My little place on the net...

Flash Creation - 22/2/08

2008-02-22T14:57:00.008+08:00

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Under construction
1) Try moving around the eyeball with your arrow keys
2) If the ball goes out of the frame, simply click on reset

My 2007!!

2007-12-30T14:27:00.000+08:00

YEAR 2007!!
The year I turned 20!! At least I was a teen for half-the-year. So you'll allow me this kiddish pleasure of ramblin about how this year turned out to be for me...

Mast Moviez
1) Mozhi
2) Freedom Writers
3) Tare Zameen Par

Smashin' Songs
1) Jab Se Tere Naina (Saawariya)
2) Aazha Kannal (Mozhi)
3) In Dino (Life in a Metro)

Fantastic Fiction
1) Splendor of Silence (Indu Sunderesan)
2) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (J.K.Rowling)
3) Nervous Conditions (Tsitsi Dangarembga)

Mmmm Magazines
1) National Geographic (March '07) - The bit on Elephants
2) National Geographic (Nov '07) - The Memory Article
3Jean-Paul Sartre's Introduction to Frantz Eanon's Les damnes de la terre - The Wretched of the Earth - (1961)

Memorable Moments
1) My mom came on TV (Podhigai+Sun), radio(AIR) and published a book (a small supplementary in Aval Vikatan)!!!
2) My sister got into college this year - SSN!! :-D
3) This year was the first time in NUS, that a lecturer caught and told me off for cutting lectures!!

Craziest things I did this year
1) I did an intern!!!
2) I went night-cyclin' for an entire night - in heavy rain!!
3) I came back home for a weekend!! Right after Diwali too!!

Resolutions for 2007 - Reality Check
1) Academic Goal 1 - Get 5.0 in one subject at least- Satisfied
2) Academic Goal 2 - Obtain SAP of 4.50 atleast - Nearly Satisfied
3) Personal Goal 1 - Do 3 really good things that you've never done before -No. But I did make a start this year. 1/3.

People I'll remember

Mrs. Praveena Devarajan - She expired in an accident this year. My 9th Std Science teacher who got me interested in Biology.
Mrs Radha Venkatesh - Our beloved RaVe mam' lost her husband this year. I really admire her for the courage with which she handled everything! She came back to prep her Class 12 for the boards, hardly a few weeks after the incident!! There is courage.

Things I love about my new Acer TM6292:-

2007-12-14T00:02:00.000+08:00

· It’s wonderfully light!! It is the perfect travel mate. I mean...I know laptops are meant for taking around – but this beats ‘em all!

· There’s this beautiful – what I like to call Empower Acer – toolbar which gives you a running status on the battery time left, the system uptime, the resolution and a shortcut to recovery management.

Yeah! Therez fingerprint launch!! :D And the lovely part is that it works wonderfully well! You know, when I first thought of getting my own computer I always thought it’d be cool in ways that it’d scan my retina and say ‘Access Granted’ ...kinda romantic I know, but well the fingerprint access is definitely better than typing in a password!! And the best thing is - it says “Access Granted”!! Three-Fourths dream come true!!:D :D :D

And Oh yeah!! You can launch several other stuff using your 10 fingers!! Itz the perfect gadget to show off you know – over a chat with some friends, you ask – would you like to listen to this latest song from Saawariya (which is jab se tere naina by the way – it totally rocks!! If you aren’t yet crazy about it, well you know where to find your show-off friend!! ) – and just sweep across your index finger – and lo it plays!! Hehehe...

· You know how its really troublesome when you type out technical reports – you’re always left looking for ‘Infinity’ and ‘Sigma’ and it gets so irritating that you’d rather write it out by hand – well this is a kinda mid-way solution and it ain’t too bad for Archun!! :D Its called the character map and you just hafta select the symbols (which by the way I realized includes some signs that look extremely familiar to Kannada ‘Pa’...hehe) and copy ‘em!

· Still guessing what my point is? Itz a really really beautiful screen display. I mean..yeah..I know Acer reflects – TP is anytime better that way – but its kinda stylish you know..?? Windows Vista by the way works awesomely well (I luv the graphics involved in the option that says switch between windows...sighhhhhh)! I kinda like the windows sidebar as well! And yeah, it’s got a 160GB hard disk!! I mean thatz like 4 times my last disk storage space!! The 2GB RAM though is absolutely necessary (I upgraded from 1GB) The duo core combined with the large RAM give me an ultimate performance!! Itz reeely reaaly fast!!

· Yeah!! Thatz a pic from my luvely in-built web-cam!! I mean itz sooo convenient! No wires and hassles – just one click away from conversing!! I luv that!!

· It supposedly has speech recognition! I mean..I was so excited about this initially – I really thought I could dictate stuff instead of typing and that’d be really so awesome..hmm...I’m not quite sure – cause I ‘m one of those weirdoes who likes typing...neyways, hehe...it’d definitely be cool right? But it recognizes what it terms ‘British English’ alone – so yeah..I’ve gotta train it to learn my accent and voice!! I can now direct it to open programs/firefox – but yeah..thatz pretty much what it does!!! I’m not gonna let go though..keep tryin n one day itz bound to understand me!!!

· Yeah!! Sticky notes..hehe..n it has the usual windows journal and calculator and magnifier and the like!! But did you notice how I managed to get luvely shots of all the sutff I wanted to show ya?? Itz awesome eh?? Its dis reely cute tool called ‘Snipping Tool’ that allows you to take screenshots of whatever u like!! Kinda cool rite? And especially useful for those graphs you’d like to place on your report!!

I really haven’t had a chance to check out the DVD R/W yet. Will do so sometime soon I guess....cause yeah...160GB isn’t ∞ rite?? I can’t keep storing all my songs n videos in here forever...hmm...hehe.

Overall a lovely laptop!! If you’re the kinds that hasn’t tried an acer ever, well this is the one to try!! Itz quite cheap too! I got it for SGD1700. By the way, I haven’t named him yet...any suggestions?? ☺

Herez me signing off till later!!! ♀

Congrats Mu!!!

2007-12-05T13:06:00.001+08:00

Dearest Amu,

Thatz for you!! You're the bestest ever and I'm sooooooooo proud of you!! CONGRATS!!

Love
Archun

(My mom's had a rocking month!! She been on Podhigai for the past 3 weeks performing in a live cookery show (n will be coming again this Friday) - Her tiny book (on 30 different podis) got published in Aval Vikatan - AND her second consecutive AIR(All-India Radio) show was aired every Saturday for the past 6 weeks!!)

Certain interesting facts about vegetarianism

2007-10-09T18:48:00.000+08:00

Vegetarianism and World Hunger
Raising animals for food is an extremely inefficient way to feed a growing human population. The U.S. livestock population consumes enough grain and soybeans to feed more than five times the entire U.S. population! One acre of pasture produces an average of 165 pounds of beef; the same acre can produce 20,000 pounds of potatoes. If Americans reduced their meat consumption by only 10 percent, it would free 12 million tons of grain annually for human consumption. That alone would be enough to adequately feed each of the 60 million people who starve to death each year.

I love the forests. Can I save them by being vegetarian?
Certainly! Did you know that throughout the world, forests are being destroyed to support the meat-eating habits of the "developed" nations? Between 1960 and 1985 alone, nearly 40 percent of all Central American rain forests were destroyed to create pasture for beef cattle. More than four million acres of cropland are lost to erosion in the United States every year. Of this staggering topsoil loss, 85 percent is directly associated with livestock raising i.e. over-grazing!

Vegan Leather!
Some vegetarians choose not to wear leather. So what can replace leather footwear and other accessories are expected in some workplaces? There are many specialist suppliers that sell belts, shoes, safety boots, jackets and briefcases that share the appearance of leather but are in fact made of synthetic materials generically known as Vegan leather. High-end fashion designer Stella McCartney is famed for her refusal to use leather, fur or other animal products in her range of clothes and accessories and is thus popular with wealthier vegetarians.

Famous Vegetarians
Leonardo Da Vinci, Charles Darwin, Socrates, Plato, Sir Isaac Newton, Thomas Edison, Drew Barrymore, Paul McCartney, Chelsea Clinton, Lisa Simpson, Hank Aaron, Bryan Adams, Alicia Silverstone, Mark Twain, Leo Tolstoy, George Bernard Shaw, Mahatma Gandhi, Albert Einstein.

Articles for ECE Newsletter - Oct 2007

2007-10-09T12:05:00.000+08:00

(Oct 8, 2007) Own an iPod? Watch out for that fire!

What do Apple’s iPod, Dell and Lennovo’s laptops have in common? They all have a tendency to burst into flames –Airports being their favorite location!
Recently, Danny Williams, who works at the Atlanta International Airport, claimed that his two-year old iPod suddenly caught fire which lasted for about 15 seconds with the flames reaching well up to his chest. Luckily for Williams, he escaped burns – which he attributes to the glossy paper lying in his pant pocket, along with his iPod.
Apple iPods contain Lithium-ion batteries – the same kinds that have recently been in the news off-and-on, for catching fire unawares. Since Dec 2005, millions of such batteries have been recalled by various PC manufacturers including Dell and Lenovo for similar incidents.
Apple has not commented on this unfortunate incident as yet; the company has however asked Williams to send them the affected iPod for examination purposes.

(Oct 8, 2007) Google iPhone or Google Mobile Software?

Recent news making rounds, puts a full stop to all the speculation regarding a ‘Google Phone’ The Company is not after all creating a rival to Apple’s iPhone. Rather it is working on creating software to compete with Microsoft’s Windows Mobile! Google will most likely not charge phone makers any license fees for its software, unlike Microsoft.
All said, if Google is indeed leading the creation of an open source competitor to Microsoft's Windows Mobile, it makes imminent sense, as Google has always been more about software than hardware.

(Oct 3, 2007) OLEDs = Future? Read on…
With lesser power consumption and faster response times than the LCD, is OLED revolutionizing the market for flat panel displays?
On Oct 3, 2007 Toshiba announced its plans to ship an Organic Electroluminescence display – 30 inches in size - in 2009. Not soon after, Sony re-confirmed its plans to release the world’s first OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) TV -27 inches - in Dec. 2007. Two giants. Both investing huge amounts of money in this technology. Surely, that means something?
Certainly! It simply means that the OLED seems to be creating competition even before it comes to the market!
OLED, some believe, is the technology which will make current flat panel HDTVs look as old as the cathode ray tube screens. An OLED flat-panel display is made up of small lumps of organic material which glow when an electrical current is applied. This technology can produce self-luminous screens that don’t require a source of light to work. Translated into easier-to-grasp-terms, this means low power consumption. Also, manufacturers can obtain screens which are thinner as there is no backlight requirement. In addition OLEDs offer higher contrast and faster response times than LCD (liquid crystal display) screens.
That’s the upside. OLEDs are however difficult to manufacture and they degrade over time. The lifespan of this first OLED TV is around 30,000 hours (half of current LCD and Plasma HDTVs), which is enough time to watch eight hours of television per day for 10 years. Manufacturers are therefore working on ways to improve production yields and increase the lifespan of the screens.If those specs sound nothing special, you must remember that this is the very first model of a new flat panel display technology that will probably become mainstream by 2015. That’s why this first OLED TV will sell for $1,700 when it goes on sale in Japan at the end of this year!

Something Different..

2007-07-27T11:28:00.001+08:00

Just proves how jobless I really am!!
The Iceman feature from NGM - July 07 however was totally worth the read!

Provoked!

2007-07-18T09:22:00.000+08:00

Well, weekends in Singapore definitely mean one thing - movie marathon! So as usual I was browsing through the Google videos (I sorta dun like the way its posted in You Tube - you know..the movie coming in 12 or 13 parts of 10 minutes each - and terrible video quality at that! Hmmm..yeah, I should probably buy more CDs n DVDs - but if I were to do so every single weekend, I'll be bankrupt before I'm 21!!)

And I came across this movie - Provoked. I'm usually a sucker for any movie with a good message and decent enough screenplay! So when I read a review for this one, the woman chauvinist in me was roaring - and I thought, This one I gotta see!

Well, for those of you who haven't seen it yet (It was released in 2006), this is a movie based on the true life story of a Punjabi woman - Kiranjit Ahluwalia. She gets married to this man - Deepak Ahluwalia - who is her sister's, brother-in-law's friend, based in London. Though she hardly knows him, she gives up her dreams of studying,working and being independent and marries him and moves to London. He appears really caring at the beginning but soon reveals his true colours. Domestic violence, spousal rape and extra-marital affairs continue even after 10 years of having 2 children with him.

One night after a particularly unnerving experience, Kiranjit succumbs to her fears. She burns him alive and before succumbing to his burns, he accuses her of attempting to murder him. She is arrested and despite the extensive evidence of bruises on her body indicating abuse, she is found guilty of 1st degree murder - because the last incident took place a full 2 hours before she burnt him - which meant that the provocation clause was inapplicable as she killed him in cold blood.

Sentenced to life imprisonment, Kiranjit finds her freedom in the prison (This beautiful one-liner made the entire movie worth the watch!) and is happy, though her only complaints are with regards to her 2 children. Here, Southall Black Sisters, an NGO which fights for women subject to domestic abuse, aids her in her appeal and after 3 1/2 years, she reunites with her children.

The story was pretty brilliant - and to think of it as a true story of an Indian woman about 18 years back makes it super. Aishwarya Rai as Kiranjit gave a very convincing performance - which is saying something because I've never liked her acting so far, except perhaps in Guru. Nandita Das, the brilliant actress for whom I've seen many a movie, as usual chooses a very meaningful role. But her enthusiasm at certain times was too artificial and it somehow didn't portray the depth and strength of her character. Nevertheless, the movie is worth a watch - at least to appreciate and applaud the strength of women like Kiranjit Ahluwalia.

There were several subtle but powerful messages sent through the movie! For instance, in one scene a member of the NGO jokes that the Government never trusts an organization which claims to work for a cause alone and calls itself a non-profit organization! Then there is a line at the end which says that based on Kiranjit's case the 'wife-battering syndrome' and 'provocation' clauses were included in the British judicial system! And many more subtle dialogues which made me like the movie a lot! Ultimately, how Kiran gets to escape life-imprisonment and manages a 3 1/2 year punishment - was also quite ironic and sorta brilliant! Overall I guess, I really enjoyed watching this movie!

There are so many organizations which promote women empowerment in India today! I know for a fact that Pushpa, who helps around the domestic chores in my house, attends her Lady's Club meeting every Wednesday! They teach her to weave, stitch and a lot of other things which empower her to be independent to a certain extent! My mom always gives her Wednesday evenings off so that she can attend their meetings on time - these are small little ways in which we can help - and we all should.

Blogthings

2007-07-16T13:44:00.000+08:00

Your Values Profile

Loyalty:

You value loyalty highly.
You're completely devoted to your friends and family.
Even if they totally screw up, you're still there for them.
Just make sure they're equally loyal to you!

Honesty:

You don't really value honesty.
You do value getting your way, no matter what.
And if a little lying is required to do that, no problem.
A few white lies never hurt anyone (at least, that's what you tell yourself!)

Generosity:

You value generosity a fair amount.
You are all about giving, as long as there's some give and take.
Supportive and kind, you don't mind helping out a friend in need.
But you know when you've given too much. You have no problem saying "no"!

Humility:

You value humility a fair amount.
You tend to be an easy going, humble person.
But occasionally your ego takes over.
You have a slight competitive streak - and the need to be the best.

Tolerance:

Not only do you prefer to be around people very similar to you...
They're the only kind of people you'll tolerate.
You know what you believe in, and you don't like to deviate from that.
You don't hate people who are very different - you just don't want to be around them.

I found this The Five Factor Values Test on Blogthings and thought it was pretty accurate! :-D Just sharing it with ya..

An outing!

2007-07-13T09:41:00.000+08:00

I did a really crazy, awesome thing 2 weeks back! I totally forgot to write about it and I really want to - at least to read and think about it later :-)
When I'm at Singapore, I never really leave the campus. If I do so, its usually a trip to the nearby supermarket to replenish my ever-depleting stock of food or a trip to 'Little-India' to have a good lunch or tiffin on a weekend or to a school here called GESS where I mentor secondary students. I'm this weird kind of creature which once comfortable, won't move out unless absolutely necessary! If I get totally bored sitting in my room, watching endless episodes of Prison Break or Heroes, on a blue moon day(hmm...I wonder if thatz how I always use it - what an oxymoron!), I'll just take an MRT to a random place to just stroll about.
Well, all that flashback was to justify my use of the word 'crazy'..hehe..
As I told you earlier, I mentor secondary students at a school called GESS. I do this through the NUS BP Mentoring programme of Rotract Club. Well, this time they decided to have a Nite Cycling outing for the mentors alone. I got a little mail early in June which said I could sign up. And I did! So unlike me - to sign up to go nite cycling -well, I hardly do any exercise! Imagine signing up for an activity that required you to pedal continuously and sit upright for nearly 8 hours - that too in the night - with a group of well - if not strangers - totally new people! The fact that still amazes me is that I went through with it, and didn't chicken out at the last moment..
And am I glad I didn't!! It was one of the most awesome outings!! Well, I took a bus to this place called the East Coast Park - As you can guess its a stretch along the Eastern coast of S'pore. And I'm so ashamed to say that I've discovered this lovely place only after 2 years of staying here!! Its a lovely long stretch of a thin beach - the sand trying to restrain the beautiful waves of the endless sea dotted by liners and ships somewhere far away...- and therez a road running along this entire stretch of beach thatz exclusively for cycling/skating!!
So we went to this place and rented out bikes - and they are pretty amazing ones too; with gears along both handles! That was totally new and I figured how to use them only later during the nite - ah..there were 14 of us and there were the first usual awkward,cautious hellos and introductions that were made. But well, we'd hardly started along, when it began drizzling. I enjoyed watching the tiny droplets splatter against the ground - but it wasn't long before there was a huge downpour! We rushed to a shelter nearby.
Here, as we waited for the rain to stop, we chatted and got comfortable in each-otherz company. The starting binder, being that it was the first ever night-cycling trip for so many of us! I was surprised to note that there were 9 girls - we were the super adventurous ones! okay..sorry..got a bit carried away there .. Soon, we were laughing, chatting and playing silly little games as we prayed that the rain should stop soon. Soon enough, well - thatz really an exagerration, becuase in all the laughing, talking, eating, and waiting-for-the-rain-to-stop, nearly 2 hours had gone by! So our trip which was to begin at 10pm instead got off to a late but much more enthusiastic and cheerful start at around 11 30.
We began riding, but the rain wasn't relenting so soon. It was still drizzling quite hard but not hard enough to dampen our spirits (omg..why am I getting the feeling that I'm going to end up writing this like one of the famous five adventures..hehe) We rode on the cycle tracks in groups of 3 or 4 shuttling back and forth to talk to different people. Soon we reached the end of the stretch and rode into the sights of proper roads with a few night-owls racing in their sleek designer cars. (Did I mention by the way that you need a nite-cycling license to ride around this way?!) Anyways, like the ghost rider says, Lets burn the roads baby!
We all sifted into a straight line and became much more disciplined. The chatting subsided and we began riding. Our first rest stop was the Kallang Stadium and we rode. The silence bore down upon us as each of us drowned in our own thoughts. The sound of wheels sliding over the wet roads, the light breeze blowing away my hair, the little water droplets clouding my glasses, the tall buildings and occasional greenery overwhelming me...it was all perfect!
And I realized then - I love cycling! Its been so long since I've cycled like this - I used to cycle everyday to school and then when I'd be back home, I'd take out my bike and ride around the compound...occassionaly with a few friends but I loved riding alone! I've tried many a trick and have been hurt many times - but my favourite one was letting go off my hands and guiding the bike with my legs and body-weight! As the roads cleared we began riding a faster and I was now more comfortable with my bike! So I decided - why not! and lo, I let go off my hands...and it was wonderful!! I guess I am a big show-off! 'Cause when everyone stopped by the waterfront in front of the Kallang Stadium - which was looking really beautiful, lit up and all - they asked me how I did it and I was suddenly sheepishly grinning :-P
Anyways, we proceeded on to go on to Suntech City, the Merlion Park,Robinson Road(Lau Pa Sat), Orchard Road, Newton. For those of you who've been to S'pore, you'll realize that yeah..this was some serious cycling! All these were picteresque spots and cameras were clicking away crazily at each of our rest-stops. Along the way, we drove in subways and tiny streets as well as 100 ft expressways! I really discovered how beautifully all these places are connected and tried to memorize the routes..but I guess, I don't actually remember anything further than being awed by the modernization of the place around me. But finally, at Newton, we were all exhausted and decided to turn back. We came back through Geylang and reached the East coast Park again. It was just about dawn(thatz around 7 am here) and we all sat exhausted watching the sea - still undauntedly trying against the stubborn sands- and I amazed at that energy!
We then dragged our tired feet to Macs and devoured upon the food. I greedily gulped down the hot Milo. Soon it was time to return our bikes and say good-bye! I guess all of us were too tired to be sad that it was already the end of a beautiful night out! So we just trudged along and I took a bus that would take me straight back to campus. When I reached back and entered the familiar sights of things strewn about my room, my only thought before collapsing for at least another 8 hours of deep slumber was - I should do such things more often!

A page from my lifebook

2007-07-10T15:27:00.001+08:00

I guess I was about 9 years old then. We were staying in Bangalore and went to a school which was about 3 km from home. Those were days when we all used to cram in a van and jingle all the way to school! That particular day, the driver had informed my mom that the van would not pick us (me n my sis) from school that evening as it had to be serviced. So it was decided that my dad would pick us up.
Well, school got over and as usual I rushed, lest my sister beat me to the gate..hehe..well, honestly that never happened - my ever social little sister would come after having a long chat with her other little friends - after having a go at the swings and see-saw(s) (wow! I can't believe I still have doubts over that particular spelling!)
When she was done, we both walked up a little beyond the gate to look for our dad. By then, the senior students were leaving as well and butterflies were beginning to hurt my stomach! Where was my dad? Wasn't it already 3 45?(Well, we weren't allowed to wear watches back then) He was supposed to be here by 3 35 when the primary and middle school students left - I decided that perhaps it was the traffic jam and let my sister - who was looking longingly at the suddenly empty swings - go (haha..yeah! I can't believe that she used to ask ME for permission back then!)
Time crept by and soon the watchman locked the front gates. I was shell shocked! How could they lock us up at school!! Anyways, he came and told us that we would have to wait at the back gate. By now I got really anxious - would we be stuck at school the whole night?! Why was Daddu taking such a long time to come? I carefully counted the coins that my mom usually gave me and dialled her office number written boldly on the front page of my diary. She calmly answered saying that my dad had left and would be there soon. I was assured again and me and my sister went back to playing a game of 'Name-Place-Animal-Thing'!
But soon we tired of it! The watchman was now grumbling saying that he could have locked up the gates and left for home, if it weren't for us! He allowed us to make another call, and this time my mother answered again saying that my dad was on the way and must be stuck at a traffic jam - I was angry with her - I'd guessed as much by now myself! I'd called for more information than this!!
With no clock to guide us, each second felt like a heavy burden to shoulder! Soon, it began drizzling and suddenly got dark. When me and my sister huddled together under the tiny shelter under the terrific gaze of the suddenly evil-looking watchman, my sister began weeping on my shoulders! She demanded that we leave this place and go back home to amu and daddu! Well, that was exactly what I wanted to do too, and tears welled up in my eyes as the thought of being stranded there all night loomed over my thoughts. I even conjured up an idea of taking an auto all by ourselves back home...
But something suddenly snapped. I thought, if I were to begin crying as well, what would happen to the little girl next to me? If I cried, wouldn't she only cry harder? I couldn't bear that thought. Moreover Amu had said Daddu was on the way. So if he turned up and we weren't there?!
And so I drew up the little courage I had and hugged her tight and somehow got out the words, Its going to be okay! Daddu's just in a traffic jam and he'll be here soon to pick us up!
To just keep her from crying, I began talking to her about her class and friends and things that she generally liked to talk about. She soon forgot everything and began chattering happily! But I was only half-listening to her. My eyes danced back and forth from the watchman to the gate - lest he lock it before my Dad came...
And Thank God! Daddu came there and smiled at us. My sister took one look at him and ran and hugged him! I guess I cried a bit then as well - more with relief than anything else! And I went and hugged him as well, a bit grudgingly I guess..I was so mad at him for having made us wait so long, but nevertheless very happy to see someone else to take care of the situation now!

Well, I suddenly remembered this incident today, mainly because, I guess, my sister has joined college! I'm missing her a lot and was thinking back upon the happy moments we've shared together - and I realized - that evening in school was the moment I truly became her elder sister! When you really love someone, you do something you never would have done before - for the 9 year old girl that I was, it meant not crying in front of her and taking charge of the situation. I guess it sounds really silly - I mean, after all, my dad was just a bit late to pick us up from school! But there it is - its a moment that I remember even now after 11 years - and so it means a lot to me!

Writing about this has also generated a sudden thought - if this miniscule incident has impressed such a deep print on my heart, imagine the thoughts of those children who are abused, or who work more than 70 hours a week in construction sites or match factoriees - or why even those children who help out around household chores in homes where their employers' sons and daughters go to school while they sweep and scrub floors! My parents have never encouraged this and I'm really proud of them. These are the little hands that are going to shape our future - We should indulge in making them strong and capable hands.

The next in-thing!

2007-06-28T09:47:00.001+08:00

Source: http://www.valleywag.com/

Wondering what that was all about? Well, those are extracts from the pre-view of the iPhone! As you probably know (especially if you're an iPod maniac like me) Apple pre-released its iPhone - just 4 handsets - to 4 members of the press for them to give you a peek into why you can 'actually expect' the iPhone to be a revolution. That's not saying much, because all the four reviewers are known pro-Mac/pro-Apple/pro-iPod journalists.

Nevertheless, this is the first time we are witnessing such a marketing strategy by Apple. Usually tight-mouthed about releasing details of its products, Apple has gone out of its way this time to create a huge hype about the iPhone (with nearly a million people in America booking for the iPhone a month before its release!)

What I love about Apple is its stylish simplicity! And the iPhone promises loads of such features. Like the reviewers have said, I suppose its going to take us - the normal people who don't walk around with Blackberrys (yet) - some time getting used to owning a phone without a keypad - but that's what the 'revolution' is all about I guess. With a large (and reportedly brilliant) display interface and an amazing camera, this iPod containing phone with amazing browser (again reportedly) facilities looks to be the next in-thing.

With tomorrow (29th June) being the day of its release in the States, I suppose we can expect the iPhone to be reviewed through and through before it aims for a launch back home. It is definitely going to be among the top of the list for people with the right kind of budget looking for a new, trendy 'phone'.

Invaluable!!

2007-06-25T15:34:00.000+08:00

I was looking through some of my old emails - and as it so often happens, I rediscovered a few wonderful mails! I particularly enjoyed one such forward and thought I'd share it with you:-

WHERE TO TAP

Ever heard the story of the giant ship engine that failed? The ship's owners tried one expert after another, but none of them could figure out how to fix the engine.

Then they brought in an old man who had been fixing ships since he was a youngster. He carried a large bag of tools with him, and when he arrived, he immediately went to work. He inspected the engine very carefully, top to bottom. Two of the ship's owners were there, watching this man, hoping he would know what to do.

After looking things over, the old man reached into his bag and pulled out a small hammer. He gently tapped something. Instantly, the engine lurched into life. He carefully put his hammer away. The engine was fixed!

A week later, the owners received a bill from the old man for ten thousand dollars. "What?!" the owners exclaimed. "He hardly did anything!" So they wrote the old man a note saying, "Please send us an itemized bill."

The man sent a bill that read:

Tapping with a hammer ........................ $2.00

Knowing where to tap ............................ $9998.00

You may be doing something in life which many people consider trivial; but when you do what you do better than anybody else, your moment of glory will arrive! Like the very meaningful 3 words of my school's motto (PSBB) read- Knowledge is Power!

2007-06-22T15:11:00.000+08:00

My piece came in The Hindu Metroplus (Chennai edition) on 20th June under the Voice your views column. Its actually quite childish, but nevertheless, I was elated to know that it had came in print! :-) The topic was 'Hobbies as Therapy'

Recharge
yourself
Being a third year
engineering student in a
hostel far away from home
is demanding. Good
hobbies can relieve stress
and rejuvenate. A game of
tennis or just a jog around
the campus instead of
playing violent games on
your PS console or an
experimental hour or two
in the kitchen with the
iPod on instead of
watching ancient
Spartans killing each
other in fictional, historic
scenarios or reading a
story book (preferring the
hard copy over the e-text
version) will definitely
recharge your batteries!
ARCHANA
BALAKRISHNAN
Singapore

I got to know about it only when my sister called and told me about it. She made what I must admit is one of the best compliments I've ever received! She said, I love it because you've written very honestly!
Its maybe 'cause my sister knows me so well. Way back in 8th Std, I used to strive so hard to get my pieces published in the Gokulam, that I always wrote in a style that I thought other people expected and appreciated - I used to dream for days about presenting my thoughts in a particular manner but then at the last minute give it up for want of seeing my name in print.
I guess blogging has helped me overcome that. I've realized that what really matters is the quality of the thoughts presented in a language that everyone can relate to!
This reminds me of a conversation I was having with a close friend. We were talking about blogs (Does that sound like I'm a totally jobless person? I guess I am... :-) )and she told me of an instance where this friend of hers started blogging - but the blog seemed as though it was written by a completely different person! Sophisticated language, very noble thoughts and the like.. And I realized, yeah..there are people who project themselves very differently on their blogs and in person seem totally different people. I don't really know if this is a good thing or a bad thing. For one, I'm not a really outgoing person. I'm slightly reserved, very awkward and cautious till I get to know people (And once I'm comfortable in their company, I'm like this chatterbox that can never shut up..) and yet, here I am pouring out some of my deepest thoughts for some stranger in some spot of the world to read! Does that make me a 'double agent' kind of person? I really wonder... But on the brighter side, even if it does, at least its considered 'kewll' right? :-)
I guess this is what they really mean by 'random ramblings'

Garfield!!

2007-06-18T15:25:00.001+08:00

During one my numerous wanderings in a vast jungle called the world wide web, I came across this first ever printed strip of Garfield!! And what a time I chose to find it - This first strip appeared on 19th June 1978!!

So this being Garfield's 29th birthday, here's my small dedication to wonderfully lazy and hungry friend!! Firstly, Thank you! You were the reason I recongized the existence of something called the newspaper :-P I guess I loved reading Garfield because I shared so many things with him!! His hating mondays, his cute plump self refusing to do what's usually 'to be done' - like chasing mice and yeah..obviously his love for food and his unusual style of expressing his love to Odie and John.

Yeah..Garfield had a makeover and so did John (Thank Goodness for these little things in life :-) ) I rather love the new Garfield look - he somehow seems cutuely plump and even more adorable! Hurrah to this brilliant cartoonist and long live Garfield!! Here's drinking to even lazier days!!!

Just attaching a few random strips that I enjoyed :-)

Wonderful June is here!!

2007-06-05T15:32:00.001+08:00

Dedicated to my school - PSBB, my wonderful teachers there and my friends and schoolmates: Thanks a ton for making my school years special enough to generate memories pleasant enough for me to blog about it all!

Ah! June is here again...June for me has always meant the wonderful smell of new Bata canvas shoes, brand new and neatly ironed uniforms - with a resolve of not outgrowing them, at least horizontally, before the year was done - a new backpack (which emanates an odour like everything new usually does - a smell that I actually hate .. but love in this context) filled with a new text books and several notebooks covered neatly in brown wrappers with prominent mickeys and Donalds waving out to me with my name plastered next to their tiny figures :-D June meant the beginning of another new year at school, meeting up with friends and classmates -who seem to dissolve to another world during the vacations - and of course the important first steps - creating a good impression on the new class teacher, getting a desk that wasn't too far away from the board to alarm the teacher's 'naughtiness' antennae but at the same time not too close to smell the perfumes the teacher used (or rather didn't :-) ) June almost always began with the usual - "I can't believe the vacation is already over" - attitude on the outside, while inwardly wondering what ever makes us the way we are - praying for holidays during the term time and for classes during the vacations! June..ah!! Wonderous June!!

But now, at twenty (and a month) I'm supposedly 'enjoying' a life-long vacation from school! Uni life is definitely fun - you have a certain independence, a new purpose in life and you're in the process of making a lot of exciting new discoveries that people usually make in young adulthood - but I'm already wishing that my school years could come back! I really miss the belonging - to your section, to your batch, to your school - basically because none of it is actually here! I mean, yeah..NUS is awesome - I love my course and I am here because all these efforts are going to generate certain returns later on in life - but with your class of around 400 students - not all of them taking all the subjects you are - with your lecturers hardly recognizing your face, forget remembering your name! - school life definitely seems something worth much much more than I'd have even realized back then!!

So, those of you still in school, enjoy your years ahead! They're going to be your among your most treasured memories! Those in uni like me, well, I suppose in a few years' time, we'll all again be cribbing about how good uni was and how bad work is :-D So lets make our stay here, memories worth remembering! And, those of you who are already working...well..you definitely have enough money by now to purchase a ticket to a movie - So go ahead and enjoy some exaggerated drama about youth that'll push you to remember and cherish all those crazy little things that made your youth worth it all!! :-P

Tags: random, school

Cheeni Kum...

2007-05-28T15:18:00.000+08:00

Bottom line: Not totally worth all the ravishing reviews - but definitely refreshing and bold!
Worth the watch: Amitabh, Tabu,Zohra Segal,Swini Khara
Wasted: Paresh Rawal
Storyline: A 34 year old woman, with a 58 year old father, finds her man in the gruff, egoistic 64 year old London chef, who has a wonderful 99 year old mother and a 'sexy' girlfriend in his 8 year old neighbour who suffers from leukaemia.

Definitely a different movie for the typical Bollywood lapping average fan. With a bold story portrayed by the charismatic Amitabh Bachan and the graceful Tabu, this movie was bound to create ripples at the box office. While the first half of the movie was really amazing - what with the unexpected boldness displayed in Tabu's character, the beautiful nuances and expressions of the 64 year old character beautifully painted by Amitabh and the subtle and good-taste humour of the debutant director - Balki - creeping in, the second half was really disappointing. Paresh Rawal's character was totally wasted on repetitive humour which after a while, got onto the nerves, just when one was beginning to believe that this was a really classy movie. Thankfully, the petite and charming Zohra Segal, saved the show, while the 8-year old 'girlfriend'- Swini Khara - stole away the viewer's hearts with her beautiful performance. Worth a one-time watch - for the brilliant performers, the scenic London setting, the title tune (originally from Mouna Ragam ) and the bold storyline - which was presented awesomely well in the first half.

Jana Gana Mana or Vande Mataram?

2007-05-24T16:24:00.000+08:00

An issue that has rocked the Indian intellectual community - since the popular email forward - "Vande Mataram" for National Anthem - tunneled its way into our mail boxes. Though many people accept the popular notion that Tagore the wrote the poem in praise of the Almighty, there are many who still feel that the poem, written just before the coronation of King George V, is not 'indigenous' enough to be recognized as our National Anthem.
Here's a quote from the Indian Express (1968): "He (Tagore) got up very early in the morning and wrote a very beautiful poem.... When he came down, he said to one of us, 'Here is a poem which I have written. It is addressed to God, but give it to Congress people. It will please them."
Personally, I'm biased in favour of Vande Mataram. Here, I feel it is important for me to state my stand on Jana Gana Mana, before I start my ramblings. It is a very beautiful song as well. I'm recently into Rabindranath Tagore's works (and that's how this blog came about) and I realized the beauty of this song while studying an English translation (how ironic!) of this poem. It is our National Anthem, and I will always take the words with the respect it deserves. I will always sing it, in praise of India.
In short, I love Jana Gana Mana too, but somehow, 'Vande Mataram' gives me a very simple way to relate to my country - the one which I know and love! From when I was a III std kid, I've heard Vande Mataram every morning on DD Metro!! And yes, it being one of the first ever poems I've read and appreciated (because of Anandmath - the book in which this poem was first published - being one of my all time favourites) I'm inclined to be a little emotional about this issue!
Most importantly though, Vande Mataram was, has and will always be sung in praise of India and India alone. No imprints of a colonial rule. The 2 words that will always remind us that we are a free and proud country. A song that hails our Motherland's beauty and bounty!
Our Country has recognized Vande Mataram as our National song. Infact, I think we are one of the very few countries in the world to make a distinction between 'national song' and 'national anthem'
What I'm advocating is for Vande Mataram also to be sung at our National festivals - for it to be recognized on par with Jana Gana Mana.

Visual DNA

2007-05-24T10:08:00.000+08:00

I was just going through my friend's blog (The Avenger) and I saw an interesting title - which said "Visual DNA". I liked it and so I tried it out too!! Here are my results!

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

A lesson learnt from my younger sister!

2007-05-22T14:58:00.000+08:00

Just yesterday, I was talking to my sister. It was just when she was saying that CBSE still hadn't announced the dates for the release of relults when I saw a flash illuminate my LCD monitor on the CBSE results webpage! We were both elated to learn that her Board Exam results would be released this Wednesday! The sudden excitement discharge into the atmosphere (extending over several hundrend kilometers from Chennai to Singapore - thanks to Gtalk :-D) got my heart thudding at a racy pace! (Its really wonderful how you really conncect with people through common experiences!)
Anyways, what really amazed me was what she did immediately after! She called up her Physics teacher and informed him that the results would be released on 23rd May at 8 am - and where would he be at that time? In school or at home?! (so that she could personally convey her results to him)
The thing is - I had the same Physics teacher - Sunderesan sir! And he is, very frankly speaking, the best teacher I've ever had! Despite the enormous regard I had/have for him, I could never connect with him very well on a personal level. Maybe that's just me - really awkward on all fronts! With me, it always has to be you, who must initiate the conversation! I remember how much I wanted to go and tell him my results and thank him very much for the strong physics basis (on which I'm currently pursing my Engineering degree) - but how I was really hesistant to be one of the first to go - or to be the only one to be gawked at by several juniors - or to even make a phone call...and, well several other reasons! Anyways, I did finally tell him what I wanted to, but I did it with my friends - as they say - 'kumbal ooda Govinda!'
Yeah..It was good enough for me, then, - but I realized that the least a teacher, who puts his heart and soul into making you understand, what is very trivial to him, expects, is for you to be upfront in acknowledging his contribution. And that made me very proud of my sister. No pretence. Just plain, straightforward gratitude.
Perhaps, to you, this is just another lame post - but that's beacause you are already a straightforward person with no 'complexity' or 'shyness' issues. Yesterday's incident has however, made my resolve stronger - to be courageous enough to tackle and face challenges instead of hiding behind a facade of 'I'll get hurt' attitude - in short to be able someday, to do what my sister did spontaneously yesterday!

Ab Hindi mein!!

2007-05-21T16:56:00.000+08:00

बहुत ख़ूब!! अरे वाह! अब से हिंदी में भी पोस्ट कर सकती हूँ! धन्यावाध ब्लॉगर!
मेरा पहला वाक्य- जैसे राकेश शर्मा ने पहली बार स्पस जाके कहा था - सारे जहाँ से अच्चा , हिन्दुस्तान हमारा!

"The Gardener"

2007-05-18T17:20:00.000+08:00

In the morning I cast my net into the sea.
I dragged up from the dark abyss things of strange aspect and strange beauty - some shone like a smile, and some glistened like tears, and some were flushed like the cheeks of a bride.
When with the day's burden I went home, my love was sitting in the garden, idly tearing the leaves of a flower.
I hesitated for a moment, and then placed at her feet all that I had dragged up, and stood silent.
She glanced at them and said, 'What strange things are these? I know not of what use they are!'
I bowed my head in shame and thought, 'I have not fought for these, I did not buy them in the market; they are not fit gifts for her.'
Then the whole night through I flung them one by one into the street.
In the morning travelers came; they picked them up and carried them into far countries.

- Quoted from "The Gardener" by Rabindranath Tagore

A really beautiful piece don't you think?! Very craftily stating that ever so often, we give away 'opportunities' that are within our grasp! Somehow, ever so often, we are so influenced by the people around us that we rarely stop and wonder if we should at all be doubting our intuitions!

2007-05-18T13:21:00.001+08:00

Pasi konda neram....Thalikum Oosai

Santhosha sangeetham...

Eloooo Ppl! :-D yep...that's two of my favourite lines from the song - poo pookum oosai ! Was feeling really hungry just before lunch - thus the 'quote'!! Enjoy the song!!

Postman Uncle!

2007-05-17T13:32:00.000+08:00

You know how we talk about freedom fighters, the 1857 revolt and the like. Things that were great, things that we are proud of, but things that belong to the past.With the advent of emails/SMS we no longer use what is now popularly known as 'snail mail.' And so, it seems that POs and Postmen have slipped into that category - at least in our minds.
A postman - Whenever I hear that word, the one thing that comes to my mind is an R.K.Narayan story - a lesson in my English text book from high school (Sorry! Unfortunately I don't remember the title..Please help me out here if you know it - leave me a comment! To be of some help,I remember that the girl's name was Kamakshi...) It described the postman as a friendly tatha (grandfather) who was loved and respected by all in the village. It was so obviously a fictional potrayal. Born and brought up in a city, the postman was never held in very high esteem in my neighbourhood.
Though, one postman uncle will always hold a special place in my heart. Back in those days (at the dawn of the new century .. :-P) I used to be this cute, chubby 8th Standard girl who used to write cute little verses for a magazine called 'Gokulam.' You see, the thing was that whenever your piece got 'published' you would receive a 'money order' (of Rs 20) in your name!! And everytime the doorbell rang and the postman uncle came - he'd give me a smile and say -"Ms Archana yar ma? Avangaluku money order vandiruku" and I'd give him a huge smile and proudly ask him "Enga sign pannanum uncle?" Even a thousand dollar paycheck today doesn't give me the pleasure and joy that those 2 tattered Rs 10 notes, which the postman gave me, gave.
Anyways, there are always beautiful memories from the past to reminisence from. So let's get back to why I suddenly wrote this blog! I was,as usual, just browsing through the newspaper when I came across this article about what POs are doing today - in a world where its been ages since you received a letter via normal mail. And it made a great reading. And so I wanted you guys to read it too! It just shows how much you can do when you want to - The only other direction where efforts must be put in, I think, is advertising and publicity. What do you think?

Here's that article which appeared in The MetroPlus supplement of The Hindu (on 15th
May, Chennai edition) The link to the actual article is below as well. Enjoy!

Dekho ek dakiya aaya
Thaila ek haath mein laya
Pehna hai woh khaki kapde
Hath mein dheron chitti pakde
Add to the description a rickety bicycle and you resurrect a childhood memory of a postman. Naturally then, a recent promo on TV of a private telecom operator featuring village kids making paper boats out of inland letter cards (signifying their red undancy) infuriates your sense of a precious past. So much so it prods you to find out whether in the age of ‘e-volution’, the postal department and the postman, part of our daily life those days, have really gone out of work. But quite interestingly, you find that the little red mailbox just got bigger, not long after you penned your last letter. And quite silently so.
As the number of personal letters began to decline heavily (50-60 per cent currently, according to the Department of Posts’ Book of Information 2004-2005) due to the advent of technology (read SMS, e-mails), our postal service looked inwards for a way out and came up with a bank of new services. And none seems to be anywhere near the term ‘snail mail’. Citizen service centre
Rather, the day is perhaps not far when you would use your area post office as a full-fledged tech-savvy citizen service centre. For already, you can use your PO to pay electricity bills, mobile bills, traffic chalans, property and income tax, electronically transfer money not just to the last village but also to 185 other countries, dispatch e-mails and e-greetings to places with no Internet access, apply for a passport, post letters through the PC, send bulk mails to your clients and even paste ads on postal stationery. Also, you can now buy stamps with fragrances and might be able to use your photo as a stamp one day!
A senior postal official says, “Every year, we deliver prasadam from Tirupati in bulk to many places in the North and the Ganga water to the South. All you have to do is place your order at the nearest post office.” Talk ing about possibilities of moving anything movable, the official talks of a popular Japanese pickle brand ordered only through post. “Just the other day, a company asked us to despatch shirts in bulk. We not only delivered them but did the packing too. There is a lot of possibility,” he says. But the biggest hitch for the department seems its long-established image of a letter pusher.
“Perception is reality and that has not changed, sadly,” admits another senior official from the department. The department had invested in six advertisements but has not been able to make much of a dent.
“But what has worked for us is the trust people have in the system. Private courier services don’t have the reliability of an established network like ours. When it comes to doing the last mile, our postmen are dependable,” he says.Long serving record
Yet another point to note is the long-serving record of its employees. And because of these pluses, the officials emphasise, many courier companies worldwide have now been sold to postal departments. Take TNT, now owned by Netherlands Post, or say, Deutsche Post, which has huge shares in DHL.
Some courier companies are in touch with the Department of Posts to work together, particularly in the rural areas. That all its software is being developed in-house adds to its cost-effectiveness.
“We are continuously training people at our training centres. Our software is world class. Take Meghdoot. It is used in 40 countries.”
Even as you add this to your list, you hear that soon, railway tickets can also be bought at the PO.
And, talks are on with airline companies to sell tickets at the PO.
http://www.hindu.com/mp/2007/05/15/stories/2007051550210300.htm

Have a sporty attitude!

2007-05-16T15:16:00.000+08:00

I recently read a post on Arthy's blog [Check out my blog roll to visit her blog]. It was about indulging in sports.
I could relate very much to that particular post - Maybe because I'm obssesed with being overweight and am looking for ways to shed a few (no actually several) pounds - Or Maybe because I'm usually this reserved, self-keeping person and its when I play that I unconsciously become normal with an ability to communicate healthily ( infact I've made nearly all my friends during the course of a friendly chat over a game badminton!)- Or Maybe because I feel really fresh after I enjoy a good game of tennis/badminton. After an hour of relaxation, I am , you may say, ready to take on the world! - Or maybe because its just something that I really enjoy doing!
Well whatever the reasons may be I'm also saying the same thing - If you aren't playing, you are missing out on something major in life!

A crackdown on music piracy

2007-05-15T14:55:00.001+08:00

A recent article on the web caught my attention – “Music piracy crackdown nets college kids.”1
The article recounts the music downloading experiences of Sarah Barg, an advertising major in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She was one of the many students who was caught illegally downloading music by the Recording Industry Association of America and was required to pay an exorbitant fine of USD 3000 (USD 750 as fines and USD 7.5 for each song she downloaded using the school’s computer from a p2p sharing platform called Ares) to escape being sued.
Today, with high bandwidth connectivity and an even larger range of piracy websites and file sharing programs, illegal downloads are commonplace enough. Especially among statistically shrewd youngsters, who estimate that the probability of their being caught illegally downloading songs/videos is extremely low. So instead of rightfully investing in mp3s/CDs/DVDs they risk the chance of being caught; ignoring the small sized disclaimers which appear in almost every piracy website/file sharing program.
When caught however, they learn their lesson – in an expensive way. To quote Sarah Barg, “Technically, I'm guilty. I just think it's ridiculous, the way they're going about it.”Most would agree that such steps, however harsh they may seem, are required. The fines that are imposed more than anything else advertise the fact that illegal downloading is indeed against the law and is punishable. Despite this, many students still have a lax attitude. To quote the article again, Johnson, a freshman, doesn't think the threats from the recording industry group are going to solve the problem. His friends who got into trouble still share music online. "People are still going to do it until they get caught, and they can't catch everyone," Johnson said.
So what can be done to solve this problem? The online iTunes store introduced by Apple, which sold songs online – allowing individual songs to be sold instead of the entire package, did reduce online music piracy – but its hard to resist the temptation when these songs are available for free elsewhere on the web. So should there be a change in the legal policy to accommodate this new technology? Or is this an opportunity for a technopreneur to design a meter to keep record of when and how many files of the mp3/wma/rm… formats have been downloaded by the system? Only time will tell.

References:
1) Music piracy crackdown nets college kids - By Anna Jo Bratton (Associated Press), ET May 13, 2007
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18644781/wid/11915829/

I'm a proud Indian today!

2007-05-14T16:55:00.000+08:00

The opinion page article which appeared in "The Hindu" (A leading national daily in India) today made me feel very proud (more than usual) to say that I'm an Indian! [scroll down to read it]

You know how some stories catch your eye - well, this was one of them. I had been following the happenings in UP over nearly a week and yes, I must say, I was given a pleasant jolt when the ECI cleverly asked the BJP to openly condemn the contents of the controversial CD. Playing well within its legal and unofficially accepted lines, the ECI strategized in a manner which ensured fairness while at the same time settling the controversial issue without any riots breaking out - And yes, that is indeed a laudable effort!

Turkey, marching and rallying for secularism, should indeed be an example to all of us. In a culturally rich and economically booming India, religious harmony would indeed propel us further onto the world stage, faster.

Just on a side note - India is going places!! Am I one of the last to realize it? Anyways, as they say :- better late than never! I was just looking through Wikipedia and one article that caught my eye was Dr. Manmohan Singh [on a side,side note :-D its literal translation is Charming! I knew that but never thought of the name in that manner!] Anyways, the line that really made me smile wide was "He is the most educated prime minister in Indian history!" I knew that too, but what I realized when reading the article was that the world is increasingly looking up to us!! And what can we do? As a first step, I have decided to follow our country's motto - Satyameva Jayate (Truth alone triumphs)

Hey guys! A part of this came in the letters to the editor in The Hindu on 15th May,2007!! Here's the link to it:- http://www.hindu.com/2007/05/15/stories/2007051500871001.htm

Okay, here's the editorial from the the Hindu that inspired me to write this blog - Its from http://www.hindu.com/ (May 14th,2007)

Well done, Election Commission

The Election Commission of India's strategy on the Bharatiya Janata Party's defiant communal ism has succeeded brilliantly. The ECI needed to pick up the gauntlet when the saffron party challenged it and the electoral law with a venomous CD at the start of the campaign for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. In asking the party to condemn the contents of the production while reserving the right to derecognise the party, it acted with firmness and reasonableness. In the end, the BJP, whose leaders quibbled and equivocated about the CD's contents and status right through the election campaign, was left with no choice but to come out with an unequivocal condemnation. The Commission did the sensible thing in turning down the plea that its powers should be used to derecognise the BJP as a national party. Invoking Paragraph 16(A) of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order 1968 — which empowers the Commission to "suspend or withdraw recognition of a recognised political party for its failure to observe [the] Model Code of Conduct" — would have set a dubious precedent with uncertain legal and risky political implications. As the Commission itself has conceded, its power to derecognise a party has not yet been judicially tested.
The condemnation wrested from the BJP has come on the back of defeat in an Assembly election that was fair and wondrously free from the predicted violence and anarchy. This was a tremendous achievement in a State that has a voter base of more than 110 million, 113,000 polling stations, 403 Assembly constituencies, and an unenviable history of bogus voting. It was accomplished by a thorough verification and cleaning up of the voter list, tight control of the polling process, and 100 per cent coverage of the polling stations with central paramilitary forces. Such an achievement would not have been possible without a cohesive, well-knit, and independent ECI. There is nothing wrong in criticising the Commission, for example, when it overdoes campaigning restrictions or seeks to `ban' opinion and exit polls. But what must be deplored is the attempt by the BJP to undermine the institutional integrity of the body through a self-damaging campaign against Election Commissioner Navin Chawla for alleged bias towards the Congress. For the sake of even-handedness, it needs to be pointed out that before N. Gopalaswami — L. K. Advani's chosen Home Secretary who was appointed Election Commissioner by the National Democratic Alliance government — took over as Chief Election Commissioner, there was a whispering campaign about his political inclinations. In both cases, the branding has been shown to be baseless and irresponsible. The elections of the past two years — in Bihar, West Bengal, Uttarakhand, Punjab, and now U.P. — have borne no evidence of any refereeing bias. It is ironic that during the campaign Mulayam Singh accused the Commission of being an agent of both the Congress and the BJP, and post-election he has blamed the ECI for his defeat. For argument's sake, it must also be pointed out that constitutional functionaries — be they judges, speakers, governors, or presidents — may come from different social and even political backgrounds and have their firm ideas and connections. The critical thing is that they must function with integrity, independence, and impartiality in high office. The three members of the ECI have certainly done that to the acclaim of democratic India.

You are the indulgence I'd love to have in every moment of my life

2007-05-11T22:10:00.000+08:00

-Dedicated to my loving mother,caring father and my beautiful sister!

This being my first weekend after a long first week at my first ever internship, I was on the lookout for the perfect quote to describe my feelings - and I realized that this fit the bill perfectly!

Moment's Indulgence

I ask for a moment's indulgence to sit by thy side. The works
that I have in hand I will finish afterwards.
Away from the sight of thy face my heart knows no rest nor respite,
and my work becomes an endless toil in a shoreless sea of toil.
Today the summer has come at my window with its sighs and murmurs; and
the bees are plying their minstrelsy at the court of the flowering grove.
Now it is time to sit quite, face to face with thee, and to sing
dedication of life in this silent and overflowing leisure.

- Quoted from Gitanjali by Rabindranath Tagore

Its called ture love when you wish that your someone special were at your side to share such precious little moments of joy that make life worth living.

My first post for the year

2007-01-13T08:29:00.000+08:00

Would you like to listen to this article?? Click here!
Hey! I know its a bit late to be penning this down, but wish all of you a great and successful new year! The reason for this really late blog is that I wanted my first one for this year to be a reflection of some serious introspection. And well, I've found the perfect topic for the post.
Perhaps most of you have read this popular email forward - 5 Great Lessons in Life (If not, navigate down to the text in italics to read it - It's a wonderful one.) It took me so long to realize that this very very popular email forward had at once been a simple blog! And deriving from this inspiration, here's my blog - Incidences which altered my perspectives of life.

I was having a casual conversation with my father on the drive down to his office. Only later did I realize the impact this casual conversation had on my actions and thoughts. We were discussing the option of actually considering entrepreneurship as a career choice. My father was telling me about how fruitful and successful an option this could turn out to be if we went about the right way - keeping abreast of latest developments, looking into a problem and trying to come up with a business level solution to it. I was all ears, this coming not just from my father, who had my best interests in heart, but also from a senior executive of a leading firm in India. But I was also seriously considering the risk option. After all, I had read that only 1% of first movers were actually successful and that technical soundness guaranteed only that much success and said so. My father replied saying statistics could only tell you so much. He told me about a person he knew - currently a respected guest lecturer in IIT-Bombay - who was a nuclear power specialist. This professor came up with a entrepreneurial level solution that was ultimately adopted only in the nuclear reactors of India. So according to statistics, his success would be deemed partial. But my dad said "Do you know how happy he is? He has a very comfortable income, has seen his passion materialize and take a form that approved by the community and is now a lecturer. He is so proud that his invention has been accepted and that he has contributed in someway, to the furthering of mankind." I was at a loss for words. I realized that in learning what my technopreneurship modules aimed to impart, I had learnt to define and measure success only in terms of financial returns! So often in life, we don't get the larger picture! So every time you begin thinking of money and success on the same platform, be sure to think again!

I read this email once, a long long time ago. It is also a blog, I suppose. It is about an Indian, who responded to a call by Gandhiji to observe a fast of one meal every week till India could supply food to the US. He broke his fast only after India dropped air food packets for the survivors of the Katrina! It taught me so many things - perseverence, honouring someone we respect by adhering to their principles and patriotism.

Great Lessons

1 - First Important Lesson - Cleaning Lady.

During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions until I read the last one:

"What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?"

Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name?

I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade.

"Absolutely," said the professor. "In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say "hello."

I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.

2. - Second Important Lesson - Pickup in the Rain

One night, at 11:30 p.m., an older African American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rainstorm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young white man stopped to help her, generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 1960s. The MN took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxicab.

She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him. Seven days went by and a knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home. A special note was attached..

It read: "Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband's bedside just before he passed away... God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others."

Sincerely,

Mrs. Nat King Cole.

3 - Third Important Lesson - Always remember those who serve.

In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a
10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him.

"How much is an ice cream sundae?" he asked. "Fifty cents," replied the waitress. The little boy pulled is hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it.

"Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?" he inquired.

By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient.

"Thirty-five cents," she brusquely replied

The little boy again counted his coins.

"I'll have the plain ice cream," he said.

The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies..

You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.

4 - Fourth Important Lesson. - The obstacle in Our Path.

In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way.

Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many of us never understand!

Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.

5 - Fifth Important Lesson - Giving When it Counts...

Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare and serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister.

I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, "Yes I'll do it, if it will save her." As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheeks. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded.

He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away?"

Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her.

"Work like you don't need the money, Love like you've never been hurt, and dance like you do when no body's watching."

Merry Christmas!

2006-12-25T13:46:00.001+08:00

Wishing all of you a very Merry Christmas!

The Kebab Factory!

2006-12-25T13:42:00.000+08:00

I’m a foodie. And you can take it from me – the Kebab factory in GRT Radisson, Chennai – is one of the best dining places ever! Right from the ambience – the décor, the polite welcome and the choice of seats – to the wonderful food, everything is par excellence but more significantly it is finger-licking authentic Indian cuisine!
The specialty as the name suggests is kebabs – Perhaps because I’m a vegetarian, I never get to eat as many kebabs as I would like to, but here I indulged in nearly 3 full courses of what were supposed to be starters!
It all began, as the saying goes, with a yam (senakizhangu) and gourd (podalanga) kebab – to be rolled on a saffron flavored flour (maida) paratha after sprinkling onions and adding a tinge of mint and tomato chutney. It was beautiful – the very predominant taste of the yam with a tinge of fresh green gourd lingering in the mouth after the initial taste of saffron – yeah, it was beautiful!
Next came on the sweet potato – roasted to perfection with a tinge of Chat masala and jeera. By roasted to perfection, I mean that the outside was crisp (with a beautiful salty-spicy start) whereas the inside was just plain soft boiled sweet potato! A perfect combination of salt and sweet. Perhaps you’ve already guessed my word to describe this dish – perfect!
The next was the very much awaited paneer dish – I love paneer – but what I ate here was too amazing! They say that paneer made perfectly from pure milk can be sliced – and that is exactly what I could do! Contrasting the previous two, this kebab was marinated and then boiled with the assertive flavour of elaichi generously gracing the dish. A slight tinge of jeera on the outside added to the experience. I particularly enjoyed it with slightly salted yoghurt with finely chopped fresh green chillies. It was amazing!
What is popularly known as the ‘vegetable cutlet’ followed next. The vegetables (predominantly potato, carrot) were finely minced and mashed and made as is meant to be. What more can I say?
Simla Mirch stuffed with cottage cheese – anything more I can say? (Well, perhaps a little bit - because this was one of my favourites.. :-P) I’m one of those many pizza crazy people who populate the earth, and so I literally pounced on this kebab when it arrived! I am compelled to say that it exceeded my expectations! Capsicum(simla mirch) stuffed with cooked cottage cheese and tomatoes, with the generously sprinkled cashews giving you a pleasant surprise – a very unique and rich taste indeed!
The last kebab – rumali roti rolled with pickle flavoured vegetables and deep fried – tasted something like spring rolls, but I didn’t particularly enjoy the exceedingly invasive tamarind taste.
Those were the starters.
!
A choice of rotis from naan, butter naan, garlic naan land tandoori roti with dal makhani (umm…that soft dal with the butter just melting in my mouth was amazing!) and a vegetable gravy (with broccoli, mushrooms and baby-corn) announced the arrival of the main course! It was followed by wonderful biriyani – with fried vegetables and spices taking over the taste buds and the unleashed smell of saffron invading the nostrils!
The glass of lassi – a diluted yoghurt drink with a salty/chat taste ended the main course.
Wait…what about the deserts? From a selection of cham cham(a Bengali delicacy), a fig desert(a delicacy from Hyderabad),carrot halwa, gulob jamun and kesar kulfi (an ice-cream flavoured with saffron and pista) all I could convince my stomach to eat were the gulob jamun and the kulfi. The kulfi was amazing but the gulob jamun was exceptional! Made very unconventionally – it was deep-fried, removed, stuffed with rabadi(a sweetened form of yoghurt) and then fried again and then soaked in sugar syrup! Served hot, it was a perfect end to what was perhaps one of the best ever meals of my life!

After reading this blog, you have perhaps appreciated how much I can eat when I want to! So the next time you take me out for a treat, think again about it!! :-D

Just a thought...

2006-12-20T20:13:00.000+08:00

Have you ever wondered why the arrangement of letters on the keyboard is such – QWERTY? I remember how puzzled I was the first time I encountered that very weird arrangement of alphabets – how I thought aloud why it wasn't arranged as ABCDEF – a pattern our mind could easily associate with; a map which we could decipher without extensive training? That was way back in 2000. Today, 6 – no nearly 7 years later I stumbled upon the answer - accidentally!

This 'discovery' brought me back to ground reality – that despite being a member of the so-called 'tech-savvy' youth and owning a desktop (with broadband connection and easy access to Google!) at home, I never really made an effort to find an answer to my question. But you would ask – why give so much significance to something so trivial? After all, isn't it sufficient to have the knowledge to efficiently use the keyboard?

Herein is the distinction between the stereotype and the creative. A creative person will take the trouble to address the issue bothering her/him whereas a typical person would take a glance and accept without questioning what is put forth.

For instance, research will reveal that the arrangement of the alphabets on the keyboard is such to facilitate typing at an efficient enough speed which doesn't cause jamming in typewriters! But does it apply to today's scenario where nearly 70% of the youth indulge in '2 finger typing'? A creative entrepreneur perhaps would even consider prototyping a new keyboard!

However it is indeed sad to note that today, most of us have questions – but very few of us take time out to put on our thinking caps to actually relate to the issue! We'd rather push it on top of the already existing stack of questions, because, we are too busy running our races on stereotypical tracks to realize that the successful people aren't those who decide how to run on the track – they are the ones who pave new ways to the future!

So the next time you feel a question nagging you, don't dismiss it from your thoughts!!

Hazy!!

2006-10-08T09:22:00.000+08:00

I go jogging everyday - for about 2.5 km . And as I usually do early in the morning, I enjoy the fresh air, the lush green sight, the cool breeze across my face and in my lungs as I gasp - things which I took for granted - till yesterday. But when I stepped out of my room yesterday, I felt conjested. Smoke was limiting my sight even as the unhealthy air tried to invade my lungs. Dejected, I returned to my room and gave up my most refreshing activity of the day!
As you perhaps know, the forest fires in Indonesia are polluting Singapore...Well yeah, yeah, I know that all right - how many times back home have I read such a news with interest and commented on the atrocities of burning down forests - but never have I truly given a thought to the pollution caused and the suffering of the people. Do you think that that's too strong a usage? I mean, yeah, discomfort is okay, but suffering??
But that's exactly what will come about if we continue at the rate we do today. Having lived through the last 2 days - when the CO levels exceeded into the 'unhealthy band' - I actually realized the significance of what so many environmentalists, ecologists and my geography text books were trying to drill into my head! What we would loose if we were to burn down all our forests - in exchange for a conjested and dark future!
Maybe, it isn't too late yet. Maybe, I can still do something to save my planet so that the future generations will enjoy a morning jog as much as I do. I still have to figure out how to do that - but what I know is that, now I will.

Time I updated!!

2006-10-08T08:22:00.000+08:00

Its been ages since I blogged!!! I really miss blogging - even though its such a vetti activity according to many, when I pour out all that I think and feel, I feel much more organized! In a sense, blogging has made me realize who I really am and how I apprear to people around - it helps me comment on myself .... Ah! Well I suppose you get it - I enjoy this a lot!!
Anyways, the last 2 weeks have been just fantastic for me!! Here's about the first of those...
I really really enjoyed my stay at home this time. Festival seasons are meant to be celebrated with people you love! And Navarathri always has a special place in my heart - the entire process of constructing the padis, decorating them, lowering the dolls from the loft, dusting them, repainting a few, arranging all of them on the steps...wah! This time though, I missed this initial part... nevertheless, the other phase was equally interesting! Calling all friends, neighbours and mamis home, preparing the vetalai paku thattu with neatly packaged sundal, showing them our golu and explaining the many stories those beautiful dolls so silently expressed! Equally interesting to go to other golus!! The entire process of dressing up traditionally, going as a gang and visiting, appreciating and learning...Its really beautiful!!
And as always, I just loved my mom's food! My mom cooks a wonderful lunch - lemon rasam, kutti potato curry and thenga thogayal - And during the course of the meal, she casually says - "When I made this same menu on another sunday when you were there, the first thing that Chottu (my sis) said was that - Amu, repeat this menu again when Archun comes! " You know, this always happens everytime I go back home, and every single time I think about it, my heart misses a beat...It makes me feel that there's someone out who cares and who really misses me!!
But this time, I had most fun shopping!! The local hangout place is Pondy Bazaar and I was on a crazy spree!! What with having to buy things to take back, new clothes for saraswathi poojai and to take back for deepavali and accessories for all of them, I was totally into shopping!! After nearly a full day of shopping, I settled for 2 salwars from RMKV and Kumarans and earrings from JhillMill..hehe!
All in all it was a wonderful refreshing break which enthused me into looking forward to the harder part of the semester!

A day to remember!

2006-09-25T09:35:00.000+08:00

I loved this weekend!! So much, that I didn't even find time for my favourite activity - blogging!! Anyways, I'm back now - just to share with you what I believe to be part of my most lovely memories!
As you know, I was restless with excitement about getting back to home terrain! But this time, in addition to the usual energy waves generated in anticipation of the 'going back home' activity, me and my Dad generated the extra ripple of surprise! I had informed my people that I would be arriving by 11am on Sunday morning - but instead decided to come on Saturday itself!
I suppose this idea sprouted from sheer peer influence! I realized that many of my friends had given their family surprises and so I thought, why not me too? I was initially planning to give my entire family a surprise, but then considering how mad my parents would be if I were to travel alone by auto in Chennai, I decided to involve my dad in the 'conspiracy'!
Daddu came, and this time also as usual, I was beaming as I stepped out of the airport into his loving arms! As I thought of how surprised my mom and sis would be, I was literally laughing with happiness! On our way from the airport, me and my dad had a few serious discussions on who would go in first - we finally decided upon Daddu going in and me following.
All I can say is, it was almost perfect! My dad rang the bell, and walked in. I was hiding behind the corridor wall and as soon as I saw my mom's turned back, I sneaked in and hugged her tight from behind and said "Happy Golu!" She turned back and I can never forget her expression! Her eyes opened wide and her mouth a little agape, before the situation sank in and her mouth curved up and her perfect white teeth beamed upon me! She said "Archun! What are you doing here!!" as she returned my hug! She was smiling and laughing and singing!! I joined in too - so happy that my mom was pleased to see me - but a little disappointed that my little sister, had chosen the right moment to bathe!! She however, had heard the commotion and so the effect of the surprise on her wasn't as dramatic! When she came out however, I saw that the shock still hadn't worn off and was a little pleased - which turned into a big smile as she hugged me too!!
My mom said it all in one sentence - " Emathithe! But it was the best surprise ever!!"
This time's homecoming was made perfect for me at that moment!

Pure ecstasy !!

2006-09-23T06:20:00.000+08:00

I was up yesterday by 5 15am - went for jogging for about an hour, had my breakfast and returned to my room at around 7 15am; immediately went for my bath and then left at 7 45am; manned the bazaar booths from 8am to 6pm; left for my lecture which was over at 9pm; had my dinner and finally returned to my room at 9 45pm. All in all, a tight busy 8 - 10 day.
But you know what I did after I came to the room? Obviously I thought I was sleepy and tried to sleep - but I couldn't!! I lay down for about half an hour and having failed in my task miserably, switched on my laptop and blasted some music!! Very very unlike me! I always have preferred to listen to beautiful, soft music - especially in the night - but today just wasn't one of those days! At 11 in the night I was still bubbling with energy!
And the reason: I'm going back home soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooon!!!!

Rudrakaliamman Kovil - seva

2006-09-20T14:00:00.000+08:00

Saturday,16th September, 2006

All of us at the temple!!

Super Gals!!
And now the reward...FOOD!!

Morning colours!

2006-09-17T06:48:00.000+08:00

"The dawn is breakin'
Its early morn..."

Quoted from one of my favourite John Denver songs, these are golden words! What is so special about mornings? You know, when I shifted from school life in Chennai to a uni life in NUS, the environment suddenly became conducive for late-night and late-morning activities - Despite this, I didn't give up on my habit of being up early.... Many people wonder and express awe at the fact that I - a hostellite, in NUS, - am up by 5 30 in the morning every day; A grunt granted if I say I go to bed early, but there's always a slightly disbelieving look that never leaves! After talking to my cousin brother in Banglore who emphasized this by saying - "Archun! You're in hostel da! We guys here sleep at around 2!" I really began wondering, why am I the odd one out?
And so, the introspection began! Well, firstly, I've generally been an early riser - what with several tuitions and school starting early in the morning, I would always be up at 5 30, no matter what! But several of my friends, who were like me, came here and began working late into the night! And that led me to the truth - I like getting up early!
Once I realized this, I thought - why? I wasn't getting any cooler, was I ? But then it struck me on the face! Every morning I get up, turn on the light and thank God for yesterday, and pray for a good one today - and once I open the blinds do you know what I see?

The dawn is breakin'
Its early morn...
The birds are chirpin'
The darkness gone...
Already, I'm so happy that I could laugh!
So kiss me, oh gentle breeze...
And smile for me, you rising Sun...
Tell me, that'll you be like this all day...
Blowing and burning all my fears away...
Wrap me in your arms
And hold me....
Like you'll never let me go...

What a wonderful way to begin everyday right? I love my parents for inculcating this early-rising habit in me! It makes me appreciate how beautiful life can be - and how happy you can be when you appreciate that!!

Not a bad movie...

2006-09-10T08:35:00.000+08:00

OMG! I just realized that my last 3 posts are so boring!! All revolving around my studies in the uni! You must be thinking .. hey! what a geek! Well just to allay those thoughts away,here's my next blog..About Vettaiyadu Velaiyatu!!
Hmm...First things first - Kakkha Kakkha is still my favourite movie!! But to be fair, vettaiyadu velaiyatu scored higher on a few scales. It was much more closer to a real policeman's life - at least the first half. The second half was terrible! Too much violence - beating and bashing up crooks, hunting down the killers and all the masala stuff!
Not that the first half wasn't gross - well what do you expect when a thumb is hung on the father's doorstep, the body is bisected into half and so on? But it was very very practical. The line of thought and steps taken by Raghavan(DCP) to trace the murderer, were sequential and real. I also liked the fact that Kamal's (Raghavan) character wasn't potrayed as a very young man - rather an average aged police officer. The romance between Raghavan and Aradhana (Jyothika) was also handled beautifully - very mature and non-dramatic. The songs were also picturised quite beautifully and made me like them even more after watching the visuals.
Hmm....Overall, worth a watch on cd - so that you can fast forward the ugly parts.
Waiting to watch Sillunu Oru Kadal now!!

3M

2006-09-09T12:41:00.000+08:00

3M sought a strong image for their security glass. They modified a bus shelter and fitted their security glass and filled it with REAL BANKNOTES. Many have tried to gain access with golf clubs and baseball bats but obviously the glass remains intact! This is what you call having faith in your own product...
That's the company I'm talking about!
But what's this blog all about?? Well, I had the privilege of being part of an interactive session with Mr Pang - A Technical Supervisor at 3M's Innovation Center, Singapore.
You know, I've always wondered - what exactly do engineers do? Most of the engineers I know are managers! Well, there may be a few exceptions - but almost all of them, at least in India, are management oriented. And here was a job - which looked out for engineers - not just their 'knowledge' about 'technical stuff'! So I was all the more looking forward to this session - because Mr Pang had joined 3M as an engineer.
The initial presentation was about 3M - well obvious! It was like any other routine marketing startegy, but one thing that really impressed me was the concept of a 'dual career path'. A new one for me. The organization recognizes the managerial potential in most engineers - but not at the expense of engineers who'd rather take on the technical path! The managers have their technical counterparts - equal status, salary, etc.
Well, anyways, the topic for the session was 'organizing for technological innovations.' I got an insight into what this actually means for a normal employee involved in such a situation. Perhaps you read my previous blog on IDEO - Well the point here was to say that "Okay! All the informality and innovation can be managed in a small firm like IDEO; But what happens when it comes to something as big as 3M? How do you innovate and manage it?"
I learnt that in 3M there is structure and organization - evolved in a manner to encourage an innovative culture! There is heirarchy, which is respected and valued - to enhance innovation contrary to popular belief. I learnt how important this is when the organization is so big - What if there are guys in different departments working on the same project? There would be a waste of human and material resource at no extra outcome. In such situations, management becomes very important. At the same time, this should not prove a blockade to innovating teams.
Well that sounds really easy on paper - but is it actually easy? Yes! I learnt that from the way Mr Pang said so casually that "All you need to do is give your guys a call - tell them you'll buy them breakfast - and they'll be there at 8 15 for the meeting!" The relationship at the basic level is still informal and personal. Heirarchy plays a role in deciding what projects the team will work on, who is assigned a task and adhering to deadlines - All in all, a very condusive atmosphere!
All this is quite okay, but we were curious as to how they actually decide the teams? Are they cross-functional teams? How to co-ordinate the work? How to actually innovate?
We played a small game - where 6 of us had to get into groups. Each of us had to say the first word that came into our head and then pass on the buck to any other person in the group. Simple and stupid? Initially I thought so too! But when I looked back at how the game shaped up, it was very insightful! Well, I was sitting with my Indian friends and so when someone said food, I immediately said 'kozhakatai' and someone said 'rajma' and so on - but when we shuffled groups and I said 'Chennai' someone else said 'tamil' someone else 'Leonardo'!
I learnt 2 things from this little game - that your thought process is influenced by your group members - when someone said something about food, the first thing you think of is also most probably food! Another thing being that, when the group is diverse, the thought process also varies and this leads to faster innovation - for example 'tamil' appealed to that person in terms of movies and so he named the first actor that came into his head!
But actually, innovation isn't so simple. Mr Pang said, the toughest step is always defining the problem - so again he asked us what we found bad in Singapore? So one of us said 'food' (I suppose we were all hungry as the class is from 6 to 9 pm!!) And he asked - What will you define as good food? Tasty, we asked? Define tasty he said! Well, fresh, healthy, appealing and spicy! You get the point don't you? Once you have the problem defined, you can innovate in each area of concern. :-D
Another thing we wanted to know about was how much autonomy was given to the induviduals? Well, it seemed a lot! If someone had an idea, it was always listened to - and not just by the immediate supervisor alone. An idea would have to be rejected by a minimum no. of superiors before being directed away! Also, each employee was allowed to do whatever he/she wanted in 15% of their paid time! It could be anything - nothing related to the project or even with the company! Mr Pang, it seems, thought we were worth his 15%!!
Hmm...I suppose here's another of my abrubt endings! But I really enjoyed the simple session which appealed to my little brain and got me thinking about things I've never thought about before!!
Thanks Mr Pang!! And thanks to my lecturer Ms Sarah, for organizing this session!

A first for me....

2006-09-03T08:21:00.000+08:00

It was an amazing week! Though I have begun to lag a little in doing my daily lessons, I'm thoroughly enjoying this new process! Well, yeah yeah...Its understandable that I'm learning something new and all ... But this week was even more special..
This Thursday I had my first lab session! Wow! I can't believe that I'm saying that - inspite of it contributing to 10% of my final score!!! I, who used to think labs were 2 periods of fun till my 10th; I, who dreaded practicals in my 11th and 12th!
I guess it was the exciting aspect of doing an experiment all by yourself...Till today, I have never experimented' on my own. I did give my practical exams for my boards alone! But it was not the first time I did the lab you see... So this time, even though I was experimenting on signals - after all a stimulation experiment - which involved no equipment as such, just software - I realized what 'experimentation' 'observations' and 'conclusions' meant!
I studied signals - their waveforms and spectra. Periodic, aperiodic, sampling, A to D conversion ,what aliasing meant and retrieval of the original signal from the digitized one. I really learnt these by observing the waveforms, studying the patterns, inputing different numbers and equations and reaching my conclusions. It was very very exciting. All signals - speech, sight, eeg, ecg which I've learnt about are studied in this manner - and then their traits are altered and modified to suit our needs. Like burning a music CD - what actually happens to the voice signal? What happens once it is digitized? How do we retrieve the original signal?
Ultimately, I still don't know if all my observations and conclusions are correct! I don't know if I'll get my full 10% for the experiment! But I do know that I learnt a lot. If anyone asks me today about spectra, waveforms, A to D conversion and vice versa, I'll be able to tackle the questions confidently. That's what education is all about - knowledge. And you truly learn only by doing.

I ultimately got 9.5/10 for it!!

An enjoyable Friday evening!

2006-08-26T15:57:00.000+08:00

I watched a video yesterday in my "Technological Innovation" class and I really enjoyed it! (It is a video which is probably shown in every management/business/technopreneurship class every semester) I'm here to share what I saw and learnt with you!
Well, the topic we discussed about this week was "Motivating Engineers and Scientists" And the video was a recording from a news program on abc channel - about a company called IDEO. This is basically an innovation company - the best known in the world and one of the hot spots of Silicon valley. They innovate just about anything! Starting from a range of toys, 'monster shoes', through toothbrushes to sophisticated medical equipment, they are involved in designing/re-designing of an entire range of products!
This program's was actually structured to give an insight into how things actually work in IDEO. So, a group was assembled and given the task of redesigning a shopping cart. The first thing that struck me was the informality! I did expect a little deviation from the standard top-down hierarchy, considering that people were here to innovate, but this struck me right on the face! The founder of the company working together with a new 22 year old employee - that's the limit!
This was a group of about 20 people and all from very very different backgrounds - As the introductions were made, I realized that it just about covered every single faculty in my university!! An engineer, computer specialist, statistical grad, biological sciences major, psychologist, history major and the list went on..!! The diversity, I realized during the course, only helps add more perspectives to come up with totally crazy ideas that lead to innovation.
Even in the midst of all the informality, there was structure and organization - They first elected a group leader - not the most 'senior' member or not even the 'one with lots of ideas' but one who was good with people and with groups! They then set about trying to identify problems one may face with the current shopping cart - problems like child care safety (where the statistics came in very handy to use the no. of hospitalized to carry this idea through in the new product), the psychology of people not wanting to wait in long check-out queues, the size and thus the utility of the shopping cart, etc . They actually researched this topic - by talking to customers, 'professional' shoppers, supermarket employees, actual engineers who build and repair the cart, to get a good idea of what exactly is involved!
Then came the brainstorming session - where each group member would come up with as many designs of the cart as he/she could, make a rough sketch of it and paste it on huge boards placed all around the spacious room. Once done, each would review the ideas of the others and if they felt the idea was worth their vote - they'd stick a post it with their name on it!!
And in this manner, they finally narrowed down the options stage by stage and came up with 4 separate designs - one with several baskets in the shopping cart - one with a scanner - one with a separate level for child seating and one which focused on the fashion/size aspect! They then set about building these 4 designs - Once ready, they went on to review each of these carts, scale them back a little to come up with the final design -
Well, this can't be described in words...So have a look yourself!
http://www.ideo.com/portfolio/re.asp?x=50029
What I learnt at the end of the day was that, to motivate, you need to express confidence in your people. Don't regard them as inferior to you in any way - instead try to make it a 360 degree learning process, so that in the end, your goals are achieved! Give them their space and autonomy to do what they are best at! That's how a manager is defined in today's world - he/she leads - no more "command and control"!
Would'nt you like to work for IDEO someday?? :-D

One of my favourite poems!

2006-08-23T14:48:00.000+08:00

Daffodils" (1804)

I WANDER'D lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the Milky Way,

They stretch'd in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:

Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:

I gazed -- and gazed -- but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:
For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

By William Wordsworth (1770-1850).

Everytime I read this poem I'm really inspired! Have you ever had such an experience? You enjoyed something so much and every single little detail leaves an imprint on your heart? I don't have a single such memory... yet...There have been several beautiful and enjoyable moments in my life which I can lie back upon and ponder about, but not a single one I remember as vividly as wordsworth has described his daffodils...
Every single blog I write, I think - " Ah! When I read this 5 years later, I'll wonder - wow! That was me!!! " But I'm still waiting for "my daffodil moment" - when I won't need words to remember...merely to describe!

2006-08-21T10:44:00.000+08:00

I've just got through my first week in the university this year - my second year! It was a very very tiring but awesome week! After a very enjoyable but long summer vacation, I was aching - actually - to start studying again! Its really weird isn't it, but as they say, humans always are in search of knowledge! And so here I am, maybe a little wiser to the ways of the world...

To be outrageously honest, last year was a breeze through...except the programming of course...I'm studying electrical engineering and my uni being an internationally recognized one with students from all over the globe, meant to standardize our basics last year - so we did physics, maths and some basic circuits and laws - all of which I had already dealt with in my Junior college. So in effect, I was only adding some depth to what I already knew about - dealing with solving real world problems with a lot more calculations - but it somehow wasn't inspiring or exciting enough! This was not the engineering I expected to study!

And then suddenly this week, it struck me - all at once! I'm doing four "core" modules this semester - and suddenly, I realized - hey this isn't just physics or math anymore! It's application! Somehow, it excited me a lot - here was something totally different - like an experience of learning a language for the first time! Every single concept in the lecture was supplemented by actual examples - for example, the concept of feedback and thus control in robotics, temperature control, etc - the concept of signals in waving, seeing, sound waves, etc - the concept of applying mathematical models like probability to data communication systems and the mathematics used as "short-hand" notation for bit representation!

Interesting no doubt, but also a lot of hard work too I suppose! Since everything you're learning is suddenly new, you need to put in more effort to get a good grasp of all the concepts. And here I am, quite exhausted but still very inspired after the very first week of just lectures - tutorials and labs start only next week! I've taken another module - Technological Innovation - just for this purpose - to have a recess from all the engineering :-D

This module seems quite fun - though it is from 6-9 on Friday evenings (I know!!) It focusses on the importance of innovation in entrepreneurship! In my first class, we had a discussion about Google - Was it right for them to become entrepreneurs? Are they being innovative enough? Aren't they shifting focus away from their core capabilities? It was a very insightful and interesting discussion and I really enjoyed it!

When you're 19, talking to your loved ones and eating to your fill everyday, living on one of the best campuses in the world with access to excellent academic and co-curricular facilities, enjoying with your friends and making new ones - from over the globe - and learning what you want to from the best aiming for the stars all the while, what more can you expect out of life??

A great programme..

2006-08-13T12:48:00.000+08:00

A great day was already on the cards when I was to accompany my parents to witness my school’s 49^th Anniversary. A day made even greater because of the knowledge of the fact that my little sister...um sorry…cultural secretary of the school would be adorning a beautiful blue saree and compeering the show! But what made today a day to remember and cherish was the actual cultural performance of the little children…hey…my juniors!

Being an Indian and a Chennaite at that, I have attended several cultural programs – Carnatic concerts, Dance performances, Dance dramas, Dramas, light music events, arengetrams, etc, etc. The fact I’m trying to hint at here is that I have experienced enough to be termed as an “art appreciator”! And I must say, today’s show was absolutely brilliant!

But to be fair, I must say – it was to be expected! My school’s Anniversary is always one of the awaited events of the year when we get to witness student’s talents enhanced by professional make-up and too-good-to-be-true-props! It was a little different this year though…

I observed that quite contrary to the last few years, this year’s anniversary was quite devoid of props (except for the finale.) It was perhaps this fact that made me appreciate the efforts even more! Instead of the usual props, like the oonjal or the swing, there were four students and they appeared to be pushing and pulling it! It was done so naturally and beautifully, that I wondered if they were the little children they appeared to be!

The theme for this anniversary was Dhana Vaibhavam – Ullathil Nalla Ullam. It was a great theme considering the innumerous tales we all know of charity, “giving without hesitation, and expecting nothing back.” Each of the tales – Akshaya pathram, vamana avatharam, karnan, etc. were beautifully portrayed by little ones!

As a student of NUS I have had the good fortune of witnessing certain other concerts as well – Chinese New Year dances, Accapella and the usual “English Concert” (as I term it) And all these factors made me realize that today, I had witnessed one of the strongest representations of the Indian art form of drama, music and dance.

On Cloud Nine!!

2006-08-09T08:22:00.000+08:00

He's been trying for the past 6 years; it just intensified last year, when he asked me out no less than 8 times! Every single time, there was something else for me to do... But when he asked me out on 4th August 2006 again, I thought, well this is a hopeless cause...let me at least go out with him...And that's how I ended up falling in love! What began as dislike ended up this way- all because of an evening out...
Well, it was the day when I was returning to university - to a country away from my home, away from my loving parents, away from my best friend - my sis and away from my homeland...So you can imagine what I was going through...And that's when I saw him - sitting next to me and comforting me all along the journey...
You must be wondering - "Hey! She just told me that he'd asked her out many times before and now she's saying she saw him ... as though for the first time!" But yeah! That was the first time I really saw him - saw who he was, what he did and what he meant...
Anyways, there was the initial awkwardness as I pecked on his cheek but it was washed away with some coke and peanuts as we got talking and I must say about really weird things! We moved on from angels and castles to Ganesha and Amu's kozhakatais!! It was as if with him, I could be myself and talk about things I really like or things that have really affected me and all along, he seemed to be reflecting my exact thoughts on every subject!! With all this rapport building, I had even forgotten the spectacle he'd promised me before dinner...
But it was BEAUTIFUL! With the vast expanse of the Indian ocean guarding me on the sides, with him as my aide, I saw it - the wonderful sunset! And not just any sunset - one which reflected that we live in a round world!! Behind me I could see the glorious sun, just setting and ahead of me darkness was already enveloping the lands ... It left me awestruck!I think that was the moment when I was lovestruck - and this fact made dinner a very enjoyable affair!
But finally it was time to land and get back to reality from the wonderful dreams as they seemed... And as he brushed against my cheeks I suddenly felt sad...to be going away from him...
And then as I walked out of the airport towards my university - I looked up at his vast, dark expanse and said...Soon again my love!!

My trip to Banglore

2006-08-01T20:17:00.000+08:00

I left for a short trip to my Athhai's place on 29th July... Its been quite a while since I visited this town - which has now been declared as "the IT capital of India"! Well I agree...Indeed, all the wealth is reflected in the tremendous growth phase which has gobbled up major part of this beautiful city!

The first thing any person who steps into this valley will notice is the beautiful weather - its really very very pleasant! And it being July, typical Banglore weather prevailed for most part of my trip...I must admit though - that having been transformed into a complete Chennaite, returning to my birth place was a cool...hmmm...Cold trip!

Anyways, my Athhai has a beautiful place in Kasturi Nagar - with lots of gardens sprawling around the house! Its always so pleasant to see roses, jasmines, hibiscus and pavazamalli, eat curd rice with pomegranate (literally garden fresh!) from Banana leaves that grow at home with lovely food cooked by Pattu!!

I was quite pleasantly shocked when I went looking around Banglore - it is literally transforming into a mini-Singapore! Huge malls have cropped up everywhere, with lot of eat-outs peeking out of every corner! Most of the roads have been made one-ways and more importantly the average age of the driver, as my father shrewdly observed, is 30 - which in itself has instilled a discipline achieved perhaps, nowhere else in India!

But the beauty of Banglore is that inspite of the IT boom and the cropping up of the electronic city, it retains its charm and beauty...The places have definitely transformed - but not to an unrecognizable extent - instead they have evolved into dynamically improving environments! My visit to the Cubbon park, Vidhana Soudha(and Vikas Soudha!) and my favorite Ragi Gudda temple confirmed my impressions.

In spite of having lived in Banglore for nearly 14 years of my life, this was the trip when I discovered a beautiful institute here! The Tata Institute - now known as the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) came into the picture because my university, NUS, has set up an overseas college here! Curious, I went to just move about and get a feel of the campus - and I must say - I was shocked! I have seen IIT but was still shocked to see that "the campus" consisted of nothing but little buildings in the midst of what seemed to me to be dense forests!! It was really beautiful and I realized that this is the most conductive atmosphere for research and study! A sight one can witness, I believe, only in India!

I hail from Koramangala - and I loved going back to see my house in NGHC (National Games Housing Complex) It's a place that offers a lot of memories...And that always affects you....

Maybe that's why even though I profess myself to be a Chennaite, Banglore will always hold a special place in my heart...

A few nice ones....

2006-08-01T20:10:00.000+08:00

Impossible says I'm possible!
When there is no wind, row!
Work hard to get what you like, or you will be forced to like what you get!
You fail - only when you stop trying!
If at all you want to do anything behind a back, pat it!
At times of distress, behave like a duck - keep calm and unruffled on the surface, but keep paddling away like crazy underneath!
Take time to laugh - its the music of the soul!
No doubt great heights are what attract us; learn to respect the steps though!
Enjoying something makes it unforgettable!
To be the best, be daring, be different and be there first!
Home is where the heart is!
A hungry man always appreciates his bread!
If you can do it in front of someone you love and respect, its right.
Love me when I least deserve it; cause that's when I really need it!
I can't remember to forget you..
We may have inherited the earth from our parents, but it is the property of our children.
Atoms don't exist....entities are the in thing!
"The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it."
- Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)
"The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not 'Eureka!' but 'That's funny... '"
— Isaac Asimov
"The trouble with land is that they're not making it anymore!"
- Will Rogers
"Don't let school interfere with your learning!"

Disclaimer: None of this is original - all borrowed! Some from the web, some from insightful tags of friends on messenger!!

My kinda books...

2006-07-28T11:12:00.000+08:00

Like they say, sometimes nothing but words alone can be that expressive! I, for one, love reading books - mystery, adventure, romance, science fiction or historical books. Here are a few of my favorites...

Anandmath - Rabindranath Tagore
Well, when I decided to write this blog, this book was the first thing that entered my head! I was quite surprised to realize that this story, which I read because it was my Non-Detailed reading in 8th Std, had left such deep imprints! It was the spirited narration, perhaps, that appealed most to me. To be completely honest, it also appealed to the women chauvinist part of me (kindled perhaps in the years I spent in my Girl's school in Banglore.) To this day, I vividly recall the strength of those women and derive my courage from their personalities...

One Night at the Call Centre - Chetan Bhagat
Another shock! This time totally unexpected! At least I knew I liked Anandmath..But this book!! I remember clearly telling my sister - "Oookay..!" and yet, it has wormed its way in to the second spot in my list! It took some introspection and this is what I think made me like it - To this day, most books I've read (by Indian authors) have dealt explicitly with history or myth. This was the first(that I read), that potrayed reality as it is today in India (and after all this it's supposed to be a supernatural story!!). It even awakened me - supposedly part of the youth of this country - to trends that have set in! What hit me on the face was how we've evolved to become a Westernish Indian bunch...

The complete collection of Hercule Poirot mysteries (Over 50 short Stories) - Agatha Christie
I know each story by-heart! Every character and every mystery. I adore this little Belgian detective who uses the "grey cells" in his little egg shaped head to solve mysteries ranging from finding a missing cook to serving royalty in their troubles! The logic, the mystery and the beautiful potrayal of this character ... But everytime I think, why not Sherlock Holmes?? The supposedly greatest detective of all time? I guess it is because in each of the Poirot mysteries, you have the material available to solve the mystery, which lends to it an extra thrill of guessing the correct suspect (unfortunately, never so!!)

Blue Horizon-Wilbur Smith
Simply, a gripping and wonderful narration! A fictitious story and characters all right, but so well sculpted over the vast expanse of Africa - I found it very hard to put the book down! Some scenes were so well narrated that I thought I was actually present and watching it live! Being a vegetarian, some scenes were quite gross (actually!) to read, but I learnt a lot about African cultures and practices. A must read if you are one for adventure...

The Twentieth Wife - Indu Sunderesan
Somehow, I like books by Indian authors! Even though most of the books I read are by foreigners, the ones I am able to recall after years are the Indian ones! This is one such book - but what appealed in this case was inability to recognize with anything at all! I was totally unaware of the actuality behind the splendor of the Mughal rule in India - some horrifying truths and some more splendor and luxury. But this knowledge is only secondary - the primary reason for this being one of my favorites is that it is a beautiful romantic story. It being narrated by a passionate author in a historical surrounding only made it even more appealing to the hopeless romantic that I am...

The Testament - John Grisham
Its a very boring book - take it from me. But I like it because of one reason - it made me realize the extent to which some people are involved in charity and that what we do is really small. I used to be so proud after donating blood - like I've accomplished a terrific feat and deserved an award for it - but reading about this missionary worker humbled me. I'll always remember this book and it is an inspiration for me to someday try to reach within the vicinity of the work this missionary did...

Bedtime Stories - Geetha
Quite unorthodox, yes, but definitely finds a mention in my all time favorites. Even though I'll soon be stepping out of my teens, every single night my mom ends my day with a "happy" story - and simply because of the peace that fills my heart at the end of her honest, simple and cute narration, I've placed it here...

At the S&T desk...

2006-07-27T12:43:00.000+08:00

When I left for The Hindu office today, I was looking forward to interacting with Dr. Prasad, department head of the Science and Technology Desk. I had met up with Dr Prasad for about an hour yesterday but couldn't interact well with him given that his section of the paper would be appearing the next day. However today I got to talk to him quite a bit on how he structured and developed on his section of the paper.

The first thing I observed about him was that he was a voracious reader. He had several science magazines strewn on his desk and a hi-fi looking article was staring at me from his monitor. He first informed me about the various columns in his section of the paper - the most well-read Q&A column, where the readers asked questions about various scientific matters and received replies, a science column published from an international reputed paper like The Guardian, etc. , a journal article (usually an editorial) adopted from Nature, an article on Agriculture usually written by a member of the S&T desk after field research, two or three more articles depending on space availabilty written by columnists mostly dealing with scientific aspects of matters of latest interest and a few scientific titbits.

Dr Prasad has himself written articles (in matters relating especially to stem cell research) and so I was curious as to how he actually chose his topics and presented them to a laymen in an appealing and crisp manner. I learnt that to choose topics, he usually read through various editorials of reputed journals across the world like Nature, The Lancet, The British Journal,etc and when he observed something totally new or unconventional or related to recent topics of interest (for eg. Bird Flu) he would bookmark it. After having short-listed various topics, he would read up on them thoroughly - the paper itself, the references it made and the references' references (!) to get a clear picture of what was being talked about.

On second/third readings, he would make a note of all the major points raised in the article and priorotize them and then draw up his first draft, which usually would be thrice the length of the published article! It was in this way, he said that you could personalise the article.

To be frank, I was very curious to know how exactly does one personalise a scientific article!! I have tried on several occassions to formulate an impassive opinion on an established fact and almost always land heavily on the emotional side! As people and as Indians, we all have perceptions which alters to a great degree what we believe to be fact!

Dr Prasad beautifully put it that the only way to overcome this disadvantage is to read a lot and write all that you know! That way, as you try shortening the article, you will find yourself making several comparisons which ultimately leads to the formulation of an opinion. Well...that sounds awful!! So let me try and put it directly the way he said it:

"I am right now working on an article which reviews the way peer review is carried out in Nature. For this it is essential to first know what peer review is all about. Secondly, you should try and think why this particular procedure is being reviewed. This will itself generate sufficient material to penn your article - but if you are interested you could go ahead and check out the history of peer review and see how it came into being and so on.. The point is that now you have the fact - that the way peers review your scientific paper is going to change. And then you have sufficient material to prove why this change is "long pending" - that some papers earlier published were all farce! This way you have already given a personal touch!"

It was quite interesting to know and I, who upto that point was confident that I could write an article worthy of the Hindu suddenly realised the amount of effort that went into each article! Apart from the effort involved to stay informed, it was impertinant that I read up as much as available on the topic, from all angles to write an article. I learnt that day, what the difference was between reporting and writing!

There was the other section of the desk that I had completely not recognized - the agricultural section. It was here that "field research" in the true sense of the word was involved - and that too of a very different kind. I spoke to Mr Prabhu, who contributes almost every week to the section to get some insight.

Well, if it was possible, even more knowledge and information was required here. One had to keep abreast of activities in remote villages - and percieve any change in the scenario. And again, I bring in the context to explain myself. Mr Prabhu had just returned from a trip to Kancheepuram and he had visited a village nearby. He was surprised to know that many of the farmers were no longer cultivating the seasonal crops - instead they were opting for all-seasonal crops with less water requirement! This was a very very abrupt change, especially in a village which traditionally opted for seasonal crops. But knowledge of this fact only formed the basis for the article. It would take many more conversations and exploration to realise that such acts brought in more income than usual and that several agencies supplying seeds to farmers had already recognized this trend! In this case, Mr Prabhu said, all the information was available - you just had to know where to find it!

So having learnt over about a week the various activities of the various members of the desk and gaining revelations into the tricks of scientific journalism, I tried my hand at it over the next 2 weeks. I read up and wrote an article on "Flies Flight" and got it analysed by Dr. Prasad, who was quite pleased with it except for the fact that I had failed to give credit to the people concerned explicitly.

With that my 4 wonderful weeks at this desk came to an end and I will forever keep these memories close to my heart!

An interesting Chat...

2006-07-27T12:41:00.001+08:00

When I got to spend an hour with a top editor who has been working with the newspaper for nearly 30 years!

When I left for The Hindu's office in Mount Road today, I was looking forward to being assigned to the section of the paper I had requested for - the S & T desk (Science and Technology section of the paper which appears in 2 pages of the daily every Thursday) I was to be assigned to the head of the desk - Dr Prasad, who apart from being the chief of the department also wrote articles himself for the section.

But when I arrived, I learnt that Dr Prasad was at a meeting and would be available in about an hour. I was wondering what to do, when Mr Mukund graciously offered to tell me about the technological history of the newspaper. I was most interested, especially as I was quite ignorant about printing technology!

Being a longstanding, top-level employee of The Hindu and having worked through all the "revolutions" personally, it was an opportunity not to be missed! But what made this session particularly interesting for me was that Mr Mukund was such a great speaker! His humility combined with his extensive knowledge and his great ability to lay out technical facts in a manner so easy to percieve, made this a memorable experience!

I would like to share with you what I learned:

The first ever prinitng technology to be invented is attributed to Johannes Gutenberg (Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press with replaceable wooden/metal letters in 1436 ) This was the standard till almost the 20th century! The Hindu which started out in 1878, used this technology initially.

Then came the monotype and linotype. The original Monotype machine used 'hot metal' to form individual letters. But what was then considered "revolutionary" was the linotype. In contrast to the Monotype machine, the Linotype machine formed a complete line of type in one bar! This was more useful for quick printing and Mr Mukund iterated that there were several of these machines occupying a full level then in The Hindu's office building(installed from 1921- 1923)! The machines were big and employed thermal and electrical heating methods to keep the lead boiling hot. (Hence these are referred to as the 'hot type')

In the beginning of the 20th century, there were continual improvements being made - like using a typewriter style keyboard for entering the type. But editing was still a problem - if there was a mistake in a word, the entire line had to be redone and if the sentence ran into several lines, the entire paragraph had to be redone!

That was when The Hindu introduced VDT (Video Digital Technology) And to repeat, as Mr Mukund worded it beautifully, " The person who sat in the hot room, typing, could now sit in front of a terminal in an air conditioned environment!" What with the visual aids and the increased levels of personal comfort, the paper could now be even more productive!

I was, to be frank, amused to find out certain details - for example that The Hindu was the first Indian newspaper to print the editorial on the first page! Before that, it was traditional to have the first page dedicated completely to advertisements! The Hindu was already rising up to international styles and standards, as it was customary to have editorials printed on the first page in international dailies like The Tribune, etc.

When The Hindu started out, it operated initially only in Tamil Nadu. Later on, it moved on to Delhi, Banglore, Vishakapatnam, Thiruvananthapuram,etc. but all the printing was still done only in TN. So, The Hindu purchased its own aircrafts for the distribution of its papers - another first in India.

Later on, The Hindu also became the first newspaper in India to transmit by facsmille its copies to other printing centres.

While everyone was still gawking unbelievably at this 'too good to be true technology' there came the digital revolution! The Hindu was one of the first newspapers to operate in a completely computerized environment. In 1994, The Hindu purchased a software tailor-made to suit its specific needs. In 2005, it underwent the most comprehensive redesigning in the history of any Indian national newspaper to make the daily more reader friendly!

Overall, I learnt a lot about the printing history of this paper that boasts of 125+ years of tradition! It was a great experience.

And of course....

Thank You Mr Mukund!!

The First few days...

2006-07-27T12:41:00.000+08:00

I got up in the morning all excited! Just yesterday I had received 2 calls!! Think I'm going nuts eh? Well...read on...

The first call was from Mr N Ram's secretary and the second from Mr. P.K.Subramanium(PKS) both informing me that my application for an internship at the Hindu was successful!

Let me fill you in. I am on a 3 month vacation after having completed successfully the first 2 semesters of my Electrical Engineering degree. I let the first month go by; you know just lazing about, eating good food and catching up with my family. But after the first month of my hols, I was bored. So I began planning how best to spend the next 2 months...And then my Dad came up with this great idea. He suggested that I do something which I have a passion for, something which at first glance seemed completely out of line - a writing job!

I was at first quite hesitant, but then the idea caught on: why not do an internship where I wouldn't have to sit like a dummy doing some old desk job? Why not do an internship which would help me write and present better throughout my life? Why not have a glimpse of the hectic life of a journalist?

And the slowly formed idea began taking roots. I penned down my first ever CV and coverling letter with my mom's help! Even though we all finally get tired of writing them (or so I've heard) the first time is always exciting! I applied for an internship at The Hindu which is India's No.1 daily for a job as an attache' to a regular writer. Being an engineering student I thought why not give a shot at the science and technology section - and so I did!

And yesterday afternoon I received these calls! No less than Mr PKS (Chief Editor of the daily) called up personally to inform me that my application was successful! I was jumping with joy throughout the day and nervously anticipating my next day's interview, when my dad came in and presented me with nothing less than a Mont Blanc pen!! Oh yes! You can imagine my joy at being presented with the world's best pen! But what really lit the day up was the happy and proud faces of my family.

And so today I went (with my lucky charm of course - ama - ) to The Hindu's office at around 2 45pm for my 3pm interview. I was led directly to Mr N Ram's secretary (He is the owner and Editor-In-Chief) of The Hindu. After about an hour of waiting, I finally went in. It was a huge, well furnished room with a computer console at one end, a large desk full of files and papers and the entire room was adorned with shelves and shelves of books. I was and still am quite amazed at the transperancy ,reflective I suppose, of a top class organization!

It was what you'd call a once in a life-time experience I guess, but the top man's simplicity, his direct and open way of talking and his personalized attention - even if it were for a few minutes - made me feel comfortable. I was assigned to the supervision of Mr PKS and one Mr Mukund and would work under Dr Prasad who headed the science and technology section of the paper.

I then accompanied Mr Mukund who showed me around a part of the office. He showed me the pictures of the founders of the organization- which boasts proudly of a 128 year heritage. He then gave me an intro to the paper as such - 11 printing centres in prominent cities throughout the country, journalists and reporters in almost every district, each region to its own edition and suplements and different ads!

I learned that there were basically 2 parts to the office - the newsroom as they called it and a beaurau. The newsroom was the place where sub-editors and editors would select the articles and make any changes required, design the layout of the page and fit as many stories into it as possible.

over the next few days, I went to the newsroom where I was allowed to interact with different sub-editors in charge of various sections of the paper. I learnt that there were various 'bays' - one for the national news, one for the international section and one for the last page. These were basically sections of the paper which remained a constant in all printed editions.

I interacted with Mr Madhu, who was the leader of the "national news bay" and learnt about the intranet system that all the employees worked on. It was an excellent software by which the sub-editors had access to wired articles and reports. They could design the layout of their page from a set of standards, fit in articles and pictures in their allotted space, edit sections and forward them on for a final check.They had reports, alterations and corrections constantly flowing in from their various centres. It was an interesting learning experience.

I then moved on to meet the Photo sub-editor who introduced me to their photo portal. They worked on NICA which I was amazed by! It was an awe-inspiring software system by which they had perhaps millions of photos stacked! It was again very user friendly by which they could just search for pictures sent in by various agencies and select those appropriate to the tone of the news item. I was awestruck when I learnt that a total of 200 pictures were published, daily, in all editions printed throughout the country.

There was then the international section which I learnt about by interacting with one Mr Srinivasan, the leader of this bay. He told me about how they had to constantly monitor the international news channels - like Fox, CNN, BBC, etc. I was interested to learn that the international news published were mostly those which had an appeal for the average Indian - like news from Pakistan, Nepal, Iraq, London and SEA! I also learnt that pictures can sway the interest of the reader and so every page tried to have at least one horizontal and one vertical picture!

I must say it was exciting knowing tomorrow's news! I observed the complete formation of a page 22 (it was the only one finalised by 8 pm!!) I could connect with the work that was being done and the final layout. It was an interesting process.

It was time to leave at around 8pm but I noticed that the activity had just begun! News would flow in till 12 pm and the final layout would be released by 1 15pm. Each section of the paper had a deadline to meet and some sections were left blank until late for filling in any latest developments!

It was a unique, exciting and wonderful learning experience.

Internship Diary - Summer 2006

2006-07-27T12:39:00.001+08:00

From June 2006, I was on an internship at The Hindu, Chennai.

The Hindu is a national daily with print editions in 11 prominent cities in India (headquarters in Chennai). Having been in business for 128 years, it is one of the most well read paper in India with nearly 11 million readers.

I got to meet up with the top columnists, editors and graphics speacalists. I have made a note of all that I learned during the process. Feel free to browse through the diary entries and post your comments to me.

The following 3 posts are a summary of the events...

A typical Sunday in my life...

2006-07-27T12:39:00.000+08:00

My mom came in, carrying a hot plate of bajjis [mmmm...just writing about it makes my mouth water!] Me, my sister and my dad were at the table, banging on it and singing out loud - "suda suda bajji enga? suda suda ..." (where is the hot hot bajji!) She came in with that lovely smile which makes her look so beautiful; but I was too busy looking (rather greedily gawking) at the lovely bajjis! ( I still amaze at how I manage to push in 7-8 of those hot savouries down my throat in the parching summer heat of Chennai! )

Another of those sunday evening rituals I enjoy! They are probably the best days of my life! But I have to admit; maybe even they don't always begin very well! You see, we mostly try to make it to the saturday night show - and well you don't end up liking most movies! But again I have to rephrase that! You see, its a sort of taken-for-granted ritual that we discuss about the movie after its over (And if you've ever talked to my dad, you've probably realized what I'm going to say!) Anyways, we have this discussion about what each of us liked and disliked about the movie (FYI: my dad usually goes first or last ) and after an in-depth analysis of our thoughts we reach a conclusion. Now you may wonder what the whole 'dad' factor was about - well you see, he is an analytic and optimistic leader by character (or should I say personality.. :-D ) So he has a knack of picking up certain points about the movie which we all liked and puts it forth in a manner whereby we even manage to somehow change our view, sometimes opposite to what it previously was! Why all this by the way?? Ah..I have to rephrase that to - and well you don't end up liking all movies!

Now all that movie watching and analysis is bound to take up energy! So we usually end up getting up at around 7 or 8 am. It being Sunday, the holiday, all of us somehow convince our health conscious (and slim- now I wonder how those two match??) mom that its the perfect day to take a stroll later in the evening instead of the routine early morning jog! Obviously, its a perfect beginning for lazy me!

But in my defense, I do utilize that time well! I make it a point to read all the columns of the newspaper that interest me (though it may be a little in fear of my well-informed sister starting a topic at dinner table and me blinking!) After that, its just time to sit around a bit and relax - I used to watch the Mahabarath series on T.V ,which was really different from the sops I usually watch, but then a story can only be so long! So now I watch some cartoons and travel series instead.

By this time, again from all the activities, my stomach would start conspiring with me and together, we'd rope in my sister and her stomach too! Together we'd try to steal into the kitchen (rather be lifted by the wonderous smell of lime rasam and potato roast!) only to encounter our mom! She'd put on a strict face - but with my mom's heart, you can never leave the kitchen without a bite of your favourite!!

After such a sumptous and delicious afternoon meal, comes the other important exercise of the day - HP! (Horizontal Position for you stay-afternoon-awake-people!) So after a cool retreat into an artificially created 21 degree temperature for about 3 hours, our energy levels high again (again? what am I talking about!! ), we'd go out to and enjoy a few games of badminton in the sun, sweating it all out!

That would ultimately bring me to the evening snack ritual I mentioned earlier. The rest of the evening would be spent in a relaxing manner -doing what each of us liked best - catching up with latest magazines, watching the news, listening to music, playing chess (my sister is damn good at it ) or just penning down memories like these!

Sundays always unfortunately end (and even more unfortunately usher in mondays), but there are always more such sundays to look forward to where you do the things you do do best in life - eat, sleep, relax and enjoy with the people you love!

The City of my dreams...

2006-07-27T12:38:00.000+08:00

When I moved into this city in 2000, out of compulsion from my father's transfer, I was quite unhappy. Not only was there the initial shock of being uprooted from the garden city I was born and brought up in; the harsh weather conditions initially blew a dry impression of Chennai on me.

There were so many things I was unhappy about: missing my friends at home, going through the process of making new friends in a culturally different atmosphere in my awkward teens, the drinking water - which 'tasted' very different from the Cauvery water I was used to- and perhaps what first struck me as a very conservative environment.

Banglore will always have a special place in my heart, it being the place I was born. But nineteen years later (the last six of those in Chennai), today, if anyone asks me where my home is, pat will come the reply - Singara Chennai! This expanse of land (and maybe a little water) has an inherent beauty and culture, which not only acts as a repellent to the sometimes adverse weather conditions but smuggles into your heart a special place which can be replaced by none!

So what is it that Chennai has that takes your breath away? Thinking back, I believe that it was the beach which started re-sculpting my opinion of Chennai. It was here, under the influence of cooling breezes, that I began appreciating my surroundings. Viewing the sunset, with the famous 'sundal' (which by their very mention have the effect of causing salivation!) warming me to realization of the scenic setting I was witnessing and the very comfortable noise levels of people chattering, children playing, joggers puffing and the waves restrained by the soft sand, established my first link with this beautiful place I call home.

They say your company determines who you are. In Chennai then, you are in the midst of friendly, warm, talented and cultured people! I warmed up to this fact in my school where unlike in Banglore, the class ate lunch together and not in small groups, where my friends unbashedly opened, offered (!) and ate their curd rice daily and where the interaction at every level was open, topic oriented and challenging! After picking this up in school, I began observing this trend; and to my surprise, I found that it applied outside the school walls as well - whether I went shopping where the shopkeeper would engage in small talk while drawing up a list, or my mother bargaining with the fruits vendor or when I accompanied my grandmom to the silk store where she enquired about the place the silk came from!! Where else in the world can you discuss openly with your neighbour - "Didn't you get that free calender they promised with every purchase?"!!

But what began as a love affair became much more serious (!) after I lived through the festivals in my first year here! Be it getting up early in the morning (at about 4am !!) to see 'mamis' singing bajans in groups during margazhi masam (the month of december), trying my hand at coming up with creative 'kolams' inspired by the extensive and colourful ones of my neighbours, going to a vendor in a locality a few kilometers away to purchase four plantain leaves (!!), or just wondering at the variety, activity and din at 5am at the local markets! These were certain aspects I never associated with festivals, but which are now an integral part of my life!

But don't conclude that 'utsavams', the amazing 'kutcheris' or the traditional dramas make Chennai a city of the past, becuase that is not true. Why, the food available itself is evidence enough! Be it the delicious South Indian Cuisine of dosas, idlis and the plantain meals or the hot Tandoori dishes of Northern India or Italian, Malaysian cuisines or even the fast food junctions famous in America, you can enjoy all of them in Chennai! Being a foodie myself, I believe that the way to a person's heart is the stomach. What more can I say than that Chennai is here in my heart!!

I could ramble on and on about shopping, places to hang out, theatres to go to and local parks (oh yes! there are a few), but that you can find in any local guide book too! What you wouldn't know perhaps is that a very beautiful place in Chennai is the IIT campus where you can enjoy the experience of waiting on the road for the deer to cross or that if you are lucky enough to witness rains in Chennai, you witness nothing short of a miracle, what with the enticing smell of the wet earth and the visual of the raindrops splashing against the parched ground!

All said and done (almost), I compell myself to conclude with a final word: (though there can't actually be any) Chennai is AWESOME!!

A complete voting experience!

2006-07-27T12:34:00.000+08:00

A first time voter's views on the 2006 Assembly Elections - Tamil Nadu, India

Born in 1987, my first chance to vote came on 8th May, 2006. Living in the largest multi-party democracy in the world and existing in an age where everything is hyped up by the media, the run up to the elections, the actual voting process, the post analysis and finally the results naturally fascinated me.

Being a teenager whose fickle mind is susceptible to a variety of factors, many of them trivial at times, my decision was based on the following reasons. To begin with, I was influenced by a recent Hindi movie, Rang De Basanti, which potrayed the rise of today's youth in Indian politics. Moreover, the knowledge that this time, a group of IITians (students of the Indian Institute of Technology, perhaps the most reputed and sought after educational institution in India) would contest impressed upon me the importance of us, students, expressing our views. In addition to this, the views of my parents and grandmother (who have never missed voting in an election) and the mini political debates and discussions we had, made me realize that as a citizen it is my responsibility to participate in not only criticizing my government but also actually choosing it. It made me realize that my single vote counted, even in the midst of a few million others!!

Secondly, it was again the media; this time the small screen. I watched various analysts on several news channels scrutinize the performance of the government in power, follow leaders on their campaigns, talk to various candidates, discuss the manifesto of various parties and rope in the general views of various sections of the public. I learnt how to critically view the current government's actions against its promises five years ago, the accountability of the leader/party and the feasibility of actual execution of various promises!! Obviously, a factor that also weighed upon me was the extent to which I would personally be affected by the proposed agenda of the concerned party.

Thirdly, the realization that this time around the elections were no longer centered around 'personalities' but the actual public and the people, deeply affected me. The very fact that each party was vying to be the one to promise the most benefits proved this! It made me understand that we - the people - were important; no longer were past achievements of famous predecessors sufficient!

Lastly perhaps, it was the knowledge that after exercising my franchise, I had the right to remain silent and keep my vote a secret, which empowered me as a citizen of my country, that sealed my decision to vote!!

I must say though that I was perhaps part of the most organized elections ever held!! (These impressions I got from talking to various elders in and around my apartments). Personally, I was extremely satisfied with the voting process (held in a single phase throughout the state!! ) and even a little excited about being among the first to vote electronically in India!

About my actual voting decision, I must say that I was quite confused. I was undecided as to whether I should vote for the party of my choice (who I hoped would come to power ultimately) , or whether I should vote for the candidate of my choice in my constituency. I decided upon the former after much self debate - rather self consideration as to which move would benefit me more personally.

I thought the exciting part was over...But no! I must confess that it was on the counting day that I was most enthusiastic! I was on the edge of my seat, with my fingers constantly on the remote, toggling between various channels, eager to know who would form the next government! The fact that these elections were close, made this process all the more exciting and it was nearly an hour to the finish when finally the trends became decisive.

All in all, I must say that my first participation in an election was an exciting learning experience!

May, 2006