

My mentioning of sweat shops might be a little exaggerated in the technology context (try making an employee work such hours with no compensation in a US based company), but it still holds good for the other industries like manufacturing (Walmart is a well known exporter of the sweat shops to China). The companies in the developed countries might not be legally in the black but ethically they are. Meanwhile the companies in third world countries are making hay before legislation (often ineffective) is brought in.

The reason I tied Ford and GM to this situation is because they are on the opposite end of the spectrum. They paid too much and are now paying for it. Believe it or not they have one employee working for every three retirees they are supporting, not a good ratio I should say. This is also the reason that these new age companies use for the maltreatment of their employees. The funny part is that they keep complaining about the attrition rate of their employee, what do they expect ... uncomplaining bots ??

For all the buster of the top executives, its the working class that gets short changed on both ends of the spectrum!

Some food for thought ...
How much would buy a woman for ... 20$s?
If you are on the path to a tummy tuck like me
Another reason I am all for the death penalty

History doth repeat itself!!!

Odyssey - Book 2 - Chapter i - Detroit Car Show

2006-01-17T19:34:00.000-08:00

Miles : 1344
Cities Visited : 3 - Detroit, Dayton, Columbus
States driven through : 5 - Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri

The first trip of the year was one of those impulsive trips that I took. Having friends in different drivable cities is pretty cool if you like to drive around. Not only does it help you to take break but also drastically reduces your expenses.

That being said, the main purpose of the trip was to look at some real beauties (not because I didn't want to be alone for a long weekend(sic)). And beauties I did see. I was hoping to see more concept cars though.

First of all let me introduce you to Mr. Rolls Royce. This is probably as close as I would ever get to it in my life. You needed to see it first had to see how massive it really was. This is one car that you would have somebody else drive you around, which rules me out from ever buying it. How could I trust someone to drive this beauty ??? no way hosey! I have been waiting quite a few years to get to this car show.

The in thing for concept cars at this show was to have really thin seats with really weird material. Don't know if that is good or bad. My cars seats really get your butt if you have a wallet in the back pocket because of their inflexibility.

Overall though I don't know if the show itself was worth the drive, but meeting up with some good and close friends was definitely worth it. Had Ravi's hospitality in Ohio, while Rajesh and Abishek provided the same in Detroit.

I had a lesson to learn on this trip, don't wear a torn shorts in front of your mom or anybody who looks like your mom. I made the mistake of doing that in front of my friend's mom and boy did I get an earful.

Cops just don't seem to want to leave me in peace. The best investment that I never made was on a cop detector, it would have saved me money in the hundreds. But this time around I don't think that would have helped either. Got a parking ticket for parking more than two hours on two hour zone. This on a holiday at 10:30 in the morning and the restriction came into effect only at 8:00 A.M, probably one of those henpecked cops who's wife probably chewed him up early in the morning.

These trips sure are full of food, and this time was no exception. Had middle eastern food after a long time courtesy of Rajesh. Also had Ravi make some dosas for me. Anyways for more photos from this trip just go here.

Before I forget, the cars/bike I would really like to own in no particular order are

Odyssey - Book 1 - Chapter i
Odyssey - Book 1 - Chapter ii
Odyssey - Book 1 - Chapter iii
Odyssey - Book 1 - Chapter iv

We must get beyond textbooks, go out into the bypaths and untrodden depths of the wilderness and travel and explore and tell the world the glories of our journey.
--John Hope Franklin

The Man in the mirror - revisited

2006-01-12T20:31:00.000-08:00

I'm gonna make a change, for once in my life
It's gonna feel real good, gonna make a difference
Gonna make it right...

As I, turn up the collar on my favorite winter coat
This wind is blowin' my mind
I see the kids in the street, with not enough to eat
Who am I, to be blind? Pretending not to see their needs
A summer's disregard, a broken bottle top
And a one man's soul
They follow each other on the wind ya' know
'Cause they got nowhere to go
That's why I want you to know

I'm starting with the man in the mirror
I'm asking him to change his ways
And no message could have been any clearer
If you wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself, and then make a change

I've been a victim of a selfish kind of love
It's time that I realize
That there are some with no home, not a nickel to loan
Could it be really me, pretending that they're not alone?

A willow deeply scarred, somebody's broken heart
And a washed-out dream
They follow the pattern of the wind, ya' see
Cause they got no place to be
That's why I'm starting with me

I tend to disagree with the majority on the oldest profession, it definitely has to be politics. Oh how indefatigable corruption is! Especially when it comes to politics : they could be liberal or conservative, left wing or right wing, communist or capitalist, democratic or autocratic but the only common denominator they have is corruption. If indeed there is something called the "most institutionalized" in the world, it is corruption.

This article just goes on to prove that the whole world speaks one language when it comes to corruption, they might have different accents but it is definitely the same language. Be it the only remaining superpower in the world or country like Eritrea where most people can't afford one square meal a day.

I agree that this topic has been taken through the cleaners and juiced to the maximum. Though the one aspect of it that has not been taken note of are the ordinary people like us who condone it, by doing nothing about it. Most people don't care or are part of the malice by using it. I know it takes a lot to take a stand, but stand we must take. Anybody who cannot stand for something that he believes will for anything. Rhetoric apart, I believe individual corruption is more dangerous than any disease know to man.

Its easy to take pot shots(specially people like me) at all those high flying people who get caught.
What's harder is to keep the focus at the root of the problem. Sometime back I had a discussion with a friend on the best way to tackle this issue. (Like everybody else I believe I can solve all the worlds problem!!) He was of the opinion that the people at the top have to change first for the world to get rid of corruption. By that he meant that the political and business class have to change before the bourgeois can change and he was going to do things by hook or by crook till the world changes.

I on the other hand am of the opinion that the middle class is the key to the issue. If you are not corrupt when you are at the bottom of the food chain there is a good chance you would remain the same at the top ... that or you would never get to the top! But like Mother Theresa "every drop of water makes the mighty ocean" its starts with each one of us. Instead of complaining at how people are making money in corruption, lets try to do things without giving that "bribe" that would make things easier.

That said, corruption scandals have become the norm of the day all over the world, either more people are getting caught or the number of incidents is just skyrocketing. The only thing that has accomplished is that people are so sick of corruption that they have become numb to it. That is the kind of attitude that is not going to help! Sprinkling of outrage once in a while keeps the world moving along without degenerating into anarchy.

Before I run out of steam just wanted to let you where I come from!

Slums may well be breeding grounds of crime, but middle-class suburbs are incubators of apathy and delirium. Cyril Connolly

ReadyMade Excuses

2006-01-06T20:07:00.000-08:00

To join issue with CrakerJack, I don't use those articles because I don't need those excuses to explain why I like food. I just love food so. (Period) That been said this is not the only article that tries to explain why we do certain things. Now don't get me wrong, I don't think scientific reasoning and research is a fable; and the truth cannot be farther from the truth. But sometimes we let scientific data overshadow common sense. And before you are crucify me as a right wing fundamentalistic rabble-rouser, let me state my case.

Lets start with the most prevalent excuses to commit a crime ...

Society doesn't care
Childhood environment was not conducive to all round growth
People always made fun of me
Nobody don't understands me/what I go through
Mom/dad was drunkard/drug addict
I had nobody to love me
The world is unfair (sic)
I did not understand the full repercussions of my action (criminally insane)

a note of caution: I do not believe that these are entirely false but to just blame them for everything ... come on give me a break! The world is fair because it is unfair to everybody, so just deal with it. To blame their hard childhood for all their actions as grown ups just speaks to how much they have really grown up. Hardships usually make people better, so the actions of a person usually speak about the inner character of a person rather than what people did to him when he was kid.

From criminal behavior to the hornets next that CrackerJack stirred up ... its become a case of statistics and percentages now a days, actually its totally chaos on what to do to keep healthy. Though things aren't that bad, the basic premise still remains the same: eat just enough and move your body. But some people take it the extreme, starving themselves or working out more than two hours a day. Chill out people ... you ain't going to live forever, so why give up on that banana split or the cream filled doughnut with chocolate on top?? (Man I am going to get myself a banana split after I finish this). I would classify anybody working out for more than an hour as insane and maybe somebody who needs to get a life! I know people who are too lazy to work around the house but not too lazy to hit the gym. There are also people who look all buff(like me!!) but have no real strength!

Science is the scapegoat used as an excuse by people for all the above mentioned. I heard once heard this from a friend, that it is possible to prove any premise if you have a sufficiently skewed sample population.

Oh did you know that 1 in 5 kids has ADD (BOSS you can correct me). So all you do when you see a hyper active kid is give him some tablets to calm him down. Where I come from they just call those kids mischievous!

I accept that we need scientific innovation and the role that science plays in making our lives better. But science does not have the right to trample common sense underfoot. These are the reasons you have people who need stupid labels warning about obvious dangers(Anybody seen 'this is not a toy' sign on plastic covers).

Also I think our drug abuse problem stems from the fact that we always want to quantify stuff and need a readymade solution to all of life's problem, be it either a simple headache or a severe trauma!

Maybe we are not generation next but generation ReadyMade

“The self is not something ready-made, but something in continuous formation through choice of action.”

P.S: CrakerJack seems to have generated more comments on a single post than I could in a month!

Ring in the New

2006-01-02T13:10:00.000-08:00

A wonderful 2006 to you folks. Starting the new year with my first ever post on a blog. I guess that's what a new year is all about, the starting afresh or rather starting on a new canvas of life. Hope that answers your question NoViCe.

I started of this year with a slew of resolutions (I disagree with people who equate resolutions with laws, in that they are meant to be broken), starting off with being a better person. The last few years have been marred by souring of relations with people really close to me, a trend I am hoping to reverse this year (with fingers crossed). You could say that I have probably antagonised more people last couple of years than Bush did (If ever that was possible).

I'll save the sob story for later. Today I came across this article on MSN. It makes an interesting read and speaks of how people are addicted to food just to make themselves feel good. No wonder America is over 60% obese. Ulysses maybe you should take a hint from this and work on your tummy ;). Get over it, you are not big you are just over weight!

I wonder why people wouldn't use these kind of news to get back in shape. Some people never learn I guess.

I'll sign off in the standard way

“People are so worried about what they eat between Christmas and the New Year,
but they really should be worried about what they eat between the New Year and
Christmas”

Just another day ..

2005-12-31T08:21:00.000-08:00

... in paradise ... oops that's the song. Anyhoo with all the cacophony around us about the new year and the old year. Seems like every columnist, magazine, newspaper ... that is worth a mention had a top 10/25 list of things gone by. So that makes a list by me kind of redundant. But it did get me thinking about this New Year "stuff" and gave me the million dollar question of who created New Years day???? Beats me

By the way if you are wondering about the picture, its Mukhtaran Mai. The post on this one pictures has got more hits to my website than anybody else this past year!! Her fight still continues. Nobody said its easy to take on the establishment.

So instead of making list like everybody else is doing, I am going to introduce a new writing partner for this blog. Introducing CrackerJack (The Identity has been withheld per request!) . I and CrackerJack have a difference of opinion on quite a few subjects. Also I presume that quite a few of you are sick of seeing one side of the coin through my ramblings! I had hoped to change the format of the blog but I guess that has to wait for another day.

See you all next year folks and I'll let CrackerJack start off the year.

Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.
~Alfred, Lord Tennyson, 1850

Happy Birthday Jesus!!!

2005-12-24T21:48:00.000-08:00

For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:5-7

And the angel answered and said to her, ÂThe Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.
Luke 1:34-36

Its hard to answer what Christmas means to me. On the face of it, it's more like a religious festival where I come from and a entertainment industry where I am at now. December 23rd and 24th happen to be the highest grossing days in the US, a phenomenon catching up now in India.

Its funny what blatant commercialism can do to anything. Just like the phenomenon called Valentine's day ... come to think of it I guess most of the media made holidays!!

To add some spice into the proceedings, its always good to put in some left verus right politicisation of the topic at hand. Taking political correctness to a new level, the liberal left decided to replace 'merry Christmas' with 'happy holidays'. I am yet to figure out the political wrongness of 'merry Christmas'!! Would it be wrong for people to wish me happy birthday just because my neighbour doesn't celebrate my birthday?? The Christian right was not far behind, they called for a boycott of any store that followed the left's 'liberal theology'. And now we know how wars start!

What more can I say ... and now on to some fun quotes

"Christmas is a time when kids tell Santa what they want and adults pay for it. Deficits are when adults tell the government what they want and their kids pay for it." Richard Lamm

"How many observe Christ's birthday! How few, his precepts! O! 'tis easier to keep holidays than commandments." Benjamin Franklin
"From a commercial point of view, if Christmas did not exist it would be necessary to invent it."
"In the old days, it was not called the Holiday Season; the Christians called it 'Christmas' and went to church; the Jews called it 'Hanukka' and went to synagogue; the atheists went to parties and drank. People passing each other on the street would say 'Merry Christmas!' or 'Happy Hanukka!' or (to the atheists) 'Look out for the wall!'"

The great leveler!

2005-12-20T09:25:00.000-08:00

It's none other than education! The moment Eve bit off that fruit, education assumed the role of being the chief weapon in human hands. I know a lot of people would disagree. But whatever the power of the nuclear bomb, the pen is still mightier than the gun.

How come you say? The cold war is over and we know who the winner of it was. But now that uncle Sam is the undisputed big boy, there is a challenge at a new level ... the lack of qualified labour with Math and science knowledge!!! The onslaught of developing countries like China and India is on and no amount of defense spending can change that. The developing countries have figured it (and rightly so) that the only way to make the world a level playing field was to make education a priority. Being a alumni of the Indian education system, I can safely say that world class education may be a little way off but any education does make a difference. Indian's and Chinese may not have as many guns but they sure do have a lot of engineers and you know that "Engineers build the world".

Its not just the international arena where education seems to make a difference. Through out history, this scenario has be played out over and over again (history does repeat itself if you didn't know), one race/caste/class of people keep other race/caste/class of people down by denying them education. People have always used the lack of education as a method to keep the downtrodden down. Its not for nothing that the great criminal brains had more brains than brawns!

In the great Mosaic that is India, the caste and class distinction has only now been marred because of the rise in the literacy levels of the common people. Its not uncommon to see kids studying by the street light because of the lack of electricity at home. And I do personally know of families where the parents work 18 hour days so their kids can have an education and a better future. Education is a luxury to the really needy and taken for grated by the well-to-do.

Its hard for a person to fight for his right if he doesn't even know that he has rights. That's where education comes in! Education has really transformed the Indian society. I just went through the richest list of India an found that more than 60% of them had started from scratch. This would not have been possible in the Indian society's setup if not for education.

The more important affect of education is moral than financial. I have probably rambled on the caste system, dowry, segregation ... but the only effective antidote to these ills that I have found in my short life is Education. I know I am sounding like an used care salesman but the effect is there for all to see. The moral effect is not only seen in a developing environment like India but also in a developed environment like the good 'ole USA. Now that the developing countries are following the developed countries' formula, you see a slacking off from the top 5% richest people in the world, in that they don't think that a college education is worth it. They are just happy with their ability to play XBOX and use the IPOD. Ergo the rising economy of the third world. Not that I am complaining about a multi polar world.

I am not suggesting that education is the all encompassing solution to the world's evil. I would be a fool to think that, 'cause if that would be the case then the dowry and caste system in India would not exist among the educated. Which ofcourse is far from the truth more often than not. The dowry seems to increase with the amount of education that the person has. It is one of those quirks of human nature called greed I guess.

Inspite of all its potential it has failed to curb the basic human tendency to destroy. The same education that opened many people's eyes to segregation and castism also was a tool in the hands of racial and castist felons. The same education that helped cure sickness helped build the bomb. The education that made great minds like Gandhi also made Hitler.

But the fact remains that if a bonded laborer dreams of a better life, it would start with some education. Living in a country with almost 99% percent education it still amazes me how a country with 60% education survives.

I have had a few people talk to me about affirmative action in the US, the Indian equivalent of which is reservation. I do agree with the fundamental idea behind it but think that it could be implemented in a better way. But from what I have seen, I must say that it has made a difference good.

There is a fight going on in America about religion, more importantly intelligent design, in school. I would think the more important think would be what kind of education that kids are getting in school. I might not be that old but, I think I can safely say that education was not only supposed to teach us Math and Science but make us better and well rounded humans. I think schools now-a-days woefully lack on all counts specially the last one.

Now that I have rambled on the international and national effects of education, I am going to get personal. No its not about me but the slum kids that are coming to the after school program in Chennai, that I am lucky to be part of! Almost all of these kids parents are illiterate and are hoping for a better future out of the slums for their kids. And guess what they are betting on for their dreams to come true?? Education!!

The progress report that my dad gave me yesterday just lifted me up, we now have 6 class toppers and 7 who are second in their class. This is out of the 50 kids who come to the after school program regularly. I am just hoping that all of them would do as well. But it is a definite blessing to see them do so well.

I remember during my undergrad, there was this kid working for my dad, doing his undergrad just like me. He had to work 'cause his dad was a sanitation worker for the city and couldn't afford to pay for his education. Everytime I met him, it reminded me of all the opportunities that I and most of my friends took for granted.

Got some pictures for you from the christmas program that these kids put up on their own!!

"But if you ask what is the good of education in general, the answer is easy: that education makes good men, and that good men act nobly."

“Education makes a people easy to lead, but difficult to drive; easy to govern, but impossible to enslave.”

"To educate a person in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society."

Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.
- Albert Einstein

We shall one day learn to supersede politics by education. What we call our root-and-branch reforms of slavery, war, gambling, intemperance, is only medicating the symptoms. We must begin higher up, namely, in education.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Education is a better safeguard of liberty than a standing army. If we retrench the wages of the schoolmaster, we must raise those of the recruiting sergeant.
- Edward Everett

To penetrate and dissipate these clouds of darkness, the general mind must be strengthened by education.
- Thomas Jefferson

The highest result of education is tolerance.
- Helen Adams Keller

Something different

2005-12-15T21:43:00.000-08:00

Let me see if you can spot the difference in the website. I am hoping to rehaul the whole thing including the old with the new and something newer (Don't even know if that is a word!!). So this is probably the shortest post ever on this page!!! Comments are appreciated!!!

"The only perfect science is hind-sight"

So much to ..... so little time

2005-12-10T00:05:00.000-08:00

Have been busy over the last few weeks with a lot of things ... so as usual negleted this part of my life .... to get me started again, I've got a photo blog from my trip to florida for Katie's marriage!!!

"In the opinion of the world, marriage ends all, as it does in a comedy. The truth is precisely the opposite: it begins all."

O Success who art thou?

2005-11-15T14:00:00.000-08:00

Its been a long time since a read something other than news articles or product specs. And it turned out to be the biography of Billy Graham, one of the only three people on my admiration list(Gandhi and Mother Teresa being the other) which off course doesn't include my idol. The character study of these three, shows the distinct yet similar goals they shared, the uplifting of people from being mere mortals to something better.

I have always wondered about the kind of motivation that turned ordinary men(women) to do extraordinary things. Hindsight has always been good ... but that does not provide for the strength that is needed to overcome seemingly insurmountable troubles! Would Gandhi have known that he would be called the father of the nation and inspire not just one nation to attain freedom? Would he have thought that when he decided to use peace instead of violence as a weapon, the sun would set on the British empire ? Its hard to imagine that kind of faith in oneself.

One of the qualities that made this group successful was their humility. Inspite of their stature in the world they always remained down to earth. Which brings me to the question of what is success ... success to me personally is not the amount of money you have or weather you have reached the pinnacle of your field of vocation. Success is affecting people's life ... I measure it in the lives that are affected by us. I guess it was obivious from my choices!!

None of these individuals are perfect, each had his one personal faults but that is what made them human enough like everyone of us. Making it plain that they had to overcome not only their own personal faults like everyone of us but also little bit to make the world a better place. I don't want to sound too sweet with all this assertion but the fact that such frail and weak people could affect so many people for the better is indeed a miracle.

I these times of instant celebrities and 15 minute fame, they stand out as the true celebrities.

They were people who created equality where there was a lot of inequality... unlike some that thought violence alone could do it, they were the voice of clarity, 'cause he who lives by the sword dies by the sword and an eye for an eye makes the whole world go blind. Ghandi worked to make the brown man his own master, 'cause he believed (and so do I) that men are not similar but they are equal!

Billy refused to preach to a segregated crowd in the south even when it was the norm, he worked to make to reach people behind the iron curtain. And in the world of made to order televangelists and godmen, he has maintained his dignity by staying true to his calling!

Mother Teresa worked to give dignity to people who didn't have anybody to stand up for them. They were not just in one country but everywhere ... 'cause they were the ones nobody cared about.

Its not often that we have people like these walk among. Though I would not say that or generation is worse than the ones before it ... still it would be nice to see more individuals take it upon themselves to be the beacon of hope to the hopeless...

A couple of days ago a friend of mine was debating with me about the importance of the change in the individual for the world to change. He was of the opinion (which seems to be the prevailingly opinion) that his changing does not make a iota of difference in this world. Its that kind of dejectedness that is the root of all problems. I once heard that "there are two kinds of people in the world, those who conform themselves to this world and those who conform the world to themselves and the progress of the world depends on the second type".

I just hope that I can affect for good atleast a small percentage of the people that these individuals touched.

"Defeat is not the worst of failures. Not to have tried is the true failure."

Cooking ...

2005-11-10T21:07:00.000-08:00

I am a reformed man after my India trip. Before a few of you start snickering ... I am only talking about the part of me starting to cook!! Well putting on 10 pounds in a week will make any person start thinking about their heart and arteries. Does anybody realize how hard it is to cook specially good Indian food? You wouldn't believe the amount of preparation that goes into it. Now I know why men in India look for a bride who can cook. And before the feminist brigade get on my case let me reiterate that I do not discriminate against women who can't cook, but I do like a lady who can whip it up in the kitchen (hint hint).

Believe it or not it takes more than three rounds of grocery shopping before I have all the ingredients to make sambar (Curry to those who don't know 'Indian'(Tamil)). Even then the sheer amount of time and patience it takes to make the simplest side dish is mind boggling. Got to bow down to all the mom's out there !!! Also to the girl friends that make cookies for their boy friends and their boy friend's friends!!!

Frankly I ain't too bad at cooking only that I am too lazy for it. So far have been bad only on two of six times I have cooked. Before I forget a friendly warning to all attempting to cook Indian ... disable the smoke alarm. The first time I cooked it went off and I had to ripe it out to stop myself from going crazy. The day the put in a new one, I cooked again but this time I was prepared, so I was able to disconnect it without ripping it apart. So much for the smoke alarm! That reminded me of the story of when couple of fire engine's showed up to a Indian student's apartment at FSU because of the smoke coming out of his kitchen!! He was really whipping it up in the kitchen!

Now that my whole blog has spoken about how hard 'Indian' cooking and cooking in general is, just wanted to share with you all that my youth group has learned its first Tamil chorus which they are going to be performing this coming Sunday. But believe you me that its harder to teach monolingual people a different language than cooking (Indian cooking included)!

I have been quite irregular with updating this blog this month ... blame it all on work. Have been working weekends for the past two weeks and even this week. Though I then do get to spend the next two weekends with friends and family. Florida and California here I come!!!

On the topic of cooking ... I thought I would show you guys the real way to drink "tender" coconut water and eat the "tender" coconut, also show you city folks what a coconut tree looks like ... So here you go!!!

"Kissing don't last: cookery do!"

Over the hill ...

2005-10-31T21:31:00.000-08:00

25 and single ... that's my profile from today onwards. Yes folks, I am over the hill of silver ... I already feel old enough to die (just kidding). Been a blast the past 25 years, oh yes they have been quite eventful (Just like everybody else's ... maybe not) with patches of uneventful, boring, mundaness.

Somebody said you don't count your life with the money or success you have attained but by the number of friends that you have. And if that is true then I am the most blessed of all men (or women) on earth. God has been most abundantly gracious and merciful to me through my short(or long) life . Not to forget unlike most people "the people I couldn't choose" (family and relatives) are out of this world.

What can I say ... I have the perfect life. Sure got ups and downs, but its definitely better than the next person's(atleast that's what I think). Wouldn't want to exchange it with anybody. Now that I have rambled on how blessed I feel, I think I should end the post ... (Or maybe because I have just run out of idea's), but you can't complain, its not everyday you turn 25 (its not everyday you turn anything).

At 21 you know you are old but still young enough to do stupid stuff and blame it on your age, at 25 you really can't blame it on anything or anybody. Which brings us to how do you know that you are old and over the hill? First sign is that you don't receive a single card on your birthday, a good sign most people have either forgotten or maybe they are just too broke from all the cards they have got you the previous years... also just an hint that maybe you should just get on with your life, 'cause whatever you might think its just another day in everybody's life ;). Oh ya no more birthday cake/party for you till you go really down the hill and have kids and they want to get something out of you!

Also 25 is that first time you can really look back at your life and see where you are going or atleast plan to go ... the first mile as some people would say. I wanted to retire at the age of 30 (Seriously) but as things are going retiring is not for me :). Atleast I got my master's degree, that is a very big step ... The best part is that even if I wanted to reminiscent on things I really don't have the time. I can't figure out how staring at a computer screen makes people tired but it does, specially if you are staring at it in the night. Last weekend was the beginning of a series of weekends that I have got to work. Can't complain though as long as I am getting paid for it.

Just a random thought ... I have always wondered how a wonderful baby as the one on top would turn into the scary man(I am 25!) that I have become.

Being scary apart ... 25 has lots of benefits ... lesser insurance premiums and the ability to rent a car without the underage fee ... gawd I hated that discrimination even though I scarcely used a rented car.

The one thing that I did learn is something I read in Ecclesiastes 1:2 " Vanity of vanities, all is vanity", the more you want things the more you miss out on life. And this is what I consider the most important thing in life "PEOPLE". There is nothing else in life that is more important. It is so easy to get blinded (As I have a lot of times) by other things but there is nothing that can take the place of people ... they are important enough for Jesus to die on the cross for them.

Believe it or not, it too me quite a few years to understand the importance of being people centric (18 to be exact). The reason being that I had the worst case of shyness I have ever seen. I know its hard to believe for lots or at least most people who know me. I was what you call a chronically shy person, couldn't lift my head up when somebody from the opposite sex was around .. wouldn't speak to an unknown person ... even made my parents wonder if I should have been born as a girl!! And then it finally dawned on me (after a lot of deliberation of course) the people really don't have the time to be spending all their time on me, specially thinking about my walk or talk ... once I got through that epiphanic moment I was free of shyness or as I would like to call it 'I'ness. 'Cause what most people don't realise is that being shy makes you think more about yourself than others ... oxymoronic as it might sound, that in itself should tell you that people are not thinking about you and judging you!

But to be truthful, it was worth the wait (the wait to get over the shyness) or I wouldn't appreciate what God has given me!!

"At twenty we worry about what others think of us; at forty we don't care about what others think of us; at sixty we discover they haven't been thinking about us at all."

The kids ....

2005-10-24T21:11:00.000-07:00

Well here is another photo blog from India. Some pictures of the kids that we are working with through the foundation (Falcon Foundation). My Church (Lake Crest Church) helped us get them some T-Shirts when I went to India this time. The first few pictures are me distributing the T shirts, the rest are at the after school that we have. Currently we have 50 kids coming to the after school from the 1st grade up till the 5th grade.

"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day,
Teach him to fish and you feed him for life."

"pseudo-feminism"

2005-10-18T18:39:00.000-07:00

Ok that's a word I came up with (At least I haven't heard it from anywhere else). So I was talking to this friend when I got to know about the fact that America has a higher population of girls to guys, that got me thinking ... how come India which has more males than females was lead by a woman(Indira Gandhi the one in the pic) for 15 of its 58 years of independence while "...land of the free and the home of the brave" hasn't had a woman leader in .... never. Doesn't it sound bogus when we talk about women's empowerment in the middle east when we are afraid to "really" empower them in the west! I am not even going to go into the glass ceiling ...

I guess this is where pseudo-feminism comes in ... in the name of gender equality all they got was only to sleep around and do drugs but no real equality. I still can't fathom how you couldn't have a woman leader when women are in majority ??? we complain about the minority Sunnis ruled over the majority Shias ... wonder if anybody is looking inside. And India being a male dominated society (We look down on women who smoke and drink ... and divorcees ...) still lets women be in seats of power ... the power behind our current central(federal) government is a lady. For that matter the president of two other easter countries (Sri Lanka and Phillipines) are women.

This is just food for thought ... for those who think that women are equal in the US. The Man just gives you some to take away everything ...

Married again ....

2005-10-12T22:26:00.000-07:00

Well I thought this would be a better title than saying marriage 2 or marriage continued ... continuing on the topic of marriages ... either I am getting old or the world is getting older cause' it seems like everybody I know is getting married. Starting off with Katie's marriage next month ... I can only smile at the sheep being let to the slaughter. Jokes apart here is another dose of the pictures from back home. You must understand that this took place over a period of three days and four different functions, hence the various dresses! And do leave your comments, cause I know you are looking!
This is the family picture at the Groom's reception

The whole marriage bundle (brides' maids,maid of honour,groom's men,best man, flower girls ....) Usually you don't have the bride's maids and groom's men in our weddings... (just the best mand and the maid of honour)

The bride and groom at the church ...

The couple at the Groom's reception

Me and Kartik at the Groom's reception

Dad letting go ...

"The cousins" at the bride's reception

The wedding Cake

The wedding feast .... Sara what you doing man?

The feast at the groom's reception

Trying to show off my sisters!!!

Watch this place for more Pics from the "land of the tiger"...

"How do you look at the same face for the rest of your life ???? Beats me!"

Marriage...

2005-10-10T20:43:00.000-07:00

No not mine ... as I have told my friends before, it would have to snow in Chennai before I hang myself ... oops sorry ... get married. I am still trying to get out of my jet lag(Its taking awefully long this time) so I thought I would go easy and make this a picture post of my sister's marriage.
Speaking at my sister's valthudal ceremony (Ceremony to bless and praise her)

The grooms family bringing the ceremonial gifts before the marriage

The bride's brother(Me ;)) welcoming the groom ...

The father of the bride and the mother ;)

The beauty queen

The Groom with the best man ...

Picture perfect ...

The groom entering the church with his coterie ...

The pretty bride's maids

Sara and Hussain's family at the reception

Dhinakaran Uncle felicitating the couple

Good old bharathanatayam...

Gayathri, Vanitha and Kirthi ....

Kirthi, Vishnu, Swapna and Shobi
Wondering about the different attires? Its all for the different functions that these Indian Marriages entail. I am having some diffuculties with the rest of the pictures so I guess I will have to continue on it tomorrow ... Enjoy these for now ...

With Love from India

2005-09-06T22:37:00.000-07:00

Well I am finally back home after a gap of almost two years and its good to be back. So here goes my first post from the land of the tiger!
Day 1
Had the whole family come meet me at the airport. I wonder how long this ritual would continue. Maybe the next time it would be just my parents. I don't mind this attention though, I am a movie star for 5 mins. As I walk out of the terminal I have all these flash bulb's going off, making all the people gathered at the airport believe that I am a famous movie actor. Did I mention how much I like Briyani before? Well had my mom make Mutton(goat) Biryani and Chicken 65 for my Dinner/breakfast on the day I arrived.
Day 2
Jet lag is an evil word. Unlike my previous visit, this time I was really hit hard with it. Trust me walking like a zombie makes you snap at people. I did talk about the traffic in India a few months back. Now that I am back I am getting used to it pretty quickly. I surprised myself by talking to driving in peak traffic the day after I arrived. Maybe its because I have been driving a stick(Manual) shift car the last 9 months.
Day 3
The traffic mayhem is seen to be believed. And I am liking that a lot. If I drove like this in the US I probably would have had my license suspended a long time back. Its still fun to cut off people though getting cut off doesn't sound that great. As much as I have tried to hold on to the Indian culture, I still need a refresher course in it once in a while. Like wearing a formal pant to Church and no shorts and T-shirts.
Day 4 ... actually I have forgotten the day count in the midst of the marriage confusion. Indian marriages are definately a caos, but there is an order in the chaos. Friends have to be invited and then friends of friends .... friends of freinds of freinds ... And the food, specially when we have no idea about the number of people who are going to turn up. Also I guess it would take the hand of god to makes things pefect when more than 1500 Indian's get together(haha). Jokes apart its a trying time for all those running around getting things done and fun for people like me who watch it ... Got lots more to write but no time ... I'll let the pictures speak for themself

Odds and Ends

2005-08-30T21:11:00.000-07:00

The last couple of weeks, I have started with so many posts but haven't really found time to continue with any. What with all the shopping and preparing for the trip for India, which in turn made me work more hours to get stuff done. So I finally decided for the sake of the few loyal (sic) readers of these ramblings to get a gist of the ideas that I had in the pea sized brain of mine for the various posts that I started!

The televangilist of love preaches assisination.
Global warming or just natural disasters
Gas prices skyrocketing! Is it time to burn the SUVs and other gas guzzlers?

Actually there were some more but I guess they will have to wait. I can't wait though to get to India after almost two years. Thats a really long time to be away from home. I am hoping to atleast make this a picture blog during my trip to India. If you need me give me a buzz at 98409 07530!

Till Laters

"Nullus est locus domestica sede jucundior"( There is no place more delightful than one's own fireside)
"To know after absence the familiar street and road and village and house is to know again the satisfaction of home"

My Idol

2005-08-17T11:08:00.000-07:00

Believe it or not I do have one and he just turned 51. And you know that a man has become old, when he says he is proud of the kids that God has given him ;)

My Dad has always rocked my world and all that I am, I owe it to him!!! His use of the English language surprises me not only because it makes me (who has had better education than him) use the dictionary but also because he learnt the language after he turned 18.

I may never understand the struggles he went through but sure do appreciate them. He is a charmer, a fact that I hope I could get a little bit of. He always made me more cool than I was by dropping me off in school on the military Motorcycle in his trademark shorts. Also the fact that he could kick anybody's bottom (I have personally witnessed that) combined with the fact that he could preach the bible like a preacher makes him a deadly combination.

The heart he has for helping others to the point of repeatedly being hoodwinked by unscrupulous needy people has to be seen to be believed. I can only wish that I would be able to give as much as he gives away(50-70% of his earnings) someday if I am not greedy enough :).

We do have difference of opinion as people from two different generations would, but I if he hadn't let me be, I wouldn't have been my own man. I could probably go on for a day about all his qualities, but suffice to say that I love him and wish that I was half the man he is!

"My father didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it."

P.S: I mustn't forget to mention the person who has kept him on the straight - my mom and his wife of 25 years

The birth of a Nation

2005-08-14T23:23:00.000-07:00

I do need to apologize for not being more current with my posts. I have had ideas fade in and out, as life trudges along in a mechanical fashion ( the forthcoming trip to India maybe a saving grace). I have finally decided not to let this thought fade out. As India celebrates its 58th birth anniversary, the times surely have changed.

Its that day of the year again in India and the Indian diaspora abroad. Time to wear their patriotism on their sleeve (for a day of course). I remember wearing the paper flag on my shirt pocket and attending the flag hoisting either at school or the apartment complex. It was day to remember long forgotten hero's and their sacrifices only to forget them the next day. I may sound a little pessimistic but that's the ground reality.

The last couple of days I have received emails and read articles on independence day, most of which seem to run along on just two thought streams. One talks about how proud you have to be an Indian and why you should not leave the country ... blah blah ... a lot of idealistic stuff that everybody needs a shot of once in a while. The only thing is in all the idealistic and patriotic fervor they forget the ground realities. And are content with making sweeping statements about the rest of the people with a holier than though attitude. The other line of thought is the pessimistic one blaming "the man" or actually blaming the politicians on how wrong our freedom has been used. They have a ready target - the politician - for all of India's ills while taking no responsibility for their own actions.

I agree to both schools of thought, but think that they fall short of being pragmatic or making a difference. People in general are ready to be patriotic and do great things as long as it doesn't cause them any discomfiture. Everybody wants a change but nobody is willing to bear the cost.

Born as it was after the second world war and in the midst of strife, both internal and external. The large behemoth of a country like India was indeed a hard place to govern for novices. The strides that the country has taken so far alludes to the common man's determination to rise inspite of the system. It was born during a time when socialism was only way to go for a country that had been broken by the capitalistic nature of imperialistic western power. The fact that it has embarked on the path of capitalism speaks of progress. Though the path so far has been full of great and ambitious dreams, poor planning and worse execution.

Sometimes I wonder and I know a sizeable amount of people would agree that we have only exchanged a foreigner's yoke for a domestic one. The amount of corruption that has permeated the society is alarming for such a fledging young country. Some might take offense to the term young country, claiming the inheritance to a 5000 year old civilization. But the fact remains that as a nation state India is relatively young. Corruption is a scourge that most countries face specially the developing ones. It is also one of the evils that cannot be blamed on external forces. Some people are content with putting the blame on politicians, while at the same time gloating on the fact that India is the world's largest democracy, which if true puts the blame squarely on the people's shoulder for electing such politicians. If you want the vicious cycle of corruption to stop then you need to stop giving bribes. If there is nobody to take bribes then there wouldn't be anybody to take them.

The other major factor that keeps a lot of Indian's down apart from corruption is dwelling on the past. If you want to move forward then we need to stop resting on our laurels and being satisfied easily. I have received a lot of emails from time to time about how Indian's created the number system thousands of years back and all the other things that happened thousands of years back. Because none of those matter too much now. If Bill gates says India has potential then the media is full of that quote and everybody is happy. It doesn't matter that we have potential unless we realise that potential. We as a country need to be willing to take risks, instead of being content of going down the beaten path. Even now kids are only give three choices - doctor, Engineer or IAS. So who the heck is going to teach ? I am not even going to talk about dowry, caste or religious issues (I have spoken on those before and anyways this post would never end then). We also need to realise that men were not made for traditions but traditions were made for me.

And the most sensitive subject of all, Kashmir. The right wing needs to accept the ground realities and not expect a miracle in the form of a akhand bharat ( we are definitely not going to annex two ailing countries). Also the people need to see through the politicians using Pakistan as beating horse to cover their own pathetic economic and domestic decisions. Pakistani ISI is easily blamed for most of India's problems (they do cause some) while the domestic terrorist is let go or even better given a government post! I wish they would spend more money on revitilising the agriculture sector than they spend on nuclear weapons.

Now that I have vetted my anger on the system(or the man as some prefer), I can go on to the good parts. I am proud of the changes specially in the last couple of years that has taken place in India. A change that allowed a middle class person like me to go to a foreign country to study, which was previously only the prerogative of the filthy rich or well connected. India is an experience ... a lifetime experience. The diversity that is present in it is incomprehensible to somebody that has not been there. The fact that each state has its own language and culture makes it rich in culture. As I have written before I have done quite a bit of driving in the US and the thing that irks me the most is that I get the same burger King of McDonald everywhere I go. It wouldn't be the same in India, which adds to the spice of it all. Sometimes that makes me wonder how we survive as a country at all? Inspite of the various religious tensions caused by extremists, it is truly a secular country, not by removing religion out of its life but by integrating it(religion) into its fabric, a fact that the second largest democracy(US) finds hard to digest. Some people make fun of the honour system, of paying respect to elders, of following the family dikat (right or wrong), forgoing individual happiness for the greater common good ... I could go on ... that make life worth living. Those are the things that money can't buy that, and you would see a lot of those around here.

Here's to India hoping that

more people will take risks,
sports other than cricket will be patronised (First need to kill the bureaucrats in those associations),
people will stop giving bribes and taking them too (dowry is bribe)
people will not be satisfied with mediocrity or even good
the young will not be disrespected for their idealism
the old will be respected for their wisdom
people will not allow just scoundrels to be politicians
people will not be satisfied with election gimmicks
caste would be rooted out
dowry would be rooted out
people will know who has the power
people will not kill me for saying the things I do :)

in the coming years

Jai Hind

Vox populi, vox dei

3 years and counting ...

2005-08-07T07:32:00.000-07:00

Its been three years since I landed on these shores (entered at 12:30AM August 7th 2002). Can't believe how fast time flies! "... lived through some good times, and some sad times ..." but I did live it up! Met a lot of people along the way, some moved on, some stayed. So I guess its that time of the year to reminisce on hits and misses ...

This is a good time to think of things I should have done or the things I could have lived without ...

Should have gone for the swimming classes when I started out instead of when I was ready to graduate.
Should have gone for the Football(American) games the first year I was there. I used to hate football because it was called football and football was soccer! (Confused? See what I mean!)
Should have used the gym!
Should have started line dancing in the first year, 'cause I was intimidated by it, instead of waiting till the second year of my studies.
Should have got the speeding ticket going at 100 mph instead of 87 mph ... wait maybe not that.
Should have made ... nope ... saved more money than I did
Should not have quit ice skating

I guess I am out of 'should haves' and 'shouldn't haves'. But there were some many things that happened, I have decided to list just a few that come to the top of my mind ... in no particular order

The power of my word at home, just because I was halfway across the world. This is true even of my cousins and uncles and aunts ...
Getting a wonderful bunch of new friends at FSU through CCF and Chi Alpha.
Getting to fight with my 'enemy' Swapna and getting a picture of her inside an Alcatraz cell.
Being able to roam all over the US, in part because of having the right connections like Shelly acca in California and Srila & Sadhana acca in Detroit
Being able to meet old long lost friends Rajesh, Nanda and Hussein
Surrounded by a wonderful Christian family wherever I go, Specially Koshy annan and Aunty who also brovided me with a home, complete with food and transport
Having a bunch of cookies and cards sent across the continental US so that I won't feel alone, by Angela and the wonderful crazy people at CCF.
Getting to go horse riding and getting to handle various shot guns and hand guns at Perry, thanks to Whitney and her family.
Having squirrel stir fry made by Buddy and cake for my birthday with Florida and India drawn on it.
Getting a T Shirt from Romania by Mike who also is the first friend I made at FSU. Now that he is in the Air Force, he can probably beat me in running
Having cookies by Katie and cake by Fallon for my birthday
Having my shirt Ironed by Meagan and who also cleaned out my kitchen with Audra
Going to Stetsons to line dance with Amy
Getting to drive a Benz courtesy of Sri acca who also incidentally got me a job
Driving with a broken leg to visit John and getting struck in a hurricane
Setting the town on fire on a 750GS with Akhilesh as Wingman
Getting to play co-rec Football(Soccer) and American Football with Jillian, Kathy, Brian, Eamon, Erin and the rest of the gang
Driving to Washington DC with Rhea
Crashing at Ravi's place and having him drive with me to St.Louis for no particular reason whatsoever
Playing tennis in the rain and the sunshine with Adriaan
Swimming in the pool during thunderstorms with Amit
Taking a break in Atlanta at Katie's house
Getting to see Eric's GI Joe collection and getting my first Star Trek figurine from him
Getting birthday bums ... Chris Pink and Justin I don't forget easily
Visiting the smoky mountains with Aarthi and Preeth and having Aarthi make a week's supply of food for me
Visiting with Jeba's family and Mani in Minnesota and having Briyani there
Having good clean fun with the house of fire youth led by Ron & Kelly
Breaking seven cellphones and having Scott get me a 20% discount on my monthly charges
Having Latha, Swapna and other friends visit me
Having Thanksgiving dinner with Amber and Erin's family
Going to Connect with the Feagans
Swing dancing at the FSU Swing dance club with Jaquline, Sara and the rest of the gang
Getting a car for free from Mark and then selling it for 200$s after some repairs
Going Sailing with Lee
Having Thanksgiving dinner with the waers
Driving to Canada by myself
Getting to throw a lot of people into the fountain for their birthdays even though it was less than zero outside
Breaking my leg playing raquetball with Jason
Tubing down the icknetukee and breaking my watch in the process

This is definetly not an exhaustive list. I name names because I can ... and am willing to take the fall for any omissions ;). Keep checking for updates to the bullet points and old memories come back :)

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep."

Proleterians of the world unite!

2005-08-01T11:46:00.000-07:00

It was a red letter day last week at a Honda motorcycle plant in Gurgoan, India. The workers had formed a union and were protesting certain policies of their MNC employer, when all hell broke loose. The police charged and beat up the 1500 strong protestors. The lathicharge in itself would have been a non incident had it not been for the shear number of people that were grievously injured in the melee. There is no clear indication on who started the fight, but the fact was that both sides(protestors and cops) had indulged in excesses. Though at the end of the day the Police bore the brunt of the blame (which was true to an extent).

The incident speaks about the fundamental issues that are brought forth by globlisation. Had this not been an incident involving a MNC and the government going all out to attract FDI, the cops wouldn't have been so high handed. States like Kerla and West Bengal which are governed by the communist parties in India, are know for their labour unrest and militant trade unions. With India embracing free economy and a capitalistic society, trade unions were being thought off as a thing of the past and these states are actively shedding their image as a stronghold of trade unions. It would be folly to think that, 'cause without proper legislation to govern workers benefits the trade unions(which provide for collective bargaining) are the only way to check employee exploitation.

In this incident the workers were not striking to get a better pay but to get a better work environment. More than two thirds of the employees were apprentices and trainees (who of course get paid a pittance) for the last two years. And the company instead of making them employees after the two year period decided to hire new trainees instead of the existing ones. This sounds as though it is a leaf from the book of a small scale sweat shop. And to boot the Japanese Ambassador had to go shooting his mouth off. What he doesn't realise is this is India and not Japan.

I am not a big fan of the communist style of government, actually I hate it, but that does not give the right to big corporations to run our lives. The fact that these corporations exploit their employees and promote sweat shops with impunity speaks for the way governments take care of their citizenry. I believe that we need a balance in power between the big corporations and the small common man (whose only strength is in numbers). Given that in countries like the US and to a lesser extent India, the trade unions have been or had been taken over by the Mafia, but that is no excuse to give the power in the hands of the MNCs. India and the other developing nations should learn from their history with the British East India Company!
"Education is what most receive, many pass on, and few possess"

Stranger in London

2005-07-27T20:09:00.000-07:00

Well the bombs are bursting all over the world. Doesn't it make us wish we didn't have the industrial revolutions ... so we wouldn't have these guns and bombs ... and people would just kill people with knives and swords??? Just like America had the 9/11 England had its 7/7 and was initiated into the sad and tragic environment that the rest of the world lives in. And to add insult to injury they couldn't even blame it on the enemy from without ... 'cause the enemy was within.

The perpetrators have not only caused havoc by their bombs but has also made the guardians of the peace as their tools. The first victim was a Brazilian electrician whose only crime was to be dark skinned and staying in the wrong apartment. But this is not just a racial thing. Half way across the world the same thing was being repeated in Kashmir, where the Indian army shot dead three teenagers as they waited in ambush for some terrorists. Is this miss placed enthusiasm or police excess? That is a tough question to answer. This can be easily explained away as the cost of taking on the terrorists when the cops have to be merciless. But then that is the difference between the terrorists and others.

The human tragedy involved in this is immeasurable. I guess its one of those indeterminate kind of questions, but worth pondering about.

P.S: Flattered to read teh comments on the previous post !!

Life, what art thou?

2005-07-22T15:04:00.000-07:00

"After all, computers crash, people die, relationships fall apart, the best we can do is breathe and reboot. And when that fails there is always tape backup :-)"

Said in the true spirit of a database administrator(even if an intern) the above quote by my friend and collegue Tyson started me thinking if the best we can do is only breathe and reboot. I know that this sounds rhetorical and cynical, a character hard to pin on me by those that know me. But once in a while you have to face and answer such question. This is not one of those multiple choice standardized questions that have a single or set of answers! 'cause I believe that there are as many answers as there are humans on this earth. Each one has a different outlook and opinion on how life is and should be.

Being that I use this forum to answer my own questions I have decided to take a dig at it. The first and probably the only time that I have given this question my fullest and deepest attention was when I was on a hospital bed, given a few months to live. I guess this as good a time as any to refresh my memory. To understand this we need to go back in time ... 3589 days to be exact ...

I had just finished my English II exam in 9 Standard(grade) and was playing hand tennis on my school's basketball court, when all of a sudden without any warning whatsoever the bone in my upper arm broke into pieces(I came to know about it later). I had just thrown the tennis ball when I heard a snap and saw my hand fall to my side with the ball going nowhere. I was fortunate enough to have one of my friends drop me home, since it was one of those days that I was supposed to take the bus home. Nobody including me had an inkling about the extent of the damage, since I had no pain and there was no swelling. Everybody just assumed that it was just a dislocation of my arm from the shoulder, 'cause of which I had to wait for my dad to get home in the evening to take me to the doctor and that's when the fun started. I had never had a fracture before this in my life and people I met told me how painful it was if there was dislocation. I was hoping and earnestly praying that it should be a fracture and not a dislocation.

apparently I had been diagnosed with bone cancer and that too in its most advanced stage. The specialist who performed a biopsy operation on me the same night, showed my parents the state of affairs that my bones were in ... it was dark and as brittle as a egg shell. The worst case scenario was that I had from 1 to 6 months to live. Through all this commotion, I was kept in the dark. My parent's rationale was that it would scare me, what they didn't understand was that I wasn't at a stage where I would worry too much about some hocus pocus cancer (Sometimes think that I am at that same maturity level), I wasn't complaining since I was being treated like a king and was being visited by people from near and far. Though I do know that there was lot more prayer at home (not there was any lack of it before) and I did get my Nintendo video game(something my dad had been resisting for a few years). This was a also the first time I came in touch with Dhinakaran uncle who prayed and comforted my parents that the cancer had been healed.

After a tense week, the biopsy report came back as negative. The only hitch was the experts wouldn't believe it, especially the doc who had performed the biopsy operation on me. So it was back to more testing and all the results came back as negative (though none explaining how my arm broke into pieces). There was only one doctor who would let us believe in divine healing. He also performed a bone transplant operation by grafting a piece of my Fibula and chips of my pelvic bones in order to replace the broken humerus. It wasn't fun being cooped up on a bed for two months with no way to move, since my right arm was POPed to my body and my left leg and hip were also in bandages. I still hate the smell of the hospital. But I guess in all this I missed mentioning that I was healed miraculously.

If you had been through such an experience its hard to re-evaluate your life and your choices. I knew I had a second birth but not for myself but to use it for others. I can't say I have succeeded it that endeavor, I probably have failed spectacularly though I am still trying. And what's more I know that there is a purpose to myself just like everybody else's. I just know that even if I impact one person by the time I die, the second chance would have been worth it.

I know this is a oft repeated quote

Give What You Can’t Keep to Gain What You Can’t Lose

Fat and Fatter

2005-07-19T10:23:00.000-07:00

One of my monikers when I was growing up in chennai was "Nai kodul" (Tamil for Dog Stomach). Ok before you all start snickering ... this "Title" was bestowed upon me for the seemingly amazing ability of my body to remain thin inspite of my gluttonous appetite. But I think age is finally catching up with me. I seem to have put on more mass than I wanted in the last couple of months. I am finally ... nah officially overweight. I didn't think I would see this day so soon. But then as the saying goes "...When in Rome do as the Romans ...", I live in America where 60 percent of the population is overweight!

I can't be complacent about it though. Need to stop before I hit 200 Pounds. So if any of you got any bright ideas on how to turn this fat into muscle let me know. I need a 6 pack abs in a month and half before I go to India!!! But being "fat" per se is not a bad thing. As long as I can play raquetball the way I play and am agile enough. The only think I can't bear is the picture above. So if not for anything thing else, I need to to convert that fat to muscle just so that I could look better without my shirt on!

"Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are"

Morality ... Responsibility ...

2005-07-15T07:12:00.000-07:00

mo·ral·i·ty - The quality of being in accord with standards of right or good conduct.
re·spon·si·bil·i·ty - The social force that binds you to your obligations and the courses of action demanded by that force; every opportunity, an obligation; every possession, a duty

Somebody said that we are living in the age of the common man. The age were individual right has been elevated to the pinnacle of social order in most countries. Having lived in two different countries and culture gives you perspectiverespective on the things like morality, responsibility ... and other such things.

For what I have seen in my short life on this planet is that there are basically two types of cultures, one where the individual is paramount and another where the society is paramount. But underneath it all the object is the greatest common good. The western world is all about individual freedom, which - according to me - is based on the logic that if the individual is free then the society as a whole is free. While in the eastern world, its all about the society based on the assumption that if the society is free then the individual has got to beessentiallyesentially the spirit of humanity is freedom and liberty for all.

But over the centuries the underlying spirit has be curtailed. You have people in the society-centric culture indulging in killing and rape using honour as a password to do it. And then in the individual-centric world its all about me, they forget that its as much about the person next to me as it is about me. The crux of the matter is the balance between collective/individual morality and responsibility.

In the US we want and have individual freedom, but don'responsibilityponsibilty that goes with it. If you kill somebody just blame it on your childhood or the lack thereof. Or if you steal and rob just blame it on society for not listening to you and giving you their time. If get cancer from smoking ... no worries ... just blame it on the tobacco company that "enticed" you. If you get fat ... just blame it on the restaurantsresturants. I wonder why nobody uses the same argument to jump of a bridge?

In India its the other way around ... You are notonly responsible to yourself but also to everyone in your family, extendeneighbor'sneighbours, friends, school ... work ... the list actually goes one. The word honour is bandied about in banality!! When in school they tell you what to study. What every Indian parent want is for his kid to become either a Doctor or engineer or to join the Indian Administrative Service. Want to marry somebody you like ?? don't even go there ... got to first check if the family is of the right status, caste and community, oh ya also the amount of money they have! I have written enough on the scourge of dowry!

Do we have solution?? Well stop making the society an excuse for your actions and start taking responsibility. Across the ocean, stop taking orders from society and live according to "your" morality, 'cause men were not made for traditions but traditions for men!

"I'm a sinner, I'm a saint I do not feel ashamed"

Odyssey - Book 1 - Chapter iv - Texas

2005-07-08T14:04:00.000-07:00

I feel like I am living on my car these days. This is my third trip in a months time. Also this trip made me miss my four of July's firework display, though I did get some respite from driving because of the presence of Rajesh in the car.
Starting out ...
Finally I have touched the Lone star state (Texas) that brings to 18 the number of states that I have driven through in the US of A ...

And I have only driven through 11 of the states in India

That leaves 32 more to go in the US of A and 24(including the Union Territories) in India. I know most of you wouldn't give a hoot about this list but heck I do need to keep track ;)

The trip started out pretty fine but we got stuck in traffic because of a car going up in flames on the way. I was probably 10 cars ahead of me. I have learnt my lesson about speeding the hard way(By way of innumerable tickets) but I am thankful that I didn't have to learn it by way of my car going up in smoke.

The highlight of the trip was not just three school friends meeting together after a gap of three years but also the voracious eating habits of the same!! Like manna from heaven is good home cooked food to a couple of bachelors, given to us courtesy of my worstest enemy (jk) in the world Sapna. One thing I must add is that marriage does make the girls cook better. The whole weekend was spent by us just eating our hearts out, we did get to see a little bit of Texas but mostly it was about food. We guys are just fascinated over food more than girls I guess ... oops don't want the girls to think that though. I think I need to start a separate blog about my search for the perfect Briyani (Only my favorite food in the whole entire universe)

One lesson that I learnt on the trip is that no matter how tough you think you are the body tends to disagree. Inspite of not having proper sleep and spending the better part of two days driving, I decided to go swimming at a stream in Austin. For which I had to pay by vomiting and telling the lifeguard that it was because of the partying the previous night (Atleast that's what he assumed 'cause I wasn't in a shape to contradict him).

I would also like to give a shout out to the state of Oklahoma for having a speed limit of 75 Miles ... are the other states listening. If all the other states had this speed limit I would have saved myself a few speeding tickets!

All said and down it was a fun time meeting old and close friends. Of all the things I have in the world, the most precious are my friends! (I know that statement made your eyes misty ... It was supposed to ...)

In front of the Texas Longhorn stadium.
Rajesh
Me
Karim
Hussain

Inspiration ...

2005-07-06T22:08:00.000-07:00

The unthinkable has happened!!! I am somebody's inspiration. Hard as it is to believe ... it is true and I didn't even have to pay for this promotion!!! Still working on my next Odyssey post. This time it was to Texas!!

"Not a shred of evidence exists in favor of the idea that life is serious."

Raped again

2005-06-30T08:16:00.000-07:00

The society we live in right now is more hypocritical than ever, where the victim is punished and the criminal is given all help. This is compounded by the fact that even in this century of the common man some hypocritical Pharasiees still exist to use religion as a tool of repression instead of a tool of freedom. Religion is supposed to save a person but everywhere it is being used to trample on the rights of individuals. And the fairer sex are bearing the worst of it.

The latest in this long line of religious/traditional hypocrisy is the story of Imrana, who was raped by her father-in-law in India. The Muslim law board instead of condemning the vile act and punishing the perpetuator of the crime issued a fatwa against the mother of five to separate her from her husband and children. This is not an isolated case. The other headline generating case is going on in Pakistan where a tribal court ordered the rape of Mai to punish her because of her 13 year old brother's relationship with a women. In each of these case, the government has not stepped in as they are supposed to and have let these vile lonely old men to trample on the rights of the victims. I personally believe that in a secular society the law of the land is paramount and sovereign over any tribal/religious customs of laws.

This exploitation of victims, most of whom are women, is not confined to a particular region or religion. The above two examples were Muslims, but other religions do have their hypocritical notions. I have known of cases in rural India, where the village panchayat orders such brutal punishment like parading women naked through the streets to teach the Lower castes a lesson. The Hindu caste system is a real bane on the Indian society. And these punishments are usually for perceived slights on the upper caste by the lower caste.

The Christians don't have the caste system or the shariat, but we have in words of Jesus "White washed tomb stones", preachers with holier than though attitude and a judgmental spirit. Jesus was all about love and forgiving but a few Christians I know are all about judging and condemning. Jesus washed the disciple's feet and had the last supper with them, but the Christians of today talk about refusing to give the Eucharist to people who support abortion. We talk about pro-life issues but have no real love for the people going through it. Instead of looking at the victims of rape through a humane eye we look at them with a hypocritical eye and judge them. We offer no solution to the stigma of rape but want them to carry the sign of it for the rest of their life. All in the name of a loving God.

"Men are born free, but everywhere they are in chains"

Engaged

2005-06-26T21:01:00.000-07:00

No not me ... A couple of weeks back I said that I have an announcement to make. I know a few of you have been waiting to see me get stuck but I you got to wait a little longer ... maybe a lot longer. Well the announcement is about my dear sister Eugene who got engaged last month and is getting married in September. I waited to get a picture of the engagement before made it.

I can't wait to go home ... can't wait to eat 5 times a day. I am going to eat as much home cooked Indian food as possible to compensate for the next year.
Well off to sleep I go then ...
Till Laters

"Recognition is the greatest motivator."

Odyssey - Book 1 - Chapter iii - Canada

2005-06-21T20:14:00.000-07:00

Finally my first international road trip has come to fruition. It was
a interesting and bumpy ride with my first accident. But over all it
was a wonderful trip ... just me, my machine and the road ... From
what I have see of Canada its a mix of North Carolina and Iowa,
Greenery everywhere with sporadic farmhouses. I was almost convinced
that Canada had better roads than the US till I reached Toronto and
then the city roads are the same all over the world.

The main reason for the trip was to get some immigration work done but
I couldn't help making it into a vacation with myself!! What with
Niagara falls nearby, I couldn't let the chance go to waste. Also I got to go
to four different places (Toronto, Niagara, Detroit and Chicago). Each
in a league of its own.

The trip to Niagara was of course the highlight of the trip. One of the best natural wonders that I have ever seen.
In front of Niagara
I don't know how many people would like to enjoy such beauty alone like me (I had to). It was funny trying to take a picture of myself with my left had with the falls behind me. I did have a fellow loner at the CN tower and my trusted camera remote!

Trying out the remote on my camera

Rainbow on the Niagara
One thing I couldn't capture on my camera was the night lighting at the falls (Believe it or not I waited two hours for the lights to come on with nothing else to do)
The Cultural mosaic
Toronto is a nice big city, and a melting pot of cultures and ethnic
background. I loved everything about the place accept the traffic jams.
But I sure did feel at home with the driving style (What true blooded
Indian would not feel that way in that Darwinian style of traffic). I
have heard stories of New York but till I see that place I will have
to give the prize to Toronto for being the most global place. How do I
decide on that ?? Well it all depends on the number of radio stations
and the people I see on the streets. From what I have seen, Toronto
has few French channels(which is expected), a couple of Spanish
channels, a Punjabi channel, a Tamil channel (Sri Lankan Tamil) and a
African tribal music channel. If that's not diversity then what is ???
The world surely is getting smaller. I was also impressed by the
public transport system, the Street cars, Buses and Metros. The
students of the University of Toronto which is at the heart of Toronto
sure do have a party time.

Inside the CN Tower Skypod. The tallest observation point in the world. Also supposedly one of the 7 wonders of the modern world!!!
The tale of two cities
The Downtowns of two big cities couldn't have been more different than
those of Toronto and Detroit. I was freely roaming alone in downtown
Toronto till the early morning hours but Detroit downtown sacred the
jeepers out of me even with a friend to boot. Toronto had a few old
buildings but the whole place was lively and fun while Detroit seemed
like a lost city with debilitate buildings and a eerie darkness all
around!!

Downtown Toronto !!!

Detroit Downtown!!!
Culinary delights
Most of my friends know about my appetite. And boy did I have a ball in Toronto. Tried out a lot of different cuisine. Loads of the sucked though. Went to the India town and had Bhel Puri and Dosa at two different places. The dosa wasn't good but I did give a ride to a Pakistani person. Now I am sure that food is the solution to the India-Pakistan problem. Or the sight of a common enemy - the lines at the US consulate!!! Another bad experience was the Vietnamese food that I tried in China town. I have had it in California but this was totally different ... I was ready to throw up because of the smell that came with my order of Pork soup! The highlight of the Culinary experience was the Kothu Parota at a South India restaurant.

Me enjoying the Kothu Parota with a fan of Indian food!
Hits and close Shaves
I am never going to rent a car again. Its just going to be my baby in future! Started off with a accident on I-270, after changing cars I almost ran off a rain soaked road and followed that up by almost running over a cyclist in downtown Toronto. Oh ya forgot the parking ticket!! Either I am loosing my touch or I drove sloppy cars. The other issue is that it sucks to drive a automatic after driving a stick shift. You have no control over when the gears change!

We are indeed much more than what we eat, but what we eat can nevertheless help us to be much more than what we are.

Odyssey - Book 1 - Chapter ii

2005-06-05T12:44:00.000-07:00

Just call me plain lazy. I am too lethargic to write a post so I decided to make it a photo blog of my memorial day trip. One of the best trips I had ... best because I got to meet old friends. Pictured here with are Aarthi and Preeth ... a better picture than the one below. It was tiring and good at the same time. And after this trip I would recommend the smoky mountains to anyone. The place is amazing, would be a good choice for camping. I got an announcement to make too ... but I guess it will have to wait a couple of days.

2005-06-05T12:37:00.000-07:00

My first tattoo ... ya I know its painted on and not permanent ... hey somethings just don't gel ... like me and tattoos

2005-06-05T12:33:00.000-07:00

This trip was a reunion of sorts. Old collegemates ... though only three of us. Pictured here with me are Preeth and Aarthi

2005-06-05T12:30:00.000-07:00

Memorial day was spent at the Smokies. This pic was at a water falls called laurel. Believe you me those stones were slippery ...

2005-05-26T22:58:00.000-07:00

I am really impressed!!! And FYI these pics were taken off of time magazine... they can sue me ... not you. The Grand Ayotolla finally agrees that he needs women to guard him. But does try to make their life harder by making them wear those overbearing costumes.

2005-05-26T22:55:00.000-07:00

One more pic. Well this is encouraging!!!

2005-05-26T22:54:00.000-07:00

Iran's Police woman!!! I don't know if the best trained special forces could do that with what they are wearing!!

Missing Mail ...

2005-05-23T19:05:00.000-07:00

The past couple of weeks have been pretty eventful. I know every day is "eventful" in one way or the other. But the last was especially different for me as I got to move into my own apartment finally after living for 24 years on this earth. Some think I am crazy while others envy me!! The only thing missing now is someone to cook and clean my place! In the great Indian (possibly world) tradition, I mentioned it to my mom that I should get a wife to do it. Which was turned down with the answer that I needed a maid and not a wife, I still have my doubts(jk). Joking aside, its a different experience living alone. I have been alone for the last three years but with roommates, hence this is the first time that I am literally alone. Its lonely as well as expensive but at the same time it gives you more freedom ... to be alone ... go figure.

To top it all Yahoo has lost most of my emails, this after I paid for the service. Almost all my emails over the past 7 years have been lost and that has really got me down. I figure that its God's (funny) way of telling me not to get too attached to temporal things. Maybe if I still had my emails I would have gone over to the dark side and become Dark Lord "Darth Shaddai"*.

I had been planning to write on a few of topics but can't seem to find time to sit down at a stretch to do it. Also I am slowly gathering stuff to create a new website. Any input to the same is very much appreciated. I seem to have lost touch with the programming side of computers and need to get back to that at the earliest.

Till Laters ...

* - Non geeks please refer to the Star Wars story.

"Of all the liars in the world, sometimes the worst are your own fears."

Moving ... Shifting ...

2005-05-16T11:27:00.000-07:00

I just moved to a new apartment last weekend. From a two bedroom to a one bedroom and it was one of the easiest moves I have ever had. I know its taken for granted that a bachelor doesn't have too much to move but, my move was made simpler by the fact that there were eight more pairs of hands to help. Half the church youth turned up in the church van to help me move. I didn't even have to pack up stuff, they just carried the books and dress in their hand ;). Thanks a bunch guys .. and gals !!!

Now that I have saluted the ones that helped me, I don't know if any of you noticed but the post header contains two words. They are both used to define the process of going from one home/apartment to the next, but in different countries. It intrigues me how a the meaning of a word changes with the geographical location. If you get down to the nitty gritty of it, English is almost a different language in each country.

The number of words are innumberable, biscuit or cookie? Flat or apartment? Trunk or dikie? (that's one of my favorite) honor or honour? O or zero? ...

The pronunciation is all the more confusing. The funny part is that contrary to popular belief nobody is wrong. English said some one is a descriptive language, and to be the lingua franca of the world it must not be restrictive.

What do u use viagra for?

Hard to believe but true

PDA anybody?

Want to talk about the neighbor think again

Is this democracy?

Hacking ...

2005-05-11T22:34:00.000-07:00

I love hacking but the truth be told almost always it is cracking. Hey if you break a friend's password it doesn't mean that you are an accomplished hacker now, more often than not it means that your friend is just a numskul. Ok so what brought this on ? I just helped a friend login into his brother's computer without really hacking it. Courtesy of Mr. Ravi chandra Alluri, I found out today that the password setting in Win XP has no meaning. All you have to start it in the SAFE mode and you have administrator rights. This is certainly a scary 'Microsoft' World.

From my understanding of it there are White hats, Black hats and Gray Hats. As much as I love security, I am not really one of these hats. I wish I was ... I am really tired right now so I am cutting it short here ...

"If you broke the law and the court proved your fault, be so kind to pay according to the law, in spite of your name"

12000 Miles ...

2005-05-05T20:19:00.000-07:00

Thats the amount of miles I have pu on my car in 5 months at 2400 miles / month. Hyundai even sent me a service reminder expecting me to have driven 15000 miles in the same period. To put this is prespective, consider that the average car drives the same 15000 miles in a year. And for the rest of the world I have put 19312 Kilometers (kms) on my car.

Continuing on my previous posts about driving, I have noticed that each country and state has some peculiarity of its own.

Did you know ...

Its illegal to take a 'U' turn in Ohio? I didn't and almost gave a shock to a Chevoret car salesman during on of my test drives

There are no stop lines at intersections in Minneapolis

Its the law in India to honk when you pass somebody

Its the law in India to honk when you are taking a blind turn

Its the law in India to honk ...

There are no speed limits in the highways of India. But you travel faster in the US

It's been a long day and I had something else to post too, but I guess that can wait till tomorrow ;)

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference"

Odyssey - Book 1 - Chapter i

2005-05-03T20:29:00.000-07:00

Odyssey the Greek epic by homer about the travels of Ulysses/Odysseus more than 2700 years ago. So here is my contemporary story of my travels.

I have always enjoyed traveling, so far I have only been in India and USA. Since I don't have a record of my travels in India and my travels so far in the US. After last weekends drive to Minneapolis in Minnesota I have officially been to more states in the US than in India.

The ride there was eight hours through the countryside of Missouri, Iowa and Minnesota. It was good to meet some friends after a gap of three years. Also I got to eat some good Indian cooking courtesy of Jeba's mom. This trip was about meeting old friends but I did also see the Mall of America and Duluth on Lake Superior.

The drive back was an eventful though. I got lost in the farmlands of Iowa. It was truly in the middle of nowhere. I felt I was going through so back country in India. To take a leak I had to go to McDonald's 3 miles from the Highway. It was one of those places where they probably never had seen an Indian before. It was also the kind of place where Mcdees was the cool hang out place for the young and the restaurant of choice for the old. Due to confusing road signs and small highways my trip back was extended by two hours and a 150 miles. But I did get home by 1 after driving for 730 miles straight with more rest stops than I usually take. Inspite of all this I still like driving in Uncle Sam's roads, with just me and my baby*!!!

"When you travel, remember that a foreign country is not designed to make you comfortable. It is designed to make its own people comfortable."
Clifton Fadiman (1904 - )

* - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon

Baseball

2005-04-27T13:22:00.000-07:00

I finally went and watched the great American pastime. My verdict ... American Football is probably the only game I would watch in a stadium. Don't get me wrong I did enjoy myself. I was like a ADD kid the whole evening so much so that I could get on the nerves of the ADD kids I went with. It was St. Louis Cardinals Vs. the Milwaukee Brewers game and it was freaking cold with a lot of rain showers!!! With amount of baseball games being played each season I wonder how so many people show up to these games. This was also a opportunity for me to check out the metro link. The ride back with the crowd was awesome, reminded me of the electric trains in Madras(Chennai). The only difference was that we couldn't hang out of the doors!!

Final verdict ... there is nothing to beat Cricket ... or soccer ... yet!

I finally got to show off my singing powers (its a laugh). On Sunday I got to sing(sic) Jana Gana Mana at a dinner in my church. I was also surprised that I was able to remember it so well to. I did sing another Tamil Christian song (there were errors in it), but hey it doesn't hurt if you don't know. For those of you who wanted to know the meaning of the Indian National Anthem please follow the previous link.

"Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth knowing can be taught."
* Oscar Wilde

Phone #7

2005-04-24T20:23:00.000-07:00

Some time back I wrote about my cellphone habits. Well I have got on to a new plan which more than doubles my minutes. The new phone can play MP3 and take pics. Though of using the pics in this blog ;). Also got my number changed to

(636) 233 2922

Well I am too tired to continue today ... had to work even this weekend. Well got a couple of crazy links ...

Did you heard of drunken monkeys???

Benefits of being a scientist!!!

And showcasing a young talent ... Here is a quatern by Justin Feagans

Innocent
killer monkeys on my head,
i swat at one with a bat,
killing flies with big fat lies
eating cockroaches drinking beer

monkeys like to stay alive
killer monkeys on my head
my mommy said i like the color red
what a book i just read

wow this poem is long
my monkey is getting strong
killer monkeys on my head
flesh eating rabbits in my bed

the TV blares with lots of noise
wow i need to get some new toys
i think he has just about killed me
killer monkeys on my head

With Love from Nigeria

2005-04-22T12:05:00.000-07:00

I don't know how many of you have received an email purporting to be from a person with a lot of money in Africa. Be warned this scam has been going on for a long time since the early 80's. Its also called the 419 scam where the number refers to the penal code of Nigeria, the source of the scam. It is estimated that this scam is the third - fifth largest industry in Nigeria. Its ironic that the scam is still successful even after being around for more than 20 years. That maybe because the success of this scam is dependent on the basest of human emotions GREED. Everybody wants to find a way to make a quick buck (Including me).

I hadn't seen these scam emails in a long time but for the last couple of weeks I have been getting quite a few of them. Some saying that they are royalty and some claiming to be ex-dictator's sons. Though you get them from all over Africa but the source is still Nigeria, whose government most people feel is in cahoots with the scamsters.

The modus operandi is pretty simple, they want you to help them get money out of the country for which you will be paid a fee running into millions. In return you have to go to the African country and invest some money running in the thousands of dollars. But once you are hooked, they won't leave you till they have got the last penny out of you.

Some resources about this scam are

The 419 coalition
The US Secret Service
Quatloos
A comprehensive site

"Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s need, but not any man’s greed."
- Gandhi

Driving in India (or the lack of it)

2005-04-20T08:11:00.000-07:00

I am going to be a bum and reproduce a funny email that I received from my friend today ...

This hilarious article was written by an man from Bane,Netherlands who spent two years in Hyderabad ( A city in India) ..

Driving in India For the benefit of every Tom, Dick and Harry visiting India and daring to drive on Indian roads, I am offering a few hints for survival. They are applicable to every place in India except Bihar, where life outside a vehicle is only marginally safer.

Indian road rules broadly operate within the domain of karma where you do your best, and leave the results to your insurance company.

The hints are as follows:
Do we drive on the left or right of the road?

The answer is "both". Basically you start on the left of the road, unless it is occupied. In that case, go to the right, unless that is also occupied. Then proceed by occupying the next available gap, as in chess. Just trust your instincts, ascertain the direction, and proceed. Adherence to road rules leads to much misery and occasional fatality.Most drivers don't drive, but just aim their vehicles in the intended direction.Don't you get discouraged or underestimate yourself except for a belief in reincarnation, the other drivers are not in any better position.

Don't stop at pedestrian crossings just because some fool wants to cross the road. You may do so only if you enjoy being bumped in the back. Pedestrians have been strictly instructed to cross only when traffic is moving slowly or has come to a dead stop because some minister is in town. Still some idiot may try to wade across, but then, let us not talk ill of the dead.

Blowing your horn is not a sign of protest as in some countries. We horn to express joy, resentment,frustration, romance and are lust (two brisk blasts),or, just mobilize a dozing cow in the middle of the bazaar.

Keep informative books in the glove compartment. You may read them during traffic jams, while awaiting the chief minister's motorcade, or waiting for the rainwaters to recede when overground traffic meets underground drainage. Occasionally you might see what looks like a UFO with blinking colored lights and weird sounds emanating from within. This is an illuminated bus, full of happy pilgrims singing bhajans. These pilgrims go at breakneck speed, seeking contact with the Almighty, often meeting with success.

Auto Rickshaw (Baby Taxi): The result of a collision between a rickshaw and an automobile, this three-wheeled vehicle works on an external combustion engine that runs on a mixture of kerosene oil and creosote. This triangular vehicle carries iron rods, gas cylinders or passengers three times its weight and dimension, at an unspecified fare. After careful geometric calculations,children are folded and packed into these auto rickshaws until some children in the periphery are not in contact with the vehicle at all. Then their school bags are pushed into the microscopic gaps all round so those minor collisions with other vehicles on the road cause no permanent damage. Of course, the peripheral children are charged half the fare and also learn Newton's laws of motion enroute to school. Auto-rickshaw drivers follow the road rules depicted in the film Ben Hur, and are licensed to irritate.

Mopeds: The moped looks like an oil tin on wheels and makes noise like an electric shaver. It runs 30 miles on a teaspoon of petrol and travels at break-bottom speed. As the sides of the road are too rough for a ride, the moped drivers tend to drive in the middle of the road; they would rather drive under heavier vehicles instead of around them and are often "mopped" off the tarmac.

Leaning Tower of Passes: Most bus passengers are given free passes and during rush hours, there is absolute mayhem. There are passengers hanging off other passengers, who in turn hang off the railings and the overloaded bus leans dangerously, defying laws of gravity but obeying laws of surface tension. As drivers get paid for overload (so many Rupees per kg of passenger), no questions are ever asked. Steert clear of these buses by a width of three passengers.

One-way Street: These boards are put up by traffic people to add jest in their otherwise drab lives. Don't stick to the literal meaning and proceed in one direction. In metaphysical terms,it means that you cannot proceed in two directions at once. So drive as you like, in reverse throughout, if you are the fussy type. Least I sound hypercritical, I must add a positive point also.

Rash and fast driving in residential areas has been prevented by providing a "speed breaker"; two for each house. This mound, incidentally, covers the water and drainage pipes for that residence and is left untarred for easy identification by the corporation authorities, should they want to recover the pipe for year-end accounting.

Night driving on Indian roads can be an exhilarating experience (for those with the mental makeup of Chenghis Khan). In a way, it is like playing Russian roulette, because you do not know who amongst the drivers is loaded. What looks like premature dawn on the horizon turns out to be a truck attempting a speed record. On encountering it, just pull partly into the field adjoining the road until the phenomenon passes. Our roads do not have shoulders, but occasional boulders. Do not blink your lights expecting reciprocation. The only dim thing in the truck is the driver, and with the peg of illicit arrack (alcohol) he has had at the last stop, his total cerebral functions add up to little more than a naught. Truck drivers are the James Bonds of India, and are licensed to kill. Often you may encounter a single powerful beam of light about six feet above the ground. This is not a super motorbike, but a truck approaching you with a single light on, usually the left one. It could be the right one, but never get too close to investigate.You may prove your point posthumously. Of course, all this occurs at night,on the trunk roads.

During the daytime, trucks are more visible, except that the drivers will never show any Signal. (And you must watch for the absent signals; they are the greater threat). Only, you will often observe that the cleaner who sits next to the driver, will project his hand and wave hysterically. This is definitely not to be construed as a signal for a left turn. The waving is just an statement of physical relief on a hot day.

If, after all this, you still want to drive in India, have your lessons between 8 pm and 11 am-when the police have gone home and The citizen is then free to enjoy the 'FREEDOM OF SPEED' enshrined in our constitution.

Having said all this, isn't it true that the accident rate and related deaths are less in India compared to US or other countries!!??

till laters ...

"Don’t be so humble - you are not that great."

Contingency exercise

2005-04-17T20:48:00.000-07:00

For the non techno savvy readers of my blog

"con·tin·gen·cy"
1. An event that may occur but that is not likely or intended; a possibility.
2. A possibility that must be prepared for; a future emergency.

For the geeks who are all too familiar with this, I feel your pain. What they do at these exercise is to see if we are ready for any emergency, and believe it or not we weren't. Something that was supposed to take only 4 hours took the whole of this weekend. So that's my excuse for not writing a blog. But this exercise was fun though, Murphy's was proved again and again ("If something can go wrong it will"). It was also fun to see 7 VPs and 3 senior VPs on the same conference call. A server went down and the outage was more than 7 hours which is long by any standard. One thing I must say though they provide some good food when they want you to work the nights.

Well I am off to get some sleep now ...

"The ultimate inspiration is the deadline."

Other side of town

2005-04-13T20:16:00.000-07:00

Some call it the seedier parts or red light districts, call it what you may its the "oldest profession" on earth. I have often wondered what makes people in this day and age to get into that profession, and then it hits me, its all about surviving. All my life I have heard people talk about the ladies in "the profession" as though they were the devil incarnate himself. Coming from a conservative society which even frowns upon girls wearing skirts it was easy for me to get the same prejudice. I was ideologically joined with the hypocrites to look down upon women in the flesh trade thinking I was better than them. Being a Christian didn't matter, the Christians (me included) could talk about the Love of Jesus but not practice it. We talked about forgiveness and how we all have sinned but we were all too happy pointing fingers and still do.

What brought me to my senses were news reports like this. And its not a problem just in some third world country but shockingly even in the USA and Israel. You might ask what demented mind could think of such things ... the answer is you and me. It is said that for evil to succeeded good men have to do nothing. By our indifference and prejudice we help in the exploitation of these women.

What can we do about it? Knowledge is power, most of the women exploited have no formal education. Hence we must make education a priority. In developed countries which already have the education needs taken care of we need a change in the attitude of society. We need to treat them as equals.

Some more news on this ...
India
USA - Mexico
Eastern Europe
Southeast Asia

The news that made me think about this is the closure of dance clubs in Maharastra a state in India. I am not patron of such places, but I do not think that the governed has any right to ban it specially using the excuse of "to protect our culture" and "to safe guard the morality of the youth". The story of some of these women would melt anyone's heart. And these are not even in prostitution which is illegal in most parts of India.

You are free to say what you think on it ...

"Judge not that you be not judged, for with what judgment you judge, you will also be judged"
- Matt 7:1