Life is a Great big canvas and you should throw all the paint on it you can. (Danny kaye)
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Come again to Copenhagen
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
adieu
The Message from the president said: “We have sold the last of our Chetak scooters and Bajaj Auto will not be building any more of these classics. Bajaj Auto has"retired" the Chetak tooling and closed the plant……”
Bajaj’s long-running advertising campaign ‘hamara Bajaj’ will continue to find resonance in the ears and minds of the people of our generation while the young generation will never know how much the life has changed after the economic liberalization of the nineties!! And will never see the scooter being tilted on one side and kick started to glory…..
Watch the video here
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Celebrating Christmas
Monday, November 30, 2009
When Spring Returns
Thursday, November 26, 2009
A few unrelated Current Affairs
Please do not get upset with the proportion of bad news. This is usually the proportion that we witness in the media today.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Simplicity in Glitches
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
All is not lost
Friday, November 13, 2009
A Modern Day Gypsy
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Spot the real model
Thursday, October 22, 2009
A man's dream
There is a bit of history behind everything in this world. If you are interested in knowing little bit about this comic strip the wikipedia probably will be useful.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Capp
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Our Crime Master Gogo
Monday, October 5, 2009
A Thought for the Day
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
An Effort Worth Taking ...
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Durga Puja ..... In our hearts and minds
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Those Two Days
At the annoprashon earlier in the day it was great fun too. You know for we Bengalees it is a very auspicious occasion. This is the day we worship our family Guru and are introduced to the real world of all the perceivable senses. Everyone was ready with their cameras when Pishimoni (aunt, father's sister) got a plate with lots of goodies, as I was sitting on my mama's (mother's brother) lap and I was supposed to select whatever I liked. There were money, jewelry, cosmetics, pen, pencil and a book. Can you imagine that I selected the book from all those things? Everyone was very excited ... I did not quite understand why! It was actually a book on finance from kaka (father's younger brother). After that all the elders started to shower me with all sorts of ornaments.... I wish I had many of such occasions! But it only comes once in a lifetime.But all in all both my parties had been great fun. ... A lot of fun!
Friday, September 11, 2009
Thinking Aloud
I could best describe this situation by following Filmy line …. “Majboor ye halaat idhar bhi hai udhar bhi” (“I am restrained by the compulsion is on either side”. Excuse my poor translation)
Following are a few pictures of My City, Calcutta. These are taken from emails which have been making round for sometime now and most of us have received once already! These pictures were taken in 1930ies (nineteen thirties) less than two decades prior to our independence from the British rule.
One point bothers me whenever I look at these images. Almost 200 years into British rule our people have been dressing themselves in traditional attire. But what happened in the next 25 years that made us to abandon(except for special occasions/ festivities) the “dhoti - kurta” altogether? Could we not have tried to do make our traditional attire evolve itself to stand up to the need of the 21st century?
I am thinking aloud and would welcome your thoughts on this!
Please click on the image for a bigger picture.
Friday, August 21, 2009
About Awards, Copy, Paste et al
Later on in life I got the opportunity to have regular handshake and at one point could manage the limited network of pc in the office. But those were the DOS days and we used to write long commands whenever there was a need to copy or move a file. But then came the windows and along with it came the user friendly way of dealing with the pc (I will not go into the controversy of PC adapting the Mac way of life).
But what it brought along is according to me the most powerful tool of our day to day existence today-the “copy & paste” tool. This tool has done wonders! This simply does not require any more elaboration. Now we can even “drag and drop” stuff but I still believe that “Copy and Paste” still wins hands down. But there is a catch:
I heard a story where a patient goes to a doctor with a knee dislocation problem. The doctor applies a light stroke with his hammer and the patient is fit to run again. The patient argues how you justify your fees of 100 bucks as a stroke like this is nothing more than a child’s play. The doctors say “my dear, you are only paying 1 buck for the strike while the remaining 99 is for knowing where to strike”.
Today I thank our fellow blogizen Aparna for giving me an award on 19th August 2009 and also sharing the knowledge of the place to copy it from and the location to paste it to. At this moment I regret to state that I will not be forwarding the tag and award that came my blog’s way any further. Let these rest here (I was tagged by Sujata on her blog on the 4th of July 2009) for the time being.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Two Tales in Two Cities
Today India celebrates 63rd Independence Day. We undoubtedly achieved a great deal in the past years. But there is a long and bumpy road ahead. There are two events that bothered me this morning.
First Incident:
"Do unto others as you would have others do unto you." It's the Golden Rule and we believe that it is the ultimate norm of high morality in all culture.
Last Saturday night I was on my way back from Kolkata, my hometown, where I went for a brief break taking a week off. I was travelling back alone as my family stayed back for a few extra weeks so they could spend some time with the family.
We were on an emirates Airbus A 330 aircraft and the flight was smooth enough to let me start writing this blog at a height of 36000 feet above the sea level. I was a bit skeptical about the departure time as the flight preceding ours was delayed by a few hours. To shake my confidence further I spotted a dead cockroach in the waiting lounge and none of the house telephones were in working condition. Once up in the sky I discovered that my co passenger was just a little short of a robot and since I did not know where the switch was, I never got to start a conversation and I was on my own. Emirate airlines provide a wide range of choices for in-flight viewing. After dinner I dozed off for a while. When I woke up the lights were dimmed and I the plane was very quiet. As I looked around I could make one definitive conclusion and that is SRK is a superstar. I could conclude this because all the video screens visible were tuned in to a movie starring SRK and yes all of them without an exception. It was the movie called “Rab ne bana di Jodi” (“a match made in heaven” is probably a close translation). That is his level of popularity among Indians, Indian Diasporas and also many non Indians. I remember the Al Nasr cinema in Muscat used to witness plenty of fighting and back marketing when one of his movies was screened. SRK is the initials of Shah Rukh Khan who is only the second movie superstar of India and second only to the one and only Amitabh Bachan (The Big B or AB as he is popularly known).
Today He was stopped at an airport in New York and interrogated for two hours and not allowed to make a phone call either. While a mere search in the “Google search” would have brought out all his details and the total number of pages would have been many times of that of Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt and Johnny Depp put together. So the security agents have detained him because of the word “Khan” attached to his name. Now the question is those guys are uninformed or Stupid or stubborn or simply Idiots!
I think Indian authorities should take a note of this and treat the same way when one those Tom Cruises or Brad Pits visits our soil! But probably we are too cultured to treat our guests likewise …. We are like this only….. !!!
Next Incident:
At the dawn of our independence from the British our first prime minister’s words are worth remembering... "The ambition of the greatest men of our generation has been to wipe every tear from every eye. That may be beyond us, but so long as there are tears and suffering, so long our work will not be over." -- Jawaharlal Nehru’
But unfortunately we have a quite e different scenario today and left with some leaders who seem to have quite different views towards life, country and countrymen. Mayawati wants to decorate the state with statues of leaders. She is the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, the northern state which is among the largest and most populous states of the country. It is also one state with a high number of rural population most of whom are below the poverty line. To make things worse a drought is looming overhead this year. But apparently our Mayawati has requisition the central government for Funds worth 5.56 billions of Indian rupees for statues building while allocating only 2.5 billion rupees in her budget as a special economic package to deal with drought hit provinces of the state.
But these are only a few glitches in our way of progress …. Jai Hind!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
My Password protected Life.
Password has been in existence since time immemorial. I am told that in earlier days sentries would only allow a person or group to pass through or allow access only if they knew the password. The dictionary meaning of the word “password” is a secret word or expression used by authorized persons to prove their right to access, information, etc.
Before we were required to make an effort and somewhat match the signature stored in their record (which was a difficult task by itself) to get our money from the banks. At times we had to explain across the counter how prettier she became over the years to justify some modification to our signature. It did work most of the time!
At the beginning I took it as a challenge to have difficult passwords which was difficult to guess and even more difficult to create. But soon I was inundated as a huge demand for passwords came my way as I needed a user name and password right from reading a online newspaper to accessing the internet banking. Friends came out with ideas: using favorite brand names; pets’ names; friend’s names etc and then spelling those names forwards or backwards or sideways or another possible direction. Slowly I realized that I was getting entangled into the maze of password. Everything I did required a password. If that was not bad enough they started to demand a new password periodically. While some providers only advised a change of passwords, the IT systems at work as well as banks are a bit ruthless. Passwords there come with an expiry date. I had this bright idea to have a set of 3 passwords and keep them rotating. But my plea was summarily dismissed and it refused to accept them fully or partially.
The security priority varies from site to site but we need to bear in mind that if someone is able to crack one he might be able to take a guess how your mind works and it might make cracking the rest. The pundits say that the most difficult passwords to crack are the ones created by a combination of Mixed-case Letters together with numbers (D5x0rJ00dZ, Ur2GooD4Me). It is also the most difficult ones to remember.
I dream of getting liberated from this password trap some day, but till that happen we need to remember that no password is un-crack able and the best we can do is make it difficult and non-trivial to determine our password. Also whatever method we choose, it's a good idea to change the password often.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Remake and remixes
A Taj Mahal Remix by me
I wonder how the people of the world, particularly the French, will react to the idea of remaking the Eiffel tower with some modifications and changes. Maybe we could suggest adding a few stainless steel members in between to get some polish and shine. Another remake I may suggest of my mind is the Statue of Liberty. Maybe we can replace the crown in her head with a baseball cap to give it a more realistic look and connect with days generation. After all in current time not many people wear a crown as compared to the baseball cap. Or closer home maybe we start replicating the Taj with a double glazed dome and Grey steel minarets.....
On the other side of the coin sits the remixes. Many songs that we grew up with and were very popular when originally composed are now being recomposed and released as remixes. Most of them got dance beats injected into them with some raps punched in between and not to forget the eye catching videos. Unfortunately many of the younger generation is not aware that there exists an original version and there exists an authentic & original creator, while the new version is just a replica. Now a days the remix version is created alongside the original composition with variable input from the composer. These should be called a variation rather than a remix. But generally there doesn't seem to be so much of apathy against remixes and everyone is happy to listen and dance to those tunes.
Do you really like imitation or accept that there are any sense in imitating? Doesn’t it virtually signify the end of creativity? As we walk through the shopping high street of any popular city which are frequented by tourists, we see scores of imitation products. Replicas of Lui Vuitton bags and Rolex watches or Gucci sunglasses are most common. Interesting enough we use another terminology for such products. They are called counterfeit instead of remixes. These are actually a form of remixes by their own rights. Usually they use cheaper materials where the color and texture are different and inferior to the genuine ones. At times we see that they pick the design of a model and use the material of another model. And in the interiors of the developing world people use these products even without realizing that they are actually the end result of hardwork and creativity of some designer and design house.
Hence I conclude that the matter of the fact is that someone has decided for us that remakes of movies are acceptable and remixes of old music are acceptable but a replica of a Rolex or a Gucci handbag is definitely illegal and a counterfeit.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Navigating the high street
Certainly there is something mostly in the female genes (no offence intended) and in some males too, that causes the brain to freeze the very moment the eye spots an interesting package on the display shelve. All other logic stop working if there happens to be some red tag declaring a “Sale” or a yellow tape wrapped package stating "special offer" or “buy 1 & get 1 free” or maybe a yellow sticker with "free" written in red ink attached to any product on display. The world around does not exist anymore as the brain starts working on complex calculations towards establishing how much profit this offer is going to make to the weekly budget. The shopping cart is abandoned then and there with no consideration for fellow shoppers.
I had been all along trying to get some traffic sense into shopping cart driving of my better half and finally took charge of the steering bar. While she does the shopping I and our daughter who has recently graduated from her pram to the shopping cart take care of the maneuvering. Now I have come to realize that there is much more grief than to worry about an abandoned cart. One has to steer through groups of people socializing with no concerns for fellow shoppers. The good thing is that sometimes they move and give way when you give out an irate grunt (excuse me please)! The other menace are the learners as the proud parents lend the control of the cart to their 5 year olds who is already sporting a pair of skates (the normal shoes fitted with the wheels) which does not make things any better. They come and hit you from behind (believe me it hurts!) and you are not supposed to even yell at someone else's kids.
Now a days we are able to beat the traffic, both inside and outside the supermarket, as we do our weekly shopping during the middle of the working week. It is peace and tranquility for now till others decides to do the same.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
My Wonder Years - I wonder what they do
Last few days I am noticing a new of excitement around me. We have been making frequent trips up to a hotel and they ("ora" as I say in Bengali) are talking to a manager uncle about banquet hall and balloons and food and what not. I have a feeling that they are so excited because I am about to reach my first milestone. Actually this happens to be the first anniversary of the best thing that happened in my life. I remember that day in Bhagirathi Neotiya hospital very clearly. It was the morning of 11th of July and that was day I have seen the first ray of light and felt the first gust of fresh air hit my face and blowing whatever little hair I had that time and most importantly got the first hug from my mother. After a little while one aunty dressed in white clothes took me out through the corridor. I saw many people waiting for me there but I was so sleepy that I could barely keep my eyes open. Somehow managed to open both my eyes for a moment and was greeted by thakuma, dida, dadu, pishi, kaka, baba and some uncles. Baba clicked a photo within that one moment and I thought "ora je ki kore" before I went back to sleep. I lived in that place with many small babies like me for about a week before they took me to my home. Our hospital room had a large glass window and every afternoon the curtains were pulled back and we used to see hundreds of people outside that window smiling and waving their hands at us. We waited for that moment all day.Today, those days seem to be from so long time ago, a time when I could practically do nothing by myself. Except off course those two basic things and for that kaka calls me H Kumari. Each day of this one year has been very exciting for me. I have spent every single day of my life looking for new adventures and facing new challenges. Ma was so excited the day I first turned around that she made a note of that in a nice note book that I am not allowed to play with. But after that many more exciting development happened. One day to my surprise I found out that I could control the movement of neck and head. I was so excited that I started to keep my head up as long as I was awake. Baba used to push my head down to the pillow but I liked to keep it up and in my control. Then slowly I could drag myself in the bed on my chest. They (baba & ma) use to say that I move like a snake but I did not care. I used to enjoy my new found mobility so much that I used to move around all over the bed whenever I wanted. The real big day came a few days before we when to Kolkata for my annoprashon. The A-day was a very special day and I had the opportunity to taste all the food that they always ate. I will leave that story for another day. I crawled on my four. That gave me so much of freedom that I cannot express in words. Within a week of coming back from Kolkata I could stand on my own legs and my happiness knew no bounds. I have been waiting for so long for that day. What a great sense of achievement! You will only realize it the day you can do it yourself. A few days after that baba started to take me to a huge swimming pool with him. First time I saw the pool I was surprised and thought ora amake abar kothay niye elo (now where did they bring me). The pool was so much bigger than my bathtub; it is even larger than the big bath tub that they use. To be honest with you I was very scared and irritated with them when they dipped me in that pool for the very first time and said to myself Rai, tui kader pallay porli re (Rai, what type of people have you land yourself with?). But today I love to be in the water and jump back into the water the moment I see Ma coming to take me. Now baba say "my little daughter is now a big girl" and I agree with him totally. I can walk and even run up and down. A few days before I completed 11 months I started to take a few steps at a time. I saw the recording of me walking and both my hands are turning like a spin bowler (Ma taunts "haath ghorale naru paabe noile naru paabe na"). The video looks so cute a nd I tell you that you have to watch it to believe it. Actually this is the only occasion when I did not say to myself “ora je ki kore"!
Monday, July 6, 2009
Three syndromes that caught my fancy
Emperor's New Clothes syndrome: An emperor of a prosperous city who cares more about clothes than military pursuits or entertainment hires two swindlers who promise him the finest suit of clothes from the most beautiful cloth. This cloth, they tell him, is invisible to anyone who was either stupid or unfit for his position. The Emperor cannot see the (non-existent) cloth, but pretends that he can for fear of appearing stupid; his ministers do the same. When the swindlers report that the suit is finished, they dress him in mime. The Emperor then goes on a procession through the capital showing off his new "clothes". During the course of the procession, a small child cries out, "But he has nothing on!" The crowd realizes the child is telling the truth. The Emperor, however, holds his head high and continues the procession. The Emperor's New Clothes is now synonymous to the governmental head not reacting to public outcry about controversial state agreements and treaties.
Stockholm syndrome: The name refers to a psychological response sometimes seen in abducted hostages, in which the hostage shows signs of loyalty to the hostage-taker, regardless of the danger or risk in which they have been placed. The syndrome is named after the Norrmalmstorg robbery of Kreditbanken at Norrmalmstorg in Stockholm, in which the bank robbers held bank employees hostage from August 23 to August 28 in 1973. In this case, the victims became emotionally attached to their victimizers, and even defended their captors after they were freed from their six-day ordeal. The term "Stockholm Syndrome" was coined by the criminologist and psychiatrist Nils Bejerot, who assisted the police during the robbery, and referred to the syndrome in a news broadcast.
China syndrome: The name refers to the idea of the nuclear material burning a hole from the United States to 'the other side of the world', i.e., China. Despite several meltdowns in both civilian and military reactors, such an extreme meltdown has never taken place. China is a metaphor, as the opposite side of the globe from the USA is actually the Indian Ocean. In 1971, nuclear physicist Ralph Lapp used the term "China syndrome" to describe the burn-through of the reactor vessel, the penetration of the concrete below it, and the emergence of a mass of hot fuel into the soil below the reactor. He based his statements on the report of a task force of nuclear physicists headed by Dr. W.K. Ergen, published in 1967.The dangers of such a hypothetical accident were publicized by the 1979 film, The China Syndrome.
Please share with me if you have another of such interesting syndromes. It would be great to hear how you feel about this .
I have borrowed the image from the internet.
Why read a newspaper
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