The Makeover

The date: November 8th 2006 when I first started writing my web log or blog in short. I named my blog "A day in my life". It's been 5 years since. I just can't believe how time flew. One notable thing about these 5 years of writing has been that initially I would update my blog daily. I had this passion for writing and the blog was a perfect medium.

As days went by the lazy bug took over and my writing came down to only 2 or 3 blog entries a month. The title of my blog "A day in my life" was no longer relevant and I felt "Snapshots of my life" was more appopriate :) Things have only gotten worse since then. Now I can barely manage to write only once a month and sometimes not at all.

As we step into the New Year, I thought to brighten things up a bit. So to begin with, I decided to give a makeover to my site. For those who have been regular readers of my blog, please do let me know what do you think about the look and feel of the new site.

Here's wishing you all a safe, prosperous and Happy New Year 2012 :)

(Image courtesy: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Rs35lMvbkgw/TvReRVoCKSI/AAAAAAAABIQ/4ON5QkpHRmE/s1600/New%2BYear%2B2012.jpg)

Air India

Flying Air India from Bengaluru to Hyderabad evoked memories when domestic skies was the exclusive monopoly of Indian Airlines and Air-India was a strong competitor abroad.

When I was looking for options to travel by air there was Jet and Spice Jet. However what tilted my decision in favour of Air India was that their flight at 18:50 hours gave me ample time to catch up with some of my friends.

So when I got into the aircraft, the red upholstery on the seats evoked a sense of deja-vu. It was like going back in time. The cabin crew gave us two slices of sandwich, a lemon cake and bottled water. I was a bit disappointed as I was expecting a proper dinner. However I took comfort in the fact that the private airlines were not offering any food or water for the same price.

The flight took off on time and arrived on time. I recollected the various articles about the health of Air India / Indian Airlines in the news papers. Now here was an airline which was struggling to put up a fight vis-a-vis its competitors. The Maharaja still evokes pleasant memories. I remember an old suitcase which our family had. There was the picture of the Maharaja and the Air India logo.

Today, it's sad to see Air India/Indian Airlines as an also-ran. Our national carrier has seen better times but now is gasping for breath. I wish the management all the best in turning around the airlines however if it didn't, then the writing is on the wall :(

(Image courtesy: http://chandrakantha.com/articles/indian_music/filmi_sangeet/media/1960_Air_India.jpg)

The Sun

As the summer draws down and the evening breeze starts getting chilly indicating the onset of winter the main impact as I see it, is in the day light hours getting reduced. Today when I was driving to work , the cloudy sky paved way to the sun playing peek a boo. I am not sure what happened but it left me mesmerized. I felt a sudden burst of energy and couldn't resist looking at the morning sun which shone bright and it felt like heaven.Thankfully I had my sun glasses :) For a moment, I forgot the frustration with the crawling traffic and began to enjoy those precious seconds. It was good while it lasted. That made me realize how in the hum drum of daily life, we forget to appreciate life's simple pleasures. After such a great start to the day, I was able to sustain the momentum which lasted throughout the day and is still with me as I write this blog :) (Image courtesy: http://free-extras.com/images/shining_sun-2277.htm)

911

It was the beginning of a routine day for me when I got up. So after finishing my breakfast I was driving to work. I stopped at a traffic signal and then all of a sudden I felt a bit of unease. I started feeling dizzy and my hands were trembling.

I was in two minds whether to continue to drive or find a place to park so that I would take some time to recover. My worst fear was that if I chose the former option what if my condition continues to deteriorate I would most probably faint at the wheel and cause an accident. The red light was still on. At that moment I decided not to take a risk.

Luckily for me there was a right turn which I took and parked myself in the parking lot of a shopping mall. I reclined my seat and closed my eyes. After some time I got out of the car and began to walk. I thought maybe I am feeling a bit better now and can continue to drive. But once I got behind the wheel, I could sense that something was not right. I was out of breath, my mouth was dry and throat parched. Compounding the problem was the fact there was this eerie sensation that my heart was contracting.

I called my brother on the phone and told him about my situation. He advised me to immediately call 911. I then told him to wait and walked into the nearby store to ask for the address. The lady in the store was surprised when I asked her for the address. I told her that I wasn't feeling well and would need the address to inform the 911 dispatch. The lady was kind enough to offer me a chair, some water and called up 911 herself as she said it was just around the corner.

The Paramedics were there with their kits within 5 mins. I explained to the Paramedics what happened. They asked for my ID, checked my blood pressure and took a blood sample to test whether I am a diabetic. Their readings came out normal. They gave me an option to come with them to the hospital or to go home.

I decided that I would rather get this thing out of the way and so followed the paramedics. As the doors closed behind me and the ambulance sirens were switched on I couldn't believe that here I am sitting in an ambulance on the way to hospital. I relapsed into a flashback mode and remembered that some times while I was driving I would see the ambulances rushing with their wailing sirens and now I was in a similar situation.

Once I reached the hospital I was taken to the emergency room. I was asked to take out my shirt and they put all those wires on my chest and the feet to monitor my oxygen levels, blood pressure and my heart beat.

The doctors and nurses asked me questions about my medical history, whether I had any food allergies, do I smoke/drink or take drugs. My answer was negative. The took an ECG, Chest X-ray and drew a blood sample again. Thankfully there was nothing abnormal in the reports. The doctors were surprised that how did I feel light headed/giddy when all the vital parameters looked normal. These questions were perplexing to me as well. I took my breakfast, lunch and dinner on time and exercised regularly. Past couple of years except for eggs, I haven't consumed meat. As part of my daily routine, I made sure that I consumed the requisite amount of nuts, fruits and vegetables. What went wrong?

Finally I got the answer from the doctor himself. He suggested that the probable reason that I felt uneasiness was due to an irregular heart beat or palpitations in medical terminology. He told me that this is something which is not uncommon.

The few hours spent in the hospital bed was worse than hell. Whenever my finger touched the steel rails of the bed or my heart beat began to fluctuate, the monitor would start beeping loudly. The only saving grace was that there was a television in the room and watching Tom & Jerry, Garfield was a great stress reliever :)

I was allowed to go home after the doctor gave me a discharge letter and advised me to fix an appointment with another doctor so that they could follow up and monitor on my heartbeat.

On my way back, I returned to the place where I parked my car and thanked the lady at the store who helped me. She was happy to see me back on my feet and said that I look in a better shape now than I was when I met her in the morning.

I am finally back at my hotel room and now feel a lot better :)

(Image courtesy: http://dc-cdn.virtacore.com/2011/01/ambulance1.jpg)

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

I did watch the television episodes of the Planet of the Apes during my childhood days. I wasn't expecting much from the big screen version but it was a pleasant and refreshing experience.

The things shown in the movie about how humans treat primates and their condescending attitude strikes a chord with the audience. Caesar (played admirably by Andy Serkis) is a chimpanzee who inherits his mother's extraordinary intelligence genes attributed mainly to the research scientist Will Rodman's (James Franco) initiative to develop a cure for Alzheimer's disease.

There are quite a few unforgettable scenes in the movie. When Will sits in the restroom holding the baby chimpanzee which is wrapped in a small blanket and it clutches the finger of Will, it's one of those tender moments and you don't think it's a chimpanzee it looks just like a human baby.

The anguish on Caesar's face when he is brought to the primate detention center and his longing to get back home, the communication Caesar has with other primates at the detention center mostly the one involving the orangutan are funny and also shows their helplessness against the human captors.

James Franco as the scientist Will Rodman gives a compelling performance. Other standout characters are Charles (John Lithgow) who plays Will's father and Steven Jacobs (David Oyelowo) Will's boss and Will's colleague Robert Franklin (Tyler Labine) . Caroline Aranh (Frieda Pinto) leaves a mark.

The action scenes involving the golden gate bridge in San Francisco has been nicely choreographed.

However the audience appreciation was reserved for the central character of the movie and the cynosure of all eyes Caesar. My favorite scene in the movie was when Will's dad Charles struggles to hold a fork and Caesar takes his hand and teaches him how to hold a fork leaving Charles and Will stunned.

Ironically homo sapiens (the present day man) evolved from the Apes and now victimizes and threatens not only the apes but all the living beings on the planet.

We have to pause and think before we keep moving on the same path which will lead to disastrous consequences for not only mankind but for every living being on this beautiful planet called Earth

(Image courtesy: http://screenrant.com/wp-content/uploads/Rise-of-the-Planet-of-the-Apes-Review.jpg)

The Chromebook

Before boarding the Virgin America airlines from San Francisco to Chicago, I was in for a surprise. There was a promotion offer of Chrome notebooks with free wi-fi access onboard the aircraft.

At the boarding gate, one had to enter their registration info, show their id and the credit card details. Now if something is free, why does one need the credit card details? I had the same question. The deal here is that on arriving at the Chicago airport, one must turn in the notebook to the chrome staff else your credit card will be charged. As simple as that.

With a 12.1 inch screen, the chromebook looks like an ordinary notebook. The differentiating factors are:

Pros:

1. Log into the PC, the first interface you come across is not the windows icon but the chrome browser.

2. There is a SD card slot

3. Nice keyboard

4. Taunt the battery gods (mentioned on the instruction kit :)) 8.5 hours of battery standby time. My flight was 6 hours duration but as I am writing this article only 30% of the battery has been utilized.

5. Slim and Lightweight

6. Instant on. This feature was really awesome. I browsed and then closed the lid. I opened the lid and voila the browser was there in front of me.

Cons:

1. If you're looking for the familiar operating system like Windows etc.. you will be in for a shock. Please remember its just Chrome o/s :)

2. Although the keyboard is nice, it has only the bare bones feature. For example there are no function keys and the usual separate keypad for numbers.

3. As this is a cloud based notebook, your data can't be stored on a hard drive. Remember its built only for the web.

4. The only drawback which I observed was while watching YouTube videos the pictures freezed. The most probable reason as the chrome staff explained was due to the limited bandwidth available during the flight.

The Samsung website punchline for the Google Chrome Samsung notebook states "Born for the Web". I agree :)

(Image courtesy: http://cdn.unixmen.com/images/stories/linuxlogos/google-chrome-logo.jpg)
(References: http://www.samsung.com/us/computer/chromebook?cid=ppc_CRO_goo_C-Brand_Chrome_Generic_chrome+notebook)

Deja Vu

There is a scene in "The Matrix" when Neo (Keanu Revees) who is climbing the stairs spots a cat and then spots it again which makes him say "Deja Vu"

After the recent Mumbai bomb blasts when the television anchors mouth those very same words one cannot but tend to agree.

The maximum city has borne the maximum number of bomb blasts. The last time I saw a television reporter asking a mumbai resident about the "spirit and resilience of mumbai" I felt like squirming in my chair.

These words have been so often bandied whenever there has been such blasts and it has begun to jar and irritate. The pictures of people whose clothes were soaked in blood, some without their limbs taken in a truck were disturbing.

I have lived and worked in Mumbai and I still love the city. The people are friendly and professional in their work ethics. So it pains to see the people suffer repeated terror strikes. Strange as it may seem more people in Mumbai die by falling from local trains than in the bomb blasts. But it still begs the question when a city and its citizens are traumatized and terrorized by repeated bomb blasts and terror strikes whom do they think will be their savior.

Take Zaveri Bazar for instance, it was struck for the third time. Now common sense dictates that when a particular location is targeted more than once you put in place atleast the minimum security measures.

When the 26/11 attacks happened there were a raft of promises made by the government. As is usual after such incidents there were committees set up. One of them was the Ram Pradhan committee and ironically 3 years later as a senior columnist in an television interview noted that a cabinet meeting was in session to discuss the recommendations of the committee on the day when the blasts happened.

People are quick to draw comparisons with the 9/11 terror strikes in the United States after which no serious incidents have occurred. But India has a big population and the cities like Mumbai are crowded. However where U.S has been successful is that it has put safety and security above everything else. There are no excuses for not implementing security and intelligence measures unlike India.

Rahul Gandhi is right when he says that not all terror attacks can be prevented. But when he claims a 99% success rate, one wonders where did he gets his facts from? You cannot hide behind the excuse of 1% when you have not learnt from the previous attacks. Zaveri Bazar is a glaring example of that. Why should you blame your neighbor without first setting your house in order. An enemy would definitely take advantage of the weaknesses which unfortunately are many. What confidence does the common man derive when R.R Patil who was the Maharashtra Home Minister when 26/11 attacks happened and had to quit was reinstated due to political compulsions.


With a Z+ security Rahul must be definitely feeling very secure but what about the common man. As one aggrieved person on television said no VVIP or a big shot is killed in these attacks its we poor people who suffer. Families have lost their bread winners, women widowed and children orphaned.

Look at the dirt cheap way human lives are treated. We had 3 railway accidents in 1 week and the Railways were functioning without a full-time cabinet minister. Close to a hundred people were killed and others seriously injured. Safety and Security has been non-existent in all these incidents.

We call overselves an emerging power but what power are we talking about when we can't ensure the security of our people. As per the Indian constitution, every citizen has their rights and responsibilities, it's time for the citizens to hold the government to honor its responsibilities. A government which abdicates its responsibility to protect its citizens has lost the right to rule.

Coming back to the Mumbai blasts, you're moved to tears when a relative of one of the victims says "People will offer their condolences but only those who have lost their loved ones know how it feels". Neither words nor money can compensate for the lives lost.

(Image courtesy: http://www.theHindu.com)

Pain at the Pump

So here we go again as the Federal Government in India after raising the petrol prices recently has gone ahead and hiked the prices of Diesel, Kerosene and cooking gas.

With the inflation as per official figures at 9.06 percent, the recent hike will only add to it. So what will the "Aam Aadmi" do when the "Aam Aadmi" government pays only lip service to taming inflation. One can only empathize with people when the rising fuel prices make a dent in their pockets.

Oil takes up nearly 80% of India's import bill. In such a case to be fair to the government withholding oil price hikes without compensating the Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) like Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum etc.. adequately would be detrimental to the health of these OMC's.

Other than that government has to take a major portion of the blame for things coming to such a sorry state. There is no long term strategy to develop alternative sources of energy. How long can one depend on fossil fuels whose reserves would not last long and are also a major cause of pollution? Unlike in the west, where there has been ongoing research and experimentation on using alternative fuels made from algae, ethanol etc., we don't see any initiative(s) of that kind in India. Some airlines like Air New Zealand have already started experimenting with bio-fuels.

One area of concern is the the Public Distribution System (PDS). It must be streamlined so that the poor man's fuel like Kerosene reaches the target audience. What now happens is most of the Kerosene is siphoned off and makes it way to the black market. Some of the adulterated kerosene end up for use in the autorickshaws further adding to the pollution.

The road network in India is still poor even though some Infrastructure building activities have been taken up. With disposable incomes rising and more people able to afford a four wheeler the road network has not kept pace. The vehicle population in most cities has seen a surge and with the arrival of global auto majors things are only going to get worse.

Luxurious cars like Bentleys, Buggatis etc.. are making a beeline for the Indian market. Leaving aside their fuel efficiency, one fails to understand how can you possibly drive these vehicles on Indian roads but that's not a deterrent as long as there are buyers.

The government solution is to build more flyovers and by the time the work is completed, things are back to square one.

Indian roads especially in cities today present a picture of chaos, congestion and ever rising pollution levels. What Indian cities need badly is something like the Delhi Metro. Privatising public transport is not the solution. The respective governments must take the lead here.

For example, just like in western countries why not have a dedicated car pool/bus lane. In most cities in India, people using personal transport form a minor segment compared to pedestrians. Yet the government and the Urban planners have got their priorities wrong by giving more preference to motorists vis-a-vis pedestrians. There are no zebra/pedestrian crossings and where they do exist you can only dare cross the road without getting hit by motorists. No wonder that India has got the dubious distinction of highest number of road accident fatalities in the world.

Also what is worrying is the pavements which are increasing getting encroached or non-existent forcing pedestrians to risk their life and limb by walking on the road.

Cycling or walking is a pleasure but now as a mode of transport is becoming an endangered activity. Also the mindset of the people must change. They need to encourage public transport as much as possible and the government has to make it the number 1 priority to speed up infrastructure projects.

The only silver lining one can see from the recent spate of hikes (I bet this will not be the last one :)) is that it's time to look at cleaner and greener alternatives. We owe it to our future generations that they can live and breathe in a much cleaner air.


(Image courtesy: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlPy-aNsJyPky8kh98Qy3272li7IxhoAkSwsojQpctpMufF4hnYEZP_Fj9icNvKg_9UyBfahuWMdDVR57Sp658F1Lhbx60RL0SZx5rUh9RuDAndilCvISWITGdjLugU9yGaI68/s400/high+gas+prices.jpg)

Osama Bin Laden

When the United States President Barack Obama confirmed the death of Osama Bin Laden to the press tonight in the east room of the White House it brought curtains on the man who was hated and at the same time feared by the world especially the United States.

10 years after the 9/11 attacks, the United States special operations team (Navy SEALS Team Six) who were tasked with capturing/eliminating Osama Bin Laden finally did the unthinkable when they raided a mansion in abbottabad in Pakistan.

I still remember the graphic images on television of the 2 planes crashing into New Yorks WTC twin towers on 9/11. That incident left a deep scar of not only the United States but the rest of the world. The year was 2000 and the US economy was in recession after the dotcom crash. The crash of the twin towers also meant the crashing of my american dreams as the terrorist attack and the aftermath sent the economy further into a tailspin.

As I am writing this, I am watching the visuals of people on CNN with american flags in their hands cheering outside the white house.

The 9/11 attacks by Osama Bin Laden's Al-Qaida changed everything. For instance, the stringent security at the airports in the United States which keeps getting even more stringent with new alerts is a nightmare for the travelers. When you have to board the flight, you remove your shoes, remove your belts, laptops, not allowed to carry liquids (yes this also includes water) and any metal objects place them in a tray before they are scanned and then put them on just in time to catch the flight. And now they have body searches if someone disagrees with body scanners.

I remember at Dallas airport, I was taking pictures of a car put on exhibition. What I didn't realize was that there was a cop who was observing me from a distance. I was a bit unnerved when the police officer started walking upto me. He asked my identification details and my profession. He then politely asked me to hand him the camera so that he can have a look at the pictures. For that few moments, I felt a bit uneasy but then realized that given the security situation the cop was just doing his job.

And that also sums up the attitude of most americans who have resigned themselves to the stringent security checks. Americans have understood it's a pain or sacrifice they need to make for a safe flight. The silver lining has been that there have been no major terrorist attacks in US after 9/11. The only exceptions being the aborted suicide bombing during christmas last year but that was from the planes heading towards US. On the lighter side, I am now so adept at removing my belt, shoes etc.. that I time myself to see whether I have bettered a previous record :)

Coming back to Osama Bin Laden, for all his praise of Pakistan by President Obama everyone is aware of the simmering tensions underneath between the close allies in the war against terror. I am highly skeptical whether the Pakistan Government was kept in the loop. It's very embarrassing for the Pakistan government when right from the ex-President Pervez Musharraf's rule to the current President Asif Ali Zardari, Pakistan has vehemently denied the existence of Osama Bin Laden. From the reports coming in, it seems that Osama Bin Laden enjoyed a very high level of security in an affluent locality of abbottabad.

The US has consistently used technology as a tool when it used drones to zero in on the targets. Osama was well aware of the technical tools at US disposal and was careful enough to avoid using some of the modern communication tools like cellphone and the worldwide web. If news reports are to be believed Osama's lack of patronage of technology proved to be his Achilles heel as that raised suspicion of those monitoring his mansion. And rightly so when someone has a million dollar mansion and doesn't have any internet or cellphone plus they burn their trash instead of putting it for garbage collection, people start thinking as to there's something weird about the people living in the mansion.

Over the years the United States has pumped in billions of dollars in assistance to Pakistan but the real catch remained elusive. If there was a financial analysis then the death of Osama Bin Laden was a significant Return on Investment (ROI) for the United States.

What are the lessons for India? We have been relentlessly pursuing the extradition of Dawood Ibrahim for his role in the 1993 serial blasts in Mumbai and Maulana Masood Azhar for the IC-814 hijacking. Add the name of LET founder Hafiz Mohammed Sayeed to the list for his role in 2008 Mumbai attacks. Pakistan has been stonewalling each of these requests. India also needs to focus more on covert operations just like the United States.

The political implications in the US would be that President Obama has got a significant boost in his re-election bid. On the other hand the chorus for withdrawing from Afghanistan would only get louder.

Credit must go to National Security team of President Obama, the Commander in Chief himself and the Special Ops team for pulling of such a daring operation by avoiding civilian casualties and keeping the operation under tight wraps till the result was achieved. Also Obama's speech which was measured amid the scenes of jubiliation showed the hallmark of someone who was quietly confident and didn't want to invite the fear of reprisals by punching his fists in the air just like ex-President George Bush whose infamous words "Mission Accomplished" on the deck of an USS aircraft carrier later came to haunt him and the United States.

There is a note of caution here. Just like the sci-fi movie "Aliens" wherein the ET creature leaves behind its offspring, Osama Bin Laden was shrewd enough to decentralize the terror operations which will continue to outlive him. Not to forget about the reprisals from those seeking revenge for the death of Osama Bin Laden. So in the euphoria one should not lose sight of the above facts.

Finally, to quote President Obama's word's "Justice has been done" to the 9/11 victims and this will go a long way in bringing some sense of closure to those grieving for their near and dear ones.

(Image courtesy:http://www.solcomhouse.com/images/bosbin.jpg)
(References: CNN)

Dum Maro Dum

Goa meri jaan jannat ki shaan par jannat main bhi saanp baste hain translating to Goa is a paradise but even in paradise there are snakes. This is the tag line of the opening scene from the movie Dum Maro Dum.

The movie which is a joint production between Fox SearchLight Pictures and Ramesh Sippy Entertainment scores high on style and substance. After Abhishek Bachchan's disastrous portrayal of Beera in Ravan I was in two minds whether to watch this movie. But getting good feedback about the movie from my brother, I decided to bravely check out Dum Maro Dum (DMD).


DMD is a riveting tale of drugs, sex, money and personal tragedies set against Goa's beaches. So we have rave parties happening with goans and a mix of foreigners ranging from Israelis to Russians. The main characters are:

Lorry : Prateik Babbar (Lorry) who wants to join his girlfriend in the US and is held back due to lack of funds

Joki : Rana Daggubati (Joki) is a DJ who also owns a music shop and has a girlfriend Zoey (Bipasha Basu). Zoey is now the local businessman Lorsa Biscuta's arm candy.

Lorsa Biscuita: Aditya Pancholi (Lorsa Biscuita) plays the local businessman who has a pie in almost all the businesses from drugs to shipping.

Vishnu Kamath : Abhishek Bachchan (Additional Commissioner Police Vishnu Kamath) who goes from being the corrupt officer to a crusader against drugs.

Michael Barbossa: The most intriguing and shadowy character in the entire movie whom no one has either seen or heard.

The strong point about the movie is the story by Sridhar Raghavan. The movie has its weaknesses when the pace begins to slacken. Even though this is supposed to be Abhishek Bachchan's movie, the real hero and surprise package turns out to be Rana Daggubati (Joki). For a person who is making his debut in a Hindi movie, he comes out with a decent performance. It's also nice to see Aditya Pancholi playing the bad guy with sophistication.

Other interesting characters are Rane (Govind Namdeo) and Mercy. I was surprised with the movie climax and it could have been handled better. But it's for you (the viewer) to find out :)

The only grouse against the movie is the title song Dum Maro Dum. Deepika Padukone is definitely no match for the vintage Zeenat Aman. Remixes are fine but this one was bad. Except for Dum maro Dum you can't make out the rest of the lyrics. Sometimes it's better to leave the original untouched.

There was a wikileaks cable about the US Embassy's views on Bollywood. Atleast as far as Bollywood-Hollywood collaboration is concerned it hits the bulls eye. This movie which doesn't compromise on the script nor the style quotient is a perfect example of how such partnerships can bring lasting value to Cinema and the audience.

Overall it's a good movie and is worth watching atleast once.

(Image Courtesy: http://movies.sulekha.com/hindi/dum-maro-dum/pictures/1.htm)

Sathya Sai Baba

India is a land of the spiritual gurus. So much so that the words "Guru" and "Mantra" has become a part of the English vocabulary. For instance, I was having a discussion with an American colleague at work and he freely used the words like "Mantra" without batting an eyelid.

That surprised me and at the same time I felt proud as an Indian because who would have imagined a few years back that words like "mantra", "karma" and "Guru" which was limited to an Indian context would find a wider audience in the present day.

Nonetheless, I was referring to the above as the news of the passing away of Sri Sathya Sai Baba was across all the electronic and print media. Although I was born in Karnataka, I spent most of my growing up years in Andhra Pradesh and was very much familiar with the topography of my adopted state.

Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka were two states in stark contrast. Whereas Karnataka was blessed with abundant greenery and exotic locales. Most parts of Andhra Pradesh were dry and barren. The pockets of affluence was limited mostly to its state capital Hyderabad and West Godavari district. Also the depleting ground water levels didn't help.

Anantapur district belonged to the latter category. But one person did make a difference and that was Sathya Sai Baba. I remember when I was in college and waiting at the bus stop, a man walked upto me with his bicycle and struck a conversation. Now this man was dressed in a simple kurta pyjama with a jute bag slung over his shoulders. He spoke in English and his communication skills was good. After sometime, he took out a picture from his bag and turns out that it was Sathya Sai Baba. That put me off as I felt that this man was using his conversation as a bait to find new converts to Sathya Sai Baba's cause.

What irked me about Sathya Sai Baba was that people considered him as God. I was not able to reason out how can you make a human being take the place of God. Now God as we know and call him by several names is someone who we think is a higher power.

It also amused me that Sathya Sai Baba's audience included a who's who. From the Prime Minister, Governors, Chief Ministers, celebrities, cricketers and foreigners there was no one who hadn't met him.

Just like he had millions of devotees across the world, Sathya Sai Baba had his share of critics (including me :)). But looking back, when you see the amount of work done by his organization like setting up the Superspeciality hospital where complex surgeries are done free of cost, the drinking water supply project which covers most of the villages in Anantapur, Sathya Sai Institutions of Higher Learning etc.. if people consider him a god, no one should grudge that. Some of these infrastructure building activities come under the domain of the government and he has stepped in to fill the void when the government failed to do so. Even Sathya Sai Baba's bitter critics would agree on this point.

We had so many famous and infamous godmen. People like Chandraswami who was linked to the ex-Prime Minister Narasimha Rao, Rajneesh of the Osho ashram and the recent entrant Yoga guru Baba Ramdev. Where Sathya Sai Baba stands apart is that inspite of having his share of controversies he used his wealth (mostly donations from his devotees) for the greater good of the society.

As one famous quote goes there is no escape from death and taxes, even a living god like Sathya Sai Baba is not an exception. I hope that the good work done by his organization, the good will among his devotees and his message will inspire many for years to come.

(Image courtesy: http://www.ndtv.com/album/listing/news/sathya-sai-baba-life-in-pics-10292/slide/5)

India's population Census 2011

That India is giving a tough competition to China as far as population growth is concerned is not a secret. The recent census figures of 1.21 billion have for the first time shown that the increase has been much less than anticipated. However even with a marginal increase in the population to an already existing base of a billion people, the sobering thought is that the human density per sq. km has increased.

A case in point is Mumbai which as per the recent census figures has a staggering density of 20K people per square kilometer. So the pressure on the land, water and resources is only going to increase. This also implies that our forests, national parks etc.. will come under increased threat of encroachment. The current state of things is not good and it will only get worse.

Take a look at the cartoon published in "The Hindu". A picture indeed is worth a thousand words :)

(References: http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/cartoon/article1592142.ece)
(Image courtesy: thehindu.com)

My Birthday

So it's here again..yes I am referring to my Birthday :) So what did I do on my birthday? I was working today. At work, I treated my colleagues to freshly cooked samosas with mint chutney and sweet sauce. Thanks to Lakshmi. The ideal treat would have been a cake but as Lakshmi rightly suggested we have too much of cakes.

A Samosa on the other hand would be something nice and spicy to tickle the taste buds. She was right. The samosas were over in a jiffy with some people taking even 2 to 3 servings.

My happiest moment was when I returned a home and found a box delivered at my door. I began to scratch my head wondering who was this person. From the carton I realized, it was freshly cut flowers. I had a hunch that it was someone known to me but not sure who it was.

I opened the box and there was a greeting. My instincts were right. It was my sweet little adorable sis who sent me the beautiful flowers. That made my day :)

Tsunami in Japan

Despite man's advancement in science and technology there's nothing one can do against the force of nature. The earthquake and then the tsunami in Japan is a testimony to that. Compounding the misery is the real threat of a nuclear meltdown.

This is a grim and sober moment for the people of Japan and those who have lost their near and dear ones. Amid the large scale devastation and havoc what is commendable is that the people have remained calm. Atleast this is what the article in The Hindu had mentioned. There was no screaming and panic.

Also despite the wall of water which swept across the coastal villages and cities, some of the houses withstood the destruction. A tribute to the architecture which was built keeping the previous quake experiences in mind.

Japan being in highly active seismic zone has done the best it could. The earthquake drills in schools, a highly efficient Tsunami warning system, earthquake resilient building structures. Yet a 9.0 magnitude earthquake which rips apart the earth's crust building a wall of water 30 feet high can overwhelm anyone however prepared they maybe.

There are lessons to be learnt here. If the toll in Japan is in thousand(s), then one can imagine the consequences in ill prepared and densely populated countries like India and China. Even developed countries are not immune. Recent example(s) being Christchurch, New Zealand. Here in California, where I had already experienced mild tremors twice in a span of 1 year the tsunami ripples has effected atleast 2 major ports.

Coming back to the quake in Japan, rebuilding won't be easy but we can only hope and pray that people whose lives have been turned upside down will gather the strength and courage to put this tragedy behind them.

(References: http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article1529889.ece)
(Image courtesy: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/picturethis/2014489938_pt_before_after.html)

The Rainbow

There is no parallel to mother nature's beauty. What am I talking about? Take a look at the picture.

When I was driving to work on a Friday morning last week, it was sunny and raining at the same time and voila I was lucky enough to spot the rainbow. It was very beautiful and this was not a partial rainbow which sometimes disappears in the clouds. You could clearly see where it begins and where it ends. The challenge here was being on a freeway, I couldn't stop and take a picture. So I took this picture with my cellphone camera in one hand and the steering in another.

The end result was not that bad. It was a decent picture. This stretch of drive on CA-4 is very scenic and there is never a dull moment. On the hillsides, you can sees cows grazing. During Spring, the slopes are covered with yellow flowers which are in full bloom. In Winter, it can be very foggy and one needs to be very careful while driving but still it's a mesmerizing experience driving through the fog.

I can still vividly remember one day it so happened that a deer came down from the hill and was about to cross the road, the cars in front of us came to a screeching halt and the poor deer was almost killed. Now the deer very quickly regained its composure and did manage to cross the road, incredibly in just 3 hops spanning both sides of the freeway. I and my colleagues were left staring in disbelief. We were relieved that the deer was not harmed :)

(Image courtesy: CA4- Fog (Prashant Shetty))

A ray of hope

Bureaucrat is a much maligned word especially if you're in India. From an outsider's perspective, it symbolizes everything that's wrong with India. Red tape, anachronistic regulations and from an Indian's perspective it symbolizes corruption, greed and a part of the rotting system.

When I passed out of college, my dream was to join the civil services. Nope, it wasn't the Indian Administrative Service or IAS as is popularly known but the Indian Police Service (IPS). The ambassador car with a revolving beacon light on the top and the uniform used to set my pulse racing. I wanted to be an idealist officer who has sworn to protect the constitution and serve the interests of the public.

Those days there used to a television series titled "Udaan". The plot revolves around a woman IPS officer. It was aired once a week on our national broadcaster known by its popular name "Doordarshan". I didn't want even to miss one episode of that series. I found it riveting and it used to further fan my desire.

But then life has its own twists and turns. I fell in love with writing code and now that has become my means of earning bread and butter.

When I read about the abduction of District Collector of Malkangiri district bordering Andhra and Orissa along with an Engineer by the maoists, one would have tended to ignore it as a routine news item. No one would have even heard about Malkangiri.

What captured my imagination was that Mr.Vineel Krishna, the District Collector used to go around the village supervising works on a motorcycle. Now in a status conscious society where everyone wants to show their power here is someone who went about his job without a fuss just like a common man. He didn't move around with security.

When some officials pointed out that it was a Maoist infested village his answer was to forget that it was "Maoist affected" and carry on with your work. He was instrumental in helping tribals and expediting the works under the flagship programmes like NREGA. No wonder he found a lot of support from the local population who knew that they have to stand up for someone who was not afraid of carrying out his job under adverse circumstances.

It's sad that the Maoists have abducted someone who worked for the welfare of the people. At the time of writing this article, Mr.Krishna hasn't still been released. I fervently hope and pray that he is released unharmed along with the engineer.

Vineel Krishna is just like the revolving light on the ambassador car, a beacon of hope for the steel structure of India (to quote sardar vallabhbhai patel) which has been badly corroded. People like Vineel Krishna and Dr.Binayak Sen who work for the poorest and downtrodden sections of society are the real heroes of India. May their tribe increase :)

(References: thehindu.com)
(Image courtesy: http://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20060830/jal2.jpg)

1 year on ...

As of today, it's been exactly 1 year 1 month and 21 days since I have arrived in the US. So how has the journey been so far...To begin with, it was a first for me to work directly at the client location in US and that too on a contract. Working alongside the americans in my team was an experience by itself.

In my earlier assignments, I did interact with the clients in the US but then it was mainly done over the phone. Offshoring as the phenomenon is called which is what India is famous for and the bugbear which riles the west. So here I am working with the same people in their country, getting to know them and their culture.

Mind you, it's been a very cherishing and rewarding experience so far but then it also has been a painful one. In terms of knowledge, I have learned things which I never thought I would. The first 2 months were really hard but then I persisted. There were times when I just wanted to let it go. So what were my options? It was either a fight or a flight syndrome.

I decided to chose the latter for I believed that fortune favors the brave. I had to learn to take on my fears headon .I worked on my weaknesses with the ultimate aim of converting it to my strengths. It wasn't an empty rhetoric but it wasn't easy either. When you start working through this maze you start believing in yourself.The maze, yes that's the word I have used coz I felt lost and had to find a way out of it.

So where do I stand today. Honestly, I don't have an answer but yes it's definitely a lot better than what it was when I started. As the new year rolls by, I fervently hope and pray that this new found spirit will guide me and stays with me :)

(Image courtesy: http://www.kiplinger.com/kipimages/special_report_ledes/investing-outlook-2011.jpg)

No One Killed Jessica

If Mumbai is about Money then Delhi is about Power. So what happens when you mix Power with Money. The result is a lethal cocktail.

No One Killed Jessica (NOKJ) tells one such tale.

The film is based on the real life story of a model Jessica Lal who was killed one night while serving as a celebrity bar attender at a happening night club in Delhi. All because she refused to serve drinks to a brash customer who then shoots her with a gun.

I liked Rajendra Gupta's first movie Aamir and that was an incentive for me to not miss his next directorial stint. Vidya Balan as the sober Sabrina who carries on a determined fight for justice does justice to her role and portrays the trials and tribulations of someone who lost her loved one admirably. Rani Mukherjee as Meera Gaity makes a strong comeback as a television journalist.

The title music with "Kat Kaleja Dilli Dilli" sets the mood for one riveting journey. I liked the character of the cop (Rajendra Sharma) who candidly confesses that he took money for not raising his hands against the accused. Stand out scenes include the accused Manish's politican dad undertaking a thanksgiving trip to Vaishno Devi temple which is juxtaposed by the critical condition of Jessica's mom, Manish's dad and mom visiting the Lal's to pay their homage to Jessica and the Lal's are decent enough to offer them tea knowing very well that Manish's parents are doing all they can to protect their son.

But some things like Meera lecturing Sabrina about giving up the fight or the overdone scenes of candle light vigil are a bit jarring. To conclude inspite of its flaws if this movie sends out a strong social message it's well worth the effort.

(Image courtesy: thehindu.com)