The great Indian Civic Sense

Mirror Mirror on the Wall

The Grimm's fairy tale is about the wicked queen who asked the magical mirror who was the fairest. When she got a thumbs down for herself and thumbs up for Snow White, she was livid and wanted to get rid of her competition. Thus Snow White had to be in a glass coffin after eating the poisoned apple and was cared for by seven dwarfs. That is until Prince Charming arrived to revive her.

To ask a mirror, a frank and impartial companion, about one's beauty (read self-worth) was the old way, as shown in the photo above of the 12th Century stone sculpture in Belur. And today, we have Facebook.

Facebook is a masterpiece. Its several million members are ample proof of our continuing need for the magical mirror.

We hear reports of psychologists stating that Facebook addiction is an indication of poor self-esteem. We also hear of suicides and such when someone says Talaq Talaq Talaq or such to the significant other on Facebook. The Like button is so key today for all of us. We have created a far more complex, multifaceted mirror to ask the question of the world about ourselves.

When do I stop needing this external assurance about my own worth? My own place under the sun? Isn't the fact that I exist enough?

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A Balanced Score Card

It's one year and more since I relocated from Singapore, resigning from a job with GE APAC and taking up a part time assignment with GE again in Bengaluru, so I can be with my folks. I also have some other interesting assignments.

So thought I will publish a balanced score card. here goes:




(total out of a possible maximum of 1750)

Why astrology is a joke.

I can prove to you mathematically that astrology is a joke.


There are 12 houses, and let us assume your astrologer predicts an outcome with only 1 in 12 error margin (NO ASTROLOGER STICKS HIS NECK OUT 100%). So let us say this is 85%. The rest of 15% is understandable as things beyond man's understanding.

That means he is predicting an outcome based on your chart with 85% probability of accuracy. that looks pretty good, right?

Sadly, NO. Because:

You surely have heard of 7 degrees of connection...that means EVERYONE who influences your life is only 1, 2, or at most 7 layers of contact away.

That means your life outcome depends not just on you, but on the actions of SEVEN levels.

Even assuming at each level the astrologer predicts with the same confidence of 85%, that means, my friend, that actually the outcome is equal to only (0.85)^7.

Now assume there are at least three people in your immediate circle who can influence an event. Hence the probability further reduces to 1/3 x (0.85)^7.

You know how much that is? 11%.

Hence your astrologer's being able to predict an outcome is only as good as what he does not know, or factors beyond man's understanding.

Hence astrology is BUNKUM!


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Multitasking info graphic

Please Include Attribution to OnlineCollege.org With This Graphic




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Multi-taskers or scatter-brains

Detailed Infographic

High-Res Image

Bhagavan Krishna says in the Gita: those who meditate on me with undivided mind will always be taken care of by me. In other words he says 'don't multitask'.

The story goes that Ramakrishna chided Rani Rasmani when she was once sitting in prayer in the temple. He slapped her and said she should not be thinking of her business affairs when sitting in prayer.

Alas, we are today in the fragmented world of multitasking. The chart today in Economic Times lists the perils of Multitasking.

There is another article on iOS vs. Android, and how Android scores in multitasking!

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How I switched to an Android Phone

I have been using an iPhone since 2007, when I gifted myself on Diwali day a jail-broken one in Sydney Australia, inspired by its being written up as the gadget of the year in Time magazine.

I have used smart phones since 2002. P800 then P910 from Sony Ericsson. I am a bit crazy to spend so much on a phone, but actually it has become a bit of a companion as I google, listen to music and write blogs and snap and edit and upload photos/videos, on the move.

I have lost one P910 and two iPhones in public places to theft. My dear GE colleagues pooled up money to gift me a replacement last year as they knew how dejected I was after losing one in a taxi.

Having paid up tons of money to buy these phones and run up huge 2G/3G/Roaming bills with Airtel, I decided last week to deconstruct my life and switch to a non-3G phone, since I already have a 64 GB 3G iPad 3. So which phone should replace my iPhone 4?

1. It should be a much easier-to-use phone than iPhone.
2. It must be slimmer and longer to hold in the hand during calls.
3. It should have a large, nice display of text and pics and menus.
4. It should have a great camera.
5. It should have some music storage.
6. It should have a good battery charge for a full day's calls.
7. It WILL not have 320 apps like my iPhone had.

I settled for the HTC One V Android 4.0 after some hectic shopping around in Phoenix Mall, Reliance Digital, Sahara Mall Gurgaon and a small specialist phone shop run by Mr Syal. I bought one including a 8 GB SD card and hard back cover for Rs 17,900 paid (by Visa), from Mr Syal.

Here is a photo I just took of an old Krishna picturework hanging on the wall (of my mother's needlework):

Just to let you know how crazy I am, don't ask me what I will do with my iPhone 4. Something good I am sure.

Satyamev Jayate - how we've killed our rivers

At the end of another powerful episode of Satyamev Jayate, they featured this lovely song.

Lit

Watch all the episodes on You Tube... Each episode is an eye-opener and lasts about an hour, ending with a song.

Conceived and presented as a reality show by Aamir Khan, they are taking on issues like Untouchability and Dowry, intractable issues for centuries and impacting a billion plus people.

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The Mysore Palace- Indo-sarasenic Excellence

Walk through Mysore Palace

I quote from a website devoted to Henry Irwin, who designed the Mysore Palace: Indo-saracenic architecture represents a synthesis of Muslim designs and Indian materials developed by British architects in India during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The hybrid combined diverse architectural elements of Hindu and Mughal with Gothic cusped arches, domes, spires, tracery, minarets and stained glass, in a wonderful, almost playful manner.
Robert Fellowes Chisholm(1840 - 1915), Henry Irwin and Gilbert Scott were among the leading practitioners of the time. Chisholm, one of the most gifted English architects working in India and a vehement supporter of Indian craftsmen, stated:

"the men who will actually leave the impress of their hands on the material. These men have an art language of their own, a language which you can recognise but cannot thoroughly understand. For this reason an architect practising in India should unhesitatingly select to practice in the native styles of art - indeed the natural art-expression of the men is the only art to be obtained in the country."

Chisholm was the Principal of the School of Industrial Art at Madras, and won the commision for designing the Presidency College and the University Senate House.

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Suryanamaskar Surprise in New Delhi Airport

A great sculpture at IGI T3! Watch it on You Tube

"You told us to care and share"

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Vatapi Ganapati

This Ganesha image is an ivory painting roughly 3 inches tall, done by a master craftsman in Udaipur with vegetable dyes and brushes some of which are as thin as a camel hair. I purchased this in 2006 after I spoke with the craftsman's student, who told me he wouldn't perhaps reach his master's level ever.

The place Vatapi is the heritage site of Badami today. Wikipedia states that the name Vatapi has origin in the Vatapi legend of Ramayana relating to Sage Agasthya who got rid of the demons Vatapi and Ilvala. Badami (=Vatapi) was the capital of the Early Chalukyas who ruled muchof Karnataka and Andhra between the 6th and 8th centuries. "The Hamsadhwani song Vatapi Ganapatim Bhaje by the composer Mutthuswamy Deekshitar is in praise of the Vatapi Ganapati which is now in Tiruchenkaatankudi near Tanjavur. In 7thcentury, Vatapi Ganapati idol was brought from Badami (Vatapi - Chalukya capital) by Sirutondar (General of Pallavas)."

At Ganesha Talkies in Mysore, where I saw many splendid English movies in '60s, the curtains used to go up with the song Vatapi sung by Ghantasala. Vatapi Ganapatim is a common enough starter song in many concerts, especially instrumental concerts. Sometimes we fail to appreciate the true depth and worth of things just because we see them or hear them often. The more I think about it, the more inspiring is this masterpiece of a composition by Muthuswami Dikshitar. The meaning of this song is available in this very informative website.

Dikshitar has given a beautiful description of the deity and its mythical and mystical dimensions. To me the Ganesha concept is nottrivial... the elephant-headed God represents all that is thoughtful,powerful, benign and multi-dimensional without any mythological excesses. It also somehow deifies our physical existence, and the twinprinciples Bhukti+Mukti. Ganesha is joyous, gracious, auspicious and grand, all at the same time.

The raga Hamsadhwani seems to be the incarnation of Ganesha.. The raga suits the worship of Ganesha so well. Like Ganesha, it has strong and simple contours, and has instant appeal. Its melodic appeal crosses all cultural borders. As I visualize the notes of Hamsadhwani, the fundamental Sa  provides a strong and stable melodic base at the Muladhara. The Ri defines grace, Ga defines majesty, Pa represents vocalised prayer, Ni represents meditation and the higher Sa the union with the Infinite. Just think of the attributes of Ganesha...exactly the same!

It seems appropriate to give you a beautiful rendering of this song by Vidwan Lalgudi Jayaraman ( thanks to my rasikottama friend).

Two Black Goals

I just watched on istream.com in the replay highlights the two wonderful goals that Balotelli scored last night in the Euro semifinal against Germany (Italy 2 Germany 1). Even as he scored twice and celebrated the second goal, throwing a favourite Germany out of the championship, catapulting Italy into the final against Spain, I wondered how the white Europeans would deal with his colour.


 And now I am reading this article in the Guardian.

 I quote parts:

As is well known by now, Mario Balotelli was born in Palermo to Ghanaian parents in 1990, who then gave him up for adoption to an Italian family in the north of Italy when he was just two. Under Italian law, however, he was not able to obtain Italian citizenship until he reached the age of 18, despite having been born in Italy and having always lived there.

...... He is black and extremely good at football, and he is a winner. He has played less than 100 league games for his two major clubs (Inter and Manchester City) and won four championships in that time (and four other trophies). Not a bad record for a 21-year-old.

....... Reactions to Balotelli's recent success with the national team have also been illuminating. After the England game, La Gazzetta dello Sport published a bizarre cartoon depicting Mario as King Kong. 

....... This morning, Tuttosport did it again. Their headline was a play on words. "Li abbiamo fatti neri" (we made them all black). This phrase literally means "We smashed them", "we humiliated them". But the pun, was linked the word "neri" – blacks. 

Jogiya, thy Prayer

Oh Jogiya with thy sonorous chants
Filling the deep precincts of our hearts!
Your tanpuras lend voice to these pillars,
Woken from their chiselled yogic slumbers.
Is prayer voice, or silence?
Is prayer a plea, or surrender?




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From a Camel's Back to the Carnatic - Raga Maand

Today's piece by Charulata Mani in the Hindu, A Raga's Journey- Maand beautifully describes this tantalising movement of a raga. I imagine it must have been inspired in a musician's mind as he was riding a camel in the deserts of Rajasthan. This same musician landed up in the Carnatic and gave the raga Maand to us delighted listeners.

Talking of a camel ride, there cannot be anything more unimaginable. But you can get some inkling when you listen to Maand.This raga's movement, or chalan as they say in HIndustani, is like the locus of a Rajasthani turban as it rides a camel. An elliptical translatory meandering to match the camel's wandering as it seeks a chew of cactus stubble in the sands.

Listen to this piece, to understand it better. Just as a final confirmation that the camel ascended into the royal durbar, this piece is a Sanskrit composition by Mysore Vasudevachar!

I also give you the You Tube Clip of the song Orunal Poduma by Balamuralikrishna:

Thyagaraja - the original movie

An inspiring start to my Sunday! I read in Wikipedia:

Tyagayya (Telugu: త్యాగయ్య) is a 1946 film considered as masterpiece produced and directed by Chittor V. Nagaiah It is a soul stirring film about the truly extraordinary life of Saint Thyagaraja.

The movie achieves the magic by having Nagayya sing for himself the 28 selected songs composed by Tyagaraja. The movie is a solid proof for the importance of screenplay and acting in a movie. The film is also a big credit to the skills of Nagayya - as a director, actor, singer and producer! Nagayya sang the Thyagaraja Kruthis with the devotion and clarity that is way beyond those of the more well-known Carnatic singers. Thyagaraja's music is very famous for the blend of rAgam-thAlam-pallavi and the sheer devotion for Lord Rama.

The captures the societal norms in the late 18th century. While many musicians used to seek the patronage of the kings, Tyagaraja was seeking the patronage of only Lord Rama. It depicts Tyagayya as not only a devotee of Lord Rama but also as a husband, brother, student and teacher.

Upanishad Ganga - the extraordinary story of Satyakaam

If you're not aware, since a few weeks ago, DD is broadcasting a brilliant serial called Upanishad Ganga. It has been directed and produced under the guidance of Chinmaya Mission.

Stories in the serial are episodes from the scriptures and Indian history, highlighting the eternal values that the Hindu way of life represents. The acting, storyline, direction, music, everything has simply been going a few notches in every episode. It is broadcast between 10:00 and 10:30 every Sunday on DD National.

The episode last week was the story of Satyakaama Jaabaali, a keen aspirant who is denied admission into any gurukul because of his low birth and unnamed ancestry. His mother is courageous enough to admit that she has been a daasi in the service of many masters and does not know who has fathered him. But aptly is he named Satyakaama, for his earnestness in the search for truth at last impresses a true master and he is accepted.

Watch the entire episode here:


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Stones that delight in Dance - Nrityagram

Yesterday we made a yatra to Nrityagram. It is in Hesaraghatta, a 90 minute drive from Indiranagar.

Nrityagram is the dance village and school created by the late Protima Gauri 25 years ago and blessed by the all-time greats like Kelucharan Mohapatra.

It has now a very active dance ensemble led by Surupa Sen and Bijoyini Satpati. We never miss their performances, as their performances are the epitome of beauty, grace, musicality and movement that Odissi exemplifies. Nrityagram is simply the best dance ensemble in India.

We made the pilgrimage and we were not denied.  We got to see the top dancers rehearse some major pieces. We walked around the campus and took in the artistic air that bathes the stone and green village. We wish to go back often if possible.

Here are some photos. And to give you a glimpse of their dance, there is an embedded You Tube video also:

Picasaweb Photos

Domestic Art

For better resolution, click here

Lakshmi is our part-time domestic help. She has been working at our home for nearly 20 years.

Her life is somewhat predictable: many children and grandchildren, poverty, displacement from a neighbourhood hutment to temporary addresses in far-flung suburbs as Bangalore climbs the real estate boom graphs. Disease. Death. Vagrant males forcing the women to work grindingly long hours as domestics in many homes, with long commutes, irregular meals, and no certainties whatever.

She brought along one of her grandchildren the other day. The girl was very attentive, doing chores with interest. I heard she is good at her studies.
Lakshmi took a loan of Rs. 2000 yesterday as she had to pay her grandchildren's school fees for the new year. I am going to write it off.

Lakshmi does rangoli, especially on Fridays, like the one here. About a metre in size, it covers the stone slab outside the gate. It is done with the white and coloured rangoli sand she buys from the corner shop. It is easily smudged.
I often stop and see the elemental beauty of the rangoli. Its sight is sheer joy.

The worry that it will be soon smudged is offset by the surety that a new one will take its place. The rangoli reflects the way life renews itself, like the splendid flowers on street-lining trees.

I am simply fascinated. How does Lakshmi balance all life's woes and despair with a sense of beauty and creativity? What is that spark, that hidden hope in life? Can there be anything more welcome at life's proverbial doorstep? Can any self-help book be better inspiration?

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Hare Krishna - a Double Treat

ತಪ್ಪದೇ ಲಾಲ್ಬಾಗ್ಲಿ ಕಾಲ ಹರಿಸುತ್ತಾ
ಪ್ರತಿ ಭಾನುವಾರ ಮೈ ಕರಗಿಸೋ ಪ್ರಯುಕ್ತ
ನಂತರ ಹೊರಟೆನು ದೋಸೆ ಮನೆಯತ್ತ
ಹೊಟ್ಟೆ ಪೂಜೆಗೆ ನಿಂತ ನಾ ಮಹಾಭಕ್ತ.

ನೂರಕ್ಕೂ ಮೀರಿರೋ ದೋಸೆಯಾ ಪಟ್ಟಿ.
ಅದಕೆ ಸೇರಿದ ಹಾಗೆ ಚಾಟ್ಗಳಾ ಬುಟ್ಟಿ.
ತಿಂಡಿಗೆ ತಿನಿಸಿಗೆ ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಏನೂ ಕೊರೆ ಇಲ್ಲ.
ಜೇಬಿಗೆ ಕತ್ತರಿ ಬೀಳುವುದೂ ಇಲ್ಲ.

ವಾರದಲಿ ಪಟ್ಟ ಆ ಪಾಡಿಗೆಲ್ಲ ಫಲವು.
ಖಾಲಿ ದೋಸೆಯ ರುಚಿಯೇ ಮಾನವನ ನಲಿವು.
ಈ ನನ್ನ ರಗಳೆ ಒಂದು ಹರೇ ಕೃಷ್ಣ ಮಂತ್ರ.
ಹರಿ ಪ್ರದಕ್ಷಿಣೆ ಮೊದಲು ಪ್ರಸಾದ ನಂತ್ರ.

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Guaranteed: Brain Softener

What with the Indian Rupee touching 56/- to a US Dollar; lots of scams; inflation and unemployment declaring a war on the Indian government; and other unsolvable problems like finding a consensus Presidential candidate, we could well have predicted it: the top think-tank of Indian leadership has hatched a secret export-oriented plan that will fetch literally billions of dollars. Also, no MP will go on a fast about it, as this scheme will be more successful and less controversial than IPL.
The scheme is simple. The world is fed up of stories of military and police excesses in interrogating and 'mind-bending' deviant or terrorist characters. There ought to be no more shock and horror for the shaky leaders found out in sting operations by avaricious media on Guantanamo etc. And just think.. there are literally milions of such characters whom the governments want to take care of, so that they don't cause any more trouble. at a rough count, some 25 million in Africa, some 100 million in troubled parts of Central Asia and the Middle East, and lots more in India and China. I am not even counting US and Europe and Russia and Latin America yet.
What the world needs is a safe and effective 'mind bender' or 'brain softener', guaranteed to destroy these uncooperative human minds with least effort and bloodshed.
Well, come to India then!
Come to our shining incredible India. We will put you up in a nice 3/4/5/7 star hotel. Well first time it will be you, and if you survive the experience and want your worst enemies to suffer such experience, then pay us good old USD's and we will guarantee the experience:

1. The culprit will be hosted in a nice AC hotel room.


2. He will be tied to the TV remote.


3. He will watch Indian cable TV for 24 hours a day.


4. He can surf any channel, since almost ALL channels have the same bilge. (That's some quality control and Censor Board effectiveness for you),


5. He can order room service and eat Goby Manchurian, Masala Peanuts, and really creamy and heavy north Indian dishes with rice or nan any number of times a day.


6. Nobody will answer any calls for help.


7. No Internet or Mobile as these are mischievous portals to freedom and trouble. (Ask Sibal.)

After 3 days of non-stop watching of Indian TV, the human being will be destroyed to bits. He will dream feverishly of ugly and sweaty characters constantly jumping around in scenes like the shot above, with some miscellaneous humans jumping in sync in the background.
The music will be totally inane, with loud drums and meaningless repetitions of words like Dil, Pyar, Mohabbat, Dhadak Dhadak, Chutak Chutak etc.
He will suffer big bouts of indigestion, but will be too mindless to do anything about it.
He will be constantly fantasising about ticker tape ads for instant hair growth, slimming in six days, Buy One Vacuum Cleaner and Get One Free, Kuber Yantra, Yog Shibir, Learn Kriya Yoga by Post etc.
He will learn to listen to erudite folks screaming at each other in seven PIP windows on Prime Time Debate on issues such as which is a bigger crime, rape or murder. The moderator, with long eyelashes and cascading hair, or sometimes a heavy suit and tie, will pretend to interject and close the debate in 20 minutes or so. Meanwhile a number of ads will urge the viewer to buy 3G Idea or such stating that 3G is a sure way to avoid making babies or a means to enjoy free IPL watching in after-life.
This method of torture will surely soften any brain and yield quick results, with no blood shed and also earn India good Forex.

Take care, be happy. Enjoy 3 days and 4 nights free stay in Highlight Hotel with scenic views and excellent airport transfers. Unlimited Cable TV and Gobi Manchurian.Please pay 100% in advance as your sanity will be suspect after the stay.

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Amazing iPad Photo Apps

Pro HDR is a camera app which can create an 8 MP photo on iPad 3 by taking two photos with different exposures and then generating a fused HR image.
SnapSeed is a photo processing app that gives amazing control over individual areas of a photo in addition to a very user-friendly interface.
See this result....a photo taken on a desultory afternoon in my not so bright room. Truly amazing.....
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