In Transition....

This is Change: A change that is politely, but convincingly demanding my compliance to it.

I'd argue, it is more than just a 'paradigm shift'; I am undergoing a metamorphosis: A complete metamorphosis of my relation with the rest of everything, consciously.

It has put me through a phase of confusion, retaliation and reconciliation.

When change presents itself in the most convincing manner, leaving no reasons to complain about, and, daring to numbly ignore it, in retrospection would seem like a huge,self committed vicissitude. 

With my fully operational critical skills in scrutiny in this direction, I have been meticulously elucidating to all my other facets of understanding and reasoning the ramifications of this new Ideals' Infrastructure,on which the rest of my ideas and decisions would emanate from.

It is very important to base your opinions from a conforming platform of philosophy, unless you are able to create one of your own. And, when you encounter this 'whole' of which you have been a part of, it substantiates the stand you would take on all the issues of criticality in the interaction between you and the rest of everything.

But still, transition of this intricacy naturally would take quite a lot of time, for it to get inculcated into my being.
Until that happens:In Transition.

Yet another Team STUDSAT Birthday Bash :)

After more than two years of being associated with the Team Studsat, and knowing my mates for that long and having been in various situations together, today again was one fun event: Birthday Bash with buffet lunch. Thanks to the 'calm and composed' Chetan Angadi, one of the most important persons in the Team, who happens to be the Team Leader as well. He was treating us for his birthday,
Happy birthday again Chetan :)

The lunch was at Canopy, Brigade Road ( my second time there in 30 days :). We all kind of liked the ambiance for it being 'open', as it is on the terrace, with good food overall :)

Talking about the Team, the warmth amongst the interactions between us is still the same, and feels nice to have seen each other groom in different ways. The kind of constructive team interaction we've grown between us can never be emulated in other places, as I have tried to compare it with my own work, or at any other workplace that I know of.

Anyways, we still have lot more special events between us in the Team,including the Launch itself, and more treats soon from the mates who are travelling abroad for higher studies. And, yeah I owe the team one, I too am on the list, and my chance will be coming soon ;)

The Desperate Weekend Syndrome

By Friday evening, the most recurring status messages I find on all the social networking sites is about the 'respite from a week of work', welcoming the weekend in a - euphemistically put expectant, or bluntly desperate manner.

This is a syndrome emanating from the work and work culture endorsed by the individuals as enforced by the system.

Let us analyze what is happening in today's "Corporate" world:
*(All these comments are generic,and there could be exceptions. I am addressing only the majority)

Firstly, in ideal scenarios desperate respite from work is actually unnecessary. We are supposed to be exercising our skills at work,and that actually isn't supposed to be anywhere close to be burdening 'work'. On the contrary, it should be enjoyable.
So, what is the problem?
People aren't actually exercising their natural, and/or acquired talents and skills at work.People are molded rigidly into stereotype laborers as required for a Company, in the Company's interest. In most cases against the individual's,of course. There is nothing much to be done about this 'clash of interests' in the current Capitalistic system ,for, it is designed to be so.

Secondly, why do people volunteer to get molded into this 'rigid human products', to be used as a resource for any company?
To win the rat race,i.e., to compete and cope with the pressure mounted on them by the system of today's (missing adjective!) society.

To analyze this, we need to go deeper, and look at the causes and consequences.
Catching the consequence is easy: A devotional reverence given to IT and related jobs, starting from the homes of the 'just-okay-fairing' families, and also the impeccably mediocre education system, coupled with naturally accumulated peer pressure.

The cause- One unanimous motive: Study and earn money.
Kids are provided with education with slowly, but strongly infused idea of 'grow up and earn money', giving no heed, whatsoever, to grooming the skills and talents seen in them.

So, who's helping them to get to this?
The education system,(keeping in mind the huge number of 'Engineering' institutions across the country) it preaches them that getting a job in a haven called the IT sector, irrespective of what stream of engineering you are in is the prime objective of educating yourself.
Huff ! Thats more than enough to doubly brain-wash the bubbling minds to such an extent that, most of us see working for someone else, in something you won't enjoy as the best thing in the world!

Thirdly, try appreciating the paradox of work:
Most of us are - Thinking expectantly of the forthcoming weekend from the mid of the week, whilst having just recovered the first two days of the week at work from the hangover of the weekend.
So, where is the massive productivity the industry is boasting of?
Oh, yeah. It's there. But, just look at the quality. Even if there is some little quality attributable to it, look at what price?
By draining out the quality of the lives of all the employees, eventually an entire society!

I know it is already late to blame what has happened. But, how and when did it all get so clumsily complicated?
It happened when all of us were blind, as we are today, towards a peril growing like a monster right in front of us. And, it is like The Earth (not fair to compare to the Earth, but the simile works):

Like we cannot feel ourselves rotating on the Earth, while it rotates,given it's massiveness and our minuscule nature;
We haven't been able to observe the rapid pace at which the system around has drained out the very essence of 'living',
from the proud diaspora of the IT and related industry, while we were busy living fast, impulsive and unbalanced lives.

There is no climax-like epilogue, or a hint of solution for this post, as I touch upon in most posts of my posts, for,
I leave it to you and your mind to churn something proactive this time out.

Questions that haunt!

Is this right?!
Is this what I am supposed to be doing?
Am i headed in the right direction?
Is this the person, or ?
Have i gotten complacent?
What if I had done that, and not this, or not both, but something else?

These, and more such questions are the ones which keep hitting us at regular intervals of time. This happens most of the time as repercussions emanating from the uncertainties of decisions which each of us would have made in the past, and try to blame those for the present, while speculating about the future.

These are normal occurrences with each of us. But, to dwell on these uncertainties, without overcoming them is the worst thing to do with oneself. The solution to this would be either to set the things right in the present - right now, or to make another decision now, which will put the course of activities in future in the right direction.

Both of these actions, firstly, require each of us to clearly interpret ourselves in a correlative manner to the circumstances we are in.Without this, there cannot be a solution out of dilemma of this kind. Just cribbing about it, or talking about the change or betterment will do no good, but will further add to the cause of deterioration.

And again, the occurrence of these question isn't negative by itself. On the contrary,these introspective phases act as checks to the mistakes we might have made. We can either reduce the damage caused by them, or go on to accumulate more of the burden.

Being honest with ourselves, without giving too much reverence to the circumstances conditioning us, would do a lot good in tackling these checkpoint-like introspective questions.

Boulevard of Indian Dreams

Heavy crowd, a lot of noise, shopping malls with no adequate parking space, an eternal traffic jam - These are the constant sights one would see there on a daily basis. I look around, to find an enormous shopping complex with all amenities in it. Just beside it, there is a multi-storeyed apartment, housing the "Brand Bangalore" ambassadors -the ITans.

This is the ambiance from which I start my walk of about ten minutes from my home to a friend's place. Then the song on my lips was "Boulevard of broken dreams", an all time favourite.

As I passed this mayhem, I reached a single crooked street which would end at my destination of that evening. The ambiance there was the most complete definition of something which would be called "utterly messy". The road there had just the slightest hint of surfacing. I observed a medical stores there, calling themselves, "Chemmists". As i smiled to myself and looked away, I confront this guy who is now almost a rogue. He used to play cricket in our team during school days. He looks at me and throws an artificial smile but I could sense his bitter feelings when I looked into his eyes. He always wanted to pursue his education after schooling, but he couldn't, due to few family issues. I think he gets reminiscent about all this when he sees me. After a formal talk with him, without disturbing him much I continued my walk.

As I transcend into that ill-shaped street, I notice the drainage system there was poorer than any of the primitive systems, with an open type system running along the street. That by itself could be a great source of epidemic. The houses standing there haphazardly were either ill planned or non- planned.

People walking on the streets, carried a complacent face, seemingly satisfied with the "almost nothing" they had. They were the people who were not aware of what they should actually crave for - Freedom from Ignorance. These people living a life of ignorance is like a proud blind man who can only traverse within his house and thinks that it is good enough.

I could see men who did nothing, but were just resting under the shade of trees. They were not resting just then, but it has been their routine for a few years now. A few people here categorize themselves into various groups, based on a number of criteria and are ever ready for a communal clash. But, there is harmony amongst the rest of them.

In my opinion, this place is a perfect miniaturization of India in all aspects.

Before the song on my lips could get over, I had reached the end of the street. A sharp turn, then my friend's place was there.

As I walked further, away from this alien, yet so Indian place, I see a totally contradicting scene. Tall apartments,with luxury flats, well surfaced roads, at least one car in front of every house, people who seemed to be in their own complex world, seemingly naive about the pathetic life going on in the neighboring street. I speculate that the average income of these people per day would equal or even exceed the entire month's income of their adjacent neighbors.

I ponder as to how a single street could just divide this group of Indians into people at the two extremes on the economic gauge of India. If this is the case with a small group of people, spread over about a square km area, then the situation on a wider scale with our nation in perspective would not be very different. And this requires serious attention from our side.

This type of diverging growth of India in two opposite directions will never make the 60 year old dream of India becoming a sovereign and developed country. This should be the concern of highest priority in the mind of every Indian citizen. We should work proactively in helping the country's economy to converge in a healthy manner.

All Indians should get the same opportunities to pursue their dreams. All Indians have equal rights to the resources of our lovely nation. Politics, ignorance, poverty, shouldn't be the setbacks for our fellow Indians to live respectfully, with total access to the same services, comforts and luxuries as the other class of Indians.

Let us not blame our forefathers for the present day. Let us work together proactivley and give a better future to our future generations.  

PS: Verbatim copy of what I could call my first article written in September, 2007. This article was published in my College's Annual Souvenir, and I was also awarded that year's Best Article Prize for the same. 

Talking about the disparity, I can tell you it has only worsened in the above mentioned place, as it has in the entire country! 

Escapsim!

Michael Jackson, in last of his appearances in "This is It" says that people crave for entertainment as an 'escapism' from their routines, and that exactly is what entertainers are supposed to be doing - Help people in their pursuance of Escapism.

The idea of Escapism has since then occupied my mind. I happened to relate Escapism as the source and sink of creativity - Many use creativity as a means to Escapism, while the rest seek Escapism in the creations of creative people.

Then the question arises: Why do we need to escape from ourselves?

I'd say, it's not escaping from ourselves - It is escaping to a truer self from the socially fabricated one. Escapism isn't something negative, serendipitously, it helps increase the positivity within oneself.

In simpler terms, we could analyze the concept of true relaxation: It plainly is breaking free from the forces of social commitments, drifting towards the rendezvous with a Utopian self, who has only one ideal - To be blissfully happy.

And, whenever we are able to reach this state either by consuming others' creativity or creating something on our own, we have succeeded in the escapist hunt of the self :)

ಕನ್ನಡ ಸಂಸ್ಕೃತಿ : ಒಂದು ಚಿಂತನೆ

"ನಾವು ನಿಂತ ನೆಲಕ್ಕೆ, ಅದರ ಚರಿತ್ರೆಗೆ, ಪುರಾಣಕ್ಕೆ ಮತ್ತು ಪರಂಪರೆಗೆ ನಾವು ಸ್ಪಂದಿಸಲಾರದವರಾಗಿದ್ದೇವೆ. ನಮಗೆ ನಮ್ಮ ಚರಿತ್ರೆ ಗೊತ್ತಿಲ್ಲ, ಪುರಾಣ ಗೊತ್ತಿಲ್ಲ, ಕಲೆ ಗೊತ್ತಿಲ್ಲ, ಸಂಸ್ಕೃತಿಯೂ ಗೊತ್ತಿಲ್ಲ. ಹೀಗೆ ಗೊತ್ತಿಲ್ಲದಿರುವುದು ಒಂದು ನಷ್ಟವೆಂದೂ ಗೊತ್ತಿಲ್ಲ!"

ಜಿ.ಎಸ್. ಶಿವರುದ್ರಪ್ಪನವರ "ಯಾವುದೂ ಸಣ್ಣದಲ್ಲ" ಗದ್ಯ ಸಂಕಲನದಲ್ಲಿ ಇರುವ "ಕನ್ನಡ ಸಂಸ್ಕೃತಿ : ಒಂದು ಚಿಂತನೆ " ಲೇಖನದಿಂದ ಈ ಮೇಲಿನ ವೇದನೆಯ ಮಾತುಗಳನ್ನು ಸ್ಮರಿಸಿದ್ದೇನೆ.

ಇದನ್ನು ಓದಿದಾಗ ನಿಮಗೇನು ತೋಚುತ್ತದೆ ?

ಚರಿತ್ರೆ, ಪುರಾಣ, ಪರಂಪರೆ, ಸಂಸ್ಕೃತಿ - ಇವೆಲ್ಲ ಈ ಇಪ್ಪತ್ತೊಂದನೆಯ ಶತಮಾನದಲ್ಲಿ ಪ್ರಾಚೀನ ವಿಷಯಗಳಾಗಿ ಹೋಗಿವೆ ಎಂದು ಅನಿಸಬಹುದು. ಇವುಗಳಿಗೆ ಈ ಗಣಕಗಳ ಯುಗದಲ್ಲಿ ಏನೂ ಮಹತ್ವವಿಲ್ಲವೆಂದು ಭಾವಿಸಿ ನಮ್ಮಲ್ಲಿ ಬಹಳಷ್ಟು ಜನ ಕೃತಕ ಜೀವನವನ್ನು ನಡೆಸುತಿದ್ದೇವೆ.

ಆದರೆ ನಮ್ಮ ಬೇರುಗಳಾದ ಕಲೆ, ಪರಂಪರೆ, ಸಂಸ್ಕೃತಿಗಳನ್ನು ಮರೆತು, ಪಾಶ್ಚಿಮಾತ್ಯ ಅಥವೆ ಇತರೆ ಕಲಾಚಾರಗಳನ್ನು ನಮ್ಮದೇ ಎಂದು ಭಾವಿಸಿ ಹೆಮ್ಮೆಯಿಂದ ಅನುಸರಿಸಿ ನಡೆದು, ಈ ದಿನ, ನಮ್ಮ ಸಂಸ್ಕೃತಿಯ ಮೆರುಗು ಕುಂದಿಹೋಗುತ್ತಿದೆ. ಜೊತೆಯಲಿ, ನಮ್ಮ ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿತ್ವಕ್ಕೆ ಗಣನೀಯ ತತ್ವವಿಲ್ಲದೆ, ಅದು ಹರಿಯುವ ನೀರಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಕೊಚ್ಚಿಹೋಗುವ ಕಸದಂತೆ ಎಲ್ಲೆಲ್ಲೂ ಹರಿಯುತ್ತಲಿದೆ.

ಆಂಗ್ಲದಲ್ಲಿ "identity crisis" ಅಥವ "ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿತ್ವ ಬಿಕ್ಕಟ್ಟು" ಎಂಬ ಕಳವಳವು ನಮ್ಮೆಲರನ್ನೂ ಒಂದಲ್ಲಾ ಒಂದು ರೂಪದಲ್ಲಿ ಕಾಡುತ್ತಿದೆ. ಇತರೆ ಕಲಾಚರಗಳನ್ನು ಪ್ರಯತ್ನಿಸುವುದರಲ್ಲಿ ಏನೂ ತಪಿಲ್ಲ, ಆದರೆ ನಮ್ಮ ಸ್ವಂತ ಸಂಸ್ಕೃತಿಯನ್ನು ಮರೆತು ಅವುಗಳನ್ನು ಅಳವಡಿಸಲು ಯತ್ನಿಸುವುದೇ ದೊಡ್ಡ ತಪ್ಪು.

ಹೀಗೂ ಇಲ್ಲದೆ ಹಾಗೂ ಇಲ್ಲದೆ, ಇಂದಿನ ಜಗತ್ತಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಒಬ್ಬ ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿಯ ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿತ್ವವು ಗಾಢವಾದ ಗೊಂದಲದಲ್ಲಿ ಸಿಲುಕಿ, ಅಸಮಾಧಾನ ಹಾಗು ಕೃತಕತೆಯ ಜೀವನದಲ್ಲಿ ಸೋತು; ಸೋತರೂ ಗೆದ್ದದಂತೆ ನಟಿಸಿ, ತನ್ನನ್ನು ತಾನೇ ವಂಚಿಸಿಕೊಂಡು ಬಾಳುತ್ತಿರುವ ಜನರು ಹಲವಾರು.

"ಎಲ್ಲಾದರೂ ಇರು, ಎಂತಾದರು ಇರು, ಎಂದೆಂದಿಗೂ ನೀ ಕನ್ನಡವಾಗಿರು" ಎಂಬ ಕುವೆಂಪುರವರ ಮಾತುಗಳು ನಮ್ಮ ಮೆದುಳಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಸದಾ ಪ್ರತಿಧ್ವನಿಸಿ, ನಾವು ನಮ್ಮ ಬೇರುಗಳನ್ನು ಮರೆಯದೆ, ನಮ್ಮ ಕಲಾಚಾರವನ್ನು ಬಿಡದೆ, ನಮ್ಮ ಸಂಸ್ಕೃತಿಯನ್ನು ಬೆಳೆಸಿಕೊಂಡು ಹೋಗುವಂತೆ ಬಾಳಬೇಕು. ಇದು ನಮ್ಮೆಲ್ಲರ ಕರ್ತವ್ಯ ಹೌದು, ಅದಕ್ಕಿಂತಲೂ ಮುಖ್ಯವಾಗಿ ನಾವು ಒಂದು ಗುಣಮಟ್ಟದ ಜೀವನ ನಡೆಸಲು ಬಹು ಅಗತ್ಯವಾದ ಮೂಲ ತತ್ವ.

The Mad world of mostly Bad Ads!

Off late, although my TV viewing has drastically fallen, I am aggravated for the little duration I manage to watch it.

No guesses. Yes, I am irritated by the silly,pointless commercial ads, and the havoc creating stupid media and news.

Ads can be funny, creative and entertaining, but never should they make you feel stupid or antagonize you with the products.
Let me take you through one of the good ones. The biggest winner here has been the Vodafone Zoozoo campaign: Cute and appealing; It did work a magic for Vodafone to overcome the charisma of the ever following Pug of Hutch fame. Also, there are other good ones from Nokia, Airtel, Mercedes, Toyota, and few others. Kudos to them :)

When such innovations are possible, there are also these ever-increasing disgusting/silly/soft head ads:

• Pepsi's latest with Sanjay Dutt and Ranbir Kapoor: Yuk! That's the only thing I can say about it. Zero brains, Ain't even funny, just repulsive. This for a brand like Pepsi, who had had MJ as their brand ambassador is embarrassing.
• The Gamut of Men's body spray ads, which depict these sprays to be 'THE APHRODISIAC', with flocks of women being seduced by just spraying these is ridiculous, and doesn't do an good to sell their products. AXE did it as an exaggeration and marketed it frivolously, but the rest who followed presumed it to be the fact and have gone foolishly doing it more piously!
• Irrelevant Eroticism to sell basic products speaks volumes about the perception of these brands about the consumers! Look at Close-Up's recent campaign- "Makes you kiss" they say! Also, the Aamsutra tag for Slice's Mango juice with an enticing Katrina. Futile!
• India not Racist: Come on, who said that! Look at all your skin cosmetics ads. They have been consistently, over decades, depicting that people with dark complexion cannot achieve their 'dreams' and you ought to be 'fair' and ' lovely' or 'fair to be handsome'. In this context, one of my friends said, "If India isn't conscious about skin color, why don't we have a product called "Dark & Lovely" ". This is a profound issue, because kids are most influenced by TV and much more by the impulsive Ads. With such dogmatic ads incessantly shown on TV, kids are prone to think , Skin fairness only wins, and not being fair in actions!

I could go on recollecting all the nonsensical ads which are ruining the perception of people, fooling them with hoaxical  and digressing facts, no true facts about the products, mind you!

The so called 'Celebrities' should be more responsible in their endorsing of brands and the ads they are a part of. But, as the ultimate culprit stand the consumers, or the general public for having given such an identity for themselves, where manufacturers treat them like nut-cracks with zero IQ.

The Abstract Mother Nature

Two traits manifested only by Mother Nature are : Her awe-inspiring Majesty and the 'immaculate' abstraction in her manifestations.

To me, the closest of these manifestations by Mother Nature are The Clouds:) If you have known me quite well, you would have observed my passion towards observing the Clouds and clicking its patterns. The inherent intricacy and abstraction attributed to them, makes it all the more appealing.

Like today, I was observing the dark clouds just before today's rains, and there were so many stories being told by the Clouds. The portions of clouds passionately embracing each other, and gracefully departing from each other, with specially added essence by the sometimes loud and sometimes feeble thunders, and the sparkling bolts, as if portraying intense emotions.This act was just 'marvelous'. It actually impressed me so much so that, I have been looking for synonyms for marvelous, as just calling it marvelous makes my experience incomplete!

The best part about any of Nature's feats,like the Clouds is the zero constraining or prejudicing which is imposed on the spectators. Unlike, our own highly prejudiced ways of expressions, take for example this post. I have been trying really hard to bring you close to the frame of mind I was in, instead of letting your imagination guide you the path, like Mother Nature does.

Or maybe, that's why, she's the Mother and we are the nascent!

Connect to M$ exchange server from Evolution in Ubuntu

After trying numerous methods to get my Ubuntu machine connected to the M$ mail server which my company uses for it's domain, finally I found out a simple method to retrieve mails from it. I was lost in trying to add my system to domain, which is cumbersome. To access the mails from the server you needn't be added to the domain.

This isn't a geeky tweak or anything, but it will be helpful to many of you who switch to M$ Windows just to access your work mails coming from M$ server.

• Configure the default mail client in Ubuntu - Evolution by following these steps

1. In the first step, provide your domain mail ID 

2. In the next step select the mail server as M$ Exchange and in the OWA tab fill in the URL of your domain server

3. Authenticate by typing in your domain password, and once authentication is done you can proceed further and complete the rest of the process, which basically sets up your mail client with M$ Exchange.

• Next, if you've already been using Outlook on Windows and have personal folders saved on disk in .pst format, you can still access these mails in your Evolution on Ubuntu by following the steps given in the Help menu of Evolution. This procedure would require you to install Thunderbird or similar clients on Windows.

 

Help for Migrating from Outlook to Evolution

Although, in an ideal scenario one would not want to connect to M$ Exchange, instead, run the server also on GNU/Linux. As organizations seem to fancy the M$  for some unknown reason we can work around this way :)

The Irony of Freedom!

A realistic, contemporary interpretation of "the ideology of being free", or Freedom was put up in one of the mailing lists. It is a transparent and dialectical analysis of freedom, rather than being superfluous and unrealistic. It goes as follows:

Is a jobless man who is starving, free? Is an illiterate, ignorant person, shut off from the world of books and culture, free? Is a man chained to a job 52 weeks a year with never a few days off for rest, vacation, and travel, free? Is a man continually beset with worries about making ends meet, free? Is a man in constant fear of losing his job, free? Is a talented person unable to afford the school-ing which would help his talent flourish, free?


Only the rich are able to enjoy freedom in its broader sense of abundance, security, leisure. The poor are not free. There is a struggle to share the freedom.

After reading these lines, I, conversely started contemplating the ever existent, but, the subdued urge to set ourselves free from various forces binding us to rigidity, in various forms and to different extents.

I believe, the quest to Freedom manifests itself in people, at different strata, to different extents, based on which of their needs are fulfilled and which aren't. It is more dependent on the social coordinate of each individual in this ever expanding, disparity prone framework of the society. The urge to break free from shackles, which hold back an individual is the strongest amongst the suppressed people, who in most cases, aren't in a position to exercise their will because of their disadvantageous socio-economic position.

Freedom, as a matter of fact is not absolute- contrarily it is highly relative, varying from individual to individual, section to section.

For instance, a person who is not able to cater to his basic needs envisages a freedom which would break the gradient between the inhibitors and the needy. Likewise, a mind which is constrained by the lack of any true value or purpose in the society, would want to break free from the rigid shackles of ignorance into cognizance.

These are natural traits in us, which most of the times are expressed only when the suppression breaks beyond a threshold, which again varies with individuals.

But again, most of the time, even when we are aware of the need to be free from such constraints, we seem to grow numb towards this urge, mostly because of the compromises we make in life to keep our wants fulfilled.
We end up being servile in one aspect or another, to something or the other.

This is the Irony of Freedom, constantly haunting each one of us!

Raghavendra's Rhapsody

After having longed for quite sometime, my desire to own and learn a musical instrument has turned into reality- I am thrilled and excited about it :)

I have wanted to learn an instrument for quite sometime, and of all the instruments "Guitar" is that one special instrument which, like it has captured the imagination of every guitarist, convinced me to own one.

The gamut of fun and emotions portrayed throughout the history of music in lives of people has been- should I say-Revolutionary! Here I am, trying to inculcate a little more of it.


I already have fallen in love with her- My guitar- My Rhapsody, hoping soon to churn out rhapsodies from her.

I shall keep you all updated about the transformation of this novice to a passionate player :)
For now, still getting to feel her...

Well... That don't impress me much :)

While talking to a colleague at work about the latest Ubuntu release, he happened to say that he had already started liking it, and it was tough to get him hooked onto any particular thing. 

I immediately started correlating to this trait in me, and how that people or things  I'm passionate about aren't anything close to be being just mediocre- They are the best!

Take for instance, A R Rahman in Indian music, Bryan Adams for his strings and lyrics in the western music, Sigmund Freud for his research, Bhagat Singh and Che Guevara for their revolutionary ideas, Ayn Rand for her philosophy, Swatantra Software in technology, and at personal level - all the people I am intimate with are the best in their own realms :)

I do not know if I'm subconsciously conscious about this, or I happen to get so lucky. But, after deep analysis I cannot deny the fact that propositions in terms of people and everything else approaching me need to be more than just mediocre to appeal to and impress me. 

By saying this, I am implicitly conveying that, I too am more than just mediocre, or, should I add a pinch of vanity to it, and say, more like - tending towards being 'The Best' in whatever I do :)

Defective by Design!

The struggle against Digital Restriction Management (DRM) is going to be the  most important step to secure the access to seamless information as required by an individual in future.

Personally, I have been apprehending this malice for quite sometime now.
And,by using a GNU/Linux Operating system and maintaining open standard data within our personal realms is the basic contribution each of us could be doing towards this campaign against DRM.

Going further supporting this novel cause, we, being the source of creative art, music, literature, technology and every other resource influencing our lives in digital format should stick to the principles of Open Standards, and shouldn't succumb to any restrictive laws.

Public domain data is what will help the world in the longer run, and by encumbering 'Access to information' with selfish and perilous restrictions we are preventing a large population of the world from growing with the rest of us.

To know more about the Defective-by-design campaign and to do your part, visit

http://www.defectivebydesign.org/

'May day' with ITEC

The IT haunted World


My first 'Workers Day',after I have become a 'worker' got me more closer in understanding a threat which I have been personally apprehending about for quite sometime now.

IT in India, and more importantly the unhealthy work culture it has brought with it, eroding the lives of plenty of young IT and IT enabled Services professionals. A serious problem which has been accumulating over the past decade seems to be surfacing up now, after it has taken a rapid toll on a generation of Indians in IT. This is culminating into an awareness these days, with people in IT at least having started questioning the system which is grueling them.

One such effort is the "IT and IT enabled Services Employees' Center" or the ITEC (http://www.itecentre.co.in/) ,which is trying to float a  forum for the IT professionals, so that a common platform is created to discuss and collectively contemplate the remedies for the issues each of them is having to put up with.

Using today's occasion of 'Workers' Day', ITEC had organized an awareness program about " Extended Working hours in IT & it's Effects on Employees". With participation of about 40 IT professionals and other inclined enthusiasts including myself* participated in the event.

The program started off with a small video depicting the ever-stretching work in the lives of IT professionals, ultimately making them brittle.

After the video, one of the ITEC member briefed the audience about ITEC and its objectives, followed by an appealing but concise skit by few members.

The skit emphasized on the physical, psychological and social constrictions on individuals, which have become so ubiquitous these days as a consequence of hectic work. The skit completes with an expectant kid on her birthday, wanting to show her gifts, instead trying to wake up the two IT professionals, who unfortunately are her parents! A consistent undercurrent of remorse was present throughout, on the part of being an IT professional!

The notion of employees being just another material resource, to be fully utilized for the profit-motive of the employers was projected in a prominent manner in the open discussions. Also, the point of the policy about eight working hours even at IT was debated.

Personally, I feel the relation between IT and its employees to be paradoxical!

Quoting a point made by my mentor(not verbatim:),  People blindly aspire for and endorse the supposedly 'elite' status which IT entices.

Initially,people endorse the grueling bestowed on them ignoring all the hardships they are put through. Subsequently, when they are complacent enough about their lifestyle, it is then when they start to notice the 'atrocities'. This culture of compromise at the start is the gain for the Employers, who try to accomplish their objective-More profits!

One pragmatic solution which came out, put forth by a member was about shrinking down the 'Larger than Life' lifestyle people aspire for, and by being ready to take risks to safeguard their personal interests.

ITEC has proven to be a good platform. With more conscious IT professionals involving themselves with ITEC, and raising their unified voice for the common claims is when the objective of this forum be reached.

*FYI:I'm not an IT'ian

Caution: The Lucid lynx-Change is here

Ubuntu 10.04 or Project Lucid lynx is out,and as I have already been updating on my 'social broadcast accounts' via Gwibber, it has undergone a metamorphosis-both technically and I'm afraid even philosophically!

Let me first jot down the glaring apprehensions about this metamorphosis:

• Canonical had been negotiating a deal of using Yahoo as the default search engine, instead of Mozilla Firefox in Ubuntu. Although, it has now released Lucid lynx with Firefox, in future releases it might well switch to Yahoo. This, in the Free Software community we realize to be a set-back, given the snow-balling popularity of Ubuntu. 

• The Release Candidate which i was testing is diverging from the open-standards struggle, by more inclined support and encouragement to proprietary media standards. Ubuntu with it's growing foothold could well be the mediator to enforce open media standards in a gradual manner. Here again, we are going reverse ways. 

• Previously default bundled tools like GIMP,are not available in the RC 10.04(will update this statement if it is bundled in the final candidate).Although, these can be added later by 'apt-get'ing them. 

These are the few important points, we as Free Software activists need to be aware of.

At the end of the day, I am still talking about a Uber Cool, Smart and Fast Operating system, which easily beats all its counterparts in the proprietary domain, which is also Free ( here in the context of price:)
I'm still a big fan of Ubuntu, and here's a list of go-go's in the latest avatar of Ubuntu:

• Faster than previous releases. 
• Love the default theme, and aesthetics ( pre-loaded wallpapers are some of the best pictures you would have seen)
• Comprehensive Ubuntu Software Center, cataloging all the tools in a comprehensive manner

• Newer tools like Gwibber(Social Broadcast messenger),Empathy ( The IM client) and more

• Ubuntu One account to float your data online (A step towards reaching out to 'the  cloud')
• The ususal sleek 3-D desktop effects, which have gotten better #compiz

• Openoffice.org 3.2, quicker and better [Had forgotten about the Sun take-over,Oracle splashes on the startup screen :(]
• There is more concerned approach towards Universal Accessiblity issues and Localization. Ubuntu Software center has good projects in this regard. 
• Also, after Hardy Heron (Ubuntu 8.04), we have the Long Term Stable release or the LTS with Lucid Lynx with support for three years. 

And, loads of other things to keep you stuck with the lynx.

I've been using Ubuntu since almost three years now, and I'm yet to feel complacent about it.

Lucid lynx is better, wrong at places, but never to be ignored :)

Happy Birthday Lucid lynx :)

Spirituality --> Know Thyself

Nothing exists without purpose. Sometimes, true purposes, with time get scrambled by ageing and lose their authentic context.

I can quote, and you might also be able to relate to lots of examples to substantiate this argument.
For instance,I have spoken about the misconception of the concept of 'God' previously.It could be one.
Transcending in similar lines,let me tackle another close conceptual associate of the idea of God -Spirituality. I should better be attributing Spirituality to be the source out of which the concept of God was churned out, but as a misinterpretation!

Spirituality, by today's definitions, is a quest of something that is essentially not in our humane realms. It is a not a subjective entity, but an elaborate process of attaining a certain state of mind, where the mind is supreme, or enlightened.

Essentially, Spirituality as I have understood, was a mechanism conceptualized to nurture the 'self' to realize one's own potentials. Simple.
In attempting this,and to give the mind a better picture of what it is aspiring to become, a slightly exaggerated idea of the 'objective' was depicted, to serve as a signpost, or like a vade mecum. But,this exaggerated idea, with growing senility of the society, has come to be known as today's 'God'.

With so much of misconception shrouding the true sense of Spirituality, it definitely had to become the lucrative business it is today, attracting hollow humans.

Spirituality simply is a tool / a process / a methodology, helping the mind to realize and perpetuate one's potency, while mitigating the flaws.

Until we try to 'Know Thyself', we will continue to be slaves to every big thing that has gone wrong in the society!

(Know thyself, Greek: γνῶθι σεαυτόν gnōthi seauton)

Rahman's Rustic Raavan

'Rustic' is the word which kept ringing in my head while listening to all the tracks offered by A R Rahman in Mani Ratnam's Raavan.

The album as a whole, I should say Raavan has a typical Mani Ratnam-Rahman sound to it. Six excellent tracks emanating from this combination for Raavan are more towards being script-dependent, than making the album self-sufficient by itself . Like in every album by ARR, all the tracks have something to brag about, with some ingenious lyrics by Gulzar :-)

1.Beera: Almost has a tribal sound to it, as if it were composed in an attempt to emulate the tribes of Eastern India. The lyrics are full of praises to the protagonist, with a feel of vanity to it.
2.Behene de: Another excellent collaboration between ARR and Karthik in this song. This is that one song of every AR album which would keep resonating in your head. You actually feel the 'flow' this song is about.
3.Thok di Killi: This is the most interesting song with a good tempo all along, with some intriguing lyric in it. I am yet to decipher the entire context and implication of these radical lines in the song. Sukhwinder sing takes the song effortlessly through it's phases, making it another good track in the album.
4.Ranjha Ranjha: Surprise track of the album. Superb vocals by Rekha Bharadwaj complimented well by Javed Ali.Every time she sings 'Ranjha Ranjha', the song penetrates deeper and deeper into you.
5.Khilli re: Slow and soothing track of the likes of 'Saanwariya saanwariya' from Swades. Will catch on in the later stages of my album-listening routines.
6.Katta katta: Cheeky track with funny lyric. Genre of vocals used in this track are real good, and it culminates into a new kind of a song from the house of AR :)

One major disappointment for a die-hard fan of AR like me, is that AR hasn't sung any of the tracks. Remember 'Tere Bina' from Guru? :)
Nevetheless, second album of AR for the year after VTV will stand out as a good one as well:) Still waiting for the Tamil version-Expecting some crackling lyric by Vairamuthu.

Inherent inadequacy of words

Sometimes, when I have an idea,or a thought, or some 'neural noise' which I need to dissipate out, words flow out easily conveying the same to the rest of you. Although, in a less effective manner than the authentic source. There are also times, when I might have to force the words out to imply even the quite obvious.

This, I believe is a result of two things: One being my own mental state i.e., the synchronism between the various sectors of my gray matter. Second, about which this post is about-the inherent inadequacy of words, in expressing the quintessential in an effectively wholesome manner. This inadequacy is manifested at various levels in different individuals, not dependent only on the diversity of their vocabulary, but also on the extent of interlinking between their 'neural sparks' (thoughts) and 'archived neural blocks'(words embedded in memory).

Now, if you are thinking of raising the point of 'Creativity'in this forum -Yes, it does play an important role.

Expressing intricately obscure neural sparks is facilitated by Creativity either by providing a different frame of reference in articulation (metaphors, similes and the other kinds of exaggerations), or by gifting people with other 'flowing' skills in the form of art and music.

The extent of inherent constraints in art and music is lesser than that of literature; One reason being that they can be uncontrolled, and can reach a 'sublime' chaos, which is tougher to accomplish in literature.

But again, the power of Literature lies in it's residual levels of abstraction when compared to Art or Music, which in their sense can be as abstract as the Universe itself!

Capitalism: A Love Story

"Capitalism: A Love Story" is Michael Moore's documentary dissecting the 2008 US economy meltdown, which had adverse affects worldwide. In this documentary he rightly attributes this collapse to the failure of Capitalism.

While watching this documentary few of my own questions were answered, and also gave rise to many more important questions.

At a personal level, I happened to approach the idea of "Free Market, Free Enterprise" from the views of Ayn Rand - The one influential philosopher of Individualism. Although, I used to endorse her portrayal of the system, I have begun to realize that 'it isn't as it was supposed to be'.

Growing disparity in any society can never do good to the society. Like in today's scenario, India is polarizing in an accelerated manner. I still might have not understood the economic or the political systems comprehensively to criticize it authoritatively, but I can very well see the flashing mistakes being made.

I, at a personal level am in quest for an answer to this flawed system which is impaired and ineffective.

Michael Moore ends the documentary suggesting a people's rebellion against the
demon of disparity and exploitation.
Again, I am still unsure of its effectiveness.

I do not want to conclude the post with my opinion, while it is still in the making. But, a line from the documentary could end it well.

This is capitalism. A system of taking and giving...mostly taking!

ಮಾತೃ ಭಾಷೆ ಹಾಗು ಅದರಲ್ಲಿ ಕಲಿಕೆ : 'ತಂತ್ರಾಂಶಗಳ ಸ್ಥಳೀಕರಣ'

ಇಂದಿನ ದಿನ, ಸ್ವತಂತ್ರ ತಂತ್ರಾಂಶ ಆಂದೋಲನ-  ಕರ್ನಾಟಕದ ಮುಖಾಂತರ ಒಂದು ಮುಖ್ಯವಾದ ಕಾರ್ಯಕ್ರಮ - 'ತಂತ್ರಾಂಶಗಳ ಸ್ಥಳೀಕರಣ'ವನ್ನು ಮೈಸೂರಿನ  ಶ್ರೀ ಜಯಚಾಮರಾಜೇಂದ್ರ ತಾಂತ್ರಿಕ ಕಾಲೇಜಿನ ಉತ್ಸಾಹಿ ವಿದ್ಯಾರ್ಥಿಗಳೊಡನೆ ಆಯೋಜಿಸಿದ್ದೆವು .

'ತಂತ್ರಾಂಶಗಳ ಸ್ಥಳೀಕರಣ'  ಅಂದರೆ ಸ್ಥಳೀಯ ಭಾಷೆಗಳಿಗೆ ತಂತ್ರಾಂಶಗಳನ್ನು ಭಾಷಾಂತರಿಸಿ, ಅಲ್ಲಿಯ ಜನತೆಗೆ ಗಣಕಗಳು ಉಪಯುಕ್ತವಾಗುವಂತೆ ಮಾಡುವ ಒಂದು ಯತ್ನ.  ಈ ನಿಟ್ಟಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಇಂದಿನ ಕಾರ್ಯಕ್ರಮ ಒಳ್ಳೆಯ ಪರಿಣಾಮಗಳನ್ನು ತಂದದಿದೆ ಎಂದು ಭಾವಿಸುತ್ತೇನೆ.

ಇಂದಿನ ಸಭೆಯ ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಮಾತುಗಾರರು 'ಮಾತೃಭಾಷೆ  ಹಾಗು ಅದರಲ್ಲಿ ನಡೆಯುವ ಕಲಿಕೆ'ಯ ಮಹತ್ವದ ಅಂಶಗಳನ್ನು ಬಹಳ ಆಳವಾಗಿ ವಿಶ್ಲೇಷಿಸಿ , ನಾವೂ ಅದರ  ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಚಿಂತಿಸುವಂತೆ ಮಾಡಿದರು.   ಈ ದಿಕ್ಕಿನಲ್ಲಿ ನಮಗಿರುವ ಜವಾಬ್ದಾರಿಗಳನ್ನೂ  ಮನವರಿಕೆಗೊಳಿಸಿದರು .

ನಮ್ಮ ಮೆದುಳು ಯಾವ ಭಾಷೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ತನ್ನ ಕಲ್ಪನೆ ಹಾಗು ಯೋಚನೆಗಳನ್ನು ಮಾಡುತ್ತದೆಯೋ , ಆ ಭಾಷೆಯು ನಮ್ಮ  ಮಾತೃಭಾಷೆಯಾಗಿಬಿಡುತ್ತದೆ   .

ಹೀಗಿದ್ದಲ್ಲಿ , ನಮ್ಮ ದೇಶದ  ಶಿಕ್ಷಣ ವ್ಯವಸ್ಥೆಯು, ಆಯಾ ರಾಜ್ಯಗಳ ಭಾಷೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿಲ್ಲದೆ  ಆಂಗ್ಲದಲ್ಲಿರುವುದರಿಂದ, ನಮ್ಮ ಮಾತೃಭಾಷೆಯ ಮೇಲಿರಬೇಕಾದ  ಅಭಿಮಾನ ಹಾಗು ಆಸಕ್ತಿ ಕುಂದಿಹೋಗುವ ಸಾಧ್ಯತೆಗಳು ಹೆಚ್ಚಾಗುತ್ತದೆ.
ಈನಡುವೆ, ಎಲೆಲ್ಲೂ ಗಣಕೀಕರಣ ವೇಗವಾಗಿ ವ್ಯಾಪಿಸುತ್ತಿರುವಾಗ ನಮ್ಮ ಮಾತೃಭಾಷೆಗಳು ಗಣಕಗಳೊಂದಿಗೆ ಹೊಂದಿಕೊಂಡು , ಅಳವಡಿಸದೆ ಹೋದಲ್ಲಿ ಇನ್ನೂ ಕೆಲವೇ ವರ್ಷಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ನಮ್ಮೆಲ್ಲ ಭಾಷೆಗಳಿಗೂ ಸಂಸ್ಕೃತ ಭಾಷೆಗೆ ಬಂದಿರುವ ಸ್ಥಿತಿ ತಪ್ಪಿದಲ್ಲ.

ಆದುದರಿಂದ, ನಾವೆಲ್ಲರೂ 'ತಂತ್ರಾಂಶಗಳ ಸ್ಥಳೀಕರಣ' ವನ್ನು ಮೊದಲನೆಯ  ಹೆಜ್ಜೆಯಾಗಿ ಆರಂಭಿಸಿ, ಮುಂದಿನ ಹೆಜ್ಜೆಯಾಗಿ ನಮ್ಮ ಸ್ಥಳೀಯ ಪೂರೈಕೆಗಳಿಗಾಗಿ ಬೇಕಾದಂತಹ ತಂತ್ರಾಂಶಗಳನ್ನು ಬರೆದು ಬಳಸಬಹುದು.

ಈ ಮೊದಲನೆಯ ಹೆಜ್ಜೆಯ ಮೊದಲ ಯತ್ನವಾಗಿ  ನಡೆದ ಇಂದಿನ ನಮ್ಮ ಚಟುವಟಿಕೆಯಲ್ಲಿ, ಸುಮಾರು ೩೦ ವಿದ್ಯಾರ್ಥಿಗಳು, ಹಲವಾರು ಪ್ರಾಧ್ಯಾಪಕರು, ಮತ್ತು ನಮ್ಮ ಉತ್ಸಾಹಿಗಳು ಎಲ್ಲರೂ ಕೂಡಿ  ಆಂಗ್ಲದಲ್ಲಿದ ಡೆಬಿಯನ್ ಓ ಎಸ್ ಅಥವ ಕಾರ್ಯ ವ್ಯವಸ್ಥೆಯ ಕೆಲವು ಮುಖ್ಯ ಭಾಗಗಳನ್ನು ಕನ್ನಡಕ್ಕೆ ಅನುವಾದ ಮಾಡಿದರು. ಈ ಚಟುವಟಿಕೆಯು ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಸಮಯದ ನಂತರ ಬಹಳ ಮನೋರಂಜಕವಾಗಿ ಕಾಣಲಾರಂಭಿಸಿತು. ಏಕೆಂದರೆ, .ಆಂಗ್ಲದಲ್ಲಿರುವ  ಹಲವಾರು  ತಾಂತ್ರಿಕ ಪದಗಳನ್ನು ಹುಡುಕುತ್ತ , ಅವುಗಳನ್ನು ಸೃಷ್ಟಿಸುತ್ತ  ನಡೆದ ಈ ಪ್ರಕ್ರಿಯೆ ಒಂದು ಸಣ್ಣದಾದ  ಪದಗಳ ಹಬ್ಬವಾಗಿಹೋಯಿತು .

ಇಂತಹ ಚಟುವಟಿಕೆಗಳು ಆಗೊಮ್ಮೆ- ಈಗೊಮ್ಮೆ  ಅಲ್ಲದೆ ನಿರಂತರವಾಗಿ ನಡೆದರೆ ಮಾತ್ರ ನಮ್ಮ ಗುರಿಯಾದ- ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ ಪೂರ್ಣ ಗಣಕ   ವಿಜ್ಞ್ಯಾನ ಹಾಗು ಇದರಿಂದ ಜನಸಾಮಾನ್ಯರಿಗೆ ಅನುಕೂಲ- ಈ ನಿಟ್ಟಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಹೊಗಲು ಸಾಧ್ಯ.

ನಿಮ್ಮಲ್ಲಿರುವ ಕನ್ನಡದ ಅಭಿಮಾನಿ ಬರಿಯ ಮಾತುಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಸೀಮಿತವಾಗಿರದೆ, ಇಂತಹ ಕಾರ್ಯಕ್ರಮಗಳನ್ನು ನೀವು ಸಂಬಂಧಪಟ್ಟ ಸಂಸ್ಥೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಹಮ್ಮಿಕೊಳ್ಳುವಿರಿ ಎಂದು ಆಶಿಸುತ್ತೇನೆ .

ಹಿನ್ನುಡಿ :  ಸಭೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ತೀಕ್ಷ್ಣವಾದ ಸರಳ ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ ಮಾತನಾಡಲು  ನನಗೆ ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಕಷ್ಟಕರವಾಗಿರುವುದರಿಂದ  ನಾನು ವೇದಿಕೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ ಮಾತನಾಡಲು  ಹಿಂಜರಿಯುತ್ತೇನೆ. ಇದಕ್ಕಾಗಿ ನನ್ನನ್ನು  ಕ್ಷಮಿಸಿ

'Beauty' of Small things

Little small things in life are the small little sources of super big happinesses. 

A simple,but effective secret of life preached by a sweet friend,who practices it thoroughly.


Little things like the days, dates, messages, expressions, attire, colours, words, utterances, silly faux pas, and other nuances of daily interaction if treasured,can in due course of time grow in their value, to give us sweet joyous moments of sharing and heart warming reminiscence.

Today,I was engaged in one such lovely interaction, although it was unidirectional, for, I have grown to ignore such meticulous observations.

This has well convinced me to assimilate the influence of this 'Beauty' of Small things into me, to feel more attached to the moments when spent in a special manner.

Constant worrying and cribbing about mega things shouldn't make one grow numb to the micro and nano moments of joy.

Handing over of STUDSAT to ISRO :)

After being conceived before about two and a half years by a bunch of students, and with actual work starting just before an year and half only, today, India's first Pico-Satellite, which also happens to be the first small satellite( weighs less than a kilogram),made indigenously by undergraduate students with support from the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has been handed over to ISRO. This will be followed by the launch, to put the satellite into the orbit,carried by the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) from Sriharikota.

Today was a day, which was one of the dreams the team had dreamt of, and brings great joy to all involved.

The ceremony was presided over by, His Excellency Dr. Hans Raj Bharadwaj, Governor of Karnataka and eminent scientists including Prof. U.R.Rao,and others.

It was a proud moment to all the team members of Team Studsat. All the hardships the team has undergone to reach the current state should be a source of inspiration to all students,who, in the words of Prof.U.R.Rao would
 "Dare to dream,and dream to dare".

Also, quoting Dr.T.K.Alex, Director ISAC," The next PSLV will carry two extremes: a 700kg satellite and an 850gms Satellite (STUDSAT)", he also added " STUDSAT is a cute satellite".

There will be more elaborate chronicling of all the ups and downs of the team soon,when the satellite has been put into it's orbit.
For now,

Hats Off to all the team members of Team Studsat...

"Our heads are held high,
Not gazing at the sky,
But, beyond it!"

http://teamstudsat.com/

The Vent!

Is it that hard to say what you think, and, to do what you say!
I have grown tired of such anomalous behavior.

I do agree that, sometimes, my expectations from people is slightly towards being idealistic, nevertheless, it ain't Utopian or unattainable! It is plainly appropriate.

I had vowed before a few months that I wouldn't waste my efforts in trying to change people. Now, after witnessing the vicissitudes mostly centered around me, I'm afraid it would culminate into a state where, I'd stop expecting 'anything' from people.

'Living a Life' is about doing things 'one' really wants to do. The worst thing to do in one's life is- To do what others would have wanted you to!

This,contrarily is against the logic of the code programmed into us, rather, it is a bit-flipped execution of the same!
(And,don't bother about little of the coding jargon I've used. I thought, if i'm not using them technically,I'd use them here;)

Coming back to 'the' point, I have only two two-worded phrases to say:
Either Grow UP or Shut UP!

PS: Don't take it personally, if anyone of you have realized that I was precisely targeting at you:)

Are we heading towards the end?

Last year, the dogma of apocalypse in 2012, which is supposed to undo life on earth had grabbed the attention of everyone, including that of small kids; Very much helped by the wildly imagined movie by the same name '2012'. While this dogma was catching up people, most believers were of the notion that it would be like the movie, wherein exactly on a specific date the catastrophe would unfold.


On the other hand, the skeptics, including myself were busy dispelling this dogma. I still disapprove of any such 'sudden catastrophe culminating into THE END'.


A closer analysis of the climate trend and widespread natural calamities is disturbing. Massive earthquakes in Haiti, Taiwan, now Tibet and China; Last year's stormy rains in drought-ridden regions of Karnataka;The soaring temperatures (India is 7-8 °C above the usual temperature); Yesterday's tornado in India has already taken 120 lives;


Now, these symptoms are the gradual convergence of the disasters in store for us. Any number of futile summits of politicians will do no good to the betterment of the environment, unless we people take proactive initiatives to at least stop further deterioration of Mother Nature. 


You don't need a prediction of a particular date substantiated by a prophecy to see where we are heading towards. The current natural cataclysms are clear symptoms of the destination we are heading towards. 


Take up initiatives and bear the responsibility... Here's one such important move we can all be engaged in... 


http://www.treesforfree.org/

My arguments against Violence

Of late, if there is one thing that we humans have made perilously ubiquitous and perpetuating, it would be violence against each other!

Wars, terror attacks, murders, crime and all the negativities are now at a high rise.

The recent Naxal attacks,killings by maoists, the terror attacks in Pune,and at a personal level the kidnapping and killing of my physician! It is atrocious, and no matter who gives whatsoever reason-Violence can never be justified as a means to accomplishing anything even remotely positive.

I am deeply anguished, like the many of you, by the growing terrorist activities,including those of the Naxals and Maoists in India . I still haven't been able to comprehend the real purpose of these attacks. If it is only for the sake of creating havoc, then these miscreants aren't fit to be called as humans. All these killings, when analyzed even from their point of view would be never be convincing.

I have openly expressed my admiration towards Che and Hitler in numerous posts and conversations. But, never will I approve the methods of violence which they individually practiced in the form of  guerrilla warfare and anti-semitism, respectively. Violence against fellow humans for the sake of accomplishing something 'supposedly noble' is never worth it! This actually weakens their entire ideology, but, nevertheless there's much more to learn from them excluding violence.

Aggression is supposed to be a natural but subdued instinct of us, but these days we seem to trying to quench this libido for the worse of the world!

Freudche (Add it your vocabulary :-)

freudche [froy-shay]
-noun
    1. incessant urge to excel intellectually, by means of passionate pursuance of new ideas and ideologies.
-verb (freudched, freudcheying)
      2. to freudche i.e., to be engaged in intellectual transcendence.

'Freudche' is a new word, coined by me, in tribute to two of the greatest minds the human history has ever seen- Sigmund Freud and Che Guevara. The definition of the word is a one line biography of these two minds. 

The admiration towards Freud and Che has been continually growing in me, as I read and learn more of the two mavericks. 

And also,I have always been fascinated by the origin of words and script (see my previous post). When I felt that, I needed a word to attribute a quality which now 'freudche' stands for, I had this radical brainstorm happening :)

Feel free to use 'freudche' and encourage others to use it in the right context of its meaning, and pronunciation [say froy-shay]. 

Let's freudche people :)

Language,Script and Dialects: Allegory to the Human journey

One of the most fascinating things we humans have unconsciously formulated and actualized, whose origin and development keeps us even now intrigued is 'Language, Script and Dialects'.

Hypothesizing about the origin of, let alone Languages, but of individual words itself is deeply engrossing. Imagine how the words which each of us have been using generously have come to be!
It makes one wonder about the this marvelous  journey we humans have tread,to have come this far together.

There is more amazement to impact us when we start analyzing the origin and perpetuation of scripts with letters, fonts and grammar!
These are the insignia of our instincts pushing us towards collective progress.

Dialects throw insight into the individuality of every small section of us, by attributing a tinge of the local culture to the language itself, and making it a pleasant variation of the basic language.
In India especially, the dialects are numerous and add value to the diverse culture India has inherited from ages.

As I have mentioned in the post caption - Language, Script and Dialects are the best storytellers, who have inescapably preserved the most preciously assimilated proofs of the extraordinary odyssey of our evolution into complex social beings.

PS: View the List of languages by number of native speakers

(source: wikipedia)

'Mall'ware ;)

Oh yeah, I visited the current talk of the town-The Mantri Square, although reluctantly. To be honest and, at the risk of stereotyping myself I confess that I  feel hostile in 'big crowded' places,the only exception being when I'm on the dais!

Talking about the Mall-trend,inherently all the malls in Bengaluru are either big or crowded, with extra toppings of over-pricing and a hypocritical emulation of the 'West'. I'm not against the emulation part, but of the hypocrisy :)

The best reason I have been able to give myself,to visit 'Shopping Malls' and shell out extra bucks is 'All brands-One place' and more importantly 'No weird stares when accompanied by intimate company'. Okay, these might sound silly, but these convince me the most.

Now that I have opened up this issue here, I know that a few of you must be thinking
'Wat da hell? Go and hav funn!' or
'Watta knurd he is'

Again,let me reiterate, I don't enjoy big crowded places, and especially when there is conditioned air saturating me with room sprays!
You know my best hang out place- IISc, nothing in Bengaluru can beat it (I can happily compromise on the aspect of shopping!)

If shopping malls are good in a business perspective(which they really are), I'm ready to maybe - invest sometime soon in one of the stalls. But, I can't take being a victim there ;)

So, my friends and acquaintances I won't directly be yelling this at you,but, please have it in mind. Even if you see me enjoying with you in the Malls, I would have only acquired a trait from there -Hypocrisy! So, let me be me :)

PS: I like the post caption personally, for, I contemplated the post and the caption as soon as I entered the mall today :)

Right to (quality) Education...

"Right to Education" is late, nevertheless, it has arrived!

A good initiative by the Govt. This is by far the most significant and genuine hint of long term social welfare the Govt has shown. The italicization of the two words conveys the status of this move. But, will this hint at an initiative be adequate to cater to the nation's requirements?

Personally, I have had a strong conviction in this regard: "Only quality education of the masses can empower them, making them the fuel for India's future run. Without uniform reach of quality education to every citizen, living in each and every corner of India, the current trend of suicidal polarization of India will take its toll on us, yielding a lopsided country filled with disparity and frustration."

(Students in a Govt.School in Bengaluru)

Implementing the "Right to Education" is going to be an arduous task which will take decades for fulfillment. Considering that this will somehow be implemented in due course of time, although no guarantees, we already have to start analyzing the quality of such a system when in place.

Now, we might want to turn a blind eye towards the current Govt. schools in India, but, in the first place if this system of Govt. schools had been efficient, yielding better education to pupils, at least basic education would not have become a hot commodity in the society, which is accessible only to the what I call 'circumstantially favored'.


I am apprehensive about the feasibility of implementation of the 25% quota to the 'weaker sections' in private schools. 'Weaker sections' are determined by a few documents, and the weaker sections who really are in need would not either have the awareness or be in a position to acquire these documents. This is the problem at the ground level, which cannot be tackled only by passing amendments and bills!

As a result, this would be misused, and a living manifestation of perils of this sort is the 'reservations for the backward classes' in India.

"Right to Education" sounds good and will be good if it reaches the needy. Now, this right must be bulwarked by other measures necessary to ensure the successful implementation . Each of us do have a role to play in this- just by being responsible and ensuring that our fellow citizens get what they really deserve.

PS: More pictures from a Government school in Bengaluru, adjoined to the Institution where I pursued my Bachelor's degree. An initiative from a fellow classmate, drove a few of us used to visit this school, trying to enhance the English and Computer skills of these enthusiastic kids. We did the little from our side. Such proactive initiatives have to be widespread for the Govt. schools to get better. 

As a permanent solution the system itself has to be renewed, so that it can match up to the quality of private education in India. The current system is nothing but a formality!

More pictures of the school activity here Avalahalli Government School, Bengaluru