Serious musings of a Questioning mind

Ungodly hours I maintain zzz...

2009-01-09T00:11:00.002+05:30

One glance at the digital clock hanging on the wall (made in China, of course) and I know that I should be in bed instead of burning my gray cells staring at a blank Wordpress screen. Yet, there are these thoughts that trouble me and do not let me catch on my beauty sleep... Have been thinking a lot lately. I think the Mumbai attacks affected me more than I care to admit. I guess some part of me died with the two hundred odd people who were, rather unfortunately, killed on that fateful day. It could easily have been me, standing at platform no. 5, waiting for the last Karjat fast local train that would take me home; it could have been me, walking down the lane in front of Cafe Leopold; it could have been me, taking a taxi which was fated not to reach its destination. Mumbai, my home for 25 years, will never be the same again. I sit here now, typing this blog, secure in the knowledge that I was "lucky" to have escaped the terror attacks. Yet, the frailty of life in the face of death leaves me in no doubt that I may not be here tomorrow. More on the frailty of human life here: The Frail Human.

It is this thought that has been troubling me for some time now. If I am not going to exist forever, what is the point in building a fortune for myself and my family? Why should I persevere to ensure that my future generations live a good life? Why should I worry about what happens to relatives, friends, animals, birds, insects, trees, water, air, earth, space, the Universe? Why should I think about little insignificant details of my everyday life like whether I will be able to make it to the station in time to catch the 07:48 am fast train so that I can reach my work place on time. Why should I bother whether Arsenal wins the EPL/CL/CC/FAC/WCC/CS etc? Shouldn't I care two hoots about how India performs at the Olympics? Or how Argentina fares at the World Cup? Why should I go into delirium every time my site stats show that the hits have increased? Is there any point to it all?

And of course, as is wont to happen with all things in life, these thoughts, just like millions of my cells have before and like millions will in the future, die out. They are nothing but random neural firings, brought on by the caffeine. I am sure that drowsiness will get the better of me and the last thoughts that pass through my mind before it is consumed by sleep will be of that babe I saw across the street today. And when I wake up in the morning, all of this will be a distant memory. I will want to attack the day with renewed vigour and zest. Every freshly generated cell in my body will cry out for oxygen and lambast me if I fail to get in the daily dose of euphoria, despondentness, anxiety, expectation, frivolity, stinginess - any modicum of emotion to satiate my desires. I will want to debate the future of the bacteria that treat the wastewater at my place of work; crease my brow over the amount of reports that my bosses ask of me; smile when I see that my wife is calling me just to say hello; plan for that StarCraft extravaganza this weekend with my brother; think of ways to chide Yuri when Chelsea defeat Manchester United; await the end of the month to see the numbers in my bank account grow. Suffice to say, that I will be engulfed in my daily activities so much, that I will forget all of this death business.

And come the end of the day, some part of me will begin to wonder (probably some brain cells on their way out) as to what is the meaning of it all. Will this article make me famous and ensure posterity? Will future generations ever read this blog article and comment upon the grave (pun intended) nature of the subject matter? Questions, I wish I will never know the answers to - yet I seek desperately.

/R

Rule 49-O of the Constitution???

2008-12-08T15:02:00.000+05:30

49-O? Constitution of India? What the heck is that?

Of late, in wake of the Mumbai attacks, a chain email which was hitherto being circulated during election time has surfaced again. This email, funnily enough, claims that (sic) "there is a system in our constitution, as per the 1969 act, in section " 49-O" ... convey the presiding election officer that he doesn't want to vote anyone!"

A clinical dissection of this email is warranted because if the Constitution of India allows us to not vote for jokers, then the writers of the Constitution (may their souls rest in peace) need to be thanked profusely!

Okay. Google for Section 49-O of Indian Constitution. What's this? All results points to pages which have the contents of the forwarded email! Hmmm... Must dig deeper to solve this mystery. Does the author mean the Constitution? Or does s/he want us to refer the Election Commission Rules? Is there any link to the Conduct of Election Rules? Will Radgovin aka Gman be able to unearth the truth in the quest for knowledge to destroy ignorance? Will he stop asking rhetorical questions? The answer of course is no.

I wonder what the Election Commission of India has to say about this:

Link 1.: http://archive.eci.gov.in/
No link to the Conduct of Election Rules on this site. However, there is a link which says, Proposed Electoral Reforms. Which brings us to:

Link 2.: http://archive.eci.gov.in/PROPOSED_ELECTORAL_REFORMS.pdf
Okay. This says that there is a need to amend the Rules 22 & 49B of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961 so as to maintain anonymity of the voter who has voted for no one i.e. he has chosen to reject all probable candidates. This has been pending with the politicians (who make the rules, of course) since 2001.

Link 3.: (after a lot of searching) http://lawmin.nic.in/ld/subord/cer1.htm
The Motherload!!! Here's what the Rule 49-O is all about:

49-O. Elector deciding not to vote. - If an elector, after his electoral roll number has been duly entered in the register of voters in Form-17A and has put his signature or thumb impression thereon as required under sub-rule (1) of rule 49L, decided not to record his vote, a remark to this effect shall be made against the said entry in Form 17A by the presiding officer and the signature or thumb impression of the elector shall be obtained against such remark.

Does not make sense, does it? I mean, the right to voting secrecy is the cornerstone of democracy. The fact that all our politicians are united against such an act goes to show that our "major" political parties are not all that "divided" after all. I mean, they are always united against a common enemy: the educated masses. Whenever the "educated" class gets agitated, these (*^*%$^) find ways and means to quell their anger. In the mean time, the poor uneducated masses are given hand outs just before the deadline for election commission rules to kick into place. Just to keep their memories fresh so that they know which button to press on election day. A look at the figures of voting in cities vs. voting in towns / villages will show you why the politicians who are in power are in power. Check the living conditions in constituencies of some of the powerful ministers in any state. And I am sure that you will not be surprised to see the people there living contented, peaceful lives. Can't really blame them for that.

And what are the "educated" doing in the mean time? Lamenting about the lack of leadership in the Government, commenting on the state of traffic, security, roads, environment, health care, life style, moral righteousness. Oh, that & forwarding emails spreading disinformation. Don't get me wrong; I am part of all of this myself. I am not one to claim that I am over all of this. I am as susceptible to criticizing all that is wrong around me as the other guy.

I am an Indian, after all.

Another good link to read about the Right to Say No:
http://www.indianofficer.com/forums/indian-polity/1220-article-49-o-right-say-no.html

/Radgovin

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Good Blogs: How to Find & Keep them

2008-11-26T16:30:00.001+05:30

These days, every tom, dick & harry (and even his cousin) are into writing blogs. How then do you differentiate between the flotsam of the internet and genuine blog writers? At the insistence of Yuri, I am writing this article on finding & subscribing to good blogs around the blogosphere!

Searching for good blogs

Tip 1: Ask your friendsNothing beats personal opinion. Google blog search and other related devices for searching for blogs on the internet can only take you so far. For example, I am currently subscribed to two Arsenal related blogs - A Cultured Left Foot (ACLF) and Arseblog, which in my opinion offer damn good reading material for Arsenal fans. However, these two do not appear in the top 20 or so search results. Most of the top results will be populated by popular sites where the "aam junta" go for their daily kicks. However, when you are looking for specific reading which will appeal to the thinker within you, it makes sense to take advice from like minded people. Ask your friends, chat to people about blogs they like (with topics of your interest), ask on orkut/facebook/wherever.

Tip 2: Check wordpress.com / technorati for "happening" blogs of the dayThese sites display a list of the hottest blogs of the moment. There is a reason that a blog article appears on the front page of such sites: popularity. And not just popularity amongst the general masses; popularity because they are good blog articles appreciated by chronic readers! There is a blog I subscribe to: Angry Aussie. The guy has a knack for humour & I picked up the link to his blog via Wordpress. Another pointer for a good blog is the number of comments it has. A blog having multiple comments by different people over a period of time is more likely to have good content as opposed to the blogger interjecting to reply to every other comment.

Tip 3: Once you find a good blog, check for related linksThe best bloggers hunt in packs. Correction, make that "write" in packs. That is not to say that they know each other in real life. Writers write because they have read a lot and cannot control the urge to pen down their own two pennies worth. The very fact that they are writing well suggests that they are reading well. Check the "blogs I visit" section of any good blogger. You are bound to find some wonderful reading stuff over there as well.

Subscribing to good blogs

Tip 4: RSS & SyndicationNow that you have found a blog that regularly updates and has exceptional content, you want to ensure that fresh material uploaded there is made available to you at the moment it gets posted. There are three ways to this: RSS via browser, feed reading software, online syndication providers. RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication where your browser automatically downloads latest posts on your "favourite" blogs. These are simple text downloads and will not be as effective if the blogger of your choice has a penchant for the visual media. Nevertheless, these are a very good starting point for you to decide whether a blog is worth reading or not. Syndication softwares download stuff to your PC and the best one around is FeedDemon (available for free download). Similarly, you can go online at google reader / bloglines / etc. to get fresh updates of your favourite blogs.

Tip 5: Sign up for emailSo you are tired of firing up your browser to visit that blog that you like reading the most. Check if there is an option to receive the feed via email. This is a very nifty option that most bloggers like to give to their readers. Nothing as convenient as getting the latest article in your inbox, is there? :)

Improving the content of blogs

Tip 6: Never thought that you could actually improve blogs in the blogosphere?Think again. Writers write because they want people to read. How will there be an impetus for a writer (unless s/he has a compulsive typing disorder) to keep on doling out good reading material? The answer is: feedback. Bouquets & brickbats are typically welcome and the best of bloggers take the time to read each and every comment posted about what they have written. Wherever improvement is warranted, it is usually implemented. So go ahead and type out that witty comment that you thought of. It might just make some one's day! :)

/Radgovin

Your article in the Times of India dt. 19/11/2008

2008-11-19T08:01:00.001+05:30

This is an email I wrote to the Editor of The Times of India for the headline of the day's
newspaper.

Dear Sir,

This is in reference to your article in The Times of India dt. 19/11/2008.

I would like to state up front that I am not in support of any political party that claims
to be working for the benefit of the local Maharashtrian.

Your article states that the data has been sourced from Maharashtra Government.
What were the means used to source these data? Was it gotten under RTI Act, 2005?
Again, the data is for industries in the private sector i.e. the so called micro, small, medium
& large industries. What about the data for Government organizations such as the MCGM,
the Railways, BEST, et al.? Why not publish data from the above records?

As I recall, the pro "sons-of-the-soil" parties are all agitating because of the Government
"safe" jobs being given to outsiders. You have very cleverly deflected attention from that
by publishing data of private sector and pumping up the high percentages.

I am all for equality in employment. I don't care who gets the job (Maharashtrian or otherwise)
so long as that person is capable to handle the responsibilities of the job & eligible for the vacancy.
I believe that the private sector employs people on the basis of their abilities and irrespective
of their background i.e. there is no scope for reservation. That they have employed more number
of Maharashtrians probably points to the fact of the superior ability of the said employees.
Either that, or the local Unions are strong holds of the locals. However, to me it seems more of
an exception rather than the norm.

I am sure that your headline will get lots of attention. I am also sure that you are going to get lots
of flaming emails in your inbox. But you deserve all of the hate that you will get; simply because as
an irresponsible media person, you have published an article for the sake of publicity and not for sharing
of "news".

Regards,

Govindraj S. Umarji

Compaq 301TU review

2008-11-05T13:50:00.000+05:30

This is a review I had written for my own laptop (for a contest organized by a leading monthly magazine)

A laptop is about as effective as its owner wants it to be. In spite of all the hype surrounding newfangled laptops available in the market today, my plain old vanilla Compaq C301TU scores over them when it comes to sheer basic productivity. Sporting a spartan configuration of 1.6 GHz Celeron processor and 512 Mb RAM, the C301TU is not F1 class laptop material. However, it does provide for fundamental office work applications and simple gaming.

Review:
Performance: Since I am running Windows XP, speed is never a concern for me. The 512 Mb RAM suffices for most office applications and I can easily multi-task between office applications and roller coaster tycoon, if I so desire. Of course, for resource intensive tasks such as CAD, it makes sense to have minimum applications running. Switching between applications is a breeze and there is hardly any lag when switching from movies to office and vice-versa.

Looks and Handling: I opted for the understated look of the Compaq over the glossy finishes of the HP/Dell laptops. The C301TU is black and silver, has a wide screen and handles well. It can be carried around for hours without being a pain in the shoulder!

Connectivity: Wireless capability for a low price is the USP of this laptop. Coupled with a standard RJ-45 ethernet LAN port, this makes the laptop one for those addicted to the internet.

Battery life: The C301TU has consistently given me battery life of over 2 hours over two years. Since I live in an area prone to load shedding, this utility comes in really handy when work needs to be done and there is no power available. Even with movies/audio running, battery life is over 1.5 hours.

Applications: The laptop did not come loaded with a lot of software. However, a basic investment in office software makes the laptop very useful.

Support: Compaq (HP) offers good customer care, with all the software/hardware drivers available at their site. However, I have had to send constant reminders to the local dealers for getting an extended warranty. This is probably an area that requires HP's attention.

Cost: The deal is made sweet by the price, which was a modest 32k when I purchased the laptop over two years ago.

Overall a nice and cheap laptop to own and maintain. Great value for money for the corporate types on the move.

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Arsenal 2008-09 Season

2008-08-01T10:36:00.000+05:30

Okay. Some people might think its a tad too early for this article. After all, pre-season has just dawned on us and there is still a fortnight for the 2008-09 English Premier League to start in all earnest. However, the clairvoyant in me cannot resist the urge to pen down my feelings: if only for the sake of posterity (or even better, for the sake of "I told you so!")

I've been an Arsenal supporter for eight years now. Come to think of it, I think I became a football fanatic (as opposed to a cricket fanatic) because of Arsenal. Much was made of Manchester United's treble achievement in 1999. I think it was a Reader's Digest article I read about this which made me sit up and take notice of this sport. Till then, football for me was just the game to be played during the rains (when of course, there was no way of playing cricket) Also, I had been recently introduced to the EA Games FIFA series of games.

The first team I noticed in the English Premier League was Arsenal. The symbol was the legendary cannon on the red background. And I thought to myself - that's an interesting name, Arsenal. It conjured up images in my mind of players running on the ground with guns drawn, gunning down opponents who dared to stand in their way. Incidentally, the first FIFA game I played, I chose Arsenal as my side and played against Liverpool. As is wont to happen to a newbie to football (and especially, football played on the PC) I lost.

However, the name of the team and some of the players stuck. I found that I was often selecting Arsenal to play against a plethora of opponents. I found that I could interlink passes between a certain Dennis Bergkamp and a Marc Overmars pretty well. And there was this chap called Thierry Henry, who would constantly outrun defenders at will. I was slowly falling in love with this team called Arsenal.

I don't remember the exact time I made the transition from cricket to football. However, I think that getting admission to an Engineering college which had football enthusiasts aplenty had a lot to do with it. Circa 2001, I started following the Premier League. And in 2002, Arsenal won the EPL under Arsene Wenger for the second time. There had been some records set during this season; however, I was to be made aware of these only after two years.

I took up playing football when in college and realized that I had certain qualities essential for a footballer. One, the ability to spot my team mates. Two, being in the right place at the right time. Three, a loud voice to shout out instructions to team mates. :)
I realized that Arsenal represented in every way the way I felt football should be played. It epitomized team work and passing and the bonding of the team was evident in the celebrations. No matter who scored, the entire team would join him to celebrate. And so would we fans.

The 2003-2004 EPL season was a realization of dreams of sorts. Arsenal played great football and won the Premier League after going unbeaten through the season. Every goal was a treat to watch and every match won was a thrilling spectacle. It was quite befitting then that the most successful team in the history of the Premier League should end this unbeaten streak. What was not befitting was the subsequent results that the team faced. A certain Mr. Mourinho took advantage of this and took an unknown Chelsea team to the top.

The seasons after that were nothing to write home about. We knew that Wenger was in the process of rebuilding a team and that honours would come. That a coveted prize came within our grasp and was snatched away was the cruel twist of fate. Although history will show Arsenal as the beaten Champions League finalists of 2006, live witnesses will remember the game as one totally dominated by Arsenal.

I digress. This article has got nothing to do with the past and / or my love of Arsenal. This article is about the coming year.

I last recall looking forward as eagerly to a season like this in 2003. The previous season, we had been unlucky in losing out the title to United. The 07-08 season was another heartbreak for the same reason. Yet, whatever I saw during that season enthuses me with confidence for the coming season. There is a sense of expectation, an anticipation of glory coming to The Emirates.

We have in our midst, for the first time in many years, a Winner. Something that was lacking all these trophyless years. Sure, we had Thierry Henry, Ljungberg and other veterans who had all been there and done that. However, they were at times out of place in the new squad that Arsene was building. Right now, Arsenal have a gem of a person in Cesc Fabregas. The young lad of 21 has under his belt a Euro win. And that win alone is enough to sustain his hunger for further titles.

Already, there are other players at the club who look up to this guy, who is short in stature but large in accomplishments. Look at his experience: filling up the boots of the erstwhile Patrick Vieira, taking up the creative responsibility in the midfield at a tender age of 18, Champions League silver medal at 19, being selected for the Spanish national team, Euro win at 21. So much accomplished in such a short time. Yet, the difference now is going to be the fact that he has won something. And it is reflected in his statements. Once you get a taste of winning, you have the confidence to go ahead and do it again.

Then again, we have winners with never-say-die attitude in the team. Players like Sagna and Eduardo, talents unearthed by Le Boss who have it in them to turn matches on their heads. Plus, they don't have the mental baggage of past losses; of just being there and not winning. The team is young and they are more athletic and agile than the other teams of the EPL. That this fact has not been used to our advantage is the only sore point I have.

There is so much to look forward to. And so much media pressure on these young chaps. I am sure they will cope well. I believe this team has what previous Wenger teams lacked: the so-called bottle that is required to grind out results. A combination of bad luck and loss of focus resulted in them losing out on a rightful Premier League title. However, this time around, things are going to be different. All because of a win.

This year, as always, Arsenal are placed first in the EPL at the start of the season because of the alphabetical arrangement. At the end of it, they are going to be at the top of it because they deserve to be. More importantly, they also have the desire to be.

Career Planning

2008-07-17T11:38:00.000+05:30

Following is an email I have written to a friend who is at the crossroads of his life and facing a "quarter-life" crisis [as opposed to mid-life crisis]

Hope that something good comes out of this long letter for the chap! :)

Dear Confused Friend,

Its good to see that you have managed to set a timeline for your future after LnT. I am sure most of the people your age will never have done such a thing. Heck, even grampa's like me don't do that sort of stuff! :)

I am sure that the email took more than an hour to type [and around a month to think up]. I am sure all that thinking will help you though. Here are my two cents worth:

1. Do you really want to start your own firm? Are you the kind of person who can get work done out of people? This point is definitely worth thinking about because the gist of your email [as I understand] is that you want to take up higher studies [MS/MBA] with the eventual aim of starting your own business. While owning a business is a swell thing, there are many hurdles in the path to success. The most basic one of them being: you have to pay other people their salary before you can claim your own. I am not going to insult your intelligence by saying that you have not thought of these things. However, I will advise you to delve into the business of owning your business a little more.

2. In today's world, you really don't need an MBA to make it big with your own business. Sure, it looks good on your visiting card and on your company website to write Mr. Such N Such, MBA, Stanford. However, with the passage of time, people [your customers] will be impressed only by the quality of your work and not your high CPI at some obscure course during an MBA education.

3. You need not have experience in "two of the biggest categories" to strike gold. You are expected only to understand the basics of finance and there should be a willingness to learn. What do you & I know about finance and/or accounting? Or consulting for that matter? You cannot have relevant work experience in those fields unless you work for such a firm. Since you are stuck with LnT for another year, why not try and get into the financial aspects of things? Work with Marketing to get a feel of cash flows and project finances. Work with Proposals to get a feel of market prices and how LnT is affected by it. Work with Contract Management to understand how to deal with Govt. of India organizations and learn about indirect taxation. I'd suggest working in at least one of the above dept. to add to your repertoire of skills. [if any!!! :)]

4. Don't disregard whatever you have learnt over the last year [even if it seems trifle to you]. Once you are out in the market for other jobs / starting your own work, you will realize the value of all the Excel / SAP / soft skill knowledge that you gained here. Spruce up your resume by making even mundane work sound exciting. I have no doubt about your conversational skills [you are second only to me! ;)]. A resume can get you an interview with a new employer / client. However, your speaking abilities and quality of work will get you the job.

5. Charity begins at home. Speak to Ms. Mabel Abraham, PGM and get involved in some of the volunteer programmes organized by LnT. I don't know if you can get a certificate for your volunteer work. However, you can and definitely will get references. An US MBA is all about networking and building contacts. So, to them, what people say about you is as important as what your GMAT scores / Chem. Engg. percentages say about you. Americans are known to weigh extra curricular activities more than academic. You've got it made with footer, now go get some volunteer experience.

6. As regards your dilemma over the behemoth vs. start-up company, I've only one suggestion to give: take your time. You've got time on your side - you are just 23. Work with both companies to have a feel of how things run. LnT will have already exposed you to the nuances of running a big business and interacting with people. Working with a small firm as an employee will give you closer control over costs and more personal interaction. Get more interested in the financial aspects of all work you do because eventually, when you have your own business, its all going to be about the money. The sooner you understand the nitty-gritties of finances, the better it will be for your start-up.

7. Its not necessary to get a Post Grad. to start a firm in environmental management / any new field. Starting your own company is all about managing people at the end of the day. You can & will always get people who are smarter than you, more intelligent and more knowledgeable. However, if you have the vision, they will willingly follow you to create riches for both you & themselves.

8. Last but not the least, I have written this information with a larger intended audience in mind. I will be putting this stuff on my blog. [with your name removed of course!] I hope you don't mind. And even if you do, I am going to post it anyway! :)

Regards,

Govindraj S. Umarji

P. S. I never lose an opportunity to get an article for my blog for free! :)

Letter to HR

2008-06-25T15:48:00.000+05:30

This is a letter I am contemplating sending to the VP of HR of my company.

Dear Sir,

This is in reference to the "GET Problem" email you will have received from a GET today.

I don't agree to the forum and the means that said GET has used to convey his message to you. However, the message in the email is of pertinence. You will appreciate that Mumbai is a costly place to live in, even for the most affluent of people. For a GET who is earning 15,000 per month [and will probably earn around 18,000 per month after being confirmed] there is no scope for savings / investments. Most of the salary amount will end up in some landlord's bank account and the remainder will serve for daily necessities and miscellany.

I am a PGMT, and considering the fact that I hold a Masters Degree from IIT Bombay, my remuneration is not commensurate with what my classmates are receiving. However, since I like the work I am doing [and also since I have a permanent residence in Mumbai] I see no reason to leave our company. The same may not be true for other new joinees and one really cannot fault them for that.

Our company has introduced a policy of personal bond for retaining "talent" for two years. However, the futility of this will be evident once the current batch of 2007, leaves for greener pastures in 2009. People working here for two years will not serve any purpose. In two years time, we will not be able to recover the time and effort that has been put in the training of a GET.

In the ten months or so that I have spent in our company, I have seen some hard-working and intelligent team members leave. Some have left for higher education, some for higher pay packets and some for convenience. These people could have been retained and their loss is being felt in their respective SBUs. Ready-made replacements will not be available and the additional lag phase while the new joinees acclimatize to our company may turn out to be crucial. Our company is involved in time critical projects. A matter of few days can make a huge impact on our bottom-lines.

I am writing to you with the intention of sharing my thoughts with you. I am sure that you are already aware of these "problems" and have taken measures to counter this. Its just that I feel that these efforts are not being showcased properly. Some more work in this direction is warranted in light of the discontent.

Keeping a person on a bond for two years is not the solution to our problem.

Regards,

Govindraj S. Umarji

Quotas in IIT-IIM and Salaries

2008-06-25T13:08:00.001+05:30

Following is a letter I wrote to the Editor of DNA after reading an article on salaries in IITs and IIMs and the so-called inequality based on caste.

Original article can be found here:
http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1173139

Below is my letter to Editor, DNA India

Dear Sir,

This is in reference to your article in DNA on the 24th of June, 2008 titled "For SC/STs, quotas are route to inequality at IITs, IIMs"

The report claims to question the quota system, yet it is nothing but an attempt to stoke the quota vs. no quota debates raging all over the nation. As per the article, the RTI act was used to source this information. While the use of the RTI for such a report is commendable, one really wonders about the motives for the same. In representing and comparing the average salaries of general category and reserved category students, you have painted a picture which sends out the following message: general category and reserved category students have different placements in IITs/IIMs. Nothing could be further from the truth.

IITs/IIMs have a very fair and judicious system of placement for students, wherein companies coming to the campus for interviews are allowed to set their own standards in terms of students they want. eg. Company A visiting the IIT Bombay campus for placements might require students having a CPI over 6.0 [which is equivalent to a First Class in other universities, and is a fairly common requirement] Similarly, companies visiting campuses of other IITs and IIMs will follow this routine or slight deviations.

The article however sends out a false message that there is a differentiation on the basis of caste in IITs/IIMs when it comes to placement of students. This is a totally false and baseless claim.

In addition to this, the article does not mention the number of drop-outs every year from the general category. Why limit the article to information about drop-outs only from reserved category students? Why not include your "RTI" data to show general category drop-out numbers? Each and every technical college has drop-outs from all sorts of backgrounds and the reasons for people dropping out are varied and not limited to incapability for technical education. Some students realize that they have different interests and hence choose this way out.

Again, coming back to the salary issue. The article points out the discrepancy between salaries received by all and sundry. Since the peak salary is 70lakhs and the average salary is 15lakhs, it means there are sufficient number of people who are getting a salary below 15lakhs. Why not publish that data?

A very poorly written article, which does not even pretend to be a "non-sensationalist" headline. I expect better from a national daily.

Regards,

Govindraj S. Umarji

Oil Companies - Best / Worst of Times

2008-05-06T17:12:00.000+05:30

This is a letter I wrote to the Editor of The Indian Express after reading Mr. Vikram Mehta [Chairman, Shell Group of Companies, India] in which he claims that private oil companies all across the world are at cross-roads of the best and the worst of times. The article can be found here: http://www.indianexpress.com/story/305822.html

Dear Sir,

This is in reference to the OP-ED article Two stories of oil by Mr. Vikram Mehta.

The author is trying to build a case for oil companies by saying that they [oil companies] are facing hardships in the current market scenario. This could not be any farther from the truth. Consider the following points:

1. Although oil prices are increasing [due to lowered availability and increased demand] there is increasing research in the fields of fossil fuel recovery. Fossil fuels these days are being recovered from sources which were "economically unviable" till a few years ago. This is because of the increased demand of petroleum products.

2. There is lack of sufficient funding in the renewable energy sector and hence a major ground-breaking, fossil fuel industry shaking invention is nowhere on the horizon. That the world has slowly begun to take notice of the ill-effects of fossil fuel utilization is thanks to the relentless efforts of environmentalists all over the world. Yet, given the proliferation of the fossil fuels, acceptance of renewable energy is still low and is likely to remain that way in the near future.

3. Oil companies express concerns over global warming and depleting natural resources cause them sleepless nights and furrowed brows. Yet, barring a few exceptions, how often do we see oil companies sponsoring research in the renewable sector? It might be worthwhile for all oil companies to start a future fund for renewable sources of energy. That way, they will ensure a "sustainable" business for themselves and also cleaner environment for future generations.

I find it hard to agree with the author's assertion that oil companies are facing the hardest of times. They are in the best of times and stand to face better times if they decide to invest in the future.

Regards,

Govindraj Umarji

Indian Institutes of Technology and Engineers

2008-03-31T11:23:00.000+05:30

This comment is a response to an article which I read here:
http://helloji.wordpress.com/2008/03/05/iit-insufferable-indian-tribe/

(quote) engineering by definition is mediocre science at best. Try to come up with a name of a great engineer and you will see how far short it falls from a great mind (end quote)

Whoa! Hold your horses, my dear friend. I am not against you taking a swipe at my "tribe". In fact, the very fact that someone is taking out time to write about us is proof enough that we possess qualities which are worth writing about! :)

Till such a time as you are speaking about IITians [IITans, whichever way you spell it, it harldy matters] and making generalizations left, right and centre under the pretext of humour [correct, UK english spelling] you are treading a well trodden path. But the moment you make a demeaning statement about engineering, you are showing the hollowness of your thinking and the limited capability of your brain to process information fed to it.

Consider this: the very PC/laptop that you are using to rant about IITians was created by an Engineer. The Internet, which you are using to spread the ramblings of your "jaded" mind [nice name, very fitting] is likewise. Consider all the good things in life: a house to live in, quicker travelling, availability of medicines, ability to communicate over large distances, et al., and you will realize that there is an engineer responsible for it and proud of it. What you don't realize, and probably your own "inflated" ego prevents you from doing so, is that engineers contribute to society as much as any chartered accountant, medical professional, airline pilot, sea diver, army man, etc. does.

You might have apologized for this statement of yours. I see that some people have already made references to this. It's alright even if you don't apologize though. We, as engineers, are content with the satisfaction we derive from the utility of our creations. After all, it takes a lot of creativity and effort [which this post could have used] to convert an idea into a practically usable item.

I see that your post is quite popular, and you might take a moment to reflect that many posts are by IITians. This might suggest that we have a lot of time on our hands! :)
But then, that also means either that we can find time to write/comment on things that matter to us or we are so financially well off that we don't have to slog like mere mortals do!

Arsenal achievements (unparalleled)

2008-03-05T08:28:00.000+05:30

21st February, 2006 - First English team to defeat Real Madrid at the Estadio Bernebeau

04th March, 2008 - First English team to defeat AC Milan at the San Siro

The Frail Human

2008-01-30T19:27:00.000+05:30

There is a story about Yudhishthira, of Mahabharata fame. When asked what is the most beautiful thing on this planet, he says it is “Maya”, which is the magic that keeps the world running. Everyone knows that death is inevitable, yet the will and desperation to live is so intense that each person thinks that s/he is invincible. That bad things can happen only to other people and not to them and their near and dear ones. And then one fine day, the bubble bursts…

The frail nature of the human flesh was revealed to me just yesterday, in quite a grotesque way. On the way to my office, I came across a traffic jam. Initially the source of traffic jam was not apparent. However, as the vehicles on the road inched forward, the reason became evident. There were police men visible, not traffic police, but regular police. And they were directing the traffic. That can only mean one thing: an accident further up the road.

An accident it was and it was not a sight for the squeamish. The body of the deceased was covered with a white cloth. However, the reason for the death was evident from the mess that lay around the body. Suffice to say, that the person driving a motorcycle (for the last time) was not wearing a helmet. My estimate is that the bike slipped and …

This incident lead me to think about the frailty of the human body. A severe blow to certain sections of the head, or a pin-prick, strategically executed. And life is converted to after-life. In the everlasting battle of life and death, eventually death does triumph. Every day, life does its best to come out tops. Life gives small victories which lead the living to believe in invincibility. And yet, therein lies life’s biggest paradox: the longer you live, the greater your probability of dying with every passing day.

I am sure the person who never made it to office/home yesterday did not know that it was not meant to be for him to reach his destination. I am sure he never thought about it. Neither does anyone of us when we are performing everyday activities, such as crossing the road, boarding a train, switching on an electric appliance. All these activities have the potential to be life threatening. Yet the living remain oblivious of them.

And that is exactly what Maya is: the living wish to live indefinitely, though death is the constant force surrounding them.

/Radgovin

Safe Haven

2008-01-25T12:43:00.000+05:30

Safe Haven

"I told them, I know who planted bombs in the train!" exclaimed Rahul to the crowd, which was watching him with glazed eyes and unwavering awe.

"I went on to describe them. One had orangeish hair, with a scar down his cheek. The second guy had pink hair. He had grotesquely coloured blue-red eyes. The third was a female, or so she seemed to me, and she was wearing no clothes!"

Silence in the gathering.

"Its amazing, isn't it? But their response was more incredible. 'Are you crazy, you lunatic?' they said"

A few appreciative chuckles ruffled through the gathering.

"You are certifiably crazy, one of them said. I denied that. I told them I was not drunk. Their tests confirmed that. They took me to a shrink, where I repeated my story and also rattled off my other heroic; how I saved the world from drowning by drinking a lot of the flood waters from that gutter of a river"

Clapping from the assembly.

"That's how I ended up here" finished Rahul, pointing towards the seven storied building housing the mental asylum.

Later, Rahul was joined by another person of similar standing, Rohit.
"You love blabbering, don't you? However, I wish you'd stop that. I fear, one day, they are going to realize our game and chuck us out of this safe haven"

"Safe haven is right. Where else in this city can you get free food, clean clothes, and good medical care? Better live a secure life in an asylum than as a destitute roaming the unsafe streets of the metropolis" said Rahul.

"What if they catch onto us?"

"Who cares? I am sure both of us can cook up another tall story to come back to this particular tall story!" said Rahul, again pointing towards the aslyum building.

[This story has been submitted for consideration in the Flash Fiction contest being conducted by Caferati as part of the Kala Ghoda Festival. More details can be found here: http://caferati.blogspot.com/]

Finance Basics

2008-01-24T10:49:00.000+05:30

Everyone can do with understanding the basics of Finance. Same is applicable for me too! :)

Sr. No.	Term	Meaning
1	Liquidity Ratio	It shows the ability of a firm to pay its short term debts as they mature
2	Current Ratio	Current Assets / Current Liabilities
3	Quick Ratio (Acid-test)	Quick assets / Current Liabilities where, quick assets = current assets - inventory
4	Profitability Ratio	It is used to measure a firm's efficiency & ability to generate profits
5	Gross Profit margin	Gross profit / Sales
6	Net Profit margin	Net Profit (PAT) / Sales
7	Ownership Ratio	This helps to analyze the present and future investments in a firm & to compare the investments with factors such as Debt, Earnings, Dividends & Stock price
8	Return on Equity or Net Worth (RONW)	RONW = Net Profit / Avg. Equity
9	Earnings Per Share (EPS)	EPS = Net profit / No. of shares outstanding
10	Price Earnings Ratio (P/E)	P/E = Market price of shares / EPS
11	Debt Equity Ratio	Total debt / Total Equity
12	Debt Service Coverage Ratio	(PAT + Depreciation + Non cash expenses + interest on loans) / (interest on loans + Repayments)
13	Average Net Funds Employed (ANFE)	ANFE = Average Net Working Capital + Average Net Fixed Assets
14	Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)	ROCE = (PBIT - TAX) / ANFE
15	Economic Value Added (EVA)	EVA = (ROCE - WACC) x ANFE

For further reading: http://www.dsm.com/en_US/html/invest/glossary.htm

Movie Review: Taare Zameen Par

2008-01-17T14:53:00.000+05:30

All the citizens of this great country that we live in, i.e. Bharat, will agree with me that some of us, or even most of us, are the biggest hypocrites in the whole wide world. Not only that, we are among the worst racist and non-secular people in the world. There is ample proof of all these qualities everywhere. I will cite a few examples:

Policy formers emphasize the need for increase in female to male population ratio. Policy formers reside in New Delhi. India's highest rate of female infanticide occurs in the northern states of India.
We talk about equality for all. And then we go ahead and have reservations for backward classes and women, when economic concessions are the need of the day.
We talk about equality and yet when the time comes to implement a uniform civil code, we make hasty reversals in policy.
We crib about how the west has zero respect for women, how women are treated as objects in the west and how, traditionally, India has always been kind and generous to women. And then we have incidents such as rapes, molestation and groping that take place every day.
Worst of all, we have got a very poor media: one which is interested in marketability of the news as opposed to the impact. A media which excels in doling out sensationalist oeuvre as opposed to journalistic excellence. A media which leaves no stones unturned when gets an opportunity to calumniate any individual/organization - an opportunist media, in short.

Therefore, it does not come as a surprise that cinema has chosen over the last few years to make movies which deride this phenomenon of rapacious journalism. Also, movies over the years have criticized the attitude of the Indian masses: the chalta hai attitude, the over dependence on fortune as opposed to hard work and the ineptitude of the junta to realize plights of differently abled people in this country.

The movie Taare Zameen Par, which speaks about learning disabilities, comes as a breath of fresh air. For me, there was serendipity in how I came across to seeing the movie. Me and MsF had gone to watch Welcome [which by the way is a good brainless comedy to watch and forget about your worries for a while]. Since the theatre we went to was not playing the said movie, we decided to watch TZP. This was what we call a run-time-decision (RTD). And like most of my RTDs this proved to be an amazing experience.

TZP is the story of a boy Ishant Avasti, born to middle class parents in the city of Mumbai. Therefore, that puts him into a category of millions. He is, therefore, no different than any other kid roaming the streets of Mumbai and that is exactly how his parents treat him. What his parents do not realize though is the fact that their child is unique. He has abilities that very few other people on this planet possess. That of looking at the world in a different way than is taught at schools, imbibed by parents and reinforced by interactions with peers. He is a dyslexic: he has learning disabilities. Unfortunately for him, even his parents do not realize this disability. However, with this disability he is also in possession of a wonderful gift - that of an amazing ability of capturing what he sees as pictures - pictures which range from tranquil colourful panoramas to intense, soulful paintings showing the pain in his small heart.

TZP scores maximum points for the rendition of the lead character's emotions. The movie revolves around the child actor [sometimes a tad too long!] and Aamir Khan plays a wonderful supporting actor role. He lets his lead actor direct the pace of the movie, involving himself just at the right time when he feels the movie might be losing some steam. Although the movie has a running time in excess of conventional hindi cinema, at no point is the viewer forced to think about taking a breather. The musical score by SEL is brilliant, especially the track "Kholo Kholo". This depicts the state of mind of "the brash and confident child who loses his confidence because his parents don't understand his plight and send him to training school where he meets a teacher who helps him understand himself and regain his confidence so that he can shine in this materialistic world".

A must watch movie for people who have been deprived of good viewing fare over the last year, with ostentatiously crappy movies such as OSO and Saawariya hogging the limelight. 4.5 stars to this movie out of 5!!!

Good Reading

2007-12-22T10:57:00.000+05:30

http://www.thumpertalk.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-501866.html

This article by Jay Leno makes for great reading!

/R

Deepavali Greetings (continued)

2007-11-08T11:23:00.000+05:30

Radgovin's 10 musings for Diwali

1. If Deepavali or Diwali is supposed to be the festival of light, does it mean it also has to be the festival of noise?

I don't when the transition from light to sound occurred. I don't think I was around at that point of time. My guess is, sometime in the eighties i.e. in general, before my time. I am not claiming that I did not burst firecrackers or jump gleefuly for joy when the "rassi" bomb or the "laxmi" bomb exploded. All I am saying is that, to quote Billy Joel, "We didn't start the fire" [or firecrackers for that matter] Human beings have long since been fascinated by beautiful display of colour and light, with the aurora borealis and aurora australis capturing the imagination of generations of explorers. For some breath-taking images of the aurora borealis, please visit this site:

Michigan Tech Aurora Page

The human made firecrackers are probably a fallout of people trying to emulate nature by creating the brilliant displays of light artificially. Unfortunately, the route they chose was the conversion of chemical energy into light and sound energy [because its cheap and can give satisfactory results]. Anyway, since this was the preferred route, we are now faced with the dilemma of losing sleep and peace of mind because of some elements of our society which derive pleasure from bursting crackers till late in the night or early in the morning.

2. If Diwali is the festival of "light", why do people become "heavy" after this particular festival is over? [Probably because of the chaklis, chivda, laddoos, etc.!]

This is quite a well known phenomenon. Binging on the "faral" or the sweets that are characteristic of this particular festive season, causes people to put on weight and may lead to further problems like obesity. It is no wonder then that post Diwali, the maximum number of advertisements in local newspapers / handouts are those pertaining to gymnasium and weight loss programmes.

3. Does air pollution have to accompany the brilliant display of light due to fireworks?

As I said earlier, firecrackers are nothing but a conversion of chemical energy to light and sound energy. And since material cannot be destroyed, there is a conversion from solid form to gaseous form, which leads to air pollution. On this website here: Environmentally Safe Diwali you will find information about how you can celebrate Diwali without causing too much damage to the planet. During Diwali, the rise in the respirable suspended particulate matter [lovingly known in air pollution environmental study cirlces as RSPM] shoots up. As it is, in a city such as Mumbai, the RSPM levels are high. In Diwali, there is a booster dose of RSPM for all the residents. Considering the fact that sulphurous compounds present in the gases piggy-back on the RSPM, we have the background for all sorts of respiratory ailments. Which is probably why doctors have their hands full after an eventful Diwali.

4. Who invented bursting firecrackers? What thrill does one get from hearing deafening noises created by gases expanding so fast, that they destroy the "container" they are in?

I don't think I need to elaborate on this. As they say, to each his own [and I'd like to add here, his/her forms of pleasure!]. I'd be lying if I said that I didn't enjoy it [bursting crackers, of course!] myself at some point in time. However, ever since I have realized the damage that firecrackers cause to the environment, I have done my bit to try and control the damage.

5. When will Indians, and all other people on this planet who celebrate by bursting firecrackers, realize that we share this planet with other species and since we are more intelligent than they are [this part is debatable] it is our responsibility to keep this nurturing planet intact?

Bursting firecrackers disturbs not only human sleeping patterns but also animals and birds. Dogs are blessed with an acute sense of hearing and this blessing turns out to be a curse during the Diwali period. Birds too are similarly affected. Since we are responsible for the safety of the animal kingdom also, we should make sure that we lessen the damage caused to the world that we share with them. And that is, if we cannot just do away with the damage.

6. Why does an educated parent/s of the 21st century buy firecrackers for his/her child/ren?

And this includes my parents also. As a kid, I was not aware of the hazards of firecrackers. My parents were, though. Why didn't they educate me at an early stage in life? Maybe they tried, but I gave in to peer pressure, from seeing my friends having a blast [literally] from bursting firecrackers. I am not saying that I am blame free or guilt free. I just hope that when I become a parent, I will have enough courage not to give in to the demands of my child for firecrackers.

7. Why are the firemen the most busy during the most happiest time period of the year for the rest of the country? Don't they deserve to celebrate Diwali too?

This is probably the most gross of all imjustices. Diwali is supposed to be a time for rejoicing, for going out and meeting family and friends, for taking out time from work. Why is it then that we deprive these already overworked national servants of their well-earned holuiday? Why is it that firemen should work over time during Diwali? Don't they deserve a holiday too?

8. Does anyone spare a thought for the children who are forced to make the firecrackers in some dark nook/cranny of some ramshackle factory?

Although the number of child labour cases in India has gone down drastically, it is not non-existent. Case in point, the recent film made by a Korean broadcaster, about the life of two youngsters working in a fireworks factory. You can read the article here: Indian Express Article
Obviously, no one gives a second thought when purchasing a box of sparklers as to how many children have been posioned by the seeping of chemicals through their skins when they were making the sparklers, chakras or showers. Simply because, its not their children who are being forced to work.

9. Isn't bursting a firecracker equivalent to [literally!] setting fire to your money?

Its the ultimate stupidity: buying something and then setting fire to it and on top of that, deriving merriment out of the whole fiasco! Money takes time and effort to earn. Ergo, it does not make sense to burn it. In fact, for people wanting to burn firecrackers, here is a bit of advice: burn a hundred rupeed note instead of buying hundred rupees worth of firecrackers. That way, the pollution will be less and it will hurt you and make you think twice about spending money on firecrackers.

10. Why is it that the louder the firecracker, the popularer [if there is such a word] it is?

Again, no comments here. Only a personal complaint. The most popular crackers are the rocket that goes higher, the chakra that spins longer, the shower that rains longer, while simultaneosly rotating on its own axis, the list is endless. But the basic question is: why have a firecracker in the first place? If there are no firecrackers, or as in the United States of America, the bursting of crackers is prohibited, we will have none of the problems that I keep musing about every year come October/November.

/Radgovin

Deepavali Greetings

2007-11-07T14:54:00.000+05:30

Since the festive season is approaching, in fact, it is already upon us, here's my take on the whole Diwali and pollution issue. A more funny version may appear later on the Random musings blog...

Radgovin's 10 musings for Diwali

1. If Deepavali or Diwali is supposed to be the festival of light, does it mean it also has to be the festival of noise?

2. If Diwali is the festival of "light", why do people become "heavy" after this particular festival is over? [Probably because of the chaklis, chivda, laddoos, etc.!]

3. Does air pollution have to accompany the brilliant display of light due to fireworks?

4. Who invented bursting firecrackers? What thrill does one get from hearing deafening noises created by gases expanding so fast, that they destroy the "container" they are in?

5. When will Indians, and all other people on this planet who celebrate by bursting firecrackers, realize that we share this planet with other species and since we are more intelligent than they are [this part is debatable] it is our responsibility to keep this nurturing planet intact?

6. Why does an educated parent/s of the 21st century buy firecrackers for his/her child/ren?

7. Why are the firemen the most busy during the most happiest time period of the year for the rest of the country? Don't they deserve to celebrate Diwali too?

8. Does anyone spare a thought for the children who are forced to make the firecrackers in some dark nook/cranny of some ramshackle factory?

9. Isn't bursting a firecracker equivalent to [literally!] setting fire to your money?

10. Why is it that the louder the firecracker, the popularer [if there is such a word] it is?

/Radgovin

P. S. These are just my musings. I may elaborate on each question some time later. For now, here's wishing everyone a very happy and safe Diwali and a prosperous new year.

Arsenal vs. Manchester United - Preview

2007-10-31T17:08:00.000+05:30

I am sure that over the last three years, there has not been an Arsenal - Man Utd. tie that the Gooners have not dreaded going into. There was an aura of invincibility surrounding the Man Utd. side since they defeated us 2-0, bringing to an end a 49 match unbeaten run. After that the results were evidence of the struggle that Arsenal faced against the Devils. 4-2, 0-0, 2-0 are hardly convincing results. Other than the FA Cup Final of 2005, when Arsenal won on penalties, there was not a match that Arsenal won against Man Utd. since the morale sapping 2-0 defeat at Old Trafford.

In the last season, Arsenal did the double over Man Utd. and they were quite convincing performances. Although the team ended the season 21 points adrift of the Champions, somewhere, there was a blemish on the trophy that made its way to Old Trafford. SAF would have definitely loved to have both won the league and have wins over Arsenal. That was not to be and worse still, his side were defeated quite comprehensively in both the games. And those defeats have not been forgotten...

According to many critics, the Gunners team this season has had to face minnows, and most of them at home. And according to them, the demolition of any team in a home game does not count for much. However, what they forget is that the same team has won away games at Tottenham Hotspurs and has defeated Sevilla in the CL. And then, there was the fight back from being a goal down to secure a draw at Anfield, the so called fortress of Liverpool. A game that the team could have won.

All this has not got unnoticed and the current form of the Gunners is sending signals to the top four that the kids are not to be fooled around with. And that is exactly what SAF confirmed by being present at the Arsenal - Liverpool game. He was not there without a reason. He wanted to see for himself and assess for himself the team that the critics had written off at the start of the season and the team which is now proudly at the top of the table, with a game in hand over his team. He was there to try and find out deficiencies in the side, to try and find the weak links. And I am sure, to a large extent, he was disappointed.

The team showed great spirit and resolve in coming back from being a goal down. There was a lot of enthusiasm and lack of fear on the part of the youngsters to secure a draw at Anfield. And if they can continue the same run of form at the home game against Man Utd., we are sure to be in for a treat of a match. Man Utd. are not going to give in easily and since the match is against their arch rivals, they are going to throw everything at the Arsenal defence, including the kitchen sink. And I am sure the "kids" are ready for that and are prepared with their own washing machines and household utilities for throwing at the Devils.

Till Saturday, then...

/Radgovin

The Human Brain

2007-10-26T10:39:00.000+05:30

I chanced upon this article in the National Geographic which explains how human beings form memories, how they retain memories and why some people are blessed with eidetic memories while others have to scramble around in their respective neocortexes, looking for information which was allegedly stored there! What was this article going to be about? :)

http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/2007-11/memory/foer-text.html?fs=canyon

Anyway, the above article makes for good reading and here is my take on the human brain.

I have to yet come across as convoluted a thing as the human brain. It is a myriad jigsaw and the amount of material that is packed inside such a small volume (average of 1300cc) would raise envious eyebrows from any packaging industry. It is essentially a miracle of sorts, because housed inside this 1300cc "engine" are a hundred billion neurons, with each one of them being capable of forming 5 to 10 thousand synaptic connections with neurons around them. It is in this synaptic connections that information is retained. The hippocamus is responsible for making sure that the memories stick.

What intrigues and excites me is the formation of a memory from a visual, an auditory stimulus, or something as simple as the brushing of a feather across the skin. The complex procedure of conversion of something that we can "feel" into electrical signals which can be stored, is something even the most accomplished savants of neurology fret over. Computer memory is much simpler, in the sense that all information is stored as 1s and 0s. But how does one figure out how the human brain has simplified the storage of infinitely large amounts of information?

Human beings have accomplished many things, some of the more prominent ones being the conquering of the final frontier: space, the ability to reach places on this planet hitherto unthought of and the ability to communicate. What are all these if not the manifestation of the capabilities of the human brain? However, we are yet to discover the way in which our brain works. It is simply because of this reason that I am against all experiments related to cloning and the human genome. Figure out what you are made of before trying to duplicate yourself, is my advice to all scientists involved in this macabre initiative.

We all know what happens when we jump into a new project with full enthusiasm and half knowledge. The outcome is inevitably a disaster. Ergo, the duplication of human beings without a sincere study and understanding of the human brain is like making a duplicate computer, but messing up the processor in the process. We do not know how synaptic connections are formed; how can we then be sure that the duplication process may not destroy these connections? Or worse, what happens if new bridges are formed where they were none? What would be the implications of new synaptic bondages? Do we know the answers to these questions?

I am not claiming that I am the final authority on the brain. I am the most ignorant of fellows where the issue of the human body is concerned. The questions I have raised may already have been answered. But till such a time as this knowledge becomes public, it is hazardous to fiddle around with the human brain, or even the DNA for that matter. Agencies working for the "progress" of scientific knowledge in these areas zealously guard their research through IPR. I fail to understand how anyone can have a patent over a certain part of the genome or some part of the DNA. That is equivalent to each and every person claiming rights of ownership to some portion of air in the atmosphere as his/her own. In short, the idea is blatantly ridiculous! Instead of copyrighting, all the information about the human brain and even the human body should be made publicly available.

We have yet to decipher a lot about ourselves. Yet, there is an undying curiosity in human beings to look without rather than within. If we can understand the source of this curiosity, maybe all of us would be better human beings.

Amen to that!

/Radgovin

P. S. The very fact that my thoughts have strayed while writing this article stands testimony to the magical processes occurring in my brain. Who knows how many synaptic connections were formed, destroyed, strengthened or weakened during the fifteen minutes that I spent writing this article? Does somebody have an answer?

Registration at FeedBurner

2007-10-25T15:53:00.000+05:30

Since I have registered my blog at FeedBurner.com, I realize that there is a need for me to update my blog more regularly. Hence, this article.

Update

/Radgovin

Support Firefox!

2007-10-23T16:21:00.000+05:30

Use the following to advertise Firefox, the better browser!

<a href="http://www.spreadfirefox.com/?q=affiliates&id=0&t=217"><img border="0" alt="Firefox 2" title="Firefox 2" src="http://sfx-images.mozilla.org/affiliates/Buttons/firefox2/468x60FF2b_Orange.png"/></a>

/Radgovin

P. S. I am doing this as a public service message! :)

Thought for the Day

2007-10-23T15:12:00.000+05:30

Learn to get in touch with the silence within yourself, and know that everything in this life has purpose.

There are no mistakes, no coincidences. All events are blessings given to us to learn from.

- - -

Elizabeth Kubler-Ross

The Morning After

2007-10-22T19:06:00.000+05:30

This post was originally on Random musings... Thanks to Dr. Shivanand for making the suggestion to have it over here. I dwelled on this thought for a while and the following post is the result of my serious musings.

Post every match that India wins closely, and I am of course referring to the country's unofficial national sport, cricket, the people of the world's largest democracy go into a state of delirium; a dreamlike state where God is in his heaven and everything is fine on earth. It's unbelievable; the effect a single win has on the minds of the simple folk that populate this country. No matter that the win has come after consecutive losses, some of which were downright humiliating. All is forgiven, let bygones be bygones.

I have been blessed with a good memory and more often than not, this has worked to my disadvantage rather than advantage. There have been instances when I have desperately wanted to wipe some incident of my memory. I wanted to ensure that the diaphanous veneer of a thought that was casting a vibrant shadow on the innards of my mind was decimated, destroyed, decapitated. Yet, there it was. Many a thought continue to bother me till date. And that is where the apathy of the nation towards the past bothers me so. I will elucidate by citing some examples:

1. The defeat to Zimbabwe in the 1999 cricket World Cup, when only two runs were required to win, and that oaf of a person, Venkatesh had gotten himself out lbw to some obscure Zimbabwean bowler

2. The 1996 World Cup match against Australia at Wankhede where we were chasing a big total and Sachin was playing well. He was stumped off the bowling of Mark Waugh. He was out on 89 runs... We lost the match

I could go on, but the point I want to emphasize here is this: like the rest of the country, I am more concerned with how India fares in cricket than any other sport. And unlike most of the rest of the country, I remember every single instance when we have come agonizingly close to victory, but have managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. I remember the accolades that our sportspersons in other fields have achieved: Paes-Bhupathi winning the Wimbledon doubles, Karnam Malleshwari and her Bronze Medal, Herr Rathore and his Olympic Medal and of late, GM Anand becoming the World Champion.

Yet, none affects me as much as a loss in a cricket match...

Anyway, coming to the point at hand: why is it that in a country with a population in excess of a 1000 crores, we are able to find only a single Yuvraj Singh, a single Sania Mirza, a single Vishy? And worse, whenever that person wins for the country, all of us take credit for that win, glorifying the nation for a small period of time, forgetting all the humiliation that this country has to face in sports, simply because the "system" is not good. And even worse than that, we also look to Indian born or second generation sportspersons/celebrities/famous people for glory. Case in hand: Sunita Williams, whose recent visit to India was the worst publicity stunt that I have ever witnessed. Worse than Mani Ratnam asking a certain politician to see his film before the release to quell his concerns. I am of course speaking about Bombay, and the politician is well known. I have nothing against that politician; in fact some part of me respects him. Yet, there are many from his clan who are out to destroy whatever sporting talent exists in this nation.

The T20 winning team was forced to sit behind a line of politicians who were seeking political mileage, piggy backing on the brilliance of the cricketers. India has the highest ratio of staff to sportsperson at every Olympics. I believe that we touched the 4 bureaucrats per athlete at the 2004 Olympics, a feat which deserved a gold medal. I am sure that given the meagre pay that the athletes get, most of them are very tempted by drugs for glory, and even more are tempted to seek other more rewarding avenues. Such as a well paying job in an MNC, once some recognition has been achieved. Given this background, I don't really blame any of the country's sportspersons for putting personal glory ahead of the nation's pride. Why not? You and I would have done the same thing.

I wonder when we will start displaying consistency, both as a nation and as a cricketing team. Or any team representing India in any sport.

Thought for the Day

2007-10-20T16:52:00.000+05:30

No matter which direction you cycle, the wind is always against you.

Corollary: Changing your direction to change the direction of wind doesn' work!

There is no such thing as a good phase in life...

There are little less worse bad phases! :)

/Govindraj

Indoor air pollution and cigarette smoke

2007-06-30T20:53:00.000+05:30

These days, we hear a lot about indoor air pollution and its effect on human health. But what exactly is indoor air pollution? What are the sources of indoor air pollution? Why does it occur in the first place? Well, this article will try to provide some insights on that.

To start with, let me get to pollution in general. Contrary to popular belief, a pollutant is defined as a substance present in excess of its normal concentration in the environment. That means, any substance on this earth has a the potential to be a pollutant, if it is in the wrong place at the wrong time. Air pollution is a serious issue because unlike water and land pollution, physical boundaries are not sufficient to contain it. Pollution, in that sense, is a unifying factor across national and international boundaries! Consider the case in point: rapid industrialization in Germany and France led to Sweden's lakes turning acidic due to acid rain! Now, that is what they mean when they say that the world is getting closer.

Another myth is that CO2 is a pollutant. CO2 is a green house gas and is not a pollutant. CO2 will be called a pollutant if it is present in amounts exceeding 5000ppm and since there are a lot many sinks to this particular gas, there is scant possibility of this gas making it to that high a concentration. Anyway, coming back to the point at hand, we all know what ambient air pollution is. There are standards set by the Central Pollution Control Board [CPCB] which are known as National Ambient Air Quality Standards [NAAQS]. More information can be sought at the website: www.cpcb.nic.in

However, there are no standards prescribed for the indoor environment. Why is this so? Consider the fact that there are at least a million registered and un-registered architects all over the world and each one has her / his own way of designing buildings. Each one gives different weightage to lighting and ventilation factors. Ergo, it becomes difficult to gauge how much air is going into an indoor environment and how much is leaking to the atmosphere from it. Also, the definition of the indoor environment is such that it becomes difficult to make a standard. An indoor environment is any place / location where one is not exposed to the ambient air directly. That means every place, right from schools to cars to trains and aeroplanes fall in this category. That makes a difficult job, that of specifying standards, impossible.

What then, are the sources of indoor air pollution? There are many, and a partial list can be found here: http://www.epa.gov/ebtpages/airindoorairpollution.html [The website of the United States Environmental Protection Agency] You will find among the many listed sources a source called Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS). Note the use of the word Environmental. Cigarette smoke has not been referred to directly, because cigarette smoke itself is a part of ETS. ETS is constiituted by cigarette smoke as well as the smoke that the smoker exhales. Overall, ETS is more harmful than cigarette smoke by itself is.

The cigarette burns at a very high temperature when the smoker inhales and the tip of the cigarette can be at as high a temperature as 900 C. Which probably explains why cigarette burns take so long to heal! Nicotine, the habit forming chemical present in tobacco, does not lead to the production of harmful gases / particulate matter. It is the "tar" present in the tobacco which leads to production of carbon monoxide and carcinogens and poly aromatic hydrocarbos like phenanthrene, flouranthene, etc. Carbon monoxide reduces the oxygen carrying capacity of human blood because it forms an irreversible bond with haemoglobin. Particulate matter settles in the lungs, and cigarette smoke has such small particles that they can deposit in the alveoli, which are the places where gas transfer takes place in the lungs i.e. oxygen is swapped for CO2.

The smoke that a smoker exhales has more of these smaller particles than he / she has himself / herself inhaled, because they are too small to get deposited in the smoker's lungs. However, in the time that elapses between a smoker exhaling and a passive smoker inhaling, these condense on other particles and grow sufficiently in size to get deposited in the passive smoker's lungs. Which is what makes passive smoking such a threat to humans! There are of course many other sources of indoor air pollution and I haven't even scratched the surface of this topic. However, I do believe that I will have generated sufficient interest in this topic by this small article for all of you to do some reading on your own. Based on the popularity of this post, I will decide whether to part with some more interesting information! Till then, adieu! :)

/R [My signature!]

Some links for reading up on indoor air pollution
1. http://www.epa.gov/ebtpages/airindoorairpollution.html
2. http://www.epa.gov/ebtpages/airindoorenvironmentaltobaccosmoke.html
3. http://www.who.int/indoorair/en/
4.http://www- wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&theSitePK=523679&entityID=000090341_20070606150339&searchMenuPK=64187283&theSitePK=523679

Au revoir, Thierry!

2007-06-23T13:52:00.000+05:30

I have not been my usual chirpy self lately and M/s Henry and company at Arsenal Football Club are not helping my cause. I mean, if you want a trasnfer to another club that desperately, go get it man! Why are you moving around in the shadows, forcing people to hope against hope that you will remain a Gunner like you promised last year? If you want to renege on your promise, sever the ties in one single slash of the trasnfer sword. Don’t use the slow and painful poison on your own club, which made you a star. The club doesn’t deserve this from its own prodigal son. The problem with prodigal sons is that they soon tire of the doting parents because familiarity breeds contempt. Maybe Henry shouldn’t have been given the special treatment that he got from the club. True, he gave his heart and soul on the pitch in Arsenal colours, but when the time to say Au revoir arose, he chose to do it in such a disgraceful manner. He could have chosen the path that Bergkamp took. He could have gone to another club as quietly as Campbell did. But no, the price of being a star is that you have to have the media present with you 24×7.

And even after all the news that Henry is indeed moving to Spain, there is still that glimmer of hope somewhere in my mind that he may just stay back at The Emirates. I haven’t given up hope of that. Even if he stays, I will always hate him for what he has done over the last month.

Au revoir, Thierry. And if you do want out, please get out as soon as possible. Please don’t jeopardize the club’s and the team’s morale any more.

Football Shutball! Hai Rabba!!!

2007-06-16T19:01:00.001+05:30

That is exactly what I am saying these days. Considering the fact that I have my final submissions looming ahead of me, I find it a tad difficult to keep up with happenings in the transfer market and the world of EPL. Sure, Man Utd. have gone ahead and copied Wenger’s style of signing young lads from Europe. And Chelsea have suddenly tightened their purse strings. I think that has something to do with the impending court cases they are bound to face if the allegations about player transfers are found to be true. Haven’t had time to read into that. Maybe will do that once my submissions are over. Wenger is on a vacation and he needs to be because he doesn’t have my counsel for making prudent purchases! :) :D

More when I return from the tedium of report writing!

Mumbai will have a Metro

2006-11-28T16:46:00.000+05:30

For a lighter take on this issue you may want to visit : Random musings of a Questioning mind (Content Advisory : May contain booger humour. Visit at your own risk. Readers are cautioned that they will probably need to use shampoos to grow their hair back, once they are done pulling them out after reading the blog!)

Mumbai is the city of dreams. Nowhere in the country will anyone find such a plethora of opportunities nestled in such small a place. It is the city which the nation looks up to for its growth, prosperity and its generosity. It will not be unfair to say that Mumbai is because of its people. People from all walks of life, all parts of the nation and all ages are what make Mumbai this special. People, who are willing to work that extra bit to make sure that their families remain well fed and their children can be educated so that they don't have to eke out a living as miserably. People, who commute absurd distances to reach their place of work, in the hope that some day their plight will be understood by the powers that be and they might get redemption in the form of a few extra local trains at the peak hours.

These are the people who will be the most thrilled at the prospect of Mumbai getting a metro. While the current layout of the metro is not exactly suited for the people of suburbs commuting downtown, it is nevertheless a beginning for a better travel facilities for the city that gives so much to the nation and asks for so less in return. A plan (proposed) for the metro is as shown below:

Image Source : (http://urbanrail.net/as/mumb/mumbai.htm)

The right to information act for the Mumbai Urban Transport Project yields the following:
http://www.mrvc.gov.in/tenderphp/admin/upright/summary.pdf

As things stand, the project is going to benefit the people who currently use the roadways connecting the east-west corridor (horrible state of affairs) and the already cosseted western corridor of the city. I fail to understand why the majority of the city's construction fund is diverted to the west. A significant amount of the working population of the city resides in the central suburbs. The western suburbs already have the western railways, the western express highway and the new and upcoming Bandra - Worli Sea Link. This is grossly unfair for the denizens of the central corridor. Not that I hear them complaining. But they have always been the proletariat as opposed to the upper class bourgeois of the western suburbs.

As I foresee, the Mumbai Metro is going to have the following effects:

1. The Western Suburbs will prosper
The western suburbs already are in the cream of things. The locus in quo the western denizens reside is already served by buses, railways and private vehicles to the point of overflowing. Yet, they are the recipients of the latest improvement in the urban transportation. Yes, they deserve better transportation to an extent, because they are the so-called business class of the city as opposed to the worker class of the central line. However, such an unfair distribution of benefits smacks of something more than simple preference for the western side.

2. Mumbai will be more crowded
This is slightly debatable. However, it is not so hard to believe if you follow the following line of thought:
Everyday, there is an influx of people into Mumbai. And everyday, some people leave Mumbai for the better (implausible I know, but just assume it to be so) Given the state of Mumbai's infrastructure right now, there are many people who are definitely considering leaving Mumbai as part of their retirement plans. A calculation will show that the limiting population, with respect to water and power requirements per capita, will be achieved within twenty years at the current rate of influx. Consider this in the light of improved transportation in the city and this will lead to a greater influx of people, thereby resulting in the limiting population being reached in somewhere between 8 to 10 years, after the completion of the MUTP. These are rough, back of the envelope calculations. However, I believe they should be sufficient to convince rational people that Mumbai is going to get further crowded!

3. More tourists
Better transportation with world class facilities can mean only one thing : more tourists. Which also means more and more stories of cons, rapes and the other malarkey that usually follows tourists around. There is also the matter of increased foreign exchange and increased rock concerts! :-)

All in all, the metro is a welcome thing. It will serve the needs of the people wanting to go from say Mulund to Borivali (a journey which takes two hours at peak hours, minimum) in a jiffy. However, to what extent it will change the fate of Mumbai's ever growing populace will only be told by time.

Beauty and the Beast - Part Two

2006-11-11T00:30:00.000+05:30

The last time I had written an article titled "Beauty and the Beast" it was a movie review of King Kong. While the premise is the same, the movie this time is very varied in its style and substance. The movie in question this time around is, hold your breaths, Gangster.

I know, some people are probably sniggering. Yeah right, you are saying. How can you even compare the two movies? Well, I am not comparing the movies. I am saying that the underlying principle of these two is the same and that is exactly the title of this article.

Gangster is the story of Daya : a simple guy from a small village in Kashmir, who grows up to become a key cog in the underworld. He is constantly on the run from the police and it is during one such escapade that he runs into Simran, the femme fatale. He is flabbergasted by her beauty and therein starts the love between them. She is taken aback by certain chivalrous stunts he performs and we have the premise for a love story in the protagonists' life. Certain incidents force them to "adopt" a child and during an encounter, the child loses its life. This leads to the estrangement of the hero and his love.

Separated, they begin to lead their lives in the hope of someday being able to see each other. Simran becomes an alcoholic and seeks the company of Akaash, a singer at a local restaurant. Love blossoms again as Akaash inveigles Simran to accepting his proposal with visions of grandeur and a "settled" life. Daya chooses this exact moment to drop in, thereby sending Simran's plans haywire. He concedes that Simran would be better off with Akaash, but asks her to give him a last chance to prove that he has turned over a new leaf. To this she agrees.

Daya's past however refuses to lie down. He gets chased by police wherever he goes, much like fans chasing Amitabh Bacchan all around Mumbai, with the exception being that fans probably seek an autograph, whereas the police seek Daya's finger-prints i.e. the DEAD Daya's fingerprints! In this pandemonium, Simran realizes (surprise, surprise) that she is pregnant with Akaash's child. Akaash, the goodie two shoes, asks her to hand over Daya to the cops and lead a "happily ever after" life with him. Simran's dreams are dashed when she realizes that the guy she has duped had changed his life for the better and the guy she hoped to "settle" down with her that duped her. This aptly sums up the slogan line of the movie : She fell in love with him the day she betrayed him.

The scene in which the cops separate Daya from Simran is particularly touching. We see a hysterical Daya, bewildered at the thought of being separated from his love and feeling a tad depressed because of the fact that she let him down. This is why, I once again repeat the famous words of Carl Denham (Jack Black) from the movie King Kong : "It wasn't the air-planes that killed him. It was beauty that killed the beast." The femme fatale in this case leads our protagonist to the gallows and ends up joining him up there / down there according to your preference. In the meanwhile, she also manages to finish off Akaash.

All in all, a slightly depressing movie, what with the theatricals the actor who plays Simran's role goes through in an effort to make her role seem natural. I think someone else should have been handed that role. Someone who would be less willing to let her clothes off on screen and a bit more willing to act the part of the character that she is supposed to be. Shiney Ahuja is a revelation and he should refrain from scenes which require him to cry. As for Emraan Hashmi, well, he pulls off his role to a perfection. One has to admit that he can do the job of the bad-guy really well. Gulshan Grover does well in a cameo appearance. The sound track is good and although I have heard from sources that the music has been ripped from all over the world, the songs make for good listening, anyway. And the most attractive part about them is that they are unobtrusive in the movie. The movie moves along at a good pace and finishes within two hours. All in all, good value for money. To be avoided if you are the "core" hindi movie fan.

Breakfast with Dr. Smith

2006-08-19T07:15:00.000+05:30

Dr. Kirk R Smith. What do you say about the doyen of Indoor Air Pollution research? I am, for a change, speechless. Also, nervous, apprehensive, edgy, tense and uneasy. I haven't slept properly. I was awake all night wondering what I am going to discuss with him. I have just stepped into the world which he has created painstakingly and over a period of 27 years. I am but a small ant in his universe. And yet he has very generously agreed to meet me. What should I expect to hear from him? Will I be too awe-struck? Later on, will I remember anything from the conversation that I will have with him? I don't know. Well, in case you people are wondering why I am so flabbergasted at the prospect of meeting this person, check out http://ehs.sph.berkeley.edu/krsmith/page.asp?id=2

He is to Indoor Air Pollution work what Einstein was to Photoelectric effect. If it weren't for Einstein, we wouldn't have has printers and photocopying "xerox" machines today. Similarly, we owe a lot to Dr. Smith for our current knowledge of the health effects of indoor air pollution. And I am about to meet him. The rendezvous is at 0800hrs at the Guest House. Wish me luck, people.

Mumbai

2006-07-12T12:06:00.000+05:30

To an astute observer, this would seem a city of nightmares, rather than dreams. This city has seen everything : from floods due to torrential rains to power cuts in peak summer time. From bandhs in the city to blasts in local trains. And yet, there are people like me, who still believe that this is the city of dreams. And not nightmares. Mr. Astute Observer, you are mistaken. And here is the reason why.

1. Can you tell me Mr. A. O., which other city can regroup as quickly and return to work as quickly as Mumbai can?
2. Can you, Mr. A. O., find another such place where people go out of the way to distribute food packets, water bottles, and other small (but necessary) miscellany to complete strangers? (Damn the Reader's Digest report. It was all crap anyway.)
3. Another thing, Mr. A. O. Which metropolis has gone through all that Mumbai has and still come out tops (and with a weathered, if only a bit wry smile on its face)?

The question that still rankles in the minds of all the average Mumbaikars though is "Why us?". Haven't we got enough to already chew upon? We've got corrupt politicians, a rubbish media, bad roads, insincere officials, drugs, cigarettes, poor public transport (which got even poorer by the latest addition to its services : improvized explosive devices (ied)) and other hassles to handle. Why torment us with additional misfortunes? Why barrage us with the occasional, more often than not, bandh, blasphemy, blast? Why is that we still live in "BOMB"ay and not Mumbai? Do we need to look within to find answers? I suspect not.

There are other places to look at. Other people to blame. For now, in the time of need, the spirit of Mumbai will reveal itself. We will move on. Those unfortunate enough to have not made it to another day in this splendid city will be missed. I am sure that they would have wanted us to carry on anyway. The way they themselves did all their lives : clinging to the local trains that were their daily partners.

Reservation Quotas

2006-05-28T12:26:00.000+05:30

Much has been made of the reservation quota in higher education as proposed by a certain Mr. Arjun Singh. Here, I add my own few bits to the issue that has sparked so many revolts around the nation. I will not add anything new, I know. I just want to speak what I feel about the whole issue.

I was introduced to reservation quotas when it was time for me to seek admission to junior college. I never knew that the Indian society was divided into so many sects. Throughout my schooling years, I learnt in Civics that India is a secular country, where the individual and his/her abilities are placed above everything else. I grew up in a secular environment, thanks to my educated and well-groomed parents. I was never even aware, till my junior college admission, that I belonged to the so called upper caste. I did get admission to the college of my choice and that was based upon merit. The sense of satisfaction that I got is something that people who get admission by miscellaneous routes will never be able to gauge.

People will probably say, "Wake up and smell the coffee, kid! You are an idiot if you thought that the country is secular". This might probably be true. I am an idiot. Until the riots of 1993, I did not know about communal hatred. Heck, I didn't even know what Hindu and Muslim was. I was all of 10 years and I lacked this information. Not that it is important in any way, but there you have it. And the other day, when I was assissting my senior with her project at a slum in Saki Naka, I was asked by a six year old Muslim kid whether I was a Hindu. Imagine that, a kid all of SIX years of age. Kids these days are more pragmatic and more tuned in to the world around them, it would seem. Either that or their parents don't have the sense to keep them away from such meaningless and pointless things such as caste, religion, faith. But I am veering away from the topic at hand. My veering away is justified though; enough has been said about the reservation issue and therefore I don't think I have anything new to add. I will make it clear that I am very much against the hike in reservation.

Other anti-reservation-hike people will probably say that as an IIT-ian, I should be more active than the rest of the country in protesting against the reservation. Well, it's not as if we IIT-ians are taking everything lying down. There has been a lot of activity going around in the seven IITs and I can assure you that we are doing our bit for the anti-res-hike movement. Let's just hope that the madness ceases and wiser counsel prevails.

Rang De Basanti

2006-02-12T15:20:00.000+05:30

Every once in a while comes a movie which leaves you with the feeling : "Why did I pay to watch this movie?"

I got the same feeling after watching the movie "Rang De Basanti". Not because I think it's a bad movie. Not because it is long. The reason I had the thought because I paid money to inflict pain and hurt on myself. If this is not masochism, I don't know what is. Consider for example the scene where Aamir Khan cracks a joke about his would be children. And the female Sue, who can make out that she is going to lose him, can't help but laugh. That scene defined the movie for me. It is the situation in India. How many times have we given up something unwillingly? How many times have we sacrificed something and done that with a wry smile on our face? And there was always someone there to console us with the fact that this is the way it has always been. Adjust kar le yaar...

But then, that is what the movie wanted to convey. That we should stop saying "Adjust kar le yaar..." and start working to make our country perfect. Unfortunately for us, the thing that goes against us is our poor memory. It is as the Defence Minister in the movie remarks, the Public has a short memory, they will soon forget about this (the defective parts scandal). And this is true. Who remembers Ashar Bala? The female who was pushed off a train because she refused to yield to a thief? After the initial concern shown by the Metropolis, all was quiet. Now who knows where she is, what she is doing. Ditto for the children who lost their parents in the Gateway of India bomb blast. Ctrl-C and Ctrl-V for the trees that are being felled everyday, without alternate plantations being done elsewhere to compensate. And if I say that the media is to be blamed for this, I will be indulging in another of the nation's favourite pastimes : That of putting the blame squarely on somebody else's shoulders. The media is as good as the nation is. In a country of greedy people, do you expect the media persons to be any different? They print/show/broadcast what sells. And after the sellability runs out, they ditch the topic like a thousand tonne maggot.

I am (and sometimes I feel this is unfortunate) blessed with a good memory. I can't help but remember all the "small" things like the Bala incident. Or the rape of the girl at Marine Drive. Who cares about her now? Is she even alive? Was her post-incident trauma handled empathetically? Now, you will be prompted to ask me what I am doing to improve the country. That would illustrate another characteristic of the Indian junta : that of constantly trying to outdo each other. I will work for the country the day I see that my neighbour is doing so and getting praised for it. Why do we have to wait for our neighbour to start doing something to improve the country? Why not make an exception and for once start something ourself? It could be a small thing, something as insignificant as using less water everyday. While the benefits that the nation would derive from one person using less water can be written on the head of a pin, the point is this : if you can sustain your enthusiasm for the so-called improvement of the country, soon someone else will try to mimic you and hopefully, if you carry on the enthu all your life, hopefully, there will be some change in this country. As simple as using a litre of water less everyday...

I started this post with an intention to write about Rang De Basanti. And that is exactly what I will do now. Rang De Basanti is an extremely well made movie. One which has the ability to really awaken a generation. And this is not only because of the crashing MiGs. The generation of today can identify with the lead characters of the movie. And the transition that they undergo when they have a tryst with the past of their own country. The point that is most relevant here though is that it takes a foreigner to introduce them to their own past. The change that they undergo is their own. And that is the situation in the country right now. It's not that the youth have been corrupted by western thoughts as the politicians like to put it. If anything, they have been corrupted by the politicians themselves. The feeling of insignificancy and helplessness is very deeply ingrained in the psyche of the teenagers in India (and it is plainly evident from the characters' dialogues). This is all thanks to the current system. I believe that by changing ourselves, we can change the system. Here's hoping that India will become a superpower by 2020.

Disturbing occurrences

2006-01-01T20:56:00.000+05:30

I was really perturbed after hearing about the attack on Indian Institute of Sciences, Bangalore.

I almost was a student there. I was rejected after the interview. But then, this article is not about my almost being a student there. I am beginning to sound like all the news channels that chew any happening to pieces. And then spew out meaningless statistics and data about the event. Who wants to know how many times Ganguly has visited the chairman of selectors or why Emraan thinks that Mahesh is the greatest director of all time? (I would think so too if he directed me in movies with all those kissing and steamy scenes)

I am not in the right frame of mind right now to write seriously about what I feel about the news channels. Or what happened at IISc and what could happen at any of the seven IITs. I am disturbed and therefore, I am making jokes in what is my Serious blog. I hope you can overlook that. I think I will write about this later.

Mood Indigo 05 Rocks!!!

2005-12-31T13:16:00.000+05:30

I was associated with the Nation's greatest, biggest, largest, bestest (if there is any such word) College Festival i.e. Mood Indigo at Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay. I spent four fantabulous days there. The atmosphere was simple mind-blowing, not to mention the sheer number of junta that turned up to attend this festival. IIT B was host to people in excess of 10^5 in the four days, a record of sorts, even by MI standards! The reason for that is obvious : Just have a look at the people who performed at MI 05.

Shaan, Vayu, Helga's Funk Castle, Sceptre, P. C. Sorcar Junior, Indian Ocean, Pt. Shiv Kumar Sharma, Pt. Ronu Mazumdar.

Added to this were zillions of other attractions, including competitions galore with lots of prizes to be won. And if you were not interested in the competitions, there were a lot many single females roaming around on the IIT B campus, a highly unusual sight that! I propose to write a lengthier article about it later. Currently, I am recovering from the after effects of partying hard!!!

Beauty and the Beast

2005-12-19T18:02:00.000+05:30

This article is really a review of the flick : "King Kong"

King Kong (KK) is the riveting tale of how a mindless, destructive creature is enthralled by the beauty of a New-York girl. In the recent past, I have had a really bad experience with Science Fiction type of movies, because they centred around special effects and failed to deliver on the storyline front. Not so with KK; Peter Jackson (of LOTR fame) delivers a stunning visual saga with a compelling storyline. The end effect is one that leaves the viewer spellbound and asking for more. Some of the scenes in the movie are not meant for the squeamish though and I would strictly advise junta not to take kids along to the movie.

The movie starts with what is probably a theatre in mid-30s era in a depression affected United States. It shows the female lead, Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts) as a performing comedian in the theatre which caters to the "not-so-rich" section of the society. People come their for their daily laughs, which they derive from other people falling on stage and in general making fools of themselves. But the lady hides a secret desire to work on a larger stage, one where the people appreciate her for her acting talent and not just for her foolhardiness. When the theatre closes down, she is forced to the streets and that is where she meets over-ambitious and notorious director Carl Denham (Jack Black). And then they set out for a haphazard sea-voyage with Jack Driscoll (Adrien Brody), as the wiry, skeptical script writer in tow. Carl manages to convince Ann that he is filming a love story aboard a ship that is on it's way to Singapore and he has a narcissist in Bruce Baxter (Kyle Chandler) as the male lead for the film.

Unbeknownst to all of them (although they do later find out), Carl hopes to find Skull Island, a mystical island which is rumoured to have a whole prehistoric ecosystem, complete with local tribals. And they do find the island. Till this point, the movie moves along at a slow pace, and indeed it does require to do that to build up the background. Once the film crew do set foot on the island though, there is no turning back; neither for them, nor for the audience. What follows is a visual extravaganza, which begins when the tribals capture Ann. They offer her as a human sacrifice to the malevolent King Kong. King Kong finally arrives on the scene more than 45 minutes after the movie has started. He does indeed capture the sacrifice, and takes her away. Meanwhile, Jack who has fallen head over heels in love with Ann mounts a rescue mission for her. Everything that happens after that is a blur. Sometimes the action is so fast paced, that people with heart trouble are advised to stay away from the film!

Be it King Kong's fight with three T-Rex's or the fight for survival of the motley band of Ann's "rescuers", Peter Jackson uses CGI to it's best. He has created such a wide and unbelievable array of creepy-crawlies and ghastlies, that one is sure to get a chill down the spine. The ten minute King Kong vs. T-Rex sequence is so intense that you have to grip the seat with both your hands in an effort to prevent your brains leaving your physical self! And then there are the nasty, slimy multi-legged creatures which attack Jack and co., in general making life hell for them in the mission for Ann's rescue. The movie has it's comic moments though. The scene in which Brontosaurs fall over each other in a huge heap is hilarious to say the least.

Where the movie really scores though is in the portrayal of King Kong as the "malevolent-turned-submissive" brute. The eyes of the beast are so real and so full of emotion, they speak more than words could ever have. The bond of the beauty and the beast is depicted marvelously. The visuals, although computer generated, are simply mind-blowing and the scene in which Ann and KK sit atop a mountain watching a sunset is out of this world. It shows a giant who has been captured by beauty. And just as Ann and KK are developing their unnatural 'love' bond, along comes the saviour, Jack. And KK follows them into a trap laid by none other than the wily Carl. Carl has ambitions to take the giant to New-York and earn his millions by putting him on display.

The tragic part of the movie comes when King Kong dies in trying to "protect" his loved one. He falls prey to the bullets of the fighter planes and the scene which shows his gradual fall from the building to the ground is heart rending. There is absolute silence and you can hear your heart weeping for the poor, mute soul of the beast. The emotions in the creature's eyes are there for all to see. It is overcome with grief at losing the "thing" it treasures so much; the "thing" which it has loved unselfishly and has had one hell of a time protecting. You can see the pain it is feeling, not so much from the bullets as from the prospect of never being able to see the loved one again. And after his departure, the only scene which sticks out as a sore thumb comes on. Just after Ann loses a "loved" one, enters Jack. And she immediately runs into his arms. We don't want to see that. We want her to mourn for King Kong.

The movie is brilliant and the reason I chose the title that I have for the article is because of Carl's comment, which aptly sums up the film :

"It wasn't the air-planes that killed him. It was beauty that killed the beast"

Pressure and it's derivatives

2005-12-04T16:54:00.000+05:30

This article is not a physics lecture. It has something to do with parental and peer pressure, a thing often experienced by students all across the world. Notice, I say all across the world and not just India. This is because the phenomenon is uniformly distributed across the globe. In India, it's manifestation is in the form of exams and the need to earn six figure incomes whereas in the west, it is seen in the form of the need to belong somewhere or be recognised for what you are.

The fallouts of this are immediatley obvious. Pressure is not good for everyone. Not everyone has the capability to withstand it. So, people succumb to it. Take the case of the student who recently committed suicide in IIT Bombay. He was aghast at having failed in some examination/s. And apparently, he did not have the self-confidence or belief to face his parents or his friends, which is why he chose the easy way out. I know that it's wrong to speak in a negative way about the deceased, but I cannot help it. I have no sympathy for the person who chooses to commit suicide. If there is anyone I do feel sorry about, it is the parents of the boy. What a waste of their efforts in bringing him up all these years.

Parental pressure is a term coined by certain psychiatrists who connived together, to fool people into parting with their hard earned money. It is so easy to blame somebody else for what you are today. And none better and easier to do the same with than your very parents! Because my parents forced me to take up Medicine, I am a failure today. Because my father was a strict disciplanarian, I am the under-confident person that I am today. We get to hear such comments all the time. I agree that some parents are obsessed with their child's future. In the sense that they often end up taking decisions for the child and in such cases the above statements may be valid. Still, there is a limit to being pushed around. In the formative years, the parents' decisions are probably for the best. However, they need to be questioned if they become too controlling or obtrusive. If a person says that he/she chose Engineering not out of his own choice but because of his parents' wishes, he/she can only be pitied. By the time you are 18, you are "supposed" to be mature enough to take decisions for yourself. And if you allow yourself to be pushed around even then, nobody can help you.

And then there are the people out there who go by what their friends say. They are no better off than those who go by what their parents say! Apparently, the boy who committed suicide had an aptitude for Computer Engineering. He however chose to take up Physics at IIT Bombay over Computer Engineering at IIT Guwahati. I am willing to bet that he had been told by his seniors or "friends" that IIT Guwahati is no good. While seniors' and friends' advice can come in handy, you need to make sure where the person who is giving you the advice stands. Does he/she have a personal agenda? What could be the motive, if any, of the person criticising some place or person? Find answers to these questions and then decide for yourself if the person is genuine or not. And if you fail in recognising someone as genuine, never mind. There will always be a next time. If you choose a wrong person, you can commit it to memory to ensure that you will not repeat the same mistake again.

I am sure that people will raise objections against this post. I am sure they will fall into one of the two categories that I have described above.

Competitive Examinations

2005-11-05T18:00:00.000+05:30

It is that time of the week again when I sit down and think over significant things that affect the future of my motherland. Competitive exams of all sorts are important, in the sense that they claim to separate the "elite" from the also-rans.

There has been a lot of debate recently over the nature and format of competitive exams for admissions to all sorts of institutions. But none created as much stir as the declaration by IITs that the format of the "Final Frontier" i.e. the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) is going to be changed. For starters, there need not have been any debate. The IITs are an autonomous body, formed by an Act of Parliament. They are not answerable to anyone and they can conduct their entrance examination in any way they wish. The way they went about it, however, is questionable. Why should they claim that they are making the exam "easier"?

The claim that the student is under a lot of stress due to competitive examinations is hog-wash. Who, or rather, what are these people trying to shelter the "kids" from? Life itself? Life is full of stresses, as any professional will testify. And by making the students' work less to get into the Premier Institutes of the country is not a good idea. Some may counter this by saying that even if the exam is made easier, only the best will go through. I beg to differ. By making an exam simpler, the examiner's job is going to be made tougher because the number of students doing well is going to be increased. We can only wait and see as to how easy the exam really is.

Getting admission to IITs is not an easy thing. And it should not be easy. The cream of the nation should make it there. Not some kid who cannot handle pressure and who took the easy way in to IIT. It's nothing but a mockery of all the students who have got admission to IITs till date. Didn't they have stress in their life? You bet, they did. They must have had parental and peer pressure to do well in their respective board exams, because most of the parents still consider getting admission to IIT a chance thing, whereas the future of a student in Engineering is "secure" through the conventional method. In spite of all these pressures, these students managed to get through. And now, people who cannot handle stress will make it to IIT. Do they think that life within IIT is simple? It's time to wake up and smell the coffee.

The whole purpose of competitive exams is to give you an idea of what lies ahead. And in a country like ours, with such a huge population, competition is bound to be great. Therefore, kids need to know how to work under pressure. What are their jobs going to entail? Do they think that working professionals do not have stresses? They have their own deadlines; work has to be finished on time, not just to satisfy the customer but also to have peace of mind. And a competitive exam that is tough is the way to prepare oneself for the main examination that lies ahead : LIFE.

The sort of competitive examination that everybody should atleast appear for, once in their life-time, is the CAT. This is a no-holds barred, out and out, cut-throat competition examination. It is the sort of an exam which gives you a feel for the life that you are going to face ahead. A manager has to think on his/her feet and the CAT prepares one for it. Similarly, the JEE prepares the student for the life he/she is going to face in IIT. Making the CAT or the JEE (or even the GATE, for that matter) simpler is defeating the whole purpose of holding the examination in the first place.

I am sorry. This post hasn't quite turned out the way I had expected it to. I had thought of writing an article which would bring out the finer aspects of a competitive exam. Why it is necessary in a country like ours and the reasons why students graduating from IITs/IIMs have it in them to take on the best in the world. But then, this is the way the article has come out. I think that all the current students of IIT will agree with me. The JEE needs to be made tougher if anything. Also, it should be made leak-proof. In the sense that there are increasing incidents of people "cracking" the exam before the exam date.

The Inside Story

2005-10-29T15:49:00.000+05:30

No. This post isn't an expose of a governmental goof up or some scoop like the Tehelka scam. This article is about an issue close to my heart; one which I am probably going to base my M. Tech. Project on. It is about Indoor Air Pollution.

As Mumbaikars, we know all about Air Pollution. Newspapers constantly barrage us with information about the breathability status of the air in and around Mumbai. While it is true that the status of air in Mumbai is bad, it may not be as bad as the journalists make it out to be. I think it is simply a case of misuse of journalistic freedom, in the sense that the values reported may have been changed for the sake of making a huge hulla-bullo. The average Mumbaikar goes about his life anyway; he doesn't give a damn how much sulphur dioxide (or whatever it is that the newspapers claim) he is breathing everyday. He knows that the status will not change. What he doesn't realise is that the situation doesn't change because he doesn't want it to. Controlling air pollution is like trying to prescribe a medicine for the common cold. There is no specific remedy. The best way is to ensure that you don't get a cold. Similarly, air pollution should be controlled at the source itself. Once the pollutant leaves the industry or the vehicle from which it emanates, God only knows where it will go, what it will do. As an example, consider this : When a volcano erupted in Mexico, some dust particles were found to have reached Mumbai. That is the sort of unpredictability that goes with Air Pollution. Which is why you should take all the values given by various sources with a pinch of salt. And which is why each and every one of us should take an active part in preventing air pollution whenever and wherever possible.

But this is only about Outdoor air pollution, what I want to talk about is the one that happens Indoors. Yes, there is something as Indoor Air Pollution (IAP) and which has been realised in the western countries years ago and only recently has research been started in India about the same. Let me give you the background data about IAP.

Each person spends about 80% or more of his time "indoors". Indoors being classified as home, office, public buildings, resatuarants, pubs, bars and all sorts of buildings where one is basically sheltered from the elements of nature. This is why indoor air pollution is the "buzz-word" in the environmentalist community these days. All these days we were worried about the pollution "out there", while right under our noses (literally and figuratively) contaminants such as carbon monoxide, respirable particulate matter and what not were creating havoc. Let me explain why indoor air pollution is so significant. When a person is outdoors, the sheer volume of the atmosphere more often than not works in his favour, by diluting the contaminant concentrations to values way below the harmful. This may not necessarily be true in case the person is indoors. Poor ventilation and sheer ignorance on part of the person may lead to the person taking into his lungs things that were never meant to have met the mucus in the nose, let alone the alveoli. The contaminant has a greater chance of entering the blood stream of a person indoors than it has outdoors. Dig this : we are probably at more risk at our own houses than we are outside!

I do not want to be an alarmist; a person who shouts that the world is coming to an end just because a flood took place in Mumbai just after a tsunami hit the eastern coast of India. Agreed, both events have a very low probability, but that does not mean that they will never occur. It's like this : The rains that hit Mumbai on the 26th of July were the sorts that occur once in 500 years or so. But that does not mean that they may not occur again the coming year. It is just that in the long run, when an average is taken, the value will come out to be once in 500 years. We are luckier than the western, developed countries in more than one ways. For starters, ours is a tropical country, which means that we seldom have extremes of temperature. A direct consequence of which is we need not have air-conditioned or heated residences or offices. The sun, of which we may be critical at times, is helping us lead healthier lives! Our country is constantly buffeted by winds from all sides. So, even in our houses there is, luckily, enough ventilation to get rid of the pollutants before they can become a problem.

There is however another problem here. We care the least about the person who loves us the most. No, I am not talking about girl friends / boy friends. I am talking about our mothers. They spend a lot of time in the kitchen, cooking up meals for us with loving care and attention. And what do they get in return for that? Possibly, the chance of smoking the equivalent of about a dozen cigarettes a day. Why? Because of the burning of the LPG. In an improperly ventilated kitchen, the chances of proliferation of carbon monoxide are much, much greater than in a properly ventilated kitchen. So, if your mom complains of fatigue after spending some time in the kitchen, it is probably because carbon monoxide has robbed her of some vital oxygen. Much work has been done in this area and it has been found that nothing works as good as an exhaust fan. Forget the electric chimney and other costly devices. The cheap and easily available exhaust fan can work wonders for the kitchen. There is the small matter of cleaning it once in a while, but that is true for all devices.

One last thought as I finish my article, the vertical growth of Mumbai is going to mean only one thing : lesser ventilation for out houses. Multi-storeyed buildings stop the winds, especially the buildings which are located on or near the sea-coast. So, as we get more and more towers, the wind velocities are going to go only one way : down. And then, there is also the matter of supply of water and electricity to the people living in these buildings. As it is, the people in the suburbs of Mumbai are facing power outages of an hour or two everyday. In such circumstances, it is rather unfortunate that the government is not doing something to control the burgeoning population of the metropolis. Agreed, the rising population may be our strength in the years to come. But this population should not be concentrated in few cities like ours. It needs to be spread out over the whole country. A high population density has many problems associated with it, the primary one being the chances of outbreak of a contagious disease.

Well, it seems that the "Inside Story" turned out to be more of a social commentary a la Michael Crichton in State of Fear. I will try to be concise the next time.

The first of a series

2005-10-28T05:26:00.000+05:30

Hello all.

As I set out on this new journey, I have hope in my heart : Hope, that some day, all the critiques I present here will be peer reviewed, found to be useful and be actually implemented. I am serious. It's not like in my other blog where I am constantly making fun of the status of my country India. I hate the situation; I want it to change. But stuck as I am in the rigmarole of daily life, I seldom find the time to do something useful for the country. There is however one thing that I can do to help my poor country. Which is this : after studying in Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, I am not going to utilise whatever little knowledge I have gained here for the benefit of another country. This is another way of saying that I will not Quit India!

So, with eternal hope in my heart, I set out for the review of the nation that is India.

P.S Unlike my other blog, this is probably going to be a weekly updated blog.