Examination Days

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Its examination time and I get to see while commuting in the bus students discussing about the exam that they have written and about the subject that they will write next. Seeing them reminds me of my days in college and in particular the examination days. Of all days the examination days are quite special. The days would be joyful if everything goes right else gloomy if one does poorly in the exams.

There are two types of discussion that will happen on the exam day. One is the discussion that we friends would discuss before entering the examination hall. One later, when we step out of the hall. On the day of the exam we would gather in the canteen and many of us will be in serious discussion with each other. Every one would have some part of the syllabus not yet prepared but would be hoping to get whatever info in the last minute from one who has prepared it well. A set of previous question papers would come in handy to at least to pass the exam if not to score more. While some would be quietly immersed in their books, some would be pestering others to let know them how to solve particular problems. Couple of them would play the role of jesters disturbing some and entertaining some.

When the bell rings to indicate that we should enter the exam halls, our bags would be packed and all the needed accessories like pen, calculator and the hall ticket would be pocketed. We would enter the hall and quietly occupy the seat marked with our register number. Answer sheet would be handed over and with another ring the question paper. While some would start writing immediately and some spend few minutes and start writing quite a few would keep staring the question paper for well over thirty minutes. Clear indications that the candidates think questions have come out of prescribed syllables. When the supervisor tells that the time remaining is only thirty minutes its time for us to scribble what ever comes to mind. What we write from this point on would not be illegible even to our own eyes!

When we step out of the hall, we would start evaluating our performance. Faces of all kinds, some smiling, some gloomy, and some emotion less, all could be seen at the college gate. We would assign marks to each question and see how much we might score. We would continue discussing about it when we are traveling back home in the bus. Some would rue their fate and some would be ecstatic oblivious to the fact that others are watching. Examination days are truly special.

Sivaji

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Certain tracks of Rajnikanth’s Sivaji is now available. After the first listen, my opinion is that the album falls flat with all the high expectations over it. It does not reflect A. R Rehman. The A. R Rehman that I know is not seen in the audio tracks of Sivaji. As per the audio listing here, there are three songs and theme music. One of the duets has Udit Narayan as the play back singer. Udit Narayan for Rajni and I cannot imagine how the visuals with the audio is turning out to be! If one should go by the stills that have been doing the rounds it’s going to be awful. There is a theory that Rehman’s album should be heard over many times to appreciate his work with which I do agree. But with Sivaji the theory is not going to work out. Hope that atleast the movie is as much entertaining as was Baasha.

Comment

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The following is Harry's comment to my post "FM Radio" in which I was critical of radio jockey's talks and the kind of programs that get aired. Harry makes a hard hitting statement.

You hit the nail on the head! You took the words out of my mouth!

"Commercial needs" doesn't, in any case, imply the stupid SMS and telephone line chatter I heard not only in Bangalore but also at Dubai, there with Malayalam stations. It is evident that someone suddenly 'discovered' this old and tired-out phenomenon discarded from 50s, 60s, and 70s North American radio (just as India has done with cell phones) and decided to ape it. As usual, with sad results - thanks to satellite television which is the reason Indians try to out-do the whites and carry imitation to comical exaggerated extremes! Having lived in the US and Canada for 39 years, with a degree in radio and tv broadcasting, and having listened to smooth, polished super-stations where the announcers make anywhere from $100,000 to $20 million (that is correct) or more a year, I believe I am qualified to separate the men from the boys in radio! These FM stations I heard in India and Dubai are amateurish, to say the least.
Many stations are going to automated programming in the U.S. and Canada, getting rid of the irritating motor-mouths. Who needs them? Listeners want more entertainment in the form of music, as can be seen from channel-hopping in North America. Take it to another extreme, and you have Indian AM radio. But, that is another story!

If these Indian and Dubai stations would only listen...:( The possibilities are endless for AM and FM in this part of the World, if only they knew what they are missing!

Harry , thanks much. You made my day.

World Cup

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The world cup is turning out to be an interesting one. Who would have thought that the Pakistan would be the first team to be knocked out of the tournament or that the Indians would be pushed to the wall and the prospect of them making into second round a 50-50 chance? Herschelle Gibbs hits six sixes in an over and Ricky Ponting isn’t surprised for he thinks the ground was very, very small (which does not surprise me. If I remember right, when Lara scored 400 test runs in an innings Ponting didn’t have words to praise the effort). Bob Woolmer unfortunately dies. It’s all happening and for now I am looking forward to the India-Sri lanka game. I believe that match would go down to the wire and would be worth sacrificing one’s sleep in watching the Cricket.

If India should lose the match against Sri Lanka they would be out of tournament and who would be more upset than the Indian cricket fan? The Indian media which have been churning out programs that would make one believe that the world cup is what India needs most and nothing else. Nonsense is what, at least I find in those programs. One such stupid show is where a tarot card reader is invited in the studio to discuss the prospects of team and players. What I prefer is to just watch the game, draw my own judgments and predictions. I would not waste time in watching any thing else than the game itself.

World Cup Resolutions

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Nirmal Shekar writes about resolutions worth considering with regards to the forthcoming Cricket World Cup. Read all the resolutions here. All his points are very much valid. I liked the following much:

Let us resolve that we will not elevate — apeing the tacky TV tripe peddled by sportscasters — the latest match-winning century by an Indian batsman into `the greatest ODI hundred ever made.' Even a cursory knowledge of history will be enough to realise that there were, indeed, a few in the past who could do a bit with the bat in World Cups. Ever heard of Viv Richards?

Let us resolve that we will never again say that Team India carries the hopes of a billion people and the prayers of that many are with Rahul Dravid's men. The truth — if anybody still cares for it in this age of ephemera, an age of boosterism and saturation coverage of popular sport in the media — is that a vast majority of that billion has rather more mundane everyday concerns. Their hopes and dreams are not hooked to the fortunes of the men in blue.

Let us resolve that we will not glorify the triumph as the `greatest achievement in the history of Indian sport' should Dravid's men come back with the World Cup. It might not even be the greatest achievement in the history of Indian cricket. Twenty four years ago, on a lovely English summer day, a bunch of one-day cricket minnows from this land beat one of the greatest sides ever to take the field in a World Cup final — Clive Lloyd's 1983 West Indians.

Let us resolve to revel in the glory of every great performance in this World Cup irrespective of the nationality of the performer. Let us not be prisoners of our passions and become sorry losers. It never did matter to me that Shane Warne wasn't Indian; nor did it matter to me that Pete Sampras and Roger Federer were unlikely to get goose-bumps when the Jana, Gana, Mana is sung. Tendulkar apart, these are the men who have given me the greatest sports-watching pleasure in recent times.

Baasha

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This is the scene which I like the most in the movie Baasha where Rajni says ‘Oole Po’. No other actor, I think could have done justice to that scene. I would also say that Baasha is also one of the finest entertainers. Nowadays watching films like Pokiri, Sivakasi and the like I am very much critical of actors like Vijay and Ajith. The reason is that they try to imitate Rajni. One gets a sense of déjà vu .I am not a huge fan of Rajni but I vouch for the fact there can be only one who can do movies like Baasha and make it entertain: that is Rajnikant. It is high time that the present breeds of actors realize that and choose scripts that are suitable to them.

Pokkiri

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With nothing much to do in Chicago, I decided to watch Pokiri which is available in Internet. Thanks to a 24 hours high speed Internet connection at an affordable price in my hotel room the video streaming was good.

As for the movie, only hard core Vijay fans can enjoy it. I felt the movie had a hopelessly written screenplay. I couldn’t, even after watching the complete movie, understand what the movie was about. It is an outright Vijay movie with other characters having absolutely zero significance. Comedy track with Vadivelu was naïve. But there is one scene seeing which one would laugh out loud, watching Vijay in a police costume. Yes, Vijay is an IPS officer, a fact which comes to light at the last moment in the plot. Vijay should not even remotely think of donning police officer character in his movies. Less said the better about Manisharma’s musical score for the movie. I am not sure if Pokiri is a hit but Prabhu Deva should be more sensible and be more creative as he would be in his choreography, if he wishes to become a film maker of appreciable quality.

Chicago's Winter

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The winter in Chicago is so harsh that after two weeks of stay here I haven’t had the opportunity to do any sightseeing but to stay in my hotel room or in office. Even to my office that is just a stone’s throw away, I have to take a cab. With just couple of more weeks left for my stay in Chicago and the whether not relenting I am afraid I might not see anything worthwhile. The trip to Hong Kong was better, lot better.

Chicago!

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Here are some interesting quotes on the American city Chicago:

I miss everything about Chicago, except January and February.

- - - Gary Cole

Chicago is the product of modern capitalism, and, like other great commercial centers, is unfit for human habitation.
- - - Eugene Debs, 1908

I think that's how Chicago got started. A bunch of people in New York said, "Gee, I'm enjoying the crime and the poverty, but it just isn't cold enough. Let's go west."
- - - Richard Jeni

Satan (impatiently) to Newcomer: The trouble with you Chicago people is, that you think you are the best people down here; whereas you are merely the most numerous.

- - - Mark Twain "Pudd'nhead Wilson's New Calendar," 1897

Here is the difference between Dante, Milton, and me. They wrote about hell and never saw the place. I wrote about Chicago after looking the town over for years and years.
- - - Carl Sandburg, in Harry Golden, Carl Sandburg, 1961

Now why would I be writing quotes on the Chicago? Well I am now in Chicago fighting out the toughest whether that I have ever seen!

While most of the quotes that I have mentioned here render a negative impression on the city (the quotes are pretty old as well), I would blog about what I feel about the city in my future posts.

Raj Kumar – One of India’s Finest Singers

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The late Kannada cinema icon Raj Kumar is widely known outside of Karnataka as the film personality who had grown to a stature such as to represent the Kannada culture. But what is not known is that he was an extremely talented singer. Its surprises me often that whenever someone discusses about Raj Kumar, his singing talent is hardly mentioned. In my opinion Raj Kumar excelled more in his singing than his acting. And I would certainly consider him to be one amongst the finest singers of Indian cinema.

Some of the memorable songs sung by Raj Kumar:

· Sadha Kannali …

· Hosa Baalina…

· Ide Raagadalli…

· Jeeva Hoovaagidhe…

· Nina nana Manavu…

· Haalu Jenu…(excellent rendition by the thespian in this song)

· Beladingalagi Baa…

· Anuraga Yennaithu Manaseke …

If there is one reason that I still at times tune into FM stations notwithstanding my dislike of them is just because to listen to Raj Kumar’s mellifluous voice.

Unreal Reality Shows

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I have always maintained that the reality shows on television channels are not worth spending my time on. Whenever I come across such shows, particularly the ‘Big Boss’ kind that is on Indian television now, I feel that they insult my intelligence. And my views are strengthened more with the recent noise over the British television show the ‘Celebrity Big Brother’. I would switch over to watch Cartoon Network or switch off my TV rather than watching these stupid shows and the meaningless discussions about them on news channels.

No Man's Land

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Last weekend I had a chance to watch the movie No Man's Land. The Hindi film Lagaan had lost the oscar for 'best foreign film' category to No Man's Land. Rightly so. No Man's Land deserved the oscar and other numerous awards that it had bagged.

A powerful movie showcasing brilliantly the futilty of war. The film brings out the hatredness among waring regions, the hypocrisy that prevails in the media, the uselessness of United Nations splendidly. The story is universal. Consider any war torn regions the film fits aptly everywhere. Appreciate the director's talent in narrating a sensitive story seriously and with great wit.

Do grab the DVD if you haven't watched No Man's Land yet.

FM Radio

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Many new FM Radio stations have come on air in Bangalore in recent past. I believe this is the case in many other metros in India. Radio listeners will have many choices now. But I have found them wanting. The talk of the radio jockeys leaves lot to be desired. To listen to a good song I will have to bear senseless chattering of the hosts, ads lacking in creativity and many songs of not my liking. The most irritating is the lack of sense in the talks of the hosts. This is more so if two or more are conducting the show. And I can’t understand why a radio jockey should repeat a catch line of the radio station a hundred times every minute. It’s painful to ears to listen to same wordings again and again. Add to this the listeners interacting with the hosts and sending SMS. The hosts will have to keep repeating the numbers to dial in and message. All this makes me to avoid the FM radios particularly when I am traveling and switch on my iPod which is loaded with songs and podcasts of my preferences. I do agree there are shows which are worth listening but those are few and far between. I can enjoy songs with my iPod sans all things that are boring with the FM radio stations. I hope the quality of shows improves, given the powerful media that it is, with people at all levels of society listening to it, imagine how effective the FM radios would be in bringing about a useful change.

Indian Cricket and Fighting Spirit

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Rohit Brijnath is one sports columnist whose writing I follow keenly. He writes for The Hindu regularly. Be it Cricket, Athletics, Tennis or any other sport, he writes with great élan. Read his comments on the recent slump of Indian Cricket here.

"Fighting is many things. It is the constant warding off of impatience. It is battling the waistline. It is the honest struggle to lift personal standards. It is the desperate hanging on to concentration…Part of the contest of sport is not with opponent, but with the self, the ability to find faith and courage when the hands quiver. Furthermore the great player separates himself from the pack because he asks more from himself than others do"
Indian Cricketers should learn from their mistakes and others else they could well forget about the World Cup.

Post Cards from Hong Kong

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more will be uploaded in flickr soon

Hong Kong!

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I was in Hong Kong last week on a work related assignment. Being on my first visit to any foreign land, it was quite an experience. The city is beautiful, densely populated with numerous high raise buildings. It surprises me on how a city could be so clean notwithstanding its dense population. The attitude of people does matter not just of the authorities, isn’t? I had no difficulty in moving around the city. The city is very well organized to give the visitor knowing English a pleasant stay. But I being a vegetarian who refrains from egg as well it was a tough time. I couldn’t find even a single Indian style restaurant in the commercial hub of the city where I stayed. Nor was I able to spot many Indians, residential or as visitors.

Hong Kong is methodical in contrast to the city in which I live. The Bangalore authorities are planning to establish a metro rail system in the city. It would be many years before Bangaloreans could see metro rail system as good as it is in Hong Kong. Having traveled in the Bangalore city buses regularly I found the metro rail system in Hong Kong too could to be true! The city is costly as well. And it’s a shopping paradise. If you have got the money then Hong Kong should be one city that you would love to be in. In the next post I shall publish some more of photos that was taken during my stay in Hong Kong.

Question

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Read the following question in the Last Word column of New Scientist :

Is it true that if the Earth's atmosphere extended all the way to the sun, then the noise the sun makes would deafen us all? How much sound energy does the sun create? And what other effects would manifest themselves?

Pat Morgan, Greenock, Renfrewshire, UK

Interesting question I felt. I think the answer is yes. The Sun sound would deafen us all.

Blogging

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It’s been a little more than a year since I started this blog. The frequencies of my posts over the last few months have been very minimal. Though my preoccupation with my work could be one reason, the fact that I didn’t have anything useful to say should also be factored in. I do not wish to continue in this fashion lest this blog should appear as inactive and lose it tiny readership base that it might have! I shall be updating this blog as often as possible, of course with information that would make sense to its readers. I should be posting regularly and with more verbose if the blog title Prabhu’s Literature should make any sense.

Cricket

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Only West Indies can lose a game like this!

Wake Up

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The day's begun, the sun has sprung,
My shingle on the door is hung.
So work I must, without disgust,
Lest my bank account should gather dust.

- By Bill Cameron

Busy with my work of late, hence my blog is gathering dust!

The Meaningless IIFA Awards

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Read here an article commenting on the hypocrisy of the Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards.

Excerpts from the article:

"Indian cinema is not just Bollywood, and Hindi is not the only language. Why should our films be called South Indian cinema instead of being under the banner of Indian films?" - Mammootty

…South Indians have won 14 out of 26 National Awards over that many years (Mammootty himself won it thrice, the Big B once, King Khan never) and that a significant number of Hindi films are remakes of successful South Indian films — Telugu, Tamil, and Malayalam. And these include all old record-breaking Telugu and Tamil remakes. Remember those Jeetendra starrers?

Whether it's Chachi 420 or the more recent Hulchul: the modus operandi is to take an intelligent, riotous comedy with well-knit plot and great dialogues, all blended lightly. Whip it up to a thin fizz, add lots of noise, more songs, often more heroines, give it a hit-over-head quality taking care to remove the intelligence, and presto! you have the Hindi version.

I completely agree with the author of the article.

President's Bus Ride

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As one of those who use the Bangalore metropolitan buses to commute to office and back home, I couldn’t help but laugh out loud seeing the cartoon in The Hindu edit page. Mr. President would find the bus ride much more adventurous than the Sukhoi and Submarine experience. Just see the smile on our President and plight of his security guard. Excellent cartoon.

The Beautiful Game

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The World Championship of the beautiful game kicks off today! Forget about the ongoing Test Cricket series between India and West Indies and get ready to enjoy the live actions from Germany. Except for the most prominent teams and few players I am not aware of the any thing else about the World Cup. But I don’t care. Watching the matches would no doubt be bliss. When I was in school not a day would pass without my class not having played the game. In fact I have rarely played Cricket in my school. But after joining college for lack of opportunities to play football I had to rest my legs. With this World Cup I am going to revive all those memories of school days.

Quote

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Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.

- Samuel Beckett

I Seek A Ban On...

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Aamir Khan’s film Fanna is banned in Gujarat. The Da Vinci Code is banned in few states. Even I would like to seek a ban on the following things:

  • Mega Serials - These are highly reprehensible.
  • Tele-shopping shows - Nothing else can insult one’s intelligence as these shows.
  • 24x7 News channels - Can’t imagine how low they have stooped of late.
  • Shows on numerology, gemology and craps like that.


I have no opinions on the bans on Fanna and The Da Vinci Code but I strongly feel if all things that I have mentioned are banned, TV viewing can be much better.

The Da Vinci Code

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There are many movies that are made based on a book. The Da Vinci Code must be the first movie that I have watched after reading the book upon which the film is based. Having appreciated the book I was bit skeptical that the cinematic version would be a let down, particularly after reading the reviews in media. But it was not. Though not as gripping and riveting as the book, the movie as well can be appreciated. I feel that presenting a literature in a cinematic form has it own limitation. By that thought I give The Da Vinci Code thumps up.

"Avian bird flu" joke

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A bear, a lion and a chicken are talking about who is the hardest. The bear says, "When I roar the whole forest trembles." The lion says, "When I roar the whole jungle shakes with fear." The chicken says, "All I have to do is cough and the whole world runs for the hills."

Source: New Scientist

Short Stories

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Hot Days Long Nights is an anthology of African short stories. The book is a collection of twenty-six stories by African writers. This book having published by the National Book Trust is priced at a very less price. The first thing that comes to my mind when I think of Africa, sadly, is its backwardness. So while buying this book I thought the most of the stories would be about the plight of the Africans, particularly its women. And I was right. Most of the stories that I have read so far have been poignant. I believe the other sories as well would be as as much touching.


Rajkumar

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Kannada matinee idol Rajkumar is no more. His death has left millions of his fans devastated.   More than as an actor I liked him as a singer. Rajkumar has sung number of memorable songs one of my favorites being the song 'Halu Jenu'. But the violence that occurred in Bangalore on the day of his funeral was most shocking. I would not accept those who were part of the violence as true fans of the thespian. It was some anti-social elements, which took advantage of the situation and caused trouble to people who cared for the actor. Other wise how can we explain the burning of buses and cars? Is it possible for people who are grief stricken to do such inhuman things? I don't think so. Ultimately it resulted in Rajkumar not receiving the kind of funeral he deserved. It was said that he would be provided a state funeral. But the scenes at his burial place said a different story. There were numerous fans at the funeral but I think he was buried like any other ordinary citizen. I truly felt very sad at the way the whole episode was carried out.
 
The other thing that I didn't like was the English news channels discussing why southern India is so much obsessed with film stars. I really don't appreciate the question. Idolizing someone is a characteristic that exists throughout the world in some form of the other.   It is the Bollywood stars that bring in major revenue to these news and the so-called lifestyle channels.  Salman Khan's arrest was breaking news, why? . While the English channels were covering the mob violence in Bangalore, the Hindi news channels were busy with Salman Khan's possible release from prison.   Were it not for people's interest in Bollywood, Salman Khan would not have occupied the front pages in newspapers and prime slots in electronic media. The difference is just that while the Bollywood stars endear themselves to people representing the elite class the southern stars endear themselves performing roles, which the common man who is not part of the elite can easily identify with. Nothing was more telling than the incident that occurred in a news channel. As the host was discussing the question of southern India's idol worship with a panel the news of Salman Khan reaching his home must have trickled in. The host immediately interrupted saying that Salman Khan has been released and has reached his home. "We bring you the live pictures from his residence…you can see the fans thronging his home."   It was thought that the news of Salman Khan reaching home was hot news and one should not miss it, anything else can wait. Oh, how I hated it!

Thandege Thakka Maga

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The new Kannada movie Thandege Thakka Maga starring Ambarish and Upendra is the remake of the Tamil film Devar Magan. Though I haven’t watched the entire movie, going by the few scenes seen on TV, I can assert that the remake falls way short of the original. Devar Magan starring the late Shivaji Ganesan and Kamalahasan was a neat movie. The two versatile actors had given a performance of great élan and Illayaraja very well backed the movie. Ambarish performs Shivaji Ganesan’s role, as that of the patriarch. The latter is peerless no doubt. S.A Rajkumar has rehashed the tunes of Illayaraja in the Devar Magan. Effort has been put to recreate a movie that is considered to have set a benchmark of sorts but not enough to match its quality.

Bird Flu Threat

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Bird Flu cases have been reported in few parts of India. There is global concern over the bird flu. New Scientist carries a special report on the bird flu threat in its January’s edition. The reason for the alarm that is being raised globally is based on the fear that the virus H5N1 once inside a human may mutate and become capable of using humans as the carriers. As of now, even though the bird flu kills a third of people, whom it infects, it cannot spread from person to person. A pandemic can occur if humans become the carriers, which would be devastating especially if it is in poorer countries. A vaccine can be developed only after finding the exact strain, which is causing the pandemic. Distributing it to the affected people would be a herculean task. Answering a myth, ‘It’s a 21st century, not dark age and death due to massive plague is not possible’, the article had this to say: “…. even though leaders know death and misery anywhere will have global consequences, we don’t have the capacity to produce antivirals or vaccine fast enough to protect everyone. We have 21st-century technology. But when it comes to getting it to people, we are still in the dark ages”. Very true. Its high time the rich countries get together and go all out in stopping the pandemic from occurring.

Thirukkural

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Finance Minister ,P Chidambaram while presenting the Union Budget, quotes Saint Tiruvalluvar . A beautiful kural .

“Karumam Sidhaiyamal Kannoda Vallarku
Urimai Udaithu Iv Ulagu”

“The world is his who does his job
With compassion”

Being a Tamilian , I feel ashamed for not having learnt the Thirukkural. The only kural that I know by heart is that which gets said in every Balachander’s film !

"Agara Muthala Yelluthellam Aadhi
Bhagawan Mudhatre Ullagu"

" 'A' leads letters; the Ancient Lord
Leads and lords the entire world"

Fascinating Read..

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Absolutely enjoyed reading the book ,Richard Dawkin's Selfish Gene about which I had a post here. It's a brilliant book and I highly recommend it. Each chapter was a revelation to me. I was impressed with the authors knack of explaining concepts with understandable analogies . Extended Phenotype is another book by Dawkins. I will hunt it down soon for Dawkin considers it to be , more than anything else in his professional life , his pride and joy.

Genes And Survival Machines

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I am currently reading Richard Dawkin's The Selfish Gene. The central theme of the book is that genes are the fundamental units of evolution,of natural selection.The altirusm or the selfishness of the individual life forms is the result of the gene and nothing else.Life forms, plants and animals are just the vehicles for them to survive. The author refers to the life forms as the survival machines.Once the survival machine have served their purpose they are cast aside but genes continue to survive through the next generations of the survival machines. Genes are the denizens of the geological time.Like diamonds genes are forever.

The book gets me riveted on it while I travel to my office in bus everyday.A excellent way to escape the traffic snarls in my city. Once I complete the book I hope to blog in detail about the genes, the immortal coils.

Comedy - Then & Now

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I watched the classic comedy of the late Thangavelu from the film Kalyana Parisu again. I think that the performance of Thangavelu along with his wife Saroja in Kalyana Parisu should find place in the list of all time great comedy in Tamil Cinema. Other equally brilliant performance should be that of Nagesh in the movie Kadhalika Neramillai. When I see such great comedy in old movies I can’t help but contrast them with the present and feel that the performances of Nagesh and Thangavelu are far more accomplished than those done by present breed of comedians like Vivek, Vadivelu and others.

ID Is Not Science

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Should Intellegent Design (ID) be taught in science class as a scientific theory challenging evolutionary theory? No. The arguments put forth by the exponents of the ID are naive. Their argument that it is impossible for a complex organism to evolve just by chance defeats itself cyclically.One who designs the complex organism should be much more complex and demands much more explanation. But ID supporters refute this arguments saying that the Intellegent Designer is simply immune to the normal demands of scientific explanation. In such a case ID should find no place in science class but instead be confined to theology studies.

I studied in a christian school where we had a separate classes taken to preach Bible. I had no issues and did study it for it carried weight in my overall performance in my exams. But I would not tolerate when some one suggests that let the Bible classes be part of my Biology curriculam.

Read here a very good article arguing against ID

Vijay's Political Ambitions ?

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The Tamil Film Star Vijay receives the first stamp album of the special postage stamp on ‘Pongal’. After reading the news in the newspaper I was wondering why was Vijay chosen for recieving the stamps . But if rumours are to be believed then what my friend says must be true.My friend who came from his hometown in Tamil Nadu after celebrating Pongal, says that according to news reports in dailies there, Vijay is all set to campaign for DMK for the upcoming elections. Why would Vijay do that ? After recent IT raids in the houses of the cine stars of Kollywood, he is in need of some political support to shield himself from the IT raid squads in future. Though one shouldn't jump to conclusions , the rumour does make some sense to me!

Aaaru - Keep Off

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I suggest you might do yourself a favour from avoiding the Tamil film Aaaru. Violence being the main theme the movie fails miserably. Hari did much better in Saami.

PS: There were days during which I used to argue with my friends that commercial Tamil cinema was better than Hindi and kannada( atleast if one considers comedy and music). But now those arguments will fall flat on their face.

IF..

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If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream--and not make dreams your master,
If you can think--and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!

--Rudyard Kipling


Inspiring , isn't?

Brain Lara, The Enigma II

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Mike Marqusee in his Column 'Level Playing Field' in Hindu writes

"Lara's artistry blends the spontaneous and the cultivated, flamboyance and discipline, inspiration and stamina. It is irresistibly seductive. Even fanatical opposition supporters sigh in disappointment when he's out early. They know that a major innings by the walking puzzle we call Brian Lara is one of the glories of modern sport, a privilege to behold, whatever the outcome of the match"
same thoughts I intended to put in my post on Brain Lara , but couldn't put in words as
Mike has done.

Maxwell's Equations

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God Said Let ..



And There Was Light!


"To anyone who is motivated by anything beyond the most narrowly practical, it is worthwhile to understand Maxwells equations simply for the good of his soul." - J R Pierce

Inspiring statements that helped me in understanding the Maxwell's Equations better while studying Electromagnetics .

Life Membership Expires On..

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From New Scientist

"David Lake was given a life membership card for the Royal Zoological Society of South Australia. On it were the words: "Life Member. Expires 30/06/2006". "Should I be worried?" Lake asks."

Shamelessly Biased News Coverage

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I can tolerate the endless serials that get aired on TV but not the NEWS on the SUN TV and JAYA TV. Tamil Nadu has been severely affected by the rains and the coverage is shamelessly biased against the parties to which they are loyal. On SUN one just gets to hear the plight of the people and the central ministers visiting the affected places. Not a single mention of the TN state ministers relief efforts; On Jaya it is just the opposite. One hears people hailing the CM for her help, no scenes of despair. The coverage tries to impose on the viewers the feelings of the political parties rather than the affected people.

Brain Lara , The Enigma

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Brain Lara does it again. He holds another awesome record. He holds the world record for most test runs, 11,187. He as well holds the record for the highest score in one innings, 400 runs. He broke this record twice!. In his twilight of his career, he remains an enigma to me. Just as I think his magic is over, he bounces back with a spectacular innings time and again.

Illayaraja's BGM Score

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Listen to the BGM score of the movie 'Kadhalakku Mariyadhai', the climax scene. It is compositions of this kind which establishes the fact- There is none on par with Illayaraja when it comes to scoring BGM.

Jal Jal

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Listen to this song sung by S. Janaki. The film is 'Paasam'. This song is one of my favourites of old Tamil film music collection.

Thoo...

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Image from 'The Hindu'


Last Sunday, I read this musing in The Hindu. The author writes about the spitting habit that has become the integral habit for most of the people in India. Others doing that can be intolerable if you are travelling in a bus and the person sitting in front of you goes on a spitting spree..Thoo...

Though a frequent traveller in a bus , I hadn't endured the experience which the author of the article had. But yesterday was the day. I was in the bus going home from office. The window besides which I was seated had a glass pane for cover but it was common for two windows. I had my window wide open with the night breeze blowing gently. It was pleasant. Then he started. Gentleman sitting in front chewing his paan spit the first time. Nothing happened, the bus was going bit slow. I thought he wouldn't do that again when the bus catches speed but I was wrong.He did it again , this time I was not spared , his bit of thoo falling on my cheek. My friend seated next to me laughed . I kept silent. There was the third thoo. I could n't bear it . I stood and said something murmering, leaned forward and pulled the glass plane covering his window towards mine. He did not stop though, but I was safe.

Why do some people be so unconcerned about others ?

History of AT & T

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Read here a very well written article on AT & T , company which led the revolution in communication . AT&T's history of research and innovation is unparalleled. But now its not into the research and development which was its lifeline .The company is still a telecom giant but more focused on the corporate market.

Movies , Movies and only Movies

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Its festival time and various Tamil channels have 'variety' of special programmes lined up tomorrow. But why is that all programmes on all channels are always centered on movies ? Can entertainment be not provided by other means? Least thought is given to other forms of art. Even on Tamil new year it is cinema which rules. Why not give some space for Tamil Literature?I don't think it is movies alone which is in the psyche of people. I wish things change..

Let Our Life Lighten Up

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Wish you all a happy Deepavali.

Palacode

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This shot was taken in Palacode, Tamil Nadu.

Humour

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Read in the FeedBack column of NewScientist:
Heard by Claire Schoeefler on TV news in rural Victoria, Australia: "Police are concerned that the weapons stolen in the robbery may fall into the wrong hands"

Cricket and its Coverage

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The cricket played between the world XI and the Aussies was not as it was expected. The dismal performance of the world XI spelled the end of the World XI concept. No player in the world XI gave a good performance. Muralitharan did show his brilliance in the second innings of the six day test match( ironically the test was wrapped within four days). Rohit Brijnath has written very good coverage of the test match in the The Hindu. I liked the way he put Muralitharan's efforts in words:

Few moments in sport are as precious as when an athlete embraces perfection even for a fleeting instant, and Murali to Katich for four balls defined it. It was not an over bowled, but composed.

Murali let the ball go, Katich twitched; the ball landed, Katich prodded uncertainly; the ball turned and leapt, Katich looked distraught. Solace of a kind for the Australian was found in a shared embarrassment, for twice Mark Boucher was conned, too, once on a stumping chance, batsman and 'keeper hitting and clutching air respectively. Cricketing death was inevitable, only its method was in question; a ball later that, too, was settled when Katich edged a catch back to the bowler.

Being a ardent fan of the Lankan spinner, the writeup made my day.

Outlook turns 10

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The weekly news magazine Outlook completes 10 years of publishing. I have been a susbscriber to the magazine for the past three years. Outlook was launched as a weekly magazine to compete against India Today which was fortnightly then. Outlook became a strong contender and forced India Today into a weekly magazine. I feel Outlook is slightly better than India Today.And if one needs a unbiased news analysis then Hindu's Frontline would be the right choice.

I regret having subscribed to it many times. It's cover stories some times is nothing but nonsense.And there is one reporter, S.Anand who has written many articles which are controversial. I disagree with his opininions always. He was the one who covered the Sankararaman Murder Trial. Though I don't take any sides on this issue Outlook did a bad coverage on that , it was totally biased.Outlook rarely looks beyond Bollywood when it does coverage on Cinema. Even if it does it is always in a negative sense. It has reviewed only three 'regional' movies Baba , Anbe Sivam and Virumandi . All three got bad reviews.But I feel elated when Outlook brings some special editions.For example it carried a feature on Partition for this years Independence Day celebrations. The other aspect of Outlook which has me being faithful to it is its Letter section. The readers opinions are published unedited and criticisms are giving due respect.

On turning 10 it has published a special edition which is very enlightning.Carries some interesting articles and interviews. Also features many lists of 10 :10 Stories We're Proud We Did, 10 Famous Spats On Our Pages, 10 Lines We Like , 10 of their Worst Selling Covers , 10 people who sued us etc.Above all it had me engaged over the whole week after a long time

Stories of Steve

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I read the text of the Commencement address by Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios.It is very inspirational and thought-provoking speech.A little long but worth reading.Get inspired here.

Science and Aesthetics

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Does explaining the nature in terms of science spoil the beauty of it. Consider the rainbow. English poet John Keats once bemoaned that Isaac Newton had "Destroyed the poetry of the rainbow by reducing it to a prism". Michael Shermer thinks the opposite. In his regular column Skeptic in Scientific American he writes that science and aesthetics are complementary, not conflicting.Scientific explanation for any given phenomenon would not diminish its beauty or its ability to inspire poetry and emotional experiences.I concur with him.Even after knowing science behind it, nature would be as awe inspiring as ever. Science enables us to appreciate nature better.

Bridge and the Traffic

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This image from Google Earth shows the painstakingly constructed suspended bridge.It took three years to complete the construction. The people using the highway during that period experienced hell. And the agony has not ended. New problems have crept in , the traffic near the bridge during peak hours would make one wish that the bride wasn't there.

Richard Feynman

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"Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!" , a book which would give the reader a delightful insight into one of the most exciting character who shaped physics.His zest for life amazes me. A extraordinary physcist who also devoted time to art, safecracking,music and above all enjoyed his life.Hans Bethe had said "A magician does things that nobody else could ever do and that seem completely unexpected...and that's Feynman".I couldn't agree more.

Unnecessary Controversy

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The controversy that has struck Indian cricket is unfortunate. The issue should have been discussed confidentially and sorted out. Now that the differences between Chappel and Ganguly have become public, the news channel are having good time. I hate seeing every bit of news being flashed as Breaking News.

After this episode I don't think there can be any patch up between the coach and the captain.Even if there is a fix it won't last long. One should quit.I am not sure who should go but I think Ganguly should do himself a favour by stepping down, make himself available to domestic cricket and prove his worth.

Partial Zero !

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The folowing humour I read in the FeedBack column of the NewScientist.

“Patrick de Freitas tells us that in Salt Lake City, Utah, water department trucks go around proclaiming they are "partial zero emission" vehicles”

Photos at Flickr

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I have now setup a flickr account and have uploaded few photos that I took
to flickr. Check them here

New Template

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My blog has a new template now. If you have seen my earlier template and feel that it was better than what it is now please feel free to comment.

Freewheeling

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Early morning walk or is it early morning drive ?

England Win Ashes

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Thanks to Kevin Pietersen, England regains the Ashes. Australians have been humbled and I am delighted.


image courtesy : Cricinfo.com

Nalaya CM

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With 'Captain' Vijaykanth's first arasial maanadu scheduled on 14 of this month one can see posters inviting the people to the meeting on every nook and corner of the town. His suppoters consider him to be the next CM of TN. Vijaykanth was also featured in the Madan's Thirai Parvai this week on Vijay TV. He didn't miss the oppurtunity and used it very well as a platform for canvassing.But I don't think his party will make any mark in TN politics if it decides to fight it out alone. The field is there for tussle between Karunanidhi and JJ only and none else.

Unfair Fare

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I commute to my office and back home by the BMTC buses. Three months back there was a hike of Rs 50 in the monthly pass fare. And with the hike in fuel prices , the BMTC officials have announced that fare of the monthly pass would be further hiked by 30 Rs.However the ticket prices remain the same. Seems like I should not use the pass but rather buy tickets every time I do the travel.

Meanwhile the traffic woes of Bangalore is getting worse.Azim Premji of Wipro qoutes thus :

Bangalore is a national calamity in terms of infrastructure .

Visual Tale

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Last week I along with my brother and his family visited our aunt’s house in a town called Kaveripattinam, Tamil Nadu. It was a welcome break to me. After spending a day there we visited our traditional temple (Kulla Deaivam) in a village called Dallapatti. It’s an hour drive from Kaveripattinam. After offering our prayers we were back in Kaveripattinam. The panorama of life that I witnessed during my stay enchanted me. In parts, I will post few of the shots that were taken during the trip.



Nostalgia

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I am tagged by Venkat to recap my past. Here it is..

Do You Remember the Name of Your Very First School?

I did my nursery and my First Standard studies at Sri Ramakrishna Primary & Middle School, Ulsoor, Bangalore.

How about the name of your first friend at school...

Mallikarjun , we are good friends to this day and will be ever.

Who was your favourite teacher?


Miss Anthia who taught us English in our 6th and 7th Standards and Mrs Pushpa Bhaskar..she was my Kannada professor in my pre-university studies.

What subject did you dread the most?


Hindi

Did you participate in co-curricular activities?


Not a active participant
, but I did participate in one quiz contest. My team won the preliminaries and lost in the finals.


Which was your favourite sport?


FootBall was the game that I played each day in my school. Also Leg-Cricket..a form of cricket in which ones leg is the bat and the ball is rolled down instead of being bowled!

Which places did you visit on a school trip?


Nothing. The only place visited with my class was the Nehru Planitorium, Bangalore.


Now, there must a boy/girl whom you hated the most and never wanted to see again in your life, who was it?


None, thankfully.

You must have had a close friend, without whom you thought you could never live and then you both moved on, lost touch and now only wonder in which part of the word he/she must be in…who is it?

Nothing as such..


Venkat, thanks for rekindling my memories of good old days.

Testing Blogger for Word

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This post is published from Blogger for Word . Testing.

The 'Long' Culture

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There is dearth of good talent in Kannada cinema today. Sandalwood was never in good health over the past decade. It largely survived on remaking films, just plain copy of films from Tamil and Telugu. Originality and creativity were alien to the film makers. Things are changing now but for the worse. violence and rowdy culture are being glorified now. The storyline may be original but the content is awful. Sad, it is these kind of movies that have become a rage with the Kannada youth. To mention some of those :

Shastri
Kalasipalya
Mental Manja
Jogi
Deadly Soma..


Deadly Soma has the caption 'Dumidhre Baro'. In the preview of the movie Jogi on ETV one fan of ShivrajKumar aka Shivanna had this to say :

"Eshto jana hudugiyarigai long thegadirodhanu nodidhave!
Adharae Shivannaru Ammanigoskara long hidithirodhu idhae first timu!"

Seven Jnanpith Awards have been bestowed on Kannada.The film makers are not skilled enough, except Girish Kassaravalli , to convert many good Kannada literature into cinema . Unfortunately Kasaravalli's efforts are not commercially viable.

If there is one man who can stop this, he is Dr.RajKumar.
Annavre, dayavittu enadhru maddi.

Ashes

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Test cricket was at its best in the fourth Ashes Test. I hope England wins the fifth test and grabs the Ashes from the Aussies. Is the Aussie supremacy on the decline?

A unique show of respect

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In Bangalore , I have observed that in hotels particularly the Darshini kind of hotels there will be a display of delicious food stuffs . Our mouth should water glancing at the display. The actual menu is different though. But in Upahara Mandir, a darshini in Jayanagar, to which I frequent there is no display of food but there is a line up of literary figures. Eminent personalities of Kannda literature . Kuvempu, Da Ra Bendre, Shivarama Karanth, and A.N Murthy Roa. Also displayed are sculptures of Hampi . I appreciate the owner of the Darshini for caring to respect the giants in this unique way. I think, seeing at the kind of cinema that come out of Kannada film industry there is scant respect for the people who shaped the Kannada literature. Hopefully the efforts like the one mentioned draws the attention of people, while they satisfy their hunger, to the literary works of those men.

What He Said

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Yesterday, in Vannakam Thamizhalagam programme on Sun TV , a Thamizhl pulavar was the guest. I am not sure of his name. He mentioned about a Sangam age poem, a very beautiful one. I remembered reading the poem in The Hindu. The article was about the Tamil Love Poem "Red Earth & Pouring Rain", which was published in the London Tube .

What He Said

What could my mother be
to yours? What kin is my father
to yours anyway? And how
did you and I meet ever?

But in love

our hearts have mingled
like red earth and puring rain
.

The article said ..

"The poem is titled "Red Earth and Pouring Rain". In the background of authors of many works remaining anonymous, in Tamil literary tradition there is this practice of identifying a poet by a phrase or word from his poem. Thus the author of this poem is Sembulapeyaneerar, literally "The poet of red earth and pouring rain".

I liked the excellent metaphor - comparing the union of two souls with the union of the pouring rain and the red earth.The poem has been translated by A K Ramunajan

Image courtesy : Poetry Society

Sri Sivan

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My nephew Sri Sivan. The smile of his makes my day.

My Magazine!

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Click Here.

Google Style Logo

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Click here

Indian Edition of Scientific American

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Indian edition of Scientific American has been launched. Scientific American  is a science and technology magazine published since 1845.Its a magazine which has gained a high reputation for its credibility and authority.In India it would be called as Scientific American India.It is priced at Rs 100 but is available for Rs 80 per edition on subscription and is published monthly. Worth subscribing.

The other science magazine I like most is the New Scientist. I wish even that gets published from India as well.



Nostalgic

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This class photograph was taken when I was in my first standard. Its sad that though I remember few faces, I am not able to recollect any of my friends names. I cannot even recall the class teacher's name. I remember only the school,Sri Ramakrishna Primary & Middle School, which still stands in Ulsoor, Bangalore.

What would each one of them be doing now ? Where are each one of them? It truly feels nostalgic.

I wish I could rewind time and relive those innocent moments of ones life again.

Energy Treatment - Pseudoscience

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Energy Treatment is a practice that is practised by a conman called Sathiyamoorthy.Tune into Vijay TV at 9:00 PM every sunday and you will be surprised to see the talent of his. He owns a device which is nothing but a kind of dipole antenna . He would detect the 'energy radiation' sorrounding ones body and suggest a remedy if there are any violations in the energy distribution. It would suffice to mention one of his claims to rebuke his ideas - he has cure for AIDS! . He has many more things to offer.

It irritates me when I see the innocence of people who fall prey to his tactics. Energy Treatment is just one example of many such programmes that get telecast on TV , especially in Tamil channels. I wish to file a PIL against conmen like Sathiyamoorthy.Is it possible? would the case stand in court?

Check your reaction time

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How fast are your reactions?  click here and find how  quick you are in reacting to events.

Retro Music Collection

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Harry S. Anchan has a website dedicated to good music  . You can find a very good collection of rare English retro pop numbers from 50's to 80's.  You can also listen to Malayalam and  Kannada  songs too.


'Devaru' - questioning the ultimate

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Devaru is a book that questions the existence of power that is known as god. Written by a well known Kannada writer AN Murthy Roa, it is worth a read. AN Murthy Roa is well known for his agnostic thoughts. The author counters the belief in god by laying valid scientific analysis. Explains how the concept of god would have got ingrained in human psyche.

Though I am not a atheist , I found the book engaging. If you have a scientific temper you would find yourself agreeing with the author while reading the book. It does not matter if you are agnost or a believer.

Punctuation Game.

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A woman, without her man, is nothing.
A woman: without her, man is nothing.

Punctuation makes all the difference!. 


Play the Punctuation Game here  and find out how punctuation can make 
a world of difference to your writing.

Currently Listening..

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A foot tapping number  from AR Rehman for Aa Aah , Anbe Aaruyire..but it resembles many of his earlier compositions, nonetheless a good number.

The Fab Five

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Illayaraja is honoured as Isaignani and AR Rehman is hailed as the Mozart from Madras.Are these peans on the two composers misplaced ? Certainly not. Here I list five compositions of each, the fab five, which I think should seal the fact that they are global musical intellects par none.

Illayaraja.

Ithu Oru Pon Malai - Nizhalgal
Kadhal Kavithaigal - Gopura Vasalilae
Ithazhil Kathayezhuthum - Unnal Mudiyum Thambi
Ilaya Nila - Payanangal Mudivathilai
Naguva nayana (Kannada)- Pallavi Anupallavi

AR Rehman

Pudhu Vellai Mazhai - Roja
Anjali Anjali - Duet
En Mel Vizhundha - May Madham
Kannalanae - Bombay
Thoda Thoda Malardhadhenna - Indra

Humour in science

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New Scientist, a weekly science and technology magazine carries a regular feature called Feedback. Its
about humour in everyday science. I quite regularly visit the website and check it out. To mention a example,
Feedback once had this to say :

While shopping in Tesco supermarket recently, Tony Park noticed a section of the display labelled "invisible thread". It appeared to be sold out, but Park wasn't sure.


Numerous instances of humour of this kind and others have been published in Feedback.

There is also a Q&A feature called The Last word. In this readers can send in questions pertaining to everyday science.
The answers too are provided by the readers. One question which recently impressed me was this:
Wheel seems to be a convenient sort of locomotion, then why did not wheels evolve in nature?

A very good question isn't? The answers sent in by readers also were too good. So check out the website and have fun with feedback
and come to know better your world around with The Last word.






'The House of Blue Mangoes' - Tasteful

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For the past two weeks, in my free time, I was occupied with the novel 'The House of Blue Mangoes' David Davidar. I completed reading it .David Davidar has made his debut with this book. I bought this book in the 'Sapna' bookstall in Bangalore. I remembered reading reviews of this book when it was initially published. Critics had showered praised on this book. The book engrosses the reader very much. The story traveses thorough the three generations of a Tamil family.Being a Tamilian myself , it wasn't difficult for me get involved in reading the book. Set in the period of British occupation of India the book throws up lot of things to contemplate upon. What I liked most about is the authors writing of emotional circumstances. You develope a relationship with the characters of the novel and when they die you sense a personal loss.

David is now working on his second novel. A report about the same can be found here.

Separation

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Here we go again..another poem. I like reading poems composed with just few lines. Haikus are interesting but poems spanning many lines put me off , its not that I hate them but I would get tired reading them! Separation is one such short poem that touches your heart immediately. Composed by WS Merwin. Don't ask me about the poet. I know not who WS Merwin is. Happenned to read the poem while surfing the net.

Unfolding Bud - The poem about poem

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Beautifully explained as how the poems reveal their inner meanings gradually as one reads them over and over again.