Random Musings

While creating human being, God was under pressure to create a life that sustains. He didn't want to repeat the same mistakes that led to creation of dinosaurs or its ancestors. He wanted to create a species that will rule the world for thousands of years. 

God first created the human body. He put in a lot of efforts in designing the overall system and in assembling the various organs, with a lot of inter-linkages. He was very glad about what he created.

But he was not very sure if this is the best possible design. After all, many of the species that he thought were the best, didn't last long. His doubts took over him. 

So he wanted to give the human beings some of his powers . He wanted to make each individual very different from another, so that they start becoming better and better.  

Thus got created the mind.  

Like many of the good ideas failing due to poor execution, here was a trap. In all his excitement about creating the best species,  God didn't check the powers of the mind. He gave it infinite capabilities. 

Mind went on to become the master, changing the face of the world - It created infinite number of things - some tangible, some intangible. It is the human mind that is behind everything that we have in this world - from fire to spacecrafts, from arts to sports, from doctors to terrorists, from love to hate, from joy to sorrow. 

Our minds have taken over our lives so much that, it's impossible for most of us to differentiate between what we think and what thought comes to us ( Some other day, on this in detail) !

The most potent tool that mind has created to control a human being is Happiness. Happiness is a state of mind, after all. For most of us, happiness is the quest of life. 

Given that happiness is so addictive, the mind directs to get attached to the source of happiness. This attachment then becomes the source of grief. ( Buddha was right, all this time !)

Attachment to loved ones, to live a long life, to food , to work, to money, to power, to fame, to ideologies, to petty materialistic things keeps the human beings always in a state of anxiety. 

This anxiety lets the mind to take complete control of us, robbing us of the ability to think clearly and make rational decisions. 

The insatiable quest for happiness, and attaching happiness to something, and hence the fear of losing that something is mind's way of controlling all of us. 

Even in business, attachment has been the source of grief. 

Attachment to control has run down many promoter run businesses. Attachment to self (aka ego) has led to resistance to change, which has made many large companies irrelevant. Attachment to profits has led to loss of consumers. 

While it's practically impossible for normal human beings to not being attached to anything at all, it's important to be conscious of what we are trying to get attached to. 

Let's minimise our attachments, internalise our happiness, take control of our mind and enjoy the journey of life. Let's use the infinite power of mind to create goodness, spread kindness and love, and leave behind things that will stay long after we depart. 

The Sound of the Soul

A Thamizh proverb says,

வாய் விட்டு சிரித்தால் நோய் விட்டு போகும் 

A hearty laughter keeps diseases away

Laughter is one of the most under-rated things in the world. 

Laughter is the most human among all the "human-only" things in this planet. It is said that primates took almost 10-16 million years evolving the ability to laugh. Most of the animals cannot laugh, however hard they try ! Research shows that the expression of pleasure by the animals are limited to the extent of a minor variation in their breathing or making small unrecognizable sounds. 

We might have heard of a "Hyena Laugh" - the closest we could have associated laugh to an animal ! Check these links to know the reality behind the same

Video - Hyena Laugh

Why Hyenas Laugh

The inability to seek laughter is simply a waste of Nature's gift to mankind. 

While popular culture idolizes Smile as a virtue, Laughter gets looked down upon. More often than not, people raise eyebrows, if they see someone enjoying a full blown guffaw at a public place or a meeting. Forget about having the ability to laugh at themselves, how often do we see leaders (Business / Political) laughing out loud in public ? How did this even happen that having a good laugh is seen as a weakness ?

Even in Entertainment industry worldwide, comedy is not mainstream. We call the laughter artists as "Jokers", whereas they should actually be called as "Heroes" for all the free health service that they provide ! Wikipedia lists just 17 Comedy television networks in the World, and 5 in India ! 

Wiki : Comedy_television_networks

Wiki : Comedy_television_channels_in_India

The only silver lining is that the South Indian Film Industry is able to stand out, and sustain comedy as mainstream, thanks to the highly talented artists, across generations and across languages. There are dedicated comedy TV Channels with very high TRP ratings, making it a profitable business as well. The Vadivelu / Jagathy / Brahmanandam Memes have ensured that a daily dose of laughter is delivered through social media and messaging platforms non-stop. 

While physical fitness is mainstream, mental health continues to remain ignored. How many of us have ever recognized the power of laughter, when it comes to the innumerable health (Both physical and mental) benefits it can give ? The best part is that the laughter encourages people to come together, since a laughter generally gets better with a good company.

Let's Laugh out Loud, before it is too late !

The other social distancing

7 and a half years !

The time it has taken for me to come back to this small place of mine.
Last time I wrote a piece of blog, Sachin was still playing, I didn't have a smartphone or a WhatsApp account, I was on a prepaid 2G connection, meticulously comparing SMS packs and Full Talk Time offers !

I have come back to this long- forgotten small world of mine, to share my experiences with my other social distancing - complete quitting from Facebook and a near-complete quitting from Twitter.  It has been almost 18 months since I have used Facebook and it has been a great journey, so far. Thanks to Radhika for being the trigger !

I would like to share my realisations about social media, all of which occured to me after quitting.

1. It hardly adds any value to life / lifestyle


Myth

I will fall out of fashion. I will not "stay updated".

Reality

The good old newspaper still exists ! Nothing major has happened because I knew About a breaking news a few hours later

Whatsapp - the other big problem in my life, which I will talk about later, ensures that I don't miss out on anything, which my company or family wants me to know.

I don't think I missed out on any news in the last 18 months, except that some of my acquaintances got married / became new parent / switched jobs or cities. I don't feel the urge of knowing about everything that happens in everyone's life anymore.

2. It takes over your thought process

Myth

I am immune ! I will not let social media influence me.

Reality

I feel calm and more positive now. The world feels to be a far better place.

I realised that I felt more rage, anger, false sense of pride, stupid sense of superiority / inferiority . The business model of social networks lies on negative emotions.

3. It kills time

Myth

I spend only my spare time on social media

Reality

It takes away your invaluable personal time, which could have been a very productive time for mind and body.

On an average I used to open Facebook +Twitter apps 20-25 times a day, spending an average of 2 minutes every time.

7 and a half years - I wanted to be "liked" and "shared" . I feared ridicule, not anymore !

Direct to Hell !

Yesterday, when I woke up and logged into my facebook account, my wall was spammed by the news of hanging of Kasab. To show my presence in the society, I too pasted a link from "The Hindu" with a hatred comment, heartily cursing Ajmal Kasab to rot in hell. When I scrolled down the page, I saw mixed reactions and many posts against the capital punishment

To some extent, I too agree that capital punishment is against the principles of Ahimsa aka non-violence. Definitely, no human has the right to kill his fellow human being. Another murder can never be the solution for a murder. All those against capital punishment argued that some developed countries have totally eradicated capital murder. Some were right in pointing out that Kasab is merely a tool, and his hanging will not have any impact on those terrorist outfits.

But all these modern day "Ahimsawaadhis" must ask one question to themselves before agitating against capital punishment. Is killing Kasab the same as killing others ? Don't you realise that it is hundreds of your countrymen who got KILLED ? If you can kill mosquitoes as it will harm you, why cant you kill someone who put an end to the lives of hundreds, and to the happiness of thousands , for no wrong that they did ? 

We are considerate enough, human enough to hang him peacefully, that too after taking care of him for 4 years ! 

Ok mama ready !

After inaction for eight years, when pushed to the corner of being termed as a "junk", the Prime Minister wakes up and announces the "slew of reforms". Of course all the reforms mentioned by Government are highly commendable, and will really bring some foreign investment and foreign aid into the country

Some crisp takes on why it is actually necessary :

1. More than FDI in retail sector, it is FDI in supply chain structure.As all the players are expected to spend 50 % on back-end infrastructure
2. The inefficiencies in food supply are mainly due to the an ineffective supply chain. About 40% of fruits and vegetables produced every year are wasted before they reach the selling point. The foreign players alrady have experience in all other countries. So they can use this to provide better services in India too.
3. Farmers get only 10-12% of the selling price of an horticulture product. With the advent of foreign players, this ratio will definitely be higher, as 30% of sourcing for these players should come from local SMEs
4. Employment opportunities in retail, agro-processing, sorting ,etc. to the tune of 15 lakhs
5. Despite 100% FDI in cold chain, it is not so efficient mainly due to the improper retail sector

Will it harm the people ?

• Yes, it will affect kirana stores in the 53 Indian cities.
• No, it will not harm kirana stores which are far off from these malls, because kirana stores provide a personalised experience to consumers and Indian consumers are unlikely to shift loyalty
• No, it wont harm farmers, because Government reserves the right to first procurement. It will infact benefit the farmers by ensuring good price for their products
• No, it wont affect SMEs at any cost
• No, they cant eat out competition by providing very low prices. Because at very low prices they lose out a lot, in this restrictive policy

So dear politicians, stop playing game, stand up and support our Prime minister who has waken up after so many years, and who seems to be stubborn in his position for the first time after the N-deal

Shameless 790

Voting days in India have never failed to create the feeling of a carnival . A 75 percent voting is seen as an achievement. Voting booths get celebrity status, when celebrities visit it. Stories of leaders standing in queue with normal people become sensational headlines. All the efforts put in by Election Commission, thousands of policemen and polling officials, and more importantly the votes of half a billion voters , seem to be a total time waste, after seeing what is happening in the Parliament.

Crores of Rupees are spent in conducting a Parliament session. Also at a time when country is facing serious issues like serious internal security threats, Viloence in Assam, Economic slowdown, Failure of Monsoon, Pending bills and legislations, no party is willing to take parliament seriously. The oppositions see their strength in stalling the Parliament, over one issue or the other. Either one opposition party or the other puts its best effort in creating ruck-us in the Parliament. Opposition parties, which are considered to be pillars of Democracy behave as if they are there only to stall Parliaments.

There seems to be no end to these ruck-us, and if this continues people will lose faith in the institution of Democracy. Here are some suggestions to Government, born out of sheer anger and disappointment

• If Parliament cannot function for 5 continuous days when a session is in Progress, all the MPs salary for one year must be cut
• If Parliament does not function for a day, a compensation for that day must be held on the sunday of the same week
• If a Minister is not present in Parliament for 10 days in a session(unless it is an official foreign trip ), he must be removed from ministry and should be barred from contesting in next elections. 
• We do not need sick MPs. An MP who cannot attend Parliament during a session cannot serve people of his constituency. MPs must be sacked for long absence
• The process for asking questions in Question hour must be made simple
• A press meet must be convened by Parliamentary affairs Minister before every session begins and the agenda for the session must be set. 

Boss. After all, it is our money !

Teacher - My first and foremost teachers

Having born as a son of a teacher ,and as a grandson of two teachers , I respect my real teachers to a great extent. Over this series , I would share my experiences about, the teachers who have impacted my life, the lives of teachers of the past, the challenges faced by teachers of present and future. Possibly, this series could
end by Teacher's day

My first and foremost teachers are my grandfathers and grandmothers, who have bestowed all their knowledge on me. My grandfather has been the sole person who made me believe, that I can write and speak in English. His Grammar is impeccable, and I would have been nothing in English without him. Being a retired school Headmaster, with an experience of 35 years, he is an unmatchable genius, in his own style. Even today, he is most updated with all current affairs and would easily breeze through any B School Interview. He incorporated the system of studying in me in very small age, and is the prime reason for me being a consistent academic performer throughout my life. He is the greatest Encyclopedia regarding post independence Indian history, and he knows how India evolved as a nation. He generated a lot of interest in me to stay updated. Had I done 10 percent of what he told, I would have been a much better person in life.

My grandmother is such an avid reader that she shows keen interest in reading anything from politics to film gossips. She is the person who has been my greatest childhood playing companion. She introduced Rama, Ravana, Krishna, Shiva, Muruga to me. She introduced Cricket, stumps, 4s and 6s. Without her I wouldnt have known Gandhi, Akbar, Babar. All the History lessons I learnt were nothing but a summarised English version of her narrations. The pain she has taken to make me write the Tamil Alphabets is unbelievable. She is a teacher whom I cannot forget.

I am nothing without the best mentors of my life- my parents. I was never questioned. They never doubted my capabilities as a person. They asked me to stay away from home inorder to grow. The pain they took in shaping my character are inexpressible. I would attain the purpose of my life, if I can remain as a responsible and caring son. 

My father took me for every possible place. He made me utilise all the opportunities that a tier-3 city provided. Whatever I know about relations and human behaviour, which made me survive in life, are the knowledge which they made me acquire. 

Road beyond Raisina hill

After providing the much needed pedigree for news channels, the uncertainity over who will be the next Indian President has come to an end . Congress managed to retain its moral authority as the ruling party, thanks to Mulayam and Mayawathi. The election of Pranab Mukherjee to the top post has a lot of political implications, which might impact the political situations in the country

1. All lost, but...

Congress has lost grounds in all states and most probably they will face defeat in the assembly elections this year end . There is little chance that they will be back in power in 2014.With the Prime Minister getting unpopular in the country, it makes little sense to project him as prime ministerial candidate next time. And the good old Pranab was sent to retirement as well. It will be ideal for the congress to project Rahul Gandhi as prime ministerial candidate, to garner atleast the youth votes. They will pretty much know they are fighting a losing battle in 2014. Next elections will be used as a chance to groom the prince of the dynasty

2. Changing of the guard 

With the departure of Pranab, a prominent position in congress is vacant and also he leaves the GoM on various issues. So it is time to invent new leaders for the congress , and new ministers for the cabinet. In the next cabinet reshuffle, it is most likely that young ministers like Jitin Prasad, Sachin Pilot, Scindia will be given cabinet ranks and it will be interesting to see how young ministers work.

3.Deal of Confidence

With the backdoor deal on the DA case, being struck between Congress and Samajwadi Party, the news is very clear. SP wants to consolidate on its Akilesh Yadav Government in Uttar Pradesh, for which it needs financial assistance from the centre. This ensures UPA government is not going to be toppled and the Lok sabha will complete its full term. This will give the Congress a free hand in pushing through the long pending reforms . 

4.Firebrand fails to fire

With the arrival of "self seeking politicians discarding ethics" , Mamata Banerjee has lost her hold on UPA. She was instrumental in ensuring that the reforms hit a road block in the last 3 years. Congress should be more than happy to get rid of her. It will be interesting to note how long will Mamata remain in UPA, because once she comes out of UPA, West Bengal is not going to get the funds that they get now. Starting from FDI in retail and rollback in railway budget, she has tried to project herself as a leader of the common man, and has been a big head ache to the Government. Didi's political moves from now on, will have great impact on her future in national politics !

5.Scattered opposition

They cheered that the rift was wide open in their opposite camp ; they smelled the chances of a mid term election. But very soon, he tables turned on them ! With the inability to reach a consensus on presidential polls inside its alliance, NDA is in deep trouble. With the Nitish kumar- Narendra Modi rift wide open, and with lots of Prime ministerial aspirants in its top brass, troubles are multiplying for NDA every day. If Modi claims to be the prime ministerial candidate citing his success in Gujarat, Shivraj Chauhan may brace himself for the same citing his possible re-election in MP after the assembly polls earlier next year. It is miserable that a person like Advani with 50 years of experience in Parliament is rendered powerless, and that he is seen as an impediment by his own partymen. With a lack of sense and direction , and infighting in BJP, NDA might dissolve, leading to a Nitish-Jayalalitha-Patnaik-YSR-Mamata alliance, leading to a deep stability crisis, post 2014. 

Myths and facts about CEG - 1

Like every other institute, CEG also has its pros and cons, positives and negatives. Starting with this post, I would like to bring to light, some of the myths about CEG, and about many positives of CEG.

Fact 1 :

The history of the college is something which every CEGian must be proud of . The college is 218 years old, and bears the tag of the oldest Engineering college in the country. Prior to the existence of IITs, CEG was the place which sheltered the best Engineering minds in the country. Even after so many years of its establishment, the college remains as one of the premier Engineering institutes in the country, which bears a testimony to its consistency in producing (good) Engineers. 

Another reason which makes CEG so unique is its strong Alumni base. The Alumni network of CEG , if fully uncovered, will be the greatest ever, because it is 200 years old ! Serious steps are being taken by The Alumni Association of CEG (AACEG) the members of CEGAM. With its ever expanding alumni base, CEGians should be able to find their alums in any part of this world, and can seek their guidance for everything they need. 

Resurrected - June 1, 2012

And yeah. It is a long time since I abandoned this blog. I left it like a mother abandoning a female infant, and I did not realize what a blunder I have committed till some people asked me why i left blogging. And here I am back in this blog to stay forever, to share whatever I feel, to give vent to my emotions.

All the best daring darlings !

We are family!! Thank you Sachin!!!!!!

482 runs in 9 matches with 2 centuries, 2 half centuries, and the maximum number of sixes by any Indian batsman. The person who placed his country and his game above everything in his life has got a fitting reward after 21 years of endurance. He might have all the records in his kitty but nothing would have satisfied Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar as much as this world cup. After all, he finally played his part in bringing glory to his country. Arguably , Sachin is the one of the most patriotic cricketers ever in the history of the game. And the cricket Gods have rightly adorned  him with the crown and now Sachin has made yet another record!! He is the first player to play a world cup final at his home ground , and he has won it!!

The madness with which the religion of Cricket is being followed all over the country , and particularly in this Engineering island in Guindy is absolutely amazing. Over the last 10 days, nothing went really wrong for the crazy people over here, and we enjoyed damn good cricket. We had to go to the tv hall (which was as hot as a mine), an hour before the starting of the match to get seated. The only time when the tv hall was relatively empty was when Sachin got out yesterday and the scorecard read 31/2. Whenever there was a misfield, whenever a batsman gets out for a stupid shot, and whenever someone in the opposition does well, they were subjected to horrible abuses. Each and every run and each and every dot ball was cheered.  We never had a feeling that we were infront of TV set. We all enjoyed as though we were in a stadium. Newspapers were torn into pieces and thrown in air every now and then. Cricket bridged gaps between us, we came to know each other better, new friendships were made.

All these days, we had one common religion, one big festival, and one main deity called Sachin Tendulkar. Kudos to Cricket!!

Miss U my dear

I feel very hollow now. My GATE exam is round the corner, with not even a word prepared for it. My CAT classes are there. The grilling lab exams , records,assessments everything is there. There is not much time left for Q Quest too. Vision is round the corner. Its 3 weeks already since I left home but it does not bother me. I have a lot of work to be done. But I still feel hollow. And it is because of one little thing which left all of us all alone - the K!
Shooting orders to juniors, arranging for logistics, thinking always about conducting the event properly, doing online marketing , checking the process flow again and again, saying to each and every person about the event , getting encouragement, appreciation for one second and getting nailed in the next, getting engaged in fights with teammates and seniors, I was out of this world for a week.
I have never ever been this much busy in my life , and have never ever handled these much problems in my life. K! taught me a lot of new things. All the 3 days I was representing my college. I was representing the Anna university. Everyone saw the college through us and the huge responsibility of salvaging the pride of college fell in our young shoulders. With each and every event attracting around 800 participants, this K! became bigger than what I expected.
All the tiredness was there in the body for a day and from last night I am feeling unusually hollow , as if something has left me in my life! After commanding and instructing management students for 3 days, I have to return back to my classroom again taking useless notes and hearing to electronics and communication which will never fetch me any happiness.
Life in CEG seems pointless once again!!

Fun with maths!!

Celebrations???

The new year has dawned and it simply makes no difference to me. I am up against the people celebrating new year with a frenzied madness as if it is yet another diwali or christmas or ramzan. After all, this new year is not even a regular central government holiday and it is merely the start of yet another month. I strongly feel these new year celebrations show our addiction towards the western culture, and it  has demoralized and spoiled the Indian tradition and culture. With an increasing number of divorce cases and an increase in the number of the so called "crimes of passion", it seems our tradition and culture will become a thing of the past. Every new year symbolizes an increase in the number of parties and nothing else. I just wonder what Bharathiyar would have dreamed of had he been alive today!! He would have wished for a sensible and a responsible younger generation!

A Forgotten Hero

In the years to come, the growth of India is going to be tremendous certainly. With a rising middle class and promising young leaders, India will be in a respectable position atleast by 2030. We may not be able to do what China has done in the last few decades. But certainly we will be a stronger, more self reliant and a developed country by that time. When we turn back and see where it all started, the roots would be lying in the vision of this great man. It is astonishing that the country and media has quite forgotten this great leader, who showed the way how to perform even when people around him were digging traps for him. His speech in Ayodhya a few days before the demolition is possibly the only thing which makes people feel bad about him. Except for that Vajpayee was a man who deserves the maximum respect.
He did not bow down to U.S pressure. He was bold enough to lead us during tough,testing times. He gave his heart out to develop good relationship with Pakistan. He was a strong and a tall leader.In an era where most of the Indian politicians seem reluctant to retire from active politics for the sake of power and money, this great leader announced his retirement from active politics!! Whether he is conferred with it or not, he is really a Bharath Ratna!! Happy birthday Atal ji!!

NRI

It is great to have a cup of tea inhaling fresh air gazing at the beautiful mountain behind my home. . With a single 60 watt bulb and the lonely satellite of our planet to light it up, the terrace is the most beautiful place of our small home . We are barely a kilometre from the foothills of the mountain,which houses a lonely temple at its top. 10 years ago, there was hardly a green patch in this gigantic mountain. Thanks to the efforts of  jakki vasudev, the mountain has turned greener and we no more feel its radiations during hot summer. In ten years time, I am pretty sure that this mountain becomes as green as any hill in Yercaud. It is very hard to accept that I have to leave my hometown in three or four years time.
I am just wondering what sort of creatures those non returning Indians are!! It is shocking to know that 80% of Indian students going abroad for studies never return back to India.  How can they miss their homes, their families, their loved ones for the sake of stupid careers? What sort of bloody satisfaction do those American dollars and British pounds give them? What makes them run blindly behind money ? What are they going to achieve in life by means of huge bank balances ? Leaving their aged parents in loneliness and not attending them even during their last days, what really drives them is quite a mystery.
Only donkeys can eat paper money.

SQC

This single letter is going to be so influential in my career and life. The Students Quality Club is pretty interesting. The concepts of Quality , and the joy and pain of team work kindles the flame in me to become a leader. Even if I had been a member of some other club or forum, I would not have had this much satisfaction.  I feel like am at my school with my people when I enter this SQC building. Thanks a lot SQC!!

Antha arabi kadaloram

Despite a very long travel , poor organization and a worse food crisis for vegetarians, goa IV is certainly one of the best things in my life so far. A terrific rain in goa, saturday being a holiday in the oceanography institute(our iv spot), the DJ nite at cruise , the restaurants which price beers at Rs.15 and water at Rs.20, the beautiful train journey along the konkan coast , the mind blowing journey standing at the steps of the train,screaming something. yelling O's and Aaaaa's for almost everything. ( My favourite one was "EF batch attu figure ku oru aaaa podu") , watching Narasimma movie in bus, going for a trekking and reaching the top of a hill to have a look at the centuries old caves, shooting of narasimma-2 with anand sir and sayeed sir. Hmmmmmm.. These 5 days will never come back again in my life.

பாரதியார்

He is the great man who stood up against almost every hurdle in his life. His poems can guide you in times of difficulties and when your confidence level is low. I can proudly say that I have read the works of this great Indian. Thanks to puducheri Government which has come out with a website in his name.I have no qualification to speak about this hero . Have a look at
http://www.puducherry.com/bharathiar/  before leaving this page :)

India's first cabinet

 The first Indian cabinet formed on 15th August 1947 consisted of the following members,

Jawaharlal Nehru - Primeminister; External Affairs & common wealth- relations; Scientific Research

Sardar Vallabhbahai Patel - Home, Information & Broadcasting ; States

Dr.Rajendra Prasad - Food & Agriculture

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad - Education

Dr.John Mathai - Railways & Transport

R.K.shanmugham Chetty- Finance

Dr.B.R.Ambedkar- Law

Jagjivan Ram - Labour

Sardar Baldev Singh - Defence

Raj Kumari Amrit Kaur - Health

C.H.Bhabaha - commerce

Rafi Ahmed Kidwai - Communication

Dr.Shyam Prasad Mukherji - Industries & supplies

V.N.Gadgil - Works, Mines & power


PS:It took me a lot of googling to get a list of India's first cabinet ministers and the wikipedia does not have any record of India's first cabinet. It is an irony that even the official website of the Indian Government www.india.gov.in has no record of these greatest Indians. It does not feature even a photograph of Raj Kumari Amrit Kaur( first woman cabinet minister)!! It is highly worrying that the Indian Government is not properly utilizing its website. It is important that the moments of post Independence Indian history are properly recorded, and its heroes are properly recognized. Else the future generation may never learn about the architects of India.