Bombay Blasts II

Its so glaring that we just don’t have a functional intelligence wing at all.
It’s a shame that we have been time and again exposed by terrorists too bloody often and still we just don’t live beyond political rhetorics. Where as the same politicos at a simple drop of a pen acquire more Z++ or what ever cover for themselves, but we the nation can go to hell.
Inspite of some loathful comments by many (like me, the table top variety), enraged comments by all n sundry, we shall all go about our day to day commitments and all that shall be portrayed as the indefatigable Bombay spirit! (one of the best articles in this context I have read is here by my fav Prem- don’t miss it)
What a shameful and irresponsible show by our visual media (print doesn’t impact so immediate- that’s the only solace, not that they were better). They were virtual feeders for the terrorists. (some one in the net had asked – do they think the terrorists see only cartoon network and so were giving a blow by blow account of NSG preps? Sigh)
Actually we shall all cry and decry in various ways and carry on and that’s what the politicos bank on. So, what can we do, u ask. Create such a big public opinion, state all your feelings on the govt handling of such issues and blow it big. Go voice it on all forums. Sure, a public op can be built. Write to your favorite channels, newspapers and blog them. What else can we do? If you can try and put some sense to any one that matters in the political arena. Let it start trickling in.
BTW where are these Thackarey jokers? Do they want only Maratha mannus to be killed by the terrorists? Or do they want only the maratha warriors to fight the terrorists. Oh! Poor Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, he went, fought valiantly and gave his life for all of us. Politics anybody? Hey Raj! Where art thou? Come you invertebrate, show up!
Actually now I see it coming! The govt and the TV channels are all seeing the end (real end of this show, now) and shall start crowing a few fading sound bytes -Pakistan, ISI, foreign, and shift focus to the next show. Jai Hind!

Bombay blasts

Another one at Bombay and this time more damage.
The most devastating for me is the killing of the top police officers like Karkare and Kamte . Some of them were real life heroes and had put their life on fire for too long in various encounters and such like.
Now this gloomy death not only shatters the morale of the police dept but of us public too. Such men were rare! To go out there expecting death each time is not easy and to have come out so many times and helped us all to wander in confidence was godly! And now that they are not there any more is a sad thing and for some strange foolish islamic terrorist to take them is unpardonable.
But now that has happened and that more than 100 lives have been lost, let them all rest in peace. As for these police officers, we have no words of solace to offer their families except to pray for them and for their departed souls.
I seriously cant believe that our media (esp visual and English ones) are there everywhere and wanting crazy sound bytes. So irresponsible at such times of serious crimes.(Saw Sreenivasan jain talking crap about one of the guys to assume leadership? hmm) I wish the police take these eager-for-bytes media guys as shield in to the sites, che.
Aside : Imagine putting your life on fire with the knowledge that the govts/politicos would only screw it up. What a shame? Asusual there shall be talks of intelligence failure, external hands, foreign terrorists, Umma, hama etc and all those used to washing off of responsibility! But do we really care?

ND update

A forest recreated, an alternate living style redesigned, low cost ecofriendly houses to live, home grown fruits and veg – u think Iam dreaming right?
NO! I am talking about my trip to ND! It’s a great place! To be, to retire or just to visit.
Their food is out of the world- simple, healthy and amazingly tasty!
The Hosur weather I have been told many times is better than Blore and here I saw it to believe! The number of walks that we took around the 100 acres of sprawling ND or the birds we watched in the evenings or the silent hours we spent in those excellent ecofriendly house, hmm..am missing ND already!
The food out there is fantastic- not only healthy and mostly home grown but very innovative, different and tasty!
In an attempt to make a living for the neighbouring villagers, the resident employees and the village (SHG) members have a health food division. This makes lots of healthful snacks and package variety of organic products. The healthy snacks are attractive & tasty apart from being healthy. For instance there is no frying but just dry roasting of nuts in the aval/pounded rice mixture!
Over all it an awe-inspiring place. Add to that the jolly good interactions one can have with Ananthu, Gopalan & others and most importantly the Library with its gems of collection.
Another reason to be there was W’s long time friends (couple) were staying there for some months now and they intend to settle there. How I wish they do and then ND will have more reason for us to visit many more times:-)

play and feed!

While many of us try and diet inbetween our costly snacks and parties, more so waste tons of food in the process, unaware that thousands go without a morsel to feed on, here is a chance for you to help them.
I know, there should be more tangible and satisfying ways, but we are on a different world here. We need to move our rear end out of our day to day chores and if we do still- we think one swallow is many summer!
so here, go to this site and play! yes, PLAY! try and answer the correct meaning or solve small math questions and there some one else donates 20 grains for each correct answer.
So go ahead and play and feed some poor soul somewhere across the globe.
As for your valid questions like 'what if...' and for any other doubts, see the FAQ in the same site. After all its still better to improve our vocab or infact grossly valuable than some silly forward!
so go play!

off to ND

remember the 'akasmaath' rubbing of shoulder with my namesake (but a famous one!)? if not go here. So am now on to that long pending trip to Navadarshanam! I have heard so much about ND, Ananthu and the other people involved there, am excited to be there from 2moro.
so am off for a few days and be prepared to lack of activity out here. But do come back by weekend for regular blogging shud start then. ciao.

When did you last swim in a beach?

esp along the ECR (East Coast Road) in the outskirts of Madras? Heard of the real estately endowed urbane parts of Madras outskirts after Thiruvanmiyoor, Neelangarai?
How nice if you have visited the beach in those areas and swam!
All those areas all along the coast just dump raw sewage in to the beach! How irresponsible? They have been doing that without any qualms for years now. It all started with me asking at one of the Old age homes near Palavakkam that I frequent, about their garbage handling and sewage treatment! The cool answer was ‘sewage goes to the beach”..”ithoo ippadi..” swaying their hand in that direction .
After the initial shock was over, I calmed myself and asked a few more people and confirmed the same. Then came the best part: in some parts closer to Madras where the municipality (or the resp govt arm) that provides the sewage system dumps it in to the canal near by which ultimately converges the sea near Kovalam.
So here is the next question: When did you take a swim at Fishermans cove, Kovalam? remember that meeting or retreat you had there? Rather (when) did you drink water there?
Man! How cool, eh?
Mind you, all this imprudent dumping of sewage means lots. We don’t to even bat an eyelid. No care for what actually happens once it leaves (y)our campus.
Ever thought of how this sewage would go all the way to the sea? Just on the land may be a small guided channel! That means with the next rain, your yesterday’s excreta would have entered in to your water table.
hey, Iam rich, I have RO or some great filter. Is it? Do you eat fish? So have this..most of the raw sewage along with plastics that go in to the sea is what the fish is fed (up) on. So you are very much close to the unnaturally natural cycle of this food chain! Almost feeding your food for tomorrow with your excreta today. Good luck fellas! They also get all your harpic, bleaching powder, nappies and what not?
So next time you go to the beach or a beach resort please do not think of this. You might also add your own dash to the sea and so to your food.
Happy beach visits!

Its another matter that the eternal optimist in me is trying to urge the local bodies to spend some money (am even ready to get them some funds, hmm) and have a small treatment plant (decentralized) and then divert to the sea..may be your fish could taste a bit better! Till then, ooouvackkkkkkkk

What happens to the CEOs?

And the top executives who all were (or are?) given millions as pay & perks. All they managed to do is plunge the market. You may say these are glum days in the market, but who caused that may I ask? What do ya mean if they are to steer profits when all is fine, who needs them? If they weren’t to understand the loose soil they were all standing and building, what was that big fat check for?
Ok, the whole society was a fool in glorifying them and ratifying their pay. Now what? What happens to them in this aftermath?
Ok except some small solace (or kick is it?) like this :-)
This may seem like poetic justice to you or could bring some smile to ur face..but think! Have you thought what happens to all these big farts? Ever heard of those chit company fellas of the big financial & chit firm fraud of TN in late 90s? They all shud be in some big bungalow or resort on a hammock. What justice? Talk of all those who sunk their life time savings & benefits in them. Hmm..scary..I know of a couple of my friends' parents who are yet to come to term with that.
Now atleast in the states where there can be some semblance of law that can be brought, shouldn’t some sanity prevail? Oh No! lets not discuss jail term etc..a few years there or bail and a few months down the line they shall be in some other ‘executive’ post with a new vulgar salary and sinking another firm/industry.
Who was that? Jon stock or someone suggested, these fellas should be asked to serve on some social service duty. I would add freeze their benefits and savings and push them to such community service. That’s justice in my op.
But, wake me up guys..lemme stop dreaming.

Meanwhile if you had not seen the earlier post on fin crisis and esp dummies guide go here

autumn colours

see these photos! amazing Swiss autumn colors!
Thats something to see ain't?

interesting!

a very interesting link this..
I myself have rubbed shoulders with guys in poverty like that and who grew big. That touched me really, also for the fact that I myself was not far from that lower middle class in my formative years!

Some experience, eh?

Olcott school:
One evening a group of kids came over to our restore shop and asked questions about the millets and other stuff out there, prices etc. They were apparently on a ‘project’ to study organic farming and the sale of organic products in urban market. So they had visited some other similar shops too.
What class did you ask? 8th standard! Amazing na? the clarity with which they spoke about farming, organic etc really impressed me. Then as I was talking to them I come to know they have visited Krishna’s solitude and many such organic farms. (almost competing with me!).
I just realized what one good teacher, immaterial of the school, can do. That was one hearty meet.
Hey, they even bought Thinai from our shop and went. These kids (bunch of 5 girls) invited us to their school and promised to give some snacks made out of millets. That day did come- last week!
It’s then I realized, this Olcott school is that sprawling campus that one passes by when ever u go to besant nagar from adyar side. That was a huge campus. These kids showed us around and gave us Thinai upma to eat. The kitchen was so tidy and well kept. They also showed us the small organic (vegetable)garden that these kids were setting up in their campus and also showed how they would make their own panchgavya!. I was also briefed that this Olcott school was founded some 100 years ago for poor slum kids and to this day its main beneficiaries are the same poor students. They are given all that they need in the school – books, dress, bag etc by the theosophical society. Hats off to them and their donors! What an experience! Way to go kids!!
It was in some sense a students day. Along with Sangeetha, I went to MOP Vaishnava college at Nungambakkam. They have a FM radio station run by the students which is beamed up to 7 kms radius of the college! They had many questions to be asked about organic farm n products, restore activities and most importantly Entrepreneurship possibilities in this area. That was a special experience too.. (confession: my struggle with apt tamizh words still continues, esp in this radio interview it was a real fight to pull out right words. One day you will see that happen- free flow of tamizh words on these topics. Wait till then, but)

Black President!

hey! So the US of A has a black president! am happy for him and USA, bcos its a social statement.
But unfortunately its not as social as the media makes us all believe. Its more economical in my op. more simply, Obama is not George Bush and thats what got him the votes and not being black or not.I hope he lives up to the huge expectation aroused world over..
All said, I still cant believe US has a colored president. So they over came the Bradley effect:-)
way to go Obama! 3 cheers..


note: I still cant stop myself imagining what a place this world could have been if Al Gore had indeed won then in 2000. hmm..atleast US seems to wake a bit late. Good luck US in these turbulent days- ur own making but!

Jumbo, adios!

Anil Kumble, the Jumbo in all sense is bidding farewell, deservedly but in his own inimitable style.
One wouldn’t expect him to hang on like many compatriots inspite of form ditching them, but one cudnt have imagined a better timing.
This Engineer by education proved to be more scientific than artistic as a spin bowler..there used to be jokes that his and Venkateshprasad’s roles were reversed;-)
None could have played cricket like chess as kumble very often demonstrated..set piece was a term used in soccer in the recent past but he is one guy who let it be used in cricket too! He really set the batsmen more with guile than spin wizardry. This astute bowler, when realized, he is struggling, just did one thing he always was noted for! being astute - in timing of his retirement too.
He is one guy who always stood for giving more than 100% . All those who struggled to get his wicket when the Indian batsmen would have been falling like 9 pins the other end would vouch for. For that matter did any of us think he would ever overtake kapil’s record! Such was his underplayed existence and style. But jumbo was jumbo in all achievements..yes, me included we would have cried at his failures, but none would have suspected his commitment. Even now, I was not gungho about his captaincy because it is 'template' oriented like Dravid, Tendul and all those typical old school Indian captains, but one cant suspect or hate him right?
There would be so many anecdotes that shall float but one I liked the most reflects jumbo’s attitude the best! After the aussies mauled us for 359 runs in the 2003 world cup finals, one can guess how the Indian dressing room would have been. Its then that jumbo apparently came up with his typical approach. It seems he said all that we need to do is score a boundary(4) off each over and then all they needed to do was take singles off the rest balls in every over. This way they would be left with some overs to spare! Post fact, with the knowledge of the grinding we got, it would sound ridiculous, but then, it was optimism unlimited! Which is what a team needs and if only the full team was as objective and filled with self belief as jumbo, that finals would have been different. Still, jumbo is jumbo! What say you?