My new blog - Fish Eye View

I will be posting on two blogs (for the moment). As a friend suggested, post funny cool things here and more serious stuff on my new personal blog.

:)

It is called Fish Eye View because I am a Piscean and it talks about how I see the world!

So the link to my new blog is:

www.fisheyefocus.com/fisheyeview

Hope you enjoy reading it.

Looking forward to comments and feedback!

Long Live India: A Land of Hindu Shame?

The land of God or the land that God forgot?

India advertises itself as a 'secular democracy' but the religious divide runs deep. It can be seen in the top layers of the Government as well as at the grass-roots level.

The Indian public is simply the most gullible and idiotic when it comes to differentiating between information and opinion. We are very quick to react and the reactions can be extreme.

These reactions are fueled by lack of resources. With a population of 1 billion+ and growing no wonder the incidents of violence are increasing in frequency and magnitude.

More and more people are fighting for the same set of resources. Some people get lucky and those who don't get more and more frustrated. This was the classical scenario which Hitler used to spread propaganda against the Jews.

I think we Indians need to learn how to differentiate between opinion and information. Greater access to facts and figures rather than opinion and hearsay will empower the people.

Another thing that we need to do is to eliminate the middle layer which brings the political message to the masses. This means getting rid of the hands and legs of the political machinery which is used during critical periods.

Remove one politician and you will find hundred others waiting to take their place. Remove one middle man or make political associations a liability then there will be no way that people will be manipulated into doing things (like starting riots).

The Approximate Doctor

Life is full of approximates. We have approximate times, approximate dates and even approximate amounts of money.



But I realised life is full of approximate academic achievements. Often people are stuck in between the exam and the result. Or the result and the award of the degree.



No one knows this better than a Ph.D. student. One gets used to these 'in-between' periods.

If nothing else, a Ph.D. surely teaches you to be patient.



From the seemingly interminable wait for the viva to the end stage delays. From university procedures that converts a gap of few weeks to a gap of few months. Even after the viva things do not change. Informally you can call yourself a Doctor (if you so wish) but to adopt the title formally you need to wait some more time! Till then you are an approximate Doctor! ;)

:)

Five Questions in Life...

The other day I came across five important questions related to something I was working on.
These five questions were:

1) What have you done?
2) Why have you done it?
3) How did you do it?
4) What have you found?
5) What are the implications of these?

I thought these five questions pretty much represent the doubts and conflicts of life.

What have you done?
What have we done in life is something that keeps us awake at night sometimes. Everyone comes across this question at least once in their life. Have we done anything at all in life? Or are we wasting it one day at a time.

Why have you done it?
Why did you do something. Why did you NOT do something? Remember there is action in inaction. Doing nothing also means you are doing something. But why was it done. The motivation is important. One often asks this question especially after difficult moments in life.

How did you do it?
This is another question that keeps us guessing after the fact. After tough periods one always ends up wondering 'how did I get through it'. After doing something amazing people wonder how they did it. Most people are not able to answer this question or answer it with statements like 'it was luck' or 'Thank God!'.

What have you found?
This is one of the most important questions in life. What have you found? In your journey of life what all things have you come across. What were you searching for and what did you find? Did you find what you were searching for? Or did your finding what you were searching for lead to another search.

What are the implications of these?
This is perhaps the most important question. Things we have done, things we have found. What do they mean? What are the implications. What did we gain/loose while finding or doing these things? This is where the accounts are balanced.

So remember these five important questions... and I hope they give you some direction in life.

:)

Stars in a bottle!

These are the pics of a 'USB glitter lamp' that I have. Some I took out-of-focus to give the the glitter effect.

Enjoy!

:)

Dor - A fascinating half-movie

A friend of mine had been telling me to watch the movie 'Dor' for the last 6-7 months.

'Dor' means a thread. This movie is heavy with symbolism.

The story line is simple and there are just four main characters in the movie.

Inspite of this the story brings together several different themes such as: people going to work in the Middle East for money, the plight of widows in Rajasthan, the problems faced by women in general, the status given to women across the different states in India.

Note: Since this movie is available on DVD/VCD I would advise readers not to watch the whole movie at one go unless you are really relaxed and can concentrate on what is happening. This is not the kind of movie you can watch with one eye on food and one eye on the screen or when you are half asleep after a days work.

To appreciate you should watch the movie when you WANT to watch it.

I watched the movie in three parts over a two day period.

One of the most amazing thing about this movie (apart from the story) is the location. It is filmed in Rajasthan (in and around Jodhpur) and the scenery is 'jaw-dropping'. The amazing desert vista will make you eyes pop out.

There are a few scenes filmed filmed somewhere in the Himalayas (according to the movie Himachal Pradesh) which are equally beautiful.

The movie talks about the meeting of two worlds.
On one side we have the restricted and life-less world of the young widow (Ayesha Takia).
On the other hand we have the tough yet happy life of the new bride (Gul Panag).

The unhappy state of women (especially widows) is a true reflection of the state of affairs in the villages of Rajasthan. The movie also touches upon the high rate of female infanticide in Rajasthan (which now has a female Chief Minister!).

Opposite to that we see the relatively free and bold women of the hills. This too is a typical state of affairs. Women in the mountain states of India, such as Himachal Pradesh, are more empowered than their desert counterparts.

I am glad that I saw the full movie before I deicded to write a post about it.
The movie develops normally till about the last 40 minutes or so when so many things start to happen that it feels as if the makers of the movie realised midway that the movie was going to be too slow for normal public. This means the thread of the story gets lost in between.

This means that ending of the movie is fairly cliched and disconnected.

One wonders why actors, when they are leaving on a train, always end up taking the seat on the side of the platform.

I was also disappointed that the interaction between the widow and the new bride is not developed further after the truth comes out.

The involvement of Nagesh Kukunoor (who is not at all convincing as 'Mr. Chopra') feels added on after the fact.

It seems as if the makers of the movie lost faith in what they were doing mid-way and then decided to bend the storyline to bring it closer to something less unique.

All said and done.. this movie is worth watching once.
If not the whole movie then at least the first 80 minutes or so.
That is where the magic of this movie lies, the symbolism simply amazing.

Another funny quote...

Onslow (Keeping Up Appearances) - "To me the Kama-sutra was an owner's manual"

A funny quote...

Rodney Dangerfield - "I haven't spoken to my wife in years. I didn't want to interrupt her."

We pay in diamonds...

People talk about the colonial-era Britain robbing the wealth of India. But where was 'India' before the British?

The Indian sub-continent was divided. The British came and unified it. In its unification they sowed the seeds of their downfall.

A united India directed all its energy against its colonial masters. The creation turned against the creator. But as the creator (the British) beat a hasty retreat they took away the perceived wealth of India including one of the world's most famous diamonds: the Koh-i-noor.

Since then there have been demands for the return of Koh-i-noor by India and Pakistan.

But why do we want it back? I think the diamonds and other precious jewels they took should be considered as payment for uniting the country (among other things like the English language because of which India is doing so well in the service sector). A diamond sitting in a museum gathering dust is no way any better than a unified India with a strong and vibrant economy.

The way you pay the barber after getting a haircut or the doctor after getting a check-up I think it is fit that we pay this 'fee' to the British for uniting India.

:)

Politics of International Economics: Educating the Masses

Growning inflation... recession... economic slowdown... credit crunch...

We are all aware of these headlines. The world economy seems to be melting and the rising oil and food prices are not helping.

Today I was watching Madam Sonia Gandhi addressing the masses (in Hindi no less!).

She was explaining how international economic meltdown is driving the inflation up. She went on to state how the government had tried to absorb the impact and is protecting the common man.

A funny thought came to my head as I was watching her speak. I thought that how come people listening to her speech manage to keep a straight and serious expression when her Hindi pronunciation is so funny. It is like watching a tourist talking in Hindi.

Seeing the other people on the stage with such serious expression made me realise that fear and power work well to kill laughter.

It was also amazing to see India's politicians working overtime to save their asses especially since the general elections are coming up next year (2009). Trying to explain to the people why things are getting expensive and how it is not the fault of the Government.

Maybe she should have given the people a presentation on international financial markets and macroeconomics to drive home her point that IT IS NOT the Government's fault!

Adding to this the looming threat of BJP (which seems to be back with a bang - without a leader!). BJP has won in the recent elections in South India.

Congress (which currently controls the Central Government) is worried.

I think the Government is responsible. The main reason is corruption and re-routing of funds meant for development. They make the classic mistake of treating the symptoms and ignoring the disease. Wiping away farmer loans but not doing anything to bring development to the villages.

And so are we.

We operate more on opinion than information. The Indian public looks at the local picture and ignores what is happening in the world. We have been complaining about the infrastructure ever since I can remember. But nothing has happened yet. Why? Because we don't educate ourselves.

We go out and drive like idiots. Spit/throw garbage on the roads. Have about zero patience and of course want to get our work done first!

Maybe there is a need to educate the masses. Educate them in macro-economics as well as civic sense.

Clifton on a sunny day!

The Clifton Bridge.



The Christ-church in Clifton.



Arch of water.



The sun-shines down.



Another view of the span.



The cliff with the Observatory and balcony.



Aircraft high above.



Pink cloud-streams.



Sunrise from my window.

"If no one is going to read me in one hundred years, why should I write at all"

A few days ago I slept. I slept like a dead man. I slept because I was exhausted.
Emotions were trying to crowd into my head. So I went off to sleep.

I got up few hours later with my mind absolutely blank.

It felt as if I was floating.
I forgot that it was dinner time and that I was hungry.
I forgot I had work to do. I was floating somewhere between worlds.

Then thoughts started entering my mind. I was returning to Earth. I was falling back to Earth.
I could see my whole life ahead. I had questions. Was anything worth it? We all have to die one day then why struggel.

As I continued falling towards Earth the view became more localised. Now I was asking questions about the weeks ahead. How, what, when?

As I was about to crash into the ground I realised where I was and the things I had lined up ahead. The work that I had to do in the night. Things pending.

Suddenly I was back on Earth. Focus on what was immediately in front.

That is when I realised my body was broken and shattered from the fall. I could see the grass in front of my face, I could see the flowers. The focus was back. But I was unable to do anything with it.

I was a dying man. I could feel it. I was happy. The struggle was over.

Then I saw standing above me a figure full of light. I realised it was me. It was my essence. Slowly I felt the light seep into me. My broken body healed. I could move. I could stand and then I could fight again.

As an actor once said in some movie..
"If no one is going to read me in one hundred years, why should I write at all"

Floating is amazing.
There is only reason why one might want to come back to Earth - to do something that leaves a lasting impression on humanity.

Flowers again!

A few summer flowers!

Water Diamond

Some pictures taken at a fountain by me. No lengthy words.. just enjoy the necklace of diamond like water-drops and the reflection of the late evening sun

About women...

Story 1
Yesterday I was watching some random movie on TV.

In the movie the guy and gal are having a discussion. Suddenly the girl says 'I am getting fat, I need to start going to the gym'

The guy looks confused for a second, not sure of what to reply.

Before the guy can think of what to say the girl says 'Do we have any left over pizza from the dinner, I am feeling hungry'

Story 2
I was chatting with a lady-friend the other day and the conversation turned towards skin creams (I don't know how). She happened to remark that if she were to carry all the creams that a woman can use she would need a small suitcase along with her handbag.

That made me curious so I asked her to list out a few and here they are:
- Hand cream
- Under-eye cream
- Night cream
- Body lotion
- Cuticle oil
- Anti-aging cream

Enlarged shots of the moon...

Enlarged shots of the moon... I hope everyone enjoys it!

The Tsar

Most amazing video I have ever seen. The largest nuclear bomb ever tested. 50-58 Megatons (~58 million tons of TNT). This is equal to 10 times the total amount of explosives used in the Second World War.

It is amazing we were able to create something like this. We have enough explosive power to crack open the crust of the Earth like an egg shell. Probably the next step is a nuclear explosion in space to simulate what kind of damage it can cause.

I am in favour of such tests. Better to know what these weapons are capable of so that people think 100 times before they use it in aggression.

If you have a gun, might as well learn to use it well so that you don't end up shooting yourself in the foot by accident!

Another amazing video... love the last bit. I wish I can see a nuclear explosion in my lifetime (especially the mushroom cloud!). The new Indiana Jones movie (The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) has a scene in which Indy just survives a nuclear explosion and he is shown staring at the mushroom cloud.

J. Robert Oppenheimer the physicist who headed the Manhattan Project (also known as the Father of the Atomic Bomb) is said to have quoted the Bhagvad Gita when he saw the first nuclear explosion.

Oppenheimer later would be persuaded to quote again in 1965 for a television broadcast (from Wikipedia):

“ We knew the world would not be the same. A few people laughed, a few people cried. Most people were silent. I remembered the line from the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad-Gita; Vishnu is trying to persuade the Prince that he should do his duty, and to impress him, takes on his multi-armed form and says, 'Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.' I suppose we all thought that, one way or another "

How true he was... except I would like to make two minor modifications to the above quote:

"We are Death, the destroyers of Earth"

And this relates not just to the Nuclear Bomb or other weapons. But to our complete disregard for the environment.

:)

With a heart of stone and flowers in my eyes...

My sweet little flower...

A fountain of pink..

Another fountain...

Flower with a delicate center... see the patterns in the yellow bit...

Another view

See the edge of the yellow center... how delicate it looks!

Another view...

Delicate pinks..

White flowers...

Yellow, white and green!

White in front yellows at the back! Line up everyone...

Dark greens, mud and a cloudy sky... that is how the city looked that day!

Foreground, background, the lookout point and the sky!

Veins in the cliff..

Another view looking West...

1/4 foreground and 3/4 background

1/4 foreground and 3/4 background - slightly different

Wood, water and stone

Images of Summer (May 2008)

Beee-zy at work!

Not a 9-5 job!

Bristol - the trees and the mud.

Look at the rock... look at the ROCK!

Cliff face - old and green.

Flowers in a line.

The Clifton Bridge against a grey and angry sky!

South-side tower of the Clifton Bridge.

The curve of the suspension cables.

The full bridge!

Pink flowers...

Pink, red, green and grey...


Bristol

The Clifton Bridge


A sea of green..