ConcentricCircle's spot

A News Report

2011-10-12T15:14:00.000+05:30

A new application for all Apple devices is being launched that will appeal to Ghazal fans all over the world. This is a joint effort between Steve Jobs and ghazal maestro Jagjit Singh operating from their new residence in the Clouds. Ghazal is a form of music that lays equal emphasis on the lyrics and the music. The new application will allow users to switch between listening and composing modes. In the 'listening mode' users can simutaneoulsy view the transliteration of the lyrics in English along with a translation in a language of their choice - as the song is played on the Apple device. The 'composing mode' provides widgets that will help lyricists in writing songs and composers in setting lyrics (imported or created) to tune.

Highly sophisticated, the application should be available very soon as both Jobs and Singh have admitted to dedicate their entire time on the development and launch of this application. Usually, Apple applications are not something that Steve Jobs works on, but he is stated to have made an exception in this case considering the proximity of the ghazal maestro and the ample time they have at their new residence.

Source : Akashvani

Why are weekends not weekends anymore...?

2011-10-10T14:36:00.000+05:30

Back in the US, Friday evening is the best time of the week. Why? Cause it signifies the start of the weekend. The next 48 + hrs are completely yours to do as you wish. Ofcourse, you have the regular kid's classes, the grocery shopping, the birthday parties etc to do. But somehow, you physically and mentally unwind. It is the end of the week! A halt to your regular routines, do something different or nothing. Something that will be / can be done only on the 'weekend'.

In Chennai, Friday evening comes and goes. And there is no sign of a weekend. Come Saturday, I still have to do the regular chores that I do everyday - clean the house, wash clothes, dishes etc. In fact, I do these and the weekend things like kid's classes, grocery shopping, birthday parties...it is exhausting!! There is no end to the week - no different routine. You just dont go to 'work' - well, not all days atleast. A week doesnt end, it just keeps flowing into another. There is no halting and re-starting. It just continues....

Tired. Very tired...

Someday I'd like to paint my own God

2011-10-01T05:55:00.001+05:30

I've been thinking about how many different selves of ours we carry around. First, there is the physical self, the emotional self, the intellectual self, the spiritual self. And as if that is not enough, we now introduced this new projection of these different selves in the internet - my avatar on FB, my avatar on Linkedin, my avatar on Orkut, my avatar on this blog and so many more! Sometimes, I wonder if all these alternate selves are simply a way to discover our true self. Or is it the freedom to exercise what I cannot exercise in another form. For example, on Linkedin, I can't be as candid as I am in FB or this weblog.

Whatever it is, it is there - the need to create the avatars and the avatars themselves. Each one, supposedly providing an anonymity from the other. However, all of these avatars and the need to create the avatars are connected through Me. "I" know that all these avatars are my creations. My consciousness to express myself from which stemmed these different avatars.

That is the essence of Vedanta. Our physical, mental, intellectual and spiritual selves are but expressions of a Higher consciousness that connects "ALL" of us. Understanding and realising that, will allow us to see that Higher consciousness in everyone! Nothing matters anymore then.

Now, I want to express all these different forms of myself through paint...I want to paint my physical form, my emotional form, my intellectual form and my spiritual form. I want to create my own God. Adding to the growing number of the 33 crores of Gods that already exist. So now you understand.....my paintings are not any greater than yours.

I smile at my own self...took me this long to realise this well enough to be able to express it on my own! Mooda mathe!! Now, where did I see the tutorial for self portraits?!

Sunshine behind the clouds without a Silver lining

2011-09-30T05:49:00.004+05:30

A friend once said - "India needs people like us - those that have seen the other side of the world". At that time, I brushed off the remark as a cliched saying to entice me to come back to India. Within a couple of months after my return, I realised the value of those words. At work, I had to go through the usual "new employee training programs". And sitting there, listening to all those 20 somethings speak about what they want to do with their life and the sometimes misguided, sometimes intelligent plans for their future, it was exciting.

India has a huge potential. I am not the first to say it nor am I the last. What I now realise is, returning back can help you see the potential a lot more clearly. You can see the gaps at the individual and organizational level. And the most exciting and challenging part is, you can help fill that gap! Imagine that! There is nothing like being able to shape something to take it to a better standard.

Putting that into action requires finesse though. Most people discard us as prodigal sons and daughters who think we have come back from heaven and therefore consider ourselves a cut above the rest. And when that preconceived notion exists, it is hard to make headway even though your intentions and vision are right. I was warned to not act as if I dropped from heaven and everything here is sub-standard and needs to be improved (courtesy - that same friend).

So we are back to the basics. First, 'Change' requires you to understand and appreciate why things are the way they are. Always. Whether in India or abroad. And that understanding helps you bring about change with a lot more empathy. But foremost, your vision has to be selfless. You are not trying to bring about a change for yourself. But for a larger good. This is true again whether India or abroad or in any work that we do for that matter. That gives you the everlasting satisfaction and enthusiasm to keep it going.

Clouds will pass - you dont have to search for the silver lining in them! There is sunshine beneath - give it time. (does that rhyme?!)

The thing that is most annoying...

2011-09-29T05:56:00.003+05:30

We are all social beings. We seek other people for simple transactional purposes leave alone communication. One of the first things I had to do was to get the basics - telephone, internet, TV connection. So after finding out from neighbours and nearby store owners the numbers for the different utilities, I call them and get them to come to discuss their wares - pricing packages etc. There isnt much choice - either because the rep doesnt know and can't answer questions or there simply aren't too many options. But I do manage to get a rough idea of what the bill will be. The rep assures me that it wont exceed X amount. So we pick a package and set a date for installation. My son is waiting eagerly for the TV connection, so he can watch the World cup. I am waiting eagerly for the internet - so I can get on with my other search for things like furniture stores, music class etc.

The appointed day comes and goes - no one has called to say they are late or can't keep the appointment. It seems mundane now, but having been used to the punctuality and preciseness of things in the US, not having people show up, was quite jarring. I made some calls and these guys were not in the least bit apologetic! They simply give me an excuse that I can't penetrate and simply fix a different time. I decide to give them a chance. The next date comes and goes. The worst part is, you have to stick around at home waiting for these guys since they dont give you a good window of time. This time I am on short fuse. Remember, all along we've been getting by without these basic utilities. It is a bigger let down when you expect something to happen and it doesn't. So I call and give them a ear full. And they show up. Connection set up, TV, internet and phone all working. Everything is fine.

A month later, I get the bill and there is absolutely no correlation between what I asked and what's on the bill. I call them to get an explanation- I am on eternal hold and finally the person I get, simply raises a trouble ticket for a billing question!! No one bothers about the trouble ticket for days although I keep getting text messages to my cell phone with the trouble ticket number and that it is assigned to so and so etc. Then I realise - people here dont value their own words and most importantly, there is no penalty or incentives for (not) keeping appointments!

It is very frustrating even now. I dread having to deal with maintenance guys, furniture delivery fellows - anyone who has to show up at your doorstep for something. I am learning to lower my expectations and not plan things as well as we used to in the US.

So what is the silver lining on this cloud you ask? I stopped looking for it. Is that a good answer?

Life in India - the first few months

2011-09-28T07:32:00.003+05:30

I am back again after a long time! Move back to India in Mar 2011. And a lot of friends have asked me to write about my experiences here. I can't necessarily guide anyone but can make observations that may be useful.
Overall, I find myself complaining, comparing, more complaining, reasoning and accepting in that order. And that cycle repeats with every encounter and with each stage lasting varying lengths of time depending on the situation. In the meantime, I evolved my philosophical self - that has added another dimension to all this adjustment.
The good thing and bad thing about this is - I get to compare the work and non-work aspects of life here due to first hand experiences. Good about it is - it is first hand experience, bad about it is - it is that much harder to adjust in all spheres. At the end of the day, there is a peace - the peace that one has when one is close to their final destination. So look out for more.

Searching for quiet

2009-07-09T15:11:00.006+05:30

Amidst all the craziness and fast paced life, I have been searching for words to express that I am tired and I dont know why. I was also searching for what are the consequences if I stop? Interestingly enough, I found this article on Slow Language movement http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/jul/04/poetry-slow-language-movement which summed up my feelings and reassured me that it is ok take the time to smell your flowers and fruit or the rain on dry soil or the wet mulch in the morning or the slow filtering of filter coffee.

Yes, I want to keep in touch with friends, yes, I want to bridge the divide of space, but I also want the ability to just walk away from the laptop and greet someone - even if it is my own self. Searching for quiet and me...I know I won't find it on the Internet and Google search cannot help me!!

America's biggest fear

2009-02-22T19:20:00.004+05:30

Glen Beck recently had a segment in his show on Fox News - the camera pans over a graphical skyline with towering high rises labelled Capitalism and very quickly moves to plateaus with sand dunes that have tall buildings (not high rises - mind you!) labelled Socialism and then the camera traces a valley (like in a pit!) that shows tenements labelled Communism. Although I did not hear the words accompanied this shot (I was tuned into the music in my head), it struck me that America is now afraid that this financial crisis represents the end of Capitalism and the begin of a new era of Socialism.

Take two of the biggest social reforms that are being suggested - one that has become so trite and has been discussed so often - is the Health care reform. The other - which is just now surfacing - is the Nationalization of banks! We've all heard Obama's manifesto for the election - Expanding the coverage for children from under insured and low income families, covering basic health screening, and picking up part of the COBRA (bridge coverage) to help families without a job before they get back into employer coverage. While Congress works on the details of his vision, there are other think tanks suggesting Nationalization of banks as another avenue to prevent this kind of a financial melt down in the future.

The first thought that came to mind when I heard this was - this sounds like Indira Gandhi back in the 80's in India trying to control inflation by controlling the lending institutions and what loans they dole out.

For India, where infrastructure development was the primary objective, it was essential. So the idea was good even though (as is the norm with any initiative like this) was executed very poorly. For the US, while this allows for a careful evaluation of the risk in the investment, regulating some of the greed involved, it cannot be expected to be a panacea for all evil.

But all that aside, what is interesting is - after experimenting with Capitalism, this country is now dabbling with and adopting some of the highlights of Socialism. It is no longer a game where the stakes are high and the winner takes all. It is moving towards - the stakes are controlled depending on the risk involved so the winnings are controlled. So what does that do to "Land of opportunity"? I see a lot of opportunity for "Risk analysts" :-)

Send me your thoughts in your comments...

Ode to Indian temples

2009-02-13T16:58:00.007+05:30

Here's picture of a Medieval temple (about 12 Century AD). It is called the Saas Bahu temple because it has two shrines - one large and more ornate than the other. I guess it is left to the imagination of the visitor to guess which one is representing who! The temple itself was in the style of the Sun temple in Konarak. Beautiful detail and very serene surroundings. It is in a little town called Nagda 12 Km from Udaipur overlooking a lake.

The Indian government tried very hard to explain it in this tablet here. But it appears that they were trying to out date the temple itself - their tablet is hardly readable and is more ruined than the temple! The temple withstood the invasions by Moghul warriors.

Visit it the next time you go to Udaipur. Send me your comments.

The veracity of Wikipedia and Collective wisdom of humanity

2008-08-24T11:23:00.003+05:30

I recently participated in a debate / discussion on the veracity of Wikipedia and similar pages that anyone can edit. The points of view were straightforward - the information cannot be trusted to be accurate as malicious or ignorant people may mislead readers and hence such sites don't need to be supported. The other point of view was that these websites are sources of the collective wisdom of humanity in the digital form and hence need to be preserved (for the IT nerds out there read- backed up, archived etc).
While both points of view are right - who gets to decide whether a piece of information is true or false? And what kind of governance can you put in place? And how do you go about establishing a governance model?

Who can you sue if you relied on some information on Wikipedia and acted on it? These are valid questions. Are there answers in Wikipedia?

Now, extend this a little further - What kind of laws govern web lives? For example - will I be punished if I slander someone's web avtaar? Do we need to worry about such issues yet? For highly mediated websites, this is not an issue. What about in social sites like Facebook, My Space etc?

Drawing or Sculpting with music - a new invention??

2008-08-24T11:11:00.003+05:30

Every classical raaga has a characteristic auditary pattern that distinguishes it from other raagas. Regardless of the singer or the krithi, the raaga is readily identifiable whether it is sung or played. So if the vibrations / frequencies / embellishments can be captured by a stylus, and the pattern traced in 2 dimensions, it should ideally result in the same picture. Theoretically this should be possible. Kinda like the patterns created by Windows Media player when playing a song.

This can be easily taken to 3 dimensions by tracing on a sphere - to begin with. I wonder if the deities envisioned for different ragas were in some way using the same concept?

Raga Saramati

2008-01-13T21:10:00.000+05:30

There is a kriti by Thyagaraja - Mokshamu galada bhuvilo jeevan that captures the essence of this ragam Saramati. It appears almost that this kriti should be heard at the end of one's life. Every syllable in the song reverberates the fundamental questions in life - will anyone who has not realised the Self ever realise You, my Lord?

It makes one wonder whether the ragam was decided after the lyrics were written or was the ragam decided before the lyrics. The kriti is so beautifully woven that it gives one an idea of the depth of Saint Thyagaraja's devotion and truly emancipated wisdom and creativity.

Now, how perfect would this song be on the lips of Mahatma Gandhi (from SaBarmati) as he says "Hey Ram" to the bullets of Godse. If Gandhi was into carnatic music, he would have sung "Mokshamu galada bhuvilo jeevan" at that moment and Godse would've quivered.

"Mari mari ninne moralida" from the film Sindhu Bhairavi is in Saramati too.

FYI - Saramati is also a mountain in Nagaland measuring about 3841 meters. It kind of reiterates that one needs to master the mountain of 'Self' to reach the Lord above.

Raag Bageshri and Raag Madhuvanti

2008-01-13T20:26:00.000+05:30

Everytime I listen to Bageshri and Madhuvanti, I am reminded of Manna Dey and Talat Mehmood. The songs that i listen to are considered "carnatic" since they are set in the framework of south indian classical music. However, they have such a distinct flavor of the North, like they belong to kings like Akbar or Raja Man Singh. It is perfectly suited for Radha or Mirabai to express their yearning for Lord Krishna set in Mathura.

I think there are a lot of compositions on Lord Krishna in these two ragas. The song - Poocho na kaise maine rain bitayi - seems to be set in Madhuvanti. I am indebted to the person who introduced me to Manna Dey and Talat Mehmood and their music.

My book shelf...

2007-11-04T19:12:00.000+05:30

To know what I am reading now - please check out my bookshelf at

Concentriccircle's Bookshelf

The Invocations of the Veena

2007-10-28T19:15:00.000+05:30

There is so much that the Veena invokes. Imagine a setting - a large temple, with an open courtyard in the center. And the deity in the sannithanam, barely visible since it is an old temple with little ventilation in the sannithanam. There is one in Salem near my Patti's house. Amabalvanaswamy koil. And the Veena is being played facing the deity. Erudite scholars all around, well versed in Vedas, in the culture of India, eons of wisdom reflected in every word they utter. Yet, surrounded by poverty - not because they cannot earn, but because they have such strong ideals that they find hard to let go of. And the humility derived from it...and the bhakthi that it surrenders to.

Amidst such company, the Veena is played. The feeling it invokes in each and every person is that of freedom. Freedom - not in the sense that Poverty is banished but Freedom in the sense that it doesnt matter any more to be labeled poor. Every note emanating from those strings speaks of humility, speaks of freedom so pervasive and so encompassing that there is no room for another thought. Freedom that tells one that it doesnt matter that one is poor, that what matters is one has lived a meaningful life. Every note smells of camphor, pure bhakthi and wisdom. Every note reminds one of their end - how beautiful it would be to reach it listening to those notes.

I decided not to kill this blog.

Back again...

2007-09-16T19:28:00.000+05:30

after a long hiatus. It feels good to write again. So where was I? Just drawing more circles...

I am just going to kill this blog now.

Navarathri today

2005-10-07T23:07:00.000+05:30

Amma...(I suddenly wonder if this post is going to be an ode to Amma rather than Golu and Navarathri) would start preparations atleast 2 days before Navarathri officially began. Preparations were - "I should ask Appa to bring the trunks down", "We need to make potlams (small paper packets) for sundal, kumkum and manjal (turmeric)".

She would ask Appa to help bring down all those old iron trunks from the "attani". Usha and me would be asked to help dust the 'bommais'. Peppered with "jakradha...odachuraadha" (carefule, dont break it), and "oh Amma i got the elephant", "oh look, it is chettiyar, where is the chettiyar mami?", we would sit into the wee hours of the night (which was 11PM!) trying to set up our Golu before the official beginning.

And those 10 days used to be filled with sounds of devotional songs from films from the loudspeaker in the colony. Sometimes i had quarterly exams after the Dussehra holidays and that was a nightmare ! I would try hard to concentrate on studying amidst the smells of sundal, payasam and the blaring of the loudspeaker, and the incessant chatter of maamis and their children, all attired in their best silks arriving to take "vettalai paaku". Oh it was fun!

Now, I am trying hard to keep up the tradition, in a different age, in a different land. I have to ensure that the carpet doesnt get stained with kumkum and manjal, so I start out with laying a huge plastic sheet to cover it. Then use old packing boxes as 'padi'(steps) and try to hide it with old saris. I try to set up my Golu amidst "No Vaibhav, dont touch that!! Vaibhav that is not a toy". I try to do a neivedyam early in the morning before work, and then light the lamp again in the evening. Invitations for Vettalai paaku are only by phone and that too on a convenience basis. "Oh its ok if you cant make it today...maybe you can drop in tomorrow. But please call me before you come". And there is no sundal. Just fruits and flowers.

But like Charu says, traditions are unlocked by nostalgia, and i am doing my bit for my hopefully nostalgic son!!

Back in action

2005-10-07T22:49:00.000+05:30

After a hiatus, I am back. With all my resolutions (of being more creative, more regular... and so many more) glaring at me as if to say "So what happened..?.", and mockingly "Did we not know that you wouldn't stick up to us !!"

Anyway, I have concluded that when I am on a regular 9-5 job, I seem to have more time to write online journals and reminiscence about "Leisure", rather than when I have "Leisure" itself from 9-5.

Someday I'll figure out how to make the best use of "Leisure" and do it. Till then, I can squeeze in blogging in the 9-5 "Work" schedule. What say...?

2005-07-05T01:31:00.000+05:30

Another Asian lily
Copyright - Concentriccircle

2005-07-05T01:27:00.000+05:30

Not sure what this flower is called. I managed to pull this off without a tripod, I used the flash though...you can see the stamen almost burned out.
Copyright - Concentriccircle

2005-07-05T01:00:00.000+05:30

Red Asian Lily - clicked on Jun 30. I liked the crayonish finish of the picture.
Copyright - Concentriccircle

Going on a hiatus

2005-06-30T19:29:00.000+05:30

Today is my last day at work. After a decade of active working life (for those of you who are guessing my age, let me tell you, you won't even get close!), I am taking a break (hopefully just a break!). My posts may become few and far between, as I may have less of a computer time at home.

I'm resolving to keeping it alive, in fact i am resolving to get more creative posts up here. After all if you aim for the sky you will atleast reach the roof.

Human nature...

2005-06-29T19:39:00.000+05:30

Left to himself, would one man help another in distress? Without the bounds of religion, of nationality, of race, of sex, of creed, of geography, would a man, as an individual help another man who is in distress? I would say "yes". I think for a normal rational human being, like you and me, it is but natural to help another person who is in distress, we can share what little we have, we can atleast temporarily put another person out of misery...especially if that misery is caused by a unprecedented natural calamity.

Why then when it comes to giving aid to Tsunami victims does the US or any other nation in the west, think, debate, argue, explain, that they cannot do more than what they have. Why then do politicians in India, sympathise, visit and click photographs of themselves at the disaster sites, but yet think a 100 times before they can do something about it. Of what use is tax payer money if it were not fully and constructively utilised to help our brethren?

We hurt ourselves with the infrastructure that we have set up, we hurt ourselves more with the national boundaries that we have drawn...it is all our own doing. Why do you think NGOs accomplish so much in India? Coz, GOs are caught in a web of red tapism accompanied by greed. When i vote in a democracy, i am voting to preserve my standard of living, i am voting to better my life and the life of people around me. Of what use is democracy, if i cannot get help when my whole life's earnings, my land- my only piece of sustenance for generations, is wiped out and for no fault of mine!

On being book tagged...

2005-06-29T01:22:00.000+05:30

A lot of the bloggers I watch (and more from who they watch) are being book tagged. I envy all those people who are book tagged, as they are supposedly, the "intellectual" types with thick reading glasses and lots of absent-mindedness.

Well, so what if I am not tagged - i will list my favorite 5 anyway. On second (and third and fifth) thoughts- no, i will not. For those of you who are guessing - Oh she doesn't have anything interesting to share - let me tell you, you are so right!

As a child, inspired by the Bajaj bulbs and tubes ad, "Jab main chota ladka tha, badi shararath kartha tha, meri chori pakdi jaathi" where the kid reads books under the covers in his bed, I would attempt to read with a torchlight. Appa came up on me, one fine night and said "You shouldn't be reading with a torch light and with the book so close to your eyes. It will ruin your eyesight." And he would switch on the tube light (don't remember if it was Bajaj) and let me read till as long as I wanted. Yes. Just like in the ad. But what a dampener that was! I used to revel in the thought that I was doing something deliciously sinful by reading under covers and Appa coming and turning on the light and asking me to read in the open, was such an anti-climax.

That took out all the fun from reading. And then, I was the kind who would doze off reading a book - not that the book was not interesting, it was just that i was not terribly interested in it. And in order to keep myself awake, in the desperate attempt to make a count of 5 in case i was ever book tagged, I would get some noruku-theeni (short eats) to eat. And that resulted in me having a nice and rotund girth. But i can now say, I have atleast 5 books under my belt!

But hey, what the heck - I have read more than 5 books and they are not school text books or manuals on how to operate the vacuum cleaner et al !

End of Survival and beginning of Salvation

2005-06-28T23:24:00.000+05:30

I was reading a post by Amit Varma on a Tsunami hit village that he visited and it triggered a thought in me. There are 1500 homeless people taking shelter in a refugee camp and there is not even one toilet. Why? Cause the refugee camp is a Temple.

Sometimes, I am flabberghasted by the extent we take religion too. I strongly believe that religion comes after sanitation. After all, how can you think about lofty ideals like salvation and moksha, if you don't take care of immediate needs of sanitation and lota? Where does survival end, and salvation begin?(literally, right there!) Ofcourse, i am not advocating that we convert all temples into toilets, but don't we need to address this issue within the means available. There may have been other avenues explored, that may have eventually solved the problem. It had to...

All said and done, it is more difficult to get people to use a temple to relieve themselves of burdens other than those of the soul!

Tsunami and its aftermath

2005-06-25T01:40:00.000+05:30

About 5 months ago, I was listening to a news brief on the radio about Tsunami victims in Srilanka. The article talked about child traffickers, carting away little girls to force them into the flesh trade. I was shocked at how low mankind can stoop!!

Imagine a little girl, who has a mother and father and a nice home to play in. She is given food whenever she is hungry, probably even before she asks for it. She has a nice warm bed to sleep in and a comfortable cushy pillow to lay her head on. And the only worry in her little head as she rests on that pillow, is whether she can skip school the next day and play with her favorite doll. And the next day, there is this Tsunami and she sees water everywhere. She cries and cries and there is no mother or father to answer her, leave alone console her. Instead, there is this man who comes to her and speaks kind words, and she naively follows him. And the next thing she knows, she is shoved into a van with 20 other girls like her! She probably doesn't even realise what her fate is!

( I am reminded of Alexander Pope's lines in "Essay on Man"

The lamb thy riot dooms to bleed to-day,
Had he thy reason would he skip and play?
Pleas'd to the last he crops the flowery food,
And licks the hand just rais'd to shed his blood. )

I wonder what this man and the likes of him, are made of. Exploiting a child is bad enough, but exploiting a helpless child, that has been a victim of an unprecedented disaster, is atrocious! barbarian!! Such people need to be wiped out from the face of the earth and their clan decimated. This is one thing that makes me so ashamed to be human!!

I cannot conceive of anything - no amount of hunger or illness, that could justify such an action!

Father's day

2005-06-21T22:49:00.000+05:30

This is for Appa. Appa is always there. With a very gentle but constant presence.

My earliest memory of Appa is as a singer. We would visit Salem during the summer vacation and we would invariably make a trip to Karadu. And on popular demand, Appa would sing Seerkazhi's renditions on Murugan. I could literally feel the stones vibrate with his voice. And i can recall Patti (Appa's mother)overcome with tears after the song. And i recall being left with goosebumps.

Appa would ensure that he laid enough stress on education and play. He never prevented us from playing, but he ensured that we studied too. He would spend hours patiently sitting with me into the wee hours of dawn teaching me Hindi grammar or Fractions in Mathematics. And I would be dozing off, wondering when all this was going to end.

During college, I would still go to him to understand concepts of Atomic Theory or Organic Chemistry. And Appa would teach me little acronyms on how to remember chemical equations. I would verify my answers to problems in Engineering Mechanics with him. And he always seemed to have the time for me.

During my first job interview, he accompanied me and we were discussing answers to possible interview questions in the bus. And when his friends congratulated him on my securing a job in a reputed IT firm, i could see the pride in his eyes.

Appa saw me through marriage and was there as a silent and strong presence when I had my child The only thing that has changed in Appa over all these years, is the wrinkles on his face. I can't say anything about his hair because he hasn't any! Appa ... the world is summed up in that one word! And his songs on Muruga still reverberates within me somewhere!

Education and People in India

2005-06-21T19:50:00.000+05:30

India is a country where education is revered, almost assumed to give Godly powers to those who possess it! In a land where there is so much of, almost oppressive pressure to be educated, why is it that there is only 59% of the population literate (i.e % of people over the age of 15 yrs that can read and write)? [And I am refraining hard from bringing the 'male / female literacy ratio' discussion here.]While in the United States, the literacy is 97%!! (statistics obtained from The World Fact book) Does this mean that education is not as easily affordable in India or there is not enough institutions? Or am i making a fundamental mistake in correlating "education" and "literacy"? Atanu Dey has a interesting post on who pays for education in India.

I was reading this thought provoking post by Gaurav Sabnis on a bhelwaala - Vaibhav. There seems to be a reciprocal relationship between our ability to learn and the learning opportunities we are presented with. The affordability of higher education, in India is probably debatable. However, with so many private and public colleges available, one would think that the price of higher education would come down.

All said and done, the spirit of the people extending out help for Vaibhav is truly laudable and there is something to be said for us as a people - even though we have lower literacy rates!!

On long walks

2005-06-20T20:59:00.000+05:30

I've been trying to go for a nice walk...

Walks filled with golden silhouettes of tall oaks, gentle breeze in the warm grass, and the orange setting sun painting the sky filled with chirps of birds returning home. A walk that would refuel me with the refreshing scent of "mardhani poo" (for those who know Tamil foliage), of the smell of freshly watered plants scorched by the heat of the summer sun, of the smell of the damp barks in dense pathways.

Walks that would let me reflect on what my place is in this vast universe, walks with the humbling, inspiring and beautiful sun, walks where i can lazily kick small stones nudging them along with me, walks where i can spot little changes on familiar paths that speak to me of passing time, walks that make me tired and make me lose myself in sleep, walks that kinder the curiosity of 'being', walks of companionship with Usha, and deep reflections on life.

I wish i could go for just a walk...

UPDATEI was finally able to go for just a brief walk y'day.

Writer's block to nothingness and concept of Zero

2005-06-20T20:09:00.000+05:30

I am having a writer's block today and there is no way i can circumvent it. I want to say something important and funny but all i can come up with is "nothing". So i decided to write about "Nothing".

I was reading this book called "Zero" and i realised that here is a concept that should NOT require a definition, as it is about nothingness. For grins, try explaining Nothingness to someone...try explaining Zero to someone. How would you describe it? It is a very difficult concept to describe unless you introduce an operation. What i mean is - say you have 2 apples and you eat both of them, what are you left with - Nothing! You have to introduce the mathematical operation "subtraction" (or the non-mathematical concept of 'eating'!) in order to explain "zero" or "nothingness". But the reason, it is difficult to understand, is it cannot be associated with anything...i.e one moment you have this vision of apples, and the next moment, there are no apples...there is nothing...vaccuum...it is kind of defying logic to picture something that does not exist!

We have just proved that the language of "mathematics" (in explaining the operation of subtraction) is the only one that can come closest to explaining what "nothingness" is. What does that tell about us? That where the lexicon of words breaks, the lexicon of numbers begins?

In the beginning there was the internet...

2005-06-16T23:00:00.000+05:30

I have been reading a lot of blogs lately and decided to jump into the foray and try my hand at having one. Most of the blogs i read are awe-inspiring with fancy catch phrases and one liners. I decided that the longer i wait to come up with the right, eye-catchy phrase, the longer i will take to start blogging. So here goes...my first blog post. (I even have to get aquainted with the jargon!)

It was in the early 90's that I was introduced to the concept of the "internet". I recall a friend of mine, giving us (a class of NIIT ians- a once reputed IT Institute) an idea of "internet". She was trying to explain in words what the 'internet' is and it is amusing now, to reflect on the words she used to descibe it ... that there will be "hyperlinks" (underscored texts that take you to a different screen) of texts available on a screen, that would allow one to "look up" more on any subject. The idea was truly amazing. And I had never "browsed" a website until probably 2-3 years later when i started working for an IT company.

The concept of a blog invokes the same kind of refreshingly new possibilities.