Tuesday, November 30, 2004

Chain snatched

It was 10:30am on a normal working day in Bangalore. My aunt was walking down the lonely residential street on which stands her house. A guy came walking opposite to her and within a second pulled her "mangal sutra" away. Before my aunt to could turn he had covered some distance. As a usual response, my aunt shouted "Thief!! Thief!!" (In Kannada). A guy in "Suzuki Samurai" came driving towards her. For a second he seemed to chase the robber, but he stopped next to the thief to help the thief get onto the bike. Both drove away. 45gms of gold was lost in less than 45secs. A small wound was left on the neck area.

Totally dumbstruck, she walked back to the house and called her neighbor. Both of them together went to the nearby police station and lodged a complaint. The police assured her that the gold will be given to her either as the "mangal sutra" or as a lump. Police have also increased the patrolling in the area after a few more of such chain snatching event.

It was 6:30pm, when she received a phone call from the police. They said that they have a thief caught and wanted her to come and recognize him. A new dilemma! Firstly she was not sure of the face of the guy and secondly she was afraid to testify fearing some revenge action. So she decided not to go to the police station.

This was a great discussion in our family circles and I have collected the suggestions from those meetings.
1. Avoid wearing gold chains (as if it's not obvious). As a corollary - Wear duplicate chains if you really want to.
2. Cover the neck portion with your saree or dupatta.
3. If you are wearing a blouse and saree, put the chain in-between the hooks of the blouse. Even if the chain is pulled, there is a chance that it breaks and stays with you.
4. Even if you loose something like this, please search the spot where the incident happened. According to police, many times there could be some piece dropped there.
5. Please also check the dress you are wearing. There could be some cut piece in the dress itself (especially if it's a saree).

Monday, November 29, 2004

City in GOLD

Yes, Bangalore wore a festive look on this weekend. Ladies were seen in silk sarees all over the place. The ornaments on the face just sidelined their natural beauty. The chests rose in pride to display the layers of gold ties. Hands rose frequently like the Rajnikanth drill dance to show off the pearl studded bangles. Guys never want to be left behind!! Dark fingers adored rings with diamonds or initials of their names. One friend of mine sported a chain weighing 60gms which he called "Sachin Tendular chain". There were 1 inch thick bracelets to be shown.

It was a very auspicious day in the Hindu calendar. All the wedding halls were booked. One could see flowery boards displaying "AAAA" weds "BBBB" in front of the halls. Colorful lights glittered on the otherwise dull walls of the buildings. I attended 2 marriages. I guess only 30-40% of the people cooked and ate in their houses. I saw a capsule on the "Headlines Today" news channel. It said that in Delhi alone, there were 14000 weddings. (Yes, you read it right...fourteen thousand weddings.) The best parts of the weddings are the friends, relatives, the crowd and the food. I enjoyed every bit of the weekend.

Friday, November 26, 2004

CTRL-ALT-DELETE without keyboard!

This is a interesting piece of info that you can use to lock your work-stations without using the combo key "CTRL- ALT- DEL".
If CTRL-ALT-DELETE seems like too much of a hassle, try this instead:

1. Right click an empty spot on the desktop, point to New and click shortcut.
2. In the Create Shortcut dialog box, type the following into the Type the location of the item text box:
"rundll32 user32.dll,LockWorkStation" (remove quotes while typing)
3. Click Next.
4. In the Select a Title for the Program dialog box, type whatever you want in the type a name for this shortcut text box. Click Finish.

Now the desktop will lock when you click your new Lock the Desktop icon.

Now CTRL-ALT-DELETE is accessible!!

Thursday, November 25, 2004

Devotional morning

It was so different in the morning. I got into the cab and instead of the usual Radiocity FM; we could listen to VidyaBhushana's devotional songs. I am not a great fan of devotional songs but today somehow I liked the songs. It was soothing. A guy in the cab had got the cassette and asked the co-travelers the permission to play it. To my surprise everybody nodded in unison. At the end of the trip nobody repented! I could not read the book which was usually my routine in the cab.

Wednesday, November 24, 2004

Bangalored

Read in "The Week" about the word "Bangalored".
This word in UK business means a company which has outsourced its jobs to India.

Tuesday, November 23, 2004

Yuck!

There are 3 wash basins with huge mirrors in front of them. There are 3 pissing pots hung on the walls and there are 2 shit pots within closed doors. All this in a space of approx 15ft X 15ft. This is roughly the description of restroom of my floor in my office. Now the true incident as told by a friend of mine.

"I entered the empty restroom. I pissed in the piss pot when I saw a guy entering the restroom and moving towards the wash basin. I went near the wash basin to wash my hands. Through the corner of my eyes, I could see something unusual about the posture of the guy in the wash basin next to me. When I turned to see him, I was shell shocked. The guy was holding his organ in his hand and pissing into the wash basin!! I said "Boss?" He immediately said "Sorry" and moved away to the pissing pot to continue his job. As I left the restroom, I could see some yellow drops in the clean wash basin. Such guys also exist in here. Huh!!!"

Monday, November 22, 2004

Saffron sins

The recent arrest of Kanchi swami has come as a shock to this country. There are some statements flying allover saying that it’s an insult to Hindus and Hinduism. I believe in God am a Hindu and perform pooja daily in my house. In short, I am a religious Hindu. But to me this is no insult to my religion. Never was Hinduism (for that matter any religion) depending on 1 individual. So nothing is lost because of this arrest. I don’t think it’s correct if somebody visits a temple to see a swami and not the main God in the temple.

If that’s the case then why this huge hue and cry over the arrest! It is unfortunate that such a incident happened. Unfortunate not because the swami was arrested, but because he seems to be in someway involved in a blood bath. If the swami is innocent, then who will take the blame fro pushing a swami to prison? If the swami is proved to be involved in the murder in someway, then the severest of the punishment needs to be served. I say this because, in Hinduism, we still give a very high status for swamis. Especially for those who perform poojas in these ancient temples like the ones at Kanchi, Sringeri and Udupi. They and their juniors are the only ones who have the right to perform the pooja in their respective temples. Swamis are considered as semi-gods in some places. When such is the case, the swami is supposed to behave in a way that respects the status he has been given. If a software under performs many companies throw him out. The same should apply to swamis, though I accept that it’s not business.

Swamis are also humans, so mistakes do happen. Agreed. When that happens they should just walk out. A swami of the great Udupi Krishna mutt fell in love with a girl and wanted to marry. He just quit the post of swami. Another swami from the Udupi went to some foreign land. This seems to be a mistake according to Vedas. The swami was removed from his post. Right or wrong is not for us to decide but the truth is that Udupi mutt did not loose any of its devotees, nor anybody treated it as an insult to Hinduism. Just because it was not.

Recently, I went to a public function where a very famous swami was to wish a big businessman on the tycoon's birthday. This swami has lot of political clout. This swami made a speech in which he said this. "In udupi there is a Krishna, here is an avatar of Krishna in the form of the tycoon." What a statement and by whom!! Comparing the God to a businessman by a swami who is supposed to have all the Vedic knowledge!! Nowadays it’s become a fashion to compare humans with Gods.

Lot of people says that this Kanchi swami has been made a scapegoat by politicians. What is the duty of a swami - Dharma related work. What is the duty of politicians - Rajya related work. Can these two go hand in hand? I have no answer to this query. May be he is made a scapegoat. Politicians need Dharma for their survival but the viceversa is not true. But when the viceversa happens the result could be something like what happened to Kanchi swami.

Friday, November 19, 2004

Suicide attempt

I was traveling along the Bangalore Hassan road (NH 48) yesterday. About 50 kms away from Bangalore, the bus came to a sudden stop. I got up from the rock hard seat and saw thru the glass in front to see a man (in shorts) lying on the centre of the road. He wanted to die rather he wanted to commit suicide. He was being persuaded by a lady (who seemed to be his wife) to get out of the road. She was pulling him off the road. The place was not a village or a town and was surrounded by agricultural fields. So she could not get any help from anybody else. Without bothering much, my driver slowly started and went extreme left and got his front wheels away from the man lying on the road. As I kept my eyes of this man via the window, in one rush of blood the man threw the lady away and came in-between the front and the rear wheels of the bus. The entire bus shouted in unison. The driver was also watching this thru his rear view mirror and applied brakes. The women came again and pulled the guy away with all her strength. The driver caught the chance and eased his mighty bus ahead of him. As we passed this maniac, I could see a lorry slowly down in the opposite direction.

Tuesday, November 16, 2004

My favorite song

I just felt like writing about my favorite song.
Guys, understand the lyrics...they are just too good.

Zindagi Ek Safar Hai Suhana
Movie: Andaaz (1971)
Music: Shankar Jaikisan
Lyrics: Shailendra
Singer: Kishore Kumar
On screen: Rajesh Khanna and Hema Malini on a bike


(Zindagi ek safar hai suhana
Yahan kal kya ho kisne jaana) -3
Arey o leiyo leiyo, oleiyo leiyo
Oleiyo leiyo, oleiyo leiyo
Oleiyo leiyo, oleiyo leiyo

(Chadh taaron se chalna hai aage
Asmaanon se badna hai aage) -2
Pichhe reh jayega yeh zamana
Yahan kal kya ho kisne jaana
Zindagi ek safar hai suhana
Yahan kal kya ho kisne jaana

(Haste gate jahan se guzar
Duniya ki tu parvah na kar) -2
Muskuraate hue din bitana
Yahan kal kya ho kisne jaana
Haan zindagi ek safar hai suhana
Yahan kal kya ho kisne jaana

(Maut aani hai ayegi ik din
Jaan jaani hai jayegi ik din) -2
Aisi baaton se kya ghabrana
Yahan kal kya ho kisne jaana
Zindagi ek safar hai suhana
Yahan kal kya ho kisne jaana
Di di di, du du du
Oleyo leyo ha haa haa

Sunday, November 14, 2004

VaastuShastra

Good horror movie.
It has all the elements of a horror movie.
Creepy gates, horror tree, bathing scene, scray makeup etc.
If you are having kids of the age of about 7yrs, then this movie is a clear NO to you.
But this is no comparison to Bhoot. Urmila is better than Sen i think.
Just go and watch the movie if you are not weak hearted.

Saturday, November 13, 2004

Ramallah !!!!

What a name! Ram + Allah = Ramallah
Ram, the great Hindu god and Allah, the Islam icon in one place!! I was surprised to hear and see such a name. Yasser Arafat is buried in this place yesterday. The number of people with guns in the final procession of this funeral just amazed me. I can imagine how Palestine is now.
But the more important thot I got (and I researched on it a bit yesterday) is "Where was Ram from?" Was he an Arabic? There is no meaning for the words Ram, Lakshman, Hanuman in Sanskrit or in any language I know. May be I am wrong. I checked the Sanskrit dictionary oly to find Rama - son of Dasarata, Hindu God.
How did these names originate? How did Ramallah became a city in the west asia?

Friday, November 12, 2004

Festival traffic

The festival weekend had just started when I went to the Majestic bustand on Wedenesday evening. The bustand was jam packed and there was no place for people to stand forget sitting. There were a lot of extra buses to many places to accomadate the big crowd.

Its difficult to control such huge crowds all coming to Majestic, but the attitude of the police was really pathetic. A group of 4 policemen stood on the pavement smoking and chatting without even bothering the to answer some guys who were asking "Where does Tumkur bus stop?". Some drivers and conductors were really helpful. Better management is the key.

The traffic was almost crawling in the huge KG road from Hudson circle onwards. It was not a pleasant breathing the smoke inside the auto all along that road. God knows how many missed their trips and how many got delayed!

Its rare that Ramzan and Diwali come in successive days (in one big weekend of 5 days).

Wednesday, November 10, 2004

Saree and Bindi

Yesterday Diwali was celebrated in my office. People had come in ethnic dresses. Guys had come in Kurta and pyjama. One guy had come in Kurta and panche\vaistiand a towel over his shoulder. Or simply putting it "Mandya gowdru" style. Girls who generally wore salwars had moved to sarees and who generally wore trousers sported salwars! Of course there were exceptions in both the sexes.

I was particularly impressed by the girls who came in the traditional Indian dress. I mean not because they are tradional but because of their looks. (Did I need to say this explicitly ;-))? Saree and bindi gives some oomp feeling. People talk about exposure, clear visibility of the figure etc. I don’t know the reason. All I know is that it’s a general feeling among guys that girls are better in sarees and I agree with this. There are companies in the US which prohibit ladies from wrapping themselves in the 5+ foot piece of cloth because it excites the guys around. It’s just sexier than the minis, low cuts or the “Brigade road clothing”.

Indian film industry seems to recognize this fact. Raveena in “Shool”, Juhi in “3 Deewarein”, Sreedevi’s seducing song in “Mr India” and Soundarya in “Apthamitra” all got special recognition for their dressing which was designer sarees. There are sarees named after many films.

If you see a lady in a saree daily, then the charm may just fade away. So wait for the next ethnic day.

Tuesday, November 09, 2004

Fool around

A new software, Simedia SounderCover that runs on Nokia mobile phones allows you to play background sounds that help you to pretend to be where you are supposed to be, or are not: a hip party, a traffic jam or by the sea. Your voice will be heard on top of the appropriate background noise.
After having downloaded the program, when you get a call on your mobile phone, a small window alerts you to whether you would like to play some background sound.
Simedia SounderCover offers nine background noises, like traffic, the grinding of machinery, a storm, etc.
I need not tell when to use this and with whom. Also I don’t know if this is available in India.

Monday, November 08, 2004

A process called Death

I always thot that death is an event unlike birth. The heart snaps and in a split second the person is dead. But I was wrong, death is not an event..its a process. I sat and watched death from a distance of less than 5 foot for around 5 hrs. Its a terrible experience. My uncle was gasping for air since 10pm in the night. The doc asked us to inform the near and dear ones. He said that it was the last few minutes not even hours. Cancer was going to kill him. The hospital room was filled with around 25 relatives in no time. Thanks to mobile phones. But the doc was wrong. Uncle had hours remaining. The oxygen pumped into the nose nor the drips pumped into the veins would help. I counted that uncle used to take 20 deep gasps every minute. The mouth would not close. The eyes were semi open. I got the "Ganga jal" in a small sealed container and kept it in the drawer next to the bed.

11:30 night
Uncle could hear and he would turn his face towards the voice. Eye balls used to move. BP was very low 90-60. He would close his mouth to gulp in the water put into the mouth.
12:30 night
He wouldnt recognise voices. The eye balls still moved in pain I belive. Hands and legs stopped moving. He would still gulp the water. Death has started.
2am
My cousin who is another doctor checked BP. There is no BP. No pulse. She says the heart is not powerful enuf to pump blood to the hands and legs. But the heart still beats. The beats are just enuf to pump blood to the head and heart itself. Water still goes in. She touches his chest and after some examination says that the lower body has reached coma. She puts light into his eyes using torch, and the eyeball moves indicating that brain is active. Death is continuing.
3am
The gasping reduces to 12 per minute. Water can still be gulped in. Eyeballs wont move. Heart continues to beat. Legs and arms turn cold. This was the first time I touched and to my surprise it was ice cold. Head is still warm indicating blood circulation. Tears (I will call it fluid) starts flowing out of the eyes slowly. Was it because of the pain caused by the cancer? Death is winning the battle with life.
4:15am
There is a loud cough and gasping stops. Cousin puts stethescope on the chest and tries to hear. She can't hear anything. The mouth is still open. The eyes are semi open. Death has taken over.

It took 5 long hours to kill. I have lost 2 more relatives in this calender year. But their death was less painful. One died in sleep and the other just collapsed in a shop. This was terrible. You know that the person will die but you wait for death. It's really painful to sit. To be honest when all hopes were lost I prayed for the death to take over quickly. After death events are even more painful. To console the family is in itself a big task. Experience helps in this.

Like finger prints and DNA, they say that no two death process are similar.

Friday, November 05, 2004

Impossible figures

In the Landmark quiz, there was a visual that showed Uma Thurman walking up and down a stairway in the movie "The Avengers". The question was "Whats the structure?" Answer - Penrose stairway.
I did a google on this and found that there are a category of figures known as "Impossible figures". These can only be drawn but they can't be realised. Wondering what is so great about drawing something that can be real? Check out the pictures in the link and it looks so stupid. Somebody draws something and people all round the world start doing phds on it. People like me discuss and blog it aswell!!!
Other funny aspect is that these figures fall in the maths category. I just had a discussion about this with my friend here. His arguement was that its all geometric shapes, so its geometry and so its maths.
I dont agree with this. Then any drawing is maths!
By the way, Penrose stairway is a staircase which neither goes up nor goes down...Huh!

Thursday, November 04, 2004

Lord watching strip-tease

Near my house there was the Ganesha festival organized by a group (Don’t wonder that’s its Nov and still Ganesha festival…that’s how we celebrate). As part of the celebration, in the evening there was an orchestra and dance show. Film songs were being sung. I somehow love orchestras. I had been there to see it. 3 girls in jeans and full arm shirts came on stage for a dance. After some jhatkas, the girls took off their shirts and threw it to the crowd. Now they were in sleeveless body hugging T-shirts. I am stunned by this behavior. Look at the occasion. Ganesha festival and a semi striptease.
Where am I?

Wednesday, November 03, 2004

Where is Vanamahotsava?

Does anybody remember Vanamahotsava?
It was the day we used to plant trees(plants) when we were in schools. I remember taking some plants in plastic covers to the school and planting it in some pre-planned locations, watering it etc. Now we dont even remeber that such a day existed. Nowadays we celebrate every other stupid day like Smile day, Heart day, Hug day...but not the important ones like this plant day. We need this more now in most parts of Bangalore. The garden city is slowly loosing its green charm. There used to be lots of plants in all the new layouts with the protection (black sticks with mess, to prevent cows from eating). Now I dont see this here.
Sometimes I get this sudden josh of we should do it...But there it stops...
I was googling for some forest trek spots and hit upon this festival in one site. I then read an interesting article regarding this.

Tuesday, November 02, 2004

All in 3 days...

Saturday
Finally, I found a library which has English novels near my house. It has old collection but there are lots of magazines, kannada books etc.
I had been to the play "Love letters" along with my friends in the evening. The seating arrangement, the crowd and the play were all good. The play is actually reading of letters exchanged between a male and a female friend. They start off from childhood till they die. It shows the different feelings of friends as they age and how business etc affects them. Also talks about the same "Men are from Mars, women are from Venus" stuff. How true!

Sunday
After lots of planning, finally 4 friends of mine decided to meet and go for a movie. At the nth moment rain spoilt the plans and 2 guys couldnt turn up. It was a big dissappointment. 2 of us went to Collateral. Oops, such a horrible movie. No story, just mindless drives and killings. No philosophy also. Please avoid this crap.

Monday
Some sudden development and spent the entire day in hospital. Looks like alls well now. Hopefully!

Back to work now..after the hectic long weekend..