One of the many email forwards which came to me. With all the shit of reservations going on, thought this would sum up the entire story.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OLD VERSION.....
The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks the ant's a fool and laughs & dances & plays the summer away. Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed. The grasshopper has no food or shelter so he dies out in the cold.
~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~
MODERN VERSION
The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks the ant's a fool and laughs & dances & plays the summer away. Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while others are cold and starving. NDTV, BBC, CNN show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food.
The World is stunned by the sharp contrast. How can this be that this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?
Arundhati Roy stages a demonstration in front of the ant's house. Medha Patkar goes on a fast alongwith other grasshoppers demanding that grasshoppers be relocated to warmer climates during winter. Amnesty International and Koffi Annan criticizes the Indian Government for not upholding the fundamental rights of the grasshopper.The Internet is flooded with online petitions seeking support to the grasshopper (many promising Heaven and Everlasting Peace for prompt support as against the wrath of God for non-compliance) . Opposition MP's stage a walkout.Left parties call for "Bharat Bandh" in West Bengal and Kerala demanding a Judicial Enquiry. CPM in Kerala immediately passes a law preventing Ants from working hard in the heat so as to bring about equality of poverty among ants and grasshoppers. Lalu Prasad allocates one free coach to Grasshoppers on all Indian Railway Trains, aptly named as the 'Grasshopper Rath'.
Finally, the Judicial Committee drafts the Prevention of Terrorism Against Grasshoppers Act [POTAGA]", with effect from the beginning of the winter..
The ant is fined for failing to comply with POTAGA and, having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated by the Government and handed over to the grasshopper in a ceremony covered by NDTV. Arundhati Roy calls it "a triumph of justice". Lalu calls it 'Socialistic Justice'. CPM calls it the 'revolutionary resurgence of the downtrodden'. Koffi Annan invites the grasshopper to address the UN General Assembly. ************ ********* ********* ********* ********* *****
Many years later...
The ant has since migrated to the US and set up a multi billion dollar company in silicon valley.
100s of grasshoppers die of starvation somewhere in India..
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Its Christmas again!!!
Its Christmas time again. Every year during this time I go down memory lane and indulge in a bit of nostalgia. For me Christmas typically signifies winters. Having spent the major part of my life including all of my childhood in Jabalpur, I miss the winters the most in Bombay.
Christmas vacations would normally start from the 19th or the 20th and schools would reopen around 2nd or 3rd of Jan. And boy did we enjoy those days!!! The day used to begin around 9 in the morning. We attired in our sweaters or jackets would go to the cricket field. And a good 3 hours of batting, bowling & fielding. We had to return home by 12.15 max since 12.30 was the time when everybody's dad would come home for lunch. So u had to get your bath and be ready for lunch with dad. And Dads were never interested in how many runs you scored that day. The question from them would be about the Maths homework he had assigned for the holidays :-). Afternoons used to be typically out there in the garden. Every house had a garden where moms would assemble in the afternoons for their round table conference and to bask in the winter sun. The best memories of those days are of women with knitting wool and needles and other accesories and discussing how a particular design would be done. I've never seen women with the knitting needles in Bombay ever. Every year I used to have atleast 1 new sweater with the latest design from the Hindi magazine Manorama woven exclusively by mom. Thanks so much mom. I now realise how much I miss those sweaters. I still have them safely stacked up inside my cupboards. Sadly I dont need those in Bombay .
Christmas Day reminds of picnics. Every year on this day people would go out in groups of 20-30 to some beautiful place close to the city and spend the day there. Food used to be cooked using firewood. Oh how much the taste of that delicious food still lingers. And the day after Christmas our visits to our teachers' house would begin. Studying in a missionary school had its advantages. Most of the teachers were Catholics and we would choose one teacher to visit everyday for Christmas. Wow, what amazing goodies they used to serve us. But I remember Miss D'Souza the most. She had a glass of home made ginger wine for us every Christmas. But she never gave us a refill. We were too young to have a second one she used to say:). And who would forget the goodies which we used to get at home from neighbours who were Christians.
But now things are different. I live in a city where time and money are more valuable than emotions. Christmas just flies by without me even realising. Probably thats how life is!
How I wish that I could turn back the clock and go back to those days when completing the homework was the biggest responsibility that we had in life. When winning a cricket match against the team from the other colony used to be reason enough to be happy for days together. When playing cricket with friends in the evening used to be the biggest priority in life. When discussing about our crushes used to make us blush so much. When television had not invaded our lives so much. When sleeping inside the quilt with the mercury around 4 degrees outside was the biggest comfort in life. When being forced to get up in the morning during winters was the only grief we had. When Christmas & New Year meant going to each house and wishing them. When life was so simple yet so great! How I wish those days were back again!!
Christmas vacations would normally start from the 19th or the 20th and schools would reopen around 2nd or 3rd of Jan. And boy did we enjoy those days!!! The day used to begin around 9 in the morning. We attired in our sweaters or jackets would go to the cricket field. And a good 3 hours of batting, bowling & fielding. We had to return home by 12.15 max since 12.30 was the time when everybody's dad would come home for lunch. So u had to get your bath and be ready for lunch with dad. And Dads were never interested in how many runs you scored that day. The question from them would be about the Maths homework he had assigned for the holidays :-). Afternoons used to be typically out there in the garden. Every house had a garden where moms would assemble in the afternoons for their round table conference and to bask in the winter sun. The best memories of those days are of women with knitting wool and needles and other accesories and discussing how a particular design would be done. I've never seen women with the knitting needles in Bombay ever. Every year I used to have atleast 1 new sweater with the latest design from the Hindi magazine Manorama woven exclusively by mom. Thanks so much mom. I now realise how much I miss those sweaters. I still have them safely stacked up inside my cupboards. Sadly I dont need those in Bombay .
Christmas Day reminds of picnics. Every year on this day people would go out in groups of 20-30 to some beautiful place close to the city and spend the day there. Food used to be cooked using firewood. Oh how much the taste of that delicious food still lingers. And the day after Christmas our visits to our teachers' house would begin. Studying in a missionary school had its advantages. Most of the teachers were Catholics and we would choose one teacher to visit everyday for Christmas. Wow, what amazing goodies they used to serve us. But I remember Miss D'Souza the most. She had a glass of home made ginger wine for us every Christmas. But she never gave us a refill. We were too young to have a second one she used to say:). And who would forget the goodies which we used to get at home from neighbours who were Christians.
But now things are different. I live in a city where time and money are more valuable than emotions. Christmas just flies by without me even realising. Probably thats how life is!
How I wish that I could turn back the clock and go back to those days when completing the homework was the biggest responsibility that we had in life. When winning a cricket match against the team from the other colony used to be reason enough to be happy for days together. When playing cricket with friends in the evening used to be the biggest priority in life. When discussing about our crushes used to make us blush so much. When television had not invaded our lives so much. When sleeping inside the quilt with the mercury around 4 degrees outside was the biggest comfort in life. When being forced to get up in the morning during winters was the only grief we had. When Christmas & New Year meant going to each house and wishing them. When life was so simple yet so great! How I wish those days were back again!!
Thursday, November 16, 2006
To make a woman happy.....
To make a woman happy..... a man only needs to be:
1. a friend
2. a companion
3. a lover
4. a brother
5. a father
6. a master
7. a chef
8. an electrician
9. a carpenter
10. a plumber
11. a mechanic
12. a decorator
13. a stylist
14. a sexologist
15. a gynecologist
16. a psychologist
17. a pest exterminator
18. a psychiatrist
19. a healer
20. a good listener
21. an organizer
22. a good father
23. very clean
24. sympathetic
25. athletic
26. warm
27. attentive
28. gallant
29. intelligent
30. funny
31. creative
32. tender
33. strong
34. understanding
35. tolerant
36. prudent
37. ambitious
38. capable
39. courageous
40. determined
41. true
42. dependable
43. passionate
WITHOUT FORGETTING TO:
44. give her compliments regularly
45. love shopping
46. be honest
47. be very rich
48. not stress her out
49. not look at other girls
AND AT THE SAME TIME, YOU MUST ALSO:
50. give her lots of attention, but expect little yourself
51. give her lotsof time, especially time for herself
52. give her lots of space, neverworrying about where she goes
IT IS VERY IMPORTANT:
53. Never to forget:
* birthdays
* anniversaries
* arrangements she makes
HOW TO MAKE A MAN HAPPY:
1. Just Leave him alone !!!!!!!!!!!!
1. a friend
2. a companion
3. a lover
4. a brother
5. a father
6. a master
7. a chef
8. an electrician
9. a carpenter
10. a plumber
11. a mechanic
12. a decorator
13. a stylist
14. a sexologist
15. a gynecologist
16. a psychologist
17. a pest exterminator
18. a psychiatrist
19. a healer
20. a good listener
21. an organizer
22. a good father
23. very clean
24. sympathetic
25. athletic
26. warm
27. attentive
28. gallant
29. intelligent
30. funny
31. creative
32. tender
33. strong
34. understanding
35. tolerant
36. prudent
37. ambitious
38. capable
39. courageous
40. determined
41. true
42. dependable
43. passionate
WITHOUT FORGETTING TO:
44. give her compliments regularly
45. love shopping
46. be honest
47. be very rich
48. not stress her out
49. not look at other girls
AND AT THE SAME TIME, YOU MUST ALSO:
50. give her lots of attention, but expect little yourself
51. give her lotsof time, especially time for herself
52. give her lots of space, neverworrying about where she goes
IT IS VERY IMPORTANT:
53. Never to forget:
* birthdays
* anniversaries
* arrangements she makes
HOW TO MAKE A MAN HAPPY:
1. Just Leave him alone !!!!!!!!!!!!
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Has Justice been Delivered?
Last week the Delhi high court announced a death sentence for Santosh Singh, the man convicted for the rape and murder of a young law student Priyadarshini Mattoo. The accused, son of a Police Inspector-General, was earlier acquitted in 1999 by the Sessions court. It was only a nationwide public outcry that brought about a retrial
In the meantime Santosh Singh got married and had kids. For the Mattoos it has been a decade long wait. And going by the mood of the defence team, there will be an appeal in the Supreme Court. So maybe another 2 years atleast before we hear anything. And even if the Supreme Court upholds the High Court order, going by today's trend, there will a clemency petition.
While all this happened, there are a few who are voicing their concern for the accused. What's his wife's fault? What's his kids' fault? Well to be very honest, this was a much publicised trial. And the girl marrying Santosh Singh knew well about his past while getting married. So while I would feel sorry for the wife of the accused, that definitely would not bring about any change in the way I feel about the judgement. Rape is the worst crime that can be perpetuated on humanity. Worse than murder. Murder may still have its justifiable reasons, but rape by all means is an act committed by a sick and pervert mind. And no punishment is apt for such a crime other than a "death penalty".
But has justice really been delivered? Had there been no public outcry, the accused would have walked scot free. Ponder over this- delivering the judgement in the trial court proceedings in 1999, the Additional Sessions Judge. J.P. Thareja said of Santosh, that though he knew that "he is the man who committed the crime," he was forced to acquit him, giving him the benefit of doubt. And 10 years is just too long to bring the guilty to the book. And we know very well that "Justice delayed is justice denied". Who better to tell us about it other than the Mattoo family. Imagine what they would have gone through all these 10 years, fighting not only powerful criminals but also a corrupt government machinery. Had it not been for the media pressure and public outcry, our man Santosh would have been enjoying life.
Does public opinion determine punishment to the guilty? Because Priyadarshini Mattoo, Jessica Lal & Nitish Kataara are the ones that we know about. What about the countless others who have no voice? Will they ever get justice? Probably not!
In the meantime Santosh Singh got married and had kids. For the Mattoos it has been a decade long wait. And going by the mood of the defence team, there will be an appeal in the Supreme Court. So maybe another 2 years atleast before we hear anything. And even if the Supreme Court upholds the High Court order, going by today's trend, there will a clemency petition.
While all this happened, there are a few who are voicing their concern for the accused. What's his wife's fault? What's his kids' fault? Well to be very honest, this was a much publicised trial. And the girl marrying Santosh Singh knew well about his past while getting married. So while I would feel sorry for the wife of the accused, that definitely would not bring about any change in the way I feel about the judgement. Rape is the worst crime that can be perpetuated on humanity. Worse than murder. Murder may still have its justifiable reasons, but rape by all means is an act committed by a sick and pervert mind. And no punishment is apt for such a crime other than a "death penalty".
But has justice really been delivered? Had there been no public outcry, the accused would have walked scot free. Ponder over this- delivering the judgement in the trial court proceedings in 1999, the Additional Sessions Judge. J.P. Thareja said of Santosh, that though he knew that "he is the man who committed the crime," he was forced to acquit him, giving him the benefit of doubt. And 10 years is just too long to bring the guilty to the book. And we know very well that "Justice delayed is justice denied". Who better to tell us about it other than the Mattoo family. Imagine what they would have gone through all these 10 years, fighting not only powerful criminals but also a corrupt government machinery. Had it not been for the media pressure and public outcry, our man Santosh would have been enjoying life.
Does public opinion determine punishment to the guilty? Because Priyadarshini Mattoo, Jessica Lal & Nitish Kataara are the ones that we know about. What about the countless others who have no voice? Will they ever get justice? Probably not!
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Serendipity
Serendipity is a wonderful word. I came across this in my school days and have been in love with the word since then. Dictionary.com defines the word as - "an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident" and "The faculty of making fortunate discoveries by accident".
Infact the history of the word itself is even more interesting. Again going back to dictionary.com, this is what it says "We are indebted to the English author Horace Walpole for the word serendipity, which he coined in one of the 3,000 or more letters on which his literary reputation primarily rests. In a letter of January 28, 1754, Walpole says that “this discovery, indeed, is almost of that kind which I call Serendipity, a very expressive word.” Walpole formed the word on an old name for Sri Lanka, Serendip. He explained that this name was part of the title of “a silly fairy tale, called The Three Princes of Serendip: as their highnesses traveled, they were always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things which they were not in quest of....”
In life all of us have our moments of serendipity. And how I wish that a serendipity would embrace me every day of my life. Those moments of delight, exult and happiness are pure bliss. But life is definitely not so much a bed of roses. Sorrows and grief are a part of life. Or shall I say more than a part of your life. And in those moments of pain and tears I wish that I stumble upon a serendipity.
Over the past few days there have been quite a few unsettling moments that I've been through. And along came grief and melancholy. And so I continue to wait for my moment of joy. A joy which I've defined for myself. And when that moment of euphoria arrives, I will remember serendipity again.
Infact the history of the word itself is even more interesting. Again going back to dictionary.com, this is what it says "We are indebted to the English author Horace Walpole for the word serendipity, which he coined in one of the 3,000 or more letters on which his literary reputation primarily rests. In a letter of January 28, 1754, Walpole says that “this discovery, indeed, is almost of that kind which I call Serendipity, a very expressive word.” Walpole formed the word on an old name for Sri Lanka, Serendip. He explained that this name was part of the title of “a silly fairy tale, called The Three Princes of Serendip: as their highnesses traveled, they were always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things which they were not in quest of....”
In life all of us have our moments of serendipity. And how I wish that a serendipity would embrace me every day of my life. Those moments of delight, exult and happiness are pure bliss. But life is definitely not so much a bed of roses. Sorrows and grief are a part of life. Or shall I say more than a part of your life. And in those moments of pain and tears I wish that I stumble upon a serendipity.
Over the past few days there have been quite a few unsettling moments that I've been through. And along came grief and melancholy. And so I continue to wait for my moment of joy. A joy which I've defined for myself. And when that moment of euphoria arrives, I will remember serendipity again.
Orkut Rocks
I started orkutting very late but once I did, I realised what a powerful networking tool it is. Actually got connected to a few old school friends after 13 years. Felt so nostalgic! And have actually come across people from a vast cross section of the society and industry. Feels so good to know them.
But for all its advantages I still feel it needs some moderation. The number of communities that exist in orkut, solely dedicated to hate(religion, country, individuals etc.) are phenomenal. And then of late we did have the Bombay High Court order questioning orkut as to how it could promote a hate India community. Wish orkut gets moderated a bit. Because something so good cannot be allowed to get restrained because of some stupid people.
But for all its advantages I still feel it needs some moderation. The number of communities that exist in orkut, solely dedicated to hate(religion, country, individuals etc.) are phenomenal. And then of late we did have the Bombay High Court order questioning orkut as to how it could promote a hate India community. Wish orkut gets moderated a bit. Because something so good cannot be allowed to get restrained because of some stupid people.
Whats more difficult than doing a PhD in Metaphysics
Now this one posted by my junior Abhishek Rai and this was one thing which I found hilarious.Well, yes, a few days back I carried two live bombs in my packets.And, to make it more deadly, they were biological rather than chemical.All of you know, that biological weapons are supposed to be more deadly than the chemical ones, and here I was carrying not one but two of them, and in a crowded city like Mumbai!!Well, I had to undergo the medical check up, as listed in the offer letter of a company which I am going to join, which is the pre-condition before you join. You fail and your offer stands null and void.The check-up was supposed to be a exhaustive ones with all kind of tests, including the urine and stool.The company which I am going to join, the HR is really professional, they handed me over two empty lab containers along with the offer letter, to can my precious belongings!It cant get more professional than that, they saved me from the wild goose hunt of finding the right size containers!!!First of all, the liquid part, its easy to can the stuff. But what about the solid part???I thought and thought, what to do? Never had the experience, and cant ask anybody else also.....Since the container is not in your sight, and neither the stuff, which is going to fall into that, you have to go by sheer instincts.......And more often, the instincts do go wrong with all of us, sometimes you can take the risk of your instincts going wrong, but I could not have taken with this thing!!!!I guess, so many people go for stool tests, everyday in this world, its a good business proposition to device a camera based, robotic automatic can positioning system!!!Being an engineer, I estimated the Vf of the semi-solid(That with the help of the bowel movements in my stomach), estimated the approximate co-ordinates of the can(That was very crucial, since having a dia of 4 cms, the margin of error was huge, once placed in the shadow area), I decided to keep my hand on red-alert, if it happens that the calculation of the co-ordinates go wrong at the last moment and you need to move the vessel, again with precision!!!Whoof!!!! What a difficult task!! Who said doing a Phd in Meta-physics from Caltech is difficult, Guys ask me, canning your potty is more difficult!!!It doesnot stop here, now comes the biological part of the problem after the mathematical part(We Engineers are not very capable of handling that because of the obvious reasons), First you need to control the bowel movement of your stomach(Which I guess, even God cant do) because you dont want to have a overflowing pot and then to have the ugly task of emptying that!!!The second one is controlling your own body movement, you have to sit as still as a sniper, one movement and you miss the golden chance(Luckily, in this case, its only limited for the day, in a sniper's case thats a life).Well, there are days, when things do go right as planned, with precision, and thankfully, that was my day.... The operation went beautifully as planned(The planning stuff I learnt in my current job, or the last job, the way you want to put it).But in the end man, I was sweating niagras.....Anybody wants to team up with me for the "Robotic controlled potty can positioning system"????
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