Thursday, February 27, 2014
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
The Zombienet
This week's news :
1. Facebook buys Whatsapp for US $ 19 billion.
2. Google glass is now available for prescription wearers, along with a few etiquette tips.
3. The Mobile World Congress 2014 Barcelona has announced what is my next mobile phone.
There, you have it -my weekly headlines summary, which completely bypasses the world of humans, with its Modis, Paswans, and Lalus. We don't interact with or inhabit the same world as those people who want to now go and live in London since Amma is releasing them from life imprisonment in jails that they entered in 1991 or so, soon after having blown off the head of Indian politics at Sriperambadur ( where is it dear? Look up in Google Earth, lazy!)
Yes, that was the prehistoric year when there was no Internet, no mobile phone, and no PC.
What!? You mean there was a time on earth when there were humans, that is those who were not robots hobbling around clutching little shiny lighted screens!? Yes. A different time. A different world. A different species.
So human history can be written briefly as the progression of creatures in this sequence:
Worms
Dinosaurs
Humans
Viruses
Androids.
The last named is you and me, what the dictionary defines as an automaton in the form of a human being. Another name for android.
In the new language of the zombienet we all androids inhabit, there are surprising parallels to humans'.
Let me list six most powerful words of them:
Breathe = Facebook
Smile = Emoji
Walk or stroll or travel = Browse
Speak = Whatsapp
Unburden your soul = Post on your FB timeline.
Sleep or wake up = Come online or go offline.
In the Zombienet, man's propensity to happiness, sadness, war, disease and death have all equivalents. The Android can suffer or experience an extremely wide range of unpredictable mental states. As recently reported, these vulnerabilities are best exemplified by the issues caused by a bug in the IOS 6.1.1 due to possibilities of rogue access to your devices using the encryption vulnerabilities in SSL. A fix is coming shortly as 7.0.6. Such issues don't always hurt us folks in Zombienet of course. Some of us use KitKat, you see. Even Nokia X uses a stripped version of this OS.
But the worst news?!?!? We may have to go backwards in time and technology, into a world of the spoken language that humans used. That's because some of the folks who shared in the 19 billion loot have decided to offer voice telephony for free on Whatsapp. Yes. Speech.
Monday, February 24, 2014
Sunday, February 23, 2014
"Death" in Bhagavadgita Chapter 2
The Chapter 2 of the Gita is titled Sankhya Yoga. It has 72 verses and condenses the entire teaching of the Gita.
It is interesting to see how Krishna answers Arjuna's pitiful cry for advice, caught as Arjuna is in the dilemma of fighting a bloody war to death with his own brethren, elders and teachers. Krishna first dismisses his despondency and confusion in the face of a war which had been in the making all along, between the warrior cousins, on a matter of right and righteousness. He also cautions Arjuna that for a warrior, dereliction of duty in battle will incur ignominy and ridicule. He also says that this war has been inescapable and inevitable due to the build-up of issues. The epic is titled Mahabharata because it symbolises the war to end all wars in India's history.
Nevertheless, the following words of Krishna take the discussion to a different level altogether. It discusses the essential immortality of the soul and how birth, death and killing are superficial, transient events on the eternal canvas of creation. His words are vital to our understanding of the core of Indian philosophical belief.
I quote Sir Edwin Arnold's translation in verse form of the Bhagavad Gita:
KRISHNA
Thou grievest where no grief should be! thou speak'st
Words lacking wisdom! for the wise in heart
Mourn not for those that live, nor those that die.
Nor I, nor thou, nor any one of these,
Ever was not, nor ever will not be,
For ever and for ever afterwards.
All, that doth live, lives always! To man's frame
As there come infancy and youth and age,
So come there raisings-up and layings-down
Of other and of other life-abodes,
Which the wise know, and fear not. This that irks--
Thy sense-life, thrilling to the elements--
Bringing thee heat and cold, sorrows and joys,
'Tis brief and mutable! Bear with it, Prince!
As the wise bear. The soul which is not moved,
The soul that with a strong and constant calm
Takes sorrow and takes joy indifferently,
Lives in the life undying!
That which is
Can never cease to be; that which is not
Will not exist. To see this truth of both
Is theirs who part essence from accident,
Substance from shadow. Indestructible,
Learn thou! the Life is, spreading life through all;
It cannot anywhere, by any means,
Be anywise diminished, stayed, or changed.
But for these fleeting frames which it informs
With spirit deathless, endless, infinite,
They perish. Let them perish, Prince! and fight!
He who shall say, "Lo! I have slain a man!"
He who shall think, "Lo! I am slain!" those both
Know naught! Life cannot slay. Life is not slain!
Never the spirit was born; the spirit shall cease to be never;
Never was time it was not; End and Beginning are dreams!
Birthless and deathless and changeless remaineth the spirit for ever;
Death hath not touched it at all, dead though the house of it seems!
Who knoweth it exhaustless, self-sustained,
Immortal, indestructible,--shall such
Say, "I have killed a man, or caused to kill?"
Nay, but as when one layeth
His worn-out robes away,
And taking new ones, sayeth,
"These will I wear to-day!"
So putteth by the spirit
Lightly its garb of flesh,
And passeth to inherit
A residence afresh.
I say to thee weapons reach not the Life;
Flame burns it not, waters cannot o'erwhelm,
Nor dry winds wither it. Impenetrable,
Unentered, unassailed, unharmed, untouched,
Immortal, all-arriving, stable, sure,
Invisible, ineffable, by word
And thought uncompassed, ever all itself,
Thus is the Soul declared! How wilt thou, then,--
Knowing it so,--grieve when thou shouldst not grieve?
How, if thou hearest that the man new-dead
Is, like the man new-born, still living man--
One same, existent Spirit--wilt thou weep?
The end of birth is death; the end of death
Is birth: this is ordained! and mournest thou,
Chief of the stalwart arm! for what befalls
Which could not otherwise befall? The birth
Of living things comes unperceived; the death
Comes unperceived; between them, beings perceive:
What is there sorrowful herein, dear Prince?
These words describe all aspects of death. It is a transition. It is not touching the soul. The key verses in Sanskrit are the ones which state how the embodied soul merely transitions at death. And that Arjuna has to do his duty at hand, recognising the inevitablity of death for all that is born.Wonderful, wistful, to contemplate!
Difficult, doubtful, to speak upon!
Strange and great for tongue to relate,
Mystical hearing for every one!
Nor wotteth man this, what a marvel it is,
When seeing, and saying, and hearing are done!
This Life within all living things, my Prince!
Hides beyond harm; scorn thou to suffer, then,
For that which cannot suffer. Do thy part!
This philosophical concept, as Krishna says, is hard to understand, and most only marvel at it. Therefore the goal is to shift one's focus from death and lead one's life in an aware manner. That means not that we have to do different things, but do things everyday differently. That attitude of awareness and equanimity is discussed in the last several verses of this chapter, from the description of a Sthitaprajna's attitude to life.
(Photo: Oct. 2013 Pamban Bridge Rameshwaram.)
Friday, February 21, 2014
Decoding the Indian Headshake
Important for all aspirants wishing to max in
IAS IPS IFS IRS SAT JEE GMAT GRE TOEFL etc. etc.
Click the picture below to watch the video lesson!
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Why Hinduism is never in danger
Wendy Doniger's book's "pulping" by Penguin, recent talks by Rajiv Malhotra on Indra's Net, and the various protestations in all media by big and small names about freedom of expression, all raises a fundamental question.
Is Hinduism in danger?
I don't think so at all. Let me list ten reasons for my thinking.
- Hinduism is a broad expression applied to variegated beliefs and practices of >1 billion people, with millions of temples, hundred of rituals, thousands of years of monuments and temples, and several thousand-years old scriptures unparalleled in human history. Such a large living organism, for want of a better expression, can never be threatened by any time-bound or space-confined efforts of anyone. If mankind is wiped out by a nuclear holocaust, Hinduism will also perhaps disappear. Only to rise again if ever thinking life reappears.
- Hinduism is not a doctrine. It is not a book. It is not a "Ten Commandments"or a "Quran". It works itself into your being from before your birth, through the most natural inputs of touch, sound, sight, song, food, language, social relationships, and is celebrated year-long everywhere. Hinduism works because it makes you feel alive and good. It cannot be threatened therefore even by death. In fact, birth, death, marriage, schooling, parents, children, everything around us is Hinduism's raw material. It derives strength from everything that happens!
- Science supports Hinduism. We don't say God made the world in seven days, the sun goes round the earth, and if you pray five times a day, you go to a heaven with rivers of wine and erotica. Every scientific discovery and invention, be it bosons, black hole or in vitro fertilization, fits nicely with some Hindu legend or myth. Why? Because the Hindus have been intelligent men thinking over millennia about life and creation, and are the best natural scientists.
- Ecology supports Hinduism. When doctors tell you to go vegetarian, or governments tell you to go easy on the gas pedal, they are simply emphasizing the virtues of "Sattvic" nature that is defined in Hinduism 5000 years ago. Period. Buddha called it the middle path.
- What makes people happy? Music. Dance. Celebration. All this is intrinsic to HInduism's everyday life. This is a big deal in this world, where religions ban music and dance and women are in black purdah. men are told sex is the original sin. So you have weirdos who do crazy things out of confusion and frustration. No such problem for Hinduism.
- Hinduism has humour. We have stories of great humour. Ganesha, Hanuman, Krishna, are all fun people. Shiva, Rama, and Karttikeya are brave, far-thinking, leaders. All our gods are simply the best role models.
- Female emancipation is not a tough question in Hinduism. We call Earth our mother and along with Prosperity she makes up the two consorts of God=Vishnu. So we give a natural place for life in our religion, and raise it to motherhood. We also see a lot of evil of all kinds around. To cleanse it, we invoke the goddess Durga or Devi or Kali. There cannot be greater positivism in problem solving. In fact neo-management gurus routinely quote our legends and myths for illustration.
- There is no conflict in Hinduism between wealth and goodness. We have held out as our heroes prosperous and benevolent and extremely mature kings who treat their wealth as a trust for the development of all mankind.
- There is no conflict in Hinduism between individualism and inclusiveness. Whereas we are extolled to seek our individual liberation or Moksha, we are told that the way for this is through doing socially good action ( =loka sangraha in Bhagavadgita). Bhagavadgita can be called the greatest book of human psychology!
- We don't mind funny people or funny comments or crazy books about Hinduism. When Keshab Chandra Sen talked to Sri Ramakrishna for three days about why there is no God, Ramakrishna applauded him and said he was wonderful. Keshab asked, "so do you accept there is no God?" Ramakrishna laughed and said, "no, dear Keshab, in fact I am now more than convinced that only God could have made possible such a brilliant debater like you!" So for every Wendy Doniger, there will be a Rajiv Malhotra. You see, we believe in the hierarchy of evolution. From fish, boar and tortoise, incarnations evolve, and finally you have the greatest avatar. Similarly, you have animal/bestial thinkers, idol worshippers, Freudians, cruel and violent and confused people, and finally also a Mahatma Gandhi. When someone shot him point blank in his own prayer meeting, he said "Hey Ram"and died.
Postscript: suppose I study Hinduism in its myriad forms, scriptures, legends and practices, and try to get a hang of the subject by trying to fit a theory to all that I see around me, especially using modern tools of psychology and yardsticks of other religions, I will end up with a fat book, but that goes nowhere. Because Hinduism is not obliged to fit nicely into a jig saw puzzle, you see, it evolved over >5000 years among now a billion people, all professing only what they loved about life. Yes, about life.
Friday, February 14, 2014
The Black and White party
The political cauldron of India is boiling with possibilities and alliances left and right in the election year 2014. The Prince is worried that all poll surveys show his grand old party may as well raise its hands in defeat. The saffron superman is displaying a wrinkled forehead during his strident speeches claiming to be the future leader of India, the lines looking like the scattered sticks of a marauding broom. The topi-clad smiling assassin of Delhi brandishing the broom is hobnobbing with Aam Aadmis like there is no tomorrow. The so-called third-rate third front is bristling with a total lack of ideas.
What next?
No. 10 Janpath calls an emergency meeting. Whatever they seem to be doing seems to be triggering a pepper spray in its own face. What indeed can be done?
A creative out-of-the-box jack rabbit comes up with an idea. Why not scrap the old party and create a new one? And call it the Black and White party?
Look at the marketing possibility sirji!
The idea is simple. Make India into the world's very first pure black and white nation. That means everyone and everything sports only one or two colours, the favourite white or the even more favourite black.
This idea is so ideally matching the heritage and aspiration of our nation. Let me cite some examples.
Black is the loved colour of accountants. White is the ideal of every Indian mind. White complexion (Fair Prince is shining in white rolled-up sleeves), whitening creams for men and women from all walks of life.
The Indian bride wears black eyeliner (Kareena also promotes white now), black bead necklaces and white lac or shell chudia armlets.
The frugality of a Gandhian weave is in its white.
A lot of Indian cuisine from black dal makhni to black gram halwa and black til laddus. Not to forget the white rivers and oceans of milk and curd.
The black hair that men and women sport late into wrinkled old age. Just as they in parts of India smear their faces with white powder.
The black money that backs every creative and competitive endeavour in industry and politics.
The shining black sinewy boatmen and fishermen and farmers and street layers and dock workers that can be spotted across the length and breadth of India.
The millions of outsourcing dollar earners who work every dark night to keep the white westerners happy and prosperous.
The frequent blackouts whenever we have power outage.
By eschewing the wasteful rainbow of colours which are a sheer distraction for our essentially black and white nation, a back of the envelope calculation shows, India will save a trillion dollars.
That's white and not counting the black bigger lot: starting with the savings in paint, print, television and Internet bandwidth. A straight forward increase of GDP by 20 percent.
The cut and dried Indian almanac has the white fortnight and the black one too.
Kalki is the white knight on a white horse coming as the last saviour for the masses, who comes and cleans up the sullied world.
The black Kali, Krishna and Rama already save the pious and pure souls every day.
The white Shiva sits with his Himalayan consort in the world's whitest longest stretch of mountains.
India, wake up to the future. It's black and white.
Welcome the Black and White party!
Friday, February 7, 2014
"Death" in Bhagavadgita Chapter 1
The first chapter is called the Yoga of Arjuna's Despondency. It is the canvas on which the entire Gita is painted.
The Mahabharata war was perhaps the war to end all wars. It was bigger in its impact on Indian civilisation than the world wars impacted all of us in the 20th century. Almost every king and army in the subcontinent was there fighting for one side or the other, a mega-war between cousins-extremely powerful men who had grown up in rivalry. One side was clearly evil from the beginning, out to destroy their fatherless cousins, the five Pandava brothers constantly busy in fighting for their very survival amidst all the evil machinations. Humiliated, banished to the forest, and then being denied even a small patch of land, the good brothers had to undertake the war to claim their due from their evil cousins.
Interestingly, even the evil ones believe this is a righteous war for them! ( dharmakshetre kurukshetre).
The paradigm of war is predicated on death. Kill or be killed. All those who celebrate war heroes celebrate the human act of inflicting death or dying for a "cause". Man's ideas of a noble cause involve rights and entitlements, and acquisitions. Might is right. Just like how tigers and lions mark territory and kill mercilessly.
The hero of this warmongering attitude is Duryodhana. He says everyone is there to die for him. He demonstrates the ultimate appetite for war, as killing is fully justified for him to achieve his ends - he wants to finish off his cousins and their claims to the kingdom. He seems afraid of only Bheema among the Pandavas, who has sworn to kill him and his 99 brothers for all their evil deeds.
So other's death as a means to one's victory is the key theme in the first chapter. In a simple way, Gita shows us that the way we relate to death is with this attitude of "Us" versus "Them". As long as "we"can live, by killing "them", it is victory of life over death.
Arjuna has a different definition of "Us". Note he is not against war, but doesn't want to kill his own brethren, teachers and forefathers. He says this war is sinful and meaningless because it entails killing one's own. Not very different from a warmonger, who wants to kill "them", except that Arjuna has a different definition of "Us".
So essentially, death is depicted in the first chapter as a conscious choice for man to inflict on others for his own ends. It is the ultimate step, when all else fails. So we see death here as a kind of murder.
Thursday, February 6, 2014
'Death' in the Bhagavadgita
Long back, when I was still in my teens and my father had turned sixty, I had scandalised him by saying, "there must be a rule to eliminate people over sixty". I really thought old people would be carrying too much baggage, would lose energy and creativity and be a burden to society, as they were simply waiting for their end.
I don't wish to challenge those statements now, even though I am on the other side. But as we grow older, one constant experience is our seeing people die. Death seems to be a ticket counter and we all seem to be in a long queue moving up steadily every second. But then death is something we don't want to see.
My eternal enchantment with Bhagavadgita for its voice, insight, reach, and sympathy for the human condition also involves frequently savouring its mention of death. So I decided to cover the theme of 'Death' in the Bhagavadgita, chapter by chapter. You can expect in the next eighteen posts what each chapter says in various ways- some deeply insightful things about death.
Talk to you soon.
Monday, January 27, 2014
Update: Kannada Dictionary
The Folks,
Good news. I saw a 2010 edition of the Kannada Nighantu at a friend's place. It had the Elaniru word!!
So I ordered it online and got it JUST NOW. Here is the update:
The new edition is definitely improved. It is a solid hard-bound book. They are not printing too many copies of late, hence perhaps the non-availability in book shops.
So all's well perhaps!
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Sixteen Annas of Music
I remember reading how C N Parkinson ("work expands to fill time") studied the phenomenon of marriages taking place in England before the WW II. He finally concluded that, "whereas it's true that marriages are made in heaven, it's also true that God arranges alliances between men and women who grow up and live within a distance of around 150 miles of each other in England." In other words, the probability pattern is unmistakeable, given the social dimensions of marriage.
While in the shower today, I have come up with a theory on Carnatic music. Everyone buys at best sixteen annas of music in his or her life time. No More. "The sixteen annas theorem" represents how everyone has a self-limiting capacity and only a set range of possibilities for their appreciation and interest in Carnatic music. I am not talking here of people who are tone-deaf; nor those who research or learn music for a 24/7 engagement. I'm taking the example of an Aam Rasika like me who understands CM and can sit with interest and mental engagement through a full concert from soup to nuts, I mean from Varnam to the Mangalam. Of course the menu is stacked a bit differently in Nouveau Musique Karnatique as dished out by TMK or GK and so on. But I don't think my theory is affected by these modifications.
Now what do I mean by sixteen annas? You see, the more we get into the serious world of CM, we find so many oceans of excellence, just as the earth has so many major oceans and seas, all connected of course. You have the Madhyama-kala repertoire of the Thyagaraja school. You have the splendid body of Dikshitar works. You have Shyama Shastri; Padams, Javalis. You have Tamil composers. Swathi Tirunal, Purandaradasa and others, Telugu bhakti compositions, and 20th century work. You have the instrumental speciality genre by itself. You nowadays have also something one can call CM Lite, where every song sounds like a tukkada. And so on. Does an Aam Rasika connect with all this equally?
Does an Aam Rasika progress from one level to another, like with a CBSE syllabus? Is he a world traveller like Megallan sailing from one ocean to the other? Or can we predict how the Aam Rasika's penchant is, for a specific type of music, based on his age and social status? I say no. I find no such hard and fast pattern of preferences. But at the same time, an Aam Rasika has a quantity and variety limit to his Carnatic music appetite, which I call the sixteen annas theorem.
Before you wonder when I will actually explain my theory, here I go:
The first Six Annas of CM is what the Aam Rasika absorbs in the first 12 years of his life. That is his parental and environmental influence. If children at home are taught CM, or person's mother or father sings for a bit, then the type and variety and sub-genre of what he appreciates from his cradle to his gilli dandu phase will constitute the six annas, in fact the biggest chunk of the pie. For example growing up in Bangalore and Mysore, one would be exposed to the fine, solid krithis of Thyagaraja, dasara padas, a few select MD, SS and ST krithis. Krithis like Brochevarevarura, Sri Chamundeshwari, Ra ra Rajivalochana, Nagumommu, would surely be a part of six annas. In fact also many Kalyani, Shankarabharana, Todi, Kharaharapriya songs of Thyagaraja. This example of the Aam Rasika would be less exposed to Tamil songs, or highly complex Sanskrit krithis, for example.
The next three Annas is what the Aam Rasika is attracted to in his 12-30 years period. This is the phase when speed, virtuosity, instrumental fireworks, etc. can catch his attention. If the girl listens to lots of kutcheris of popular lady musicians, with a certain pattern of repertoire, focused on variety and melody rather than heavy compositions, a deep manodharma or technique, the three annas come from there.
That leaves seven annas.
In the serious listening phase of his life, the Aam Rasika will make choices, as a mature and committed listener of CM who follows a type of music or musician, based on a studied appreciation of their individual style and accomplishment. This is more musician-centric and less sub-genre or style-centric. This will make up three annas.
The last four annas are spent on some eclectic tastes, based on non-CM influences like films, big- name bands performing in some Utsavs or cultural festivals, and may even foray into fusion and other genres of music like Hindustani, Qawwali, Sufi etc. But you will be able to see that this is a later, more casual acquaintance, a less important acquired taste.
That means, in summary, here is where we stand:
Six Annas - childhood exposure
Three Annas - Youth appeal
Three Annas - serious acquired taste
Four Annas - eclectic tastes.
So when we can say the Aam Rasika has finally arrived at this full sixteen annas of CM appreciation, we see this kind of a mix. The individual elements in each category may vary by birth, circumstance, upbringing and exposure, but the relative proportions play out like this. And if you sit next to a young 20-odd year old rasika man or woman in a concert next time, you could hazard that he or she has not actually acquired yet the full sixteen annas. He or she may be talking only of the first six or the second three annas. And if someone speaks at length about his favourite musician, "a phenomenon", don't be misled that that this choice represents the full sixteen annas. That is only three annas worth, and may not represent a dominant taste in the big picture.
On the other Hand, it might as well build on the first nine annas. In such a case, the musician having that high appeal will take care of twelve annas of the Aam Rasika's listening taste.
If you look at the all-time greats in CM in the past or the present, you will find that they appeal to the first twelve annas.
That is also the reason I think that CM rasikas will NEVER buy the eclectic fusion stuff beyond a little bit... Some four annas. The vast majority of their listening choices will be the mainstream twelve annas.
Am I making sense?
Monday, January 20, 2014
Finding a good Kannada dictionary
 |
| From Kannada Dictionaries |
You're right. There are many, many Kannada-English dictionaries in bookshops. They are all meant for people to learn English through Kannada. In other words, people know enough Kannada. Now they should better learn English for bettering their lives.
But how about a Kannada-Kannada dictionary, to improve your Kannada vocabulary? Sorry, you do have some dictionaries, but most of them are of poor quality. The great lexicographer, Prof. G. Venkatasubbiah, has done yeoman service, but his dictionaries are mostly used as Kannada-English dictionaries. And further, I found his dictionary does not contain the word "Elaniru" for tender coconut. I was surely disappointed.
Here is a slide show for you to see some screen shots of my efforts. I did find two good sources, both published by English missionaries, more than 100 years apart. They indeed do a great job, I can tell you!
Bottomline: Is this a process of digestion we enjoy so much like the goat enjoys being eaten up by a tiger, as Rajiv Malhotra says?
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Aam Neta
These are interesting times. Arvind Kejriwal and Aam Aadmi Party have formed the government in India's capital state of Delhi within a year of coming into existence. They are coming to terms with governance, and converting the energy of intellectual and moral values into action. The people are going to help them succeed as much as possible, as AAP hold out a hope like nobody else has done since the days of Gandhi.
Then there is Modi and his BJP. BJP is a party rooted in the past, not your Freedom Fighter past like Congress but India's ancient Hindu past, which stands for pride, excellence and high values. In reality though. It is another party supported largely by traders and businessmen. BJP has never really tried to look squeaky clean. But Modi is different. He is known for his track record of growth in Gujarat, firm principles, a kind of intolerance which may in fact stand for strength to some people. He has not been accused of corruption even by his enemies, which is saying a lot for a hard-core Indian politician.
There is no need to discuss the Congress, as it is living in the past, trying to make an ageing and underperforming cricket team with no ideas or coaches to win a cricket match against two strongly led and popular teams.
Now the interesting bit. Modi and BJP seem really afraid of Aam Aadmi party. They are hell bent on proving them fakes and stooges of the Congress. Does that make sense? To me it does not. I cannot imagine a party like BJP unable to deal with a third reality. That shows some senility indeed!
Now let us come to what India wants. India wants growth, development and opportunity for all. Most Indians believe that if they get opportunities, they will succeed. Why the AAP is winning is because they are saying that the average Indian is NOT WINNING because the match is fixed. And that will get a ready echo in everyone's heart because the entire Indian society is created on inequality and nepotism.
SO AAP is a party supported by people who feel helpless and cheated. But once a country starts growing, this sense of despair will slowly give rise to a confidence, like I have seen in Singapore . The only two qualities that are timeless and will help AAP continue winning is their values of CLEAN AND HUMBLE.
What if BJP, instead of fighting the fight against clean governance and equal opportunity, also rides the SAME TWO PRINCIPLES AND THEN BRINGS IN PROVEN LEADERSHIP!!!????
So AAP = CLEAN+HUMBLE+HOPEFUL
BJP can be AAP+ LEADERSHIP.
WHY NOT!!!!!?????? IT JUST COMPLETES THE SENTENCE.
So BJP has to go back to basics and stop fighting AAP.
Unless BJP is so deeply corrupt and sick that they do NOT HOPE to be convincing as a clean and good party for the future.
IF BJP AND AAP WORK TOGETHER.......
What should AAP DO!? Become and remain the best choice for leading the mega cities of India like Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai....let them become growth centres spreading the wave of excellence and growth. Not rotting slums. Growth centres run well and cleanly in our star cities will trigger good governance and growth focus in the large populous states of India
and at the centre, let it be run by BJP. They will also drive foreign trade, defense, commerce and home. They will generate nationwide energies for growth building around the city centres.
When two good qualities are in confrontation, it is a sad situation. Why can't someone be good and strong!? Like the two wings of a Brahmani kite!?
Monday, January 6, 2014
Weighing God's grace
Here is a lovely story, I copied it from kshetrapuranas.wordpress.com:
*****
One day, the divine sage Narada, the creator of mischief, came to Dwaraka to offer his salutations to Sri Krishna. In the courtyard he met Satyabhama, beautifying herself with some flowers on her tresses. He walked up to her and with a voice of absolute innocence asked her, “Rani Satyabhama, dont doubt my intentions, but is it my old age or is it really true that Krishna loves Rukmini more than you?” Sathyabhama was thoroughly shaken and stood still, gaping at Narada.”You are far more beautiful and charming than her. You are the younger queen. Dont you think you deserve more attention?”, prodded Narada again. Pulling herself together, Satyabhama looked inquisitively at Narada, “Tell me divine sage, what should I do to gain his undivided attention? You are my only hope now”, she pleaded to him.
Narada, ever eager to cause confusion told, “That is my whole point of visit, mother. I have a first-class plan all hatched up to bring Krishna back to you.” Satyabhama’s eyes were twinkling and she listened to Narada with rapt attention.” You will now make a vow, that you will hand over Krishna to me as a slave. Then to keep the sanctity of the vow but also to retain Krishna to yourself, I will allow you to trade him in for an equivalent weight of your riches. Seeing that you are willing to trade in your wealth for him, Krishna will admire you for your sacrifice and will keep you close to him. The only hitch is that I do not know if your wealth will suffice to balance out Krishna’s weight”, Narada asked sceptically. Proud as ever, Satyabhama flared up, “I am the daughter of Satrajith. My wealth is limitless. I am sure that I have enough to balance Krishna. We will carry on with this plan of yours.” And that,was exactly what Narada wanted.
Satyabhama rushed to Krishna and hurriedly told him about her unfortunate vow to Narada. Krishna patiently listened to her and very meekly nodded his head. Satyabhama then commanded one of the servants to bring out the large scales used to weigh grains and groceries. She also sent the Caretaker of the Coffers to bring out all her jewels and gold to the grand court room. And gently leading Krishna, she went to the Courtroom. All the ministers stared at the scales that had been placed at the center of the court. Their mouths further fell when they saw box after box of gold being carried inside. Krishna was silent throughout the entire time. So great was the uproar of surprise at the court that Krishna’s other queens too hurried from their Anthapuram to the main court.
Amidst all the courtiers and with Krishna himself as the witness, Satyabhama gave away Krishna in dhaana to Narada. The other wives of Krishna were shocked at this, but being ever dutiful, they did not speak out in front of the assembled court. Narada then gave her the option of taking back Krishna but instead presenting him with an equivalent weight of riches. Amidst loud sighs of relief, Satyabhama agreed to it. She then placed Krishna on one plate of the Scales and with a smirk on her face started piling up the gold, jewels and gemstones on the other plate. She kept adding more and more of her wealth, but the pan with Krishna did not even budge. To top it all Narada kept giving her ominous warnings, “Remember devi, if you fail to supply me with sufficient wealth, Krishna will forever be a slave to me. I can even bid him out to anyone I want.” Satyabhama freaked out and swallowing her pride, begged the other wives of Krishna to give her their jewels so thet they could retain Krishna. Out of their devotion to their lord,, the wives removed every gold ornament on their body until they were wearing only the Mangalsutra. But the scale showed no signs of motion.
Krishna, always the sly cowherd, “Look Satyabhama, because of your stupid vow, I have to be a slave to this rishi. Oh how I hate this”, he complained. Satyabhama was at a loss for words when Krishna continued, “Why dont you ask Rukmini. She must be able to get us out of this predicament”, he suggested coyly. Satyabhama was in such a state that all her ill will towards Rukmini flew out of the window. Rushing to Rukmini’s private chambers she poured out the dire state of matters. Rukmini, ever calm, didnt panic and came along with Satyabhama. On the way she passed the sacred Tulasi Maadam and plucking a single leaf of Tulasi [Sacred Basil], she continued her way to the hall. She very quietly walked towards the balance and praying to Krishna, placed the single tulasi leaf on all the piled up wealth. Lo and Behold! The pan containing Krishna flew up and remained underbalanced. Shocked at this, Satyabhama looked to Krishna for explanation. “Try removing your riches, Bhama,” Krishna told her, all smiles.
*****
I feel all our offerings, pompous poojas and yagnas, prayers, special vows and fasts, all our pilgrimages, are a way of bargaining for God's grace. The moment we realize that whatever we are, whatever is, is nothing but God's grace, we will stop bargaining. That is true prayer!
Friday, December 27, 2013
A mother's tearful farewell to a daughter, Tambura
A mother's tearful farewell to her daughter, Tambura
Darling mine, your day of destiny, to make a new home, has come.
With sweet memories of childhood, take these words from mum.
From this home go, proud as a true Tambura, nothing humdrum.
Great composers, singers, Lakshmi and Saraswati offer you welcome.
Nevertheless, my child, these sagely words, you need.
In good and bad times, your mum's counsel, take heed.
Not all is rosy out there. Welcome and cuddled, happy days without a pause.
But soon, your voice may fall silent, and none will wonder what it was.
Your stately bearing, your perfect strings, that proud neck will languish.
Surrounded by tinny sounds in loud places, you may feel much anguish.
Your famed ears that, once tuned, stir you into heavenly resonance
Might mutely witness people playing with toys in pure dissonance.
None will dust you nor tune your shining strings.
You will sit quietly, amidst furniture and things.
Forget the warm embrace and caress of a true singer.
Your new family could just be too busy to lift a finger.
In your place they will play a cute IOS or Android app.
Or shiny discs or bread boxes that go on singing like crap.
And yet, my child, take heart, your music and heritage will shine!
Some day, some worthy will come, and gladly build you a shrine.
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Advaita and duality
I find all this 'holier than thou' discussion of Advaita total B*** S***.
For those unfamiliar, Adi Sankara, a great mystic and spiritual master told the world categorically that there is only One (the concept that there is no second=Advaita), and that all our perceptions of the many around us (the perception of many things and beings and states =duality) is an illusion or Maya.
He also went around building temples, teaching beautiful prayers to people, the prayers being addressed to a number of male and female deities.
There is a large mass of brahmins called Smarthas who feel utterly superior chanting those prayers in all those temples and also claiming that Advaita is the only truth and science. They say all other beliefs are inferior.
After Sankara (circa 7 century CE), there came many Hindu saints who extolled prayer and said that this talk of Advaita is dangerous and man cannot ever be God.
Now what is all this fuss? It takes three simple statements to clarify the confusion.
As long as you, or me, or Sankara go around preaching, praying, and even arguing, it is a clear case of the many. You cannot deny it.
I cannot say I think as an Advaitin, sensibly, and yet pray to any God to give me happiness, wealth or wisdom. These are all affirmations of the many!
In Advaita, there is no prayer, no me and no God. There is only one infinite consciousness called SatChitAnanda. It is a state of being, even calling it experience is a distortion since experience is different from the experiencer!
That is an idea pretty easy to understand intellectually. There is the core of the issue. In spirituality, belief or intellectual understanding means NOTHING. SPIRITUALITY IS ALL ABOUT ACTUAL PERSONAL EXPERIENCE. One can experience love, prayer, sadness, heat and cold. SatChitAnanda is not an experience but a state of being. It is DEFINITELY NOT knowledge or belief!
All so-called Advaitins think that they understand it and guess what, they think they are right.. But the joke is on them, as in Advaita, there should be no thinker or thought! There is only an infifnite continuum of SatChitAnanda. Sankara perhaps got into that state and expressed later that he had got into that state.
When we do experience that state by disappearing totally, there is Advaita. Until then, there is God, there is Sankara, there is prayer, there is this blog, and duality!
Photo of Avalokiteshwara (Buddhist God of Compassion), Krishna and the Sufi Dervish in my drawing room showcase.
Saturday, December 14, 2013
Wanted: Mother-in-Law
Dear prospective Mother-in-law,
Thanks for responding to my tweet so quickly. It just shows how sweet you're, so readily did you respond to my simple tweet:
Wanted Mother-in-Law.No encumbrances on either side, great life-style assured
I will surely come back with a date for a final interview as I have to short-list from the dozens of applications I got already. No worries, be assured you have good chances since I am impressed with your plethora of qualifications.
First of all, let me tell you about myself:
I am a well-paid techie manager in a big corporate in India's silicon and space city. It is also called Allergen and Pothole city because people worldwide are now thinking they can outsource all their requirements of allergens and potholes to our beautiful Kempegowda-ooru.
I don't have the encumbrances of husband, children etc. I have a number of servants who can participate in the Republic Day Parade representing Bengal, Orissa, Bihar, Assam, Coorg and Kerala.
I am a strict vegetarian, as long as it comes to breakfast specials like Idli, Vada and Dosa. By the way I hope you know how to make them as well as I like them. Don't wait for me for dinner as I am a party animal and have my own latch key and biometric scan key installed.
I expect you to do all home shopping, including buying the best organic foods and fanciest vegetables, rubbing shoulders with the multi-cultural shoppers of our neighborhood gated community. By the way the only cooking medium at home will be Extra Virgin Olive oil.
And oh, I forgot. I do have a mini orchid garden and keep three most wonderful dogs who regularly compete in the Lalbagh Dog Show in Scandinavian, Alpine and Exotic breeds. Don't be fooled, one of the fellows doesn't even look like a dog at all, he looks more like a cross between a cat and a mosquito and has no tail and doesn't bark. He just chews up my latest footwear and I have no complaints as I get to buy the latest fashion regularly! I expect you to buy the best English dog food for the threesome. They have their own well furnished kennels.
For all your shopping and entertainment, I will provide you a Platinum Debit Card. You can also use it for online purchases. You will have a nice computer less than 2 years old which I retired when I bought my latest tab/notebook hybrid modelled on a Ferrari.
You will have all the cultural and spiritual freedom you want, and can attend any bhajan group or chanting mela anywhere, our chauffeur will take you by prior arrangement. We can synchronize our vacations, you to Char Dham and me to my Char Dham :) Monaco, Vegas, Hong Kong and Dubai.
I expect, from the tone and tenor of your application, that you are a charming conversationalist and host. We will have garden-side barbecues twice a year, and I get a really swanky crowd. Don't worry, you can have your own separate dinner cooked then if you don't fancy beef, pork, and lots of alcohol. You can retire to your own quarters early if you find us a bit boisterous. You catch your latest soaps on your own separate 42 inch HD Bravia.
Now I know you will ask a question. Why do I need a MiL. I will let you in on a secret. If we hit it off as a great team, we will be able to template our great arrangement and then presto! start an Outsourcing business for Mother-in-Laws! I am sure this outsourcing will do as well as the body-shopping contracts across IT, insurance and banking that Bangalore is famous for.
I expect USD 20 Mil VC soon. Well. That's nothing for the world's greatest Outsourcing idea from the world's oldest land of MiL's.
Why did I put that Bollywood Celebrity photo at the top!? They are a famous MiL&DiL couple and have just no competition...even Draupadi and Sita weren't exactly well known for their MiL success.
Bye for Now...
Saturday, December 7, 2013
Aunty-ji, say my namaste to Chipps Uncle
I heard the word avuncular some years ago. I thought at that time that my younger friend had used it out of respect. But I have since realised that my friend uses this word often since it sounds good to him and also that it means "uncle-like".
Are you uncle-like? Do you like uncles? Or do you prefer aunties? Or worse, are you Uncle-ji or Aunty-ji to someone? Or to all?
In the great cultural capital of Tamizhnaad, every human being runs the risk of being a Maama or Maami. Depending on who calls you that, it can be a loving address, an indifferent reference to your middle age, or downright an insult.
In the larger diaspora of Indians, worldwide celebrating various occasions constantly with samosas and laddus, EVERY human being worthy of attention and respect is an Uncle-ji or Aunty-ji. Or at least Uncle or Aunty. If you're not in that category, then it means that you are either too young to be taken seriously, or not human enough.
The worst situation arises for someone growing up abroad, stuck in the Indian circuit and yet interacting in environments like offices, universities, and societies outside of the Indian diaspora. You will perforce switch to Uncle and Auntying the moment you are in the cultural zone, and yet you have to quickly switch back to the idiom of gentlemen and ladies and polite addresses shorn of avuncular connections when you are in the company of those not yet privileged to be admitted into the Indian cultural zone. This causes distress and disjointed thoughts to some sensitive souls. A case in point is my niece PhDing and Uncle and Auntying in Cambridge.
She has written that she urgently needs to know when she will see the light at the end of the Uncle and Aunty tunnel. I supply the clarification below as best as a dear Uncle could:
- The 21st century interpretation of the four Hindu stages of life (applies to all Indians, including Muslim and Christian and Buddhist brethren) is as follows:
- Chaddi or "Everyone is Uncle/Aunty" phase
- Buddy or "I will never be Uncle/ Aunty" phase
- Addi or "Oh No, everyone calls me Uncle/Aunty :(" phase
- Fuddy or "Am I glad everyone around loves me as Uncle/Aunty:)" phase
How do you escape the karma of Uncle and Aunty-ism? Escape into a culture-less, alien world of all unmentionable dimensions which are totally miltating against your cultural roots, filled as your pores are with samosas, laddus, uncles and aunties.
To be, or not to be? Hamlet Uncle or Ophelia Aunty?
Monday, December 2, 2013
"How do I know I am doing Karma Yoga?"
Osho answers a question during his discourse on the Bhagavad Gita:
Listen to the discourse in Hindi here:
I provide a translation below:
A friend has asked this question: “I am pursuing the practice of Karma Yoga. But sometimes I am scared whether I am really performing Karma “Yoga”. I have no inclination to Bhakti or pursuit of Jnana. I continue to do my duties, but what is the yardstick that what I am doing is actually Karma Yoga and I am not fooling myself? What if my days are simply passing by? How do I know that my own right path is Karma Yoga?”
The question is significant, and the one who has asked it is not asking the question with mere curiosity but in earnest enquiry. Of course one can fool oneself. We have known that, of course we have been fooling ourselves for a long time. We have done it over many lives. So it’s a natural question for a seeker, whether he is simply doing work or practising Karma Yoga.
The first criterion: the work that you are doing after entrusting it to the Lord, is it giving you peace? The result of Karma Yoga is the same as that of meditation- it should give you peace. If you’re still restless, without peace, then you know it is not the right way. When you hand over all your work to the Lord and do it all in His service, then there is no question of restlessness. Peace has to perforce follow. Peace eludes me only when I have taken over the burden of responsibility on my shoulders, and think that I am the doer. If you discover on your path that your restlessness is giving way to peace, to a tranquillity that follows from giving over the reins to the Lord, then you can infer you are doing Karma Yoga.
The second criterion: whether you meet with success or failure, whether you find comfort or difficulty in your work, you will be equanimous. You have left everything to the Lord, and you don’t react whether you get positive or negative results, as you are merely the Lord’s vehicle. Then you have become a mere witness to your work. That gives equanimity, and if this feeling keeps growing, then you’re surely on the path of Karma Yoga. You’re not fooling yourself.
The third criterion: the moment you hand over the controls to the Lord, this world gets a dreamlike quality. It becomes a drama. Until then everything is so real, and you see yourself as the doer. When you give over the controls to Him, you become a spectator, not a doer. It’s like a cinema. Who are you? He is the director, and you are a mere audience. You are now only a watcher, an audience to this drama. It becomes a play. His play. You feel a sense of witnessing.
If these criteria are not satisfied, then it is clear it is a kind of self-deceit. If even after trying hard, you find the absence of these three qualities.. .peace, equanimity, witnessing, then you have to ask yourself if this is your true path. You may have to try other paths.
But what happens every day? People think they have to discharge their duties, and that is Karma Yoga. “With wife, children, we are stuck, we have to do our work or business , earn and consume…”…those who think of life as a series of unavoidable duties, you will see them carrying a burden of life. There is no joy. It is drudgery. Sometimes deep within they feel like murdering the people around. They wish they could have avoided this trap. This is not Karma Yoga. In fact it’s a kind of impotency. A state of Trishanku. These people cannot run away, and yet cannot enjoy the tasks on hand. There is no courage to give up and go away. And there is no meaning in going about this drudgery, as there is no attitude to do one’s duty with joy as God’s work.
This word duty stinks. If one loves one’s wife, and says, “I want to give my wife a beautiful home, a garden, get a car, give her a comfortable life. I love my children, I really want to provide for them, make their life full of laughter”- that person will not talk of duty. This is his joy, not mere duty. That is a good place to be in, because there is the joy of doing things for loved ones.
Then there is the other, who is going about his work as God’s work. He has joy, as we said before, from the word go.
In-between is the man who talks of duty and drudgery. He is stuck and almost dead. The time is ripe for him to take some drastic measures.
When you’re on the path of Karma Yoga, you will be feeling increasing bliss. When you’re going in the wrong direction, your restlessness increases.
It is perfectly Ok that you are full of the joy of providing for your loved ones. If you become happy by making your wife and children happy, that’s perfectly beautiful. Such a man knows how to be happy. And one day, when he turns towards God, he will get joy manifold. So that’s good too.
The man inbetween is in a sorry state. If you’re blissful, be assured that you are on the right path. If you’re depressed, feel stuck, be clear you’re headed in the wrong direction.
We should not take unhappy sadhus also as role models. If they are not blissful, they won’t like you to be joyous, they will say you are sinners. Save yourselves from such sadhus. If we mere mortals are getting joy from everyday tasks, and little things, shouldn’t these sadhus, on the path to God, be happy? Bliss is the touchstone indeed!
If bliss, or joy, is missing, there is something wrong. Don’t listen to those who decry joy. Maybe you are not doing the right things, but it is your experience that you feel joy. What does that mean? A day will come that you feel bored with these trinkets and little things. You will then rise higher, and seek joy in higher things. The key thing is you’re in bliss, and you’re on the right path. Look at a little boy. He loves playing with stones. He won’t give them up and even goes to bed taking these stones. Don’t snatch away those stones saying they are nothing. That is a very wrong thing. You are not only taking away the boy’s stones, you are damaging his joy. It’s true that you have no interest in mere stones, but remember while throwing away the gross stones, you are also snatching away his inner joy. And that’s unforgivable. Remember right now the boy is too small to know that these stones are nothing much. How can he know that, since he getting so much joy from playing with them? This is not the time to teach him about higher things. If you give him the right inputs, he will become aware, evolve to higher things and one day he will give up these stones himself. The idea is to increase a sense of awareness, not coerce somebody to give up things that they enjoy doing today. Awareness is the key component in one’s path.
So it’s simple. If you’re happy doing something, know you’re on the path. It maybe that your joy comes from something not so significant, but so what? You will evolve, become more aware, sooner or later. Then you will rise to the joy of higher things. The two criteria are awareness and bliss. If one is not blissful and one is not becoming more aware, then one needs a course correction. Not otherwise.
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Sunday, November 24, 2013
Saturday, November 23, 2013
Elanir Index
You should have heard of the term Purchasing Power Parity. What the term means is that whereas one US Dollar can fetch you Indian Rs.63/-, it does not actually buy you as much goods and services in USA as Rs 63/- would buy you in India. in other words the PPP Exchange rate for Indian rupee would be more like say Rs 25/- to a US Dollar.
Now the Economist has published what they call the Big Mac Index, to account for PPP. So in each country they find out the price of a Big Mac Burger from the local McDonald's, and compare it with price in USD in America of a Big Mac Burger from the American McDonald's outlet. The comparison is valid because McDonald's make the same type of burger and price it in each market at the same level of affordability. So a comparison substitutes for a computed PPP.
I have also come across a Starbucks Coffee index somewhere.
But what about comparing within India and outside, the price of something which is more local, more a part of our daily lives!?
So I propose that we compute an Elanir Index. That is an index comparing the price of a tender coconut in various parts of the world.
In order to develop this index, I need your help!
Please go and have an Elanir in your local market. Please add a comment in this blog or on my Facebook page of
Where you drank the tender coconut
When- date
And what was the price in local currency.
If you're travelling, you can give me multiple data points, PLEASE!
I will quickly map an index and come back to all of you.
I am quite curious about the Elanir Index in various parts of India. Recently, I came across prices from Rs 15 to Rs 30, around south India itself.
please give me the data. Imagine how curious the comparisons may be, based on Elanir price in Sydney Australia, in Singapore, in Bangkok and Bangalore, not to mention Chennai, Cochin, Mumbai, Toronto etc, etc!
So come back...where, at what price, and when did you consume your Elanir recently!?
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