...musing on veranda...

Doomsday part II

2009-02-10T13:48:00.003-05:00

Continuing on the end of the world prophecies, we are having weird erratic weather pattern all over the world. Yesterday France took a hit. There is a forecast that t winter State College might encounter both record high and record low temperatures!
And then there is a hypothesis of aggression of Vermiform Appendix.

Obama's presidency's first term ends in end of 2012. Is that another indication?

Catching up again ...

2009-02-06T13:35:00.006-05:00

I needed some boost to thaw the frozen blogging part of my brain. Gaurav has this hypothesis: in winter people blog less because it is winter.

Then yesterday I received this magazine with the advertisement that reminded me another ad jingle from India; and I felt it is time, just write something.
First I was surprised to seen Devnagari in a magazine like this in US. But if you think deeply, it not unexpected. Growing population of Indian and Chinese technologist is not a new fact. No wonder use of Devnagari or Han characters will become more and more common. In fact someone was telling me the other day, that Indian English is going to dominate American or British English in twenty years! Let linguists research on those issues. The fact is Indian English is very common now, so is Hindi. First time I went to New Jersey, the first full sentence I heard when my friend parked the car, was a Hindi sentence.
But more surprising to me is the tone of the advertisement. Is this an indication of slow cultural invasion ...

'Kya aap close-up karte hain ...?'

Now, the news that made my day ...

Finally one more item from my wish list is going to be crossed out. 'Hair' is returning on Broadway from Mar 31, 2009.
Let the sunshine in ...

A Merry Minuet for the New Year ...

2009-01-02T21:03:00.006-05:00

They're rioting in Africa
They're starving in Spain,
There's hurricanes in Florida
And Texas needs rain.
The Whole world is festering iwht unhappy souls
The French hate the Germans, the Germans hate the Poles
Italians hate Yugoslavs, South Africans hate the Dutch
And I don't like Anybody very much.
But we can be tranquil and thankful and proud
For man's been endowed with a mushroom-shaped cloud
And we know for certain that some lovely day
Someone will set the spark off-
And we will all be blown away
They're rioting in Africa
There's strife in Iran
What nature doesn't do to us
Will be done by our fellow Man.
Merry Minuet, the (1958)
Song: Sheldon Harnick
Artist: The Kingston Trio

A fifty years old song to celebrate the end of 2008 and onset of 2009!
And here is the trailer of the movie to watch in the New Year.

Welcome 2009!

Coming back to life

2008-12-29T22:49:00.001-05:00

It takes time to get used to the fact that I have landed in India. Reality seeps in slowly. I was getting cues at various levels, right from the beginning of the flight, which got slightly delayed because of some un-put-downable passengers; then the messy arrival lounge - after one month of Mumbai massacre, Mumbai international airport still looks so casual! It is now under renovation. Dimly illuminated, shabby arrival lounge is sure not going to make any positive impression on anyone and this is one of the main, if not the the busiest, port of entries to India! Cues continued - experiencing the driver's respect for traffic signals on my short journey through Mumbai traffic between international and domestic airports; semi-dark, dirty, water-logged rest room of Kolkata airport, and then everyone talking in Bengali ... I sure am back in India. The moment I joined the airport leaving traffic in Kolkata, I realized why New York City seemed so familiar after coming from the tranquil State College. Cars honking at each other, jumping signals, pedestrians crossing the roads like the acrobat maneuvering on the trapeze, hawkers shouting at the sidewalk ... life in a metropolitan city is basically same everywhere, be it New York or Kolkata. I was a bit scared to cross the road even at the zebra crossing as cars continued to rush in even on red light! Distance between two cars were hardly two meters - drivers have a very strong sense of proportion, visual measurement skill and sense of size of the car they are driving, otherwise it is impossible to drive in roads here.

But with all its apparent haphazardness, chaos or disorder, there lies an amazing current of vitality and vigor. Life in a city like Kolkata needs an enormous amount of life-force. Life in cities like State College seems so clockwork, so boring now. Being in Kolkata forces me to be alive, awake!

Fly away home

2008-12-27T22:29:00.003-05:00

Everyone has already boarded the flight. Luggages are also loaded. Everything is just on scheduled time. Still the flight is far from starting. It is a Newark - Mumbai flight on Christmas eve. I had an window seat. five minutes past the scheduled departure time, I looked through the window at the distant status display. It read,

Time : + 00:05:43
APU ON? : CTC OOPS WHY

Definitely it meant something else, but to me it made sense in a different way. The ground crew was unable to figure out why the flight hasn't even started its APUs even after closing all the doors and locking the luggages. So they put up a WHY on the status display!
Inside the flight people are walking down the isle, chatting to friends, who have got seats far away because of insensitive check-in procedure! Most of them are trying to settle a negotiation with their co-passengers to develop a new optimized seating arrangement for family and friends. The captain, fade up at losing their on-time statistics, finally started announcing,

Please settle down on your current seats. Once we settle on our course, you can move around and exchange seats as per you convenience!

How could ground crew ever imagine why the flight is getting delayed!

The flight was full of passengers returning to their home on Christmas vacation. So they had plenty of gifts in their luggages bordering on the upper limit of the baggage allowances. It was a hard time to fit all luggages in the overhead compartments. It was another optimization problem. How can you cram maximum number of your bags in overhead compartments close to your seat. Now consider each such compartment has three seats below them and each passenger on these seats has two bags of maximum allowable size. Each compartment supposedly, but not necessarily, can fit two of the maximum sized bags. But since the maximum size is defined by total dimension, some of the bags are too wide and some of them are too high to fit in with other bags in the compartment. If you have hard time in imagining, close you eyes and imagine a group of blind-folded people trying to fit in an assortment on square and round rubber pegs in few round holes. So it was a nice time pass watching the passengers and crew pulling down their carry-on luggages from overhead bin and trying to fit them in again in a different orientation!

Anyway, after all the seating and luggage optimization the flight took off half an hour after the scheduled time. And suddenly it occurred to me, tonight is Christmas eve. They might have some surprise gift for the passengers. Unlimited free glasses of Champagne with meals? Half of the ticket price refunded back? Or at least all the air-host and hostesses moving around with Santa hat ...
Well, yes, there was a surprise gift. 51 bonus miles instead of 3 for each on flight shopping ... urgh!

Yo!

2008-12-09T21:52:00.002-05:00

I haven't been to their site and was suddenly feeling little urge for Christmas shopping, so I typed in criterion.com in the address bar ... and wow! Their site is totally revamped, and ... what is this ... the Auteurs ...?
Wow! Now criterion screens movies online ... and some of them are free to watch via the Auteurs.
This Christmas will be fun!

Why ... ?

2008-11-27T13:49:00.004-05:00

... it hurts, it saddens ...
Malayesh was getting married next month, was ...
He was a nice guy, like many others.

Why?

Snow white State College

2008-11-24T21:16:00.004-05:00

“A clear, frosty night. Unusual brilliance and perfection of everything visible. Earth, sky, moon, and stars, all seem cemented, riveted together by the frost. Shadows of trees lie across the paths, so sharp that they seem carved in relief. You keep thinking you see dark figures endlessly cross the road at various places. Big stars hang in the woods between branches like blue lanterns. Small ones are strewn all over the sky like daisies in a summer field.
“We go on discussing Pushkin. The other night we talked about the early poems he wrote as a schoolboy...”

Was it coincidence that I felt like finishing the rest of 'Dr. Zivago' tonight and stumbled on this?

Well, not Pushkin, I was thinking of Elliot while walking my way back amidst the vast snow-white field. The yellow street lights, half covered foot steps on snow, deserted roads ... all felt like a déjà vu from childhood. Weird!

Backlog

2008-10-02T07:19:00.000-04:00

Its been almost a month, I couldn't find enough time to put together a train of coherent thought to post. I kept on making bookmarks for interesting piece of information, I thought worthy of writing about. But couldn't write...
So let me clear the backlogs by just posting the links here:
India loses four children every minute ...
Greedy Chinese companies tainting the babyfood ...
If there were not McCain, there would not have been Blackberry ...
Daily routine for a grad student ...
Studying is a stressful and frustrating work ...

Done!

End of the world ...

2008-09-10T07:56:00.005-04:00

God was pissed off and so he brought forth a catastrophic flood to eliminate mankind and start over.
Equally pissed off was Brahma, and then he did the same thing.
So was every God in every culture

Archeologists and historians say, not everything is myth. Deluge had swept the world and changed the course of history and evolution.

Apparently, be it Gods or be it Nature, flooding is the easiest way of getting rid of a rotten civilization. Just like washing a bowl of rotten curry. No wonder "righteous" men, sorry, persons in every decade had been foreseeing Doomsday deluges to wash away all the sins of mankind in the then near future. And the people around the world has already began preparations for latest Doomsday!
Now lets think what's happening around the world now. Catastrophic flood in India, UK and US (well, not flood in US but a series of hurricanes and flood in Haiti). So disaster has struck all part of the world at the same time. Don't you get the feeling that the Doomsday is nearing? Not yet?
OK, so let me tell you one more thing. Some "guys" are trying to simulate the creation of world. They are trying to play God. So why God won't be pissed off again?
The days of our lives are over ...

There are never a dearth of skeptics. I came across this piece of old news while reading an article on CERN's ground-breaking experiment, the largest physics experiment of the century, may be the most important, too. The lawsuit is probably a very good example of what and how an idle brain works!

An interesting comic strip from user friendly on April 01 is below.

The interesting discussion here reminded me of the old Kingston Trio song "Merry Minuet".

Google again

2008-09-05T02:38:00.004-04:00

Just couple of months ago when that privacy law suit against Google was underway, the official Google blog had this post, explaining why Google prefers to be lean and why it doesn't hesitate to drop their name from their front page to accommodate the privacy link without increasing the word count. So much for lean and thin. Now they have nine extra words there to promote Chrome, which was "open source and free" browser with Google having virtual royalty-free full access on every damn thing built on it!

No harm done!

Cause and effect ...

2008-08-02T09:16:00.003-04:00

“since Britney [Spears] started wearing clothes, [and now that] Paris is out of town and not bothering anybody any more, thank God, and evidently Lindsay Lohan has gone gay, we don't seem to have much of an issue”.
- William Bratton, the LA chief of police, refuting the necessity of the recent law to curb paparazzi activities.

You can't do anything about it. Its all business. And how you market yourself. Being a celebrity is a form of selling yourself to the public. For some of the "celebrities" this sale is the main force that keeps them afloat in the celebrity zone; for a small faction of other celebrities, this market dynamics is beyond their control (say, Lady Diana) and for the rest somehow there is not enough motivations for paparazzi! As a British photographer said,

"Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Jack Nicholson — you never see paparazzi pictures of these people. Guess why: because they're not stumbling out of a nightclub at 2am without their boxer shorts on."

The heat of the market is so high that sacrifices are not rare. Sometimes mishap like Lady Diana's accidents do happen partly due to this. Probably majority of the problem can be avoided by treating it from root as Bratton has indicated. But that doesn't remove the necessity of paparazzi curbing law. There should be limit to mob's invasion to someone's private life however tempting it may be. This is hard because gossips and scandals are the most delicious dishes for public.

Bratton's argument momentarily reminded me the chauvinistic argument given in favor of eve-teasers in India - the scantily dressed ladies provoke the hormone-raging youth in this very restrictive social structure so much that sometimes they cannot control themselves.

How fur can you go to prove your perversion?

India blasts ...

2008-07-29T18:33:00.002-04:00

I was talking to Kalyan the other day and the news of bombing at Bangalore and Ahmedabad came up. He commented that given the security and intelligence scenario in India, number of terrorist attacks are unbelievably less. Well, he was true in some sense. Security measures are never adequate in India. Our security agencies have so many problems to attend - so many politicians to cover, so many terrorist groups to look out for, so many Maoists to take care of, and so on. And believe me, everyone of them, politician, terrorists, Maoists - everyone has a "motive" to "blast" a city! There can be plenty of motives for someone to kill a person; money, jealousy, love, power, authority, or insanity. But what can be motives of bombing randomly in a city? Well, sometime to create a riot, or to prove how powerful they are, or to send a message to the bourgeois Government about the oppression of unprivileged. And we have too many messages to send to appropriate authorities. Apparently the best way to get attention is by killing innocent bystanders.
The sad thing is that just after the massacre, the city goes back to normal state in a jiffy; within a day or two, entire nation except the suffered family forgets something bad happened. We don't really care about anything till it happens to us. And we even play with this sentiment. Last night someone sent a hoax mail to some TV channels stating Kolkata is going to be blown away at several places. By the way, even if we think our security agencies incapable, they did save Surat by diffusing a number of bombs.
Its all so confusing and saddening ... I forgot what I wanted to write ...

Rain rain go away ...

2008-07-24T13:16:00.000-04:00

It was drizzling thoughout the day just like back in India ...

Photo-stat

2008-07-18T06:38:00.004-04:00

If you are somewhere in between into serious amateur photography, you probably heard about the community of photographers at photo.net. They recently had a survey on their members their members. There is nothing exceptional about the statistics. Considering the fact that this is a community of mainly serious-amateur to pro photographers, the results are kind of expected.
Ladies are in general more confident in posing in front of the lens than going behind it. That commemorates with the fact that male human beings are more sensitive to visual pleasures. And probably at the begining of second half of life most of us become little lost and then try to hold on to old hobbies. That may explain the high number of middle-aged photographers. (I don't think they have to spent half of their lifetime to get into the stage of serious amateur). The fact that Canon is the front-runner in camera brand is not surprising as they were the early birds in dishing out cost-effective semi-pro DSLRs. As expected, Nikon is also at the same level. But surprisingly Pentax has a staggeringly low share, even if they are supposedly at the same level, if not better, in the film camera sector (which is still almost half of the entire photo sector). Interestingly even in the community of serious amateurs the point-and-shoot digital cameras are edging out the film SLRs. Indeed immediate feedback and virtually no recurring cost are two of the major factors that turn one into a serious amateur from a casual photographer.

Photo.net Survey Reults

Photo.net members are: 87% Male 13% Female

-By age:
17 or under: 1%
18-24: 5%
25-34: 18%
35-44: 23%
45-54: 32%
55-64: 15%
65 or over: 6%

-20% are professional photographers in some fashion, 66% are serious amateurs, and 14% say they are "just getting started in photography."

-Cameras used:
Digital SLR camera: 84%
35 mm film camera: 44%
Point-and-shoot digital camera: 41%
Camera phone: 1%
Medium format camera: 19%
Large format camera: 5%
Rangefinder: 12%
Other: 4%

-Brands used:
Canon: 50%
Fuji: 7%
Kodak: 4%
Leica: 6%
Nikon: 42%
Olympus: 12%
Panasonic: 4%
Pentax: 12%
Sony: 9%
Other: 31%

-Lenses and memory cards were the most common items purchased in the previous 12 months and were also the most likely to be purchased in the following 12 months.

-Many different computer applications were used for digital adjustment of images, but Photoshop and Photoshop Elements was the most common by a significant margin.

Courtesy - Photo.net

Having said all these, I love my Vivitar because it has a Pentax K mount and K mount is amazingly backword compatible making it easy to find damn cheap used good manual lenses on ebay!

Wandering off

2008-07-04T06:50:00.003-04:00

This movie can spin off a movie like "The Guy Who Kills His Fathers"! Its like a FPS video game with a fake story line. Assuming people want to see things they fantasize about in movies and considering that this is a hit, why people love killing others? So much of violence, mindless violence. Video game-ish. I wonder why did I ever go to watch this 'Fruit of the Loom' (credits Benny) movie. I wish I hadn't 'Wanted' it. Violence reminds me, t h e y say Japan had a very high rate of youth violence. Its decreasing now. But still there are urban camouflages being sold in Japan (by the way, read the comments here, funny and thought provoking). And that piece of news is picked by NYT in such a manner that it seems a regular trend in Japan. This is not just a stray case of filthy reporting. Take look here. I used to think that only our Bengali regional newspaper spins story of a mountain out of a mole as they used to write things like how last night's kabab affected Ganguly's play today! But making a story seems to be a universal reporting trend. Well why not? After all with so many companies in news business and so much of competition, news makers are really in demand. And for no reason that reminds me an old chinses verse ...

Most men, bringing up sons, wish for them intellect;
But I by my intellect have had a life-time of fauilure.
I would only desire that my child should be simple and dull,
That with no ill-fortune and no troubles he may attain to highest office.
The Washing of the Infant - Su Shih
Trans. by Robert Kotewall and Norman L. Smith

Have you ever stopped and wandered?

The Fisher King in me

2008-07-01T10:51:00.001-04:00

Half of the year passed by.
I planned to do so many things ... Nothing has been achieved yet, nothing has been seeded. A sense of getting old and incapable of creating anything new grows day by day. The days pass by doing mundane works. All quiet on all fronts. No new light, no new shine, no new hope.
Is it summer that makes me sad? Its summer with occasional surprising rain, reminds me

"Summer surprised us, coming over the Starnbergersee
With a shower of rain; we stopped in the colonnade,
And went on in sunlight, into the Hofgarten,
And drank coffee, and talked for an hour." ...

Am I like the Fisher King in his Waste Land - impotent yet hopeful of contributing and proudly protecting futile legends?

... and Broadway

2008-06-25T18:28:00.008-04:00

This trip to NYC was not about sightseeing, but just to catch up with friends. And Broadway. Or to be more precise, RENT. This was my opportunity to experience the phenomenon before it closes on September this year. So we booked a Sunday afternoon show at Nederlander Theatre.
And Broadway is literally a just a broad way connecting two ends of the New York City. The theatrical district is just a small part of it. The good thing about all American cities is the well laid out plans and streetways. You just need to know the nearest intersection of roads. And in places like NYC where all the streets are numbered in a systematic way (Streets running East-West with increasing number towards North and Avenues run North-South with increasing number towards East), its hard to get lost. Still we managed to make walk in large circles just to reach to the next block! And the subway map is really complicated. So many routes... I wonder if A.J. Deutsch were to write the famous sci-fi now, he would've written it about NYC MTA not about Boston MTA! Coming back to Broadway, we just had a short walk down 7th Ave from 34th St to 44th St to reach the junction of Broadway and 44th St at the famous Times Square (which, eventually, is a triangular junction) and again traced back along the Broadway just to find the we were actually hardly a hundred feet away from our destination from where we started! You know actually we were not paying attention to the street and avenue numbers as we had plenty of time to kill. We were just drifting with the crowd which being mainly tourists had obvious destination of Times Square.
And then the Nederlander Theatre. A shabby, old building in a narrow lane. Who thought that a theatre with more than 1200 seats will be there. Its hardly distinguishable from other buildings. On the other side of lane there is another old almost-derelict building with old stairwell hanging outside. That is the Amsterdam Theatre playing "Mary Poppins". The entrance to the Nederlander Theatre was 'guarded' by parked cars on the road and a big tourist bus covered the entire facade of the building (which was nothing but a series of posters of Rent on an old wall with wide doors!
Inside the theatre, things are as they should for a play whose premise is shady areas of mid-nineties New York! And with a lot of deliberation I had bou,ght four tickets of orchestra seating in fourth row with the idea that its gotta be a big hall to accommodate 1200+ people. And soon we realize, its apparently not that big and from our place we can touch the stage if we try hard! But the real problem was that we were little too close to the loudspeakers; nonetheless that didn't prevent us from enjoying the show. And that was a thrilling experience, but that story is somewhere else.
And back to Broadway again. That place - the place cordoned by Broadway, 7th Ave and 40th to 46th St is simply ... what should I say ... awesome, at least to me! Which way I turn my head I see a theater hall playing something. And not only something, they are playing plays like 'Rent', 'Boeing Boeing', 'Grease', 'Gypsy', 'South Pacific', 'Sunday in the Park with George' and what not! Its like a treasure trove! Theater is something I cherish and Musicals are something I love. I know some theatricians might not get that excited about Broadway because its not really a playground of experimental theater. Broadway is the capital of mainstream theater and hence the main interface with the crowd and the theatrician. I respect this community for having such a conglomerate of theaters here and making them a social outing place. Its like making theater more and more common-man-friendly. But there is a concern, too. Now-a-days just like any other popular media, Broadway is losing its originality. It is getting overshadowed by Hollywood. If you just go by the current shows at Broadway, how many of them are new and original? Not much. Mostly are wither revival (Boeing-Boeing, Sunday in Park..., South Pacific, Grease, Gypsy, etc.), or continuing old play (Mama Mia!, Phantom of the Opera, Rent, Lion King, etc.) or adapted froma hit movie (Lion King, Little Mermaid, Young Frankenstine, Xanadu, Hairspray, etc.) Earlier the trend was opposite, there were Broadway productions first then there were movies based upon that. Think about shows like 'Hair', 'Sound of Music', 'Fiddler on the Roof', 'West Side Story', 'Oklahoma!', 'Miracle Worker' and lots more. Now its opposite. There are movies like 'Legally Blonde', 'Hairspray', 'Cry-baby' which are the sources of new theater of Broadway. This is saddening. Theater used to be so much live, so much fresh, so much original...

But I have had my experience on Broadway, at last. And that too with Rent!

NYC

2008-06-24T18:28:00.002-04:00

So I was there this weekend. The city that never sleeps! After living here in a small university town for almost a year, this was my first real visit to a big city (not just passing through or spending a night), and my first impression was, 'Wow!'
Living in this small university town made me taking disciplined, organized, friendly crowd, clean streets, no-nuisance neighbourhood for granted. And New York reminded me how wrong I was. It reminded me of another big city.
Dirty subway trains, dirty platforms, commuters leaning on door just beside the warning of not to lean on door, and incomprehensible announcements about upcoming station greeted me on my way to NYC. I was getting more and more comfortable, homely. Then I came out of the subway station at 34th Street, and 'Wow!'. So many people rushing about, street is all crowded, yellow taxis, hawkers yelling and selling things on the sideways, smalltime sellers selling used books and cds on the pavement, people shouting and bargaining, beggars asking for pennies, taxis honking, double decker buses, old torn movie poster on shabby walls, stinking dumpsters just beside a restaurant. I never felt so homely! It is just like Kolkata just little bit scaled up!
In fact Kolkata metro is probably little cleaner than NY subway but its much much smaller in volume, too. Kolkata doesn't have so many skyscrapers. Kolkata has tram, NYC doesn't and Kolkata has a distinctive betel spit decoration that sets her apart. There are some more minor differences such as cops don't pose in fron of their car with tourists in front of Victoria Memorial in Kolkata like they do in Times Square, you can hardly find an open manhole in NYC and things like that. Strikingly its the same life force jostles down the streets of NYC like it does in Kolkata. I guess this is the charecteristics of all the big cities.
And I read this inside the subway ...

"There are roughly three New Yorks.
First, there is the New York of the man or woman who was born there - who takes it for granted and accepts its size, its turbulence as natural and inevitable. Second, there is the New York of the commuter - the city that is devoured by locusts each day and spat out at each night. Third, there is the New York of the person who was born somewhere else and came to New York in quest of something.
Commuters give the city its tidal restlessness, natives give it solidity and continuity, but the settlers give it passion." - E B White

Isn't it true for Kolkata, too?

Inspiration

2008-06-14T10:34:00.002-04:00

Dyuti sent me link to this video.

Umqombothi is an African beer. And Yvone, the singer is one of the most famous African artist. She's often called princess of Africa. African music are very rich in percussions and the rhythm is simply amazingly vibrant. Apparently this song was used in opening sequence of Hotel Rwanda. It seems this is one of the biggest hit songs of Africa.

The funny part will reveal is when you listen to this video:

Its a Bengali band - Chandrabindoo performing a Bengali nonsence-rock.
I have no qualms with someone "copying" someone else's music, It is hard to differentiate between copying and getting inspired! Inspirations are always welcome, if you acknowledge your inspirations very good; if you don't, well, you are insecure and scared of your own capabilities! Anyway, this is not about copying someone's music.
I appreciate Chandrabindoo for their urban, satirical and nonsensical lyrics. But this time the first line of their song phonetically matches first line Umqombothi in an uncanny way! I mean, being a Bengali if I listen to Umqombothi, I'll hear the first lines of the song as "Brahma Janen, Gopon Kammo ti" ... and this is such a weird Bengali line, it can spun a beutiful nonsense poem in the hands of a good lyricist. I wonder if that's how this song worked for Chandrabindoo!

We MaDlamini
Uph'umqombothi (3x)

Verse
I work hard every day
To make my beer
(Umqombothi)
Wake up early every morning
To please my people with African beer
(Umqombothi)
I make sure the fire burns
To make my beer
(Umqombothi)
My special beer Umqombothi
(Umqombothi)
Is African beer
...more

Is Comrade Napoleon Scared?

2008-05-12T13:27:00.003-04:00

So there was this Panchayat Election in Nandigram, West Bengal, - the recent hotspot of political debates.
The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) was employed there to maintain peace and fearless polling. Alok Raj, the Deputy Inspector General of the CRPF is doing his job well. So he gets this phone call.

Arijit has given a short background of the scenario. He forwarded some news clips. As I read through the news clips, I felt that Mr. Seth is actually very scared and feeling insecure! That is why he is trying to blame the CRPF, trying to frame fake charges against Aloke Raj. All these proves only one fact, he is not an intelligent politician. Had he been so, he should have kept quiet because these Panchayat election holds little significance for him. The State Government is there backing him. If they think this is good for Nandigram, that must be true! The plans will eventually be implemented, because there is actually no one to protest. Opposition parties? Trinamool (Congress or BJP do not have a strong presence there)? They themselves don't know what they want to do, have no direction at all and always misguided, confused and disorganized! Even if they protest, that will not be for the people of Nandigram, that will ultimately be for garnering favor of media and their national political alliance.
The tragedy of the "communist" ruling in West Bengal is that over the years there have been number of laments and protests but no alternative to the current rulers has born out of the people of West Bengal. That is what essentially "communism" does in the long run - worshiping of mediocrity, total dependence on the authority and losing the urge/ motivation of rebellion against the authority even if they are unjust. So probably in a Orwellian sense West Bengal is a successful example of outcome of successful communist ruling.

The moral of the story, Laksham Seth is unnecessarily scared. He will be the winner in the long run.

"No one believes more firmly than Comrade Napoleon that all animals are equal. He would be only too happy to let you make your decisions for yourselves. But sometimes you might make the wrong decisions, comrades, and then where should we be?" - Animal Farm

Am I too pessimistic?

Random reflections on rice, recession, rumor ...

2008-05-05T18:36:00.006-04:00

So there is a global food crisis, huh?

Its really hard for people like me to feel what a food crisis is, because we or our immediate acquaintances, honestly, never faced it. We read about about old stories of famine, starvation and hunger. How does it feel when you have money to buy but still starving? Probably situation will not be like it used to be in old days. Food price will sore high but we, the middle class, again will not be starving. There will be deaths ... but how's that gonna affect us! More so when you are here in US. Famine in US, huh ...
Arijit forwarded this news-piece. Its almost known fact that average rate of obesity is much higher comapred to world standard among US citizen. So if major grain producing countries stop export average US citizen is going to be healthier.
I stumbled upon these news flashes (Gmail Webclip is good!) on the same day ... India is expecting rise in food production whereas the global food crisis is pulling the price up. Isn't that good for Indian economy? Vicky was telling, "we don't care, if everything goes bad in America, we won't be looser, we can always go back to India". At least in India we won't have any rice shortage. Indeed!
The other day, Anamika came and informed that someone has informed her that Sam's Club is stockpiling rice and won't allow anyone to buy more than four bags of rice. Weis and Walmart has also started rationing rice. Sam's Club is usually the place we buy rice from. I informed Subhashis and Prashant. They might have already informed others. So now everyone is running to Sam's Club. No wonder there will soon be a shortage of rice, not only because of stockpiling by Sam's Club, but mainly because of overstocking by us! Eventually even before actual crisis of rice is started, State College is gong to suffer from it. That is how the dynamics of essential commodities work. Its major driving force is the un-put-downable rumor. By the way, we haven't yet gone to Sam's Club to buy our four bags!

And then there is recession. Couple of months ago there was huge debate whether US is already hit by recession or is going to be hit. How does it matter for commoners? They are already suffering ... prices of food has gone up drastically from last year. Every month thousands of people are getting sacked from their job, banks are merging ... it doesn't matter whether its officially recession or not. Still the presidential candidates are getting millions of dollar as donation from who-knows-whom for their campaign. The lawyers and financial advisers seem to be little busy as they are advertising more and more with promises to help reduce debt. I don't know how can one avoid their debt so easily, but apparently there are lots pf people who need them. This economy runs on credit. And oil. Every morning starts off with the breaking news of oil price reaching record high. But at least in State College I don't feel any decrease of number of cars running. The summer has set in, I expected a rise in number of bicycles with this oil price hike, but not really. In fact I see more sports car and gas-guzzlers more as the semester nears the end!
The recession - it is not so hard for us, but still it hurts. Amit was lamenting that day, when he came to US he had to pay Rs. 48 for each dollar and now when he sends money home, he only gets Rs. 38 in return. Well, Indian economy is doing good. But shall we feel good about it or be sad that we are actually being able to save less than we had hoped to? The world is too complicated.

Only good thing is that the semester is over and, and ... and I don't know what!

Honk for ...

2008-05-01T12:02:00.000-04:00

Sometime around Apr 20, when Hillary visited PSU campus, I was walking to department and saw few girls at a busy corner of downtown with placards saying "Honk for Hillary". I heard three to four honks as I passed by.

Yesterday I had to spent sometime on downtown waiting for someone. As I sat at the Dunkin Donuts shop opposite in the busiest part of downtown I noticed some elderly persons standing near the main gate of PSU with placards for peace, 'stop the war', 'stop developing weapons' and 'Honk for Peace'. Cars passed by fast. And as I spent almost fifteen minutes there I heard four to five honks.

Guess American president takes priority than peace.

Mid-life crisis!

2008-04-23T14:33:00.004-04:00

You start with an honest eagerness to learn and contribute. When you are just halfway through it, suddenly the world seems so flat, so boring, all the talks starts to fade away, you start to loose your grip on reality. You look at the time and find that you are just only half-way through. You feel sometimes frustrated on your failure to cope up like the rest out there. You doubt your competency. You just get blank, empty. You don't understand a single thing. It seems a long time but when you again look at the watch only few seconds have passed. You try to think about good times, but your thoughts become confused. You feel like dropping out of this boredom, doing something interesting than this, but at the same time you feel guilt. Then at a time the strong urge to do something interesting overcomes your guilt. You discard the reality and delve into your own world. You don't care for the others anymore and let your dreams come true. But as time passes by and nears the end, you suddenly snap out of your state and realize time is up and you can not go back! You have wasted the entire middle third of your and probably others' time. You repent, at least sometimes.

But the class is already over and you have slept through it like always. You wonder why, at all, you have taken this course. I know you don't want to sleep through it, but can't help dozing off as the class nears the halfway just like some can't help their self doubt as they enter mid-life crisis!

Sunshine on my shoulder ...

2008-04-17T11:44:00.000-04:00

It was a long cold winter.

Its so easy to blame on the weather, as if I didn't blog because weather ruined my mood!
Yes, true that there were plenty of dull days when I woke up under a cludy sky with chilly wind or occasional drizzles and felt so spiritless that wished if I could sleep again. But there were some good sunny not so windy days, too. Its great to see the bright sunlight in the morning. Had I not experienced day after day of overcast weather, I could nto possibly realize the warmth sunrays carry!
Officially spring has begun couple of week ago. But today I felt the spring. Its been keeping sunny for last couple of days, but today was different. I don't know why. I skipped the class, walked my way to the lab smelling hitherto unsmelt fragrance of spring coming out of dry green grass. Its a different smell. Just as the smell of first rain has a different flavour, so has the smell of first spring day. Everything was bright and colorful and cheering.
I sang a tagore song to my way to the lab ... 'Who will take me out, breaking locks of my captivity...'
My lab is a closed room, not a single window. Lets get out of this room, at least for today's sake ...

How lazy I've become

2008-03-23T18:22:00.004-04:00

The sun'll come out
Tomorrow
Bet your bottom dollar
That tomorrow
There'll be sun!

Just thinkin' about
Tomorrow
Clears away the cobwebs,
And the sorrow
'Til there's none!

When I'm stuck a day
That's gray,
And lonely,
I just stick out my chin
And Grin,
And Say,
Oh!

The sun'll come out
Tomorrow
So ya gotta hang on
'Til tomorrow
Come what may
Tomorrow! Tomorrow!
I love ya Tomorrow!
You're always
A day
A way!

But I'm optimistic.

To be or not to be ...

2008-02-01T16:00:00.001-05:00

For last five-six year, each year there's a rumour the Kolkata International Book Fair will shift its venue from Maidan due to the environmental issues. But it never changed, until last year, when it shifted to a stadium, Jubabharati Kringan. Then this year when the authorities decided to hold the fair at Park Circus Maidan, a place at the center of the city, a new row of disputs were generated and finally, on 28th January, when all the preparation for international inauguration of the book fair on 30th January was almost complete at the Park Circus Maidan, Kolkata High Court ruled that the huge fair can not be held at Park Circus Maidan. With no backup at their hand the authorities announced, the 33rd Kolkata International Book Fair stands cancelled.
These are the facts. I haven't been in Kolkata for last coupl of years, I've heard these from some newspaper, friends, etc. I am just quoting from memory, there are some more facts.
The authorities responsible for holding the book fair, the Publishers and Booksellers Guild, were served notices almost five-six years ago for shifting their venue. The reason was environment. The Maidan is the biggest source of fresh air in the city. And ten days of fair (Asia's largest book fair) was not fair on Maidan's health. It left a huge amount of pollutants in the neighbouring area destroying the gree grass shields on the ground of Maidan, this damage takes almost half a year to recover. Added to that was the poulltion caused by dust in the air to the local people and the morning-walkers. Finally one environmentalist, Subhas Dutta lodged a Public Interest Litigation for change of venue to protect the green heart of the city. And after a fierce legal battle the environmentalists won. The Guild was told to choose another venue for the fair. The Govt. promised guild another venue as it was planning to build a permanent fair ground at one side of the city. Days passed, notjing happened and as the next year came, the book fair came. Guild started to build stalls at Maidan, the environmentalists and the Army, who are the legal owner of that ground, took offence and again went to court. Guild pleaded that they were out of time, so couldn't locate a proper venue. The court graciously granted Guild to hold the fair at Maidan for the last time. The book fair was over and everyone forgot about promises. Came the 2007, Guild again started to build stalls on Maidan, the oppositioners again went to court and this time court showed no mercy. The Court ordered Guild to shift it fair and repair the damage caused by its installations. Guild, again out of time, was in hurry to find a better place. Finally they shifted to Salt Lake Stadium. Supporters of book fair at Maidan raised a hue and cry for problems of traffic and space. They said that there are so many polluting issues in the city, why only to take a toll on book fair, which is at its best only at Maidan, becuase it is Maidan! But reportedly 2007 book fair recorded maximum number of visitors. Then came 2008. Guild had already selected Park Circus Maidan for its venue. But the moment they selected Park Circus, there was protests. Park Circus is one of the most crowded part of the city. The traffic is horriblly sloweven in weekends, leave alone weekdays. Traffic jams are regular. Its a highly populated and congested area. Everyone was afraid what will happen if the largest book fair of asia is held here? How will traffic move and how will the local residents live! All these were sometime in the mid-2007. Guild answered to all questions saying, its the duty of police and civic authorities to maintain discipline in that place during the fair. They have nothing to do with it. So came another PIL. And the ruling I have already mentioned came out two days prior to the opening.
There are two fronts of people in Kolkata now. A big chunk of the intellectuals, writers, publishers and book-lovers are against the court ruling from the begining. Because Maidan is the best venue for a fair of such grandeur. So much of open space, so easy traffic and most of all, its been the venue for last 30 odd years! How can you think of any other venue when a venue becomes synonimous to the occasion! Pollution? Well, agreed that it causes a lot of pollution but, is it the only event that cuases pollution? Then why don't curb down other events first and let this great intellectual pride of Bengalis be in its place for awhile. Damn with you environmentalists, you can't control other events that is why you are so revengeful on book fair.
The other front are mainly the environmentalists and some of the commoners. They say, well, we are telling the authorities to shift the venue from quite a long time. They should've arranged for a different permanent with all the facilitites of Maidan venue by now, and the migration from Maidan could have been smoother and hassle-free. The fair, as the statistics show, is indeed on of the biggest source of pollution in the city in that locality. Why should we let it go, when you have been given other choices? Just because it is about books?
And then there is the Govt., the head of which is an intellectual, a writer (eventually his office is in Writer's Building!). They promised of a permanent fair ground near the Salt Lake long ago. I don't know how far has that gone. But surely that is still not yet ready for book fair. So it seems their agenda is more on to arrange make-shift venues for the book fair instead of giving a permanent home to it.
So that is the situation, as I see it. Even with all the warnings and notices, Guild did not even think of a backup venue. They shifted from Salt Lake stadium to the heart of the city without any backup. And when they are served with the ruling they just back off saying, enough is enough, we are not doing book fair! In this scenario I do not know who to blame! But blaming the environmentalists is just escapism. I consider myself a book lover. Though I'm out of Kolkata for last couple of year, I miss the book fair very much. Those little magazine pavilions, selling our little magazine, literary gossiping, gettign up and close with readers and authors, I miss all those. That is the reason I don't want to get the book fair go down. But it seems for the authorities some intellectuals the venue is of more importance the the fair itself! They stick to their emotion of having book fair at its old venue in spite of difficulties. I know, if book fair is not in Maidan, it might loose some its charm for sure. But that isn't enough to sacrifice the book fair itself. I belief there is game of ego and politics underlying here. And as usual a group of intellectuals who are of typical bengali talk-much-do-nothing type are supporting these egoistic stance of having book fair only in Maidan, and no where else. Some of the intellectuals are selling books at Maidan under some temporary tents, marking a protest against the demonic ruling of the court (not against the egoistic approach of not having the book fair itself, I guess). But honestly having or not having book fair is not a matter of life and death for them, its a passtime, may be a passionate pass-time
But think about a whole industry who survive on this book fair. I'm talikng about the printing and binding houses and small scale publications. They make their earning for the whole year in this ten days. There are a bunch of literary enthusiasts who wait for this ten days to get an exposure of the literary world, to meet old friends and to hear first hand reaction of their creations in some small time publication. They will definitely miss Maidan but not as much as the book fair itself.

Grave of the Fireflies

2008-01-13T00:06:00.000-05:00

"It is the most profoundly human animated film I've ever seen" ...

One Dream per Child

2008-01-07T15:08:00.000-05:00

There is a non-profit organisation named One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) steered by MIT Media Lab faculties and many more educationists and technologist with a dream of making laptops affordable to every children across the world for constructionist learning. A noble dream. I read abouit them almost a year ago. They have been supported by several industries like AMD, Brightstar, Google, RedHat, etc has supported them in terms of investment and technology. I was just going through some news and noticed a news regarding it. Intel had joined the the group sometime in 2007 and now it is leaving the group becuase it was conflicitng with their own program of Classmate PC! The news quotes OLPC President Wlater Bender as he mentions about 'half hearted' effort of Intel. I don't know th real story, but if the claims made by Bender ar true then it is really unfortunate to see a technology giant like Intel to do this! May be there are business conflicts, still from a humanitarian point of view, Intel could've never joined the group if it was to make this kind of effort. I don't know; may I'm being sentimental.
Actually the vision of the project is so very positive ... just thinking about it I can dream of a better future. Information can bring revolution, and in a very small quantity many projects have been undertaken to demonstrate the positive effects of computer in general in a child's perspective. I loosely remeber there was an article long ago on a NGO-based project done at Delhi, where the authoroties installed some computer in an open space under shelter in a slum to monitor the effect on the children of the slum. And as far as I rememeber, the children of the slum learned the usage of the computer without any assistance in astonishingly fast pace and their general knowledge and confidence also increased as well. Now if every such child gets a laptop of his/her own ... won't it be a great learning tool? I heard Ministry of HRD, Govt. of India is on its way of making laptops or simputers at $47! That'll be really great. Btw, India is not participating in OLPC as MHRD believes they'll be able to make these cheaper ones very soon.

Quine

2008-01-01T17:20:00.000-05:00

Here's the short film made by us.
It was shot almost a year ago by Shubhadeep, Rupak and Nirjhar. I was only in editing and post production.
We call ourselves Reelers!

New Year!

2008-01-01T06:09:00.000-05:00

Another year passed by!
Like always nothing-has-been-done feeling engulfed on the new year eve; usual new year resolutions, which are soon forgotten!

Christmas Chronicles

2007-12-31T17:53:00.000-05:00

Let me list down what I did in last 12 days.

Watched movies: Au hasard Balthasar, End of Summer, Cleo from 5 to 7, An Occurence at Owl Creek Bridge, Children of Paradise and Water Horse
Posted reviews of Au hasard Balthasar, End of Summer, Cleo from 5 to 7
Wrote fishy chapter of survival cookbook
Finished editing of Quine

...
I can't remember any other thing! Did I spent the whole holiday week in doing nothing? I didn't do much of work in my research or academics, didn't went out to anywhere.
Lets change this lazy habits from the coming year!

End of Semester

2007-12-24T09:07:00.000-05:00

I have become so lazy... I didn't write any entry for almost a month! Well, semester pressure was on, all right; but it was not too much. It was just laziness to be honest.
Now semester's over and there can be no excuse of academic pressure. So let me list my planned activity for the semester break at least. Day after the exams were over, I went to library and checked out some movies. So now during these few days these are the movies I'm going to watch:

We are in the same boat brother!

2007-11-27T13:54:00.001-05:00

"PARIS, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Life has not improved for the inhabitants of France's poor, ethnically diverse suburbs since the riots of 2005, despite millions of euros in cash pledges and President Nicolas Sarkozy's election promises.
"High unemployment, underperforming schools, poor relations with the police, inadequate housing and controversial new immigration laws have created a generation of frustrated youths ready to turn to violence at any time. ...

Doesn't it sound familiar? Politicians are all the same across the universe!

Advent of advertisements

2007-11-25T21:28:00.000-05:00

Palashda had once told me that advertisement industry in the west is pretty much matured and advanced whereas in India, as usual, getting matured and in middle east it's still in late childhood! No wonder I had some expectations on advertisements after coming to USA. This is what I got!
Advertisements here can be divided in main six categories.

Food and food chains
Advocates & Law firms
Insurance
Medicines
Cars
and others

Food related ads are really very stereotype except one or two. Insurance and law firm ads are the worst in the entire sector, either entirely out of context or totally vague. Medicines have the longest ads on TV, and they are boring. However, they follow a very common pattern; first they describes a very common feeling, then makes it a point to prove that that is actually a disease and then gives you the cure along with the side effects! ...

'Does your head jerk when you sneeze?'

'You may be suffering from sneeze-jerk disease!'
'Ask your doctor for sneezocure! Side effects may include nausea, sleepiness, lethargy, occasional urge for sex and gambling, depression, occasional urge for suicide, etc.'

Car advertisements are typical just like any other car commercial in any part of the world.
One or two are creative others are normally just eye candy and few are really dumb. 90% of the all commercials are the first five categories. Rest 10% others are also nothing notesworthy.
In Indian TV, the products, whose commercials are shown are pretty varied. So we have a huge range of advertisements and some of them are really good. The worst ads are shown in regional channels, poorly packaged and poorly executed ads. No US ads are of such low quality but the Law firms' ads often are on the verge of competing with these regional channel ads! But in National TV of India commercials are really well packaged and aggressive. Some of them are really heartwarming like classsic Raymond, Cadbury or Titan ads. Indian commercials are I felt not less matured, if not more, than US commercials.

Nandigram and beyond!

2007-11-21T15:44:00.000-05:00

So much agitation is going on on this issue, and me being from Medinipur, I always get questions like, 'What exactly is goign on there?'
Honestly, I am totally confused and ill-informed! I am away from Medinipur for last three years now, and the news I get is from my some-what-pro-left-liberal parents who are not really into politics and believe in what newspapers say and from newspapers. Essentially the sources are almost the same! So disillusioned, I stayed away from this issues. But this is getting stronger day by day.
I don't know where we are heading ... things look very grim.
Here is a nice analysis of the Nandigram situation.
The point is Nandigram is just an outburst of our governmnetal policies, "social awareness", political propaganda, "democracy"... but what happens to the real people? Where will they go?
Its all dark in the future.

Moving!

2007-10-31T00:02:00.000-04:00

I was calling home. My parents are moving. We've got a new home at Kolkata, so we are leaving father's quarter at Midnapore and going to settle there. In fact this move was scheduled long ago before my coming to USA! But the VISA episode got all plan disrupted and so now I'm far far away just listening them packing things and getting ready to move.
We stayed at that place for ten years. Ten years - long time huh? This has been the longest spell we've stayed at one place. We never had a fixed home. Moving with my father's workplace like nomads. Just the time you feel to grow roots on a place - its time to move. Its hard. I lost many friends and gained many, too. But somehow as I grew up, I never could mingle up properly in a new environemnt, i.e., our new quarter; probably because I knew its painful to grow association at one place when you know you have to move out one day. Still once you start staying at a place
for couple of years you are bound to have memories.
May be I am fortunate as at our last quarter I haven't styaed much. I moved to college hostel and then to Pune ... Midnapore was my vacation time! But it was home. I have some memories at every corner of that house.
When my mother told me they are packing I felt as if I am losing my memories. I know there are some old book, some old letters, may be some old gifts ... which I had forgot long ago, will remain unnoticed, un-taken-care-of. Its not that if I were there I'll carry them but its worth to have a touch on them once again before letting them completely drifting into oblivion and I'm sure there will some forgotten moments associated with them. I can see my entire home, I can see them packing. When I'll be back in India we'll be well settled in Calcutta.
And probably I am never going to go to that quarter ever again. Will I miss it?

The Progress!

2007-09-15T01:07:00.000-04:00

Some official said after the test,

"At the same time, I want to stress that the action of this weapon does not contaminate the environment, in contrast to a nuclear one."

Do you wonder what it is? What breakthrough weapon Russia had made that doesn't pollute the environment - the eco-friendly weapon? It is what they call "FATHER OF ALL BOMBS"!

It is a fuel-air explosive massive vacuum bomb that first spreads the explosive wide in the atmosphere by a small detonation and ignites the atmosphere by the second detonation creating a very high temperature and powerful shock-waves under which 'all that is alive merely evaporates'!

So it leaves no harmful byproduct, no soot, no radiation even no biotic organisms that may contaminate the environment in future by trying to live its life!

The breakthrough progress in the history of mankind!

Box office in a nutshell

2007-09-01T01:42:00.000-04:00

Here are few movies I watched over last couple of weeks
2010 - Year We Make Contact
I was spellbound by '2001 - A Space Odyssey'. So much a suggestive movie - hats of to Kubrick. The almost three hour long movie might have total talking time of an hour! It leaves a space for the audience. And it creates an expectation for a good sequel. So when I realized I am watching '2010 - Year We Make Contact', I was expectant. But I am disappointed. It has lost all of its flavour. The main reason may be absence of Kubrick. '2010 ...' is just another Hollywood sci-fi. Nothing else.
My Life as a Dog
I heard of this 'weird-titled' movie while surfing Yahoo! Movies almost eight years ago. It had a very high rating. I had watched two Lasse Hallström movies - 'Chocolate' and 'Cider House Rules.' They are good movies. So I was all the more interested in 'My Life as a Dog'.
Hallström has done a wonderful job. Child psychology is so different that the grown ups often miss out the point. The most cherishable part of the movie is acting of all the child actors; they are so natural. A simple but complicated story of a village, young boy named Ingemar, his friends, his ailing mother, his dog, some weird people of the village and the dog Laika who was sent on Sputnic. The thing that makes the movie all the more enjoyable are occasional narrations by Ingemar when he ponders over his miserable life and takes into consideration the life of Lika the poor dog who had no benefit of space research but had to sacrifice her life in space for sake of her human masters. And he always comes up with the positive attitude, 'I'm lucky in a way, it could have been worse.' It is wonderfully positive and fresh movie.
Autumn Sonata
When two Bergmans come togethre on a project which in a way is so much related to their real life, what do you expect out of it? A Sonata in Celluloid. Magnificently supported by Liv Ullman. I already have written something in it!
The Barbarian Invasion
It really hurts when at the end of your life you get to know that you have achieved nothing! This movie really kept me thinking what I am here for. Its a comedy of all the trifling things like politics, various isms, sex, addiction that keeps on invading in your life and makes you confused about your goal. I will like to watch it again along with its prequel, 'Decline of the American Empire'.
Rent
The much waited musical. I wished to watch it on the Broadway someday. But the movie served the purpose for the time being. As a matter of fact, I felt it could have been better as a stage-play only; not the movie. The style is not really suited for screen. It is very good, though, but still... It is well acted, well sung, and indeed well cinematographed but still, the way it is presented, I mean song in every two dialouges, it better suits the stage. But still to me this movie version is lovable. Because I really love the songs of 'Rent'. And the movie is worth of my love for the 'Rent' soundtrack.
Children of Heaven
They say, Iranian directors know how to end a movie. This was my first encounter with any Iranian movie, and I'm bowled over. Kudos to Majid Majidi. A simple tale, brilliant acting by the children and brilliant cinematography and really brilliant closing sequence. I wish to write on it in somewhat more detail someday. So lets save for it. After watching this, it seems the movie could not have ended in any other way. It lost its 'Best Foreign Language Film' award at Oscar, 1998 to 'Life is Beautiful', which is also a wonderful movie. But 'Life is beautiful' seems too artificial after this one! I love this movie.

Choices

2007-08-21T18:23:00.000-04:00

It is really hard when you have plenty of choices. Everyone seems to be equally exciting. Its not difficult to pick out the good ones from bad ones; but to pick the better one from a lot of good ones - a tough game. It becomes a lot tougher when you don't have any constraints at all. For me right now there are a number of project to work on. I've to chose any one. And current situation is so favorable that it won't matter for at least a year if I don't chose any project; I mean I can just fool around for a year and get paid! But practically that is, you know, never advisable.
So be it!

Culture shock

2007-08-20T16:56:00.000-04:00

Its been two weeks now. And I am coming in terms with the situations. The things are different here. The culture, lifestyle, socialism - everything. To be honest, the society seems more organised, more professional. Thats the good part; but that makes them more self-conscious and to some extent more conservative in the thinking process. I mean, they are so organised that they don't need to use their brain for everyday situations, and thats why they become dumb if life the daily routine goes little astray. Overall, I must admit its better to be organised.
The most striking part for me was traffic. India you never think so much of traffic rules. Especially in places like Pune, Mumbai, following traffic rules may sometime causes accidents, because nobody ever obeys them. But here the story is just the opposite. The cars stop at a stop signal even if no one is around. In India if you are confident, you just cross the road dodging the traffic, forget about zebra crossing or pedestrian walk signals. But here if you do that, or rather, I feel guilty in doing that because the traffic is so so so organised and law-abiding.
Second thing that is different is what is called freedom of an individual, i.e., no one is bothered what you are doing, may it be public place, but is is your choice. No one will poke his nose unless you are doing something awfully wrong. And if you ask for help, they are ready to help. May be this is the characteristics of a small college town. Things are different in big cities, as my friend Benny was telling. Thats what I like about small towns - the homely-ness. This weekend I went to Cleveland, OH. And I liked it. An old city, big city. Old buildings, little shabby buildings. People are more casual; they are walking down the road on shabby, or rather commonplace attires, wooden houses, brick roads, and so on. It looks like it has a root. But State College is a mixed culture. Most of them are students. If you take a cross section of the streets, you will found most people are dressed carefully and consciously. They are always busy, and little more populated than a town like this should be. This town seems more urbane than it should be.
But overall, I like State College, after all this is going to be my home for coming few years.

...and the Seven Dwarfs!

2007-08-13T17:11:00.000-04:00

The other day my good old friend Arin was desperate to watch samurai movies! He could recall only one samurai movie - that too because this samurai movie was inspiration to a big-budget Hindi movie named 'China Gate'. So he rented the Kurosawa classic 'Seven Samurai'. Though I had watched it earlier, but how can miss a second screening if its being played in home! We watched the movie together that night. Enjoyed Mifune's (Kikuchiyo) eccentric role play, Shimada's well planned strategy, Kyuzo's cool swordplay.
The next day in the same video store Arin found 'The Magnificent Seven' and readily realized it to be a western remake of last night's movie. Still charmed by the Samurai chivalry, he rented the 'Magnificent Seven' (Mag7). Again we started watching it together along with Benny, who liked Mag7 a lot because it was one of the movies he grew up with. I've heard of Mag7, its an undoubted western classic; and I liked the theme very much.
So we started. And was disappointed.
Mag7 is basically same plot set in Mexico, where poor villagers speak in English only to end the sentence with a Spanish word to let you know that they are actually Mexican! The village, which is basically supposedly a farming village is situated in the midst of arid valley with hardly any greenery surrounded by. The villagers are as dumb as they can ... they don't have any expression at all. In the first five minutes I was getting a feeling this is going to be a bad remake, and I looked up at Arin. He lets out a sigh and states, 'I'm never gonna watch a remake after I had watched the original!'
Well to be honest, we couldn't find out why Mag7 is so great. The acting is poor, the script little shaky, too much of statements in form of dialogs. Whereas in 'Seven Samurai' even the small extras have done wonderful believable acting, the script never loses its focus of defeating the bandits. Mag7 has tried to put some subplots but before the subplots mature they are abandoned (e.g., Lee's nightmare). You wonder why were these situations brought into the movie at all! I'm not mentioning the scene by scene or sometimes word by word copy of the original (e.g., closing dialogues)
The final conclusion was pretty simple. Arin had already spelt it out, 'Never watch a remake after you have watched the original!'. I agree there are some exceptions, but this is the general truth. And as per Mag7, it turned out to be Seven Dwarfs in front of the Seven Samurai.

There is epilogue. Benny now wants to see the 'Seven Samurai' and Arin wants to wash away the memory of Mag7. So we may rent 'Seven Samurai' again very soon.

There's many a sleep ...

2007-08-11T10:55:00.000-04:00

More than two months have passed after the last post and by that time I've learnt what the good old proverb really means. I have left my old job and jumped into something, which I thought was sure to get. But, as I mentioned... till the final day I was unsure whether I'll be able to launch my new career. As a matter of fact I was jobless, uncertain and stressed out for more than a month as one after another petty problems came up on the formal path. Now I'm an expert in all Passport and VISA hassles (Yes it had something, sorry everything to do with foreign travel)!!! Any problem in these front ... I have the expertise. Even I was seriously thinking of opening a VCS aka VISA Consulting Services if I don't get my VISA in time and be left jobless in India! But things have clicked finally.
Now I have made the first sip from the cup.

Lonely Runway

2007-05-23T00:49:00.000-04:00

For last couple of weeks I was at a remote place on official field duty, so remote that there was nothing in the ten kilometer radius of the guest house. The place where we used to go to work was again five kilometers away form guest house. Every morning a car used to come to take us to the field. When we returned from the field it would have been 8pm in the evening. So boring, so hectic the days were, that either we would be found slogging in the field or sleeping in the guest house.
Only good thing was a runway! We had to cross a deserted runway on our way to our site of work. Years ago it must have been full with activity, now the concrete slabs of the runway has cracked giving way to saplings. There is nothing all around, only trees and bushes and the runway lying between them.
Last day when we finished our work early in the afternoon, I started walking along the runway on my return to guest house. Everybody else were waiting for the car to come. As I walked and walked along the almost-two-km-long runway I was getting engulfed in it. A plethora of sights of sounds hitherto unnoticed came to my senses; chirping of unknown birds, insects; sunset on the horizon, group of birds flying back to home, few birds looking out for their prey in the cracks of the runway ...
I remembered one of my favourite songs. I never realized how real the imagery of the song could be. But this runway gave me that feeling. The lyricist must have been in a place like this.

Putting in other's shoes!

2007-04-25T11:34:00.000-04:00

After a long time I was back in my Verandah with a cup of tea after the office. For last couple of months it has been somewhat tiresome. Going off on official tour on every week, being stuck in office for petty issues and blah blah ...
Well, actually all these are excuses. I was very much undecided on what to do next! I was all the time calculating and re-calculating my personal schedules and programmes for next few months. It seemed time was running out. So I was never free to relax at my verandah. But it doesn't mean that I am free of all the doubts and dilemmas right now, but still I can sense I'll be, very soon; because I have decided the final date - I'll be resigning by end June.
I am going for pursuing PhD at PSU. But now I have a different kind of dilemma. It is always difficult if you have choices, almost equivalent in various aspects. I have the same problem now. I rang up two of my close friends who have already tackled this choice problem in their PhD! I asked their opinions about the choices, asked what would be their choice if they were at my position. They answered honestly. I came at my verandah and suddenly I realized - there is no point asking their views.
I remembered a scene from Godard's 'Masculine - Feminine'. The protagonist and his friend were having coffee at a cafe. Suddenly a man came from outside hastily and asked the receptionist some direction and went out in same hurry. The protagonist suddenly stood up, went back to the door and enacted the same sequence as the man did and asked the same direction from the receptionist and went out hastily. Seconds later he came back and sat again with his friend. Then he said, 'Putting oneself in some other's shoes does not make him realize the situation at all.'
Am I trying to play the same thing?

Fast Car

2007-04-23T01:02:00.000-04:00

I was flying by Indian from Bangalore to Pune. I was tired. After boarding the aircraft, I was feeling sleepy. The aircraft was still awiting for clearances and a low tuned soothing instrumental was playing inside. I yawned few times and was almost dozing off, suddenly I heard a familiar tune. The tune just made me awake. It was an old song by Tracy Chapman, 'Fast Car' - A real neat story of a young girl bored of routine mediocre life. The song seemed to change the ambience of the aircraft for me. Unexpected familiarity - that's what makes you happy all of a sudden without any specific reason!

Tracy Chapman - Fast Car'

I want a ticket to anywhere
Maybe we make a deal
Maybe together we can get somewhere
Anyplace is better
Starting from zero got nothing to lose
Maybe we'll make something
But me myself I got nothing to prove
You got a fast car
And I got a plan to get us out of here
I been working at the convenience store
Managed to save just a little bit of money
We won't have to drive too far
Just 'cross the border and into the city
You and I can both get jobs
And finally see what it means to be living
You see me old man's got a problem
He live with the bottle that's the way it is
He says his body's too old for working
I say his body's too young to look like his
My mama went off and left him
She wanted more from life than he could give
I said somebody's got to take care of him
So I quit school and that's what I did
You got a fast car
But is it fast enough so we can fly away
We gotta make a decision
We leave tonight or live and die this way
I remember we were driving driving in your car
The speed so fast I felt like I was drunk
City lights lay out before us
And your arm felt nice wrapped 'round my shoulder
And I had a feeling that I belonged
And I had feeling I could be someone, be someone,
Be someone
You got a fast car
And we go cruising to entertain ourselves
You still ain't got a job
And I work in a market as a checkout girl
I know things will get better
You'll find work and I'll get promoted
We'll move out of the shelter
Buy a big house and live in the suburbs
You got a fast car
And I got a job that pays all our bills
You stay out drinking late at the bar
See more of your friends than you do of your kids
I'd always hoped for better
Thought maybe together you and me would find it
I got no plans I ain't going nowhere
So take your fast car and keep on driving
You got a fast car
But is it fast enough so you can fly away
You gotta make a decision
You leave tonight or live and die this way.

Celebrations!

2007-04-15T00:23:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was Dr. Ambedkar's birthday. The whole day local youths were busy in preparing for celebrations for that. Evening came. In the busiest part of Vishrantwadi (the place where I live) market the celebration started. Unfortunately I had to go to the market in the evening. As I came nearer and nearer to the market, I could feel my heart literally started pounding physically by the sound wave generated by a consortium of 24 sound boxes. They were playing tunes from popular Hindi remixes. Ten to tweleve boys were dancing in front of the dais with the tune of "Dhoom machale dhoom..." a crowd was just standing there and watching nothing. It seemed they got numbed by the sound and can't move! I don't know how they were standing there, because the sound level there must not be below 200 dB! Late in the evening, somebody informed me, there will be dance numbers from a local group of artists. This is the gala celebration! They wait for this celebration every year - the Ambedkar's birthday! How would Ambedkar feel had he been here?

And today, Poila Boishakh. I can't remember which year it is in Bengali!

The Biggest Industry of India

2007-04-07T09:12:00.000-04:00

I was just going through a week-old news paper when a piece of news caught my attention. It reported the lates findings of a nationwide survey on Worker Population Ratio (WPR) among the country's class I cities (i.e., cities with population more than one million, 27 cities in total). What I understood is that WPR is the ratio of employed persons over total adult population. So it might be an strong indicator of unemployment. The survey has been done on gender basis, and here comes the comparisons.In the male WPR, Mumbai, the so-believed promise land for the unemplyed youth ranks 11th with 78.6% score. Whereas Delhi is far below with 71.4% at 17th rank. The topper of the list is Surat with 88%. Clearly understandable. Surat is purely industrial town. In fact most of the cities appearing in the top ten are justified from a common sense. Say, Bangalore, Ludhiana, Ahmedabad, Indore, Agra, Meerut ... all are densley industrialized compared to its population.In female WPR comparisons, places like Pune, Nagpur, Thane, Mumbai, Ahmedabad appear in the top ten (29% - 20%), whereas Delhi (11.2%) stays way below. Somehow all these places are known for IT or some other soft industry sectors. Interestingly Bangalore doesn't appear in top ten. As for Delhi, it was never a good place for women!As for Patna, very expectedly it ranks last in both male and female WPR.So the comparative study indeed a representative of industry penetration into the grass-root level of population. And the myths get clarified through surprise statistics. The per capita income may be high on metroes but WPR is much higher in cities brought up industies.Now there comes two real surprises! First one is Jaipur's rank of the scond topper in female WPR. In fact Jaipur has showed a steep increase in female employemnt (27%) in last five years! Which parameter can be attributed to this unexpected phenomenon? Penetration of education? Or insufficient contribution of male income to the family hosehold? Jaipur is not that industry powered. Then what? This is something to be looked in to. And moreover, Jaipur (38%) supasses nearest contender (Pune, 29.3%) by a whopping 9%. It is surely not a joke!The second surprise, which as a matter of fact seemed very obvious to me after a second thought, is the city that ranks second in male WPR and first in female WPR. Before revealing the city, lets solve a puzzle.Which is the biggest industry in India?Garments? Steel? Automobile? IT?Allmost all the cities appearing in the top lists of both the WPR is backed by one or more industry sector; still none of them have been able to perform consistently in male and female WPRs. In fact, other than the city in question, only Indore (4th in male, 5th in female) and Ahmedabad (7th in male, 8th in female) have been able to manage a top ten spot in both the male and female lists. So the power of this industry, which is backing up our city in question is undoubted.The city is Varanasi. The industry backing it is Religion, the biggest industry in India.Varanasi records a 86% male WPR and 41% female WPR and has no other industry except religion. Isn't it very obvious in India?There are more puzzles to solve. We talk of women liberation. 'Modern and cultured cities', like Pune, Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi, Kolkata, etc., where this 'woman liberation' is a burning issue, a regular topic of discussion and processions lag way way behind in female WPR old, tradional cities like Jaipur and Varanasi. How to explain this?

Confusing politics

2007-03-14T12:10:00.000-04:00

After Singur its Nandigram. It is so confusing... especially sitting far away and almost disconnected from daily news (I don't have a TV and stopped taking Newspaper). My sister is appearing for her XIIth, probably the most important public examination that determines the student's future. Day after tomorrow is her first exam. She called me this evening and said,
"I have a surprise news for you. Can you guess?"
I thought of the wildmost news and answered very matter-of-factly,
"Your exam has been postponned."
She was stunned!
"How did you come to know? Are you watching TV?"
This was my time to get puzzled.
"No I just told you the most unprobable thing. Is your exam really postponned?"
"Yes, We have a All-Bengal Strike day after tomorrow..."

Bandh, Hartaal, Strike ... These were slightly off-the-track for last couple of years. Thanks to unputdownable Mamata Banerjee and industrialization of West Bengal, they have come back with a bang! Tomorrow and day after tomorrow are consecutive bandhs called by various poilitical parties. So the students can wait, let the issue be politicalized first.
In Singur the Tatas wanted to build an automobile industry. They took hundreds of acres of field for that. Protesters came, as most these lands were moderately fertile and few part was very fertile. So the farmers will lose their business. Well, the industry will certainly create employment for more people than all those who will lose their land, but still...
So entered Ms Mamata Banerjee and Trinamul. They put up heavy protests, which were followed by riots, bandhs and hunger strike. Everything in vain! Tatas are on their way to build up the industry. It was not a very successful campaign for Mamata. So at Nandigram they had to play more cautiously.
At Nandigram Govt. is planning for a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) for Chemical Industry to rip the benefit of proximity of Haldia port and petrochemical industry. Eventually most of Nandigram is barren salty land. But protest is more vigorous here. Opponents have allegedly brought cadres from outside of Bengal to protect their stronghold. They have even cut-off the roads to prevent incoming traffic in the whole area. This situation lasted for almost a month and today the police were there to evict the outsiders and clear the land. I heard ten people has been killed by police. This has added more spice to the tasty dish of political turmoil. So there is Bandh. Tomorrow called by SITU and day after by Trinamul and Congress.
Whatever news I get are mostly from my parents when I call them. They are commoners. Singur or Nandigram shouldn't bother them. But still they are bothered like all other Bengalis. What I don't understand is that when everybody is talking of unemployment, poverty, crime rate, etc, an industry like automobile or a SEZ may light up the scenario for sure. There is certainly a price ot pay, the land, in these cases. But if you think economically the industry will generate more employment and revenue than hundred acres of land. Ofcourse it wold have been a real concern if we were running short of farming land. But at least at present we are not. Some say, they could have chosen a barren land for automobile industry. Sure, they could but the infrastructure is poor and moreover you should give some positive points to the man who is going to invest. Again Nandigram is a barren land. But still there is no dearth of protesters!
I think its not the immediate effect of losing land and homes. What we should think about is the social impact of having such big industries. Economically an automobile industry will bring forth a huge amount of small scale industries in its vicinity. (I'm not clear about of Chemical Industry, but anyway they are on barren land!) This means a lots of employment. This will lead to decrease in antisocial activities as the youths will be engaged and employed. Yes the nearby villages will become more and urban losing its virginity and culture. That is a trade off. But we are already going towards that, only industrialization will make it happen faster! Similarly if more and more industries come up, then we may land up in shortage of farming land. But at present, I presume, we don't have that musc fear. What we need more is to strike a balance between industry and farming. And now we are really lacking in industry.

By the way, bandhs are normally called on Fridays and Mondays (especially the ones called by Trinamul) so that one can enjoy a long weekend! Otherwise they could have combined their protests by calling a bandh on same day as SITU, i.e., on Thursday.

Vegetable Story

2007-03-01T13:50:00.000-05:00

I was in the vegetable market after office. Bright white radish, shining cauliflowers, green peas, cabbages were abundant. The winter isn't over yet. But now at least at Pune you can't guess the season from the vegetable available at the market.
I remember in our childhood winter was usually marked by arrival of cauliflower and coriander leaves. We used to devour the cauliflower curry spiced up with green coriander leaves and peas. Cauliflower used to be one of my favourite vegetables. So was beet. But now I eat cauliflower throughout the week. Not only cauliflower, almost all the vegetables are available throughout the week. They doesn't seem so tasty now. Now-a-days when I go to market, I try to avoid cauliflower, cabbages, beet, gourd, tomato, spinach as they are very common. But then what is left? Sometimes I get tired of having the same set of vegetables in the market. The evergreen presence of the seasonal vegetables have stripped the taste and charm out of them. They are now as ordinary as potato.
Although, I dare not say potato is a ordinary vegetable. It is one of the prime vegetable in our dishes. Its a filler in every dishes. Just like a piano or accordion playing behind a songs fils the void, potato completes the curry. It used to be one of the cheapest vegetables. Now prices are rising. But still it is one of those few vegetable which the poormost category of vegetable buyer (considering the fact that poormost part of the society can't buy a single thing on a regular basis except country liquor or bidi) buy on a regular basis. I think after the food grains like rice or wheat, potato is the most popular vegetable in our country. But as it is too common, its presence is never felt unless the price soars high all of a sudden. Similar things are happening for other vegetables also. They are becoming season independent.
On a hot summer day cauliflower doesn't delight me now, nor do patol in winter night.
I miss old vegetables.

Oh! What a beautiful morning!

2007-02-25T01:18:00.001-05:00

11:45 AM.
Just now I finished sweeping and mopping my room after three months!
What a beautiful Sunday Morning!

Good Morning Starshine

2007-02-23T23:47:00.000-05:00

Saturday morning. Its unusual to wake up so early at 7:30 AM! With cup of black tea I came to my veranda. Mild sun rays flowing over the fruit-bearing Palash tree is caressing the floor of the balcony. I remembered one song. I played the song on my desktop.
"Good Morning Starshine!"
With the song came the artist's credit. It is Oliver (I don't know the authenticity of this information but I know this is from a musical called 'Hair'). That reminded me of the movie 'Oliver!' I watched on TV couple of months ago during one of week long holidays at home. I liked the movie for wonderfully spirited choreography. That TV channel (Sony PIX) was running a series on orphan movies, and 'Oliver!' was followed by another charmer, 'Annie'. I had planned to write a review on them, But eventually forgot.
After a long time, almost three months, I am at my room on a Saturday and have not planned yet to go out on tour. Yesterday I was just thinking to go out on Saturday to the city of Pune and have some nice montages on my new camera. I postponed the plan for one more day and started to write on 'Oliver!' and 'Annie'.

Here they are.

The Orphan Story Part - I
The Orphan Story Part - II

21 she February

2007-02-21T12:18:00.001-05:00

Today is 21st February. The Language Martyr Day. It is the day when the common people of Bangladesh came to streets with demand of making Bengali, their native language the national language instead of Urdu. Few Bengalis still get emotional, few more get proud of their Bengali origin on this day. The reason is very simple, this kind of martyrdom for a mere language was unprecedented, and we did it! YO! And that is a one-day pride. From next day onwards we again feel sorry for our mother tongue. What a pity!
In today's world English is the most dominating language. Though Bengali is believed to be one of the sweetest languages, it is ultimately confined as a regional language only. And the Bengali speaking population is decreasing day by day. The future of Bengali is bleak.

Back again

2007-02-15T12:14:00.000-05:00

Finally I'm back on my seat! It had been long and winding tour for almost a month. My room is filled with cobwebs, my computer is covered with dust. The air inside is stuffy. The bed sheet covering my bed has a visible layer of dust on it. My veranda also filled with dust and flying Palash (Flame of the forest) seeds. The Palash trees in front of my veranda are now full of fruits. A bunch of parrots are loitering on them. The seeds ejected from fruits have covered my veranda.
Its all dirty and dusty. Still its good to be back.

Mandu Pics ...

2007-01-21T21:25:00.001-05:00

I bought a camera. A beginner's SLR. It was a very old dream, and now I own an SLR. Yo! This is my camera Vivitar V3800N (Photo Courtsey - Amazon.com)
Today I'm moving out again for couple of weeks. This time I'll have a trip to home also. Ahh.

Meantime I just uploaded my pics of the trip to Mandu, MP.

Unsolicited calls

2007-01-17T11:52:00.001-05:00

I was in the office. I got a call on my mobile from an unknown number. A young lady was on the opposite side of the phone.

- Sir, may I talk to Mr. Roy?
- Ya, talking.
- Sir I am calling from ... Bank, do you use any credit card, sir?
- Where from did you get my number?
- Sir, I have a database with me.
- Where from did you get the database?
- Sorry sir, what?
- Where from did you get the database with my number?
- I got it from the office, sir. My boss gave it. Do you use any credit card, sir?
- Well, eventually, I do. But tell me some thing. What is your name?
- ...
- Ok, which bank are you representing?
- Sir, ... Bank.
- And what is the name of your boss?
- Sir, but sir, why are you asking these?
- I am just inquisitive about the database with my personal mobile number!
- Sir, I got the database from my boss.

I hear her voice cracking. There was a break. She talks to somebody, another lady's voice replies, 'Cut the phone yaar'. Some more noises come through the earpiece. I talk to mouthpiece, 'Hello!'

- Yes sir?
- Can you tell me the name of your boss, from whom you got the database?
- Sir I got it from my manager.
- Yes, tell me the name of the manager.
- But sir, why are you enquiring all these?
- Because you called me in my personal number. I don't want any unsolicited calls at this number. This supposedly a personal number and that is why I want to know how did you get my number!
- But sir, we have database sir!
- Yes, I know that. That is why I want to know the name of your boss, who gave you the database. Do you know, yesterday the High Court has imposed a fine of Rs. 50 Lakhs for these kind of unsolicited calls from a certain Bank?

I can feel the moisture in her voice. She is about to cry. She, I presume got worried about her job.

- OK, Miss ..., you personally have nothing to do with the fine. But certainly your boss might have to! OK?
- OK sir.
- Please convey this message to your boss. OK?
- OK Sir.

She seems sobbing. I cut the phone.

That lady is a poor call center lady. She has, as a matter of fact, nothing to do with all these unsolicited calls. Only thing is that she is ordered to gather all potential customers. This policy of direct marketing is the culprit. Its irritating. And the judgement from the High Court is very very just. In the judgment a fine of Rs. 50 Lakhs has been imposed on the bank and the cellular service provider. It is a great decision.

But eventually the call I got was from a bank whose credit card I have already applied for and got sanctioned. But due to my absense at station the courier couldn't deliver it. It got returned to the head office of the bank. But I have started recieving my bills! May be the call was regarding any information on that issue! Was I too impulsive? But then why should she ask whether I use any credit card or not?

Running on empty ...

2007-01-15T12:35:00.002-05:00

For last couple of months, I'm running and running. Nashik - Bangalore - Goa - Bangalore - Indore - Bangalore ... Allmost alwyas travelling by bus seating for 15 - 16 hours at a stretch. I've been in Pune for hardly seven days in last two months.
After coming back from Bangalore yesterday, I was feeling dead tired. My room is dirty and dusty. I've not cleaned it for two months, Clothes are schattered, the kitchen is full of spiderwebs as it was hardly used for last couple of months. After coming back from a trip I didn't get any enthusiasm to cook, or rather to buy vegetables to cook or to even clean the room as I knew I'll have to move again on the next day! My vegetable stock is now some chilli, onions and potatoes all dried up. Potatoes have started germination. Stock of ready-to-eat dishes are empty.
I may have to move again in a day or two. I am very fatigued now. Only thing I can do now is sleeping. I had a rest today as today was holiday. Makar-Sankranti. As per the traditional rituals, today we are supposed to clean our house dispose off old utensils and start using everything new. But I am not in a state of cleaning now.

A well planned vacation

2007-01-04T14:04:00.002-05:00

We have got three days off this weekend! I was planning to have a hike off like last year's Chikhaldara trip. Planning in the sense, I had just chosen few places of overnight distance. Yesterday evening one friend came along and was eager to join me. OK - no problem. He said, lets plan properly, where to go, how to go ...
So we sat down in front of the internet. Searched up and down and shortlisted the same few places I had shortlisted earlier!

Toranmal
Lonar
Matheran
Murud-Janjira
Aurangabad-Ajanta-Ellora
Mandu
Daman

Matheran was striked out at the first instance as it is very near and you can go on any weekend! Then a second friend came in. Daman was next to be out. It is too far! Next was Toranmal, Mandu and Lonar as they are slightly off beat! Places like Toranmal and Lonar are not typical crowdpulling. But from my past experience of Chikhaldara, I knew they offer real virgin beauty of nature and great chance of exploration new bounderies. I like these kind of spots. But when you are going as a team, you must consider others' points also. And to be more selfishly precise, I wouldn't like go to these places with someone who doesn't appreciates sight-seeing rather than the spirit of travelling. So let them be my own pleasures.
With all these calculations we finally came down to Murud-Janjira and Aurangabad. This time two more friends came into picture. But one of them had already visited MJ and the other had visited Aurangabad! The first one was soon out of the campaign as he had some other appointments this weekend. So we three again got together started discussing all over. I didn't really prefer Murud-Janjira as I was actually planning for hill or jungle not a beach! So when all the places were again discussed, among three of us, Toranmal suddenly emerged as black horse as the third friend is fond of trekking. Now the battle narrowed down on Toranmal and Aurangabad. I liked all the places, and I don't mind to go to any of them either. So I tried to keep a nutral position!
After a long meeting of almost five hour, when we went to bed, it was still undecided where to go. TOday we were supposed to meet again in the office to finalize. But we couldn't make it and when we got together after office, it was too late for today to start on a trip! I realized they won't be able to make it at all and went back to my original plan of goign alone. May be they'll go for a hike in the nearby Sinhagad or Shivneri and I might go to Mandu or somewhere else through Nasik. It all depends how do I feel tomorrow morning! My vacation is already half spoilt and over planned.
Moral of the story: we plan only when we are afraid of the unknown!

Happy New Year

2007-01-01T00:06:00.000-05:00

Everyday is a new year's day and every night is new years eve! Why do we celebrate so vigorously on this particular 31st December night? Last night was a restless night. Fireworks and crackers made the night sleepless. I was, I don't know why, in a depressed mood. I tried to sleep off early and the firecrackers kept me awake till one o'-clock in the early morning.
Lying on my bed I was thinking why the hell we celebrate this new year so ecstatically? What is the reason behind 31st December being the last day of the year? I mean to say the year could have been started at any other day - say 1st February!
There must be a reason behind the calenders we follow - a real astronomical or socio-economic reason. Say if the new year starts after the last day of harvest it is well justified. Over a century of evolution that particular last-day-of-harvest could be fixed to be a particular day in a particular calender. Reasonable, isn't it? But to be more authentic, the calender should follow astronomical events, not simple earthly events, which are not so perfectly regular. For example if a calender is based on the Equinoxes and Solstices, it will be a perfectly reasonable calender.
I think every calender is based on astronimcal events. But I was wondering which astronomical events form the basis of the Julian calender that starts on 1st January, 11 days after the Winter Solstice.

You and I ...

2006-12-27T07:48:00.001-05:00

A pug and a kid. Momnets together captured in slightly soft focus, in slightly dark tone. The pug follows the kid like his shadow, and the soft song in the background ... the loved Hutch advertisement.
Whenever the advertisement is played on TV - in its full or abridged version, the tune of the jingle is sure to catch your ear. I don't have a TV. So I've seen the ad in some friends house and never watched the full version, at leat as far as I remember. The tune of the song playing in the background if the ad for a couple of seconds recently caught my attention and it sounded very familiar. It seemed I've heard the song somewhere else, and it must copied from some famous song. But I couldn't figure out which song! Then finally I asked few friends, they came up immediately that the song is 'You and I, in this beautiful world'. One of them sang the first two lines. It again seemed very familiar, I just couldn't place the lyrics. But nobody could say the name of the original artist. One friend said he has heard this tune playing onboard whenever he traveled by a particular airlines. Anyway I was wondering for a long time where to get the actual info on the original song. Finally I Googled and found the mysterious tune!
Now I am watching it on the link above.
Great jingle!

Again Little boxes ...

2006-12-22T06:15:00.001-05:00

I was standing in the security chek-in queue in Pune airport. There was a TV just beside the queue. I was watching carelessly and then again the same advertisement came up - 'Little boxes on the hillside ...'.
After security chek I proceeded to the departure queue, boarded the aeroplane and then the gas turbine engine started roaring.
This was my first flight! The plane moved to one end of the runway, then took a turn, rested awhile just like a sprinter concentrating and gathering breath to start a fiery run, and then zoooooooo....it started lifting its nose towards the sky. Soon we were leaning backward as it kept on climbing. I looked through the glass. The ground below was retreating fast. The aircrafts standing on the runway looked small. The houses surrounding, the grounds, trees, everything's looked smaller and smaller. Then the western ghats came in the sight. Pune is surrounded by it. The hills from the top looked just like a geographical map! There's a contour line that passes throgh the hilltops making a vein-like picture! In between there are small houses on the valley. They look as small as matchbox. They look identical. Its like a scatterd collection of boxes. Little boxes. I wonder, was Malvina Reynolds on a aircraft when she first rhymed it?

Little boxes on the hill side, little boxes made of ticky tacky.
Little boxes, little boxes, little boxes all the same.
There's a green one and a pink one and a blue one and a yellow one,
And they're all made out of ticky tacky, and they all look just the same.

And the people in the houses all went to the university
Where they were put in boxes, little boxes, all the same.
And there's doctors and there's lawyers, and there's business executives
And they're all made out of ticky tacky and they all look just the same.

And they all play on the golf course and drink their martini dry
And they all have pretty children and the children go to school
And the children go to summer camp and then to the university
Where they all get put in boxes and they all come out the same.

And the boys go into business and marry and raise a family
In boxes, little boxes, little boxes all the same.
There's a green one and a pink one and a blue one and a yellow one
And they're all made out of ticky tacky and they all look just the same.

Little Boxes

2006-12-17T11:55:00.001-05:00

Evening. I was watching TV at one of my friend's house. It was a tea break in a cricket match. I don't watch cricket, but I watch the advertisement. Then I found suddenly the famous Seeger song 'Little boxes' strted playing on TV with a visualization where people clad in boxes literaly following the lyrics. The full song was sung and then behind the boringly box clad men appeared a sparkling red car. It said its for the people who are outside the boxes.
I was awestruck by the idea.

Wintery Afternoons

2006-12-15T10:49:00.001-05:00

The winter has arrived with all its essences. I love this time, this weather - not chilly but a lazy cold sensation throughout the day, lazy mornings and quick evenings. Unfortunately Pune is not so gentle in winter. The lazyness and mild sunshine of the morning is soon broken as the day advances; and at ten o'clock it is difficult to stay in Sun. Sun is always too hot on Pune. Evenings are nice. But the niceties of winter afternoons is absent here. I remember the wintery holidays in my home - after lunch, sitting in the terrace under the mild sun with a novel... I don't have that leisure now.
Still when the morning sun peeks throgh the window to my room in the morning, I fall in love of the day!

Sleeping saga

2006-11-28T12:30:00.001-05:00

I feel guilty of it, but I can't avoid it. I am talking about sleeping in lecture classes. I am taking a week-long course on CFD. It is really important. But whenever I try hard to be awake and attentive, I feel sleepy. Its not that lectures are very boring, or I am not interested, or I am sleeping less in the night ... I just can't keep my eyes open.

First hours, lecture on Numerical Methods.
Student: Madam, how will we decide which equation to use?
Madam: Depends on the situation and physics of the problem. Am I right?
Student: Is there no guidelines that for this kind of flow, we shall use this kind of equation...
Madam: It depends. OK I'll bring my notes tomorrow and discuss this issue. Am I right?

Post Tea Sessions, lectures on Fluid Mechanics.
Student: But sir, if we take case of ... then can we apply the same formula?
Sir: Oh, yes. Since this is a general...but in the case you are referring the viscosity...or no the same formula...so yes...but in that case you don't have this value...then the boundary condition...on the other hand if you take earlier formula it may become easier...

Post Lunch sessions, supposedly a problem solving session on CFD. This is the most vulnerable session. But the teacher is more interactive, as he sopmetime asks questions! We start off with a typical movement of solid in a melting fluid.
Teacher: I want make you independent, what? independent. and hence I'll not solve the problem. I'll only tell you where in this problem CFD can be used. what? where CFD can be used.
...
Teacher: So you see, composite is always better. What is better? composite.
And our problem solving session, where we learned that CFD can be used to model the melting fluid and composites are better in absorbing shocks thus ends.

Amen.

Cryin' in the rain ...

2006-11-24T08:46:00.001-05:00

I've been very busy in very worldly matter for last couple of weeks. My veranda was, as if, blocked. Today I came from office early to bid farewell to Subhradyuti's parents who were vacationating at Pune staying at my quarter. Then I had planned to go to Nasik to Ashwini to escape from the boring world. Uncle and aunty left at four-O'Clock. I rang up Ashwini to confirm his availability during this weekend. He fumbled, mumbled, and then told he has an appointment to keep at Mumbai ...
Tired, I relaxed on the bed. When I came to my senses it was twilight. But Pune doesn't get dark at five-thirty. I came to verandah. It was not twilight, but clouds. It was so blank. I was feeling vacant. I made a cup of liquor tea.
Sometime when you are suddenly out of your things-to-do-list, you feel empty. It seemed that I have nothing to do. I was just spending this week with the aim of going to Nashik in the weekend. Now what should I do? There are two days totally free of any pre-planned work. It felt relieving and vacant at the same!
The red Palash (flame of the forest) flowers were looking gloomy. A cat climbed through the parapate and cornice to get into the balcony of the first floor of the house opposing me. It meowed. A boy from inside opened the balcony door slightly and it went inside. And rain came. The lady in the first floor of my building started watering plants in their balcony. I came back in my room, put the following playlist in Winamp and went back. It was dark by then. It was raining steadily, and my mind was blank.

1. Rent - Seasons Of Love (2:51)
2. Annie - Maybe (2:47)
3. Annie - Tomorrow (2:07)
4. Annie - You're Never Fully Dressed Without A Smile (3:06)
5. Hair - Easy to be hard (3:26)
6. Oliver! - I'd Do Anything (3:46)
7. Oliver! - Who Will Buy (4:29)
8. John Denver - Take Me Home Country Roads (3:12)
9. John Denver - Annie's Song (3:00)
10. John Denver - Farewell Andromeda (4:04)
11. John Denver - Fly Like An Eagle (4:00)
12. John Denver - No One (6:22)
13. John Denver - Rocky Mountain High (4:42)
14. Don Williams - Crying In The Rain (3:04)
15. Johnny Cash - Folsom Prison Blues (2:45)
16. Don Mclean - Empty Chairs (3:27)
17. Don Mclean - Streets Of London (4:08)
18. Petula Clark - Downtown (3:11)

The Seasonal Cycle

2006-11-05T11:01:00.001-05:00

The weather now-a-days have become very unpredicatble. It rains in winter, paddy fields run dry in monsoon, deserts get flooded and what not. For last couple of yeras the monsoon is very stretched in Western India and Eastern India is getting drier and drier everyday. This year Rajasthan got flooded for a week! And back in West Bengal the average rainfall is less than 50% of the usual quantity. Average temperature is rising. Winters are also not so cool.
Say for today in Pune, it was really cold in the dawn; at 11 A.M. it was too hot to get out of the house; and finally in the evening lashes of rain!

Whose fault is it anyway?

The rain in Pune drops mainly year-around!

2006-11-01T12:08:00.001-05:00

Evening.

I was stuck in a shop and the shopkeeper told looking outside, "Its June again!" Someone else replied, "Now its always June in Pune..."

You got it, it was again raining in Pune!

Tired...

2006-10-31T13:19:00.000-05:00

I've just comeback from my long sought vacation of two weeks and I'm dead tired! Vacationating has never been so tiresome, so many work had to be done back in my home and so less time!
Tomorrow again I'm off to Bangalore.
Feeling sleepy.

Oral Health of Hyderabad

2006-10-08T13:43:00.000-04:00

Last few days I was at Hyderabad, my fourth visit to Hyderabad. First time I came here I felt the warmth and cordiality of the city. The city has wide roads, always croweded, crowded buses, always busy streets near Charminar, noisy streets, old buildings, hot weather, and warmth of flowing life underneath its skin. That's what charmed me. Neither in Bangalore, Mumbai or Pune I have felt this feeling.
Two years have past since then. The city has changed a lot. More sophisticated, more posh, cost of living is rising with the IT boom. Roads are more crowded, more in-process flyovers are narrowing down the width of the streets. It is becoming more and more formal day by day. But one thing hasn't changed a bit - number of oral and dental clinics!
Just as you'll find a theatre in every hundred yards in Bangalore, you'll pass by three dental/oral clinics in every hundred yards in Hyderabad! It is really something awkward. Is the city has a real problem with oral health? Otherwise why will there be so many of dental clinics; and most of them seems to be well-to-do. Almost all of them are traditional old dentist's shop mostly run by Muslims with their signboards written in Urdu (as it seems to me).
Hyderabad's population is majorly of Muslim community. Meat is their regular diet. Mostly mutton/lamb sometimes beef or chicken or fish. They are masters in delicious non-vegeterian Moghlai dishes and especially Biryani (ummmm). Is this oily & spicy diet is more corrosive to the teeth than usual vegetarian and occasional non-vegetarian diet in other parts of India? Or is it that Hyderabad has a legacy of traditional dentistry coming down from generations? But then also, why among all of medical science, dentistry flourished here?
There is something teethy here!

Whose Puja is it?

2006-10-01T13:21:00.001-04:00

I was attending a Durgapuja near our colony at Pune. As usual it was a typical Bengali crowd - chatting in Bengali, shouting in Bengali... As a Bengali I was feeling homely. I was not feeling alone, though I was sitting alone in a chair in front of the idol. This ambience is what we crave for during the Durga puja. Being alone gives you a golden opportuninty to watch others. Everybody dressed in ethnic dresses, men in panjabi and payjama or dhuti, ladies in cotton shaRis. Colorful children were running all around. You can distinguish two groups of children clearly. The younger group is of below ten years. They are jubiliant, careless, undivided and playing all around. The older one consists of several groups of children of preteen and adolescents. They are not as free as the younger group. They are mostly sitting and chatting in small small groups. Growing older robs the innocence of comradeship of childhood.
I rememberd my childhood days. We had a durgapuja just in front of our house. The four days puja used to be a constant playtime! Clad in new dresses we used to roam all around with toy pistols. The puja could be reflected in our bright, glowing, astonished face itself. That glow of face is what missing in the elder group of boys and girls. The younger group certainly had that glow, but I could not find the awestruck enjoyment that we used to have to savor the grandeur of the Puja in bright new dresses. It seemed to be just like a holiday for them. I know it is difficult to relate with the emotions of a child after you grow up; and this is the common mistake we make when we try to read the mind of a child.
Then I noticed few local Maharshtrian children, most probably of the bais and the caretakers who are cleaning the mess made by the crowd and keeping the place up. These children were moving in a group in ragged clothes in front of the idol gigling and running around here and there. They don't know who is Durga or what is the emotion of a Bengali's Durga puja. But they know its a grand festival, and you can realize that they are, as if, gobbling the grandeur of the festival. A girl in her teens came in fron fo dias to take a photo of the idol. This group of children gathered at her back eagerly trying to figure out how she is taking a photo in the display of her digital camera. The girl who was closer to our teenager had a triumphant look on her face for being the one having the most comprehensive look at the digital display.

And I found the emotion of awestruck enjoyment, which I was looking for. In a moment I realized who are enjoying the most out of the festival. And I felt gratified by them for making my Durgapuja complete!

A small incident

2006-09-30T13:26:00.001-04:00

During the Durgapuja many organisers arrange for bhog, a public lunch sometimes free, sometimes paid. Simple khichdi and a typical mixed curry with some fries and payes. Simple but delicious food. I went to a Puja in Pune as a guest of a friend of mine who is a member of the organising committee. As the lunchtime neared crowd started pouring in. And the big hall room seemed to congested. Somehow, we managed a place in the first batch as we were the guest of a member! We normally don't use spoons for eating this kind of dishes. But habit of civilized society hasbeen so deeply engraved in some people's mind. They have brought their spoons and bottles of mineral water with them. The organisers start distributing food. We were hungry, the food was delicious and steamy. The typical homely and decent atmosphere of Puja. Almost hundred people were sitting in this batch. Gradually the menu comes to an end. The sweet dish payes is being distributed, when I started spotting another row of people are taking their place behind each of ours chairs. They are booking their seat in the next batch. It feels awkward. Somebody is waiting at your back to finish your meal! But in a public lunch place this is usual.
But then the problem starts. Some volunteers say they have already booked the places and whosoever is booking by standing behind a chair is not permitted to sit there. The sits are to be alloted by the volunteers. The environment starts heating up. Nobody is ready to give up. Nobody has time to wait, its a competitive world - nobody can wait and see their peers are getting serviced before them. The quarrel starts. Young volunteers on the power of their youth starts misbehaving the the elders who were standing behind chairs. Organisers try to control the mob. Everyone becomes agitated; and as usual agitated Bengali never speaks in Bengali - exchange of English and Hindi hot words is started. The soothing homely atmosphere is completely vanished now. I manage to finish my meal and come out struggling to the open place.
So impatient we have become ...

"It makes me want to run out and tell them
They've got time.
Take a step back out and warn them
I've found out I've got time... "

missing adda

2006-09-29T14:17:00.001-04:00

Today is the Saptami. The starting day of the Grand Festival of Durgapuja; and this is for the third time in a row I am away from home in Durgapuja. I am, well, honestly speaking, homesick.
For Bengalis Durgapuja is not a mere puja - its a yearly celebration of life, a time to get together, a time of endless adda at the pandal premises. Though I am not a very enthusiastic addabaj, I like to be there. But somehow the topic of discussions of the adda we used to have in puja gathering have shifted with time. At the end the schooldays the topics had been more on the edge of vulger legpulling and trying out the taboo things, like public smoking, boozing, teasing, smacking. This was a typical growth pattern of middleclass youth in a small town, where the effects of urbanization has started creeping in with the spread of media. We had no real icon in front of us, but we had heard/seen stories of freedom of west. This was an obvious bend the suppressed youth was supposed to take.
From this time on, I started losing contact with my classmates and addamtes for two reasons; firstly many of us parted for higher studies and secondly the larger domain of IIT culture opened a new horizon for me. The major thrust came from internet, which was easlily accessible at IIT. I have never been an active addabaj during Durgapujas after that. Then came career, the distance between us got wider and wider.
But now, today, after a three year distance from Puja adda, I feel nostalgic. I know the turbulence of our old adda has settled now, everybody has matured. The charm of old adda has might not been lost, but has taken a different point of view.
I, seating alone in fornt of my computer in the Saptami night, am longing for the usual addas in pandals...

Homesick in Pune

2006-09-25T21:40:00.001-04:00

Early rising is always a pleasant feeling. Unfortunately, for me early rising is almost synonymous with night-out. Unless you don't sleep at night, you can't rise early in the morning!
But yesterday I had a terrible headache after returning from office and took to bed to rest for couple of hours at around six-o'clock. Afreshed, when I woke up, it was half past four in the morning! Night was still prevalent.
I made a cup of tea and came to my balcony. Only street lights are awake, along with a lonely light in a solitary room in the house just around the street. SOmeone might be a real early riser. But four-thirty, I presume, is too early for a regular early riser especially at a place like Pune where time runs almost half an hour behind the IST. It must be something else. May be the person has to catch a bus/train in the morning, so he is packing off. Or may be he/she has forgot to put the lights off!
The cool breeze and soothing night. It was feeling awsome. The first glow of light started to come in almost an hour later. And it revealed a spectacular dawn. Tow palash trees overloaded with bright red flowers greeted my vision from the two sides of the balcony. I didn't notice so much flowers have coem to them. Palash is a typical spring flower in Bengal, but here the life cycle is slightly offset. In Bengal Palash signifies the Saraswati Puja - festival of youth, one may say. These palash flowers brought back the memories of Saraswati Puja, which reminded me that Durga puja is just three days away and I am still stuck here in Pune. For last three years I have not been home in Durga Puja.
I miss those kashful, shiuli and dhaak. None of them I've found here. Though there are few places here in Pune where Bengalis celebrate Durga puja, I've never felt any attractions to them. They are more business-like than cordial!
The sky is now alighted. This reveals the cirrus clouds scattered over the sky. A typical autumn morning. I feel homesick.

dhNeki shaak

2006-09-24T06:49:00.001-04:00

The Puja special issues of Bengali magazines have appeared at the market. The quality has deteriorated substantially now-a-days. The obvious reason is that a writer produces ten to twelve, if not more, articles for a bunch of magazines within a couple of months. With this kind of attitude towards literature, I don't know where the Bengali Puja literature is heading!
I read a short story of Tarapado Roy in one such Puja issues. It was just like his usual style, a nostalgic story based on real charecters and incidents with an undercurrent of bleeding memories of our divided past - Deshbhaag, or the division of the country.
Author's uncle-of-village-relation, Abinash kaka is a permament resident of US for a couple of decades now with his daughter. Earlier he used to write long letters to the author, now with the advent of technology he sends occasional emails. Each of his mails bears a request to bring something exotic dug up from memories; like an old plate Abinash kaka got as a gift in his childhood, or a certain fruit that is only available in murshlands of Bengal. Tarapado Roy whenever possible carries those things overseas when he goes to visit his son settled in a town near to Abinash kaka's place.
This time Abinash kaka has requested to bring some DhNeki shaak. The author carries a bunch of it with him but the vegetable perishes on its way to Abinash kaka. But later during the trip when he meets Abinash kaka, he is surprised to have the same vegetable on his meal. Abinash kaka's daughter has found the dhNeki shaak in the market somewhere in US. This is a very insignificant issue. But considering the emotional connection of dhNeki shaak with someone who has left his motherland long ago and again the availablity of that exotic vegetabe in globalized-market produces a contrasting optimism with the underlying nostalgia.
Life is made up of small and insignificant things. Only the one who has an eye and appreciation for those insignificant things can enjoy the life to its fullest.

The oldest profession

2006-09-14T04:43:00.001-04:00

I am coming to Bangalore almost once in a month for last one and half year. I've seen it changing; traffic getting heavier, overbridges and subways being born, crowd getting denser, city nights becoming hotter... so many changes, impercievable to a city dweller's eye.
This time I noticed another change. A dramatic rising in the number of girls standing alone in the crowded roads in the Majestic (Kempe Gowda Circle) area at around 9-o'clock in the night. Their attitude suggests clearly what profession they are in. Even sometime you'll find a man bergaining with one of them. Its very natural in a place like Majestic, which is a main entry point of the city and is the place of thousands of mid and low range hotels which are almost always full by daily visitors who come for business or official purpose. This is the oldest entertainment for the society and for these people who flock in for a day or two, it is a real cheap and pleasuring entertainment.
But the number of streetgirls have increased quite a lot in last couple of months, or their behaviorial pattern, their marketing pattern have become more aggressive. Whichever may be the case, this is certainly in indication of rise of influx of middleclass men from small organisations for business/official purpose for short visit. This is in other way is an indication of the booming of small industries and retaqil shops in Bangalore; because these are the places where these outsiders come for.

There is a lot more inferences one can draw from the observations of the traffic in a place like Majestic. I might jot down some days.

A Familiar Face Across the Street

2006-09-10T08:21:00.002-04:00

One of the most sweetest moment in a unknwon city is a familiar face across the street.
Well, Bangalore, in no sense , is an unknown city to me. But still the it is not my city. And when I meet an old friend in a sunday morning market, it feels wonderful. Exactly this is what happened today. Two times!
Almost after two years I met them and when I first saw Tarakda in the morning, I just shouted 'arrre tumi!?...' and then we started all ol'timely talks.
The second one was Bhaskar, I saw him coming a little far away and he too. When we approached near, it was no surprise, as if we knew we will meet here; and started talking just like old days.

I came into this lovely city about three weeks ago today,
and I've been trying to find someone that I can talk to, a friendly face to turn my way.
I walk these streets in silent sorrow, I walk my feet into the ground,
and all I see are cloudy, cold, suspicious faces, I swear to God it brings me down.
Is there no one with a smile for me, no one with a hello in their eyes?
Is there no one who will love me and help me through the dark and lonely night?

The park's so green and full of flowers and lovers lying on the lawn.
I wish I had a lady here that I could laugh with, sweet Jesus Christ, it hurts me so to be alone.
Is there no one with a smile for me, no one with a hello in their eyes?
Is there no one who will love me and help me through the dark and lonely night?
Singing la la la la la la, Singing la la la la la la.

This life is hard and full of trouble, it's painful just to live from day to day.
But if you're weary and afraid don't turn away now,
there's no reason why we have to feel this way.
Is there no one with a smile for me, no one with a hello in their eyes?
Is there no one who will love me and help me through the dark and lonely night?

Singing la la la la la la, Singing la la la la la la.

I just need someone to talk to. It hurts to be alone.
I just need someone to laugh with. It hurts to be alone.
I just want someone to love me. I need someone to talk to. And it hurts to be alone.

Singing la la la la la la, Singing la la la la la la.
Singing la la la la la la, Singing la la la la la la

(John Denver)

Bangalore

2006-09-07T10:54:00.001-04:00

Today morning I reached Bangalore on official duty. This is my frequent destination now. This time I am going to stay here at least for a week. And as usual the moment I get out of Pune and come to roaming zone, I remember so many phone calls to do... to friends, to relatives,etc. Is it being out from usual place reminds me these?
Is it the fact that I am too occupied in day-to-day affairs back in Pune to remember old friends?

Tuesdays are forever

2006-09-05T05:26:00.001-04:00

Is there a reason behind Tuesdays becoming popular with intellectuals?
Say, why did of all the days Mitch Albom chose to visit Prof Morrie Schwartz on Tuesdays ('Tuesdays with Morrie') only? Why just the Moody Blues think so much of a Tuesday ('Tuesday Afternoon')? The answer, my friend, is not blowin' in the wind!
May be after the weekend vacation we take the whole Monday to acclamatize again with the week's work and don't get any time for introspection kind of things. On Tuesday we again gather our pace of work, so at the end of the we have some time for ourselves and start musing on various issues get nostalgic for holidays, dream various things to do on spare time, blah, blah... On Wednesday onwards we get so habtuated with the work that no thought other than work comes to mind. Then again Weekend comes, we get lazy and forget the things we thought to do in weekend. After spending the weekend out of laziness and few pending housework on Monday again we try hard to cope up with work schedule. So on Tuesday again we start thinking what we should have done this weekend and what we should do in the next, start dreaming, start musing...
"Tuesday afternoon.
I'm just beginning to see,
Now I'm on my way.
It doesn't matter to me,
Chasing the clouds away.
..."
And if the Tuesday is a holiday? A Holiday just in the middle of the week is always the most pleasant one; and today, Tuesday is a declared holiday in my office...
"...
All the sounds of the earth are like music,
All the sounds of the earth are like music,
The breeze is so busy it don't miss a tree,
And a ol' weepin' willer is laughin' at me!

Oh, what a beautiful mornin',
Oh, what a beautiful day,
I got a beautiful feelin'
Ev'rything's goin' my way.
Oh, what a beautiful day."

The Villain Battery

2006-09-03T01:09:00.001-04:00

Holidays are lazy days! The day to sleep up to at least 10-o'clock in the morning. Today also I had a look at the bedroom watch before leaving the bed, it was quarter past eleven at the watch. Sleepily I did all the morning washings and grabbed a cup of tea and came to veranda. But the Sun is not at all bright like it should be at eleven, and it seems it just left the horizon. I came back to bedroom, had a close look at the watch and ... it was too late, as I am already awake. All my morning sleep has been spoilt by a stopped watch...

Crash

2006-09-02T00:38:00.001-04:00

Sitting in the veranda under the morning sun of Saturday I was reading a newspaper where I read an article on how human beings are becoming more and more self-centered. The article reminded me of recent movie, which I went to watch in Feb this year after almost four months' stravation of a good movie. And I am glad that I had chosen this one - CRASH by Paul Haggis. It has the weaved a storyline out of some seemingly unconnected persons and incidents. And that again reminded me of another movie seen almost one and half year back - LOVE ACTUALLY, which also had a similar style but on a different background and on a different motif. I might talk about that on some other day.
In very few words CRASH is a movie about racism and us. There are blacks, whites, Iranians, Chinese, Mexicans, Asians ... all of them making their way of life in LA. All of them are human. None of them are bad or good, just human. When one crashes with another, they find what they are, they learn what they are. The point is very simple; its a simplified view of Rashomon effect. We, the audience sympathesize with a victim of racism making the other a villain. But the next moment when perspective changes, the villain is no more a villain for his badness, its the situation that makes him so. Since everyone of us have a different perspective, our sense of good and bad are different, and we are either a victim or a villain. After all, believe it or not, we are racist not by choice.
I don't remember the exact detials of the story. Only thing is that this movie is full of situations that will crash on to each other unexpetedly. But the credit of the screenplay is that it never seems to be manipulative.
I remember the opening dialogue, 'Other places we get brushed past fellow men on the streets. But in LA nobody touches you ... you forget how it feels to touch a human. So you desperately crash on other to have that feeling of intense touch...' (or something like that!)
There is one more similarity between LOVE ACTUALLY and CRASH, despite showing our limitations, our narrowness, both of them have a positive attitude. It doesn't mean that it shows a positive optimistic ending, but it has a warmth of human touch lying beneath its neatly weaved matrix.
And I liked that.

The Rose from the top

2006-08-31T08:42:00.001-04:00

I live in the second cum top floor of an apartment. There is a small patch of land in fornt of the building. The ground floor residents normally take care of this piece of free land for gardening or something else. The ground floor residents of my building had started planting some seasonal flowers last year. Their enthusiasm has died down. Its now all full of weeds and grass, with few young trees of Mango, Papaya, etc. Nevertheless it is still all the same beautiful. A green carpet on the land. Well, my neighbourhood, or rather the colony I live in has a leisurely landscape - relaxing, spacious and green.
When I come back from office, I watch down from my balcony for a bird's eye view of this piece of land. It soothes me. In fact, when the gardening in this piece of land was in process by the ground floor residents, it was not so beautiful. half ploughed land, few saplings, patches of manure lying here and there... an untidy mess. Then the saplings started growing in rows. The green rows on brown field from looked very artificial from the top. Then came flowers. Beautiful, it looked.
By this monsoon, all the plants have died. The aboriginal grass and weeds have covered the land. There is no beautification, but it is now more beautiful than the garden. Nature knows wonders.
Today when I looked down in the evening, I discovered a single rose trying to pull itself amidst the mass of green. An off-white rose. Lonely. Beautiful. Natural.

Flowers never Bend with the Rainfall

2006-08-30T12:32:00.001-04:00

There is something wrong! I am getting a feeling of it. All of a sudden when I left my desk at the office, the feeling crept in. I don't know what is wrong, but still something is. I don't feel like doing anything. Just laid idle on the bed for half an hour in the evening, then thought of watching a movie - something that might elevate my spirits, but ...

Through the corridors of sleep
Past shadows dark and deep
My mind dances and leaps in confusion
I don’t know what is real
I can’t touch what I feel
And I hide behind the shield of my illusion

So I’ll continue to continue to pretend
My life will never end
And flowers never bend
With the rainfall

The mirror on my wall
Cast an image dark and small
But I’m not sure at all it’s my reflection
I’m blinded by the light
Of God, and truth and right
And I wander in the night without direction

(It’s) no matter if you’re born
To play the king or pawn
For the line is thinly drawn between joy and sorrow
So my fantasy
Becomes reality
And I must be, what I must be, and face tomorrow ...

(Simon & Garfunkle)

Education - Preschool

2006-08-29T12:39:00.001-04:00

In our office, we have a man, who has started a pre-school in a locality where most of the residents are not able to pay fees of a pre-school. It is not an amazing deed or astonishing fact, but very very commendable, though. The fact that is more straiking is that the man has a bad reputation in office for being lazy and avoiding official responsibilities and thrifty. I am not a close one with him, in fact, I hardly know him. So I don't have any opinion regarding his persona.
This evening, I met him in a common friend's house. He kept on talking about his school, his endeavor, his wife, who is the backbone of his efforts. His wife is now running the pre-school with two other employees and giving education to a lot of 33 kids. The school is runnning for just two months. He was confident, he'll be able to persue the riches of this locality to have thier kids in his school and show that good education can be given at low price.
This seems a good approach!
Education today has become a booming industry. I have read in old novels - teachers were the poor lot, may be just thirty years back. In fact almost half a century ago from earning point of view teaching was equivalent to a profession of porter or rickshaw-puller! Now, one of my friends had started a coaching class for competetive and aptitude examinations after completing his graduation in engineering. He is now earning more money than many of us. It is a lucrative profession now. The most important aspect of teaching in an institution is that one can earn good money without actually avoiding responsibility if he can tackle his conscience. You get a good salary, you teach a class, you don't bother who is learning, who is not.
The most vital point is that you cannot bypass this education industry. You have to have a stamp - a degree, or a certificate, or you are out of the race. Very few have the guts to defy the importance of formal education, sorry, rather - formality of a stamp of education. There are institutions, where you can get a degree by just paying a negotiable amount! The sad part is that without that sheet of paper stating that this fellow is educated, an education has hardly any value to an individual.
There are few noteworthy human beings, who had defied the formal education system and curved a niche in society. But in most of the cases, they avoided formal education not by choice, but by circumstances. The point I am trying to show is that formal education has a very big dominating effect on society. It is hard to avoid it. And this is the aspect the opportunists are exploiting. They've made an industry out of it. You pay money, you'll be certified as educated; don't bother what education means or what education is.

Lets hope, our colleague can keep up his spirits.

But then how much is the need of a pre-school for a kid to grow up?

Ideal Idology for Idleness

2006-08-28T14:20:00.002-04:00

...

Sitting in the morning sun
I'll be sitting when the evening comes
Watching the ships roll in
And I watch 'em roll away again

Sitting on the dock of the bay
Watching the tide roll away
I'm just sitting on the dock of the bay
Wasting time

I left my home in Georgia
Headed for the 'Frisco bay
'Cause I had nothin to live for
And look like nothing's gonna come my way

So I'm just...

Look like nothing's gonna change
Everything still remains the same
I can't do what ten people tell me to do
So I guess I'll remain the same

Sittin here resting my bones
And this loneliness won't leave me alone
It's two thousand miles I roamed
Just to make this dock my home

Now, I'm just...

(by Otis Redding)

Too short a lifetime

2006-08-27T14:13:00.001-04:00

There are so many things to do.
A lifetime sometime seems too short. So many books to read, so many movies to watch, so many things to write, so many pictures to paint...
I am not talking about all books or movies, but only those which have overcome the oblivion of time - classics or nearly-classics. I am surely not worthy for all of them, but still the small fraction of them which I may cherish are too much!
But there are something beyond them, which have been left unnoticed by a majority due to some odd rasons. Lack of publicity is one of the reasons. In today's world, where that, what is publicized, is good, for a novice reader or movie watcher like me it is a difficult job to distinguish the good from middleclass.
Someday I'll make a list of my wishlist.

Sunshine on my shoulder - Rain on my back!

2006-08-26T09:04:00.001-04:00

There should be a limit! I'm talking about the whimsical mother Nature. It started raining again. For last two months there had been almost a continuous downpour. No sunshine.
Finally last monday I was overjoyed to see the Sun peeping through the gloomy clouds; and today morning when I woke up, my veranda was bathing in cheerful sunshine. Amazing. Glittering greenery greeted me. Everything outside seemd to be rejoicing in harmony. With my cup of tea, I watched the schoolvan coming and picking up children from the neighbouring houses, the milkman coming on his noisy bicycle followed the newspaper hawkers. Everything in a rythm that was missing for last couple of months; or may be my vision was too clouded to discover the rythm.
'Sunshine on my shoulder, makes me happy ...' I never realized that sunshine was so sweet! It was a great start for the day; and morning shows the day.
Sometimes proverbs fail so miserably that we feel dejected for ourselves. The Nature changed its mood in an exponential pace! The clouds overpowerd the Orb before noon and in the evening - the usual drizzling.
Now its almost evening. My veranda is all wet from rain. I am sitting in front of the window, watching the gloomy ruthless Nature. Walls of my room are still damp. The damp smell sometime strangles me. This is where the genesis of pessimism lies.
To hell with rain ...

on a easychair on the veranda

2006-08-24T13:44:00.001-04:00

veranda, Noun

A porch or balcony, usually roofed and often partly enclosed, extending along the outside of a building.

[Hindi varaNdâ, from Persian bar âmadah, coming out and or from Portuguese varanda (perhaps ultimately from Vulgar Latin *barra, barrier, bar).]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition copyright © 1992 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Electronic version licensed from INSO Corporation. All rights reserved.

...

Veranda - the link between inside and outside. Let me be at the veranda and have a glimpse of this beautiful world.