Is it In(dian)herent?

It was at the tip of the Indian Peninsula. I was at this place they call Kanyakumari, where I landed during an undestined trip. And then, there were these two other tourist guyz, with an English daily in their hand, and seeming so overwhelmed about something. I was busy looking at this Sadhu who was writing what people call destiny;) through my camera lens...

when I heard the reason. One of them spoke out that an Indian had won a Nobel Prize. I thought it was finally time to kiss at the feet of my motherland. But the fact was a little hard to digest for me.

"In all the 109 years since its institution, only one "Indian", Sir Chandrashekar Venkata Raman, has been worthy enough to receive it. Now, all of a sudden, another Indian!?! Wait. Let me look into this in more detail." So, I got hold of the newspaper from these guys. And when I saw the title reading Dr. Ramakrishnan Venkataraman (that's another Venkataraman.) indeed gave me an Indianized feeling. But it also made it all clear. "Indian born scientist wins Chemistry Nobel". Okay. That's it... another Prof Khorana in the list...

Well... not to complain of the "Indian Born" who won the prestigious reward for their intellect. But why do we take anything that is "Manufactured In India, Made elsewhere" as "Indian"? Are we unable to realize the fact that the very people that we call "Indians" have already given it up long ago? I certainly agree to the reason that this country is still not able to provide the best of facilities for research, for all possible reasons. But as long as such Intellectuals do not ask for, how is it that they expect things to fall into place? And unless they decide firm on staying back, how is it that they would ask for?

Coming back to the Indian Layman's "Manufactured in India..." problem... Is it that we are still not able to understand, that the prestige of winning has still not come to our country? What is the reason for the rejoicing some other country's success? We want every child in this country of a billion and more, only to be God damn Software Engineers! or a few rich or talented ones, Doctors. Being anything else is a taboo here, unless it's absolutely difficult to score high in the Pre-Uni courses. Unfortunately, even the number of people in international committees on Pure sciences representing India has been less than a handful. When is it that we will stop enforcing professions, and let people decide their own way of life, like that Sadhu... who's apparently doing it. When is it, that we will celebrate another Nobel laureate from our own country??? When will this ambition of Stockholm be fulfilled?

Oh and yes, speaking of ambitious dreams, I did complete a part of my other ambition... happened to visit Kanyakumari, and southern Kerala over a week... well... almost. Do visit...

वाह रे Network, वाह रे mobile...

overheard an argument about better networks, saw a lady blocking the market way,
found a friend too busy, and even the real use of cell-phones... it was apparently to talk only to girlfriends/boyfriends!!

too many things about mobiles and networks today...
and when anon came to know of it, this is what it all ended with...

क्या idea है सरजी आपका, जो कहा आपने "walk while you talk"
पर लागे है सब कुछ बकवास , if you don't watch while you walk.
देखा जो मैंने आज किसी को "walking-talking" करते हुए,
न जाने क्यों चल रहे थे वो रास्ता रोके, धक्के खाते हुए।

बातें हो जब इतनी सारी तो पैसे क्यों बरबाद करें?
second के हिसाब से चलके क्यों ना अपना bill भरें?
चाहिए अगर फिर भी आपको, selected लोगों से बातें करना,
चिंता की कोई बात नही, zoozoo जो साथ मे है ना!

सोचें अगर आप cartoon और कुत्ता बनाते नहीं आप का कारोबार,
dial कीजिये toll free Bharti को, शायद call उठा ले कोई at least एक बार।
इसी लिए तो कहते हैं government undertaking सबसे बेहतर है,
Ad मे तो यही कहते हैं... की "हिन्दुस्तान बोल रहा है"!

Network जो भी हो, इरादे तो नही बदलती है,
जिन्हें देख न सके, उनसे बातें तो हो जाती है।
जो भी हो, मिला है जो offer उसका सही इस्तेमाल करो,
girlfriend, boyfriend ही नही, कभी दूसरे दोस्तों को भी याद करो!

Over... But Out!?!?

A long time since i've really felt like doing some activity here. But this stuff...! i should be mentioning it here... for it has been something so very dear to me...

It all began formally in 2005, when the big-guns gave a go ahead. By Nov 2008, it had reached it's culmination... Ever since, it's been something so fascinating... something that's redefinened, in short, ourselves. and then, sometime by April this year, a small snag developed somewhere and brought in problems. Things were still alive until last week. Everything was still somehow under control. Some minor activities had already been stopped, but the important talk still continued. Last week, just past the mid of night, for some unknown reason, everything stopped. There was no response. It was game over for a long standing relationship. so to say., mission control could no more communicate with the spacecraft. It was all Over!!! But so goes a saying: "well begun is half done."., and here... it went to more than just the beginning... It was far more than the beginning, a journey, that was not intended to end so soon... (Read a journey that should have not ended!)

But again, all good things come to an end... And this was such a beautiful thing... Built on the faith of so many! As it all terminates, it opens up newer avenues... leaving for us, its share of lessons... to be incorporated into the future...

No Regrets! the job is done... and this will stay in memories for ever...

and then i missed it...

it all started on the 24th of October 1995... days when i did not know anything about superstitions or omens... at 11 years, all that i cared for... was the hand held video game that my ajji's neighbor's daughter had lent me.. i was happily spending time at my "Ajji Mane" in Padmanabhanagar.

The Precedence:
the day before., the 23rd of Oct 1995 is etched into my memory for ever... it was this day that i asked my first question in science. Prof Ramachandra Rao was giving a 2 day seminar on Vedic Chemistry at Aksharam. little did i understand that Chemistry and Physics were different... after that day's session, i walked up to him, and this was the conversation...

"ಅಂಕಲ್, ನಮ್ಮಪ್ಪ ಹೇಳಿದ್ರು light speed 3 lakh kilometers ಅಂತೆ... ಹೌದಾ?
"ಹೌದಪ್ಪ, ಅದು ಒಂದು secondಗೆ ಅಷ್ಟು ದೂರ ಹೋಗತ್ತೆ."
"ಹಾಗಿದ್ದರೆ ಅದನ್ನ correct ಅಂತ ಹೆಂಗೆ ಹೇಳ್ತೀರಾ? ಅದನ್ನ ಹೆಂಗೆ check ಮಾದಿದ್ದ್ರು? ಭೂಮಿ ಅಷ್ಟು ದೊಡ್ದದಿಲ್ಲ್ವಲ್ಲ..."
he said he'd let me know about it the next day. (i don't know if he did not know the answer at that point, or did not want a 11 year old to be confused with such "Weird" stuff...) but i was not there the next day i.e. on the 24th... my dad told me he mentioned me more than once on that day...he'd just got back from the seminar at Aksharam.

The First:
My dad came back and woke me out of my reverie... and took me out to watch the sun with a shard of brown glass...
it was the first time i was looking into him. i could see him slowly being engulfed by something that was not visible through the filter. when i removed it, i saw the moon eating up the sun. it was my first solar eclipse. i could not contain my excitement, and saw the partial eclipse that was in Bangalore all through from the begin till the end.
a celestial love was kindled within me... ever since, i have been a faithful follower of every eclipse that could be seen from wherever I've been... unfortunate though, that I've never been in the path of a total solar eclipse...

This July 22nd, when i heard it would be a 60-70% eclipse for Bangalore, i was excited. for it would be the maximum eclipse i'd have seen. after having seen clear skies around 5:15 AM, i pulled out my T-scope and prepared myself to follow the sun. less than 5 minutes later, nothing but gray could be seen... the clouds had already pulled down curtains on a spectacle before it had begun... :(
thought it was just another of the lost opportunities.,(the fourth so far...) and went ahead with the day... that night had something really big for me. the news channels were all busy showing the "Diamond Rings"... mighty, beautiful, and sparkilng rings before the sun was completely eaten up...After having known so much over the years about eclipses, i felt so miserable for not having been able to take a glimpse of all this... miserable to such an extent, that a morsel would not go down my throat... still convincing myself that all that happens, happens for a reason...
doesn't it hurt when you lose the most romantic of rings...???
here's a glimpse of it...

Varanasi, 22ndJul 09
Image courtesy:ToI.

.

Three years and a spect...

It's 3 years since i've taken my first appointments in a few hours from now... and like anything else, it's been ups-downs-ups all through... after all the while, here's what Anon had to say of it.
It seems like it were only yesterday,
that an opportunity came along his way.
He's one with a quest to know, never to saturate.

Just days after he'd been called a Graduate,
someone had offered him a job so big.
However, today it all seems to be a jig.
Even after three years of retrospect,
he wonders at his own prospect.

Responsibility for him's been a sacred task,
and he's taken them all behind a happy mask.
For having done his duties, he still feels proud,
but keeps searching for the silver lining in his cloud.
He'll be himself after living through a drought,
the day his passions will overcome his thought.

-Anon

realizations of a "Ridetime"

Is something wrong?? I don't know. I only realized what I'd been doing at home. I was a schoolboy riding on the city roads. Some silly things I did... absolutely silly...

Fired somebody with a double barrel at a traffic signal for being a nuisance...
winked at her when i received a friendly smile...
rode like a small kid riding on an empty road, making "wheeee"stlinging noizzes...
got my bike to a halt at another traffic signal like a "Car"toon choking to a halt...
stopped all of a sudden to thank someone for letting me pass...
caught a few raindrops after getting back home, and sipped them... They were nectarine:D
intentionally went out and drenched myself head to toe...
and the silliest!!! well, felt i should tell the world all that i did today...

Does anyone know what's happened to me???

Dawn.

The Sun has not yet appeared in the horizon,
people around this place have still not arisen.
Another beautiful bright day breaks in town,
as Ms.World comes out of her darkness' gown.

The colors of dawn are so astounding to see.
Wondering if this is how heavens would be...
In a while everything will be like it always is,
the ruffled sounds and sights, as another day proceeds.

-Anon