Taken from 10 May issue of Deccan Chronicle
Thursday, May 10, 2007
100 years of 1857.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Well here's one more bit of evidence to show the truth in the saying. Very poignant picture, in my opinion. The background and the foreground couldn't be more similar, or more contrasted at the same time. I am eagerly awaiting your comments on this.
Taken from 10 May issue of Deccan Chronicle
Taken from 10 May issue of Deccan Chronicle
Monday, May 07, 2007
My favourite scene in Chatrapathi
My most favourite scene in Chatrapathi....ahh wish I could be like that!!!
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
India Poised
In my opinion, I do not want to criticise anything, without saying to myself "I can fix it" or "I can play my part in fixing it". After two heavy posts criticising India, or more specifically its laws which seem to contradict with its ideals of freedom of speech, I thought to myself "What can I do to fix this?"
My answer is this. India Poised. It's old, but it is something I take up and notice. We are a nation in our 60th year of Independence. Japan was obliterated during WWII and now it is a forefront nation in the developed world. We are but two years "younger" than Japan, but we always seem to be, in PK Varma's words, a "developing nation". The question we need to ask is why. I believe India Poised has an answer to this question.
I reproduce the anthem as follows:
(Taken from here)
The inspirational effect is multiplied by a big factor, when the booming baritone voice of Amitabh Bahchan recites it. Watch it below:
(Video taken from here)
My answer is this. India Poised. It's old, but it is something I take up and notice. We are a nation in our 60th year of Independence. Japan was obliterated during WWII and now it is a forefront nation in the developed world. We are but two years "younger" than Japan, but we always seem to be, in PK Varma's words, a "developing nation". The question we need to ask is why. I believe India Poised has an answer to this question.
I reproduce the anthem as follows:
There are two Indias in this country.
One India is straining at the leash, eager to spring forth and live up to all the expectations the world has been showering recently upon us.
The other India is the leash.
One India says, give me chance, and I'll prove myself. The other India says, prove yourself first, and maybe then you'll have a chance
One India lies in the optimism of our hearts. The other India lurks in the skepticism of our minds.
One India wants. The other India hopes.
One India leads. The other India follows.
But conversions are on the rise. With each passing day more and more people from the other India have been coming to this side. And quietly, while the world is not looking, a pulsating, dynamic new India is emerging.
An India who's faith in success is far greater than its fear of failure. An India that no longer boycotts foreign made goods, but buys out the companies that make them instead.
History they say, is a bad motorist. It rarely ever signals its intentions when it is taking a turn
This is a rarely ever moment. History is turning a page.
For more than half a century, our nation has sprung, stumbled, run, fallen, rolled over, got up, dusted herself and cantered, sometimes lurched on. But today as we begin our 60th year as a free nation, the ride has brought us to the edge of time's great precipice.
And one India - the tiny little voice at the back of the head - is looking down and hesitating.
The other India is looking up into the sky and saying, it's time to fly.
(Taken from here)
The inspirational effect is multiplied by a big factor, when the booming baritone voice of Amitabh Bahchan recites it. Watch it below:
(Video taken from here)
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Freedom Redefined
Until 22nd April 2007:
Until my 21st birthday, my opinion on the Indian National flag, were relatively mainstream. I strongly believed that "Flag Code of India – 2002" was correct and its punitive actions necessity. I argued, how could it be that those who were born under this very flag, can get away with showing disrespect. Furthermore, I was also proud of the Flag Code of India - 2002, as it allowed me a privilege which I wouldn't have been allowed under the previous "The Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950". Improper use of the National Emblem was (and is) an offence under the "THE PREVENTION OF INSULTS TO NATIONAL HONOUR ACT, 1971", and is punishable by a prison term of not more than a year. A similar law exists for the National Anthem. As the act says :
On April 22 2007:
I celebrated my 21st birthday. Among the presents I got, were two books. One was "Bad President", written by RD Rosen, Harry Prichett and Rob Battles. The other was "The Argumentative Indian" written by Nobel Laureate, Amartya Sen. I got to reading the former book, and Pages 98 and 99 really pricked my conscience. I produce a snippet as follows:
I thought to myself, well GWB may be dumb-ish, but he's sort of on a good track here. Then i read this:
This was a quote by Justice William J Brennan Reading this quote, I decided to let my brain ponder over it while I got some sleep.
April 23 2007 till present:
The next day, I read Amartya Sen's book, and I paid particular attention to his 5th Essay, entitled "Tagore and His India". In that essay, he mentions Tagore's extreme dislike of fervent nationalism. It mentions his novel The Home and the World where the protagonist Nikhil, says:
Thus I conclude, in apologising to anyone I have forced to respect the Flag of India. I am sorry
Until my 21st birthday, my opinion on the Indian National flag, were relatively mainstream. I strongly believed that "Flag Code of India – 2002" was correct and its punitive actions necessity. I argued, how could it be that those who were born under this very flag, can get away with showing disrespect. Furthermore, I was also proud of the Flag Code of India - 2002, as it allowed me a privilege which I wouldn't have been allowed under the previous "The Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950". Improper use of the National Emblem was (and is) an offence under the "THE PREVENTION OF INSULTS TO NATIONAL HONOUR ACT, 1971", and is punishable by a prison term of not more than a year. A similar law exists for the National Anthem. As the act says :
Whoever intentionally prevents the singing of the Indian National Anthem or causes disturbances to any assembly engaged in such singing shall be punished withI thought this was quite right. After all, these are the most potent symbols of nationalism, and if one isn't considerate enough to respect, nay, deify the flag and the anthem they were born under, they should be taught a lesson. In fact many a time I felt immensely pleased when I read/heard about articles in which ordinary Indian Citizens chided their fellow Indian citizens as they had shown scant respect for the flag.
imprisonment for a term, which may extend to three years, or with fine, or with both
On April 22 2007:
I celebrated my 21st birthday. Among the presents I got, were two books. One was "Bad President", written by RD Rosen, Harry Prichett and Rob Battles. The other was "The Argumentative Indian" written by Nobel Laureate, Amartya Sen. I got to reading the former book, and Pages 98 and 99 really pricked my conscience. I produce a snippet as follows:
In Summer 2003, President Bush endorsed amending the First Amendment to make desecrating the flag, unconstitutional.
I thought to myself, well GWB may be dumb-ish, but he's sort of on a good track here. Then i read this:
...We do not consecrate the flag by punishing its desecration, for in doing so we dilute the freedom that this cherised emblem represents....
This was a quote by Justice William J Brennan Reading this quote, I decided to let my brain ponder over it while I got some sleep.
April 23 2007 till present:
The next day, I read Amartya Sen's book, and I paid particular attention to his 5th Essay, entitled "Tagore and His India". In that essay, he mentions Tagore's extreme dislike of fervent nationalism. It mentions his novel The Home and the World where the protagonist Nikhil, says:
I am willing to serve my country; but my wirship I server for Right which is far greater than my country. To worship my country as a god is to bring a curse upon it.My conscicence truly pricked, I went through the Wikipedia to find more information on the cases and other related cases. The information I gathered is here in 1, 2, 3, and 4 . Thus, I have realised one truth. I was wrong. In my opinion, punishing Indians for not standing up for the national anthem or for desecrating the flag, is as Justice Brennan said, diluting the freedom that the emblem represents. I am proud of my country, and of its national symbols, and I shall strive to give utmost respect it deserves. But to force my expression onto others is denying their right to expression, and that certainly is unconstitutional.
Thus I conclude, in apologising to anyone I have forced to respect the Flag of India. I am sorry
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Rest In Peace
I pray that souls of Prof. G.V. Loganathan and Ms.Minal Panchal Rest In Peace.
They shall be remembered.
Lest we forget.
They shall be remembered.
Lest we forget.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Wake up India!!!
Couple of days ago, I was watching the movie Krantiveer. For those who may not have seen it, allow me to give you a brief update. Nana Patekar, plays a man called Pratap, who has no aim or ambition in life. However, he is a good man at heart, and his observations, are acerbic, honest, and brutally truthful. The movie details incidents, which make Pratap from a man of no vision to a man with a mission and vision statement (if I may use that term). The movie isn't a master piece, but Nana Patekar's fiery acting, is just breathtaking. The observances he makes, are stark and without any sugarcoating. Of particular note is the outburst when a woman is screaming for male help as two male thugs try forcing her into prostitution. The other, and IMO by far a more powerful speech is at the end, delivered at Kranti Maidan, when he rightly points out our inherent deficiences. Although some parts of the monologue are heavily jignositic, it must not take away from the more poignant moments of the scene. It is simply brilliant.
Anyway, after watching Krantiveer, I sat back and I thought to myself, we as Indians haven't changed a bit. We boast about our culture, our family values, our "morality", our this and that, yet we are second in the world with AIDS, have largest amount of illiterates in the world, is home to a conflict that has taken over 60 years, yet shows no sign of resolution and much more. We are world leaders in many areas, but not all of them are ones to be proud of. For every Narayana Murthy, we have a Phoolan Devi, for every Ambani, Tata, Birla, we have a Laloo Prasad Yadav, Jagdish Tytler, Shibu Soren. Is this something I look at and say, I am proud to be Indian??
60 years ago, on August 15th 1947, Shri Jawaharlal Nehru said those immortal words in the Constituent Assembly "Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially ... The achievement we celebrate today is but a step, an opening of opportunity, to the greater triumphs and achievements that await us. Are we brave enough and wise enough to grasp this opportunity and accept the challenge of the future". Our freedom, as Amit Varma so often notices, can sometimes be very superficial. See this for more details. It is sad to note that while India's Constitution in Article 19(1) provides Fundamental Rights, it applies various restrictions in 19(2), with vague sounding definitions as "morality", "decency" etc. Contrast this to the American Bill of Rights, namely the First Amendment, stating "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances". Thats it. Nothing about morality, decency, public good, no Kantian ideals there. Just a simple rule. Is it any wonder why the call America the free country?
However, let us not rush into blame the Constitution for everything bad that has happened to India, neither should we blame the politicians. The Preamble of the Indian Constitution reads "We the People of the Sovreign ... Republic of India". Then why, when some scandal breaks, when we see riots, when violence breaks out, when India loses the cricket, why oh why do we friggin blame other people. Sure, those in power abuse their responsibility more often then not, so why the hell do we not say, "ENOUGH!!" We keep on voting the same or similar jackass to power, and then sit back and say "Politics has ruined our nation". I ask you this, has politics ruined USA? Australia? UK? New Zealand? If these countries are "untainted" by politics, on what basis of evidence can we say politics has ruined India. We are a nation of one billion people. Yes it is hard to represent them, as the demographics of US, Australia etc, are vastly different from the demographics of India. However, we Indians are used to slavery. As Pratap says in Krantiveer, we enjoyed firstly being enslaved by Kings, then the British, and now we love being enslaved by politicians. We revel in our ability to bend and evade rules, we bask in the glory of being able to pay off a cop, although we may have committed a serious traffic offence. Heck, if middle class and upper-middle class elitists like us, don't give a royal damn about the country, why on God's green earth should those, who don't even know if they are going to get two square meals a day do so? We blame poverty for all our ills, but what have we done to uproot the causes? The best way of eradicating poverty is by redistribution of wealth, and embrace of market reforms. However, we are lazy to implement that, but are active at crying ourselves hoarse.
One may argue, that all countries fight have their own fair share of problems. I concur. However, I am yet to see a country, so laid-back about its problems, that rather than facing them head on, we'd rather go to another country, and settle there for a "better future". All I say is, well with that attitude, we might as well invite a foreign ruler back. Or rather, should we be like the UNSC, and get the one of the P5 members to rule over us for a period of time before handing it over to the next member?
Anyway, after watching Krantiveer, I sat back and I thought to myself, we as Indians haven't changed a bit. We boast about our culture, our family values, our "morality", our this and that, yet we are second in the world with AIDS, have largest amount of illiterates in the world, is home to a conflict that has taken over 60 years, yet shows no sign of resolution and much more. We are world leaders in many areas, but not all of them are ones to be proud of. For every Narayana Murthy, we have a Phoolan Devi, for every Ambani, Tata, Birla, we have a Laloo Prasad Yadav, Jagdish Tytler, Shibu Soren. Is this something I look at and say, I am proud to be Indian??
60 years ago, on August 15th 1947, Shri Jawaharlal Nehru said those immortal words in the Constituent Assembly "Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially ... The achievement we celebrate today is but a step, an opening of opportunity, to the greater triumphs and achievements that await us. Are we brave enough and wise enough to grasp this opportunity and accept the challenge of the future". Our freedom, as Amit Varma so often notices, can sometimes be very superficial. See this for more details. It is sad to note that while India's Constitution in Article 19(1) provides Fundamental Rights, it applies various restrictions in 19(2), with vague sounding definitions as "morality", "decency" etc. Contrast this to the American Bill of Rights, namely the First Amendment, stating "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances". Thats it. Nothing about morality, decency, public good, no Kantian ideals there. Just a simple rule. Is it any wonder why the call America the free country?
However, let us not rush into blame the Constitution for everything bad that has happened to India, neither should we blame the politicians. The Preamble of the Indian Constitution reads "We the People of the Sovreign ... Republic of India". Then why, when some scandal breaks, when we see riots, when violence breaks out, when India loses the cricket, why oh why do we friggin blame other people. Sure, those in power abuse their responsibility more often then not, so why the hell do we not say, "ENOUGH!!" We keep on voting the same or similar jackass to power, and then sit back and say "Politics has ruined our nation". I ask you this, has politics ruined USA? Australia? UK? New Zealand? If these countries are "untainted" by politics, on what basis of evidence can we say politics has ruined India. We are a nation of one billion people. Yes it is hard to represent them, as the demographics of US, Australia etc, are vastly different from the demographics of India. However, we Indians are used to slavery. As Pratap says in Krantiveer, we enjoyed firstly being enslaved by Kings, then the British, and now we love being enslaved by politicians. We revel in our ability to bend and evade rules, we bask in the glory of being able to pay off a cop, although we may have committed a serious traffic offence. Heck, if middle class and upper-middle class elitists like us, don't give a royal damn about the country, why on God's green earth should those, who don't even know if they are going to get two square meals a day do so? We blame poverty for all our ills, but what have we done to uproot the causes? The best way of eradicating poverty is by redistribution of wealth, and embrace of market reforms. However, we are lazy to implement that, but are active at crying ourselves hoarse.
One may argue, that all countries fight have their own fair share of problems. I concur. However, I am yet to see a country, so laid-back about its problems, that rather than facing them head on, we'd rather go to another country, and settle there for a "better future". All I say is, well with that attitude, we might as well invite a foreign ruler back. Or rather, should we be like the UNSC, and get the one of the P5 members to rule over us for a period of time before handing it over to the next member?
Monday, February 26, 2007
About Cows and Milk
This is funny stuff!!
Joke: Emerging 'isms' of the new economy
INFOSYSism
You have a 1000 poor cows. You put them on a nice campus, & send them one at a time to the US for milking.
PATNIism
You have 10 cows. You make them work so that they give milk of 100 cows.
WIPROism
GE has a cow. You take 49% of the milk.
DELLism
Intel has a Goat. Samsung has a Camel. Buy milk from both & sell it as Cow's milk.
IBMism
You have old stubborn cows. You sell them as pet dogs to innocent small businessmen.
MICROSOFTism
You have a cow. Force the world to buy milk from you. Spend a million dollars to feed poorer cows.
SUNism
You have a bull. It doesn't give milk. You hate Microsoft.
ORACLEism
You have a cow. You don't know which side to milk, so you sell tools to help milk cows.
SAPism
You don't have a cow You sell milking solutions for cows implemented by milking consultants.
APPLEism
You have a cow. You sell iMilk.
SONYism
You have a cow. You spend $50 mn to develop the world's thinnest milk.
CITIBANKism
Welcome to Citibank. If you have a cow, press 1. If you have a bull, press 2...stay on line if you'd like our customer care to milk it for you.
HPism
You don't know if what you have is a cow. You sell complete milking solutions through authorised resellers only.
GEism
You have a donkey. People think you have a 100-year old cow. If someone finds out, that's his imagination at work.
RELIANCEism
You don't yet have a cow. You sell empty cans to people for Rs. 501, because Dhirubhai wanted everyone to have milk.
TATAism
You have a very old cow. You re-brand it as TATA Indicow.
Joke: Emerging 'isms' of the new economy
INFOSYSism
You have a 1000 poor cows. You put them on a nice campus, & send them one at a time to the US for milking.
PATNIism
You have 10 cows. You make them work so that they give milk of 100 cows.
WIPROism
GE has a cow. You take 49% of the milk.
DELLism
Intel has a Goat. Samsung has a Camel. Buy milk from both & sell it as Cow's milk.
IBMism
You have old stubborn cows. You sell them as pet dogs to innocent small businessmen.
MICROSOFTism
You have a cow. Force the world to buy milk from you. Spend a million dollars to feed poorer cows.
SUNism
You have a bull. It doesn't give milk. You hate Microsoft.
ORACLEism
You have a cow. You don't know which side to milk, so you sell tools to help milk cows.
SAPism
You don't have a cow You sell milking solutions for cows implemented by milking consultants.
APPLEism
You have a cow. You sell iMilk.
SONYism
You have a cow. You spend $50 mn to develop the world's thinnest milk.
CITIBANKism
Welcome to Citibank. If you have a cow, press 1. If you have a bull, press 2...stay on line if you'd like our customer care to milk it for you.
HPism
You don't know if what you have is a cow. You sell complete milking solutions through authorised resellers only.
GEism
You have a donkey. People think you have a 100-year old cow. If someone finds out, that's his imagination at work.
RELIANCEism
You don't yet have a cow. You sell empty cans to people for Rs. 501, because Dhirubhai wanted everyone to have milk.
TATAism
You have a very old cow. You re-brand it as TATA Indicow.
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Apologies
Dear All,
My apologies for having neglected this blog. I will once again be back to blogging very soon.
Apologies once again :-D
Regards,
Prasanna
My apologies for having neglected this blog. I will once again be back to blogging very soon.
Apologies once again :-D
Regards,
Prasanna
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
My photoplay 1
Astute readers of this blog, the few that there are, would have noticed that I have tried my hand at screenplays. Not having met with success as much as I would like, I have decided to take one step back and see how an attempt at a photoplay goes. Thanks to the email sent by Sujata Kovalam. However, the reconstruction is my effort alone.
This photo play is set to the hit song from Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai, "Aye mere dil tu gaayejaa", and may be reflective of the current Indian team's performance in South Africa. Indeed, that is what the photoplay suggests. So therefore without further ado...
This photo play is set to the hit song from Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai, "Aye mere dil tu gaayejaa", and may be reflective of the current Indian team's performance in South Africa. Indeed, that is what the photoplay suggests. So therefore without further ado...
Ek Paal Ka Jeena
Phir To Hain Jaana
Tohfa Kya Leke Jaayie
Dil Yeh Bataana
Khali Haath Aaye The Hum
Khali Haath Jayenge
Bus Pyar Ke Do Meethen Bol Jhilmilayenge
To Hans Kyon Ki Duniya Ko Hain Hasana
Ae Mere Dil Tu Gaye Ja
Ae Aaye Aao Aaye Aa
Sorry for the long delay
Sorry to all the (few) people that read my blog, for a long delay in posting. I had exams for the past month, and hence haven't been able to post regularly. However, as a method of repentence, here is a little something, sent to me by both Sudha and Sudheendra (Sunny), no relation to each other, despite having a 'Sudh' followed by a vowel, hehehe!!! (Sorry for my bad attempt at a joke)
See below...........
See below...........
ATTENTION
ALIENS ARE COMING TO ABDUCT ALL
THE GOOD LOOKING AND SEXY PEOPLE.
YOU WILL BE SAFE,
I'M JUST EMAILING TO SAY GOODBYE
ALIENS ARE COMING TO ABDUCT ALL
THE GOOD LOOKING AND SEXY PEOPLE.
YOU WILL BE SAFE,
I'M JUST EMAILING TO SAY GOODBYE
Friday, October 27, 2006
Aaya India
Notwithstanding India's failure in the Champions Trophy (from what I read in the press), the video below is still good. Maybe Team India should have a look and see the hopes we have for them!!!
GO INDIA!!! OOH AAH INDIA AAYA INDIA!!!!!!!!!!
(I will have a decent blog entry soon, just don't know when though)
GO INDIA!!! OOH AAH INDIA AAYA INDIA!!!!!!!!!!
(I will have a decent blog entry soon, just don't know when though)
Friday, October 13, 2006
My screenplay 2
My screenplay for the Mangal Ho (Aatma) song, from MPTR
Tannn tannn....
Sabne suna re...
Show Wayville Pavilion
Danka bole dhum dhum,
Ramping shot of Ridley Centre front
Jago jago ab tum,
Ramping shot of Ridley Centre right side
Neend me ho kyu tum, oooo...
Cut to: Leaves on the ground of Wayville Pavilion
Jago re jago, jagoooo reeee....
Students start slowing trickling in
Jagi jagi hai dharti saar aur jaaga jaaga hai ambar
Jagi jagi hai nadiyaan saari aur jaga jaga hai sagar, jagoooo...
((Mangal Mangal)*3 hooo)*4
From feet up, show close up frontal shot of Prasanna, walking majestically, from the Wayville Pavilion entrance
Show left view, Prasanna, and surrounded by friends, walking in step
Dekho dekho samay kya dikhaay,
Show right view
Dekh kar bhi na biswaas aay,
Koi exam likhne ab jaa raha hai,
Focus on the backpack of Prasanna, and slowly focus on Prasanna
Kitne gaurav-se sar ko uthaay,
Frontal of Prasanna, writ in concentration
Dhanya hai bhaag har us mata ke,
Jo aisa beta paay,
Frontal of Prasanna smiling
Jo needar hai,
Woh amar hai,
Prasanna looks around at his friends, allays their nerves, fearless about the exam
Exam likhne (hai) to aise likhenge,
((Mangal Mangal)*3 hooo)*4
Prasanna goes towards a chair sits down, starts some last minute revision, but mind is not in it
Greets the other friends who are coming around
Aisi dhaj se chala hai ye baagi,
Cut to: Prasanna walking towards locker room
Jo bhi dekhe woh sis nibhaay,
Cut to: Prasanna picking out items needed in the exam room
Cut to: Prasanna standing at the front of the hall, waiting to go in
Apni hoton pe hai aaj bhi woh
Explaining a formula
Naara Formula ka hi sajaaye
Cut to: Prasanna turning to his friends
Apne aankhon me aaj bhi woh,
Show close up of Prasanna's eyes, filled with burning desire
Cut to: CGI of flame burning in the retina of eye
Apni HD ke sapne basaay,
(phaasi to lagti hai F2 ko,
Kaun HD ko phaasi lagaay)*2,
Cut to: Prasanna, still exchanging pleasantries, and last minute tips with friends
Jyot phir bhi nahi buujh sakegi,
Deep chahe de koi bujhaay,
Cut to: Door opens, and for a second everything is still
{HALLA BOL....}
Cut to: Prasanna lip-syching the above line, although in a whispering mode
((Mangal Mangal)*3 hooo)*2
Cut to: Aerial shot of
Prasanna goes in
Jage nagar saare,
Jaage hai ghar saare,
Jaga hai ab har gaon,
Friends go in
Jagi hai baagiya to,
Jage hai ped aur,
Jagi hai pedon-ki chaaw,
All go in
OSD 3 hours later
((Mangal Mangal)*3 hooo)
While background music plays, Prasanna comes out, relief and happiness writ on his face
Friends come out
((Mangal Mangal)*3 hooo)
High fives are thrown all around
((Mangal Mangal)*3 hooo)
Prasanna walks towards locker room
Cut to: Prasanna collecting his materials
((Mangal Mangal)*3 hooo)
Cut to: Prasanna walks away from the pavilion, towards the bus stop
Cut to: Looks behind at the pavilion one last time....for the next 6 months.
Narrator's voice
And so began Prasanna's quest for a degree.
Show various shots of Prasanna at university
While the University called it the mid year exams and end of year exams, to Prasanna, it was the path for a degree
And this path was finally cleared when in 2009, he finally graduated in Honors
Cut to: Prasanna receiving Graduation certificate
Music ends on crescendo
Tannn tannn....
Sabne suna re...
Show Wayville Pavilion
Danka bole dhum dhum,
Ramping shot of Ridley Centre front
Jago jago ab tum,
Ramping shot of Ridley Centre right side
Neend me ho kyu tum, oooo...
Cut to: Leaves on the ground of Wayville Pavilion
Jago re jago, jagoooo reeee....
Students start slowing trickling in
Jagi jagi hai dharti saar aur jaaga jaaga hai ambar
Jagi jagi hai nadiyaan saari aur jaga jaga hai sagar, jagoooo...
((Mangal Mangal)*3 hooo)*4
From feet up, show close up frontal shot of Prasanna, walking majestically, from the Wayville Pavilion entrance
Show left view, Prasanna, and surrounded by friends, walking in step
Dekho dekho samay kya dikhaay,
Show right view
Dekh kar bhi na biswaas aay,
Koi exam likhne ab jaa raha hai,
Focus on the backpack of Prasanna, and slowly focus on Prasanna
Kitne gaurav-se sar ko uthaay,
Frontal of Prasanna, writ in concentration
Dhanya hai bhaag har us mata ke,
Jo aisa beta paay,
Frontal of Prasanna smiling
Jo needar hai,
Woh amar hai,
Prasanna looks around at his friends, allays their nerves, fearless about the exam
Exam likhne (hai) to aise likhenge,
((Mangal Mangal)*3 hooo)*4
Prasanna goes towards a chair sits down, starts some last minute revision, but mind is not in it
Greets the other friends who are coming around
Aisi dhaj se chala hai ye baagi,
Cut to: Prasanna walking towards locker room
Jo bhi dekhe woh sis nibhaay,
Cut to: Prasanna picking out items needed in the exam room
Cut to: Prasanna standing at the front of the hall, waiting to go in
Apni hoton pe hai aaj bhi woh
Explaining a formula
Naara Formula ka hi sajaaye
Cut to: Prasanna turning to his friends
Apne aankhon me aaj bhi woh,
Show close up of Prasanna's eyes, filled with burning desire
Cut to: CGI of flame burning in the retina of eye
Apni HD ke sapne basaay,
(phaasi to lagti hai F2 ko,
Kaun HD ko phaasi lagaay)*2,
Cut to: Prasanna, still exchanging pleasantries, and last minute tips with friends
Jyot phir bhi nahi buujh sakegi,
Deep chahe de koi bujhaay,
Cut to: Door opens, and for a second everything is still
{HALLA BOL....}
Cut to: Prasanna lip-syching the above line, although in a whispering mode
((Mangal Mangal)*3 hooo)*2
Cut to: Aerial shot of
Prasanna goes in
Jage nagar saare,
Jaage hai ghar saare,
Jaga hai ab har gaon,
Friends go in
Jagi hai baagiya to,
Jage hai ped aur,
Jagi hai pedon-ki chaaw,
All go in
OSD 3 hours later
((Mangal Mangal)*3 hooo)
While background music plays, Prasanna comes out, relief and happiness writ on his face
Friends come out
((Mangal Mangal)*3 hooo)
High fives are thrown all around
((Mangal Mangal)*3 hooo)
Prasanna walks towards locker room
Cut to: Prasanna collecting his materials
((Mangal Mangal)*3 hooo)
Cut to: Prasanna walks away from the pavilion, towards the bus stop
Cut to: Looks behind at the pavilion one last time....for the next 6 months.
Narrator's voice
And so began Prasanna's quest for a degree.
Show various shots of Prasanna at university
While the University called it the mid year exams and end of year exams, to Prasanna, it was the path for a degree
And this path was finally cleared when in 2009, he finally graduated in Honors
Cut to: Prasanna receiving Graduation certificate
Music ends on crescendo
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Bill Clinton, former POTUS
I try to keep this blog India-centric, but this is too good. There was a news report here in Adelaide, by Channel 7, a couple of days ago, how Clinton "lost his cool", in the face of interviewing by Fox News. This is surprising because the former POTUS is a calm, colleceted, and dare I say it, "cool" individual, in whatever he does. Naturally I decided to take note of it. My conclusions were two fold:
1. Channel 7 reconfirmed my opinions of it being utter trash in news reporting, just like its counterparts, barring SBS and ABC, which bring some semblance to news reporting....but this rant is for another day.
2. Bill Clinton, on the contrary of losing his cool, pummelled the interviewer and absolutely, beat the living daylights out of him (I won't use other cuss words, I like to keep this a U to U/A blog). If you don't believe me, take a look at the video yourself, below:
The transcript is here. Also check out Amit Varma's post on the episode for more links.
1. Channel 7 reconfirmed my opinions of it being utter trash in news reporting, just like its counterparts, barring SBS and ABC, which bring some semblance to news reporting....but this rant is for another day.
2. Bill Clinton, on the contrary of losing his cool, pummelled the interviewer and absolutely, beat the living daylights out of him (I won't use other cuss words, I like to keep this a U to U/A blog). If you don't believe me, take a look at the video yourself, below:
The transcript is here. Also check out Amit Varma's post on the episode for more links.
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
An inspiring speech
Thanks to Sudha for the email. Sorry about the insertion of the '>'. I find this speech highly inspiring, and very wonderful. This IMO is how welcoming/graduation speeches should be.
Welcome Address by Subroto Bagchi, Chief Operating Officer, MindTree Consulting to the Class of 2006 at the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore on defining success. (July 2nd 2004)
" I was the last child of a small-time government servant, in a family of five brothers. My earliest memory of my father is as that of a District Employment Officer in Koraput, Orissa. It was and remains as back of beyond as you can imagine. There was no electricity; no primary school nearby and water did not flow out of a tap. As a result, I did not go to school until the age of eight; I was home-schooled. My father used to get transferred every year. The family belongings fit into the back of a jeep - so the family moved from place to place and, without any trouble, my Mother would set up an establishment and get us going. Raised by a widow who had come as a refugee from the then East Bengal, she was a matriculate when she married my Father. My parents set the foundation of my life and the value system which makes me what I am today and largely defines what success means to me today.
As District Employment Officer, my father was given a jeep by the government. There was no garage in the Office, so the jeep was parked in our house. My father refused to use it to commute to the office. He told us that the jeep is an expensive resource given by the government – he reiterated to us that it was not 'his jeep' but the government's jeep. Insisting that he would use it only to tour the interiors, he would walk to his office on normal days. He also made sure that we never sat in the government jeep - we could sit in it only when it was stationary. That was our early childhood lesson in governance - a lesson that corporate managers learn the hard way, some never do.
The driver of the jeep was treated with respect due to any other member of my Father's office. As small children, we were taught not to call him by his name. We had to use the suffix 'dada' whenever we were to refer to him in public or private. When I grew up to own a car and a driver by the name of Raju was appointed - I repeated the lesson to my two small daughters. They have, as a result, grown up to call Raju, 'Raju Uncle' - very different from many of their friends who refer to their family drivers as 'my driver'. When I hear that term from a school- or college-going person, I cringe. To me, the lesson was significant – you treat small people with more respect than how you treat big people. It is more important to respect your subordinates than your superiors.
Our day used to start with the family huddling around my Mother's chulha - an earthen fire place she would build at each place of posting where she would cook for the family. There was no gas, nor electrical stoves. The morning routine started with tea. As the brew was served, Father would ask us to read aloud the editorial page of The Statesman's 'muffosil' edition - delivered one day late. We did not understand much of what we were reading. But the ritual was meant for us to know that the world was larger than Koraput district and the English I speak today, despite having studied in an Oriya medium school, has to do with that routine. After reading the newspaper aloud, we were told to fold it neatly. Father taught us a simple lesson. He used to say, "You should leave your newspaper and your toilet, the way you expect to find it". That lesson was about showing consideration to others. Business begins and ends with that simple precept.
Being small children, we were always enamored with advertisements in the newspaper for transistor radios - we did not have one. We saw other people having radios in their homes and each time there was an advertisement of Philips, Murphy or Bush radios, we would ask Father when we could get one. Each time, my Father would reply that we did not need one because he already had five radios - alluding to his five sons. We also did not have a house of our own and would occasionally ask Father as to when, like others, we would live in our own house. He would give a similar reply, "We do not need a house of our own. I already own five houses". His replies did not gladden our hearts in that instant. Nonetheless, we learnt that it is important not to measure personal success and sense of well being through material possessions.
Government houses seldom came with fences. Mother and I collected twigs and built a small fence. After lunch, my Mother would never sleep. She would take her kitchen utensils and with those she and I would dig the rocky, white ant infested surrounding. We planted flowering bushes. The white ants destroyed them. My mother brought ash from her chulha and mixed it in the earth and we planted the seedlings all over again. This time, they bloomed. At that time, my father's transfer order came. A few neighbors told my mother why she was taking so much pain to beautify a government house, why she was planting seeds that would only benefit the next occupant. My mother replied that it did not matter to her that she would not see the flowers in full bloom. She said, "I have to create a bloom in a desert and whenever I am given a new place, I must leave it more beautiful than what I had inherited". That was my first lesson in success. It is not about what you create for yourself, it is what you leave behind that defines success.
My mother began developing a cataract in her eyes when I was very small. At that time, the eldest among my brothers got a teaching job at the University in Bhubaneswar and had to prepare for the civil services examination. So, it was decided that my Mother would move to cook for him and, as her appendage, I had to move too. For the first time in my life, I saw electricity in homes and water coming out of a tap. It was around 1965 and the country was going to war with Pakistan. My mother was having problems reading and in any case, being Bengali, she did not know the Oriya script. So, in addition to my daily chores, my job was to read her the local newspaper - end to end. That created in me a sense of connectedness with a larger world. I began taking interest in many different things. While reading out news about the war, I felt that I was fighting the war myself. She and I discussed the daily news and built a bond with the larger universe. In it, we became part of a larger reality. Till date, I measure my success in terms of that sense of larger connectedness.
Meanwhile, the war raged and India was fighting on both fronts. Lal Bahadur Shastri, the then Prime Minster, coined the term "Jai Jawan, Jai Kishan" and galvanized the nation in to patriotic fervor. Other than reading out the newspaper to my mother, I had no clue about how I could be part of the action. So, after reading her the newspaper, every day I would land up near the University's water tank, which served the community. I would spend hours under it, imagining that there could be spies who would come to poison the water and I had to watch for them. I would daydream about catching one and how the next day, I would be featured in the newspaper. Unfortunately for me, the spies at war ignored the sleepy town of Bhubaneswar and I never got a chance to catch one in action. Yet, that act unlocked my imagination. Imagination is everything. If we can imagine a future, we can create it, if we can create that future, others will live in it. That is the essence of success.
Over the next few years, my mother's eyesight dimmed but in me she created a larger vision, a vision with which I continue to see the world and, I sense, through my eyes, she was seeing too. As the next few years unfolded, her vision deteriorated and she was operated for cataract. I remember, when she returned after her operation and she saw my face clearly for the first time, she was astonished. She said, "Oh my God, I did not know you were so fair". I remain mighty pleased with that adulation even till date. Within weeks of getting her sight back, she developed a corneal ulcer and, overnight, became blind in both eyes. That was 1969. She died in 2002. In all those 32 years of living with blindness, she never complained about her fate even once. Curious to know what she saw with blind eyes, I asked her once if she sees darkness. She replied, "No, I do not see darkness. I only see light even with my eyes closed". Until she was eighty years of age, she did her morning yoga everyday, swept her own room and washed her own clothes. To me, success is about the sense of independence; it is about not seeing the world but seeing the light.
Over the many intervening years, I grew up, studied, joined the industry and began to carve my life's own journey. I began my life as a clerk in a government office, went on to become a Management Trainee with the DCM group and eventually found my life's calling with the IT industry when fourth generation computers came to India in 1981. Life took me places - I worked with outstanding people, challenging assignments and traveled all over the world. In 1992, while I was posted in the US, I learnt that my father, living a retired life with my eldest brother, had suffered a third degree burn injury and was admitted in the Safderjung Hospital in Delhi. I flew back to attend to him - he remained for a few days in critical stage, bandaged from neck to toe. The Safderjung Hospital is a cockroach infested, dirty, inhuman place. The overworked, under-resourced sisters in the burn ward are both victims and perpetrators of dehumanized life at its worst. One morning, while attending to my Father, I realized that the blood bottle was empty and fearing that air would go into his vein, I asked the attending nurse to change it. She bluntly told me to do it myself. In that horrible theater of death, I was in pain and frustration and anger. Finally when she relented and came, my Father opened his eyes and murmured to her, "Why have you not gone home yet?" Here was a man on his deathbed but more concerned about the overworked nurse than his own state. I was stunned at his stoic self. There I learnt that there is no limit to how concerned you can be for another human being and what is the limit of inclusion you can create. My father died the next day.
He was a man whose success was defined by his principles, his frugality, his universalism and his sense of inclusion. Above all, he taught me that success is your ability to rise above your discomfort, whatever may be your current state. You can, if you want, raise your consciousness above your immediate surroundings. Success is not about building material comforts - the transistor that he never could buy or the house that he never owned. His success was about the legacy he left, the memetic continuity of his ideals that grew beyond the smallness of a ill-paid, unrecognized government servant's world.
My father was a fervent believer in the British Raj. He sincerely doubted the capability of the post-independence Indian political parties to govern the country. To him, the lowering of the Union Jack was a sad event. My Mother was the exact opposite. When Subhash Bose quit the Indian National Congress and came to Dacca, my mother, then a schoolgirl, garlanded him. She learnt to spin khadi and joined an underground movement that trained her in using daggers and swords. Consequently, our household saw diversity in the political outlook of the two. On major issues concerning the world, the Old Man and the Old Lady had differing opinions. In them, we learnt the power of disagreements, of dialogue and the essence of living with diversity in thinking. Success is not about the ability to create a definitive dogmatic end state; it is about the unfolding of thought processes, of dialogue and continuum.
Two years back, at the age of eighty-two, Mother had a paralytic stroke and was lying in a government hospital in Bhubaneswar. I flew down from the US where I was serving my second stint, to see her. I spent two weeks with her in the hospital as she remained in a paralytic state. She was neither getting better nor moving on. Eventually I had to return to work. While leaving her behind, I kissed her face. In that paralytic state and a garbled voice, she said, "Why are you kissing me, go kiss the world." Her river was nearing its journey, at the confluence of life and death, this woman who came to India as a refugee, raised by a widowed Mother, no more educated than high school, married to an anonymous government servant whose last salary was Rupees Three Hundred, robbed of her eyesight by fate and crowned by adversity - was telling me to go and kiss the world!
Success to me is about Vision. It is the ability to rise above the immediacy of pain. It is about imagination. It is about sensitivity to small people. It is about building inclusion. It is about connectedness to a larger world existence. It is about personal tenacity. It is about giving back more to life than you take out of it. It is about creating extra-ordinary success with ordinary lives.
Thank you very much; I wish you good luck and Godspeed. Go, kiss the world."
Welcome Address by Subroto Bagchi, Chief Operating Officer, MindTree Consulting to the Class of 2006 at the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore on defining success. (July 2nd 2004)
" I was the last child of a small-time government servant, in a family of five brothers. My earliest memory of my father is as that of a District Employment Officer in Koraput, Orissa. It was and remains as back of beyond as you can imagine. There was no electricity; no primary school nearby and water did not flow out of a tap. As a result, I did not go to school until the age of eight; I was home-schooled. My father used to get transferred every year. The family belongings fit into the back of a jeep - so the family moved from place to place and, without any trouble, my Mother would set up an establishment and get us going. Raised by a widow who had come as a refugee from the then East Bengal, she was a matriculate when she married my Father. My parents set the foundation of my life and the value system which makes me what I am today and largely defines what success means to me today.
As District Employment Officer, my father was given a jeep by the government. There was no garage in the Office, so the jeep was parked in our house. My father refused to use it to commute to the office. He told us that the jeep is an expensive resource given by the government – he reiterated to us that it was not 'his jeep' but the government's jeep. Insisting that he would use it only to tour the interiors, he would walk to his office on normal days. He also made sure that we never sat in the government jeep - we could sit in it only when it was stationary. That was our early childhood lesson in governance - a lesson that corporate managers learn the hard way, some never do.
The driver of the jeep was treated with respect due to any other member of my Father's office. As small children, we were taught not to call him by his name. We had to use the suffix 'dada' whenever we were to refer to him in public or private. When I grew up to own a car and a driver by the name of Raju was appointed - I repeated the lesson to my two small daughters. They have, as a result, grown up to call Raju, 'Raju Uncle' - very different from many of their friends who refer to their family drivers as 'my driver'. When I hear that term from a school- or college-going person, I cringe. To me, the lesson was significant – you treat small people with more respect than how you treat big people. It is more important to respect your subordinates than your superiors.
Our day used to start with the family huddling around my Mother's chulha - an earthen fire place she would build at each place of posting where she would cook for the family. There was no gas, nor electrical stoves. The morning routine started with tea. As the brew was served, Father would ask us to read aloud the editorial page of The Statesman's 'muffosil' edition - delivered one day late. We did not understand much of what we were reading. But the ritual was meant for us to know that the world was larger than Koraput district and the English I speak today, despite having studied in an Oriya medium school, has to do with that routine. After reading the newspaper aloud, we were told to fold it neatly. Father taught us a simple lesson. He used to say, "You should leave your newspaper and your toilet, the way you expect to find it". That lesson was about showing consideration to others. Business begins and ends with that simple precept.
Being small children, we were always enamored with advertisements in the newspaper for transistor radios - we did not have one. We saw other people having radios in their homes and each time there was an advertisement of Philips, Murphy or Bush radios, we would ask Father when we could get one. Each time, my Father would reply that we did not need one because he already had five radios - alluding to his five sons. We also did not have a house of our own and would occasionally ask Father as to when, like others, we would live in our own house. He would give a similar reply, "We do not need a house of our own. I already own five houses". His replies did not gladden our hearts in that instant. Nonetheless, we learnt that it is important not to measure personal success and sense of well being through material possessions.
Government houses seldom came with fences. Mother and I collected twigs and built a small fence. After lunch, my Mother would never sleep. She would take her kitchen utensils and with those she and I would dig the rocky, white ant infested surrounding. We planted flowering bushes. The white ants destroyed them. My mother brought ash from her chulha and mixed it in the earth and we planted the seedlings all over again. This time, they bloomed. At that time, my father's transfer order came. A few neighbors told my mother why she was taking so much pain to beautify a government house, why she was planting seeds that would only benefit the next occupant. My mother replied that it did not matter to her that she would not see the flowers in full bloom. She said, "I have to create a bloom in a desert and whenever I am given a new place, I must leave it more beautiful than what I had inherited". That was my first lesson in success. It is not about what you create for yourself, it is what you leave behind that defines success.
My mother began developing a cataract in her eyes when I was very small. At that time, the eldest among my brothers got a teaching job at the University in Bhubaneswar and had to prepare for the civil services examination. So, it was decided that my Mother would move to cook for him and, as her appendage, I had to move too. For the first time in my life, I saw electricity in homes and water coming out of a tap. It was around 1965 and the country was going to war with Pakistan. My mother was having problems reading and in any case, being Bengali, she did not know the Oriya script. So, in addition to my daily chores, my job was to read her the local newspaper - end to end. That created in me a sense of connectedness with a larger world. I began taking interest in many different things. While reading out news about the war, I felt that I was fighting the war myself. She and I discussed the daily news and built a bond with the larger universe. In it, we became part of a larger reality. Till date, I measure my success in terms of that sense of larger connectedness.
Meanwhile, the war raged and India was fighting on both fronts. Lal Bahadur Shastri, the then Prime Minster, coined the term "Jai Jawan, Jai Kishan" and galvanized the nation in to patriotic fervor. Other than reading out the newspaper to my mother, I had no clue about how I could be part of the action. So, after reading her the newspaper, every day I would land up near the University's water tank, which served the community. I would spend hours under it, imagining that there could be spies who would come to poison the water and I had to watch for them. I would daydream about catching one and how the next day, I would be featured in the newspaper. Unfortunately for me, the spies at war ignored the sleepy town of Bhubaneswar and I never got a chance to catch one in action. Yet, that act unlocked my imagination. Imagination is everything. If we can imagine a future, we can create it, if we can create that future, others will live in it. That is the essence of success.
Over the next few years, my mother's eyesight dimmed but in me she created a larger vision, a vision with which I continue to see the world and, I sense, through my eyes, she was seeing too. As the next few years unfolded, her vision deteriorated and she was operated for cataract. I remember, when she returned after her operation and she saw my face clearly for the first time, she was astonished. She said, "Oh my God, I did not know you were so fair". I remain mighty pleased with that adulation even till date. Within weeks of getting her sight back, she developed a corneal ulcer and, overnight, became blind in both eyes. That was 1969. She died in 2002. In all those 32 years of living with blindness, she never complained about her fate even once. Curious to know what she saw with blind eyes, I asked her once if she sees darkness. She replied, "No, I do not see darkness. I only see light even with my eyes closed". Until she was eighty years of age, she did her morning yoga everyday, swept her own room and washed her own clothes. To me, success is about the sense of independence; it is about not seeing the world but seeing the light.
Over the many intervening years, I grew up, studied, joined the industry and began to carve my life's own journey. I began my life as a clerk in a government office, went on to become a Management Trainee with the DCM group and eventually found my life's calling with the IT industry when fourth generation computers came to India in 1981. Life took me places - I worked with outstanding people, challenging assignments and traveled all over the world. In 1992, while I was posted in the US, I learnt that my father, living a retired life with my eldest brother, had suffered a third degree burn injury and was admitted in the Safderjung Hospital in Delhi. I flew back to attend to him - he remained for a few days in critical stage, bandaged from neck to toe. The Safderjung Hospital is a cockroach infested, dirty, inhuman place. The overworked, under-resourced sisters in the burn ward are both victims and perpetrators of dehumanized life at its worst. One morning, while attending to my Father, I realized that the blood bottle was empty and fearing that air would go into his vein, I asked the attending nurse to change it. She bluntly told me to do it myself. In that horrible theater of death, I was in pain and frustration and anger. Finally when she relented and came, my Father opened his eyes and murmured to her, "Why have you not gone home yet?" Here was a man on his deathbed but more concerned about the overworked nurse than his own state. I was stunned at his stoic self. There I learnt that there is no limit to how concerned you can be for another human being and what is the limit of inclusion you can create. My father died the next day.
He was a man whose success was defined by his principles, his frugality, his universalism and his sense of inclusion. Above all, he taught me that success is your ability to rise above your discomfort, whatever may be your current state. You can, if you want, raise your consciousness above your immediate surroundings. Success is not about building material comforts - the transistor that he never could buy or the house that he never owned. His success was about the legacy he left, the memetic continuity of his ideals that grew beyond the smallness of a ill-paid, unrecognized government servant's world.
My father was a fervent believer in the British Raj. He sincerely doubted the capability of the post-independence Indian political parties to govern the country. To him, the lowering of the Union Jack was a sad event. My Mother was the exact opposite. When Subhash Bose quit the Indian National Congress and came to Dacca, my mother, then a schoolgirl, garlanded him. She learnt to spin khadi and joined an underground movement that trained her in using daggers and swords. Consequently, our household saw diversity in the political outlook of the two. On major issues concerning the world, the Old Man and the Old Lady had differing opinions. In them, we learnt the power of disagreements, of dialogue and the essence of living with diversity in thinking. Success is not about the ability to create a definitive dogmatic end state; it is about the unfolding of thought processes, of dialogue and continuum.
Two years back, at the age of eighty-two, Mother had a paralytic stroke and was lying in a government hospital in Bhubaneswar. I flew down from the US where I was serving my second stint, to see her. I spent two weeks with her in the hospital as she remained in a paralytic state. She was neither getting better nor moving on. Eventually I had to return to work. While leaving her behind, I kissed her face. In that paralytic state and a garbled voice, she said, "Why are you kissing me, go kiss the world." Her river was nearing its journey, at the confluence of life and death, this woman who came to India as a refugee, raised by a widowed Mother, no more educated than high school, married to an anonymous government servant whose last salary was Rupees Three Hundred, robbed of her eyesight by fate and crowned by adversity - was telling me to go and kiss the world!
Success to me is about Vision. It is the ability to rise above the immediacy of pain. It is about imagination. It is about sensitivity to small people. It is about building inclusion. It is about connectedness to a larger world existence. It is about personal tenacity. It is about giving back more to life than you take out of it. It is about creating extra-ordinary success with ordinary lives.
Thank you very much; I wish you good luck and Godspeed. Go, kiss the world."
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
A picture of a cow
My friend Ashok has pestered me for long enough to post a picture of a Scottish Highlander Cow (SHC) on my blog. Now although my blog is more concentrated on Indian Politics (or I'd like to think of it that way), Ashok's reasons in wanting me to post this up are as follows
Cows and Indian Politicians are very similar, they have just the same amount of grey matter, but Indian politicians aren't as cute as Scottish Highlander Cows.Anyway dude, here's the link for the picture of the SHC. If you want more Cow posts, please visit India Uncut. Amit Varma, has many articles on cows, so if cows are your thing, go there and search around
Sunday, September 03, 2006
My screenplay
Scene: Picturization for Sarfaroshi Ki Tammanna Song from Legend of Bhagat Singh, set in UniSA, CWE campus 2006
Hero: Prasanna!!!
(Intro music:15 seconds)
Focus on 99B as it turns onto Nth Tce, coming towards west terrace
At each big "beat" cut to shots, as bus approaches CWE
Final step, Prasanna (in glasses) comes out of the bus, and looks at the logo, smiles, as voice starts
Sarfaroshi Ki Tamanna Ab Hamare Dil Mein Hai
Dehkna Hai Zor Kitna Baajuen Qaatil Mein Hai
Sarfaroshi
Hero walks into Yungondi building, camera pans onto writing on the ground, and then uplooking at hero as he has a smile. Still follows hero as he walks along
Sarfaroshi Ki Tamanna Ab Hamare Dil Mein Hai
Dehkna Hai Zor Kitna Baajuen Qaatil Mein Hai
Hero walks out of Y and heads towards BH building, and starts walking on the steps towards BH
Dekh Sakta Hai To Bhi Dekh Le Aye Aasmaan
Hausla Yeh Dekh Ke Qaatil Badi Mushkil Mein
Focuses on the eyes of hero (still obscured by Sunglasses), as he walks towards comp pool
Sarfaroshi Sarfaroshi Sarfaroshi
Sarfaroshi Sarfaroshi Sarfaroshi
Sarfaroshi Sarfaroshi Sarfaroshi
3 diff shots of hero walking up stairs and towards HH building for each line and goes upto level 5
Apne Hi Lahoo Se Likhenge Hum Apni Daastaan
Zaalimon Se Cheen Lenge Yeh Zameen Yeh Aasmaan
Passes lecturer and makes a menacing face. Lecturer breaks into cold sweat and wipes face with his hanky
Apne Hi Lahoo Se Likhenge Hum Apni Daastaan
Zaalimon Se Cheen Lenge Yeh Zameen Yeh Aasmaan
Sar Phire Jawan Hum To Maut Se Bhi Na Darre
Hero walks towards his friends group, and exchanges pleasantaries
Aansh Aye Desh Pe Yeh Kyon Gawara Hum Kare
All turn around and look towards the camera, with a mission in mind, writ on their eyes
Mulk Pe Qurbaan Ho Yeh Aarzoo Dil Dil Mein Hai
Group walks towards Lecture theatre
Shots of each member of group as they walk into the lecture theatre
Sarfaroshi
Sarfaroshi Ki Tamanna Ab Hamare Dil Mein Hai
Dehkna Hai Zor Kitna Baajuen Qaatil Mein Hai
Hero sits down and finally removes his sunglasses, showing his eyes, and courage can be seen from the stare
Hero: Prasanna!!!
(Intro music:15 seconds)
Focus on 99B as it turns onto Nth Tce, coming towards west terrace
At each big "beat" cut to shots, as bus approaches CWE
Final step, Prasanna (in glasses) comes out of the bus, and looks at the logo, smiles, as voice starts
Sarfaroshi Ki Tamanna Ab Hamare Dil Mein Hai
Dehkna Hai Zor Kitna Baajuen Qaatil Mein Hai
Sarfaroshi
Hero walks into Yungondi building, camera pans onto writing on the ground, and then uplooking at hero as he has a smile. Still follows hero as he walks along
Sarfaroshi Ki Tamanna Ab Hamare Dil Mein Hai
Dehkna Hai Zor Kitna Baajuen Qaatil Mein Hai
Hero walks out of Y and heads towards BH building, and starts walking on the steps towards BH
Dekh Sakta Hai To Bhi Dekh Le Aye Aasmaan
Hausla Yeh Dekh Ke Qaatil Badi Mushkil Mein
Focuses on the eyes of hero (still obscured by Sunglasses), as he walks towards comp pool
Sarfaroshi Sarfaroshi Sarfaroshi
Sarfaroshi Sarfaroshi Sarfaroshi
Sarfaroshi Sarfaroshi Sarfaroshi
3 diff shots of hero walking up stairs and towards HH building for each line and goes upto level 5
Apne Hi Lahoo Se Likhenge Hum Apni Daastaan
Zaalimon Se Cheen Lenge Yeh Zameen Yeh Aasmaan
Passes lecturer and makes a menacing face. Lecturer breaks into cold sweat and wipes face with his hanky
Apne Hi Lahoo Se Likhenge Hum Apni Daastaan
Zaalimon Se Cheen Lenge Yeh Zameen Yeh Aasmaan
Sar Phire Jawan Hum To Maut Se Bhi Na Darre
Hero walks towards his friends group, and exchanges pleasantaries
Aansh Aye Desh Pe Yeh Kyon Gawara Hum Kare
All turn around and look towards the camera, with a mission in mind, writ on their eyes
Mulk Pe Qurbaan Ho Yeh Aarzoo Dil Dil Mein Hai
Group walks towards Lecture theatre
Shots of each member of group as they walk into the lecture theatre
Sarfaroshi
Sarfaroshi Ki Tamanna Ab Hamare Dil Mein Hai
Dehkna Hai Zor Kitna Baajuen Qaatil Mein Hai
Hero sits down and finally removes his sunglasses, showing his eyes, and courage can be seen from the stare
Friday, September 01, 2006
Endothermic or Exothermic??
An email thanks to Sudha:
The following is an actual question given on the University of Washington chemistry mid-term. The answer by one student was so "profound" that the professor shared it with colleagues, via the Internet.
Bonus Question: Is Hell exothermic (gives off heat) or endothermic (absorbs heat)? Most of the students wrote proofs of their beliefs using Boyle's Law (gas cools when it expands and heats when it is compressed) or some variant.One student, however, wrote the following:
First, we need to know how the mass of Hell is changing in time. So we need to know the rate at which souls are moving into Hell and the rate at which they are leaving. I think that we can safely assume that once a soul gets to Hell, it will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving.
As for how many souls are entering Hell, let's look at the different Religions that exist in the world today. Most of these religions state that if you are not a member of their religion, you will go to Hell. Since there is more than one of these religions and since people do not belong to more than one religion, we can therefore project that all souls will go to Hell.
With birth and death rates as they are, we can expect the number of souls in Hell to increase exponentially. Now, we look at the rate of change of the volume in Hell because Boyle's Law states that in order for the temperature and pressure in Hell to stay the same, the volume of Hell has to expand proportionately as souls are added.This gives two possibilities:
1. If Hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at which souls enter Hell, then the temperature and pressure in Hell will increase until "all Hell breaks loose".
2. If Hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of souls in Hell, then the temperature and pressure will drop until "Hell freezes over".So which is it?
If we accept the postulate given to me by Teresa during my Freshman year, "it will be a cold day in Hell before I sleep with you", and take into account the fact that I slept with her last night, then number 2 must be true, and thus I am sure that Hell is exothermic and has already frozen over.
The following is an actual question given on the University of Washington chemistry mid-term. The answer by one student was so "profound" that the professor shared it with colleagues, via the Internet.
Bonus Question: Is Hell exothermic (gives off heat) or endothermic (absorbs heat)? Most of the students wrote proofs of their beliefs using Boyle's Law (gas cools when it expands and heats when it is compressed) or some variant.One student, however, wrote the following:
First, we need to know how the mass of Hell is changing in time. So we need to know the rate at which souls are moving into Hell and the rate at which they are leaving. I think that we can safely assume that once a soul gets to Hell, it will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving.
As for how many souls are entering Hell, let's look at the different Religions that exist in the world today. Most of these religions state that if you are not a member of their religion, you will go to Hell. Since there is more than one of these religions and since people do not belong to more than one religion, we can therefore project that all souls will go to Hell.
With birth and death rates as they are, we can expect the number of souls in Hell to increase exponentially. Now, we look at the rate of change of the volume in Hell because Boyle's Law states that in order for the temperature and pressure in Hell to stay the same, the volume of Hell has to expand proportionately as souls are added.This gives two possibilities:
1. If Hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at which souls enter Hell, then the temperature and pressure in Hell will increase until "all Hell breaks loose".
2. If Hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of souls in Hell, then the temperature and pressure will drop until "Hell freezes over".So which is it?
If we accept the postulate given to me by Teresa during my Freshman year, "it will be a cold day in Hell before I sleep with you", and take into account the fact that I slept with her last night, then number 2 must be true, and thus I am sure that Hell is exothermic and has already frozen over.
An invocation to the Gods
asato mA sad.h gamaya
tamaso mA jyotirgamaya
mR^ityormA.amR^itaM gamayeti
Lead me from falsity to truth
Lead me from darkness to light
Lead me from death to immortality
--Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
Please do contact me if the translation is wrong!!!!
tamaso mA jyotirgamaya
mR^ityormA.amR^itaM gamayeti
Lead me from falsity to truth
Lead me from darkness to light
Lead me from death to immortality
--Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
Please do contact me if the translation is wrong!!!!
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Vande Mataram
Recently there have been many articles which debate the "order" by HRD Minister Mr. Arjun Singh, to make the Vande Mataram compulsory in Government Schools. This order, was challenged by the Imam of Jama Masjid, in Delhi, sparking off a furore between political parties. Arjun Singh was then "forced" to say that singing Vande Mataram was not compulsory. The BJP didn't like it, and the case went from pathetic, to a bloody farce (as Amit reports here).
At first, I was also siding with the BJP. Vande Mataram is the National Song of India. If you don't wanna sing it, get the hell out of the country. Well atleast that is what I thought, before sense dawned upon me. Let us analyse this. AFAIK, India is a "free" country. The constitution, guarantees freedom of thought and expression to one and all, regardless of their religion, race, creed etc. My interpretation is based on Article 19 of the Constitution of India (see here). Now, in that case, each citizen is fully within their rights to sing or not to sing a song. Indeed it is anti-national on the part of the BJP to force Vande Mataram to be sung. If someone wishes to sing it, it should come straight from the heart, not from a piece of paper giving a fatwa or a GO.
Although I do not agree that the terms "soceity" and "nation" are meaningless as Amit implies, he does raise a valid, and winning arguement when he says that these two terms are used to justify the worst assaults on personal freedom.
At first, I was also siding with the BJP. Vande Mataram is the National Song of India. If you don't wanna sing it, get the hell out of the country. Well atleast that is what I thought, before sense dawned upon me. Let us analyse this. AFAIK, India is a "free" country. The constitution, guarantees freedom of thought and expression to one and all, regardless of their religion, race, creed etc. My interpretation is based on Article 19 of the Constitution of India (see here). Now, in that case, each citizen is fully within their rights to sing or not to sing a song. Indeed it is anti-national on the part of the BJP to force Vande Mataram to be sung. If someone wishes to sing it, it should come straight from the heart, not from a piece of paper giving a fatwa or a GO.
Although I do not agree that the terms "soceity" and "nation" are meaningless as Amit implies, he does raise a valid, and winning arguement when he says that these two terms are used to justify the worst assaults on personal freedom.
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