tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13126670652470339372024-03-14T05:06:55.494+05:30Hoorray!Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05752411685289254553noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1312667065247033937.post-11274877614801806412017-03-11T14:04:00.000+05:302017-03-11T14:28:32.763+05:30The After Effects of BJP Winning Uttar Pradesh<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1dtly4NW9UPZ0hMFg-xAixbrGe3o4diHCzC_azJypZSvnkMgAoQ3BJ0cPT1pycaYzTOr08R3CTJeaxI-cBVM7iVi2tq1h_txWkaWqXrOkBW2VlLebbqx5NgSGtNEKom2_xPBkkstxUAIz/s1600/Bharatiya_Janata_Party_in_states.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img alt="By <a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Indian_states_by_ruling_party.png" title="File:Indian states by ruling party.png">Indian_states_by_ruling_party.png</a>: <a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:Sudoman&amp;action=edit&amp;redlink=1" class="new" title="User:Sudoman (page does not exist)">User:Sudoman</a> and <a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Vibhijain" title="User:Vibhijain">User:Vibhijain</a>derivative work: <a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Vibhijain" title="User:Vibhijain">Vibhijain</a> - This file was derived from &nbsp;<a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Indian_states_by_ruling_party.png" title="File:Indian states by ruling party.png">Indian states by ruling party.png</a>:&nbsp;<a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Indian_states_by_ruling_party.png" class="image"></a>, <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0" title="Creative Commons Attribution 3.0">CC BY 3.0</a>, <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=27558965">Link</a>" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1dtly4NW9UPZ0hMFg-xAixbrGe3o4diHCzC_azJypZSvnkMgAoQ3BJ0cPT1pycaYzTOr08R3CTJeaxI-cBVM7iVi2tq1h_txWkaWqXrOkBW2VlLebbqx5NgSGtNEKom2_xPBkkstxUAIz/s640/Bharatiya_Janata_Party_in_states.png" title="States with BJP-NDA governments and possible future governments." width="547" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />Importance of this huge UP mandate, and the ways in which it will spill over, beyond today's results.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Parliament and State Assemblies</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />BJP & NDA gain majority in both houses of the parliament. They are also in power, in about a dozen state assemblies. This will impact two issues.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Presidential Elections</span></h4>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></h4>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Narendra Modi and Amit Shah can comfortably appoint the person of their choice to be the next President.</span><br style="font-weight: normal;" /><br style="font-weight: normal;" /><span style="font-weight: normal;">In line with this, they can - the must - use the additional support to appoint the right people in key institutions - and I hope they go into serious detail, not just stopping with Governors and Chief Justices. We are in a dire need of replacement for those old fossil remnants of a foregone socialist era. The institutions needs a thorough spring cleaning, and dynamic, vibrant and dharmic personalities should be appointed to key positions. </span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-weight: normal;">This is so, so crucial because all we have are self-important, dynasty loyalists, sitting in seats of influence, beginning from the supreme court. to the peons in village offices. They just sit and pass comments on the work of the Modi government, instead of doing their jobs for which they are paid a substantial salary and allowed endless perks. The NDA governments at the center and in states, must just appoint people who will do the job they are supposed to do, to the roles they deserve. Like they did in the RBI.</span></h4>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Progress on Reforms </span></h4>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-weight: normal;">This also means, Modi might administer a few more bitter pills in the near term, at least till the end of 2017. Better now, than later, because within a year, the next Lok Sabha election will be looming large around the corner. In turn, that means, we can expect a lot of sweet deals in 2018 and definitely in 2019. However, most of these measures turn out to be for the good of the people in the long term.</span></span></div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Due to lack of numbers in the Upper House of the parliament, as well as the opposition from several large states, where NDA is not in power, a lot of important reforms have been stuck, beginning with the fast track implementation of GST, land reforms, labor reforms, enemy property act, benami act and so on. Now all of these will be pushed through the Rajya Sabha.</span></span></div>
</h4>
<div>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></h3>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A Big Fat Lesson to the Opposition</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />Their brand of politics cannot be sold anymore. Either they will change their principles, or they will vanish from the political scene. This will pave the way for a new kind of opposition, which will critique BJP constructively, and compete with them on an equal footing. I am personally excited to wait and watch the growth of the party-personalities, who will occupy this new credible opposition space, that the people are furiously vacuuming clean.<br /><br />UP elections specifically portend the swansong of the likes Mayawati and her Bahujan Samaj Party(BSP). BSP was wiped out from the Lok Sabha in 2014. Now it has been rendered electorally insignificant in the UP state assembly. Congress, while being trounced along with its alliance partner, the Samajwadi Party, in UP, is holding on to relevance in the smaller states of Punjab, Manipur and Goa. It still means that while Cong party loyalists might be blind to the lack of credible leadership in their party, the people are quite well aware of the corrupt nature of the Cong party.<br /><br />To conclude - BJP, under Amitbhai Shah, is now able to move its huge organizational machinery, to capture the mindspace of voters in hitherto unreachable states, such as Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur. It could mean that in the future, there is every chance of the BJP making deep rooted in roads in states like Kerala and Tamil Nadu, if the party works hard enough.</span></span></div>
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Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07607078337818656970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1312667065247033937.post-32171332116945810272016-11-01T08:45:00.000+05:302017-02-28T20:52:41.967+05:30My New Love - The Learning Continues<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I have had - and still have - quite a few loves in life.<br />
<br />
Like that coffee, freshly brewed in the morning; the rain that pours at night, leaving the wet earth of dawn as the only evidence of her mysterious visits; Sunday mornings; the lights of the city on a weekend evening; an early morning train ride on a relatively empty MRTS; my Amar Chitra Katha collection; walking through the streets of Thirumylapuri - or Mylapore - to visit Kabali; an evening turning to night on the Bessy Beach - and the list goes on.<br />
<br />
I now have another addition to this endless list of loves. She was selected after a lot of thought and discussion.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvzFKypR_w7EekXBtnkZdMUsfZ_TrsnFXMXbVI4SoTFthaQf4DQnj5m0jUJACV3-7uQFkfW2OlImKlqJRNAuyB08bELnAZCpK5j4k-54QpJKiWQdoRkxkaOT9TlBaRj48KZ5Rtd5MmIvrj/s1600/IMG_20160915_074412.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvzFKypR_w7EekXBtnkZdMUsfZ_TrsnFXMXbVI4SoTFthaQf4DQnj5m0jUJACV3-7uQFkfW2OlImKlqJRNAuyB08bELnAZCpK5j4k-54QpJKiWQdoRkxkaOT9TlBaRj48KZ5Rtd5MmIvrj/s400/IMG_20160915_074412.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Introducing Bhooma!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
She is a Royal Enfield Himalayan - all of 411cc, a good amount of power and performance at my call, with just a twist of the throttle! The automotive forums are abuzz with a common theme - niggles and issues with the bike, as well as with Royal Enfield in general. However, there are an equal number of happy owners, who enjoy the bike as those with issues continue their complaints. I too have had some issues with the bike - high heat, hard gear shift, most of which were resolved after the first service.<br />
<br />
While planning for the purchase of the bike, I also planned and purchased most of the safety gear - a good ECE/DOT certified helmet (from MT Helmets), a touring, mesh jacket with Knox certified armor (Aspida), gloves (Scoyco), knee protectors (Cramster). Still some more to go, such as a crash guard around the engine, a set of auxiliary lights and lots of reflective stickers.<br />
<br />
I have had two small falls while the bike was immobile - due to the weight of the bike - and a near major fall and slide on the Chennai-Bangalore highway (yesterday). Thanks to all the safety gear, I was able to walkaway from the crash and fall, with just wrist pain and nothing else. She bore the brunt of the fall, with a bent handle bar and some other stuff, but which I was able to get fixed. <br />
<br />
She never fails to put a smile on my face, every time I ride her! And riding her, is a lot of learning. Like the highway rides of the past two days. Definitely teaches a lot of patience, and the wisdom to avoid dangerous situations.<br />
<br />
Unmistakably, the joy she gives while I rode through those rustic roads (between KGF and Kuppam) - early morning, beautiful views and good roads; those moments create the best memories when I think back!<br />
<br />
Ending with me indulging in a bit of narcissism - posting a picture of myself with the bike, somewhere on a beach on ECR.<br />
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Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07607078337818656970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1312667065247033937.post-68119486620287541362015-07-05T23:22:00.001+05:302017-04-20T15:21:47.407+05:30Sri Ramacandra Kripalu<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">॥ श्री रामचन्द्र कृपालु ॥</span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">श्रीरामचन्द्र कृपालु भजु मन हरण भवभय दारुणम्</span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">नवकञ्ज</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">लोचन</span><span style="line-height: 115%;">, </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">कञ्जमुख</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">कर</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">कञ्जपद</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">कञ्जारुणम्</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">॥</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">१</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">॥</span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">कंदर्प</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">अगणित</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">अमित</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">छबि</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">नव</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">नील</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">नीरज</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">सुन्दरम्</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">।</span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">पटपीत</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">मानहुं</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">तड़ित</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">रूचि</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">-</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">शुची</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">नौमि</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">जनक</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">सुतावरम्</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">॥</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">२</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">॥</span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">भजु</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">दीन</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">बन्धु</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">दिनेश</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">दानव</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">दैत्यवंशनिकन्दनम्</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">।</span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">रघुनन्द</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">आनंदकंद</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">कोशल</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">चन्द</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">दशरथ</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">नन्दनम्</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">॥</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">३</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">॥</span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">सिर</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">मुकुट</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">कुण्डल</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">तिलक</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">चारु</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">उदारु</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">अङ्ग</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">विभूषणम्</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">।</span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">आजानुभुज</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">शर</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">चापधर</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">सङ्ग्राम</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">-</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">जित</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">-</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">खर</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">दूषणम्</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">॥</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">४</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">॥</span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">इति</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">वदति</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">तुलसीदास</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">शङ्कर</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">शेष</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">मुनि</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">मनरञ्जनम्</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">।</span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">मम</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">हृदयकञ्ज</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">निवास</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">कुरु</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">कामादि</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">खलदलगञ्जनम्</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">॥</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">५</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">॥</span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">मनु</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">जाहीं</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">राचेउ</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">मिलिहि</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">सो</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">बरु</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">सहज</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">सुन्दर</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">साँवरो</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">।</span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">करुना</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">निधान</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">सुजान</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">सीलु</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">सनेहु</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">जानत</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">रावरो</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">॥</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">६</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">॥</span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">एही</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">भांति</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">गोरी</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">असीस</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">सुनी</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">सिय</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">सहित</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">हिय</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">हरषीं</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">अली</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">।</span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">तुलसी</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">भावानिह</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">पूजी</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">पुनि</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">-</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">पुनि</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">मुदित</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">मन</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">मंदिर</span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">चली</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Fortunate I am, to be born in this land! Fortunate I am, to
immerse myself in Bhakti, and in the thought of </span><span class="unicode"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Īśvara</span>. And
how can Bhakti be expressed and experienced without the songs of the Lord,
through lilting, soulful Bhajans.<span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;"><span class="unicode" style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Some
Bhajans are so emotionally powerful, they just bind me, and I always repeat
them in my mind over a long period of time. Here is one such Bhajan, composed
by </span></span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: small;">Gosvāmī Tulasīdās, and rendered
in the scintillating voice of Jagjit Singh.</span> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/rNZdKVXXZvg/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rNZdKVXXZvg?feature=player_embedded" width="640"></iframe></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">
</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: small;">The lyrics and translation are from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shri_RamChandra_Kripalu" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>. The
transliteration from Devanagari to IAST scheme of Romanized alphabet with
diacritical marks was done with this <a href="http://www.ashtangayoga.info/sanskrit/transliteration/transliterations-tool/" target="_blank">wonderful tool</a> from an Ashtanga Yoga site.</span> </span></span></span></div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Transliteration</span></span></span></h3>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;"><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">॥ Śrī Rāmacandra Kṛpālu ॥</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;"><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;"><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">Śrīrāmacandra kṛpālu bhaju mana haraṇa bhavabhaya dāruṇam</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;"><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">Navakañja locana, kañjamukha kara kañjapada kañjāruṇam ॥1॥</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;"><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;"><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">Kaṃdarpa agaṇita amita chabi nava nīla nīraja sundaram ।</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;"><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">Paṭapīta mānahuṃ taṛita rūci-śucī naumi janaka sutāvaram ॥2॥</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;"><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;"><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">Bhaju dīna bandhu dineśa dānava daityavaṃśanikandanam ।</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;"><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">Raghunanda ānaṃdakaṃda kośala canda daśaratha nandanam ॥3॥</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;"><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;"><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">Sira mukuṭa kuṇḍala tilaka cāru udāru aṅga vibhūṣaṇam ।</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;"><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">Ājānubhuja śara cāpadhara saṅgrāma-jita-khara dūṣaṇam ॥4॥</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;"><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;"><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">Iti vadati tulasīdāsa śaṅkara śeṣa muni manarañjanam ।</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;"><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">Mama hṛdayakañja nivāsa kuru kāmādi khaladalagañjanam ॥5॥</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;"><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;"><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">The song ends here. However, it appears that there are two more verses without translations. </span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;"><span lang="HI" style="line-height: 115%;">
<br /> Manu jāhīṃ rāceu milihi so baru sahaja sundara sā~varo ।<br /> Karunā nidhāna sujāna sīlu sanehu jānata rāvaro ॥6॥<br /> <br /> Ehī bhāṃti gorī asīsa sunī siya sahita hiya haraṣīṃ alī ।<br /> Tulasī bhāvāniha pūjī puni-puni mudita mana maṃdira calī<br /> <br /> Gosvāmī Tulasīdāsa </span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Translation </span></span></h3>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;">O mind! Revere the benign Shree Ramachandra, </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;">Who removes 'Bhav' – sorrow or pain, 'Bhaya' – fear, </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;">and 'Darun' – scarcity or poverty. </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;">Who has fresh lotus eyes, lotus face and lotus hands, </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;">feet like lotus and like the rising sun || 1 || </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;">His image exceeds myriad Cupids, like a fresh, </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;">blue-hued cloud — magnificent | </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;">His amber-robes appear like lightning, pure, captivating. </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;">Revere this groom of Janaka’s daughter || 2 || </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;">Sing hymns of the brother of destitute, Lord of the daylight, </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;">the destroyer of the clan of Danu-Diti demons | </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;">The progeny of Raghu, limitless 'joy', the moon to Kosala, </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;">sing hymns of Dasharatha’s son || 3 || </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;">His head bears the crown, ear pendants, tilak on forehead, </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;">his adorned, shapely limbs are resplendent </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;">Arms extend to the knees, studded with bows-arrows, </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;">who won battles against Khara and Dooshana || 4 || </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;">Thus says Tulsidas, O joy of Shankara, and other Sages | </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;">Reside in the lotus of my heart, O slayer of the vices-troops of Kaama and the like || 5 || </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;">Goswami Tulsidas </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>
</div>
Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07607078337818656970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1312667065247033937.post-47363258399840869552014-06-05T09:49:00.003+05:302014-06-05T09:49:58.155+05:30Think before you blame<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="_5pbx userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}">
One of the first news report I read this morning is this - http://indianexpress.com/article/india/politics/muslim-techie-beaten-to-death-in-pune-7-men-of-hindu-outfit-held/#.U46d2V4S8zI.twitter <br />
<br />
It immediately elicited a flurry of responses along expected lines from the usual, useful idiots. Even the basic courtesy of expressing condolences for the dead person and the bereaving family was seen to have been forgotten, in their haste to tie their favorite punching bags to the conspiracy. They did not stop to think that the outfit named here had as much probability to be NOT related to RSS or any other parivar organizations, and could be floated by anyone, and funded by anyone. Not that the useful idiots ever demonstrated an ability to think. Now they are also demonstrating their insensitivity to loss - because it is a loss only to someone else and not to them.<br />
<br />
Without
digging back on their 1400 year history, and with events of only the
21st century, we can conclude that the followers of a particular desert
theocracy have been one of the most violent humans in the history of
humans. However, we still consciously refrain from saying "all ___ are
not terrorists, but all terrorists ___" because we understand the
absurdity of that statement.<br />
<br />
On the contrary, we have no qualms
in tying any action, of any dumb Hindu, in any part of the world
to Modi and to the RSS. I wonder why we are so hasty to write our personal judgments -
even though they are totally worthless - without stopping to think how
this could have been done by anyone, and the circumstances could have
been anything. Still we would blame all of it on the leader elected by a
majority of the population.<br />
<br />
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".7p.1:3:1:$comment519535698152403_519927294779910:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".7p.1:3:1:$comment519535698152403_519927294779910:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".7p.1:3:1:$comment519535698152403_519927294779910:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.0"><span data-reactid=".7p.1:3:1:$comment519535698152403_519927294779910:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.0.$end:0:$0:0">Modi,
his team and his party simply don't have any inclination for all this
nonsense like plotting vengeance, shutting down cities and killing
people. They don't have enough time to even work on their economic
agenda and are being overstretched on gove</span></span><span data-reactid=".7p.1:3:1:$comment519535698152403_519927294779910:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3"><span data-reactid=".7p.1:3:1:$comment519535698152403_519927294779910:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0"><span data-reactid=".7p.1:3:1:$comment519535698152403_519927294779910:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$0:0">rnance, as it is now. They are absolutely not going to waste even a second on something as pathetic as vengeance. </span><br data-reactid=".7p.1:3:1:$comment519535698152403_519927294779910:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$1:0" /><br data-reactid=".7p.1:3:1:$comment519535698152403_519927294779910:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$3:0" /><span data-reactid=".7p.1:3:1:$comment519535698152403_519927294779910:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$4:0">But
knowing fully well that Modi and his team is focusing full steam on
bringing the country back on track - some elements are keen on not
allowing that to happen. This could be anyone and it is easy to point
fingers at the other side. But there could be enough Hindu idiots too,
who would want to focus on their stupid fanaticism, instead of the
economy and eradicating poverty. </span><br data-reactid=".7p.1:3:1:$comment519535698152403_519927294779910:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$5:0" /><br data-reactid=".7p.1:3:1:$comment519535698152403_519927294779910:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$7:0" /><span data-reactid=".7p.1:3:1:$comment519535698152403_519927294779910:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$8:0">My
suspicion lingers on people who kept ranting before the election, that if Modi comes to
power, this country will see bloodshed. Most of them are obviously frustrated - first, in spite of their hate-mongering, Modi still won, and won with a majority; second - that Modi is not acting </span></span></span></span></span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".7p.1:3:1:$comment519535698152403_519927294779910:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".7p.1:3:1:$comment519535698152403_519927294779910:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".7p.1:3:1:$comment519535698152403_519927294779910:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3"><span data-reactid=".7p.1:3:1:$comment519535698152403_519927294779910:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0"><span data-reactid=".7p.1:3:1:$comment519535698152403_519927294779910:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$8:0"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".7p.1:3:1:$comment519535698152403_519927294779910:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".7p.1:3:1:$comment519535698152403_519927294779910:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".7p.1:3:1:$comment519535698152403_519927294779910:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3"><span data-reactid=".7p.1:3:1:$comment519535698152403_519927294779910:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0"><span data-reactid=".7p.1:3:1:$comment519535698152403_519927294779910:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$8:0">according to their
predictions, and probably never will, because he simply was not such a person as they painted him to be. </span></span></span></span></span>There is enough space to suspect that quite a few of them are capable of trying to make their words come true, so
that they can blame Modi for it later.</span></span></span></span></span> <br />
<br />
Another important fact that all useful idiots conveniently forget is that, knowing the Hindu belligerence to be on an upward curve, somebody wantonly uploaded derogatory pictures and posts on facebook and circulated them on WhatsApp. Who did it? Again, this could be anyone. But are those persons not equally responsible for the loss of life and property as the people who actually took to violence? Think.</div>
</div>
Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07607078337818656970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1312667065247033937.post-30600883954452048692014-05-17T01:10:00.000+05:302014-05-17T01:12:03.486+05:30A Sigh of Relief!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I thought of a lot of titles for this post:<br />
<br />
"Ache Din Aane Wale Hain"<br />
"Iss Bar Modi Sarkar"<br />
<br />
"Time for a new India"<br />
<br />
Some more are running around in my head. But the most predominant emotion in my mind was - relief. When the election dates were announced, I couldn't wait for this day - the counting day - to come sooner. Now that it has come and is almost over, the feeling of euphoria has given way to relief. <br />
<br />
As of this moment Modi is taking 268 colleagues along with him to the Lok Sabha for sure, according the <a href="http://eciresults.nic.in/PartyWiseResult.htm" target="_blank">Election Commission of India</a>'s website. In a few more minutes, that number will change to 280. This is a big relief, since to run a government - the central government or The Government of India - he needs only 272 members in parliament. Along with the MPs from his allies, that number is somewhere beyond 330+.<br />
<br />
The trepidation and the excitement I felt yesterday when I penned the <a href="http://brownindian.blogspot.in/2014/05/waiting-for-16-may-2014.html" target="_blank">previous post</a> were long gone - in fact they were dispelled conclusively by 8.40 AM this morning, when the initial trends started coming in. By 10 AM, we knew we were looking at a win beyond our expe ctations and fulfilling our dreams - that Modi and BJP by themselves would cross the 272 mark. It has now happened. 30 years after the last such event in Indian electoral history. <br />
<br />
This is significant for several reasons:<br />
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>For the first time ever, a non-Congress party has been given a mandate by the people of India to establish a government all by themselves. They would still need the support of others to enact laws or bring in amendments.</li>
<li>For the first time ever, someone with previous experience of running a state has become the PM. Narendra Modi has been Chief Minister of Gujarat for the past 14 years. He comes with that deep experience and most importantly, he is expected to provide the decisive leadership that was missing for the last 10 years. He has acknowledged that there is no one in-charge now and his first priority will be to take charge.</li>
<li>Congress dipped to its lowest ever tally - a paltry 44, lesser than what BJP got in the state of Uttar Pradesh alone, which is 71, with it's partner Apna Dal getting 2 more. Interestingly, to be the principal opposition party, 10% of the total i.e. 54 of 543 are needed, and the Congress does not have that many seats.</li>
<li>Several regional parties have done relatively well, The AIADMK has bagged 37 seats, all by itself, without any prominent alliance partners. Trinamool Congress is sending 34 MPs to Lok Sabha. Biju Janata Dal is sending 20 MPs. All these three parties have achieved powerful victories, but in their respective states. In other places, Telengana Rashtra Samithi has won in 11 seats and the fledgeling Yuvajana Sramiku Rythu Congress Party has won in 9 seats. However, all of them have been rendered electorally irrelevant, since BJP does not need their support to form the government. However, Modi has graciously reiterated again and again, including in his victory speech a couple of hours ago that he will need the support of every single MP from every single party to run this nation.</li>
<li>Several other parties have a much more sad fate, for they have been wiped clean or severely reduced. Bahujan Samaj Party, ironically, has garnered the third largest voteshare (after BJP and Congress) - 4.3% which is almost two crores large - without winning even a single seat. Their opponents in the state of Uttar Pradesh, the Samajwadi Party, has won only in 5 seats. Rashtriya Janata Dal has won in 4 seats in Bihar, Janata Dal Secular and Janata Dal United have both won only in 2 seats. Nationalist Congress Party has won in 6 seats. The much hyped Aam Aadmi Party has won 4 seats - all in Punjab. Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, National Conference, all join Bahujan Samaj Party in not opening their accounts this time. </li>
</ol>
The analysis will continue to pour in. For me, it is time to step back, take rest and keep myself alert and aware - new fears replace the old ones and it is better that they remain in my head, than happen in reality. I hope to use my freedom to praise this new establishment whenever they achieve anything, as well as criticize them when they sway. <br />
<br />
A new day dawns<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6aj976bl-BPd1s4_qhAjd5RMZoBhyJVYBcHy7QsEh7RAhjSbkBMJJbA47XdtwMbep1S_PjStQxDDsCu9q1Z6g9iDnp6FB5utkl-xBN055WtX1E5J-jBu0c8zXpGEl_Fh6MqejQmX3_Iqc/s1600/TielandtoThailand.com-16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6aj976bl-BPd1s4_qhAjd5RMZoBhyJVYBcHy7QsEh7RAhjSbkBMJJbA47XdtwMbep1S_PjStQxDDsCu9q1Z6g9iDnp6FB5utkl-xBN055WtX1E5J-jBu0c8zXpGEl_Fh6MqejQmX3_Iqc/s1600/TielandtoThailand.com-16.jpg" height="388" width="640" /></a></div>
... with hope :-)<br />
<br /></div>
Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05752411685289254553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1312667065247033937.post-39211459163011644362014-05-17T00:18:00.002+05:302014-05-17T01:40:23.579+05:30Observations and Notes - Lack of reading due to election fever<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
For
2014, I wanted to read at least 100 books. Across genres, in both
English and Tamil. Accessibility was not a problem, since I have bought a
large number of books in the last 2-3 years. However, I forgot to
consider that this is an election year.<br />
<br />
Over the last 2-3
months, I have been deeply immersed in following the people, the
trends, the incidents and everything that a huge election like this
brings. I was totally sucked in. As an ardent supporter of Modi and BJP, I wanted to take part in this process much more intently, though in the end, all I could do was go to the polling booth on voting day and press the button.<br />
<br />
I was so immersed in it, that I even forgot to complete and publish this post, which i started to pen last month!<br />
<br />
Anyway, now that elections are over and results are out - technically, they came out yesterday since it's already 12 AM on the 17th of May, 2014 - I can now go back to my books. I seriously have to go back to my books!<br />
<br />
It's not like I did not read at all. I continue to read about 50 articles in various disciplines. I used the time I had while traveling to read the Tamil translation of S L Byrappa's "Avarana", called "Thirai" in Tamil. I did not read anything specific for the book club meet later today, though. <br />
<br />
So, here I am, eager to turn the pages of books awaiting me and encounter the adventures hidden in their pages!<br />
<br /></div>
Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07607078337818656970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1312667065247033937.post-13342139898644479542014-05-15T23:27:00.000+05:302014-05-16T21:26:08.887+05:30Waiting for 16 May 2014<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Tomorrow is a big day. It would be a day marked in the history of India and a turning point in Indian politics. After a lengthy 9-Phase election, counting happens tomorrow - all the epithets like world's largest democracy, largest electorate, just a 100 million short of the combined population of US & Europe at this moment have been trumpeted again and again.<br />
<br />
Still, we need to keep the numbers in mind.<br />
<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>The number of Indians who were eligible to vote were 814.5 million. </li>
<li>Of these 66.38% or 551.3 million people have voted (including yours truly, exercising my right to vote in the fifth election since 2006). </li>
<li>Our votes have been recorded in 1.4 million electronic voting machines, which will reveal the numbers tomorrow. </li>
</ul>
For more of these numbers you can refer this comprehensive page on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_general_election,_2014" target="_blank">Indian General Elections, 2014</a> over at wikipedia. This is a big enough spectacle to attract the attention of a large part of the planet.<br />
<div>
<br />
Running around right now are excitement, jubilation, frustration, even fear and all other kind of emotions that can be associated with such a large, significant event. It can be felt most strongly on social media. As a long-time supporter of Narendra Modi, the Prime Ministerial candidate of NDA, I share the apprehension of many others like me - what if, due to any of the myriad reasons abounding, as rumours and conspiracy theories, Modi does not win a mandate to form government? Will he be joined by a minimum of 272 MPs from his own coalition in the parliament, who will support him to form a stable government and allow him to lead the nation for the next 5 years. <br />
<br />
However, I will let that story go by, since there are already too many people talking and discussing about it. What I am more interested ever since Modi was announced at the PM nominee is this - how will social groups identified as traditional vote banks vote this time? Most of them were formed as reactions in fear, anger - the lower castes clustering together to survive against the oppression of upper castes, several others clinging to their social groups for the sake of identity and any advantage this will bestow them, the muslims forming a separate votebank, ghettoed together based on the fear of the bogie called hardline Hindu extremism or Hindutva. <br />
<br />
Will all these groups stick to supporting their traditional netas and their parties? Or will they break away and vote differently this time. This is what I am most interested to know from the outcome of this election.<br />
<br />
Over the last 10 years, people have gradually evolved from being plain recipients of ideas and information from intellectuals through the media, to sharing their own ideas with others and discussing each others perspectives. The ability to influence peer groups has gradually increased. These people, who are normal Indians, have discovered the ability to sift the truth from the lies peddled by the media and academia, and in turn question the veracity of such false claims. A large percentage of these people are young, educated and comfortable with using technology. And they are no more ready to vote along caste or religious lines. Armed with information, they are even ready to debate with their own family and friends and convince them to vote sensibly.<br />
<br />
The second and most important factor is - we have in Modi, a leader who is able to identify himself with the people and the people are also able to accept him as one of them, a leader from among their own ranks. Modi has also made effective use of technology effectively to his advantage, probably for the first time by any leader. He has also disregarded physical exertion and has valiantly traveled across the country, meeting people and speaking to them about issues directly affecting them. He has traveled a whopping 300000 km and addressed a humongous 440 rallies. At least 100 million people would have directly listened to him speak. They have found hope in him, that he can solve their problems and provide them with opportunities, which the others have not been able to provide. This new change in attitude of a large number of people, has surely toppled a lot of caste-based arithmetic. What is the extent of this change would make for interesting study.<br />
<br />
A lot of people hope that he is the decisive leader India needs now. Our thirst for strong leadership has at last found refuge in Modi. However, until the numbers trickle in concretely, nothing can be claimed confidently.<br />
<br />
Whatever happens tomorrow, India would never be the same again.</div>
</div>
Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07607078337818656970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1312667065247033937.post-66234153410808172792014-04-03T01:11:00.003+05:302014-04-03T01:11:36.281+05:30Breaking Down Boundaries<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
What exactly is patriotism? <br />Is it also just a form of lust for land? <br />
What does a militant fanaticism towards language hide?<br />
Instead of freeing you, do these abstracts immerse you in emotional extremism?<br />
The strong emotions that you feel when you think of your Motherland, Mothertongue<br />
- Do they bind you much more firmly to the dirt of the land? To hatred? To violence?<br />
<br />
<br />
"Daanah Pah Daanah Da Nana..." <br />
<br />
Long before the singers began singing, the beat got me going. This song is written in a language of a small group of people who tend to sheep and goats in a harsh landscape. Akhtar Chanal Zahri is the writer as well as the singer. Born in Balochistan, he grew up belting folk songs in Brahvi, his mothertongue. In Brahvi, he has penned this incredible song, to describe his land, its beauty. <br /><br />This language may be tribal and harsh, but it blends itself to so much lyrical beauty and is thereby lofty and sweet to me. I have been listening to this song repeatedly, mesmerized by its plain and scintillating beauty.<br />
<br />
Being in a constant state of transformation, I have been questioning my own conceptions of popularly held ideas. When I seek an answer, I repeatedly question its validity, moving again and again beyond the boundaries inside which those answers hold their validity. In that way, I have been questioning the reason for sticking to a geography, demarcated by man. I question the demand to be loyal and patriotic to a piece of land. I question the call to display fanatic affinity to a language. <br /><br />As I listened to Akhtar relate the view of his land, its rivers and hills and mountains to his beloved, it felt as though I was a native of Balochistan, a goatherd who had grown up speaking and singing in Brahvi! I realized that the love for my land, the love for my language has enabled me to merge myself with the true, unspoilt pride and patriotism, the true love of language displayed by anyone; as long as that emotion is untouched by hatred or the thought of violence. <br />
<br />
I believe this song will touch you at some level. Watch and enjoy!<br />
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دانہ پہ دانہ دا ننا<br />دوستي لگانے نا ننا<br />حاجت افک ںنے ٹران ءَ نا<br />جي جي جي جي سا کنا<br />سہ کمب مارا پ جا کنا<br /><br />
daanah pah daanah da nana<br />dosti laggaane na nana<br />haajat affak nane traan a na<br />ji ji ji ji sa kana<br />sehkumb maaraap ja kana<br /><br />
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among the multitude of grains (in the world), mine is this grain (you)<br />(now that) you and I have grown to be friends<br />we have no need of anything<br />O live, live, my darling breath<br />Sehkumb and Marap are my places<br />
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جي جي جي جي مندري<br />بر ہيتس کرک کنتوں اندري<br />جي جي جي جي سومرو<br />کپہ خواجہ خدا سے زور<br /><br />
O my gentle, petite ladycome aside with me to talk in privacy<br />O, my good sir, Soomro (the prince who came between two lovers)<br />desist, sir, for God is powerful (in retribution)<br />
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ji ji ji mandari<br />
bar heets karak kanton andari<br />ji ji ji ji soomaro<br />kapah khwaajah khuda se zor<br /><br />
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دانہ پہ دانہ دانہ گا<br />دل برتہ مني دردانہ گا<br />جي جي جي جي با ترا<br />تو برتہ ءِ مني ضعيپيں دلا<br />جي او<br /><br />
daanah pah daanah daanah ga<br />dil burtah mani durrdaanah ga<br />ji ji ji ji ba ta ra<br />tau burtah i mani zaeepain dila<br />ji o<br /><br />
(among the) multitude of grains, this grain has<br />this lovely pearl has stolen my heart<br />may you live long, live long!<br />you have stolen my fragile heart<br />live long!<br />
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او قلو وطنِ خان ءَ نا<br />دا تختِ بلوچستان ءَ نا<br />بر ديرے ارک ددران ءَ نا<br />نوري ءَ نصير خان ننا<br />ائے صدخہ وطن کن جان ننا<br />
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o qallo watann-i khaan a na<br />da takht-i balochistaan a na<br />bar deere urak dudraan a na<br />noori a naseer khaan nana<br />ae sadkha watan kin jaan nana<br /><br />
Kalat is our Khan’s country<br />this is the capital of Balochistan<br />come and see the water of the Dudran spring<br />Naseer Khan Noori is our Khan<br />we devote our lives to our country <br />
<br />ہو کچھي، خراسان واہ واہ واہ<br />ہربوئي، مرجان واہ واہ واہ<br />نوري نصير خان واہ واہ واہ<br />چلتنُ شاشان واہ واہ واہ<br />مولہُ بولان واہ واہ واہ<br />راس کوہُ رخشان واہ واہ واہ<br />کوہِ سليمان واہ واہ واہ<br />تخت سليمان واہ واہ واہ<br />
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ho kachchhi khuraasaan wah wah wah<br />harboi marjaan wah wah wah<br />noori naseer khan wah wah wah<br />chiltano shaashaan wah wah wah<br />mulao bolaan wah wah wah<br />raaskoho rakhshaan wah wah wah<br />koh-i sulemaan wah wah wah<br />takht sulemaan wah wah wah<br /><br />
Kachhi and Khurasan – oh excellent!!<br />hills Harboi and Marjan – oh excellent!!<br />Naseer Khan Noori – oh excellent!!<br />hills Chiltan and Shashan – oh excellent!!<br />rivers Mula and Bolan – oh excellent!!<br />hills Ras Koh and river Rakhshan – oh excellent!!<br />Mount Sulaiman – oh excellent!!<br />Peak Sulaiman – oh excellent!!<br />
<br />وادي وادي گھوميں<br />آ پربت پربت جھوميں<br />تو خوشبوؤں کا جھوکا<br />تيرا امرت سا ہے لہجہ<br />تو دريا موج کنارہ<br />تجھے ديکھے يہ جگ سارا<br /><br />
waadi waadi ghoomen<br />
aa parbat parbat jhoomen<br />tu khusbhooon ka jhoka<br />tera amrat sa hai lahjah<br />tu darya mauj kinaarah<br />tujhe dekhe ye jag saara<br /><br />
let’s trip from valley to valley<br />let’s swing from mountain to mountain<br />you’re a gust of heady fragrance<br />your words are like nectar<br />you’re the sea, the wave and the shore<br />at you this whole world gazes<br />
<br />تو پھول کنول کا<br />تو شعر غزل کا<br />تو جادو تھل کا<br />تو خواب پنل کا<br />جي او<br />جي با ترا<br />
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tu phool kanwal ka<br />tu she’r ghazal ka<br />tu jaadu thal ka<br />tu khwaab punnal ka<br /><br />
you are the lotus flower<br />you are a verse of poetry<br />you are the magic of the desert<br />
you are the dream of Punnun (the Prince of Kech)<br /><br />
ji o<br />ji ba ta ra<br /><br />
live long!<br />may you live long!<br />
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دانہ پہ دانہ دانہ گا<br />دل برتہ مني دردانہ گا<br />نوں جستہ نکاں پروانہ گا<br />جي جي جي جي با ترا<br />تو برتہ ءِ مني ضعيپيں دلا<br />جي او<br />
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daanah pah daanah daanaga<br />dil burtah mani durrdaanah ga<br />noon justah nakaan parwaanah ga<br />ji ji ji ji ba ta ra<br />tau burtah i mani zaeepain dila<br />ji o<br /><br />
(among the) multitude of grains, this grain has<br />this lovely pearl has stolen my heart<br />now she doesn’t pay heed to her devoted moth<br />live, live, live, live long<br />you have stolen my fragile heart<br />live long!<br />
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Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05752411685289254553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1312667065247033937.post-89393574203567352642013-04-29T15:01:00.001+05:302013-04-29T15:01:09.000+05:30Vivekananda 150 at Sri Krishna Gana Sabha<div style="padding: 0; overflow: hidden; margin: 0; width: 500px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/32081912@N06/8691848428/in/set-72157633361046471/" title="005" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8121/8691848428_05768d87db_s.jpg" alt="005" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/32081912@N06/8690727111/in/set-72157633361046471/" title="032" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8384/8690727111_4b50547988_s.jpg" alt="032" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/32081912@N06/8691847330/in/set-72157633361046471/" title="006" style="display: block; 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padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8122/8691890902_211c7bde5e_s.jpg" alt="058" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/32081912@N06/8691889790/in/set-72157633361046471/" title="066" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8262/8691889790_da78318d21_s.jpg" alt="066" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/32081912@N06/8691889190/in/set-72157633361046471/" title="067" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8403/8691889190_5efd379083_s.jpg" alt="067" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/32081912@N06/8691888228/in/set-72157633361046471/" title="068" style="display: block; padding: 0 0 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8119/8691888228_0a9b394b34_s.jpg" alt="068" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><br clear="all"/></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 5px"><p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/32081912@N06/sets/72157633361046471/">Vivekananda 150 at Sri Krishna Gana Sabha</a>, a set on Flickr.</p></div>Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07607078337818656970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1312667065247033937.post-26417953454464695082013-03-09T15:45:00.000+05:302013-03-09T15:45:06.170+05:30A Late Welcome to 2013<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Why is it that I can never do the one most important thing I always want to do, i.e. write 1000 words a day? This is one serious issue, which I never could fathom. I write reams of comments on facebook - a lot of arguments, debates, jabs and pokes, and plain nonsense. But I somehow seem to slowly lose the ability to sit down and compile my thoughts. It is with such a sad state of affairs that I have to welcome an otherwise hearty 2013, after a nice, overall pleasant and wonderful passing of 2012.<br /><br />2012 brought me several new friends. I started learning a foreign language - español - and hope to reach a comfortable level, to speak and write. I learned swimming, though I am yet to perfect it. I got a comfortable new job, in which I can confidently stay for a good amount of time to come. I added quite a number of books to my library. Oh yes, I even got this brand new laptop, <a href="http://www.cnet.com/laptops/lenovo-ideapad-y480/4505-3121_7-35267798.html" target="_blank">Lenovo Y480</a>. It is another story that I could not do much of what I primarily wanted to do with this laptop - which is, as you might already know, is to write.<br />
<br />Life then goes on with its own interesting ups and downs. 2012 had it's share of moments of sorrow, pangs of separation, tense situation of nerves, exhilarating periods and celebration times. I got the opportunity for a bit of travel, including to Idinthakarai, near Koodankulam. I attended <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.372354689461529.87906.163896276974039&type=3" target="_blank">the Banglore edition of "We Read Therefore We Are" book club for the first time</a>. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.391926360837695.91716.163896276974039&type=3" target="_blank">And then I went again</a>. Then there was a pleasant and highly educative tour to around 15 Hoysala temples in South Karnataka. These were interspersed with trips to regular places like Kerala and KGF.<br />
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Some old friends relocated to other places. Some new friends dropped in to fill those empty spaces - at least to an extent. Several cousins and friends entered into marital bliss. Some people, who probably don't deserve the term "friends" anymore, didn't have the courtesy to lend a human touch to their invites, preferring to relegate it to a facebook RSVP. Time really did reveal who are true friends. However, I'm fortunate in getting so many opportunities to rebuild friendships from long last. Even if I missed rekindling a few really old friendships in 2012, I'm hopeful that opportunities will arise again for me to reach out to them.<br />
<br />I look forward to all those opportunities, new people, new places and new experiences that 2013 will take me to! :-)<br />
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Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05752411685289254553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1312667065247033937.post-7279267623567831602012-11-27T12:15:00.000+05:302012-11-27T12:15:58.971+05:30We Must Serve<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.772719755070284" style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Serve</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We can get anything today for money. This bartering of money for objects and results has undervalued the value of both money and the thing it buys. The irony is calling that effort or result bought with money as a “service”.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What then, is the real meaning of service? Expending one’s efforts with no expectations of any kind in return is service. It is done for the sake of the effort, for love, for the betterment of the person receiving it. To serve is to learn, to grow, to realize, and to enjoy. The act of serving helps the person performing the service more than the person receiving it. It clears the mind and purifies the heart. Such is the power of service, where even those who at first are not inclined to perform the act willingly, are soon touched by the joy of service. After all, they cannot escape the virtue of happiness and contentment when it spreads from their own hand.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I” do not serve. “You” do not serve. “He, She, It” does not and “They” do not serve as well.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Then who serves?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">WE serve.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We serve together. Else we never serve at all. The times compel us to serve together. And when two people immersed in the act, serve together, out of love and compassion, more importantly with the clear understanding of each other’s strengths and weaknesses so that their skills and abilities complement, the bond they nurture will be strong and enriching to both.</span></div>
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</span><div dir="ltr" style="font-family: serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Since serving is also an act, the performer of the act will inevitably commit mistakes, blunders even. Alone these may not be rectified or not even noticed. Sometimes, they may get out of control. But serving together, they may be noticed and solutions identified sooner, while helping to curb the damages easily. This is when one supports another and together build solidarity within the group. Even those who are predisposed to act independently will reap benefits from periodically falling back on a supportive, understanding group with similar intentions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Must</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sometimes there are tasks that nobody wants to do. The reasons for such a situation may be many – the arduousness of the task, the unattractiveness or even disgust it might present, lack of proper rewards for performing tasks. The only way we can overcome such obstacles is to serve compulsorily, to become addicted to the act of serving.</span></div>
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</span><div dir="ltr" style="font-family: serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In this age of arrogance empowered by money, the only means to humble our hubris is to serve. Only when people serve, will they discover that there is greater joy in giving freely; that this contentment derived from the act of serving, will be never equaled by any other kind of joy or experience that is bought with money. Curiously, only when people are involved in an act of service that does not include bartering of any kind, except that of love and happiness, do they better understand the value of money.</span></div>
<span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
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</span><div dir="ltr" style="font-family: serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That one should not even direct their scoff or contempt towards those who might be juvenile and vain in all their snobbery to hold service as a demeaning act, is easy to preach, but hard to practice. However, serving consistently and continuously will dislodge even that from one’s attitude.</span></div>
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</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<b id="internal-source-marker_0.772719755070284"><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Therefore, serve we must, so that our eyes are opened – both to the experiences of the external world, as well as to the deep well of inner peace and happiness within us that never dries.</span></b></div>
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Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05752411685289254553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1312667065247033937.post-60319989077244161522012-11-06T12:13:00.000+05:302012-11-06T12:13:28.832+05:30The Million Dollar Suitcase - A Puzzle<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Sometime back, I encountered a puzzle posted by a member in a LinkedIn group. It was called a <a href="http://blog.innovationbound.com/post/33233189824/the-million-dollar-suitcase-three-suitcases-are?goback=%2Eamf_2316564_40824408%2Egde_2316564_member_174015024%2Eamf_2316564_40824408%2Egde_2316564_member_174015024" target="_blank">Million Dollar Suitcase</a>. A scenario with a challenge was described and we had to find a solution. It went like this:</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Three suitcases are all labeled incorrectly, and you must get the labels right in order to find the million dollar suitcase (the one full of hundred dollar bills). </i></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>The labels on the suitcases read as follows:</i></span><ul class="list" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #626566; font: inherit; line-height: 19px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: -webkit-auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
<li style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; font: inherit; list-style-type: circle; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>$100 Bills</i></span></li>
</ul>
<ul class="list" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #626566; font: inherit; line-height: 19px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: -webkit-auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
<li style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; font: inherit; list-style-type: circle; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>$1 Bills</i></span></li>
</ul>
<ul class="list" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #626566; font: inherit; line-height: 19px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: -webkit-auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
<li style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; font: inherit; list-style-type: circle; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Both ($100 & $1 Bills)</i></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br style="color: #626566; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; text-align: -webkit-auto;" />You are allowed one test. You may remove only one bill from a single suitcase, after which you must make your determination. You can’t peek into the suitcases. Can you find the million dollar suitcase?</i></span></blockquote>
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<h4 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The Solution</b></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I read about it and devised a solution before checking it out on the site. My explanation was:</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><i>Assuming all of the suitcases are definitely mislabeled - we can safely remove one (i.e. the $100 suitcase) from the game and consider only two suitcases: $1 and Both. </i></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">If we select the one labeled "$1" for examination, we have half a chance to get into some trouble. If the bill you remove from the "$1" suitcase is actually $1, then we are saved, since it obviously is both. But if happens to be $100, we have no way of confirming if it is actually the "$100" suitcase or the "Both" case.</span></i></span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Therefore, we go directly to the suitcase labeled "Both". It can only have two types of bills - either all $1 or all $100. So, when we remove a bill and find it to be $1, then we pounce on the suitcase labeled $1 and run for it. It it is $100, then we just got ourselves a million dollars! :-) </i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><i>However, all of this based on the presumption that none of the suitcases are what they are actually labeled to be. If there is any chance that even one of the cases may actually be what the label says, then this method won't do.</i></span> </span></blockquote>
And this solution turned out to be correct! :-)<br /><br />Check out <a href="http://innovationbound.com/" target="_blank">Innovation Bound</a> for more interesting stuff.<br />
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Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05752411685289254553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1312667065247033937.post-49008518553772817462012-02-09T01:38:00.000+05:302012-02-09T02:06:59.797+05:30Booktalk - Along The Way<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div style="background-color: transparent;">
<span id="internal-source-marker_0.6444428721442819"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Do you love masala movies? If you do, then you’ll definitely like </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Along The Way. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To be true to the style of the book, it is the story of one Mr. VSA Tanikaburla</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">by Mr. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">TGC Prasad. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Venkata Subramaniam Adisankara Tanikaburla, also called as Venkat or more jovially as VSAT is our hero - who starts off as a very unassuming third year mechanical engineering student at NIT, Kozhikode and ends up as a... easy to guess if you like or at least have watched a masala movie - especially the Telugu or Tamil varieties.</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When you watch one such movie, you can predict what will happen next. This book is very similar, since it is full of cliches of the ‘boy-meets-girl’ kind and has everything - love, friendship, family, sorrow, trials and triumphs, except one thing - fights. In spite of the cliches, I couldn’t help laughing at the so many humorous digs at friends, girlfriends, parents, in-laws and most importantly - managers at workplaces. And our hero is honest enough to be “vocally self-critical”(learnt this phrase during my own appraisal!).</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The book is taut. You are never aware of the 350 pages until you come to the last page. Some of the portions though are quite artificial. Especially the places where our hero turns into a hero, saving the day. And there are mistakes galore. Hopefully, Rupa, the publisher, will employ an editor to proofread the book once more before they send in another edition to print.</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This book is a page-turner, no doubt. But honestly, this is not a book that is going to win any literary prize; for popularity, may be, but definitely not Booker material. For that very reason, this is a book that will keep you entertained for a journey that spans a few hours. There are no philosophical conundrums that will leave you confused; no uncomfortable passages or questions that create a moral dilemma in you; not even tough words that need a dictionary to crack. Instead, all you have are characters and incidents that you can relate to.</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That is an important factor, which makes this book appealing - you can identify yourself with at least one of the characters or recognize similarities with people you know in these characters or recall similar incidents you have encountered. It’s like exclaiming: “Hey! This character is similar to my own friend or boss or grandad” or “Hey! I’ve been through a similar situation - during my courtship or interview or at the workplace.” I call this the “Hey!” factor (with the ‘!’)</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">TGC Prasad, therefore, has given us a book whose characters and events weave in and out of our own lives. It is worth a solid 3 out of 5 stars. It is a movie that you dont want to end. It is a book that you feel like you have lived - are living.</span><br />
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</div>Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05752411685289254553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1312667065247033937.post-52607044063935106182012-02-09T01:18:00.000+05:302012-02-09T01:18:00.067+05:30Too long a break<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I've taken a really long break from writing - thanks in good measure to frequently disrupted internet connectivity. Added to that, my new <i>"occupation" that never is,</i> has also began and is eating up my time and health. I couldnt even record my experiences of the last year and explore what I might do this year on time. So here goes...<br />
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Hopefully, like last year, this year too, I am looking forward to change. Many lessons were learnt and unlearnt last year, which began with a few painful happenings and peaked with my dad's undergoing a medical crisis. In the end, everything fell in place: dad's back in top condition, happy events(including a full two days spent with Swami Dayananda Saraswati, at his ashram!), new people, new hopes and as usual - backbreaking work.<br />
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I travelled last year, though not as much as I wanted and not to too many new places. I am yet to learn a new language(German!). I have read loads of books, but far lesser than I could have with the time on my hands(which I spent watching a lot of movies instead :P). And I have written a lot lesser too; being lazy and hesitant does that you.<br />
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Throughout the year 2011, I did not have any money, almost. In spite of that, I was quite happy and my confidence has actually received a boost. It had its consequences - thanks to my increase in confidence, I've allowed my tongue a free rein in many situations, but during none of them was I imprudent. I have been quite free with my criticisms, but I also was sensible enough to think, many times deeply, before I expressed myself.<br />
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So this year, I still want to do most of what I did last year - travel, learn a new language, read and write. As for the writing part, I want to write at least 1000 words per day, regardless of whatever else I do. Most of it would be safely stored away, only for my eyes, while some of them will have their time on my blog.<br /><br />Await my reviews of all the books that I read and a few movies too.</div>Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05752411685289254553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1312667065247033937.post-76262136385535912232011-09-01T12:22:00.001+05:302011-09-01T12:22:13.957+05:30Sri Ganesha Charanam!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3xhU1FVwDIQLVr6HAIpiIOGz-bKHGFz_rzPU-38-2QDUIKVqaIGh0oBcWNTaqwzy5mpdfVCKoQZG2zX9Y7F_GOvGuQDxkWeqeFuVzBmYag2pDPy0WKxVS4HoliqBAgtZ-kzm65gSIJWo9/s1600/god_ganesh_by_3dking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3xhU1FVwDIQLVr6HAIpiIOGz-bKHGFz_rzPU-38-2QDUIKVqaIGh0oBcWNTaqwzy5mpdfVCKoQZG2zX9Y7F_GOvGuQDxkWeqeFuVzBmYag2pDPy0WKxVS4HoliqBAgtZ-kzm65gSIJWo9/s400/god_ganesh_by_3dking.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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अगजानन पद्मार्कम् गजाननम् अहर्निशम्।<br />अनेकदन्तम् भक्तानाम् एकदन्तम् उपास्महे॥</div>
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<br />agajānana padmārkam gajānanam aharniśam|<br />anekadantam bhaktānām ekadantam upāsmahe||</div>
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What a beautiful verse to behold and listen! I heard it first when this verse was suggested as an invocation for our magazine <b>Yuva Bharati</b> by my brother a couple of years ago. (Yup! I promptly posted it on facebook - even social networks have been permeated by spirituality :-D)<br /><br />A couple of months back, I had the good fortune to sit at the feet of Swami Dayananda Saraswati and learn this same verse - how to say it and its meaning. Recollecting that experience from memory, I'll try to share the beauty and the brilliance of this verse here.</div>
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<i>ānana </i>means face. <i>Gajānana</i> is the Lord who has the face of an elephant or <i>gaja</i>. On seeing the face of <i>Gajānana</i>, the face of <i>Agaja</i>, daughter of the king among mountains (<i>aga)</i>, <i>Himavan</i> or <i>Parvata</i>, one who is called <i>Himavati</i> or <i>Parvati</i>, lightens up. This is so natural and open, like how a <i>padma</i> or lotus, opens up to the first light of <i>arka</i> or the sun. While the lotus opens up only during the day, <i>Parvati</i> is joyful all the time, <i>aharniśam</i> - a<i>har </i>is day and <i>niśa</i> is night - on seeing her precious child.</div>
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<i>A</i><i>nekadantam</i> - this has to be split as <i>dam</i> - giver of, <i>aneka</i> - many (things), <i>tam</i> - to us <i>bhaktānām</i>, his devotees. This is in contrast to <i>ekadantam</i>: <i>eka</i> - one, <i>dantam</i> - tooth or tusk. He is the God who bestows the many different things that his devotees pray for.</div>
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<i>Upāsmahe - </i>I pray to, meditate upon that God, who is the joy of <i>Parvati, </i>who has one tusk only but who gives many things to his devotees.<br />
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Illustration courtesy - <a href="http://3dking.deviantart.com/art/god-ganesh-67097011">3dking from deviantart</a></div>
Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05752411685289254553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1312667065247033937.post-66940818555083404552011-09-01T00:20:00.000+05:302012-02-07T16:07:19.218+05:30Booktalk - The Secret of the Nagas<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsrx4bzDDHm_VnJKKzcWtm4Ye-yPLk-NJCJZNukgoNi2b2vE6kodvgOrzFCSql28IRIR_JrRUFAE1xjmLJ_gMGqkff53in9jb5LETroWp11dvFyqpoqgVw3vVS3yAlu_MU7fLszdFKgnFN/s1600/120820113000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsrx4bzDDHm_VnJKKzcWtm4Ye-yPLk-NJCJZNukgoNi2b2vE6kodvgOrzFCSql28IRIR_JrRUFAE1xjmLJ_gMGqkff53in9jb5LETroWp11dvFyqpoqgVw3vVS3yAlu_MU7fLszdFKgnFN/s400/120820113000.jpg" width="300" /></a><b>The Secret of the Nagas</b> is the part two of <a href="http://shivatrilogy.com/">the Shiva Trilogy</a> and continues exactly where the first book <b>The Immortals of Meluha</b> stops.<br />
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The book begins with a small, but intense skirmish between the mysterious Naga warrior and the Shiva-Sati couple. The couple underestimate the Naga and end up injured. But what puzzles them is the apparent lack of viciousness on part of the Naga, who, although he had many chances to kill either of them, leaves Shiva and Sati alive with only minor wounds. From this point the story thrillingly unfolds further. <br />
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A lot of new characters are introduced, and identities and backgrounds of quite a few old characters are revealed - many of them quite shocking. But nothing is as shocking as the revelation on the very last page of the book!<br />
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Like in the first part, in this part too, Amish, through his protagonist, continues to raise the question - if something is apparently evil, is it actually evil? What is good and what is evil? Through Shiva's discussions with the Vasudev Pandits, Amish delves into this moral dilemma repeatedly, with each encounter taking it deeper.<br />
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What is apparently evil may have a background and many contributing factors that actually make it good. It is important since we frequently assume something to only be either black or white; but later learn, often through harsh experiences that nothing is absolutely so. Everyone and everything has a reason to exist and a role to play. They can be dealt with only as various shades of grey.<br />
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It is this constant discussion - what is good and evil? why must evil necessarily be a person? And so on, which give the book a meaning and an intensity, and make it more than just an ordinary, fast-paced, page turner.<br />
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As you read through the book, if you think you can predict the plot, you will be seriously mistaken. Amish has taken inspiration from many incidents recorded in our itihasa-puranas, but his ingenuity in using them in the story makes it an exciting and fresh read. In the light of his sticking to a great extent with the attributes of the original personalities of whom his characters are namesakes, this seems to be a daunting task, but Amish has accomplished it successfully.<br />
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The book does have its downturns. Too many people are "ridiculously muscled", as we are repeatedly told. Some areas also seem to slow down the pace a bit. Again, like in the first part, the book stops at a crucial scene and leaves the reader pining for the next part, a good auto-marketing gimmic - after all, the book has to sell at the end of the day.<br />
<br />
Amish has set a standard in his first book and matches it in his second book. What is in store in the last book - The Oath of the Vayuputras, that he is yet to write?<br />
<br /></div>Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05752411685289254553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1312667065247033937.post-59665502587128532252011-08-28T10:33:00.000+05:302011-08-28T10:33:29.433+05:30The New Name<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="post_content" id="post_content_9489801316"><div class="post_title"></div>FYI People - I have changed my blogs’ URL. I had a boring name “itsablueblog” over all three blog platforms - blogger, wordpress and tumblr. I have changed it to “brownindian”. These are my blog URLs now.<br />
<br />
brownindian.blogspot.com<br />
<br />
brownindian.wordpress.com<br />
<br />
brownindian.tumblr.com<br />
<br />
Go visit them if you are bored. I promise that you’ll be more bored than before.<br />
<br />
<br />
</div></div>Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05752411685289254553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1312667065247033937.post-26737959811660238402011-08-22T11:10:00.002+05:302011-08-22T11:58:39.401+05:30Are we honest?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">These are protesting times. A large number of people have taken to the streets - I don't know the real numbers but I am being assured that there are thousands of people on the streets, taking long marches, holding candle-light vigils etc - protesting corruption.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" dir="rtl" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOhIZjBSqqhgRRhLiFa9OhEErFz2hiRwIyDvGBiRhq5g83MWGiNsYF5T4haKExm7gg90IGECX5bQUieqn2NmupPS32FAj8t3MXuP1WmAqFDv4aFf2v0_Q21pu3rhKSx56y_cJaFkPgE_eA/s1600/4922.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOhIZjBSqqhgRRhLiFa9OhEErFz2hiRwIyDvGBiRhq5g83MWGiNsYF5T4haKExm7gg90IGECX5bQUieqn2NmupPS32FAj8t3MXuP1WmAqFDv4aFf2v0_Q21pu3rhKSx56y_cJaFkPgE_eA/s320/4922.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I have covered <a href="http://itsablueblog.wordpress.com/2011/08/20/jan-lok-pal-whats-inside/">the movement </a>and <a href="http://itsablueblog.wordpress.com/2011/08/21/anna-inspires-everyone-everyone/">the ripples it is creating</a> in my <a href="http://itsablueblog.wordpress.com/">other blog.</a> So, I am not going into those details again here. I have a few basic questions though (as usual).<br />
<br />
What is it that the people are protesting against, essentially? Yes, we know it is corruption, but corruption does not sustain itself. It is perpetrated by individuals. That raises the next question - who are the individuals that perpetrate corruption. Or to simply state - who are the corrupt individuals?<br />
<br />
Are only those who take bribes and get involved in scams corrupt and dishonest? What about those who pay to get driving licenses without attending the exams? What about those who encroach upon a few square feet next to their own properties and bribe the official to legalize it? What about those who jump signals because there is no sergeant in sight? The examples can go on. <br />
<br />
So, what makes us think that the neta who swindles is a bigger criminal than any "aam aadmi" who enters and drives through a one-way on the wrong side to reach his destination faster, knowing that it is wrong and jeopardizes both himself and others? What makes us think that babus who take bribes are bigger criminals than all those individuals who don't pay their taxes? After all, it is the same greed and selfishness that fuels both kinds.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijPATuS3fam0oKIxgIn7a00vwWBVe_rFI3i2r5sp9dZDFB-_lbxmoNblT0pB5u-3y-JE0zFLITqZVqreeW242KND50v7gldvQF5kTz6VOyazYACq1rYtUWcU9M9LvYSo8T6hD3y17zPgdI/s1600/4952.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijPATuS3fam0oKIxgIn7a00vwWBVe_rFI3i2r5sp9dZDFB-_lbxmoNblT0pB5u-3y-JE0zFLITqZVqreeW242KND50v7gldvQF5kTz6VOyazYACq1rYtUWcU9M9LvYSo8T6hD3y17zPgdI/s320/4952.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Let us assume that the protest is against the netas and babus, and not the other kinds of people I compared them with. Then we get the question - who are those netas and babus? Has the group that leads these country-wide protests named names? If yes, why and if no, why not?<br />
<br />
If you dont have names, then why this protest that scorns the available channels for justice? Surely, there are others who have named specific individuals as corrupt and have sought justice through the courts or have exposed them through the media. For instance, <a href="http://www.newsofdelhi.com/politics-national/subramanian-swamy-is-a-lone-warrior-among-politicians-who-is-single-handedly-fighting-against-corrupt-leaders">Subramanian Swamy</a>. He doesn't have the kind of mass support like the current movement. But he has named people - who are very powerful - and has gone a step further collecting evidence against them and successfully punishing the culprits through the courts. And people like <a href="http://jgopikrishnan.blogspot.com/">J Gopikrishnan</a>, the journalist who exposed the whole spectrum scandal. <br />
<br />
In addition to not answering or refusing to answer the above questions, this protest is also propping corruption as the sole evil to be rooted out. What about poverty? What about discrimination? Is it enough to eradicate corruption? If the objectives of this protest is met, will our country become a paradise overnight?<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb38Ry_hyphenhyphenPaHb2nNWJ6FFn0-NcpmtoqmGL76S8QPgIYj_3tskRUKwHRVZhqEKYqXjxohEL8k2G-XXhyphenhyphenh3PxddG5mcPzKAAYTVtQMv-N3H9l462j9ERR8VXrI1wlmE2Z8XYP0b-WRAVrMko/s1600/IAC+Delhi+March+041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb38Ry_hyphenhyphenPaHb2nNWJ6FFn0-NcpmtoqmGL76S8QPgIYj_3tskRUKwHRVZhqEKYqXjxohEL8k2G-XXhyphenhyphenh3PxddG5mcPzKAAYTVtQMv-N3H9l462j9ERR8VXrI1wlmE2Z8XYP0b-WRAVrMko/s320/IAC+Delhi+March+041.JPG" width="320" /></a>When <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/ChennaiIAC/?view=permalink&id=197664840297582">I tried to ask these questions</a> to a supporter, he brazenly replied that his individual honesty did not matter, but the netas and babus must be brought to book. These supporters refuse to understand what the issue is about. They are not open-minded enough to even acknowledge anyone who advances an opposing argument to theirs. Like all mobs, these supporters lose their brains and descend fast into abusing those who disagree with their protest. This is a sure sign of how unhealthy the entire episode is.<br />
<br />
If I am one of the protestors, how will these questions affect me?<br />
<br />
</div>Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05752411685289254553noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1312667065247033937.post-43281471286571551242011-08-15T11:33:00.003+05:302011-11-17T10:57:19.288+05:30Vande Mataram<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
When Bankim Chandra wrote this song sometime in 1876, he was just giving vent to his emotions. He did not envisage it would become the National Song of India or it would be a locus of controversy. But, the song stirred an upheaval - of emotion, of patriotism and became the war cry for the freedom struggle. The phrase <b><i>"Vande Mātaram"</i></b> has come to be ingrained in the psyche of all people who proudly proclaim themselves as "Indian".<br />
<br />
Written in a pure form of Bangla that draws its strength from its Sanskrit roots, it was a spontaneous expression of Bankim's devotion to his motherland. He worships our motherland as the supreme deity, as the epitome of courage, valor, knowledge, prosperity - all attributes as an aspect of feminine divinity. As we read the poem, our conscience instinctively begins to sing it; along with Bankim we prostrate before the Mother - who is not just the bestower of Knowledge, but <i>Vidyā<i></i></i> herself; not just the nourisher of the life-force, but <i>Prāṇā</i> herself.<br />
<br />
The Song in Devanagari (From <a href="http://www.hindujagruti.org/activities/campaigns/national/vandemataram/">Hindu Jagruti</a>)<br />
<br />
वन्दे मातरम्<br />
सुजलां सुफलां मलयजशीतलाम्<br />
शस्यशामलां मातरम् । वन्दे मातरम् ।<br />
<br />
शुभ्रज्योत्स्नापुलकितयामिनीं<br />
फुल्लकुसुमितद्रुमदलशोभिनीं<br />
सुहासिनीं सुमधुर भाषिणीं<br />
सुखदां वरदां मातरम् ।। १ ।। वन्दे मातरम् ।<br />
<br />
कोटि-कोटि-कण्ठ-कल-कल-निनाद-कराले<br />
कोटि-कोटि-भुजैर्धृत-खरकरवाले,<br />
अबला केन मा एत बले ।<br />
<br />
बहुबलधारिणीं नमामि तारिणीं<br />
रिपुदलवारिणीं मातरम् ।। २ ।। वन्दे मातरम् ।<br />
<br />
तुमि विद्या, तुमि धर्म<br />
तुमि हृदि, तुमि मर्म<br />
त्वं हि प्राणा: शरीरे<br />
बाहुते तुमि मा शक्ति,<br />
हृदये तुमि मा भक्ति,<br />
तोमारई प्रतिमा गडि<br />
मन्दिरे-मन्दिरे मातरम् ।। ३ ।। वन्दे मातरम् ।<br />
<br />
त्वं हि दुर्गा दशप्रहरणधारिणी<br />
कमला कमलदलविहारिणी<br />
वाणी विद्यादायिनी, नमामि त्वाम्<br />
नमामि कमलां अमलां अतुलां<br />
सुजलां सुफलां मातरम् ।। ४ ।। वन्दे मातरम् ।<br />
<br />
श्यामलां सरलां सुस्मितां भूषितां<br />
धरणीं भरणीं मातरम् ।। ५ ।। वन्दे मातरम् ।।<br />
<br />
---<br />
<br />
(Thanks to <a href="http://www.vignanam.org/veda/vande-mataram-english.html">Vaidika Vignana</a> for this version in romanized Samskrt transliterated according <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Alphabet_of_Sanskrit_Transliteration">IAST</a> standard)<br />
<br />
vandemātaraṃ<br />
sujalāṃ suphalāṃ malayaja śītalāṃ<br />
sasya śyāmalāṃ mātaraṃ ||vande||<br />
<br />
śubhrajyotsnā pulakitayāminīṃ<br />
pullakusumita drumadala śobhinīṃ<br />
suhāsinīṃ sumadhura bhāṣiṇīṃ<br />
sukhadāṃ varadāṃ mātaraṃ || vande ||<br />
<br />
koṭikoṭi kaṇṭha kalakala ninādakarāle<br />
koṭi koṭi bhujair dhṛta kara karavāle<br />
abalā keyano mā eto bale<br />
bahubala dhāriṇīṃ namāmi tāriṇīṃ<br />
ripudalavāriṇīṃ mātarām || vande ||<br />
<br />
tumi vidyā tumi dharma tumi hṛdi tumi marma<br />
tvaṃ hi prāṇāḥ śarīre<br />
bāhute tumi mā śakti hṛdaye tumi mā bhakti<br />
to mārayi pratimā gaḍi mandire mandire || vande ||<br />
<br />
tvaṃ hi durgā daśa praharaṇa dhāriṇī<br />
kamalā kamaladaḷa vihāriṇī<br />
vāṇī vidyādāyinī<br />
namāmi tvāṃ<br />
namāmi kamalām amalām atulāṃ<br />
sujalāṃ suphalāṃ mātaram || vande ||<br />
<br />
śyāmalāṃ saralāṃ susmitāṃ bhūṣitāṃ<br />
dharaṇīṃ bharaṇīṃ mātaraṃ<br />
<br />
---<br />
<br />
Can a song of such force and emotion be translated without losing its soul? And who can do it?<br />
<br />
Maharshi Aurobindo has performed this daunting task, and done it twice!<br />
<br />
His translation of <i>Vande Mataram</i> into Prose, which appeared in the <i>Karmayogin</i> issue on 20 November, 1909.<br />
<br />
<i>I bow to thee, Mother,<br />
richly-watered, richly-fruited,<br />
cool with the winds of the south,<br />
dark with the crops of the harvests,<br />
The Mother!<br />
<br />
Her nights rejoicing in the glory of the moonlight,<br />
her lands clothed beautifully with her trees in flowering bloom,<br />
sweet of laughter, sweet of speech,<br />
The Mother, giver of boons, giver of bliss!<br />
<br />
Terrible with the clamorous shouts of seventy million throats,<br />
and the sharpness of swords raised in twice seventy million hands,<br />
who sayeth to thee, Mother, that thou are weak?<br />
Holder of multitudinous strength,<br />
I bow to her who saves,<br />
to her who drives from her the armies of her foremen,<br />
The Mother!<br />
<br />
Thou art knowledge, thou art conduct,<br />
thou art heart, thou art soul,<br />
for thou art the life in our body.<br />
In the arm, thou art might, O Mother,<br />
in the heart, O Mother, thou art love and faith,<br />
it is thy image we raise in every temple.<br />
<br />
For thou art Durga holding her ten weapons of war,<br />
Kamala at play in the lotuses<br />
And speech, the goddess, giver of all lore,<br />
to thee I bow!<br />
I bow to thee, goddess of wealth<br />
pure and peerless,<br />
richly-watered, richly-fruited,<br />
The Mother!<br />
<br />
I bow to thee, Mother,<br />
dark-hued, candid,<br />
sweetly smiling, jeweled and adorned,<br />
the holder of wealth, the lady of plenty,<br />
The Mother!</i><br />
<br />
---<br />
<br />
The more ambitious task of creating a poem from The Poem, was also performed by Sri Aurobindo.<br />
<br />
<i><b>Mother, I Bow to Thee !</b><br />
<br />
Mother, I bow to thee!<br />
Rich with thy hurrying streams,<br />
bright with orchard gleams,<br />
Cool with thy winds of delight,<br />
Dark fields waving Mother of might,<br />
Mother free.<br />
<br />
Glory of moonlight dreams,<br />
Over thy branches and lordly streams,<br />
Clad in thy blossoming trees,<br />
Mother, giver of ease<br />
Laughing low and sweet!<br />
Mother I kiss thy feet,<br />
Speaker sweet and low!<br />
Mother, to thee I bow.<br />
<br />
Who hath said thou art weak in thy lands,<br />
When the sword flesh out in the seventy million hands<br />
And seventy million voices roar<br />
Thy dreadful name from shore to shore?<br />
With many strengths who art mighty and stored,<br />
To thee I call Mother and Lord!<br />
Though who savest, arise and save!<br />
To her I cry who ever her foe man drove<br />
Back from plain and Sea<br />
And shook herself free.<br />
<br />
Thou art wisdom, thou art law,<br />
Thou art heart, our soul, our breath<br />
Though art love divine, the awe<br />
In our hearts that conquers death.<br />
Thine the strength that nerves the arm,<br />
Thine the beauty, thine the charm.<br />
Every image made divine<br />
In our temples is but thine.<br />
<br />
Thou art Durga, Lady and Queen,<br />
With her hands that strike and her swords of sheen,<br />
Thou art Lakshmi lotus-throned,<br />
And the Muse a hundred-toned,<br />
Pure and perfect without peer,<br />
Mother lend thine ear,<br />
Rich with thy hurrying streams,<br />
Bright with thy orchard gleams,<br />
Dark of hue O candid-fair.<br />
<br />
In thy soul, with jewelled hair<br />
And thy glorious smile divine,<br />
Loveliest of all earthly lands,<br />
Showering wealth from well-stored hands!<br />
Mother, mother mine!<br />
Mother sweet, I bow to thee,<br />
Mother great and free!<br />
</i><br />
<br />
(Translations from <a href="http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Vande_Mataram">Wikisource</a>)<br />
<br /></div>Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05752411685289254553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1312667065247033937.post-34459551288244182662011-08-13T15:30:00.003+05:302011-08-13T15:52:39.414+05:30The Shiva Trilogy - The Secret of the Nagas<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I just finished reading it this morning and... WHOA! What a book! I cannot stop thinking about all the stuff that the story has in it - I'm drowning in a deluge of my own thoughts!<br />
<br />
No, Shiva is not the hero of the entire story. He is still the protagonist, but someone almost displaced him as the hero of this particular book in the series - by his valor, ability and courage, as much as the stoicism he displays (for which he is even chided!) No wonder he's the namesake of the most popular God of the Hindu pantheon, who has awesomed his way into the faith systems of other lands and peoples too!<br />
<br />
Someone else almost became the villain, but like his dunderhead, "goat headed" fool of a namesake in the Hindu Puranas, he's simply too dumb and incapable to be one and has to be remain the puppet of the actual mastermind. And who that master puppeteer, is still a mystery, in spite of the smug presumption that makes us think that we can hazard a guess.<br />
<br />
I know I am just running away without a proper introduction or answering the very valid question of "Where's the review to the first part of the Shiva Trilogy?" I think I will write that review as a sequel to this review! Hey! But wait, this is not a review. I'm just recording my thoughts fresh after reading "The Secret of the Nagas". Bought it yesterday from Landmark, Nungambakkam and finished it this morning.<br />
<br />
The actual review comes in another post. I want to run through the first part once more before I post it.<br />
<br />
</div>Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05752411685289254553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1312667065247033937.post-46188773943656644892011-08-13T15:07:00.000+05:302012-02-07T16:11:20.150+05:30A Proud Possession<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
If I should start properly writing (including reviews) about books, which book should I start with? I thought it would be a tough hill to climb. That is until I saw the Bhagavad Gita. Or rather the few different commentaries of the Gita that I possess and I was no more bothered about finding a "first book" to write about.<br />
<br />
I have not read the Gita in full yet. Hope to do it some day. Gita is for a lifetime study. It cannot be read and imbibed completely in one stretch. Many of the ideas illustrated in the Gita can be understood only if you have the relevant experiences, maturity, as well as the ability to process those thoughts.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2R5r4RDIHOCSgFfZLGgPIMNFbsnV8hN2G6euh6g_UI7tDebvqAQrUhKTPg9p13RrSYxab8QaYBSjHoCm8WyJKhtr9PqunL1s5cDQ7me8sY3S4yCFB1VJQqB2bUhYs0wG5CUBbOzzA0qDL/s1600/070820112986.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2R5r4RDIHOCSgFfZLGgPIMNFbsnV8hN2G6euh6g_UI7tDebvqAQrUhKTPg9p13RrSYxab8QaYBSjHoCm8WyJKhtr9PqunL1s5cDQ7me8sY3S4yCFB1VJQqB2bUhYs0wG5CUBbOzzA0qDL/s400/070820112986.jpg" width="300" /></a>The exact version of the Gita that I want to mark my beginning - auspiciously - is the <b><a href="http://www.chennaimath.org/estore/universal-message-of-the-bhagavad-gita-vol-1-3">Universal Message of the Bhagavad Gita</a></b> - <i>An Exposition of the Gita in the Light of Modern Thoughts and Modern Needs</i>. It was transcribed and compiled from Swami Ranganathananda's "series of Sunday discourses, from 1988 to 1990, at the 1200-capacity Vivekananda Hall of the Ramakrishna Math, Hyderabad..."<br />
<br />
The commentary is spread over three volumes. This was the first commentary of the Gita that I bought. I was then a graduate student at the Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda College, Chennai. I was interested in studying the Hindu scriptures and the most easily approachable text was the Bhagavad Gita.<br />
<br />
Some close friends knew of my interest and suggested a few important commentaries. One of them was this. And it so happened that around this time Swami Ranganathananda passed away at the ripe age of 96. Tributes flowed and as I came to know more about him, I decided to buy a copy of the Universal Message of the Gita.<br />
<br />
When I traveled to Bengaluru for post-graduate study, the Universal Message of the Gita accompanied me. My solitude was spent immersed in the ideas that these volumes revealed. In addition to the Gita being the best philosophical work ever composed, the personality who unveiled it was himself an astonishing individual. The fact that he was already 30 years old when the second world war started was fascinating. As someone who had lived through two world wars, Independence, partition and so many significant incidents of history, his experience spanned many generations. The might of those experiences and the wisdom received through them, Swami Ranganathananda promptly passes on to us through these volumes. <br />
<br />
I was half way through the second volume when I finished my studies and returned home. I have since then bought four other commentaries, though I am yet to completely read through even one.<br />
<br /></div>Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05752411685289254553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1312667065247033937.post-80453980344307252112011-08-03T20:18:00.001+05:302011-08-04T11:23:55.756+05:30At last!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Deciding on what to write has been really, really tough. Coupled along with <b>"writer's block"</b> (when I've not even begun to write!) it has almost strangled my blogging and regular writing. Finally though, I am a lot more confident of writing consistently, unlike the first two years of blogging, which saw just about the number of words that can fit in to a mobile phone text message or two. <br />
<br />
The confidence arises from my deciding on what I'll write, while wishing ardently that this will help me overcome my writer's block. Yeah, I want to write about everything under the sun. But this small problem of lack of knowledge and too much attention to detail and unwanted perfectionism stops me from doing just that. So, I will stick to two main categories that I know a wee little bit: <b>books</b> and <b>music</b>. <br />
<br />
Books, reading, writing, authors, characters, plots - I'll try to present everything that catches my eye. I read both English and Tamil, so both will find a place here. Similarly so with music, musicians, genres(as I learn to differentiate between them), instruments. As and when I come across information: general and background, I'll also try to include anecdotes and pieces of history - interesting ones.<br />
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That is what I'm going to write on this blog. At least that is what I'll be writing about more. Once in a while, I will also be putting my toes, sometimes legs and body attached, for a small sprint outside these known territories and comment on some happenings and people, record my responses and reactions (hopefully, these will be lesser when compared to the main stuff!)<br />
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</div>Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05752411685289254553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1312667065247033937.post-85701705570879290982011-08-01T11:22:00.002+05:302011-08-04T11:25:05.761+05:30Influence, Ideals and Idols - Part 1<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">We are influenced by some people at some periods of our lives. It is particularly evident when we reflect on our childhood and adolescence - the formative periods. Individuals and individuals of a specific kind, hold tremendous control of our lives when we are young. Parents, relatives, friends and along with them, another important group of individuals who have great influence are our teachers.<br />
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A teacher can be anybody from the people mentioned before - parents, relatives and friends. Quite often, a stranger can also be our teacher; like the writer and the poet, who speaks through his characters and ideas; like the artist, who speaks through the images he creates; like the so many actors on this stage called life, who teach us how to be and not to be by their actions, utterances, reactions and replies, innocent of the knowledge that they are actually teaching the onlookers i.e. us. <br />
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Nature is one of the greatest teachers. So are events influenced by nature or enacted by individuals, occasional and sometimes harsh, yet great teachers. Frequently, we are so engrossed in the events and happenings that we fail to recognize that we are being taught, through the subtle influences those events and individuals exercise over us. <br />
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To understand this truth, which seems to be abnormal though only superficially, we need to understand who is a teacher and what a teacher does or should do. <br />
<br />
Who is a teacher? The person who has been trained to translate and explain the information given in books and employed by the schools - is he or she a teacher? As mundane an affair as presenting information that can be obtained from books and asking students to represent it back (as homework) - is that teaching? May be it is and they are; we cannot argue against it. But who really is a teacher?<br />
<br />
A teacher is someone and sometimes something, who helps an individual to understand his or her own self, and unfold their identity and individuality. How do teachers do that? By providing an environment, where the individual can ask questions. And most importantly, by sparking a burning desire in the individual to seek answers to those questions, so that the individual does not stop until he and she obtain clear and satisfactory answers. <br />
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These burning desires of individuals to seek answers, inspire them to think and innovate. The desires transform into ambitions that move the world and keep it alive through progress. Such desires can only be initiated by events or individuals acting as teachers.<br />
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</div>Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05752411685289254553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1312667065247033937.post-77412822484188511672011-07-31T14:28:00.001+05:302011-08-03T20:20:38.883+05:30A Really Dumb Post<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">The post started with this judgmental title <b><a href="http://www.firstpost.com/tech/its-official-internet-explorer-users-are-dumb-51221.html">It’s official: Internet Explorer users are dumb</a></b> that spurred me to read on. After the initial few lines it aroused my interest enough to read it fully and even write a blog post (the one you are reading right now!). But a comment the author (who confessed to a low IQ) made at the very end of the post made me wonder how did he end up as a writer. These are actually not writers, but recyclers who cut and paste stuff from other sources. Large herds of such recyclers prowl the internet and are dreadfully substandard.<b></b><br />
<br />
<br />
<b>What it says</b><br />
<br />
The post begins by advertising the results of a survey done by some consultancy, who hosted an online IQ test and kept track of the browser used by each participant to reach the test. After the end of the survey period, they compiled their data and concluded this following result (as the author of the post claimed):<br />
<br />
<blockquote><i> A significant number of individuals with a low score on the cognitive test were found to be using Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) versions 6.0 to 9.0. There was no significant difference in the IQ scores between individuals using Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Apple’s Safari; however, it was on an average higher than IE users. Individuals using Opera, Camino and IE with Chrome Frame scored a little higher on an average than others. These data support the hypothesis that the IQ score and the choice of web browser are related. </i></blockquote><br />
Immediately, I had a doubt. What about the IQ levels of internet users like me, who use multiple browsers at the same time? (Yeah, this question is to simply gratify my ego. I am quite sure people like me will be at the top of the IQ scale. Period)<br />
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<br />
<b>What I use</b><br />
<br />
I predominantly use <a href="http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/fx/?ref=logo">Mozilla Firefox</a> ever since I came to know about it some six years ago. I however, use a secondary browser, always. That is ever since I discovered a simple thing: you can access two different accounts in the same network/provider through two different browsers. Sometimes, I even use three browsers at the same time.<br />
<br />
I have tried many (and all of the popular) browsers to use as secondary, like Opera, Maxthon, Avant, Flock, Epic, Safari, Netscape Navigator, Konqueror. But I've always ended up using IE (8 now) along with <a href="http://www.opera.com/?ref=home">Opera</a>, <a href="http://www.maxthon.com/">Maxthon </a>as my secondary and tertiary browsers to go with Firefox. Personally, Opera and IE are worthy alternates to Firefox, with Opera barely edging out IE.<br />
<br />
<b></b><br />
The survey claims <a href="http://www.aptiquant.com/IQ-Browser-AptiQuant-2011.pdf"><i>individuals on the lower side of the IQ scale tend to resist a change/upgrade of their browsers </i></a>though how they account for people with normally high IQ, but without much of an acquaintance with computers and internet and who may end up using outdated versions of all kinds of software, browsers being just one among the many such, is not mentioned in that post.<br />
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<br />
<b>The Gem of a Moron</b><br />
<br />
The writer confessed that he used IE and by his own admission is a person of low IQ. What's surprising is, he proves that he has a low IQ by a moronic claim.<br />
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<blockquote><i>However, we should get AptiQuant to check what browsers are used by our Members of Parliament, Members of Legislative Assemblies and by Baba Ramdev. </i></blockquote><blockquote><i>I’m fairly certain they’re all IE users (those of them who are computer users, that is); all I want is ratification – and AptiQuant could do that.</i></blockquote><br />
<br />
Being curious and asking questions is normal. But arriving at self-made conclusions is clear indication of low IQ. Especially when you mention people who occupy two extremes of the corruption/integrity curve in the same breath as though they are all bedfellows. I am inclined to believe that the writer of that post on firstpost was neither familiar with technology, nor aware of the political scene or informed about its players. <br />
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It's not our elected representatives who have low IQ, since they are intelligent enough to remain in power while being corrupt enough to suck the lifeblood out of the nation. It is us voters that have low IQ, who keep electing crooks and plunderers again and again, knowing fully well that they are exactly that and nothing more.<br />
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<br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">Concrete is not cool. You understand that when you get a shock of green. A shock. That’s what you will get first when you travel to Anaikkatti, unprepared. Green is cool. The <a href="http://arshavidya.in/">Arsha Vidya Gurukulam</a> is like the centre of a forested valley on the Nilgiri moutains. Anywhere you turn, there’s a peak.<br />
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There is always a lingering feeling that a giant, invisible hand manicures the woods inside the campus. But they are so naturally tranquil that, as you begin to drink in the scenery, you automatically dive into yourself. The boundary between that external greenery and your internal self are somehow blurred. The sounds of Rudram-Chamaka chanting that you hear in the distance only heighten the blur.<br />
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Doubts, questions that you never knew you had, never knew you could even think up, creep in to your mind. Doubts only Vedanta could answer. Correct that - only a Teacher of Vedanta can answer. Strike even that out - only a <a href="http://arshavidya.in/people/pujyaSwamiji.html">Guru</a> who has spent his entire lifetime enlightening people through Vedanta can answer. He is 80 years old this year. And still clocks more than 10000 air miles (or more).<br />
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As you leave the campus, you feel that you never want to leave. You might have felt the same when you leave other destinations. But you know for sure that this time it is completely different and has a lot more seriousness to it. You suddenly feel that Anaikkatti has become the center of your universe. The sounds of Rudram-Chamakam have faded in to Vishnu Sahasranama...</div>Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05752411685289254553noreply@blogger.com0