Fragrance of the Blue Sky

Born out of boredom on a beautiful morning. Though I have written many poems, this is the first one I dare to publish. Somehow, I always like to keep my poems to myself. Took me a while to decide whether or not to publish it in the blog.

As the final drops of night rain fall on morning leaves,
sun rises to give sparkle to splashing drops of colour and birds that sing.
Aroma of early morning dew, awakens me from nocturnal hue,
coming forth with splashes of light, all is green in the garden of sparkling sight.

Swollen shrooms after the falling rain,
hearing its colours and seeing its sounds,
life becomes a drop dissolving into the ocean Tao.

I see silence as a clear blue sky,
and a song as a cloud appearing before dissipating into void.
Heaven and hell is here on earth,
and when we die, so does heaven and hell.

If there was no beginning, then there is no End,
but if there's a beginning, then there must be an End.
And here I stand, enjoying the fragrance of the blue sky.

L.T.T.E can be finished in 30 minutes – Sri Lankan PM

The Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayake has said his forces can “finish” the L.T.T.E in “half-an-hour”, but was concerned the for the safety of the innocent civilians trapped in the last rebel-held area. ”The Government can finish off terrorism completely within half an hour if it acted in an inhuman manner.

Driving out terrorists (L.T.T.E) from a very small bastion in the north has been time consuming because the government is acting most humanely considering the safety of civilians held by L.T.T.E as a human shield,” the Prime Minister said. He made the observation by the beginning of April, while addressing the ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) activists in Horana, about 60 kms from Colombo.

Mr. Wickramanayake urged the people to unite to develop the nation, which is today at an important cross road where terrorism was to be totally wiped out. “Once this mission was completed a much more important responsibility would be cast on the Government and the people to steer the motherland towards a development effort in a planned manner,” the state run Daily News quoted him to say. “The unity and trust placed in the Government by people as regards the humanitarian operations should be forthcoming in equal or enhanced measure during the future national development effort,” he said.

If the Tamilians in Sri Lanka are being treated as Second Class citizens, then that should come to an end. Every one is equal. None of the races or ethnic groups are superior than the other. Every one has to be treated fair. But bloodshed is not the answer. Would a general strike in Tamil Nadu end the war in Sri Lanka? That is just political “B.S”. If these so called orators truly care, then they should be asking L.T.T.E to put down their arms for the safety of the Tamilians in Sri Lanka, than indirectly supporting a terrorist organization.

Now for those who would oppose me on calling L.T.T.E a terrorist organization – please tell me how should I address an organization that has assassinated an Indian Prime Minister?

International Media has been reporting that L.T.T.E is using humans as shields. This was confirmed by a group of people who managed to flee the war zone. It is high time that this blood shed has to end. Over the past three months more than 6,000 civilians had been killed.  This is not a Nazi era and the Sri Lankan Government would not be able to do an ‘Ethnic Cleansing’ if that is what is being projected. If L.T.T.E truly care for these innocent people why don’t they call it off?

Silver or Gold?

Good old Atomic Number 79 has always been the safe haven of choice for skittish investors, but gold is about to get a run for its money. Despite the fact that the gold-to-silver ratio is at its highest point since 2004, New York-based hedge-fund adviser the Hennessee Group says silver is poised to outperform its glitzier counterpart.

Even though silver initially suffered as the global financial crisis depended and investors fled to gold and Treasuries in 2009, gold gained about 6 percent silver plummeted more than 25 percent – it’s now seriously undervalued, says Hennessee. At the same time, demand for silver is expected to grow over the lover term. Unlike the majority of precious metals, silver is as vital to industrial applications as it is to the luxury trade – more than 50 percent of silver demand comes from industrial sectors as diverse as imaging, electronics, coinage, superconductivity and water purification. And while these sectors are currently taking a hit, their inevitable bounce back will support elevated silver prices.

In addition, demand for silver is expected to far outpace supply – from 1998 to 2007, silver generated from mine production grew at a modest 24 percent, while demand from industrial applications surged 44 percent. It’s this significant shortfall, as well as the growth in silver investment funds like the iShares Silver Trust, that Hennessee thinks will lead to silver to outperform as the economy starts to recover.

Source : Newsweek

What goes around comes around

Due to Visa regulations, finding a job here had been a bit difficult and now because of the revised terms – it has become more difficult. Because of this, I have been trying to formulate business ideas and has been reading a lot with regards to starting a business here. It has also lead me to read extensively on successful business persons and this is something that I found recently.

From Richard Branson in a interview in the December 06 issue of Business 2.0 magazine:

I met two big San Francisco entrepreneurs recently, and they said they get e-mail like this too [proposals and requests], but they just dump it all in the dustbin. they don’t try to answer at all. I asked them why, and they said, |The time we spend responding could be used to create something of value for our business.” That may well be pragmatically right, but I still think it’s morally wrong, and I suspect that anything that is morally wrong is ultimately bad for business.

Absolutely … I also believe in this. What goes around always comes around. It’s a worn and tired maxim I know, but definitely not one to be against.

Energy saving extension lead

Plug your computer into the master socket and the other 5 sockets will power up when you turn your computer on and power down when the computer is off. Includes surge protection. Another 2 sockets would always stay on and can be used to connect any devices that requires an uninterrupted power supply. Picked up mine at the local Tesco store for a discounted price. It was marked down to €10.74, previously it was €41.20.

Cable length in Metres		2
Extension Type		Extension Lead
Features of Product		Energy saving product. Extension lead with Neon. Provides high surge protection. Pays for itself many times over :)
LED Power Light		Yes
Main Switch On and Off		Yes
Material		ABS
Number of Sockets		8
Product Depth		3.8 cm
Product Height		36.2 cm
Product Width		14.5 cm
Product Range		DIY
Product Sub Category		Electrical

I don't have to bother climbing under my desk to turn off the printer and other connected stuff anymore. Think of buying one - even if you don't care about the planet, it will save you money and lots of hassles.

What is the truth about our National Anthem?

Another forwarded e-mail. Have received it a couple of years ago. Seems it’s now in circulation again. Not sure if the contents are true or if someone just made it up. I was not in a mood to do a research on it – at least as of now. I know, it’s not my way of posting. Forgive me, I lack the energy to do this at the moment.

Jana Gana Mana" - Just a thought for the National Anthem! How well do you know about it?

I have always wondered who is the "adhinayak" and "bharat bhagya vidhata",whose praise we are singing. I thought might be Motherland India! Our current National Anthem "Jana Gana Mana" is sung throughout the country. Did you know the following about our national anthem, I didn't.

To begin with, India's national anthem, Jana Gana Mana Adhinayaka, was written by Rabindranath Tagore in honour of King George V and the Queen of England when they visited India in 1919. To honour their visit Pandit Motilal Nehru had the five stanzas included, which are in praise of the King and Queen. (And most of us think it is in the praise of our great motherland!!!) In the original Bengali verses only those provinces that were under British rule, i.e. Punjab, Sindh, Gujarat , Maratha etc. were mentioned. None of the princely states was recognized which were integral parts of India now Kashmir, Rajasthan, Andhra, Mysore or Kerala. Neither the Indian Ocean nor the Arabian Sea was included, since they were directly under Portuguese rule at that time.

The Jana Gana Mana Adhinayaka implies that King George V is the lord of the masses and Bharata Bhagya Vidhata is "the bestower of good fortune". Following is a translation of the five stanzas that glorify the King:

First stanza: (Indian) People wake up remembering your good name and ask for your blessings and they sing your glories. (Tava shubha naame jaage; tava shubha aashish maage, gaaye tava jaya gaatha)
Second stanza: Around your throne people of all religions come and give their love and anxiously wait to hear your kind words.
Third stanza: Praise to the King for being the charioteer, for leading the ancient travelers beyond misery.
Fourth stanza: Drowned in the deep ignorance and suffering, poverty-stricken, unconscious country? Waiting for the wink of your eye and your mother's (the Queen's) true protection.
Fifth stanza: In your compassionate plans, the sleeping Bharat (India) Will wake up. We bow down to your feet O' Queen, and glory to Rajeshwara (the King).

This whole poem does not indicate any love for the Motherland but depicts a bleak picture. When you sing Jana Gana Mana Adhinayaka, whom are you glorifying? Certainly not the Motherland. Is it God? The poem does not indicate that. It is time now to understand the original purpose and the implication of this, rather than blindly sing as has been done the past fifty years. Nehru chose the present national anthem as opposed to Vande Mataram because he thought that it would be easier for the band to play!!! It was an absurd reason but Today for that matter bands have advanced and they can very well play any music. So they can as well play Vande Mataram, which is a far better composition in praise of our Dear Motherland - India .

This e-mail does not change my feelings or respect towards our National Anthem. I will stand to attention whenever I hear ‘Jana Gana Mana’. None the same, I would like to know the truth. If any of you have more information or know more, please feel free to let me know.

Any one who would like to know more about the controversies or facts not mentioned in this post please click here

Jai Hind.

Unless India stands up to the world, no one will respect us

A couple of days ago I had received a forwarded message titled ‘The President of India Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam's Speech in Hyderabad’. I am sure many of you might have received the same. I had always been interested Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam and after reading the e-mail, I couldn’t agree that it was a speech. So I decided to dig a bit and found out that the mail was based on an Interview of Dr. Kalam by Pritish Nandy on 13th October 1998.

During his term as The President, he was popularly known as the People's President, and a poll conducted by news channel CNN-IBN named him "India's Best President". In my terminology someone who decided that he would not just be a “rubber stamp”. With the death of R. Venkataraman on January 27, 2009, Dr Kalam became the only surviving former President of India.

I think its best to just copy and paste the entire text of the interview, than attempting any modifications.

The Rediff Interview/Dr A P J Abdul Kalam

'Unless India stands up to the world, no one will respect us. In this world, fear has no place. Only strength respects strength'

As a devout Muslim, he prays twice a day. But he is also a Ram bhakt, plays the veena, loves the shri raga, writes poetry in Tamil and, like every proud Indian, swears by Pokhran II and self sufficiency in science and technology. At 67 (now 78), Dr A P J Abdul Kalam, is not just another Dr Strangelove having a torrid affair with the bomb. He is clever, sensitive, amazingly creative and, above all, a soft spoken patriot. India's answer to Western technological arrogance. Excerpts from an exclusive interview with Pritish Nandy.

What is your vision of India in the next millennium?

I have three. Three visions for India. But before that I speak about them, I have one question to ask of you, Mr Nandy. Can you tell me why, in 3000 years of our history, people from all over the world have come and invaded us, captured our land, conquered our minds? From Alexander onwards. The Greeks, the Portuguese, the British, the French, the Dutch, all of them came and looted us, took over what was ours. Yet we have not done this to any other nation. We have not invaded anyone. We have not conquered anyone. We have not grabbed their land, their culture, their history and tried to enforce our way of life on them. Why?

Because, I guess, we respected the freedom of others.

Absolutely right. That is why my first vision is that of freedom. I believe that India got its first vision of this in 1857, when we started the war of Independence. It is this freedom that we must protect and nurture and build upon. If we are not free, no one will respect us.

My second vision for India is development. For fifty years we have been a developing nation. It is time we saw ourselves as a developed nation. We are among the top five nations of the world in terms of GDP. We have a 10 per cent growth rate in most areas. Our poverty levels are falling. Our achievements are being globally recognised today. Yet we lack the self confidence to see ourselves as a developed nation, self reliant and self assured. Tell me, Sir, is this right? Read the last chapter of my book, India 2020, A Vision for the Next Millennium and you will get what I mean.

I have a third vision. That India must stand up to the world. I have written 12 chapters on that. Because I believe that unless India stands up to the world, no one will respect us. In this world, fear has no place. Only strength respects strength. We must be strong not only as a military power but also as an economic power. Both must go hand in hand.

These are visions. What about the reality? What do you see as the most significant achievements of your rather distinguished career culminating in a Bharat Ratna in your lifetime?

My good fortune was to have worked with three great minds. Dr Vikram Sarabhai of the department of space. Professor Satish Dhawan, who succeeded him. And Dr Brahm Prakash, father of nuclear material. I was lucky to have worked with all three of them closely and consider this the greatest opportunity of my life.

I see four milestones in my career. One: The twenty years I spent in Indian Space Research Organisation. I was given the opportunity to be the project director for India's first satellite launch vehicle, SLV3. The one that launched Rohini. These years played a very important role in my life as a scientist. Two: After my ISRO years, I joined the Defence Research and Development Organisation and got a chance to be part of India's guided missile programme. It was, you could call, my second bliss when Agni met its mission requirements in 1994.

Three: The department of atomic energy and the DRDO had this tremendous partnership in the recent nuclear tests, on May 11 and 13. This was my third bliss. The joy of participating with my team in these nuclear tests and proving to the world that India can make it. That we are no longer a developing nation but one among them. It made me feel very proud as an Indian.

And, finally, four: The fact that we have now developed for Agni a re-entry structure, for which we have developed this new material. A very light material called carbon-carbon.

One day an orthopaedic surgeon from the Nizam Institute of Medical Sciences (in Hyderabad) visited my laboratory. He lifted the material and found it so light that he took me to his hospital and showed me his patients. There were these little girls and boys with heavy metallic callipers weighing over 3 kg each, dragging their feet around. He said to me: Please remove the pain of my patients. In three weeks, we made these Floor Reaction Orthosis 300 gram callipers and took them to the orthopaedic centre. The children could not believe their eyes! From dragging around a 3 kg load on their legs, they could now move around freely with these 300 gram callipers. They began running around! Their parents had tears in their eyes. That was my fourth bliss.

Apart from science and technology, what else interests you?

Poetry and music. I have this big library at home and my favourite poets are Milton, Walt Whitman and Rabindranath Tagore. I write poetry too. My book of poems, Yenudaya Prayana, has now been translated into English. It is called My Journey. You must read it. I will send you a copy.

Who are your favourite poets in Tamil, the language you write in?

Bharatidasana, who died in 1965. And Subramaniya Bharathiar, who died in 1939 at the age of 35, killed by an elephant while giving it a coconut. I also enjoy Carnatic music and play the veena.

What is your favourite raga?

The shri raga. You know my favourite kirtan? It is the one that Swami Thyagaraja, a Ram bhakt like me, recited in the shri raga when he was called by this powerful Tanjore king to sing a poem in his sabha. He sang: "In this gathering whoever are great in front of God, I salute them." He never said: I salute the king. That is strength of conviction. That is courage.

You have asked me so many questions, Mr Nandy, may I ask you two?

By all means.

Tell me, why is the media here so negative? Why are we in India so embarrassed to recognise our own strengths, our achievements? We are such a great nation. We have so many amazing success stories but we refuse to acknowledge them. Why? We are the second largest producer of wheat in the world. We are the second largest producer of rice. We are the first in milk production. We are number one in remote sensing satellites. Look at Dr Sudarshan. He has transformed the tribal village into a self sustaining, self driving unit. There are millions of such achievements but our media is only obsessed with bad news and failures and disasters.

I was in Tel Aviv once and I was reading this Israeli newspaper. It was the day after a lot of attacks and bombardments and deaths had taken place. The Hamas had struck. But the front page of the newspaper had this picture of a Jewish gentleman who in five years had transformed his desert land into an orchard and a granary. It was this inspiring picture that everyone woke up to. The gory details of killings, bombardments, deaths, were inside the newspaper, buried among other news.

In India we only read about death, sickness, terrorism, crime. Why are we so negative?

I guess we grew up with the maxim that good news is no news. The right to publish bad news has become synonymous with freedom. That is why our press is so strong, so fiercely independent -- if not always encouraging of success stories.

Another question: Why are we, as a nation so obsessed with foreign things? Is it a legacy of our colonial years? We want foreign television sets. We want foreign shirts. We want foreign technology. Why this obsession with everything imported? Do we not realise that self respect comes with self reliance?

I guess that comes from repression. When you lock in your economy for years and leave it in the hands of local pirates and cheating banias, you are bound to get a backlash. Foreign things have indeed come in but they have also brought down prices, taught us quality, stopped us from cheating consumers with shoddy, overpriced local products. Like in cars, consumer electronics, fabrics, processed foods. Nationalism for too long has been a convenient cover for looting. Let us not forget that. But yes, I agree with you, it is time we started giving value to ourselves as a people, as a nation.

I was in Hyderabad giving this lecture, when a 14-year-old girl came up and asked me for my autograph. I asked her what her goal in life was. She replied: I want to live in a developed India. For her, you and I will have to build this developed India. You must proclaim this through your writings, through your speeches in Parliament.

For the original Rediff page, please click here:

Tracking or Stalking – Google Latitude:

A couple of days back, Silicon Valley’s local CBS affiliate ran a story (video here) about a woman getting her purse snatched. But what’s interesting is the way she got it back: With assistance from Google Latitude. Her phone had Google’s location-based social networking service installed, and it was updating the location of her phone in real-time. So even though the thief hopped in a car, when the girl called her sister, she was able to tell police exactly where the criminal was. They arrested the man and got the girl’s purse back.

It’s worth noting that the woman said she had the service running on her phone “as a joke,” so that she and her sisters could “stalk each other.” And that’s interesting because ever since it launched a few months ago, jokes have abounded about it being a tool for stalking. But at the same time, the program had a user base of over a million users just one week after it launched. People are clearly interested in using location data in social services, but it’s usually only negative connotations that are associated with stories about it. Here’s a positive one, but it still has some negative undertones.

After all, if the girl’s sister knew exactly where the phone was, that means Google did too. Of course, Google has a policy not to share that information, but if push came to shove, and the authorities got the right warrant, Google would have to give up such information. Hopefully, you’re not a criminal — and if you are, hopefully you’re smart enough not to use Google Latitude — but it’s still a bit creepy for most people to know that a company has data about where they are at all times. And Google is hardly the only one of these services, everything from Loopt to Whrrl to Brightkite all have varying degrees of information as to your whereabouts if you use them. Anyways, authorities don’t need you to carry a GPS to know where you are. They have access to the carriers’ data to locate your mobile phone from the base antenna it is paired with.

Location-based services have yet to take off on a large scale, but with Google now in the field, and major players like Facebook and MySpace undoubtedly looking at entering it, it’s only a matter of time. And when those huge social networks get into the game, there will be some initial backlash, but then people will start using it. (It may even complement other future lost purse stories.) And slowly, users will let the privacy ramifications fade into the background unless some sort of location-based horror story makes headlines.

The story is definitely positive marketing for Google Latitude. But with Google knowing where you are, is it not the ‘Big Brother is watching you’ story? Though this would be useful in the case of purse-pilfers, what about the ones who want to hide from their bosses or office colleagues - probably then Google Latitude is no game for you. Fortunately, we have an option of choosing when it comes to sharing our location.

I, for one, welcome a future with ubiquitous location services in the social layer. Because there are upsides to location as well. This purse snatching incident is a bit extreme, but using location to find friends or family speaks well to its potential.

Courtesy : Technocrunch, Gpsobssessed