Small PACES

2010-11-28T06:48:00.000-08:00

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Riots Rock Navi Mumbai

2006-03-19T21:54:00.000-08:00

It started off as a minor tiff between two local communities in a small village called Ghansoli. Soon it developed into a major whooping riot that took almost the entire Navi Mumbai by storm. The clashes and protests moved to Khoparkhairne, Nerul, Sanpada, etc. These are the tiny villages/areas that make up most of Navi Mumbai for those not in the know.
Special forces were thrown into action. Curfew was imposed and shops downed shutters in what seemed like well, i dont know. There were fires, stone throwing and police firing into the crowd, crowd venting their anger at some police stations.
Today is the morning after. Curfew will start after 6 pm. Life goes on in Mumbai like nothing happened.

Why does all this happen?
People are a frustrated lot, be it in Mumbai or maybe elsewhere. They just need a tiny spark and they use it to vent out their frustration. This is evident in the way people behave on a daily basis. Such riots are just examples of some collective frustration coming out.

A good article by Sam Pitroda

2006-03-13T21:49:00.000-08:00

Here's a really nice article that came out in The Economic Times today.

Describing the hype over the BPO industry in India as exaggerated and unrealistic, National Knowledge Commission chairperson Sam Pitroda has said the industry generated only 300,000 jobs a year against the 10 million required annually to counter unemployment .

Speaking to the BBC Hindi service, the man credited with ushering in the telecom revolution in India said the Commission was likely to submit a report next month to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh recommending university education reforms to check unemployment and promote research.

"India needs to generate 10 million jobs each year to counter growing unemployment and to build a world level skilled work force. However, merely three lakh (300,000) jobs are being created through outsourcing by foreign companies in the IT sector here.

"BPOs are a recent phenomenon and have been blown out of proportion. The attention given to outsourcing is a bit exaggerated," he told listeners from around the world.

"Let us be very clear that the country cannot run on outsourced jobs, we would have to look for serious alternatives. By running after outsourced jobs we are merely solving the problems of others, we should not forget that solutions to our problems would have to be provided by us only."

He said India's priority would have to be water, sanitation, energy, construction and health sectors, and outsourcing did not provide the answers to these issues.

Asked whether countries like China and the Philippines posed a threat to India in outsourced jobs, Pitroda urged the Indian BPO industry to go into newer areas saying: "Competition is on the rise worldwide, and a global outlook is preferred in all the professions... The BPO industry in India should look for new fields. Our cities became the outsourcing centres of the world, now our cities should make villages as their centres."

According to the tech guru, reforms in higher education were required at the earliest to counter unemployment and promote research. He said only six percent of youngsters in the relevant age group were pursuing higher education, and added that the number would have to at least increase threefold.

"Presently the Knowledge Commission is conducting a census on this, as we feel that a quantitative as well as qualitative increase in university education throughout the country is compulsory.

"We cannot move forward without this and the question is how fast could we do these reforms. By next month we would like to submit a report recommending university reforms," Pitroda said.

Asked about the possible sources of funding required, he replied: "We should invite foreign investment, look for collaborations, go in for more private universities, then only would we be able to bring back higher education into focus.

"We should not forget that almost half of the country's population is going to be less than 25 years of age, and by good university education we would be preparing a knowledge base for not just our country but for the world. I can say with reasonable surety that in 10 years, India's youth would be important for the world's development".

Citing the decrease in research work in the universities as an alarming sign for the country, Pitroda said the interest of the youth would have to be won back.

"Unfortunately now the research is being increasingly separated from the universities. No major research work is being done and the research scholars are on a decline. We would have to check this trend by giving more financial incentives and facilities for research."

Manmohan Singh constituted the Knowledge Commission last year to advise him on how India can meet knowledge challenges in this century in areas like education, scientific institutions, intellectual property and agriculture.

For more on India's history and future, including some searching stuff on the economy, I strongly recommend Amartya Sen's 'The Argumentative Indian'. Classy stuff.

A small memory

2006-02-02T02:54:00.000-08:00

I was in Bangalore last weekend after a long time. Nearly three years.
Had a hell of a time meeting up with old friends and gossiping, as if it hadn't been a day since we last met. Memories kept coming rushing back.

It's an amazing thing, the way memory works.
I read somewhere - maybe in a science fiction story - that each memory in our heads had a unique chemical formula. Each memory stored was actually a mix of some elements and could be expressed as some complex compound. What an intriguing thought ! Does that mean someday, a scientist could synthesise a memory ? Could someone manufacture a thought ? The very idea chills me. It's simply too exciting for words.

I got very little time to myself in Bangalore. Always rushing off to meet someone or the other. One evening I was walking near a park, heading towards my old house to meet my old neighbors, when I suddenly saw something that made me stop.

It was a small broken bench in a park. Coles Park, to those who know Bangalore.

Wasn't much to the everyday passerby, but it brought back a whole flood of memories back to me.

When I was about 7, my father and I used to go for morning walks in this park. Bangalore used to have spendid weather at that time. We were walking there, at about 6 in the morning when suddenly I happened to spot a small pup. Brown, with white patches on it. I had seen the little fellow right under that broken bench. It seemed amazing to me that that very bench should still be there - almost exactly as I last remembered it. My father and I had taken the pup home and left it in the kitchen. My mother threw a fit on seeing it, but the pup was kept with us for a little more than a day, after which we realised we couldn't take care of it properly, and had to go and leave it at the same spot where we had found it.

The whole incident was a trivial one, but an inanimate object like that broken bench helped play back - like a movie reel - a day in my life of about 18 years ago. And the emotions associated with remembering an incident very vividly are quite amazing. I could hardly move away from that spot for a while. I looked around the park and realised that not much had changed after all. The swings, stone slides and even some of the trees in Coles park were recognisable. Every little thing had a meaning. Each image a constitutent of a small compound somewhere in my head.

I had to half run away from the spot, as it was all a bit overwhelming and scary.

I wish the mystery of memory is solved in my lifetime. I would love to know why we remember some things, and some other things (my studies, for instance) never seemed to find a place voluntarily in my head.

I wish someone could enhance those memories which one wanted to remember vividly.

Then again - I think - would it be a blessing to remember a lot of things ?
Personally, I have had a tough time forgetting many things in my life.

Maybe we are built all right after all.

But I wouldn't mind if I somehow came to know the formula for the memory of how I first brought a dog home from the old park.

I would keep in under my pillow for a long time.

Bjarne Stroustrup interview to the IEEE

2006-01-17T23:00:00.000-08:00

This is the link to "Bjarne Stroustrup" interview to the IEEE's 'Computer' magazine. If you dont know who Bjarne Stroustrup is, read on and you will find out ...

"Laughter Guaranteed"

http://www.cse.psu.edu/~dale/humor/stroustrup.html

Faith...

2005-12-28T14:43:00.000-08:00

Am not advocating religion or god but here's what i think ...

Belief in something, be it god or religion stems from faith. And nothing more than this fwd i received could be more apt to portray what i mean to say.

An atheist professor of philosophy speaks to his class on the problem science has with God, The Almighty. He asks one of his newstudents to stand and.....
Prof: So you believe in God?

Student: Absolutely, sir.

Prof: Is God good?

Student: Sure.

Prof: Is God all-powerful?

Student : Yes.

Prof: My brother died of cancer even though he prayed to God to healhim. Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill. But God didn't. How is this God good then? Hmm?(Student is silent.)
Prof: You can't answer, can you? Let's start again, young fella. IsGodgood?Student :Yes.
Prof: Is Satan good?

Student : No.

Prof: Where does Satan come from?

Student : From...God...

Prof: That's right. Tell me son, is there evil in this world?

Student : Yes.

Prof: Evil i s everywhere, isn't it? And God did make everything. Correct?

Student : Yes.

Prof: So who created evil?(Student does not answer.)

Prof: Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All theseterrible things exist in the world, don't they?

Student :Yes, sir.

Prof: So, who created them?(Student has no answer.)

Prof: Science says you have 5 senses you use to identify and observethe world around you. Tell me, son...Have you ever seen God?

Student : No, sir.

Prof: Tell us if you have ever heard your God?

Student : No , sir.

Prof: Have you ever felt your God, tasted your God, smelled your God?Have you ever had any sensory perception of God for that matter?

Student : No, sir. I'm afraid I haven't.

Prof: Yet you still believe in Him?

Student : Yes.

Prof: According to empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, sciencesays your GOD doesn't exist. What do you say to that, son?

Student : Nothing. I only have my faith.

Prof: Yes. Faith. And that is the problem science has.

Student : Professor, is there such a thing as heat?
Prof: Yes.
Student : And is there such a thing as cold?
Prof: Yes.
Student : No sir. There isn't.(The lecture theatre becomes very quiet with this turn of events.)

Student : Sir, you can have lots of heat, even more heat, superheat,mega heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat. But we don't have anything called cold. We can hit 458 degrees below zero which is noheat, but we can't go any further after that. There is no such thingas cold. Cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat.We cannot measure cold. Heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.
(There is pin-drop silence in the lecture theatre.)

Student : What about darkness, Professor? Is there such a thing asdarkness?

Prof: Yes. What is night if there isn't darkness?

Student : You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is the absence ofsomething. You can have low light, normal light, bright light,flashing light.... But if you have no light constantly, you havenothing and it's called darkness, isn't it? In reality, darkness isn't. If it were, you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn'tyou?

Prof: So what is the point you are making, young man?

Student : Sir, my point is your philosophical premise is flawed.

Prof: Flawed? Can you explain how?

Student : Sir, you are working on the premise of duality. You arguethere is life and then there is death, a good God and a bad God. Youare viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, science can't even explain a thought. It useselectricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fullyunderstood either one. To view de ath as the opposite of life is to beignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life: just the absence of it. Now tellme, Professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved from amonkey?

Prof: If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, yes, of course, I do.

Student : Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?(The Professor shakes his head with a smile, beginning to realizewhere the argument is going.)Student : Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavour,are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you not a scientist but apreacher?(The class is in uproar.)

Student : Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the Professor'sbrain?(The class breaks out into laughter.)

Student : Is there anyone here who has ever heard the Professor'sbrain, felt it, touched or smelled it?.....No one appears to have doneso. So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable,demonstrable protocol, science says that you have nobrain, sir. With all due respect, sir, how do we then trust yourlectures,sir?(The room is silent. The professor stares at the student, his face unfathomable.)

Prof: I guess you'll have to take them on faith, son.

Student : That is it, sir.. The link between man & god is FAITH. Thatis all that keeps things moving & alive.

I'm not sure if I've made my point but this kinda echoes my thoughts that there should be something to drive most of mankind.B'coz most of mankind does believe in god and religion. Their levels of belief may vary...but they still do. This belief and faith has in some way organised humans,though i agree with soham that this has also systematically divided the human race. But I'd like to think of it this way ...Even if there was no religion,humans would have probably found some other reason to be divided and fight.

What makes me believe that is the fact that every human has a untold belief that "What I do i right and better than others".Some accept it ..some dont.
Maybe this is the reason people who believe in god feel that "My lord is the true lord" ...and i dont think its wrong for them to think of it that way going by the argument i just put forward.

I dont intend to try and debate or change anybody's perception on this but this was simply what i thought ..

Well,this almost sums up what i had to say.May have not written as well as soham or atit but who cares. I just felt like writing...

Thoughts stemming from the back of a matchbox

2005-12-28T02:42:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I noticed this great quote on the back of an AIM series matchbox - 'A rational person is a nice contrast to the real world.'

That set me thinking about just how true that statement was. I think I'm going to buy a lot of AIM matchboxes just on that strength alone. It brought to mind all the irrational things I have seen, all the whimsical stuff done by people who in some way are in control of my destiny. Among all the whimsical and irrational things I have seen in my lifetime (makes me sounds like a bearded old relic - but never mind), the most bizarre and unjustifiable thing I have come across is religion. The whole concept of religion has intrigued me ever since, maybe, when I was in class 10.

I have had so many talk with so many people about this, and I have - to my belief - had an open mind about the subject, but I haven't been able to be convinced by anyone that religion has anything good to offer to humanity. Absolutely nothing.

I wrote about this here, and it provoked a vitriolic attack from an anonymous commentor, many of whose comments I have deleted. Actually that article pretty much sums up what I thought about religion.

I have tried to read books prescribed by at least four religions, and not one of them has been free of blatant contradictions and fallacies.

I thought of writing this post just to put down some quotes of some of those people who were a contrast to the real world, some, who were puzzled by the existence of religion, and after a while were plain disgusted by it.

"Religion is based . . . mainly on fear . . . fear of the mysterious, fear of defeat, fear of death. Fear is the parent of cruelty, and therefore it is no wonder if cruelty and religion have gone hand in hand. . . . My own view on religion is that of Lucretius. I regard it as a disease born of fear and as a source of untold misery to the human race."

"I am myself a dissenter from all known religions, and I hope that every kind of religious belief will die out."
Bertrand Russel

"I do not believe in a personal God and I have never denied this but have expressed it clearly. If something is in me which can be called religion than it is the unbounded admiration for the structure of the world so far as our science can reveal it."

"I cannot imagine a God who rewards and punishes the objects of his creation, whose purposes are modeled after our own -- a God, in short, who is but a reflection of human frailty. Neither can I believe that the individual survives the death of his body, although feeble souls harbor such thoughts through fear or ridiculous egotism."
Albert Einstein

"I am an atheist, out and out. It took me a long time to say it. I've been an atheist for years and years, but somehow I felt it was intellectually unrespectable to say that one is an atheist, because it assumed knowledge that one didn't have. Somehow it was better to say one was a humanist or agnostic. I don't have the evidence to prove that God doesn't exist, but I so strongly suspect that he doesn't that I don't want to waste my time."

"Creationists make it sound like a 'theory' is something you dreamt up after being drunk all night"
Isaac Asimov

"All thinking men are atheists."
Earnest Hemingway

"Religion is a byproduct of fear. For much of human history, it may have been a necessary evil, but why was it more evil than necessary? Isn't killing people in the name of God a pretty good definition of insanity?"
Arthur C. Clarke

"Lighthouses are more helpful then churches."
Benjamin Franklin

"I'm glad some people have that faith. I don't have that faith. If there is a God, a caring God, then we have to figure he's done an extraordinary job of making a very cruel world."
Dave Matthews

"My view is that if there is no evidence for it, then forget about it. An agnostic is somebody who doesn't believe in something until there is evidence for it, so I'm agnostic."
Carl Sagan

"Nothing can be more contrary to religion and the clergy than reason and common sense."
Voltaire

"The fact that a believer is happier than a skeptic is no more to the point than the fact that a drunken man is happier than a sober one."

"At present there is not a single credible established religion in the world."
George Bernard Shaw

"The divinity of Jesus is made a convenient cover for absurdity."

"This would be the best of all possible worlds, if there were no religion in it."
John Adams

"Religion is excellent stuff for keeping common people quiet."

"All religions have been made by men."
Napoleon Bonaparte

"If Christ were here now there is one thing he would not be -- a Christian."
Mark Twain

The list of such quotes could go on. I have just picked up a few of my favorites from here.

It would seem that I am lookign specifically at quotes attacking Christianity, but in my mind all religions in the world deserve to be laughed at, for the absurdity it brings to our lives. I just haven't found quotes which interested me poking fun at other religions in articulate ways such as the ones above.

I visit this site at times to gloss over the inconsistencies in the Koran and Bible.

About the Hindu prescriptions for a good life. The Mahabharat, Ramayan, and other legends seem to me as amazing examples of male chauvinism in ancient India, where injustice was the norm rather than the exception. To go into that in detail would result in an epic in inself. They are fantastic reads though, especially the Mahabharat, if one looks at it as a thriller rather than a book with any spiritual value. This girl here has caught on the real spirit of the Mahabharat and is writing a great spoof on it. Follow the Mahabharat series link on the right sidebar of her page.

Some people would say it's best to keep quiet about such things, but I get so frustrated at the whole concept of religion, and the absurdness rampant among those who subscribe to it, that I just feel like shouting it out to everyone I see. Which is why a blog is a good thing. As Ashwini, sorry, @ashwini, said - a 'catharsis'.

sh"IT" Industry - how 'sh' came to IT?

2005-12-22T21:37:00.000-08:00

You ask a layman where the technology jobs are and his reply will be “India”. But if you ask me, I would rather say “Down the Drains …” This is my opinion of the IT industry – Straight from My Gut … (thank you Mr. Jack Welch).

Sure, IT has brought in a lot of light to India but just as every rose has its thorn, the IT industry has a Dark side.

A company can be categorized as either a “Product” based or a “Service” based. You have “Work Security” in one and “Job Security” in the other. When working with a product based company, rest assured you will always have your plate full, something even more than what you can handle. Every ounce of your talented will be squeezed. Analogically speaking, you are the sugarcane and you will repeatedly go through the rollers, with lime and ginger as motivation and incentives. These companies will take the extremes of offering you the “Best in the Industry” package to the best “Severance” package. Little do they tell you which industry they are referring to when they say “Best in the Industry”. For those in doubt they are referring to the industry of “Slavery”. The severance package will be offered under conditions of Acquisitions, Mergers or simply – “the project has come to a closure - Sayonara”. But you have nothing to worry. Work with a service based company and you will have a 40-60 ratio of work to leisure. This comes with a bonus, Job Security. These companies are messiahs to the “impotents” and “incompetents” your leaders and managers basically. Imagine a company having its presence in Tahiti or some where in the Caribbean or even Goa. Your onsite assignments will on the beach with “Cocktails and Skin” … a voluntary retirement scheme.

You have often heard the term “Benched” … this is a requirement for all CMMI Level 5 companies. Companies like Infosys and Satyam have been on a rampage with recruitments because they want to hold on to their Level 5 certificate. How are they related? Well, one of the criteria of this certification says: you got to have a work force showing anticipation and readiness for work. The more you recruit, the more anticipation you show, the more will the “stock” be traded. While the recruited, get paid to indulge in a little Solitaire and as the new fads are: Sudoku and Blogging. For the record “I am not on BENCH” … I just don’t have work.

Ever heard of “Body Shopping”? This is when you are subcontracted. You are working for service based company and you are asked to work for a product based company. The work will be to clean the toilet after some one just pooped in and didn’t flush, put in the technological jargon you are asked to do Black Box Testing. Your incentive for doing this is a daily allowance of 100 to 300 Rs. and a high speed internet connection – for posting your resumes.

We have the MNC, the feel good factor. All “MNCs” start of as “R&Ds”, IBM did, Intel did. They initiate the design of some revolutionary product and just when its time to hit the market, they change their R&D centers to “Indian Offshore Development Centre”. IBM changed to IBM India. This way the tax on software export is rescinded. As the saying went in our college, the “R&D” has been reduced to “R A & D” or “R A N D” or just “WHORE”. Not to feel bad, there is an incentive here to … the engineers in the west get “Bangalored”. What’s “Banglored”? Type “banglored” as the search string in Google and the first result is:

“The US slang term 'Bangalored' refers to workers laid off because their jobs have moved to India.”

AMEN TO THAT

The end is the beginning is the end. The end of software jobs in the west is the beginning of those in India, but not for long, because this beginning will soon coin a new slang “China-ed”. This is where the Indian professionals get fired because his work has been moved to the Chinese. The Chinese are cheap, just like in their flesh trade and their quality is not Six but Seven Sigma … beat that Mr. Jack Welch.

What can we do? … we can only hold on to your “Swadeshi Tri-colored Knickers” to prevent the “Communist Bug” from getting up into our asses.

How does that feel !

Freaking cold!!!

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

Can anyone guess wats the temperature like in this part of the world where i am???

Oh heaven!!! It was freaking cold yest.... It was -18C and felt like -26C. Thoughout the day it dint go above -20C. I was multilayered when i went to sleep yest. socks, sweater, comfortor, blanket. It was killin yesterday.
We froze when we walked just from the door step to the parking lot.
Today its better. its jus -8 right now.
We do have heater in teh house but the worst part is as soon as the temp drop outside it drops inside too.

I jus hope everyone else is tucked up warmly.

It goin to be christmas this wekeend. Long weekend for us. Shall tell more when back from a vacation.

READERS DIGEST - THIS

2005-12-15T04:08:00.000-08:00

CATCH 22 – Joseph Heller
If you have the appetite to read some “humor in uniform”, then this is the book which will satiate this hunger. Acclaimed for its humor, this book has a backdrop set to the world war. It portrays the frustration and absurdity prevalent during the war with a touch of humor.

SATANIC VERSES / MIGHTNIGHTS CHILDREN – Salman Rushdie
This man is no stranger, the Islam clergy had a death sentence put out on him for his book Satanic Verses. “NO OFFENSE INTENDED TO ANY PERSON AND/OR RELIGION” ... The plot is developed around the life of 2 guys, the only survivors of a hijacked plane.
The second book is about INDIA. He talks about Indian states like Jammu and Kashmir, Goa during the hippie days, the Jallianwala Bag tragedy, the Indira Gandhi government. It’s a brief walk through our history at the time of Independence.

EATS, LEAVES and SHOOTS – Lynne Truss
If your English Grammar sucks, you better read this book. It’s a crash course in grammar with a twist. The twist being: HUMOR.

STRAIGHT FROM THE GUTS – Jack Welch
Jack Welch, the man that brought GE the glory it not basks in. It’s a kind of an autobiography. He talks about how he revolutionized GE’s process and style of doing business.

IACOCCA, AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY – Lee Iacocco
Like me, not many might have heard of this man. He was a VP at Ford Motors. Designed the Mustang. Fired by Henry Ford. Picked up by Chrysler, at the time when it was on the brink of bankruptcy. And the hero saves the world. All car buffs will enjoy reading this book. He doesn’t dwell into the nitty gritties of car design and engineering but colors a beautiful picture of the automobile industry and throws a lot of shit at the “king” - Henry Ford.

I, ROBOT – Isaac Asimov
I don’t know what the movie was all about, but rest assured reading the book and watching the movie will make you wonder if the movie was really based on the book. If you have read “Man in the Iron Mask – Sir Alexander Dumas” or “War of the Worlds – H G Wells”, you will realize that the book and movie have very few plots in common. This book can be viewed as 6 incidences. Each involving robots and the blunder built around them and how humans, the more intelligent ones, solved them.

HITCH HICKERS GUIDE TO THE GALAXY – Douglas Adams
Another humorous book you should watch out for. An earthling and an alien hitch hiking their way through the universe after the earth was destroyed to make a way for a pathway.
Remember the college days when most of us hitch hicked to college and meet up with some real “characters”?

DILBERT, THE WAY OF THE WEASEL - Scott Adams
Just read it.

Soham: give me my colors. Looking forward to for some book reviews

More wisdom from SRI SRI ATIT SHAH

2005-12-14T21:39:00.000-08:00

With such an overwhelming response to my first post, i couldnt but resist to put up another parable ...

There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the back of the fence.

The first day the boy had driven six nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence.

Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper.

The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone.

The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said, You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won't matter how many times you say I'm sorry, the wound is still there. A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one.

There are a few interns here at Satyam from US, who strongly believe in the adage "When in Rome, Do as the Romans do" (i hope i got that right) ... anyways ... these guys dont seem to get enough of India. You will often see them rubbing "SUNLIGHT" on thier face, they will eat a full south indian meal (a lot of rice that is) with thier "HANDS". Had they seen someone, i bet they would even lick thier hands right from thier elbows to thier fingers to what get stuck in your nails. One of them actually grew a beard and looked more like a "Water Shy Kanada Hero" only with a lot of powder.

"WaterShy" ... i guess he hadnt had a bath for a few days.

O they just love "INDIA" and the "INDIAN WAY". The next time you have doubts that India is looked down upon ... let me know i will send you some video shots of these guys!

Why do we know so little about Africa ?

2005-12-13T19:55:00.001-08:00

I was looking through a history book the other day, and it struck me that we (ie city dwelling folk) know surprisingly little about Africa. And I think it's safe to assume that most people in the world (outside of Africa, that is) are in the same state of ignorance about a continent, which is almost as big in area as Europe and North America combined.

I mean, we know things about North American history - admittedly not too much, sitting here in India, but at least the main bits. We know about the Anglo Frech wars, about the Native Americans who fought with the colonists, about George Washington and all that. Even in recent times, we are quite abreast of what goes on with Uncle Sam, and to a lesser extent in Canada and Mexico.

We also know the important bits about South America, about the Incas, from the Spanish invasion right down to Pinochet's excessses.

European history too, is not entirely lost on us. All of us have read at some point or the other about the British colonialism, The Renaissance, The Industrial Revolution, The French revolution, The World Wars, and many such events.

Hell, we even know more about Australia than we do about Africa. Not that there's a whole lot of Australian history anyways.

Asian history, being closer to home, is of course familair to us.

When it comes to Africa though, all we know of definitively is Nelson Mandela, and the fact that people starve in Somalia. South Africa and AIDS. We know next to nothing about countries outside of South Africa, Egypt and to some extent Zimbabwe. Only very recently did I come to know that Ethiopia has a great and colorful history, and that it has retained its independence throughout the troubled history of Africa. I don't know how many of us are aware that there was a Second Congo War fought between 1998 and 2002, and that the First Congo War took place between 1996 and 1997, or that the casualties in both these wars amounted to more than 4 million people. That's about four times as many people as there are in Goa.

I was not even aware, till I saw the film Hotel Rwanda, that in a conflict in Rwanda and Burundi (two pint sized coutried in Central Africa), about a million people died in tribal wars, fully supported by the government. Maybe this ignorance is something to do with my habit of flicking the remote button each time the main headlines are done with. And African news rarely make the top three news items.

Even a cursory glance at African history is fascinating. I don't think any other continent's map has changed so often in the last 100 years. And I don't know of any other Continent being treated as if it were pieces of cake by colonists. Now Africa is a Continent with 54 countries, about a 1000 languages, with about 900 million people living there.

I sometimes think why we know so little of Africa, and I remember that I read someplace : 'History is written by the winning side'. Thinking back, I guess all the history we ever know is what powers like the British and now the Americans want us to know.

At least now, with the internet, we have the choice to find out the truth about pretty much anything we want to.

No points for guessing that my staple reading now is African history.
Wikipedia and answers.com are great places for a first look into this, and indeed any other, topic.

SRI SRI ATIT SHAH imparting wisdom

2005-12-12T23:37:00.000-08:00

A student asks a teacher: What is love?
The teacher said: in order to answer your question, go to the paddy field and choose the biggest paddy and come back.But the rule is: you can go through them only once and cannot turn back to pick.
The student went to the field, go thru first row, he saw one big paddy, but he wonders....may be there is a bigger one later. Then he saw another bigger one... but may be there is an even bigger one waiting for him.Later, when he finished more than half of the paddy field, he start to realize that the paddy is not as big as the previous one he saw, he know he has missed the biggest one, and he regretted. So, he ended up went back to the teacher with empty hand.
The teacher told him, this is love... you keep looking for a better one, but when later you realize, you have already miss the person

The student asked: What is marriage then?
The teacher said: In order to answer your question, go to the corn field and choose the biggest corn and come back.But the rule is: you can go through them only once and cannot turn back to pick.The student went to the corn field, this time he is careful not to repeat the previous mistake, when he reach the middle of the field, he has picked one medium corn that he fee satisfied, and came back to the teacher.
The teacher told him, this time you bring back a corn.... you look for one that is just nice, and you have faith and believe this is the best one you get.... this is marriage.

Me Indian???

2005-12-06T07:01:00.000-08:00

Well just wanted to put forth something I have been noticing a lot out here. People who have been here (not specifically Japan but abraod) have lot to say about India in front of others. Not good things mind you but lot of not so good things! The image most Americans I have spoken to have is, India is land of illitrates, suppressed women, poverty etc etc. Japanese and chinese possibly have same image but only thing is they are too polite to vocalize their view :). Not spoken to other nationals so no idea @ them.

I agree this is indeed the situation in vast parts of our country but its changing, maybe slowly according to many but yet it is! I guess it is so in many nations, different regions developing at their own pace. Whatever maybe the fact, are we not ambassadors once outside our country? Should we not talk good about it?

Well I have cursed PCCE a lot in my 4 yrs of engg and do so even today but if I hear a non-PCCian saying anything, I will b up on defensive... Same holds good for my country too!

Do not praise but surely do not degrade!!!

usual stuff

2005-12-05T13:21:00.000-08:00

Hey guys

I too havent blogged before and hence was apprehensive abt posting lest i make mistakes, but i guess the fundamental rule of blogging is that 'there are NO mistakes'. Even if that's not the rule, who cares a damn.

Well life@xl is fun, though tough & [anxious] times are round the corner. Ya its going to be placement time. So far i rather lackadaisically thought that placements were far off, but it turns out thats not true. Well we have just had our first pre-placement talk, cant mention the name of the company coz that info is classified (the i can tell you but then got to kill types). Its confidential coz thats the silly norm followed by most b-schools. Also there have been reminders for us to get ready with our resumes. Unfortunately for some companies pedigree matters and PCCE doesnt do me great favors there.

But hey who cares when placements are good. just want to land up in some company and stop all this studying. had plans for a second MBA but feel like relinquishing that thought. But who knows. Well gotta go now.

Killing Cold

2005-12-05T06:02:00.000-08:00

Its too cold here .... its -16 deg celcius, feels like -20 deg celcius. Damn its too cold at home too heaters not working. I almost froze today mornin when i woke up.

Arbit

2005-12-05T00:01:00.000-08:00

Christmas is on Sunday. Bloody hell. I am goddamn frustrated. Why can't they make ti a rule that if a government holiday comes on Sunday, we can have a holiday on Monday.
---------------------------------
I watched No Entry for the umpteenth time in a bus from Pune to Bombay yesterday. I saw the same movie on Sturday from en route from Bombay to Pune. And the week before. I can't bear to talk about it.
---------------------------------
Ran the 3 km charity run in the Pune marathon yesterday. Legs are still asleep.
---------------------------------
Saw two movies in the weekend. Exorcism of Emily Rose. Scared me a bit. Apaharan. Good.
---------------------------------
XAT is 5 weeks away. Shit happens. Hope it doesn't this time though.
---------------------------------
I keep making wisecracks with Santosh about names of places in Pune. Like Pimp-ri. Bhosari. Landewadi. And, believe it or not - Sandas.
Wonder what would happen if I ever saw this town in Austria.
---------------------------------

IIT Newsgroup

2005-12-03T19:50:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, we came across a thread on newsgroup. And after reading it we were laughing for hours.
Here are the contents in its original form, with unnecessray details eliminated:

Some background:
- Newsgroup Name: Computer Science PHD.
- Topic : Related to completion of Report.
- Actors(Senders):
1. We have "Hero" who plays main character.
2. "Prof. God" He is fundu algorithm professor.
3. Others, referred as "Stud-1" to "Stud-n"

Abbrevations Used:
ng - News Group
sp - Sujata Palace (Local Restaurent).

Here it begins:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Sender: Stud-1

Yup.

What are you doing on NGs? Report done kya?

------------------------------------------------------------------

Sender: "Hero"

>>
>> Yup.
>>
>> What are you doing on NGs? Report done kya? :-)

r u ppl taking lots of time to write ur report's kya?
tons of results?
i finished mine in 3hrs flat ;)

btw, why is it called "re"search?

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Sender: Stud-2

>> Yup.
>>
>> What are you doing on NGs? Report done kya? :-)
>
>

Working, working and working on the report. It's like Hanumanji's tail, never ending.

> r u ppl taking lots of time to write ur report's kya?
> tons of results?
> i finished mine in 3hrs flat ;)

Let's all attend your seminar and see how fast "they" finish you off ;)

> btw, why is it called "re"search?

I would as well ask why are we called "scholars"?

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Sender: "Hero" [In trouble]

>Let's all attend your seminar and see how fast "they" finish you off ;)

:O i guess i'll be a research "squealer" when "they" begin!!

ps: ne1 knows if Prof. God (= one of "they") reads this ng? :O

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Sender: Stup-3

>
> ps: ne1 knows if Prof. God (= one of "they") reads this ng? :O
>

I suppose so. Sometime back when he was our facad, he would reply to postings on ng.
And I think he would surely remember your 3hr stunt ;)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sender: "Hero" [Enlightened]

>>ps: ne1 knows if Prof. God (= one of "they") reads this ng? :O
>>>>
>
>> I suppose so. Sometime back when he was our facad, he would reply to
>> postings on ng. And I think he would surely remember your 3hr stunt ;)

OH MY GOD!! lag gayi!!
bhai log, after my prog-sem, sp mein milte hain: if the seminar goes well, we'll celebrate :)
if it goes bad, to gam dubate hain :(

ps: abey Stud-3, on a serious note, tu fart maar raha hai na? [Our Hero still sees ray of hope.]

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sender: Prof. God[Shocking Entry]

Yes I do, mainly to find information like this. It tells me more than
what your report does.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sender Hero:

>Yes I do, mainly to find information like this. It tells me more than
>> what your report does.
>>
>> AAD.

why is it that i feel like laughing in spite of a lump in my throat?
:O

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Three deaths in three weeks.

2005-12-03T04:44:00.000-08:00

Death. The word itself is so creepy. We here about the word, at different places all the time. And every time we encounter this word, it makes us sad, not knowing why. The person may be someone whom you don't know at all. Its strange how a person whom you saw, you talked, do not exist anymore in any form.

The worst still, is when you come to know the person ended his own life. Three suicides in 3 weeks in 3 IIT's. Statistically number doesn't look too dangerous.
There is 1 suicide attempt in every IIT every 2 years, thats approx out of 5000 samples(students) in age group of 19-25 attempt suicide once in 2 years. The number is pretty ok when compared with any sample space from real world.

But! Suicide! How someone can gets so much guts to end his/her own life. I am scared when Doctor injects syringe, wonder how a person can get guts to bear the unbearable. Everyone here at IIT was shaken by the incident. So was I. Over a period of time things loosen. But during those moments of tension we realize, what is life. We realize something which cannot be told or understood. At that moment life appears so tempting and beautiful that death appears to the stupid thing to even think or worry about.

Few day came across these quotes of Isaac Asimov:
Life is Pleasent. Death is Peaceful. Its a transition thats troublesome.

Have Good Day

First Time

2005-12-02T07:11:00.000-08:00

Hey All,

Its good to have started this for our group. I have never blogged before, but this could be a good start. Thanks to soham we can continue remainin in touch.

Cya
Ramya

Golden ratio

2005-12-01T22:11:00.000-08:00

These days, numbers intrigue me.

Pages like this , and lots of stuff in Da Vinci Code have got me hooked.

Thanks Soham

2005-12-01T01:58:00.000-08:00

Hi Soham and guys,

Thanks for the invitation.

Never blogged before ... lets hope this blog helps in venting our frustrations, arguing, sharing our experiences and last but not the least always remaining in touch ... ohhh for that the group is also there :)

Anyway ... lets blog

Vilde

Let the Blogging continue

2005-12-01T00:36:00.000-08:00

Well, I have been blogging for almost 2 years now. And its been a real kool experience for me. I alwayz wanted a Community-Blog. And this one it is..
Thanks to Soham, who got this in place. Thanks to Aniket for making the initial post. GD baab has also joined.
If I may add, as a humble request, lets try to limit the size of each post, coz after all its a Community Blog.
Heres to Bloggin!!!

Some funny experiences in the IT industry

2005-11-30T22:58:00.000-08:00

My project lead in Cognizant, is leading a team of 6 people working on Unix.
He shouts out one day 'Vishnu, what's the way to get to the previous command in Unix ?'
Vishnu (fresher with 4 months experience) 'Up arrow'
Project lead types in his console 'Opera'.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
My project manager (Bengali fellow) in Cognizant, is going to Kolkata.
People are asking him to get sweets. He says in heabhy Bengoly akshent 'Ya ya Bengoly tits are bhery delicious'. After a sudden silence around him he goes 'I mean Bengali sweets are bhery delicious'.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
In iflex. One guy (4 years exp) is resigning from the company. He, like many of us thinks that the company will collapse without him. He goes and announces his resignation to his manager. He thinks he has dropped a bombshell. He comes back to his seat, opens the internal messenger and wants to tell his friend of his heroic deed. He types in the messenger 'Boss, Mamu had his balls in his mouth'. Mamu is what we used to call our project manager. After pressing return, he realises he has accidentally sent the message to Mamu himself. No prizes for guessing whose balls were in whose mouth.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

More incidents will follow.

Welcome to Small PACES

2005-11-30T22:33:00.000-08:00

I welcome you all to our own blog "Small PACES". First of all thanks to Andres and Soham for taking the initiative. Let this blog be a medium for us to argue, debate, give our opinion and our stand. To share, to explore and to learn. May in years to come this blog will evolve.
Anticipating positive contribution from each one of you.

All of us need some space where his/her opinions are heard. I hope that, this blog give us a stage for the same.

Aniket