Sneak Peek into the world around us

Yelagiri - Chennai's Ooty

2011-12-31T20:24:00.002+05:30

Yelagiri popularly known as "Chennai's Ooty" is an ideal drive-down hill station from both Chennai and Bengaluru rendering to the hi-tech people of both these metros looking to get a break from stress. Located is Vellore district of Tamil Nadu, 21 kms from Jolarpettai railway station. It is part of the Western Ghats range. Though the number of picnic spots to be seen are few, it provides a calm, pollution-free environment.

Enroute to Yelagiri

The place is dotted with resorts providing in-house food and holiday activity facilities. I stayed at Sterling holidays which provides tasty food (comes at a price though :P) and the structure of the building is like a palace. Places you can visit are the usual lot of Lake view points, boat houses, gardens and such. One place that is sure to redefine the tourist pull to this place is the new 8-month old Perumal temple. This temple follows most of the traditions of Tirupati Venkateshwara temple.

Food:
Tasty, homely food at a much lower rate compared to the resorts is available at Hotel Yelagiri. Crisp non-oily 'Masala vada' is available en-route to Heritage village at Re.1 each . Pure honey can be bought from near the YMCA Camp House.

Baskets used for food storage in the village

Sterling Resort at night

Enroute to Yelagiri from Chennai you can drop by at Kanchipuram to visit some of the architectural marvels of the erstwhile kings showcased through the series of temples. Also Kanchi Math of Sankaracharya is close to the highway. Rathnagiri Murugun temple closer to Vellore is perhaps the only South Indian temple which provides a Ghat Road to reach the top to bypass the 100 odd steps (even Gods are providing easy accessibility unlike the politicians :P).

Ratnagiri Murugun temple

Da Vinci surgical system

2011-09-07T08:48:00.001+05:30

The Da Vinci Surgical System is a robotic surgical system made by Intuitive Surgical and designed to facilitate complex surgery using a minimally invasive approach. The system is controlled by a surgeon from a console. It is commonly used for prostatectomies and increasingly for cardiac valve repair and gynecologic surgical procedures.

The da Vinci System consists of a surgeon’s console that is typically in the same room as the patient and a patient-side cart with four interactive robotic arms controlled from the console. Three of the arms are for tools that hold objects, act as a scalpel, scissors, bovie, or unipolar or dipolar electrocautery instruments. The fourth arm is for an endoscopic camera with two lenses that gives the surgeon full stereoscopic vision from the console. The surgeon sits at the console and looks through two eye holes at a 3-D image of the procedure, meanwhile maneuvering the arms with two foot pedals and two hand controllers. The da Vinci System scales, filters and translates the surgeon's hand movements into more precise micro-movements of the instruments,
which operate through small incisions in the body.

According to the manufacturer, the da Vinci System is called "da Vinci" in part "because Leonardo da Vinci invented the first robot", and also because he used anatomical accuracy and three-dimensional details to bring his works to life.

By providing surgeons with superior visualization, enhanced dexterity, greater precision and ergonomic comfort, the da Vinci Surgical System makes it possible for more surgeons to perform minimally invasive procedures involving complex dissection or reconstruction. For the patient, a da Vinci procedure can offer all the potential benefits of a minimally invasive procedure, including less pain, less blood loss and less need for blood transfusions. Moreover, the da Vinci System can enable a shorter hospital stay, a quicker recovery and faster return to normal daily activities.

Although the general term "robotic surgery" is often used to refer to the technology, this term can give the impression that the robot (the da Vinci System) is performing the surgery. In contrast, the current da Vinci Surgical System cannot—in any manner—run on its own. This is due to the fact it was not designed as an autonomous system and lacks a decision making software, instead it relies on a human operator for all input, however all the functionality—including vision and motor functions—are performed through remote human-computer interaction and thus with the appropriate weak AI software the system could in principle perform partially or completely autonomously. The difficulty with creating an autonomous system of this kind is not trivial, a major obstacle is that surgery per se is not readily formalizable—a requirement for weak AI. The current system is designed to merely seamlessly replicate the movement of the surgeon's hands with the tips of micro-instruments, not to make decisions or move without the surgeon’s direct input.

How Internet Addresses Could Look Like in 2012?

2011-06-21T07:19:00.000+05:30

How Internet Addresses Could Look Like in 2012?

This is how some popular Internet addresses may look like in the very-near future:

Suresh Raina = Sachin Tendulkar Says Google Translate

2011-06-11T21:26:00.000+05:30

Now this is funny. When you try to translate ‘Suresh Raina is god’ to Serbian, and translate it

Image Credit: http://sachingallery.blogspot.com

back to English using Google Translate, name Suresh Raina gets replaced by Sachin Tendulkar.

This is strange as proper names are not changed by any translators, and to see this happening from Google’s translation engine is bad.

Mostly the intelligent engines like a Translator tries to imitate the human brain, and do the prediction of a new profile to the already existing profiles. Mostly it uses techniques like Support Vector Machines, Linear Machines or Neural Networks. The engine is trained in a certain data, and is used to predict the future goals.

The details on the Google Translation engine is not known, but from the face it looks to me like the engine is not well trained on the Indian names.

You might want to try it now. And I hope Google makes the relevant change to its algorithm.

New Youtube Facebook Virus – Beware | Harsh Ajmera

2011-05-17T07:50:00.000+05:30

New Youtube Facebook Virus – Beware | Harsh Ajmera

The most recent virus that i have seen today itself is about a Youtube Video, as you can see below

It will look very real as it will be coming from one of your friend, and that too from iPhone. But as soon as you click on the video, the same link will be posted on all your friend’s wall.

So just beware of such spam videos, and be safe

Sachin was creator of Helicopter shot - Not Dhoni

2011-04-19T13:13:00.000+05:30

I know this is just a silly post, but thought would be of interesting viewing. Sachin had indeed played the Helicopter shot 4 years before Dhoni had made his debut.

You have proof here : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCqVaN3kaLI&feature=share

LOL And OMG Officially Added To Oxford English Dictionary; Purists Alarmed

2011-04-19T08:30:00.000+05:30

LOL And OMG Officially Added To Oxford English Dictionary; Purists Alarmed-- Yahoo! Lifestyle India

Kaun Banega Corruptpati? - Article from TOI

2011-04-14T19:27:00.000+05:30

An article from today's TOI that i wanted to share:

Kaun Banega Corruptpati?

Why i didn’t don a safed patti or Gandhi topi and join the Farcebook activists

Bachi Karkaria

Anna-ji, Hazare saal jiyo. You waved the magician’s wand, and dared to say ‘Jantar Mantar Chhoo’ to the corruption that has swamped and strangulated us.
    May the non-force be with you. And may the sips of juice you took that momentous Saturday squeeze out the institutionalised evil that has shamed our fair land, diluted the growth story and resulted in the global cooling towards our much-touted achievements. Well, you have unleashed a climate change on that score, and we must hail it. Heartily.
    Look Pal, i’m not going to join the gripes over your Jan Lokpal Bill or make a case in defence of that too-clever Kapil Sibal who seems to be annoying you even more than the beat cop’s hafta. No, sir, i have no quarrel with your crusade. My problem is with some of those who have leapt on to your platform. Swamis and sants who are neither, and several others who may wax eloquent on morality, but whose own personal ethics are on the wane. If not quite eclipsed.
    A cause is known by the company it keeps, so, Anna-bhau, may i humbly suggest that, for the next stage of your war, you slash your friends as firmly as you do your foes. By all accounts, you have a groundswell of support, so you can well do without those who have jumped on to your brandwagon and could destabilise it with their own deadweight.
    You have been the Anna-data, feeding our hopes for a clean society. Old cynics like me may doubt if any amount of deterrent can scrub away the long-ruling mantra of ‘Daag achcha hai’. We may deserve to go down the drain with all that mucky water, but since you are a man of homespun and unfamiliar with trendy table thumping, may i also caution you against your cause getting tagged with a designer label. Methinks it already has been appropriated by our celebrated passionista fashionistas. Those who keep the white kurta always handy. One sigh fits all.
    ‘Teleindignation’ is its most stylish garb. Night after night, they ramp up the news channels. With the obligatory set-jaw-clenched-paw look, the sleek panellists hold forth on whatever is the platitude du jour. They work themselves up into a lather against the daag of the day – from murdered women to murdered democracy. In recent months, the groaning banquet of scams has so obligingly triggered the greatest feeding frenzy. The same ones which led to your gobsmacking – and slob-slapping – Hazare Effect.
    But, Anna-ji, how many of your self-righteous celeb supporters are entitled to throw the first stone? Never jumped a signal and bribed the cop who jumps out from behind it? Never taken an out-of-turn or undue allotment? Never wanted a balcony illegally covered or tax dodged? And done so, bindaas, knowing that they could manage it with money or political influence? Maybe the watchdog should start by barking at its own door.
    What worries me even more than the old hacks is the young packs who turned the “li’l ol’ man in a topi” into their icon. With imagination fired on all cylinders, Jeans Next seized Anna Hazare’s cause and made it viral. But how much of the rage burned simply because it seemed so ‘cool’, because they’d seen and heard how now globally ‘power flows from the barrel of a Facebook’?
    Long ago, Mao had also warned that Revolution is not a tea party. It needs reminding that it’s much less a tee slogan. There may have been a seductive scent of Jasmine in the Delhi Spring, but Jantar Mantar wasn’t quite Tahrir Square in a Gandhi topi.

India's fastest bowler

2011-04-10T19:42:00.000+05:30

Will Delhi Unleash the World’s Fastest Indian? | Yahoo! Cricket Blog

T-shirt disaster from Kochi Tuskers

2011-04-09T21:09:00.001+05:30

After all the pre-IPL disaster with Tharoor's ousting to Ownership issue to Black money trial, the latest disaster from the Kochi franchise comes from the absolutely horrendous T-shirt design. A tweet from yesterday clearly showed the angst among fans : "Mahela came into the IPL inauguration on a night dress :P "

Just wondering for a state like Kerala with so much of innovative and creative talent why couldn't the franchise get a better designer???? The explanation from the part of the Kochi Owners was that it was a merger of the Orange Cap and Purple Cap colours which are given for the Highest run scorer and Highest Wicket Taker respectively in the IPL.

Sachin's Various Avatars

2011-04-08T19:41:00.002+05:30

All Sachin Fans would love to read the below lines:

"I want my son to become Sachin Tendulkar." -Brian Lara(WI)

''V did not lose 2 a team called India, v lost 2 a man called Sachin'' - Mark Taylor(aus)

'Nothing bad can happen 2 us if v were on a plane in India wit Sachin Tendulkar on it.'' -Hashim Amla(SA)

''He can play that leg glance with a walking stick also” -Waqar Younis(Pak)

''There r 2 kind of batsman in the world. 1 Sachin Tendulkar and 2. all the others” -Andy Flower(ZIM)

"I have seen God. He bats at no.4 for India in tests” -Matthew Hayden(AUS.)

"I c myself when! i c Sachin batting” -Don Bradman(AUS)

"Do your crime when Sachin is batting, bcos even God is busy watching his batting” -Australian Fan

Barack Obama - "I don't know about cricket but still I watch cricket to see Sachin play..Not b'coz I love his play its b'coz I want to know the reason why my country's production goes down by 5 percent when he's in batting"...

1.Bala Swami

2.Musician

3.Bungee Jumping

4.Dance Floor- It's the time to Disco!

5.Party Time- Hangover??

6. @ tennis

7. Holding the smaller Bat!

8. Never Seen- Sachin-MamaMia!

9.Armed Men

10.Captain Sachin

11. Motoracer

12.Down to earth person.

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& finally a fan's homage to the god.!

April FOOL prank in IITB

2011-04-07T19:17:00.000+05:30

675 IITians wrote essays to win non-existent WC final tickets - Hindustan Times

Anna Hazare's letter to PM

2011-04-06T18:44:00.000+05:30

Dear Dr. Singh,

I have started my indefinite fast at Jantar mantar. I had invited you also to fast and pray for a corruption free India on 5th April. Though I did not receive any reply from you, I am hopeful that you must have done that.

I am pained to read and hear about government's reaction to my fast. I consider it my duty to clarify the points raised on behalf of Congress party and the government by their spokespersons, as they appear in media:

1. It is being alleged that I am being instigated by some people to sit on this fast. Dear Manmohan Singh ji, this is an insult to my sense of wisdom and intelligence. I am not a kid that I could be "instigated" into going on an indefinite fast. I am a fiercely independent person. I take advice from many friends and critics, but do what my conscience directs me to do. It is my experience that when cornered, governments resort to such malicious slandering. I am pained that the government, rather than addressing the issue of corruption, is trying to allege conspiracies, when there are none.

2. It is being said that I have shown impatience. Dear Prime Minister, so far, every government has shown complete insensitivity and lack of political commitment to tackling corruption. 62 years after independence, we still do not have independent and effective anti‐corruption systems. Very weak versions of Lokpal Bill were presented in Parliament eight times in last 42 years. Even these weak versions were not passed by Parliament. This means, left to themselves, the politicians and bureaucrats will never pass any law which subjects them to any kind of objective scrutiny. At a time, when the country has witnessed scams of unprecedented scale, the impatience of the entire country is justified. And we call upon you, not to look for precedents, but show courage to take unprecedented steps.

3. It is being said that I have shown impatience when the government has "initiated" the process. I would urge you to tell me - exactly what processes are underway?

a. You say that your Group of Ministers are drafting the anti‐corruption law. Many of the members of this Group of Ministers have such a shady past that if effective anticorruption systems had been in place, some of them would have been behind bars. Do you want us to have faith in a process in which some of the most corrupt people of this country should draft the anti‐corruption law?

b. NAC sub‐committee has discussed Jan Lokpal Bill. But what does that actually mean? Will the government accept the recommendations of NAC sub‐committee? So far, UPA II has shown complete contempt for even the most innocuous issues raised by NAC.

c. I and many other friends from India Against Corruption movement wrote several letters to you after 1st December. I also sent you a copy of Jan Lokpal Bill on 1st December. We did not get any response. It is only when I wrote to you that I will sit on an indefinite fast, we were promptly invited for discussions on 7th March. I wonder whether the government responds only to threats of indefinite fast. Before that, representatives of India Against Corruption had been meeting various Ministers seeking their support for the Jan Lokpal Bill. They met Mr Moily also and personally handed over copy of Jan Lokpal to him. A few hours before our meeting with you, we received a phone call from Mr Moily's office that the copy of Jan Lokpal Bill had been misplaced by his office and they wanted another copy. This is the seriousness with which the government has dealt with Jan Lokpal Bill.

d. Dear Dr Manmohan Singh ji, if you were in my place, would you have any faith in the aforesaid processes? Kindly let me know if there are any other processes underway. If you still feel that I am impatient, I am happy that I am because the whole nation is feeling impatient at the lack of credible efforts from your government against corruption.

4. What are we asking for? We are not saying that you should accept the Bill drafted by us. But kindly create a credible platform for discussions - a joint committee with at least half members from civil society suggested by us. Your spokespersons are misleading the nation when they say that there is no precedent for setting up a joint committee. At least seven laws in Maharashtra were drafted by similar joint committees and presented in Maharashtra Assembly. Maharashtra RTI Act, one of the best laws of those times, was drafted by a joint committee. Even at the centre, when 25,000 tribals came to Delhi two years ago, your government set up a joint committee on land issues within 48 hours. You yourself are the Chairperson of that committee.

This means that the government is willing to set up joint committees on all other issues, but not on corruption. Why?

5. It is being said that the government wants to talk to us and we are not talking to them. This is utterly false. Tell me a single meeting when you called us and we did not come. We strongly believe in dialogue and engagement. Kindly do not mislead the country by saying that we are shunning dialogue.

We request you to take some credible steps at stemming corruption. Kindly stop finding faults and suspecting conspiracies in our movement. There are none. Even if there were, it does not absolve you of your responsibilities to stop corruption.

With warm regards,
K B Hazare

Election Freebies War

2011-04-05T21:06:00.000+05:30

The freebies war in Tamil Nadu ahead of the Assembly polls have reaches feverish pitch - starting off with Colour TV for all families in the past poll to laptops for students to now a NANO car. Wondering where all the 2G money is going still? Here is your answer.

Its not the just the ruling party DMK and the mail opposition who is in the fray of the freebies war, even Independents have put forward their own agenda of freebies. Some of the prominent ones include Rs.200 pocket money for students, free cable TV connection, 3 cents of land, gold chain of 5 sovereigns for every girl getting married so on and so forth.

Amidst all this freebies war, we the people are left wondering whether this is DEMOCRACY or GIFTOCRACY :P

Google's +1 button

2011-04-02T08:19:00.000+05:30

Google has launched the +1 button yesterday in a view to counter the 'Like' button of Facebook. This is going to have a big change in the way we will view the search engine from now. There is also a slight worry that, if the page list is going to be indexed based on popularity, then the site with real stuff may get undermined.

You can view the video here: http://www.google.com/+1/button/

Letter from the editor!!!!!!!

2011-03-02T09:22:00.000+05:30

Must Read ! Very Powerfully Worded. Bravo - Prakash Bajaj, Editor of Times of India.

LETTER OF THE EDITOR OF "THE TIMES OF INDIA" TO THE PRIME MINISTER OF INDIA

Dear Mr. Prime minister,

I am a typical mouse from Mumbai. In the local train compartment which has capacity of 100 persons, I travel with 500 more mice. Mouse at least squeaks, but we don't even do that.

Today I heard your speech, in which you said, 'NO BODY WOULD BE SPARED'. I would like to remind you that fourteen years have passed since serial bomb blasts in Mumbai took place. Dawood was the main conspirator. Till today he is not caught. All our Bollywood actors, our builders, our Gutka king keep meeting him, but your Government can not catch him. Reason is simple; all your ministers are hand in glove with him. If any attempt is made to catch him, everybody will be exposed. Your statement 'NOBODY WOULD BE SPARED' is nothing but a cruel joke on these unfortunate people of India.
Enough is enough. As such, after seeing terrorist attack carried out by about a dozen young boys, I realize that if same thing continues, days are not far away when terrorists will attack by air, destroy our nuclear reactors and there will be one more Hiroshima.
We the people are left with only one mantra. Womb to Bomb to Tomb. You promised Mumbaikar Shanghai; what you have given us is Jalianwala Baug.
Today only your home minister resigned. What took you so long to kick out this joker? Only reason was that he was loyal to Gandhi family. Loyalty to Gandhi family is more important than blood of innocent people, isn't it?

I am born and brought up in Mumbai for last fifty eight years. Believe me, corruption in Maharashtra is worse than that in Bihar. Look at all the politicians, Sharad Pawar, Chagan Bhujbal, Narayan Rane, Bal Thackray , Gopinath Munde, Raj Thackray, Vilasrao Deshmukh all are rolling in money. Vilasrao Deshmukh is one of the worst Chief ministers I have seen. His only business is to increase the FSI every other day, make money and send it to Delhi, so Congress can fight next election. Now the clown has found new way and will increase FSI for fishermen, so they can build concrete houses right on sea shore. Next time terrorists can comfortably live in those houses, enjoy the beauty of the sea and then attack our Mumbai at their will.

Recently, I had to purchase a house in Mumbai. I met about two dozen builders. Everybody wanted about 30% in black. A common person like me knows this and with all your intelligent agency & CBI, you and your finance ministers are not aware of it. Where all the black money goes? To the underworld isn't it? Our politicians take help of these goondas to vacate people by force. I myself was victim of it. If you have time please come to me, I will tell you everything.

If this has been a land of fools, idiots, then I would not have ever cared to write to you this letter. Just see the tragedy. On one side we are reaching moon, people are so intelligent; and on the other side, you politicians have converted nectar into deadly poison. I am everything Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Schedule caste, OBC, Muslim OBC, Christian Schedule caste, and Creamy Schedule caste; only what I am not is INDIAN. You politicians have raped every part of Mother India by your policy of divide and rule.

Take example of our Former President Abdul Kalam. Such an intelligent person; such a fine human being. But you politician didn't even spare him and instead choose a worthless lady who had corruption charges and insignificant local polititian of Jalgaon WHO'S NAME ENTIRE COUNTRY HAD NOT HEARD BEFORE. Its simple logic your party just wanted a rubber stamp in the name of president. Imagine SHE IS SUPREME COMMANDAR OF INDIA'S THREE DEFENCE FORCES. what moral you will expect from our defence forces ? Your party along with opposition joined hands, because politicians feel they are supreme and there is no place for good person.

Dear Mr Prime minister, you are one of the most intelligent persons, a most learned person. Just wake up, be a real SARDAR. First and foremost, expose all selfish politicians. Ask Swiss banks to give names of all Indian account holders. Give reins of CBI to independent agency. Let them find wolves among us. There will be political upheaval, but that will be better than dance of death which we are witnessing every day. Just give us ambience where we can work honestly and without fear. Let there be rule of law. Everything else will be taken care of.

Choice is yours Mr. Prime Minister. Do you want to be lead by one person, or you want to lead the nation of 100 Crore people?

Prakash B. Bajaj
Editor Mumbai-Times of India

Egyptian kids named "FACEBOOK"

2011-02-21T11:36:00.000+05:30

While American parents worry about their kids being on Facebook, Egyptian parents are naming their kids “Facebook,” to commemorate the events surrounding the #Jan25 revolution.

According to Al-Ahram (“ The New York Times of Egypt”) a man in his twenties has christened his first born daughter Facebook in tribute to the role the social media service played in organizing the protests in Tahrir Square and beyond.

GALA OPENING TO THE WORLD CUP

2011-02-18T16:39:00.001+05:30

The world cup of cricket was off to Gala opening ceremony yesterday. The event held at the Banghabandhu stadium in the heart of the Dhaka city. Event has all the elements of a true sub-continental ceremony.

The event kicked off with the Captains of each of the respective countries entering into the stadium in a cycle rickshaw the tradition mode of transport in Bangladesh. The biggest cheers went for the sub-continental captains Dhoni, Sangakkara, Afridi and home captain Shakib-ul-Hasan. This was followed by the “GO FOR GLORY” song by Indian music sensation, Sonu Nigam. The social perspective of the games was clearly visible too, with the AIDS campaign promo release. Sangakkara and Sehwag are the ambassadors for the same.

This was followed up by a whole host of cultural activities showcasing the true colors of all hosting nations. India showcased a repeat spectacle of the Commonwealth games wherein all the danceforms from North-South-East-West. Bryan Adams, Rock start added a lot of spark and dazzle to the opening ceremony. Bangladeshi singers - Runa Laila, Sabina Yasmin and Mumtaz added a lot a local flavour. The official song of the World cup – “DE GHUMA KE” penned down by a Indian lyricist was performed by the famed trio - Shankar-Ehsan-Loy. The event was declared open by the Prime Minister of Bangladesh Shiekh Hasina.

Iruttukadai Tirunelveli Halwa

2011-01-10T14:49:00.000+05:30

Hard core tamilians and sweet tongues would never have missed out on tasting this delicacy. Considered to be traditionally followed from a group of Punjabis, this Halwa has become the brand ambassador of Tirunelveli today. Today a number of different varieties of this are in the market, but the true taste of Iruttukadai is just mind-blowing.

A small shop in front of the Nellaiyappar Temple with a single wooden rack might amaze the people wrt infrastructure considering the popularity the sweet has received. It is very different from the normal cake-like halwa. There are restrictions on the amount of Halwa that you get during each buy and mostly the Halwa is provided on a banana leaf. The very sight of the halwa on the banana leaf- hot and dipping in ghee would awaken your senses.

Aralvaimozhi

2011-01-02T15:17:00.001+05:30

Aralvaimozhi (Tamil: ஆரல்வாய்மொழி) is a panchayat town in Kaniyakumari District in the state of Tamil Nadu, India.It is well-known for being the greatest source of wind energy in Asia.

Aralvaimozhi aerial view from Thovalai Chekkar Giri Malai

For road travelers from Trivandrum to Tirunelveli and Madurai, it is an ideal place to eat in natural "ac" :P. The natural scenery to boot up the soothing wind makes it a ideal picnic spot enroute.This place doubles up as a commercial hub for industries for power generation from Wind power.

Aralvaimozhi railway station, with the wind-power mills in the background

Chetad Chetapu

2011-01-01T22:27:00.005+05:30

I am absolutely sure that 99.99% of the readers would have heard of this place. Even I hadn't till few days back until the IEEE LINK HTC project came around. Its a extremely rural area around 15 kms from Anchal town in Kollam district. Nearest area till which bus service is available is only till Aanakulam which is 3km away. From then on its either "Nada"raja service or by jeep. The terrain is really challenging one.

This place is home to close to 40 people who have been living in darkness all through these years. Thanks to this project, we are hoping to provide light to their lives. The place is filled with Rubber trees which is their only source of income as of now.

Huge incentive on becoming an MP

2010-12-26T14:31:00.000+05:30

This story should be big inspiration for all those youngsters who are uninterested in joining politics.

Even as the average Indian continues to slog it out in the big bad world, the fortunes of many of the MPs he has elected have seen an exponential growth in the five years from 2004 to 2009.

Leaving the aam aadmi way behind, the assets of a Congress Lok Sabha member, for instance, rose by a stupendous 3,024 per cent during the period to reach Rs 289 crore from the earlier Rs 9.25 crore.

This record was created by 46- year- old Vijayawada parliamentarian Lagadapati Rajagopal, an industrialist who calls himself a “ political and social worker”. The Citizens’ Report on Governance and Development 2010, released by the National Social Watch on Tuesday, also shows that 25 per cent of the Lok Sabha members (128 of the 543) come from categories such as industrialist, trader, businessman and builder.

The big leapers include BJP’s Maneka Gandhi whose assets rose from Rs 6.32 crore in 2004 to reach Rs 17.6 crore in 2009 and her party’s Uday Singh, who comes from Bihar. Singh’s assets went up from Rs 3.06 crore to Rs 43.86 crore during the same period.

The assets of Janata Dal ( Secular) politician H. D. Kumaraswamy, who is the son of former prime minister H. D. Deve Gowda, also saw a miraculous rise from Rs 3.06 crore to Rs 49.85 crore in the five years.

Industrialist- politician Navin Jindal, who belongs to the Congress, also put up an impressive show with his assets hitting a high of ` 131 crore from only Rs 12.12 crore in 2004. Milind Deora, another young Turk and son of Union minister Murli Deora, also made a big leap with Rs 25.86 crore, up from the earlier Rs 4.98 crore.

Trinamool Congress MP Ambica Banerjee, whose assets were valued at Rs 23.18 lakh in 2000, showed a remarkable rise to hit ` 17.6 crore in 2009.

Sachin Tendulkar: Curriculum Vitae

2010-12-23T15:01:00.000+05:30

OBJECTIVE :
To seek career challenges keeping in view my past achievements and future goals. And to set new industry benchmarks in everything I endeavour.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
 International Cricketer: Indian National Cricket Team [1989 onwards]
 First Class Cricketer: Mumbai, West Zone, Yorkshire [1988 onwards]
 Junior Cricketer: Shardashram School, Bombay U-15, West Zone U-15 [1985-1988].

LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE
 Indian Cricket Team: 1996-1997; 1999-2000.
 Others: Mumbai, West Zone, Mumbai Indians, etc. [Various Times]

KEY OPERATIONS &MISSIONS UNDERTAKEN
1. 664* — Enough said. [Mumbai, 1988]
2. 114* — Rescue mission against Spiteful Yellow Men on Green Earth. [Perth, 1991]
3. 523 runs — Mission My World Cup. [India, 1996]
4. 155* — Operation Deflate Warne [Chennai, 1998]
5. 143 & 134 — Operation Desert Storm [Sharjah, 1998]
6. 136 — Rescue Mission against the Vile Green Warriors on Dusty Earth [Chennai, 1999]
7. 98 — Operation Tame Vile Green Warriors [Centurion, 2003]
8. 672 runs — Mission My World Cup II. [South Africa, 2003]
9. 241* and 60* — Mission Avoid Cover Drive [Sydney, 2004]
10. 117* and 93 — Operation Slay Goliath [Sydney & Brisbane, 2008]
11. 103* — Mission Heal Mumbai [Chennai, 2008]
12. 200* — Mt 200 [Gwalior 2010]

OTHER MAJOR INITIATIVES
1. 122 — Mission Hold The Empire [Edgbaston, 1996]
2. 126 — Operation Protect Final Frontier [Chennai, 2001]
3. 117 — Operation Kings of Queens Park [Port of Spain, 2002]
4. 193 — Mission Conquer Leeds [Leeds, 2002]
5. 194* — Mission Sultan of Multan [Multan, 2004]
6. 111* — Half-centurion in Centurion [Centurion, 2010]

CRISIS MANAGEMENT EXPERTISE
1. 119* — Operation Bat Till Bedtime [Manchester, 1990]
2. 82 — Mission Find New Opener [Christchurch, 1993]
3. 1-0-3-0 — Operation Hold South Africa [Kolkata, 1993]
4. 169 — Operation Counterattack [Cape Town, 1996]
5. 140* — Operation This Is For You, Father [Bristol, 1999]
6. 175 — Mission Save Series [Hyderabad, 2009]
KEY ACHIEVEMENTS
1. Hundreds on Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy and Irani Trophy debut.
2. India‟s youngest Test and ODI cricketer at age 16 years, 207 days.
3. Most runs in Tests and ODIs (14,513 and 17,598).
4. Most hundreds in Tests and ODIs (50 and 46).
5. Most ODI appearances (442)
6. Most Tests appearances (175).
7. 20 hundreds against Australia, the best team of my era.
8. 1894 runs and 9 hundreds in ODIs in 1998, a record.
9. 7 Test hundreds and 1543 Test runs in 2010, an Indian record.
10. 1796 runs in five World Cups.
11. Only cricketer with the 150 wickets and 15,000 runs „double‟ in ODIs.
12. First cricketer to score 40 and 50 Test hundreds.
13. First cricketer to score 20, 30 and 40 ODI hundreds

OTHER BUSINESS INTERESTS
I have interests in the food and beverages industry. I partly own two restaurants in Mumbai:
 Tendulkar‟s (Colaba, 2002).
 Sachin‟s (Mulund, 2004).

EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATION
 PhD in Cricket.
 Secondary School, Shardashram Vidhya Mandir, Mumbai.

PATENTS
I‟ve mastered nearly every cricket stroke in the book, but have a special reputation for these.
1. The Thunderous Bowler-Decapitating Straight Drive
2. Back-foot Punch Through Cover
3. Acute Paddle Sweep
4. Slog Sweep Against Turning Leg-Break
5. Effortless Wristy Flick Through Square Leg
6. Point-Killing Square Cut

PASSIONS
Cars & Racing: I love fast driving. I also own a Ferrari 360 Modena.
Food: I am a foodie with a fondness for seafood.
Music: I enjoy collecting music. Some of my favourites are Kishore Kumar, Mark Knopfler, MLTR.

AWARDS
1. Arjuna Award [1994]
2. Wisden Cricketer of the Year: [1997]
3. Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna [1997-98]
4. Padma Shri [1999]
5. Player of the Tournament, World Cup [2003]
6. ICC Gary Sobers Trophy for Cricketer of The Year [2010]
7. ICC World ODI XI: 2004, 2007, 2008
8. ICC World Test XI: 2009, 2010
9. Rajiv Gandhi Award for Sports [2005]
10. Padma Vibhushan [2008]
11. Man of Match Awards: 74
 ODIs: 61 times
 Tests: 14 times
12. Man of the Series Awards: 19
a. ODIs: 15
b. Tests: 5

MAJOR CITATIONS
1. “AB, this little prick will make more runs than you.” — Merv Hughes to Allan Border. [1991]
2. “This kid bats just like I did.” — Donald Bradman, World Greatest Batsman. Ever. [1998]
3. “I'll be going to bed having nightmares of Sachin just running down the wicket and belting me back over the head for six.
He is the best batsman I‟ve ever bowled to.” — Shane Warne, World‟s Greatest Leg Spinner. [1998]
4. “Shit, I‟m sick of this *$#%!” — Michael Kasprowicz, Australia‟s Fast Bowler. [1998]
5. “He will end up with 50 tons in each form of the game.” —Wasim Akram, World‟s Greatest Left-arm Pacer. [2002]
6. “Jaanta hai tooney kiska catch chhoda hai?” — Wasim Akram to Abdul Razzaq. [2003]
7. “All we need is 11 Sachins.” — Paul Strang, Zimbabwe Leg Spinner. [1996]
8. “Cricket is our religion, Sachin is our god.” — [Repeated ad nauseum by millions of fans].
9. “Nothing bad can happen to us if we‟re on a plane in India with Sachin Tendulkar on it.” — Hashim Amla, South Africa Batsman. [2004]
10. “The archives recall not one single incriminating incident, not one drunken escapade, not one reported affair, not one spat
with a team-mate or reporter. As Matthew Parris wondered of Barack Obama in these pages recently, is he human?” —
Michael Atherton, Former England Captain. [2008]
11. “I have seen God; he bats at No. 4 for India.” — Matthew Hayden, Australia Opener. [2008]
12. “There will never be another Sachin.” — Muttiah Muralitharan, World‟s Most Successful Bowler. [2009]
13. “If I‟ve to bowl to Sachin, I‟ll bowl with my helmet on. He hits the ball so hard.” Dennis Lille, Cricket‟s McEnroe & Fast
Bowling Legend. [Undated]
14. “Tendulkar is the best batsmen in the world ahead of Steve Waugh and Lara.” — Glenn McGrath, Australia‟s Most
Successful Pace Bowler. [Undated]
15. “Sachin is a genius. I‟m a mere mortal.” — Brian Lara, Tendulkar‟s Greatest Frenemy. [Undated]
16. “I haven‟t seen Bradman playing, but I have seen Sachin. To me, he himself is a milestone, and the best cricketer in the
world.” — Sourav Ganguly, India‟s most successful captain
17. “Sachin Tendulkar has been the most complete batsman of his time, and arguably the biggest cricket icon as well.” — Sambit Bal, Editor, Cricinfo

MAJOR BIOGRAPHIES
1. Sachin: The Story of the World's Greatest Batsman [by Gulu Ezekiel]
2. The A to Z of Sachin Tendulkar [by Gulu Ezekiel]
3. Sachin Tendulkar — A Definitive Biography [by Vaibhav Purandare]
4. Sachin Tendulkar — Masterful [by Peter Murray, Ashish Shukla]
5. Tendulkar Opus [by Opus Media Group]

MEDIA COVERAGE
Are you kidding me?

LANGUAGE SKILLS
Fluent in English, Hindi and Marathi.

PERSONAL DETAILS
Date of birth: April 24, 1973
Hometown: Mumbai
Family: Wife Anjali, daughter Sara, son Arjun.

EARNINGS
Approximately Rs 60 crore annually (That‟s Rs 600,000,000 or USD 13 million or GBP 7.8 million or Euro 8.7 million).

Sachin Tendulkar
Mumbai, December 21, 2010

Image via Wikipedia

P.S. I am sharing this Article from a Yahoo Cricket journalist. He has done a great job in collecting all these info and compiling it into an excellent CV.

My take on HP7 - Part 1

2010-12-03T11:47:00.000+05:30

For one of those not very avid fiction readers like me, Harry Potter series was one I could just not miss. During my holiday time of 8th, accidently came across Harry potter and Prisoner of Azkhaban. Though the third part wasn't particularly gripping, it definitely created the curiosity to read the previous two books. It was only after the fourth part "Harry potter and Goblet of fire" came out, that I became ardent HP fan. Then I went on to catch all the previous movies that had been made in the series and the succeeding ones in the first week itself invariably :)

Image via Wikipedia

Moving on to the latest release from the series, taking the film in two part with importance given to picturising the movie very close to the book was one of the greatest tribute that can be given to Madam J.K.Rowling and fanatic Potter fans like me. Right from the part of moving Harry to "The Burrow" (Weasleys home), every minute detail was given full care by Director David Yates. Acting of Richard Fienes (Voldemort) really resembled the true nature of the character. Cinematographer,cameraman and other animation technicians deserve a great round of applause. The picturisation of "The tale of Two Brothers" on how the Deathly Hallows were created as a cartoon was really different.

On the prime characters, Harry was gr8 as usual, Ron put up a good show and Hermoine - I have no words :P :)

Just can't wait for the second part to be released. The icing on the cake would be that its on 3D :):):)

Wikileaks = Diplomatic crisis

2010-12-01T14:29:00.002+05:30

Wikileaks and its founder Jullian Assange though are trying to bring out the 'double side' of US in its diplomatic relations with other nations, it has attached with it a lot a diplomatic problems that will affect world peace big time. Right from the expose on Afghanistan to Iraq military brutalities to the latest one on lots of dealings has definitely created a lot of unrest around the world.

Image via Wikipedia

Some of the startling revelations include how the different world leaders are mentioned by "names" in different US articles. The close to 250000 secret documents of US throws open inside info on the deadly nexus of North Korea, Pakistan and Iran and lots of comments by US leaders. The past week has seen North Korea starting on a military coup against South Korea. Documents clearly show how US admits the fact that it hardly has any control over Pakistan, how Zardari is fearing a military coup against him. Zardari seems to have handed over his 'will' over to US, as the documents names the successor he wants to be installed at the head of Pakistan. There is definitely a lot of diplomatic tension that is created due to all these.

At a time when there is a 'media ethics' debate with the "Barkhagate" and ethics of Open Magazine and Outlook, Wikileaks has added fuel to the fire.

View Original leaked documents on Wikileaks or at the Guardian website.

'Nataka' in Karnataka

2010-10-26T11:32:00.001+05:30

For the first BJP government in South India the term has been far from smooth. The honeymoon period ended sometime last year when the all powerful Reddy brothers went up in arms against the chief Minister Mr.B.S.Yeddyurappa for the sacking of his trusted Lieutenant Shobha Karan Laje. CM having no other option at hand had to go in for a Cabinet reshuffle and had to heed to the demands for cabinet berths for a couple of Independents.

Within a six month period, the whole scenario changed and once again the CM got his Iron hand back thanks to couple of court cases on Illegal mining against the Reddy Brothers. Another cabinet reshuffle came and this could well spell the doom for the government. 19 odd rebel MLAs handed the resignation over the governor, the former Law Minister, reducing the government to a minority. More 'Nataka' was to be witnessed with this rebel MLAs going on a all-india tour - Goa, Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai :P Competitive horse trading was witnessed for both the part of JD(S) and BJP.

Most interesting feature to note is that,Reddy brother who were in the forefront in creating the instability initially were the prime negotiators comes the second crisis. Well as they say "There are no permanent enemies or friends in politics". Thanks to the role speaker played in suspending the rebel MLAs, Yeddyurappa has managed to save his government by the scruff of the neck.

Historic elections in Kerala

2010-10-26T11:27:00.000+05:30

The elections to the local bodies here in Kerala is a historic one in the sense that its for the first time that 50% of the seats are reserved for the women. This is even when the Women Reservation Bill passed in the parliament after much melodrama asks for only 33% reservation for women.

The election held over two phases saw high energy campaigns for both the ruling LDF and opposition UDF. Though there where many apprehensions regarding how women candidates would be supported from the respective parties, from are roadside watcher's e viewpoint, got to say there definitely the same if not more enthusiasm this time around. Its also important to note that right from the past 3 local body elections women have been given the Mayor post alternatively in all the 5 corporations.

Maintaining with standards of literacy prowess in Kerala,all the women candidates are quite well qualified too. What remains to be seen is how effective the women representative do justice to the multiple roles they will have to play - as a house wife, professional and as a elected representative.

P.S. Come tomorrow around this time we will getting the results this historic elections.

Corruption - the perennial menace

2010-10-26T11:04:00.000+05:30

My mathematics teacher always used to say "Mathematics rules the world". How true!!!
Its indeed the 'Mathematics of money' that rules the world. Right from birth to death ie.. from getting a birth certificate to getting the death certificate one needs to face this same ordeal.

Even when we are criticizing our politicians and bureaucrats for the corruption, its highly important for one to look into why this menace is present. If you ask me, I would say the prime reason for this is the tax scheme that we are having in India. The tax rates be it the Income tax, sales tax or the corporate tax all are quite high. As a reason, there is increased urge for getting more money. So one to easiest ways in curbing this problem is to have a revamp of the tax structure.

There of course is the problem of excess greed and power. We have two evident examples for this right in the present scenario itself - Mr.Lalit Modi (IPL) and Mr.Suresh Kalmadi (CWG). In both the cases the monopoly of both the individuals in the respective games proved to be the critical factor. Though both of them are under investigation from the Enforcement Directorate and other related government agencies now, its really disheartening to know that they had such a 'free hand' all these days.

The different campaigns like the Jaago-re, Parivarthan movement have helped a lot is controlling this menace. Its high time that more stringent and efficient policies and laws are made to curb this.

ALUMNI meet

2010-10-16T22:48:00.002+05:30

I went in for the Reunion today to see a totally new look to my alma-mater. The construction works that were going on when I left is now almost over.

CNSSS in all its glory

Most interesting is the room Rev.Fr.Mathew Thengumpally has got for himself. The room is so large that he can accommodate around 100 detainees at the same time :P Furthermore, more trouble is awaiting our younger generation, CCTV to be put up in each floor to catch hold of miscreants red-handed with video proof :P All thanks to the most inspiring and motivating person all christnagarians have ever seen.....

From top of the new building one gets to see the run-way, sea and vast expanse of greenery - totally MIND BLOWING sight accompanied by super wind :) It was great to see most of classmates, interact with the seniors and to know many of the juniors. Heard lots of "unheard" school day miscreants which was totally ROFL stuff :) Thanks a lot to all for giving these ever-lasting memories........

Three years out of school and I still just can't have enough of School days :(

One awesome CWG experience

2010-10-14T20:07:00.002+05:30

   I have never been a ardent follower of multi-discipline games, but this Commonwealth Games has been one awesome experience. Right from the Opening ceremony "MEHENDI" show to the "VANDE MATARAM" now at the closing ceremony, the whole games has been really colourful :)  Seeing the Bird's eye view of the stadium, I felt Delhi has transformed into America or so.

   Not just the ceremonies, even the games talent on display was really good. Though number of top class athletes withdrew from the games, they would now be regretting their decisions. Australia though ran away with the show in most of the trades, performance of India was really heartening. No.2 on the medal tally with 38 golds, just perfect on home turf :) Golds in wrestling and shooting was expected but it was really gr8 to see athletics coming up big time with two golds. Badminton and Table tennis performance also gave a lot of cheer.

Amidst all the pre-games controversies and deadline lapses no one expected the games to be conducted so well. I had been a vehement Kalmadi basher, but I think he needs some credit now. ARR would be happy to see the second version clicking. Heavy credit is also due for Bharat Bala the choreographer for the opening and closing ceremonies. Hope India can keep up its preparations and host Olympic Games some time soon.......

IEEE membership - A complete package for overall excellence

2010-09-01T13:24:00.000+05:30

   IEEE is the world's largest professional organization providing unending contributions in the field of technical excellence. IEEE student branch in my college (College of Engineering, Trivandrum) was quite inactive till 2008. Thanks to the efforts of our SB mentor and a dedicated EXECOM, there has been lots of activities ever since and I feel extremely lucky to have been part of them. When I had joined IEEE in the first year of my engineering study, I actually didn't know that IEEE membership would give me so many benefits. Being part of the IEEESB has improved not just my technical know-how but also my managerial skills and more importantly the overall personality.

   Now I would like to share with blog readers the different websites one needs to catch up to get the latest information on IEEE.

1. www.ieee.org – IEEE official website

2. http://ewh.ieee.org/r10/india_council - IEEE india council website

3. www.ieeeusa.org – IEEE USA website

IEEE has lot of benefits to offer to you. Every IEEE member has a myIEEE page from where you can join IEEE, renew membership, membership benefits and details on different societies and interests. Sources which has been of great use to me personally is IEEE TV (www.ieee.tv) , IEEE spectrum magazine (http://spectrum.ieee.org) and IEEE Xplore digital library (www.ieeexplore.ieee.org) . Though I have not been into my final year wherein I need to present a paper of IEEE standard, Xplore library has been a great guide.

   IEEE community is like a ‘global village’ which opens up possibilities for interaction with colleagues from around the globe (http://www.ieee.org/societies_communities/index.html). IEEE jobsite (http://careers.ieee.org) is of great help to professions and students alike. There is also Career-alert magazine. IEEE also offers awards and scholarships to its members for their achievements. There is an online program called IEEE mentoring connection which helps establish a mentoring partnership between its members (http://www.ieee.org/membership_services/membership/mentoring/index.html).There is also IEEE Women In Engineering community which focuses on advancement of women in technical and scientific fields (http://www.ieee.org/membership_services/membership/women/index.html)

   In addition to providing such technical knowledge IEEE also hosts a number of competitions wherein its members can showcase their talents and thereby even get international recognition. Couple of such competitions that are held every year are

·   IEEE Humanitarian Technology Challenge (HTC) which focuses on how technology can used to serve humanity better (http://www.ieeehtc.org)

· IEEE Xtreme programming competition which is 24 hour programming contest (http://ieeextreme.org)

Considering these enormous number of benefits that IEEE has to offer to its members , I encourage lot more people especially students to be part of this global technical professional organisation.

P.S. Though IEEE is a professional organisation, it has always lend a helping hand to the humanity. The latest example being the relief provided for the flood victims in Pakistan (http://www.ieee.org/organizations/foundation/2010news.html).

Nelliampathy

2010-08-26T11:49:00.000+05:30

This is a blog post on a place I have been to recently. I am very sure that not many of the readers would have heard of this place.

Well, Nelliampathy is a hill station near Palakkad (2 hr journey from palakkad). I have been to most of the hill stations on South India, but none has impressed me as much as this. The primary reason for this should be the fact that not many people know of this place. The very journey to this Hill station is an awesome experience. Even at 2 in the afternoon there is hardly 5m visibility.

Fully snow filled tea plantations

Enroute Nelliampathy there is Pothundy dam, which is famous for the fact that it is the second largest Earthen dam in Asia. In front of Pothundy dam, you get excellent tea from a 'tattu kada' :) All along the upward climb there are small streams of waterfalls with crystal clear water. There are extensive teak plantations all along and once you reach Nelliampathy there is tea and coffee plantations. The highlight of the journey was the awesome scene that nature presented as Kesavanpara, when the snow and clouds moved away in front of my eyes to give a breath taking scenery. Other places to visit are Sitarkundu and Karapara.

Nelliampathy hills as seen from Pothundy dam

The dampener however is the poor mobile range available :P Anyone planning to go there do have a BSNL mobile connection . One thing I can guarantee you will never be disappointed :)

Word Collage of my blog

2010-08-25T15:58:00.000+05:30

Epic IV story - Part 1

2010-08-11T11:55:00.000+05:30

I am starting of on the narration of one epic awesome journey I had been on this past week. It was supposed to be "Industrial Visit" which turned out to be more than just a TOUR!!!!!
The journey started off on 30th July after lots of desperate negotiations and major HR deliberations. As always the starting time got delayed - by just 3 hours :P . First up we were to go to COORG (more on coorg episode in the next part of IV story). Though everyone was high on 'enthu', first day 'blues' was clearly evident. Things began to change however with "Punjabi House" film screening..... chalus began coming, goals galore to boost :) This however lead to a sleepless-night :( Was eating away the time with 50-50, Good day and other miscellaneous items. Once the ghat section began and first rays of Sun came , nature presented itself in all its beauty.
The delayed start however proved quite costly since we missed the deadline for reaching Coorg by morning and ended up renting room at Manathavadi(Wayanad) and reaching Coorg only by the afternoon. The rest of the story will be continued in subsequent blog posts (donno how many i will take though :P)

A time line of Iyer life

2010-08-09T08:20:00.000+05:30

I got this as an e-mail and couldn't resist posting it since it was so realistic. All other Iyer's would have a similar opinion too, i suppose :)

Age: 6 Months
All these mamas and maamis have come here...
For a grand welcome of their new born fellow Iyer...
And my parents will feed food to me with a ring...
And give me a name long enough for you to sing...
(Krishnamoorthy Venkataraghava Krishna Doraiswamy,
But will simply call me Dorai!)

Age: 10 years Topping my class is an inborn talent I possess
(We are an exception)
Teachers & relatives, whom I never fail to impress
Daily dosage of idli, dosai, sambar, rice and curd
Who on earth do you think will not turn into a nerd(hehe)

Age: 22 Yrs(Just after graduation.. . Preferably Electronics Engineering)
Yipeee Yipeee Yipeee... I completed my BE in IIT...
Also got a call from Infy...Ya right...Narayana Murthy...
( Proud fellow...Southie ! )
Up & Away to Bangalore by the next morning flight...
And then someday to USA...Yay Yay Yay...Onsite. ..
(You are right... Rhyming no?!)

Age: 26 Years(Single status in USA)
It has been four long years since I have come here...
And not a single girl who is ready to come near...
Here in United States I thought I'd get laid...
Down came crashing, the dreams that I'd made...

Age: 30 Years
(8 yrs Onsite, somewhere in USA)
I miss my sambhar rice and the tasty thair saadam(curd rice)
Will speak to amma to find me a homely madam...
Will leave for Thirunelveli on a 30 day leave...
And come back with a maami right up my sleeve...

Age: 45 Years(Still onsite, we think)
I have two kids, but there is a gripping fear...
Both of them have no signs of being an Iyer...
Krishnaswamy & Sreemahalakshmi I named them fondly...
But Chris & Sally I call them if I want them to even reply...

Age: 60 Years(retire hogaya baap)
I am back to Thirunelveli with my ever faithful wife...
But my kids stayed there and think I don't have a life...
Tirupati, Guruvayoor, Shabarimala all we've been to...
Sun TV is our faithful friend which we always turn to...

Age: 75 years
(Now everything seems impossible)
Ayyayyo, what happened to all my dreams?
They have all simply turned into screams.
Children have already married and divorced thrice,
Playing with our grandchildren would've been nice.
Left with us are only aches and pains,
Life is full of only losses, with no gains.
Are we going to be the last of the brilliant Iyer generation?
To our children, tradition and culture are only a botheration!

From a Tamil Brahmin Iyer

iDosing

2010-07-18T23:23:00.000+05:30

I am quite sure that not many of the readers would not even have heard of such a term leave alone knowing what it is. This term came into prominence after there were many reports of children getting hallucinations after listening to these 'digital drugs'.

Its a free legal drug that can be downloaded from the Internet. A person can iDose by finding a dark room, sitting motionless and putting on headphones and listening to repetitive tracks that are downloaded. By doing so the person is taken to transcendental state. Time taken for this varies from person to person. Many researchers fear that this forced modification in mood can lead to harmful after-effects and addictions. The users so far have experienced a definite change in their moods though......

Smartest Way Of Booking IRCTC Tatkal Ticket Revealed | GoosPoos

2010-07-16T17:36:00.000+05:30

Smartest Way Of Booking IRCTC Tatkal Ticket Revealed | GoosPoos

Sneak Peek into the world around us: Moncompu - Travel review

2010-07-15T20:20:00.000+05:30

Sneak Peek into the world around us: Moncompu - Travel review

Animal Astrologists

2010-07-09T19:41:00.001+05:30

This football world cup has been popular more for off-field issues than the action on field - From vuvuzelas to animals predictions . To be very frank action on-field has been quite poor which has given more boost for these extra-curricular activities. So far there has been three 'popular' animals astrologists.

The most popular "PAUL - THE OCTOPUS". This weird octopus has been putting up predictions from the time of EURO 2008. It had correctly predicted all of the Germany matches them except for the final against Spain. It has so far correctly predicted all the matches in world cup and has gone with Spain for the finals.

Another animal that has captured the imagination is "MANI - THE PARROT" . It gained popularity after Singapore leading newspaper featured an article on how the parrot has correctly predicted the semis line-up in the world cup. The parrot owned by a roadside vendor of Indian origin is now getting 10 customers per hr compared to 10 customers per day earlier. The parrot has gone with the Netherlands for the world cup finals.

You can watch the video of the prediction here http://www.zoofs.com/v/zF1YgIgozZE

I found a third animal astrologist too recently - "SIMON THE PSYCHIC KITTEN". Not very sure of the credibility of the source though. The kitten too has gone with Netherlands in the finals.

So it has been 2-1 in favour of Netherlands from the animal astrologists. Lets all wait till Sunday to see whose finally comes up as winners of WORLD CUP.

P.S. You can read my blog-post on VUVUZELA here http://travesal.blogspot.com/2010/06/vuvuzela.html

Germany's "Foreign" Team

2010-07-07T21:39:00.000+05:30

This is some really interesting fact that I found recently. 11 of the German team members in the football world cup are not originally from Germany. If the goalkeeper too was foreign Loew could have fielded full-fledged 'foreign' team :)

Klose - Poland
Podolski - Poland
Ozil - Turkey
Kadira - Tunisia
Boateng - Ghana
Gomes - Spain
Kakou - Brazil
Trokovsky - Poland
Avago - Nigeria
Sedar Taski - Turkey
Marko Marin - Yugoslavia

Now that what you call a "FOREIGN" team :)

Textaphrenia

2010-07-01T19:04:00.000+05:30

   I read about textaphrenia in a newspaper article today morning.Thought I would just put in a blog-post on what it is.Textaphrenia is thinking a message had arrived when it hadn't, while textiety is the anxious feeling of not receiving or sending text messages.
   Textaphrenia is a disorder created in heavy texting addicts.For all those people who have are addicted to SMSing please take into consideration the fact that just like mobile radiation heavy texting can also lead to problems related to mental health. A recent study in Melbourne came up with some alarming conclusions. The study into youth communication habits identified the risks teens face from texting excessively every day, and the symptoms included anxiety, insecurity, depression, low self-esteem and "repetitive thumb syndrome".
   For all the advantages MOBILES have brought with it there has been increasingly heavier number of associated problems :(

Snaps from Konkan - Awesome

2010-06-28T18:54:00.000+05:30

ROAD TO KONKAN

MALESHWAR WATERFALL

DOODHSAGAR WATERFALL

Family Problem - e-mail

2010-06-24T17:48:00.000+05:30

A really Funny e-mail that I got:

Two men, one American and an Indian were sitting in a bar & drinking

Shot after shot.

The Indian man said to the American, 'You know my parents are forcing
me to get married to this so called homely girl from a village whom I
haven't even met once.' We call this arranged marriage. I don't want
to marry a woman whom I don't love... I told them that openly and now
have a hell lot of family problems.'

The American said, talking about love marriages... I'll tell you my
story. 'I married a widow whom I deeply loved and dated for 3 years.
After a couple of years, my father fell in love with my step-daughter
and married her, so my father became my son-in-law and I became my
father's father-in-law.

Legally now my daughter is my mother and my wife my grandmother. More
problems occurred when I had a son. My son is my father's brother and
so he is my uncle.

Situations turned worse when my father had a son. Now my father's son,
my brother is my grandson. Ultimately, I have become my own grand
father and I am my own grandson. And you say you have family
problems.'

The Indian fainted...........

Internet, Simplified: How To Do Everything With Your Mobile Phone

2010-06-22T19:53:00.001+05:30

Internet, Simplified: How To Do Everything With Your Mobile Phone

NIke Ad Jinx

2010-06-21T17:57:00.004+05:30

Before the world cup started there was a Nike Ad that was released with top footballers featuring in it.However this is the state of affairs of the players now :

Didier Drogba - broke his arm during Ivory Coast's final World Cup warm-up match against Japan.

Fabio Cannavaro - made calamitous error that allowed Shane Smeltz to score New Zealand's opener against Italy during the team's 1-1 draw and pull off one of the shock results of the World Cup so far.
Wayne Rooney - arguably the single-most under-performing player at the World Cup to date, he was forced to apologise after insulting England fans following that dismal 0-0 draw against Algeria .
Lassana Diarra - forced to withdraw from French squad after being diagnosed with a genetic blood disorder at the team's training camp.
Patrice Evra, Franck Ribery, Jeremy Toulalan- three members of the French squad who are currently embroiled in one of the biggest meltdowns in World Cup history. Both Evra and Ribery have also been involved in fights - with French fitness coach Robert Duverne and midfielder Yoann Gourcuff respectively.
Theo Walcott - controversially and unexpectedly omitted from Fabio Capello's final 23-man England squad .
Cesc Fabregas - fell out with club manager Arsene Wenger after demanding transfer from Arsenal to Barcelona. Currently involved in tapping-up row .
Andres Iniesta and Gerard Pique- not only did this Spanish pair suffer a shock group stage defeat to Switzderland, but Iniesta also limped off injured while Pique was largely at fault for Gelson Fernandes' goal.
Ronaldinho - failed to make Brazilian coach Dunga's final 23-man squad for South Africa.
Christiano Ronaldo - except for the one lucky goal, his performance was totally unimpressive.

Most of the information has been taken from Mirror football site. It was a really interesting set of information and hence I thought I would post it on my blog.

Vuvuzela

2010-06-19T12:14:00.000+05:30

Vuvuzelas have created more noise in the past one week than the football world cup itself. #vuvuzela has been trending on twitter ever since the inception of world cup. It has been proving to be a constant menace to the TV broadcasters who have been asking for a ban on them from the stadiums. There has been anti-vuvuzela campaigns all over the net. There even has been a MP3 file that can be downloaded and played along with the match to counter the noise of vuvuzelas.

Vuvuzela in local language (Tsawana) is known as 'lepatata' meaning 'stadium horn'. The sound level of the instrument is 127 decibels that has the possibility of creating permanent hearing impairment. To counter this sound 'shu-shu-zelas' have been developed which are now available at stadiums in Durban.

One thing for sure this football season "Love It or Hate It, you just cannot Ignore the VUVUZELAS"

Twitter down

2010-06-15T13:16:00.002+05:30

This is the present list of trending topics on twitter.

This was what that was happening:

Concept of Kaavu (കാവ്)

2010-06-14T13:10:00.004+05:30

Kaavu (കാവ്) is one of the cultural traditions thats followed widely in different parts of Kerala.

Its widely known myth that Kerala was created by Sage Parasurama by throwing his axe. Its believed that Sage Parasurama did so to in order to provide a place to reside for the Brahmins (Namboodiris) as 'prayaschitam' (penance) for his Kshatriya killings.

In order to safeguard the natural environment and resources it was suggested to have some area near all houses to be kept untouched by humans. These areas were considered sacred and regular 'poojas'(worship) were done. This is how kaavu developed.

Bhopal Trail by Media

2010-06-12T11:26:00.001+05:30

I am inspired to do this post considering the number of seemingly unending court cases that have suddenly been given justice. From Jessica Lal to Ruchika to Bhopal gas tragedy the list is quite long.

From the times I have known to remember things the only place where I had heard the name of Mr.Warren Anderson was in quiz shows. But today after around 26 yrs of Bhopal Union Carbide tragedy, every time I switch on TV I hear this name. People where speaking of how Anderson was no where to found, but the very next day of Bhopal Verdict media tracked down to his house in Bridgehampton,New York.
Furthermore, there are exclusive chats with the driver of the ambassador in which Anderson was taken to the airport, revelations by the pilot of the flight on how he was treated and political parties as usual shifting blames from on side to the other.

Though media at most times try to sensationalise issues, quite good use is coming out too :-) But we still need our judicial system to be more transparent and speedy in delivering verdicts.

Beaufort Force 7

2010-06-09T11:23:00.001+05:30

Main question in the minds of people who are reading this blog would be why am I writing something on Beaufort Force 7. Well the answer is these where the winds that hit Trivandrum couple of days back destroying 1/3rd of the 11kV substations.
Beaufort scale is a wind speed measure based on sea conditions.The scale was devised in order to standardize the weather observations made by Navy officers.

The Beaufort force 7 wind which hit Trivandrum had a speed of 55km/hr.There was a sudden rise in the wave height. These high speed winds caused large scale destruction to the electricity services.Thankfully there weren't any human casualities :)

Moncompu - Travel review

2010-06-08T11:48:00.001+05:30

I don't know how many of the readers of this blog would have heard of this place's name.For starters its a naturally formed island in the Kuttanad taluk of Alleppey district.Another fact reg: the place is that famous agricultural scientist M.S.Swaminathan ( Mancompu Sambasivan Swaminathan ) is from here. The place marked as 'A' is Moncompu.

For those people who have been living in the concrete jungles of the metros and not so metro areas, this will be a refreshing change.The calm,serene waters of Vembanad lake are ideal for the house-boat journeys.

Its really heartening to see how nature presents itself with such beauties that leaves its observers enchanted :)

This is the pic of the Moncompu temple.Whats peculiar about the visit to the temple is that one needs to take a boat ride for crossing the river. River is not the one seen in pic :P.

Cricketing debacle

2010-06-06T20:29:00.000+05:30

Starting off my blog with a cricketing review.

Post the T20 WC debacle Indian team was handed with the supposedly easy tri-series tour of Zimbabwe.The team was packed with top performers from Ranji trophy and IPL lead by Raina. The team was supposed to show their supremacy over Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka and bring the Indian public and media back to normalcy.

However the low profile "Micromax Cup" ended with more questions raised over the NO:1 test team in the world.The team was treated like some High School team.The series showed how weak the bench-strength of the team is. This team devoid of the Tendulkars and Dhonis of the world was just rolled over by Zimbabwe for two consecutive games. After the highs of T20 world cup win in 2007 and reaching the status of No:1 test team in 2009, Indian cricket seems to be going to the absolute lows :-(