India and Development

SciDev net is a good website, talking about issues like Open Access and other technological developments. I found this piece interesting. "India's new challenge on technology policy"

Creativity

"Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing,taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, learning from them and above all having fun... ! ! ! "

Isn't it an amazing way to define creativity???

Rocking weekend

This weekend was once again Team Building session from office. Being in the enabling division of any company is good and bad. On one hand you get high visibility and on the other you will have to sacrifice for being famous (:-P). So there went my weekend with this team building, just that I had to be a team player and a co-ordinate too...Some dual role.

Saturday was the regular corporate games, cricket with a difference(first ball to be bowled with the opposite hand and such controlling rules), difference was quite much, we played in the rain...must say it was amazing fun. After an hours refreshing break, we started off on a treasure hunt, in places not thought off...with a candle, torches and mobiles in hand, we went around hunting for treasure. Hindrances were snakes, darkness, electric poles which were waiting to give someone a tight hug. An hour of this dark adventure, and what best way to relax...the dance floor. While most of them enjoyed the dance floor, lesser known mortals like me hit the bed just when the clock heralded the new day.

Sunday, wake up at 6 a.m is like a far off dream, but that turned into a reality y'day. The entire group of 35 ready and raring to go. We went rappelling. A small hillock, 80 ft high. The minute I saw the ropes dangling I wanted to run away from there. But as we sat there nibbling at our sand wiches and watching the instructor do it, it didn't look like a tuff task altogether (just look and thought here). After about 45 minutes, I decided to try this daring stunt. The harness tied around, all set, I go to the end of the cliff.....a there I go freezzeee...I just could not move, I heard my people cheering and asking me to move on, but my limbs just don't take the signal. At one point I feel, I am going to fall with a thud, just then I pulled myself up and came back...Breathed the fresh air told myself buck up and then got onto the rope and before I realized I was there down with my friends....the 5-6 mins of pulling myself down was something which I will never forget.

With another adventure story tucked under my cap, got back to the resort and then after a good breakfast and a equally excellent lunch, came back home to break my sleeping record, I slept for 14 hours at a stretch...Could not believe myself, but I did it.

Here again to face a crazy week :)

Keh Do Samander Say Ki Hum os Kay Moti Hain
Dariya Ki Tarah Tumsay Milnay Nahin Aayengay

Confusions confusion...That's seem to be the trend these days.

The entire nation is not sure if they did the right thing by voting for a party, which has a legacy of some big names (for right and wrong reasons), and right now being headed by a foreigner. Everyone is skeptic about having a foreigner as a Prime Minister.

This is the talk of town, or do we say universe? Every office, nook and corner of the country is abuzz with election postmortem. How could this happen. A few interesting pieces which I came across.

Washington post, talks about The Upset in India. The editorial praises the Vajpayee government for their bold steps towards testing nuclear bombs, improving relationship with Pakistan and other nations. Describing the Gandhian hold over the country, they editor goes on to say the US-India relationship will suffer becoz of the new government.

The Gaurdian carries a interesting write by Ms. Arundhati Roy(remember her???), she says, Let us hope the darkness has passed . Ms Roy is surely not a supporter of the Left parties, she lashes the left parties for their overtly (but ineffectively) critical reforms, which has lead to their debacle. But as we celebrate, she also points out that the Cong and BJP don't have major differences over every major issue the country is facing. To quote her "We know the legacy of the Congress led us to the horror of the BJP. Still, we celebrate because surely a darkness has passed."

Our very own The Hindu, analyzes The meaning of the Verdict of 2004. The editor says "Without losing their head in any way, refusing to be fooled by grandiose slogans, keeping their eye on issues that matter ? above all, livelihood and national unity ? more than 350 million of them who turned out to vote have produced a big upset." They say that this is the first election after 1977 when the entire prediction have gone for a toss. Shows that the electorate is getting matured over the day (or do we say irresponsible?).

At one end of the globe people have given their verdict, not very far from us, condemnable activity has taken place in Iraq. Do we point this out to the drudgery of modern technology? Impact of this is very nicely discused in this blog

Is the future going to be good or bad, only time will tell.

Amidst all this I am also facing quite some confusions. 3 close friends are getting married all through the weekend, One in bangalore, one in chennai and one in Mysore. Each of them as special as special can be. How dI i attend all of them? Bangalore is no problem since its on Friday, but what about my dear city and Amma's city? A no will be the worst thinI i can do to them on their special day. Oh God, rasta dikha please!!!!

Eitherways, have a good weekend fella's, feels nice to make a long post after long :)

A excellent piece....

There are two days in every week about which we should not worry,
Two days which should be kept free from fear and apprehension.

One of these days is Yesterday,
With all its mistakes and cares, its faults and blunders, its aches and pains.
Yesterday has passed forever beyond our control.
All the money in the world cannot bring back Yesterday.
We cannot undo a single act we performed;
We cannot erase a single word we said.
Yesterday is gone forever.

The other day we should not worry about is Tomorrow,
With all its possible adversities, its burdens, its large promise and its poor performance;
Tomorrow is also beyond our immediate control.
Tomorrow's sun will rise, either in splendor or behind a mask of clouds, but it will rise.
Until it does, we have no stake in Tomorrow, for it is yet to be born.

This leaves only one day, Today.
Any person can fight the battle of just one day.
It is when you and I add the burdens of those two awful eternities Yesterday and Tomorrow that we break down.

It is not the experience of Today that drives a person mad,
it is the remorse or bitterness of something which happened Yesterday
and the dread of what Tomorrow may bring.

Let us, therefore, Live but one day at a time

Whoa!! blogger has a new look...neat...its a good try by blogger to get me to blogging everyday. Lets see how successful they would be ;)

BTW> if u guys have any liking towards ebooks, please write to me

Muchas Gracias

This morning, Radio City played the evergreen, ever-wonderful, ever-romantic, song from Silsila..."Yeh kahan aagaye hum, yunhi saath saath chalte...". The weather cloudy, the light breeze and the song just blended so well giving it the perfect start to the cloudy morning....from then on, am completely hooked on to songs from that movie.

I am going to be cribbing if I say, its criminal to be working on such a lovely day. Why don't corporate's have summer vacation? As a kid I hated vacations, becoz I had no where to go, and now I long for vacations...what contradiction in life...anyways Life is beautiful :))

The below quote was sent as a Quote of the day from someone in wipro, reached me after going all over the world ;)

Usually when people are sad and angry over something, they don't do anything. They just cry over their condition. Holding on to anger, resentment and hurt only gives you tense muscles, a headache and a sore jaw from clenching your teeth. Forgiveness gives you back the laughter and the lightness in your life.

Malcolm X (1925 - 1965), Malcolm X Speaks, 1965

If people never did silly things, nothing intelligent would ever get done.
- Ludwig Wittgenstein

There is something absolutely marvellous in this ghazal.
Read on

justjoo-e-sehr mai'n rehta hoo'n
fikr e ilm o hunar mai'n rehta hoo'n

tum samajhtey ho ghar mai'n rehta hoo'n
mai'n ki diwaar o dar mai'n rehta hoo'n

ba'd marney k sub hi rehtey hai'n
mai'n tao zinda qabar mai'n rehta hoo'n

naam letey huey bhi darta hoo'n
mai'n ik aisey shehr mai'n rehta hoo'n

apney bacchey ko bhaij kar school
mai'n hama waqt fikar mai'n rehta hoo'n

teri aa'nkho'n mai'n kuch tao hey warna
kiun mai'n inkey asar mai'n rehta hoo'n

hoo'n mai'n taara kisi ki aa'nkho'n ka
aur kisi ki nazar mai'n rehta hoo'n

mod deta hoo'n rukh hawaao'n key
khud hamesha bha'nwar mai'n rehta hoo'n

ho mulaqaat kis tarah tum se
mai'n tao aksar safar mai'n rehta hoo'n

jitna bacchta hoo'n khud numaai se
wutna ziyada khabar mai'n rehta hoo'n

mujh se asrar poochtey kya ho
kya bataoo'n kidhar mai'n rehta hoo'n

Some snoring quotes! (Dont snore away reading them :P)

Snoring--anyone know a cure?
Malcolm S. Forbes

There ain't no way to find out why a snorer can't hear himself snore.
MARK TWAIN

Laugh and the world laughs with you, snore and you sleep alone.
ANTHONY BURGESS

Sleep is when all the unsorted stuff comes flying out as from a dustbin upset in a high wind.
WILLIAM GOLDING

On his side of the bed Mr. Judson began to conduct a full-scale orchestra, and every instrument had sat out in the rain.
MRS. PATRICK CAMPBELL

He slept more than any other President, whether by day or night. Nero fiddled, but Coolidge snored.
H. L. MENCKEN

There's only one cure for snoring: insomnia.
ANONYMOUS

Father's snoring grows to soundincreasingly like a vacuum cleanerin heat.
MARGARET HALSEY

My husband's snoring is not always so bad. Sometimes it drowns out the noise of passing trains.
ANONYMOUS

There is no such thing as silence.
JOHN CAGE

All men whilst they are awake are in one common world, but each of them, when he is asleep, is in a world of his own.
PLUTARCH

I never sleep comfortably except when I am at a sermon or when I pray to God.
RABELAIS

Come, cuddle your head on my shoulder,
Dear, Your head like the golden-rod,
And we will go sailing away from here
To the beautiful land of Nod.
ELLA WHEELER WILCOX

Even where sleep is concerned, too much is a bad thing.
HOMER

His sleep was a sensuous gluttony of oblivion.
P.D. JAMES

Weariness
Can snore against the flint when resty sloth
Finds the down pillow hard.
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

Soft closer of our eyes!
Low murmur of our lullabies.
JOHN KEATS

To all, to each, a fair goodnight,And pleasing dreams, and slumbers light.
SIR WALTER SCOTT

A Text...
The sleep of a laboring man is sweet.
-Ecclesiastes 5:12