There are several weddings around the corner. Each couple seems like the best in town. So curious George started wondering "Is the need for each other keeps relationships going?" or being self-sufficient? Some of us wouldn't like others to be very dependent on us. This dependency is not just about materialistic things, but emotional dependency as well. For example, they need someone else to help them through an emotionally difficult situation. It can range anywhere between building confidence for a project/presentation to coping with a loss of friend etc. The situation may not always sound difficult to both the parties. Maybe we'd enjoy it in the initial days as a bonding process. But over time we scoff at them for not being able to manage things on their own. On the other hand if two people are self-sufficient as individuals, as a couple will they compete with each other? or are they more compatible and it's pure magical love which binds them together? (Now there can be different interpretations to the word "love")
Another question comes to mind - Is it true that marriage completes an individual? For example, a reserved guy ends up having a talkative wife. But does that also mean that if a person is really good, he/she ends up getting a wicked person as the other half? ... now that sounds unfair!!!
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
AID Candle light Vigil - ACTION REQUIRED
AID (Association for development of India - http://aidindia.org/main/ )is a non-profit organization which supports grassroots organizations in India and initiates efforts in various interconnected spheres such as education, livelihoods, natural resources, health, women's empowerment and social justice.
We are looking for volunteers to help organize a mass Candle Light Vigil on October 2, 2007 or (on a weekend closest to that date)in their respective cities to support Indian farmers and agriculture. Our target is 50 cities. We already have 40 cities participating in this event. You can look up the participating cities on http://agri.aidindia.org/node/12. We'd appreciate if people from other cities also can join us in our efforts. You DO NOT have to be an AID member to organize or participate in this event. ALL ARE WELCOME!
Interested? You can find more information on http://agri.aidindia.org/node/20 , http://agri.aidindia.org/node/14
We are looking for volunteers to help organize a mass Candle Light Vigil on October 2, 2007 or (on a weekend closest to that date)in their respective cities to support Indian farmers and agriculture. Our target is 50 cities. We already have 40 cities participating in this event. You can look up the participating cities on http://agri.aidindia.org/node/12. We'd appreciate if people from other cities also can join us in our efforts. You DO NOT have to be an AID member to organize or participate in this event. ALL ARE WELCOME!
Interested? You can find more information on http://agri.aidindia.org/node/20 , http://agri.aidindia.org/node/14
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Murder or Suicide?
After the bombs in Hyderabad, we all might have talked about the fear of terrorist attacks and unsafe home one more time. This was followed by the collapse of an under-construction flyover due to heavy rains. It speaks about the quality of construction and lack of any social responsibility on part of the contractors, officials, builders and others involved. Each one of them might have conveniently pocketed a part of the budget and hence the quality suffered. There might also have been design issues. Probably a not so qualified engineer or contractor might have bribed the officials to get the project. It's not something that we haven't heard of in the past. Another thing that caught my interest was "Chief Minister Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, who visited the scene of accident, did not order inquiry into the mishap. When contacted, officials of the CMO said that he would hold a full-fledged review on Monday and take a decision on ordering probe." (source: Deccan Chronicle online edition). I smell something here and it's pretty obvious. Does someone need to think a lot to even order inquiry into this incident? In majority of the cases, the guilty never come to light and even if they did, they escape the punishment without much effort. And in this case the fact that they are even delaying the inquiry speaks volumes of the state of affairs.
It seems like more and more people believe that it's acceptable to do wrong if everybody else does the same. I wonder what's the thought process in their bone-heads. "Survival of the fittest, whether it's by hook or crook?" A man who's really nice to his friends and family doesn't mind doing it as it increases his social or financial status and it's all for the sake of the well-being of his kids. His son can afford the latest brands and his daughter can have a lavish wedding and Benz to go shopping. Doesn't it occur to him that she might get trapped under the same fly-over or get electrocuted because of some cheap quality electric wires that he might have set up earlier as part of another of those projects? Imagine this kind of thing being done in every sector and by each official or each one of us. It may not take long for our worst fears to come true.
So what can we do to prevent this? When I heard of the fly-over mishap, I thought of using RTI act (http://persmin.nic.in/RTI/WelcomeRTI.htm). But then the reality dawned on me. If they can fool the government about the cost of the materials used, then the same information would be provided to me. Even if I had the right information, I'm not a specialist to be able to evaluate the costs and quality of the materials. Suppose I could take help from other professionals and was able to find the facts, then what do I next? Seriously, how can I help?
No laws can prevent corruption. It's the people's mindset that has to change (and at some point we all might have participated in numerous debates over this and corruption). The people in power and the elite should set the trend of following rules. And each one of us should have the ethics, moral values and responsibility to "not misuse power or public resources, to not cheat an exam as a student, to acknowledge the source to avoid plagiarism, to not just pass by an accident or some corruption but take the responsibility of fighting it......". We need to have the courage and will-power to not do the wrong thing just because everybody else is doing the same. Also, take care of other people and nature like they are our own family. Do not ridicule others for their ignorance but share your knowledge. We cannot change the past or others. But we can surely make this a part of our personality and maybe pass it on to our kids and so on. Alright, I'll end my preaching here.
The truth remains that we don't need terrorists or insane people to destroy our nation or the world. A majority of us have the talent to do it to ourselves. It's just the trade off between "Is getting murdered better or suicide?"
It seems like more and more people believe that it's acceptable to do wrong if everybody else does the same. I wonder what's the thought process in their bone-heads. "Survival of the fittest, whether it's by hook or crook?" A man who's really nice to his friends and family doesn't mind doing it as it increases his social or financial status and it's all for the sake of the well-being of his kids. His son can afford the latest brands and his daughter can have a lavish wedding and Benz to go shopping. Doesn't it occur to him that she might get trapped under the same fly-over or get electrocuted because of some cheap quality electric wires that he might have set up earlier as part of another of those projects? Imagine this kind of thing being done in every sector and by each official or each one of us. It may not take long for our worst fears to come true.
So what can we do to prevent this? When I heard of the fly-over mishap, I thought of using RTI act (http://persmin.nic.in/RTI/WelcomeRTI.htm). But then the reality dawned on me. If they can fool the government about the cost of the materials used, then the same information would be provided to me. Even if I had the right information, I'm not a specialist to be able to evaluate the costs and quality of the materials. Suppose I could take help from other professionals and was able to find the facts, then what do I next? Seriously, how can I help?
No laws can prevent corruption. It's the people's mindset that has to change (and at some point we all might have participated in numerous debates over this and corruption). The people in power and the elite should set the trend of following rules. And each one of us should have the ethics, moral values and responsibility to "not misuse power or public resources, to not cheat an exam as a student, to acknowledge the source to avoid plagiarism, to not just pass by an accident or some corruption but take the responsibility of fighting it......". We need to have the courage and will-power to not do the wrong thing just because everybody else is doing the same. Also, take care of other people and nature like they are our own family. Do not ridicule others for their ignorance but share your knowledge. We cannot change the past or others. But we can surely make this a part of our personality and maybe pass it on to our kids and so on. Alright, I'll end my preaching here.
The truth remains that we don't need terrorists or insane people to destroy our nation or the world. A majority of us have the talent to do it to ourselves. It's just the trade off between "Is getting murdered better or suicide?"
Monday, August 27, 2007
Murphy's law
Why is it that you end up with multiple choices when you don't care or are totally not expecting something? Why is it that when you badly need something, everything seems to go wrong? So I thought I'll pretend I have no expectations from life hoping that'll fool the playful ghost or God or chance and will give me atleast one thing that I need. Multiple choices would be good but that'll only confuse me trying to choose between "what's best for me" and "what I want". Also, I don't want to be greedy. Do people know of any other strategies to counter the actions(or the lack of it) by the playful one?
Sunday, August 19, 2007
The Magic Faraway tree
I came across a picture of the book (The Magic Faraway tree by Enid Blyton) the other day. The image brought back memories of the happy times I had as a kid reading this book and others (Famous five, The Five Find-Outers and Dog, Chandama, Tinkle). It used to be such fun imagining the characters, their adventures, all the goodies that they get to eat (yummy :) ). Thanks to orkut for bringing back sweet memories of friends, videos, books and other things, which I once loved as a kid but which were forgotten over time! And thanks to all the people who introduced me to these wonderful books! No movie, no ride in any amusement park can get me as excited, happy, peaceful and wise too (all at the same instant) as a good book does .
My life needs a rewind and erase button
-Calvin
My life needs a rewind and replay button
-Karts
My life needs a rewind and erase button
-Calvin
My life needs a rewind and replay button
-Karts
Monday, August 6, 2007
Action Required!
I was on my way home from the AID weekly meeting. My dad reminded me to buy some vegetable seeds which my uncle can try out back in India. The topic moved onto how it's getting difficult to cultivate crops or find any farm help as people are migrating to the cities or getting used to easy money through the various schemes (funded by the Indian government) which were actually meant to make them independent and self-sufficient. Since there are no workers, there's not much cultivation and people are increasingly becoming dependent on the farm produce that come in from other places. It's a shame that this is the case for vegetables or other food materials that were originally produced locally. We thought about alternative ways such as frozen food but it needs continuous supply of electricity(which may not happen in our villages anytime soon) and we've already tried ways through which we can make them want to stay back in their hometowns (like offering quality education to their kids etc). It doesn't seem to be working - people are trying to hoard as much money as they can by misusing the funds now and they fail to see the long term benefits for the future generations. It may not seem like a big problem at present but few years from now we may all have crisp notes but no food to buy with them. I have to stop here as I don't have the facts in numbers to substantiate this ranting. I have a vague understanding of the cause of the problem (based on only the information spread through word of mouth). But I believe that the effect of the problem is not favorable to anyone if proper action is not taken at the right time(which is now!!!) I've always day-dreamed about doing some idealistic stuff like starting a school for the underprivileged, becoming a jeevan-saathi in an NGO ... blah blah and chickened out soon after I thought about all the comforts I have to leave behind. This time, I believe I can do something with the few resources I have. But I need the facts. I know I have to talk to the people first in order to understand the cause of the problem. But here I am several thousands of miles away from the place that I am concerned about. Despite such advances in technology, I'm unsure as to how I can communicate with the common man at the root-level. Where and how do I begin? All the smart, practical, environmental conscious people out there.. please help me find the facts and some feasible solutions...
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Raga Lahari
I was watching a telugu movie "Swathi Kiranam" - A Ray of talent. The story is about an egoistic music teacher who is jealous of the extraordinary talent of his disciple. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swathi_Kiranam ), (http://www.dishant.com/album/Swathi-Kiranam.html ). Naturally music is an integral part of the story. When I was a kid one of my bed-time stories was about how Tansen(court musician of Emperor Akbar) could light a lamp with his music(raga Deepak) etc. The music in this movie may not be as good as Tansen's, but it would surely light up one's soul. One has to hear "Aanati neeyara", "Pranathi Pranathi" atleast once to know what I am talking about. Such rich lyrics and tunes - one song(Pranathi Pranathi) in two different ragas(tunes). The warmth of the early dawn, high energy and exuberance of the morning light, the binding radiance of noon rays, gradual receding of the glow during dusk seem to be embodied in the music(Quoting Srinivas Kanchibhotla). Kudos to K.V Mahadevan! Truly, music is divine!
(Sigh! I don't have the voice to do justice to these songs but thankfully my auditory processing is good )
(Sigh! I don't have the voice to do justice to these songs but thankfully my auditory processing is good )
Friday, June 8, 2007
Miniature me
After having a cafe latte from Seattle's best this evening, I went home n had coke with dinner followed by coffee icecream. Imagine the caffeine effects on me. I was yapping away to glory with my sis first n then with my friends on the east. I started with how my day was and went on till I had given them more news than any popular news channel. When I ran out of topics, then I started telling them about this imaginary friend of mine(??) n cooked up some interesting stories. And my loyal friends couldn't do anything but listen to all my nonsense. Poor souls! I shouldn't be totally surprised if they all join hands and come up with a plan to get rid of me one of these days... :P
That reminds me... I was told that as a 3 yr old or so I was toooo imaginative. Apparently, I would bore the people around me by telling a story for everything that I see/hear - a leaf(starting with what that leaf was - didn't know much abt plants/trees but would come up with some names - n how it happened to be in that place at that moment), a lost kitten(starting with how it might have got lost and going on to the good times the kitten might have had with its previous owner) and how I saved this little(??) kid from some imaginary evil person and so on. I would boss around other kids in the neighbourhood (Well..if they were silly enough to believe my stories they deserved it!) I was very stubborn - If I couldn't have my way then all the hell would break loose. Now I'd only embarass myself if I mention any of those incidents here. I had an opinion about everything under the sun. But there were times when I was also terribly shy and wouldn't utter a word even if my mom persuaded. I'm not in a mood to say hello to this guest with his big moustache and why should I hug this strange uncle - he always has this paper in his mouth with smoke on one end (I couldn't even say "cigarette") were my arguments.
Looks like I haven't changed much in the last 2 decades.. :-) I have mellowed down quite a bit over time owing to some schooling n some happy as well as unpleasant incidents. But I still come up with stories (like the imaginary perfect guy for instance) n I continue to bore people.. I wonder though as to how it'll be like if I ever had to deal with a miniature version of me (the 3 yr old kid). I'd definitely not want to be the victim of her moodiness or stubborness but I'd love to hear all the stories n opinions!
My caffeine effect is wearing off now.. so have to catch up on my sleep. Tomorrow I have to prepare for my finals, get done with the projects, finish up the extended studies class (lot of homework :(( ) n then prepare for the interviews... adios!
That reminds me... I was told that as a 3 yr old or so I was toooo imaginative. Apparently, I would bore the people around me by telling a story for everything that I see/hear - a leaf(starting with what that leaf was - didn't know much abt plants/trees but would come up with some names - n how it happened to be in that place at that moment), a lost kitten(starting with how it might have got lost and going on to the good times the kitten might have had with its previous owner) and how I saved this little(??) kid from some imaginary evil person and so on. I would boss around other kids in the neighbourhood (Well..if they were silly enough to believe my stories they deserved it!) I was very stubborn - If I couldn't have my way then all the hell would break loose. Now I'd only embarass myself if I mention any of those incidents here. I had an opinion about everything under the sun. But there were times when I was also terribly shy and wouldn't utter a word even if my mom persuaded. I'm not in a mood to say hello to this guest with his big moustache and why should I hug this strange uncle - he always has this paper in his mouth with smoke on one end (I couldn't even say "cigarette") were my arguments.
Looks like I haven't changed much in the last 2 decades.. :-) I have mellowed down quite a bit over time owing to some schooling n some happy as well as unpleasant incidents. But I still come up with stories (like the imaginary perfect guy for instance) n I continue to bore people.. I wonder though as to how it'll be like if I ever had to deal with a miniature version of me (the 3 yr old kid). I'd definitely not want to be the victim of her moodiness or stubborness but I'd love to hear all the stories n opinions!
My caffeine effect is wearing off now.. so have to catch up on my sleep. Tomorrow I have to prepare for my finals, get done with the projects, finish up the extended studies class (lot of homework :(( ) n then prepare for the interviews... adios!
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
why oh why????
Last night I couldn't fall asleep until wee hours. I started reading all kinds of novels including a children's book (Last Term at Malory Towers) by Enid Blyton. My little niece had given it to me on the day I returned to US - so I'd have something to read and not get bored on the flight. Very sweet and thoughtful of her! :) But I didn't get a chance to read the book until now.
One of the chapters was about young girls (14 yrs old or so) talking about their future plans during their last days in school. Most of them had a clear career path based on what suited their personalities or their skills. The rest were planning to go to college to figure out what they were good at as they felt they didn't have talents which stick out for a mile. That started me on thinking about my own career path.
Today when I am close to graduating with a MS degree, I give a thought to my interests. I feel I should taken up some kind of art as my major or should have been a children's nurse or teacher. I'd have really enjoyed doing that kind of work for a living - as I was always good with kids and interested in Painting/Sketching. But then how did I end up as (so-called) an engineer? I know why I took up computer science over other majors. But why did I take up engineering? Was I very innovative and a great problem solver in high school? To be honest, I was a better student when solving math problems but only if provided with atleast 2 or 3 similar examples before I tackle the actual problem. I can't invent a totally new solution. Currently, rarely do I come up with a creative solution to any of the technical problems in my field. And I am very hesitant to explore things when working on some project because I am unsure of my technical skills. Back in the days when I was just out of high school, my dad gave me two options - MPC(Maths, Physics, Chemistry) or BiPC(Biology, Physics, Chemistry). Any other subjects were looked down upon by parents and my peers alike and considered fit for only students who got bad grades in high school or didn't have any interest in a career! Engineering or Medicine was/is the only path for a succesful career according to my parents, friends, neighbours, relatives, teachers, our maid, tourist guide(during my India trip - the guy looked at me in admiration after knowing that I am an Engineering graduate) and the bus drivers etc. So I end up taking MPC partly because I loved mathematics (over biology) and because I was afraid of using a scalpel dissecting frogs etc. Atleast mathematics was close to engineering - so I didn't make a very bad decision. And this is what I made out of myself, a good(!!!???) software engineer!
And then I think about my cousins, friends etc and remember two stories which depicts how our society thinks. This is common in the place that I originally belong to(AP, India).
1) My little brother(cousin) recently passed out of junior college. He likes science(physics to be specific). So my cousin is also forced to join the crowd patronizing the engineering colleges. What I found interesting here is that my brother wanted to take up Electrical engineering or Mechanical engineering whereas my aunt and uncle want him to take up Computer Science or IT field. Reason: his forerunners(my other cousins) minted a lot of money as Software Engineers. Apparently even some friends commented that Mechanical engineering is only for people who didn't secure a good rank in the engineering entrance exam. Bah! And I thought the condescending ended at MPC/BiPC. Thankfully, my brother was sensible enough to make the right decision and chose something close to his heart(Electrical Engineering)
2) Then I heard about my other cousin who was forced to quit her fashion technology program to pursue Biotechnology. She started with a BiPC in Junior college to probably follow the footsteps of her father who is a General Physician. Following her not-so-good performance in Junior college, her parents let her choose her area of interest to make a career for herself. She chose to pursue a degree in fashion technology which was apt for her. Even she was doing a really good job in school with her creativity and could have made a great career out of it had she continued the program. The twist in the story came when her parents started looking for a suitable groom for her(Arranged marriages is a common thing in my community). Apparently most of the guys they came across wanted a girl with a degree in engineering or medicine! And her parents were adamant about her marrying someone with a degree in medicine so the father can pass on his practice to atleast her husband. So they forced her to change her degree program from fashion technology to biotechnology just to find her a husband of their choice! Now what do you say about that??
Why are our interests and careers shaped by what the majority in our society thinks about a particular field of study? Why don't people understand that each field/major has its own importance? And we are not even talking about other kind of jobs which involve cleaning the gutter, mowing the lawn etc (Even the people making a living out of these jobs are important as they make civilized life possible for the rest of us!) If everybody thinks mechanical engineering is not a good major then who'd come up with improved technology in automobiles? If fashion technology is not worth anything, then how come we read about several successful people in that field in almost every newspaper? Any career(not necessarily an IT position) would be good if only we have the right attitude/skills needed for that job.
One of the chapters was about young girls (14 yrs old or so) talking about their future plans during their last days in school. Most of them had a clear career path based on what suited their personalities or their skills. The rest were planning to go to college to figure out what they were good at as they felt they didn't have talents which stick out for a mile. That started me on thinking about my own career path.
Today when I am close to graduating with a MS degree, I give a thought to my interests. I feel I should taken up some kind of art as my major or should have been a children's nurse or teacher. I'd have really enjoyed doing that kind of work for a living - as I was always good with kids and interested in Painting/Sketching. But then how did I end up as (so-called) an engineer? I know why I took up computer science over other majors. But why did I take up engineering? Was I very innovative and a great problem solver in high school? To be honest, I was a better student when solving math problems but only if provided with atleast 2 or 3 similar examples before I tackle the actual problem. I can't invent a totally new solution. Currently, rarely do I come up with a creative solution to any of the technical problems in my field. And I am very hesitant to explore things when working on some project because I am unsure of my technical skills. Back in the days when I was just out of high school, my dad gave me two options - MPC(Maths, Physics, Chemistry) or BiPC(Biology, Physics, Chemistry). Any other subjects were looked down upon by parents and my peers alike and considered fit for only students who got bad grades in high school or didn't have any interest in a career! Engineering or Medicine was/is the only path for a succesful career according to my parents, friends, neighbours, relatives, teachers, our maid, tourist guide(during my India trip - the guy looked at me in admiration after knowing that I am an Engineering graduate) and the bus drivers etc. So I end up taking MPC partly because I loved mathematics (over biology) and because I was afraid of using a scalpel dissecting frogs etc. Atleast mathematics was close to engineering - so I didn't make a very bad decision. And this is what I made out of myself, a good(!!!???) software engineer!
And then I think about my cousins, friends etc and remember two stories which depicts how our society thinks. This is common in the place that I originally belong to(AP, India).
1) My little brother(cousin) recently passed out of junior college. He likes science(physics to be specific). So my cousin is also forced to join the crowd patronizing the engineering colleges. What I found interesting here is that my brother wanted to take up Electrical engineering or Mechanical engineering whereas my aunt and uncle want him to take up Computer Science or IT field. Reason: his forerunners(my other cousins) minted a lot of money as Software Engineers. Apparently even some friends commented that Mechanical engineering is only for people who didn't secure a good rank in the engineering entrance exam. Bah! And I thought the condescending ended at MPC/BiPC. Thankfully, my brother was sensible enough to make the right decision and chose something close to his heart(Electrical Engineering)
2) Then I heard about my other cousin who was forced to quit her fashion technology program to pursue Biotechnology. She started with a BiPC in Junior college to probably follow the footsteps of her father who is a General Physician. Following her not-so-good performance in Junior college, her parents let her choose her area of interest to make a career for herself. She chose to pursue a degree in fashion technology which was apt for her. Even she was doing a really good job in school with her creativity and could have made a great career out of it had she continued the program. The twist in the story came when her parents started looking for a suitable groom for her(Arranged marriages is a common thing in my community). Apparently most of the guys they came across wanted a girl with a degree in engineering or medicine! And her parents were adamant about her marrying someone with a degree in medicine so the father can pass on his practice to atleast her husband. So they forced her to change her degree program from fashion technology to biotechnology just to find her a husband of their choice! Now what do you say about that??
Why are our interests and careers shaped by what the majority in our society thinks about a particular field of study? Why don't people understand that each field/major has its own importance? And we are not even talking about other kind of jobs which involve cleaning the gutter, mowing the lawn etc (Even the people making a living out of these jobs are important as they make civilized life possible for the rest of us!) If everybody thinks mechanical engineering is not a good major then who'd come up with improved technology in automobiles? If fashion technology is not worth anything, then how come we read about several successful people in that field in almost every newspaper? Any career(not necessarily an IT position) would be good if only we have the right attitude/skills needed for that job.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Elements of Success...(As I see it!)
My dad always used to tell me that to achieve success one must work hard and have solid determination. I've always believed in this one word, "Hard work". Over the past few years, more over the past one year though, I realized professional success doesn't come with plain hard work in the technical areas. There are other elements which you need when pursuing success: ability to talk in a convincing manner and be spontaneous, ability to identify one's strengths, being able to project oneself in a positive manner, social networking to get access to opportunities, aggressively look for opportunities. One can't do these overnight. They should become a part of one's behavior. I believe success is when this preparation meets an opportunity. As someone once said "You can have everything in life that you want if you just give enough other people what they want"!
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