Sunday, 25 December 2011
The One and All
Friday, 23 September 2011
The Big Guns Vs the Young Ones
Adrenaline rush among players is nothing unheard of but to live the experience from the stands while cheering one’s throats dry is definitely something out of this world. It is simply magic to catch a good game live and unfold in front of your eyes. Every point scored, every sigh let out, every leap of joy, cry of pain, and each and every shout for cheer is passion personified. I wonder why our stands are not brimming at every game, since there is nothing compared to experiencing the sporting passion which goes deep into the sinews of every young player.
Tuesday, 13 September 2011
Constructs or Conscience
Nothing came to us from the so called 'heaven'.(all problems will come to an end if we realise that we have no other place to go to wash away our sins or to be punished. Every thing happens on this planet ).Nothing is given to us.
All religions are 'Constructs"
Men like Prophet Muhammed, Jesus, guru Nanak and many others raised their voice against injustice and the wrongs prevailing in their societies at a particular point in time. Their idea was to lead the oppressed into the world of freedom. Now we are in the 21st century, times have changed, our needs have changed, so why do keep fighting over our age old religious texts. Why is just one particular religion targeted for being rigid? Each religion has its own quirks, for example, Jewish men wake up and thank God for not making them a woman!!!!!!!!!
And if i am not mistaken Jewish women don't do vice -versa.
Isn’t that the height of insult for any woman?
Talking about the growing religious fundamentalism, one cannot blame one religion for all the problems. Fundamentalism is a product of OUR times. It has nothing to do with religion per se. a handful of misguided suicide bombers, or a bunch of psycho "Klans", or the "Saffron Brigade " don't decide what religion says. Their genesis is deeply rooted in the political and the economical. And we urgently need to divert our attention to those hidden political agendas. The religious debate is superficial and provides no solution. It only furthers animosity.
Matters of the religion should be left to the individual.
What the time requires of this generation is to question those century old edicts and evolve a personal interpretation of one's religion.
All will be well in this world if only we make our conscience our religion
The Real Deal
There is so much imagination in Rowling’s writings. Yet the wizard world is, according to me, an allegory of the real world around us. Almost everything mentioned in the books has as analogy in the real world. The scene gets darker and bleaker with each new book, just as in our world with the piling up of WMDs (or simply the fear of non-existent WMDs!!!).
The Dementors in Harry Potter paralyze us with our own fears. They are something that ‘dements’ our power of rationalization. So do the increasing forces of fundamentalists. They simply exploit our own fears and brainwash the youth into anti social and anti human activities. And the only way to fight them is to heighten our awareness.
The Death Eaters in a way are the counter parts of the power hungry politicians who would do anything to rule the world on their own whims and fancies. Rowling also subtly hints at the existence of prejudice and bias, when she speaks of how Dumbledore is accused of being friends with Hagrid who is a giant and hence unreliable. This is so true of our own world. Though we are in the twenty first century some people still hold bigoted views on the issue of caste, creed, colour, gender, religion etc. They fail to see the other person as human.
Lord Voldemort is alive only because of his foolish and selfish faithful followers. So is the case today when we help evil to survive by making wrong choices in our lives. Whether it is about saying no to drugs or standing up for your beliefs, like Harry Potter we have to make some tough decisions in our life. Though it helps to have good friends like Hermione and Ron, there comes a moment in our lives when we have to fight our own battle and the only thing that would help us then is the knowledge and experience that we gained.
The Dementors in Harry Potter paralyze us with our own fears. They are something that ‘dements’ our power of rationalization. So do the increasing forces of fundamentalists. They simply exploit our own fears and brainwash the youth into anti social and anti human activities. And the only way to fight them is to heighten our awareness.
The Death Eaters in a way are the counter parts of the power hungry politicians who would do anything to rule the world on their own whims and fancies. Rowling also subtly hints at the existence of prejudice and bias, when she speaks of how Dumbledore is accused of being friends with Hagrid who is a giant and hence unreliable. This is so true of our own world. Though we are in the twenty first century some people still hold bigoted views on the issue of caste, creed, colour, gender, religion etc. They fail to see the other person as human.
Lord Voldemort is alive only because of his foolish and selfish faithful followers. So is the case today when we help evil to survive by making wrong choices in our lives. Whether it is about saying no to drugs or standing up for your beliefs, like Harry Potter we have to make some tough decisions in our life. Though it helps to have good friends like Hermione and Ron, there comes a moment in our lives when we have to fight our own battle and the only thing that would help us then is the knowledge and experience that we gained.
Image Source; http://connect.in.com/harry-potter-review/photos-harry-potter-70a1fecdab9358e8.html
Great Women
Cleopatra and Queen Elizabeth ...for ruling the game in a man's world
Marie Curie for being the first to venture into the 'rational' world
Simone De Beauvoir for saying out loud
"One is not born, but becomes a woman"
Jane Austen for writing her story ...the queen of irony "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife" :p
Andrea Dworkin for writing "Pornography and Civil Rights: A New Day for Women's Equality (1988). "
Aung San Suu Kyi for standing up for what she believes
Madonna for making patriarchal stereotypes dance on their head with her 'LIKE a virgin"
J K Rowling for creating Harry Potter :D
Sojourner Truth for " Ain't I a woman " speech
Marie Curie for being the first to venture into the 'rational' world
Simone De Beauvoir for saying out loud
"One is not born, but becomes a woman"
Jane Austen for writing her story ...the queen of irony "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife" :p
Andrea Dworkin for writing "Pornography and Civil Rights: A New Day for Women's Equality (1988). "
Aung San Suu Kyi for standing up for what she believes
Madonna for making patriarchal stereotypes dance on their head with her 'LIKE a virgin"
J K Rowling for creating Harry Potter :D
Sojourner Truth for " Ain't I a woman " speech
Monday, 25 July 2011
Sustainable Development
What is sustainable development? What is the role of a development planner?
Anu Maheshwari
Each one of us strives to make our lives better. Most of us run from pillar to post each day to raise the standard of our living. We try to maintain the lifestyle we are used to and make it better. Collectively we wish to have better roads, better transport facilities, 24/7 power and water supply, etc to improve the quality of our lives. Individually we have the power and resources to make a difference in our own lives but for improving the things for the collective lot take more than just concerted effort. It needs careful assessment of things as they are and a vision how of things should be and can be. Development planners work to make these things a reality for us. Their job is to first gather all the pieces of a puzzle and then put them together. They collect data pertaining to all spheres of life in an area and then design the best possible way to make things better for the people of the area.
Every plan has to be tailor-made to suit the needs of the area in question. Every area has its own set of lacks, potentials, and constraints and a planner takes all this into consideration before making the best set of choices for developing an area. For example, a terrain with steep slopes and bad soil quality need not have facilities for cultivating paddy. The development of the area should be done in such a manner as to enhance the utility of all the available resources within the area and to assure future generations the same or better benefits. Resources here include human resources also.
“Earth, atmosphere, sky, sun, moon, stars, waters, plants, trees, moving creatures, swimming creatures, creeping creatures all are hailed and offered oblations”(Taittiriya Samhita i-8-13). Today as we march into the future, we are reminded of the cataclysmic upheavals that we might invite upon ourselves by ignoring that voice of wisdom left to us by our forefathers. In our search for security from each other, we have inadvertently left ourselves at the mercy of the ground beneath us and the sky above us. There is no point making a development plan which cannot be supported by the resources available or by the inhabitants of the region. Excessive reliance on coal for power without appropriately harnessing the overflowing rivers in an area could be one example of a skewed development plan and planning for industries on the banks of river without having any provisions for treating industrial waste being flushed out into the same rivers could be another. Development which can be sustained for further growth and progress can be termed ‘sustainable development’.
The preparation of a sustainable development plan is also an exercise in democracy as the plan has to be for the people, of the people, and by the people. The planners have to be in touch with the ground realities for which they have to interact with the people of the region on a consistent basis while designing and implementing the plan in order to know the feasibility and effectiveness of the plans. They also need to be aware of the culture of the region along with the knowledge on the socio-economic-political equation of the region.
Florence Nightingale once said, “To understand God’s thoughts, we must study statistics, for these are measure of his purpose”. Development planners need not just statistics but they need to feel the pulse of the people to be able to design good plans.
Sunday, 24 July 2011
The Immortals of Meluha
Anu and Abhi on Meluha
- Anu; I loved it :) and i think it is not distortion at all because it is a novel ...fiction ...inspired by Indian mythology...And I love the fact that the author treats mythology as it should be...i.e., like a story...which can be told and retol...d from varying perspectives...and not guarded under locks and keys by religious zealots... It is a fact that Ravana, is considered a kind-hearted saviour king in Tamil Nadu and Ram is considered equally good in most of North India...whereas in Kerala, it is Krishna who is more popular...There are no universal truths as far as mythology is considered...there are only stories which have now unfortunately become sacrosanct thanks to our own equivalents to western clergy...
Abhijeet : may be i ll sound as an extremist if i am aware of the myths n the history...bt ill take the risk...myths are also kind of fiction..bt a kind which has been created by a society/more than one person..and fiction though has all the fr...eedom it is bound by plot,characters and settiing..u cant mess with these basics i mean one can bt then it ll be insane blurring..for example narnia is an excellent fiction bt u cant hve fighter jets in thr...or talking lion in transformers..these are wildest imaginations then also..so if meluha happens in 1200bc/he says so called indus valley (at the same time doesnt tell us if it is wrong)...there are so many things which do not fit in and show lack of research and study by the auth..
Eg. There was nothing called as Maika in ancient india.thr is no mention of it anywhere.i dnt mean only d mythological stories bt vedas n upanishdas n also logical conclusions of historians n social Scientists..there was no this word india......then..when some one says nilkanth has come to save india thats ridiculous may be funny bt...sad..i hvent read it completly i couldnt..and when u say things abt ravan being worshipped in south i must say even ramayan praises ravan for all his good virtues and laxman became his deciple..he is popular thr cause of ethnic proximity..n as far as krishna being fav..its history thr was a phase of staunch shaiv school of thought n rise of a modarate vaishnav thought so thr r pockets all over india of these..- Good fiction is tale of two cities where the story flows with history...or something like galdiator or jurasic park for that matter..... off course i hve no understanding of litrature as such n hve no right to judge good or bad..may be i expected more than i sd hve from meluha.. :(
Anu ; Abhi, the thing about Meluha is that it is not only mythology based fiction , it is also a kind of fan-fiction... the author is a clear fan of Shiva....Now he has chosen Myth as his basic plot and ancient Indian history as a setting for his story. With that he has an endless creative license with him to tell his story in any which way he wants....and we as readers have the right to interpret it the way we like it...It can not only defy logic , but also make it somersault ! So the question of it being right or true doesn't arise...It is as much as his story as of anybody who reads it...because clearly each one of us read the story in our way...- The author is not validating or contradicting history...He is just telling a story...The characters of his story are from mythology but the moment he chose them for his story...they are like his puppets, he can make them say or do anything...( of course, there is the point about religious sentiments being hurt, if he goes to far...but in this case, he doesn't ruffle any feathers...he is just being playful) ....The author is from the present century and it is quite natural that he makes his character act and behave according to the customs of the present times... There is nothing in the rulebook to say he cannot, and of course, as far as fiction is concerned, the rulebook can go to hell...the individual readers can decide the book's fate...I enjoyed it for its sheer cheek...and you didn't...It is as simple as that :)
- Anu ; Dear, what you call plot holes, I call an attempt at Magic Realism :)And abhi, have you heard of the term "willing suspension of disbelief"? check it out :)
Abhijeet;
ahh...okk..dat means devid dhawan n govinda can make a movie out of it.....ha ha ha...my bad my bad... n i did check 'sod'...off course meluha needs it to cover up the ''plot holes''..n needs suspension of judgement....so let's suspend it...
Sunday, 3 July 2011
Saturday, 16 April 2011
Monday, 7 February 2011
Gossip "The Science of it"
People gossip ! Yes, that's not a big revelation. Humans have been gossiping since time immemorial. Though, the phenomenon is nothing new, the verb 'to gossip' was first used by our dear Shakespeare.
Wikipedia defines Gossip as idle talk or rumour, especially about the personal or private affairs of others. It forms one of the oldest and most common means of sharing (unproven) facts and views, but also has a reputation for the introduction of errors and other variations into the information transmitted. The term also carries implications that the news so transmitted (usually) has personal or trivial nature, as opposed to normal conversation.
It helps to form or strengthen bonds of acquaintance or friendship, especially in a situation where people hardly know each other and are subject to transferable jobs and lives. Gossip, then, becomes a great conversation starter. It can be an idle chat between friends , but in an extreme form, can take shape of treason against one's institution or even one's country, depending , of course, on the contents of the gossip.
During one of these idle chit-chats, I happen to compare the nature of people to that of subatomic particles :). Well, people could be like protons and electrons. Some like protons , do not get attracted by magnetic fields of gossip and remain stable. They receive information and choose to just sit on it. Whereas , there are others who are always charged up like electrons and ready to jump at the slightest hint of magnetic gossip fields. They make bonds and break bonds with others like them ( other electrons) depending on the nature of the gossip. They even generate magnetic gossip fields , simply by moving here and there with their idle chit chat/dirt/misinformation/scandals, etc.
Having said the above, it is imperative to mention that these so called electrons are very essential to our society. Just as the exchange or sharing of the electrons between two or more atoms is the main cause of chemical bonding, No community, society, or group can bond without the presence and exchange of these electrons. It is a human need to interact with others as without the social bond, survival is scary. However, there is a fine line between idle chit chat and malicious rumour and people should respect the line and live in peace with their neighbours.
Wikipedia defines Gossip as idle talk or rumour, especially about the personal or private affairs of others. It forms one of the oldest and most common means of sharing (unproven) facts and views, but also has a reputation for the introduction of errors and other variations into the information transmitted. The term also carries implications that the news so transmitted (usually) has personal or trivial nature, as opposed to normal conversation.
It helps to form or strengthen bonds of acquaintance or friendship, especially in a situation where people hardly know each other and are subject to transferable jobs and lives. Gossip, then, becomes a great conversation starter. It can be an idle chat between friends , but in an extreme form, can take shape of treason against one's institution or even one's country, depending , of course, on the contents of the gossip.
During one of these idle chit-chats, I happen to compare the nature of people to that of subatomic particles :). Well, people could be like protons and electrons. Some like protons , do not get attracted by magnetic fields of gossip and remain stable. They receive information and choose to just sit on it. Whereas , there are others who are always charged up like electrons and ready to jump at the slightest hint of magnetic gossip fields. They make bonds and break bonds with others like them ( other electrons) depending on the nature of the gossip. They even generate magnetic gossip fields , simply by moving here and there with their idle chit chat/dirt/misinformation/scandals, etc.
Having said the above, it is imperative to mention that these so called electrons are very essential to our society. Just as the exchange or sharing of the electrons between two or more atoms is the main cause of chemical bonding, No community, society, or group can bond without the presence and exchange of these electrons. It is a human need to interact with others as without the social bond, survival is scary. However, there is a fine line between idle chit chat and malicious rumour and people should respect the line and live in peace with their neighbours.
Tuesday, 4 January 2011
HNY
Life is a lot of matters(dark,strange,anti-,partonic, nuclear...) and mind put together...let's not be vegetables, let's think and do!
....>_<...
Happy New Year 2011!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
....>_<...
Happy New Year 2011!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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