Thursday, December 16, 2010
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
CRICKET IN INDIA
I knew it was an insect, before I knew it was also a game. Cricket is the most popular game in South Asia. It is a long and boring game. I could never get myself to watch a full game. People look at you in disbelief, if you say you have no interest in the game. The sports pages in the newspapers are full of cricket news and if you don’t follow the game it can be irritating.
Cricket is one of the few games where players do not wear shorts and so they don’t have to reveal their legs. It is a game suitable for lazy people. In football, except for the goalkeeper, all the players are constantly on the move. In cricket, only two players are actually active, the person who bowls and the person who bats. Only two players from the side that is batting are on the field, the others are watching the game along with the spectators, till it is their time to bat. On the other side, one player bowls and the others are fielding, which means they will try to catch the ball if it comes their way. If it doesn’t, well, they just stand there.
When a batsman hits the ball, he is not eager to run between the wickets, since he doesn’t have to, if it is a four or a six. They should be made to run six times to get six runs.
Monday, November 1, 2010
GODMEN OF INDIA
All of them are fraud. Some are exposed, some will be exposed later and some will never be exposed. They claim to have the answer, when there is no answer. Their disciples are rich and poor, foreigners and Indian politicians. There are so many godmen in India because there is large scale poverty, illiteracy and deep rooted superstitious beliefs. Even presidents and prime ministers of India have been followers. Some politicians cultivate these godmen so that they can get the votes of their followers.
There is a godman who performs magic tricks, like producing Rolex watches out of thin air, to impress his followers and another was an arms dealer. Most of them are involved in shady businesses. There are some godmen who also run hospitals which give free service to the poor. This is the only good thing they do, though it may be a public relations ploy.
Foreign disciples are given more importance and seated in prime locations during functions so as to attract more of them. Also, Indians who see them are impressed and come in larger numbers, thinking that there must be something in it, if people from distant countries are also coming as disciples. Foreign disciples are useful because the gullible among them make large donations and also help the organization to grow abroad. Sometimes their addresses are used as foreign offices for the organization. Some foreign disciples prefer to stay on in India since the cost of living is lower here. Some of these disciples are actually very astute and occupy key positions in the organization so as to swindle the money.
Some godmen have very large organizations, but when they die, it collapses or gets reduced to a small setup and the disciples who held key positions live luxurious lives in different parts of the world with the money they swindled.
Though billions of dollars are involved, the income tax department which harasses the common man will not dare investigate the godmen because of their political connections.
There is a godman who performs magic tricks, like producing Rolex watches out of thin air, to impress his followers and another was an arms dealer. Most of them are involved in shady businesses. There are some godmen who also run hospitals which give free service to the poor. This is the only good thing they do, though it may be a public relations ploy.
Foreign disciples are given more importance and seated in prime locations during functions so as to attract more of them. Also, Indians who see them are impressed and come in larger numbers, thinking that there must be something in it, if people from distant countries are also coming as disciples. Foreign disciples are useful because the gullible among them make large donations and also help the organization to grow abroad. Sometimes their addresses are used as foreign offices for the organization. Some foreign disciples prefer to stay on in India since the cost of living is lower here. Some of these disciples are actually very astute and occupy key positions in the organization so as to swindle the money.
Some godmen have very large organizations, but when they die, it collapses or gets reduced to a small setup and the disciples who held key positions live luxurious lives in different parts of the world with the money they swindled.
Though billions of dollars are involved, the income tax department which harasses the common man will not dare investigate the godmen because of their political connections.
Friday, October 15, 2010
CHILE - Mine Rescue
It was amazing to see the 33 trapped miners being brought up, one by one, in a rescue capsule on live TV.
These men were trapped 2000 feet underground for 69 days in the San Jose mine near Copiapo, when a tunnel collapsed on 5/8/10.They spent 17 days in isolation, rationing meagre supplies till drillers located them on 22/8/10 and provided a lifeline to carry food, water and medicine.
It took another 52 days for engineers working round the clock to drill a shaft with space enough to bring them up one at a time in a specially designed capsule.
Chilean President Sebastian Pinera was on hand to ensure the workers got what they needed.
When the last miner came out on 13/10/10, there was a feeling that this was mankind’s greatest feat since Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
BANGALORE 2010 - The other side
On earlier visits, I had always gone to places on M.G. road or some nice place and left thinking this was one of the better places in the country. My last visit was in 2000. Ten years later, I visit again expecting a lot more since I have heard of the city being referred to as the ‘Silicon Valley of India’ and a ‘World Class City’.
I visited an organization on Mysore Road and on the way back got down at the city market and walked around. It was not an impressive place.
There were more people, more vehicles and a few flyovers. There were paintings on the walls of some of the sub-ways.
While I was taking a photo of the bus stand, a policeman approached me and told me it was prohibited and that I had to pay a fine. He was probably expecting a bribe. I gave him a stare and walked away.
I went to the railway station to get a ticket and saw a large crowd near the counter. I stood in a long queue but within a few minutes, I was at the counter buying my ticket. Indian Railways provided quick service at the counter.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
WORDS I LIKE
Visitors always give pleasure, if not the arrival, the departure.
In the vastness of the Universe, man and his planet signify nothing.
Life is meaningless and futile – Francis Bacon (British Artist)
Give a man a fish and you’ll feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you’ll feed him for a lifetime.
Give a man a fish and you’ll feed him for a day. Give him a religion and he’ll starve to death praying for a fish.
Don’t rely too much on technology – Donald Trump
Victory has many fathers, defeat is an orphan – JFK
We are doing fine but we can do better – JFK
The measure of a man is how he cares for his children – Sydney Poitier
The rich focus on their assets, the poor focus on their income.
I can’t be impartial between the fire and the fireman – Winston Churchill
Who you are speaks so loudly, I can’t hear what you’re saying –Ralph Waldo Emerson
Don’t panic, under any circumstances.
Just because you have children, it doesn’t mean you are entitled to more of the resources of this world – Bill Maher
There is no honour in kicking someone when he is down.
You can kill a good man, but you can’t kill a good idea – Bobby Fisher on ‘Fisher Random Chess’
A smile can take you far, a smile and a gun can take you further – Al Capone
A man who cannot tolerate small ills can never accomplish great things – Chinese Proverb
It is not always the one who plays in the mud that gets dirty.
A drowning man clutches at a straw.
I know you are not as stupid as you look, nobody could be – Funny insult
I always have the last word. The last word is “Yes’ – Roger Moore on his successful marriage
The more you use your brain, the better it works.
When you kill a man, you take away all that he has got, all that he is ever going to be – Clint Eastwood in ‘Unforgiven’
Crime is a result of disorder. If a broken window is left unrepaired, people conclude nobody cares, soon more windows will be broken and anarchy spreads.
When you are down, you have no place to go but up.
When justice is not found in the courts of law, violence erupts on the streets – JFK
Birds of a feather, flock together.
The bigger they come the harder they fall.
We judge ourselves by what we feel capable of doing. While others judge us by what we have already done – Henry Wordsworth
Life is unfair – JFK
When they tell you to jump, you jump. You make me sick – About the army
Speak well of your neighbour or keep quiet – Don Bosco
You can judge a man by the company he keeps.
If you loose communication, you loose control.
Sometimes it is better not to have what you want, than to have what you don’t want.
Everybody thinks there is more to it than there really is and that somebody else is having all the fun – About sex
There can be progress only when there is change.
In the ultimate analysis, you are alone in this world – Indira Gandhi
Nothing worth having comes easy.
The dictators stashed away billions of dollars, taking their own immortality a bit too seriously.
Being a good human being is the most important thing in life – George Foreman
People’s lives can change dramatically within a short time, for better or worse.
Fish and guests stink after the third day.
Never buy something that you are not going to use.
The decisions you make, affects the life you lead.
If you see someone without a smile, give him one of yours.
For I could not stop for death, he kindly stopped for me – Emily Dickenson
You can do nothing to change the past, but you can work for a better future – Bill Clinton in Bosnia
A fool and his money are soon parted.
Three P’s to be careful of: Police, Press, and Politician.
Three rings of marriage: engagement ring, wedding ring and suffering.
In life all of us get the same amount of ice, the poor get it in winter, the rich get it in summer – Bat Masterson
A bad temper is a sign of inferiority.
He knows nothing and thinks he knows everything. That points clearly to a political career – George Bernard Shaw.
‘Let naught cover my grave but the green grass, for green grass suffices as a covering for the lowly’
- On tombstone of Princess Jahanara d/o Shahjahan and Mumtaz Mahal
If a man isn’t here, he is somewhere else – Ancient Japanese proverb
If you don’t change what you are doing, all of your tomorrows will look like yesterday.
Little girls are won with dolls, big ones with dollars.
The easiest way to make enemies is to make some changes – Woodrow Wilson
Evil prospers when good men stay silent.
It is not what you have, but who you have in life that matters.
The worth of money is not in its possession, but in its use.
A lifetime of happiness! No man alive could bear it; it would be hell on earth.
George Bernard Shaw
The fact that a believer is happier than a skeptic is no more to the point than the fact that a drunken man is happier than a sober one.
George Bernard Shaw
I've never had a problem with drugs.
I've had problems with the police - Keith Richards
Neither a borrower, nor a lender be – William Shakespeare
A government that robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul.
- George Bernard Shaw
Unnecessary possessions are unnecessary burdens.
If you have them, you have to take care of them.
Learn the wisdom of compromise, for it is better to bend a little than to break.
I can't drive in India. They don't stop at the red lights.
What is the red light for? Is it for your decoration? - Oprah Winfrey in India
And in the end, its not the years in your life that count.
It's the life in your years. - Abraham Lincoln
Other people are not here to live up to your expectations.
The talent for being happy is appreciating and liking what you have,
instead of what you don't have. - Woody Allen
If you are not failing every now and again,
its a sign you're not doing anything very innovative. - Woody Allen
Marriage is not a word, it is a sentence.
Age is an issue of mind over matter.If you don't mind it doesn't matter. - Mark Twain
Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt. - Mark Twain
Don't take life too seriously, you can't get out of it alive.
In the vastness of the Universe, man and his planet signify nothing.
Life is meaningless and futile – Francis Bacon (British Artist)
Give a man a fish and you’ll feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you’ll feed him for a lifetime.
Give a man a fish and you’ll feed him for a day. Give him a religion and he’ll starve to death praying for a fish.
Don’t rely too much on technology – Donald Trump
Victory has many fathers, defeat is an orphan – JFK
We are doing fine but we can do better – JFK
The measure of a man is how he cares for his children – Sydney Poitier
The rich focus on their assets, the poor focus on their income.
I can’t be impartial between the fire and the fireman – Winston Churchill
Who you are speaks so loudly, I can’t hear what you’re saying –Ralph Waldo Emerson
Don’t panic, under any circumstances.
Just because you have children, it doesn’t mean you are entitled to more of the resources of this world – Bill Maher
There is no honour in kicking someone when he is down.
You can kill a good man, but you can’t kill a good idea – Bobby Fisher on ‘Fisher Random Chess’
A smile can take you far, a smile and a gun can take you further – Al Capone
A man who cannot tolerate small ills can never accomplish great things – Chinese Proverb
It is not always the one who plays in the mud that gets dirty.
A drowning man clutches at a straw.
I know you are not as stupid as you look, nobody could be – Funny insult
I always have the last word. The last word is “Yes’ – Roger Moore on his successful marriage
The more you use your brain, the better it works.
When you kill a man, you take away all that he has got, all that he is ever going to be – Clint Eastwood in ‘Unforgiven’
Crime is a result of disorder. If a broken window is left unrepaired, people conclude nobody cares, soon more windows will be broken and anarchy spreads.
When you are down, you have no place to go but up.
When justice is not found in the courts of law, violence erupts on the streets – JFK
Birds of a feather, flock together.
The bigger they come the harder they fall.
We judge ourselves by what we feel capable of doing. While others judge us by what we have already done – Henry Wordsworth
Life is unfair – JFK
When they tell you to jump, you jump. You make me sick – About the army
Speak well of your neighbour or keep quiet – Don Bosco
You can judge a man by the company he keeps.
If you loose communication, you loose control.
Sometimes it is better not to have what you want, than to have what you don’t want.
Everybody thinks there is more to it than there really is and that somebody else is having all the fun – About sex
There can be progress only when there is change.
In the ultimate analysis, you are alone in this world – Indira Gandhi
Nothing worth having comes easy.
The dictators stashed away billions of dollars, taking their own immortality a bit too seriously.
Being a good human being is the most important thing in life – George Foreman
People’s lives can change dramatically within a short time, for better or worse.
Fish and guests stink after the third day.
Never buy something that you are not going to use.
The decisions you make, affects the life you lead.
If you see someone without a smile, give him one of yours.
For I could not stop for death, he kindly stopped for me – Emily Dickenson
You can do nothing to change the past, but you can work for a better future – Bill Clinton in Bosnia
A fool and his money are soon parted.
Three P’s to be careful of: Police, Press, and Politician.
Three rings of marriage: engagement ring, wedding ring and suffering.
In life all of us get the same amount of ice, the poor get it in winter, the rich get it in summer – Bat Masterson
A bad temper is a sign of inferiority.
He knows nothing and thinks he knows everything. That points clearly to a political career – George Bernard Shaw.
‘Let naught cover my grave but the green grass, for green grass suffices as a covering for the lowly’
- On tombstone of Princess Jahanara d/o Shahjahan and Mumtaz Mahal
If a man isn’t here, he is somewhere else – Ancient Japanese proverb
If you don’t change what you are doing, all of your tomorrows will look like yesterday.
Little girls are won with dolls, big ones with dollars.
The easiest way to make enemies is to make some changes – Woodrow Wilson
Evil prospers when good men stay silent.
It is not what you have, but who you have in life that matters.
The worth of money is not in its possession, but in its use.
A lifetime of happiness! No man alive could bear it; it would be hell on earth.
George Bernard Shaw
The fact that a believer is happier than a skeptic is no more to the point than the fact that a drunken man is happier than a sober one.
George Bernard Shaw
I've never had a problem with drugs.
I've had problems with the police - Keith Richards
Neither a borrower, nor a lender be – William Shakespeare
A government that robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul.
- George Bernard Shaw
Unnecessary possessions are unnecessary burdens.
If you have them, you have to take care of them.
Learn the wisdom of compromise, for it is better to bend a little than to break.
I can't drive in India. They don't stop at the red lights.
What is the red light for? Is it for your decoration? - Oprah Winfrey in India
And in the end, its not the years in your life that count.
It's the life in your years. - Abraham Lincoln
Other people are not here to live up to your expectations.
The talent for being happy is appreciating and liking what you have,
instead of what you don't have. - Woody Allen
If you are not failing every now and again,
its a sign you're not doing anything very innovative. - Woody Allen
Marriage is not a word, it is a sentence.
Age is an issue of mind over matter.If you don't mind it doesn't matter. - Mark Twain
Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt. - Mark Twain
Don't take life too seriously, you can't get out of it alive.
Friday, October 1, 2010
PSALM 23
The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul:
he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;
thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
-- David
I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul:
he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;
thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
-- David
Saturday, September 25, 2010
HOMELESS
I envy those
who have a house of their own.
Who can say their feet
rest on what is theirs alone.
Who do not live on sufferance
in strangers' shells,
as my family has all our life
and as I probably will.
A place on the earth untenured,
soil, grass, brick, air,
to know I will never have to move.
To review the seasons from one lair.
When nights come, to lie down in peace.
To know that I may die as I have slept.
That things will not revert to a
stranger’s hand.
That those I love, may keep what I
have kept.
- Vikram Seth
who have a house of their own.
Who can say their feet
rest on what is theirs alone.
Who do not live on sufferance
in strangers' shells,
as my family has all our life
and as I probably will.
A place on the earth untenured,
soil, grass, brick, air,
to know I will never have to move.
To review the seasons from one lair.
When nights come, to lie down in peace.
To know that I may die as I have slept.
That things will not revert to a
stranger’s hand.
That those I love, may keep what I
have kept.
- Vikram Seth
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Saturday, September 4, 2010
A PLEA FOR ACTION
They came first for the Communists..
but I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist.
Then they came for the Jews...
but I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.
Then they came for the Unionists...
but I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Unionist.
Then they came for the Catholics...
but I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant.
Then they came for me...
and by that time...
there was no-one left to speak up for me.
Rev. Martin Niemoller, commenting on events in Germany 1933-1939
but I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist.
Then they came for the Jews...
but I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.
Then they came for the Unionists...
but I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Unionist.
Then they came for the Catholics...
but I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant.
Then they came for me...
and by that time...
there was no-one left to speak up for me.
Rev. Martin Niemoller, commenting on events in Germany 1933-1939
SHOES
As Gandhi boarded a train, one of his shoes slipped off and landed on the track. He was unable to retrieve it as the train was moving. To the amazement of his companions, Gandhi calmly took off his other shoe and threw it back along the track to land close to the first. Asked by a fellow passenger why he did so, Gandhi smiled and replied, "The man who finds the shoes lying on the track will now have a pair he can use."
Thursday, September 2, 2010
SRI LANKA
Sri Lanka is very similar to India. The people look like Indians. I have made several transits through Colombo, but stayed only for one night at Katunayake and one day at Negombo.
Negombo did not seem like a developed town. We stayed at the Goldi Sands Hotel and went around the area. The beach was beautiful. We could see only small shops and restaurants. Visited a Catholic Church nearby and spent some time there. It was december and there were Christmas decorations and cribs on the street sides. There must be a sizeable Christian population in Negombo. We had food at a small restaurant and were surprised to know that they accept Indian currency.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
EYDHAFUSHI
Eydhafushi is the capital of Baa Atoll. It is one of the more developed islands in Maldives. There is a hospital, post office and bank. There are two mobile phone towers. The resort ‘Soneva Fushi’ is on a nearby island.
Boats anchor at the jetty. Local boats called dhoni’s are used for carrying passengers and for fishing. There are also speed boats. The jetty is like a large swimming pool and sometimes people use it as one. I used to sit near the jetty at night after dinner to enjoy the breeze and watch the boats come and go. Sometimes people rush towards an arriving fishing dhoni to buy the catch.
Baa Atoll Education Centre (BAEC) is literally the centre of the island. It is located at the centre of the island and is also the centre for most of the activities on the island. The island has a population of about 2000 people and almost every family has someone at BAEC, either a student or staff. Students at BAEC are a varied lot. Some are very interested in their studies and some others have no interest at all. ‘Prize day’ is the biggest event on the island. Usually, the Education Minister is the chief guest. Prizes are awarded to the top students from each class. Everyone dresses well for the occasion.
During the evening the sunset on the western side of the island is a beautiful sight.
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