Journey through the Wastelands

Blog Moved

noreply@blogger.com (Santanu) — Fri, 24 May 2013 02:03:00 +0000

I have moved my blog to WordPress platform.please feel free to resubscribe
http://wastelanderdiary.wordpress.com/

I regret for the inconvenience caused.

The Weekend Thoughts

noreply@blogger.com (Santanu) — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 05:52:00 +0000

I had been busy with my office for quite some time and could spare the time to blogs.I apologise for that. Well lot of things has happened since then.We stepped to 2012 from 2011,a little close to the predicted END OF WORLD.

My Social Highlights

My best friend got married.(End of Bachelor’s life for him by the way)

I broke up with my girlfriend(End of a long relationship-though I cant say it was all bad memories )

…….

Bought a Sony Hx100v Camera(I am broke now)

My New Camera

Founded the Saturday Club(Please ignore the address)

St Puki Valentino left us(No he didnt passed away instead moved to Hyderabad for a greener pasture).He might be now known as Maulana **utubuddin Puki

My nephews are growing up

While I was assessing my social circle, the world on the other hand was moving towards another phase of Humanity.

Lets Quickly Check out a few Clocks and Calendars.

1.The Mayan Calendar

Official2012Countdown.com

This is set as a reminder to popular Mayan Calendar.There is a lot of controversy as to what really is going to happen when the clock hits Zero.But one thing is for sure.There is absolutely no scientific proof about it.

They even had tossed a couple of movies about it and I have seen it all.

For those who still want to believe in this madness,here is a page from NASA where they tries to explain the facts

I know you will say its Government conspiracy to supress the facts and prevent the public from panic.But here is another one to add the punch.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_dates_predicted_for_apocalyptic_events

We have seen it all before.But this 2012 was purely a movie gimmick created to get the movie a good gross.And they did succeed.More to follow on these.

2.Doomsday Clock

But there is another Doomsday Clock which we are mostly ignorant of.The Nuclear Dooms Day clock.

“The Doomsday Clock is a symbolic clock face, maintained since 1947 by the board of directors of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists at the University of Chicago. The closer the clock is to midnight, the closer the world is estimated to be to global disaster. The most recent officially-announced setting — five minutes to midnight (11:55pm) — was made on 10 January 2012. Reflecting international events dangerous to humankind, the clock's hands have been adjusted twenty times since its inception in 1947^, when the clock was initially set to seven minutes to midnight (11:53pm).

Originally, the clock analogy represented the threat of global nuclear war; however, since 2007 it has also reflected climate-changing technologies and "new developments in the life sciences that could inflict irrevocable harm."

Even i am quite tensed with this clock, and unlike the other one,this one is quite true.But that really cant mean that we abandon Nuclear Programme.Nukes are destructive I agree but they alone could be a life saver in case the right people choose to use it in the right way.As a source of Energy not as a source of destruction.

Even this clock can be averted as we can see in 1991 we moved back by 17 minutes from midnight

The Question

The obvious question that comes to our mind is whether truly we are moving slowly towards a extinction on a global scale.No one really knows the answer.And as for most of us,we are really happy and busy with our own life knowing that we cant intervene into this and better enjoy the life to its full glory,

Perhaps that's best thing to do anyway.Life as we know has different meaning for different people.But for everybody its precious and the real moving force behind our survival.Human kind tend to survive even the worst of all disasters and the next day they are once again busy to rebuild and relive.

I wont be mentioning the events here,but be assured there are more than 1000 events which could trigger human extinction.The internet is full of them.Here is a small list for my lazy friends

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_extinction

The question is not how we die.But rather how we lived.What did we do in our life time,the span for which is really not known.

I say, “Life is like that exam where the time limit is not known and the choices we make affects us in real time.Its important that we answer in whatever manner we choose instead of skipping for the next question”.

Puja 2011@Bangalore

noreply@blogger.com (Santanu) — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 18:01:00 +0000

Today out of a sudden rush I decided to visit my old K R Puram Pujo.Me and my old room mate prasenjit decided to pay a visit to the place.As usual the puja was confined to the walls of Sea college…bit once inside,I was flashed by a wave of old memories..maybe they were not as pleasant or neither happy but they are one of the best memories I always cherish..

What began as just as a discussion topic for a bunch of college students who couldn't go home either because they didn't get the leave or they were not ready to face the sad memories of their place.It was just an idea which gave birth to the first pujo in K R Puram…

However this is not about how the puja was a success rather this is about the people who were behind the screens…

Seasons@Bangalore

Wills Flake and cheap Old Monk @ 35/- was on the menu and with a bunch of broken hearts..those people had a golden heart but sadly many were crushed beyond repair.This was the time when Bangalore became my second home..my college seniors became my best teachers and friends…I found the comfort with them.Maybe the drama wouldn't have been as funny if they were not there,,,maybe the relationship I enjoy today wouldn't be as precious if I hadn't heard about their sorrow and pain…well I did also had a share of the pain of my own..so this all fitted in perfectly…

Stealing sweets from Tuhin da’s shop @midnight or screaming at the top of voice during the bisharjan and then the sadness of losing mother durga along with the dream of next year had been the days during puja 2007.Sadly we didn't had much money to spend at McDonalds's or KFC but the tea at uncle’s shop was the fuel for our discussion…

Poems love letters from long lost love…maybe 5 to 10 years back was the theme of our discussions.Our beloved Kaku always managed to steal the show with fascinating love stories…Drinking till we were bold enough to share our sadness with others were also very common…to love and being loved was a rare comodity that very few of us were enjoying that time…though there was no breakup parties but there were shoulders to share the pain and sorrow…

Adda @ Banyan Tree

There was a very special place for us where everyone would gather at the evening..no matter what..we would surely be there by 4:30 PM…and there was our usual bengali adda…science.politics..fiction..literature travel…all and everything we could imagine…and it usually ended with me saying “Ish..gola ta boddo shukie gache..”..rest is just a bottle of Old Monk or may be IB or RS if we had money..

Result@College

Readers must be wondering how I scored that semister and the following ones..well the truth is I never flunked in any subject.In fact did touched 8th sem with 70%..hehe..the trick was to fill up pages if you dont know anything…

Farewell@Bangalore

When time came to leave bangalore..I didnt realized that I am leaving so many things and so many memories behind.It was only when I reached Kolkata I did realized that I have lost them..After so many years the memories are still fresh,,,I only wish those friends philosophers and guide…A tribute to them….

The PC Guide

noreply@blogger.com (Santanu) — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 17:10:00 +0000

Dell Alienware M17x--A Laptop gamer's dream

After a long time I am posting another blog. Previously I have tried writing but didn’t fell like doing it so basically ended up with copy paste which I do have very much. Today before we plunge into the depths of another topic let me quickly post what were the events since 11th August.

11th August -16th August Trip to Shimla Dharamshala Amritsar.
17th August -1st September lazyness to the extreme since my future was a bit in darkness.
1st September-10th September Played a lot of games and then started fiddling with Ubuntu

Now Since I have decided to devote myself to computer and its fundamentals..Let’s take a cool look first at the history of computers from my perspective.

Geek History

The birth of My 1st Baby

Back in 1997, my dad brought a Intel P1 processor(233mhz) with 64mb ram and 8GB HDD loaded with Win 95.In comparison my friend Shiladitya had a Intel Celeron processor with 32mb ram and 4GB HDD.

My first interest was spawned by my brother after seeing him play Prince of Persia and then Doom. Those were my inauguration towards the computer world.

My 2nd Baby

One day (Sometime in 2002) during an unfortunate HDD failure, I had to switch to a different processor.

Intel P4, 256MB Ram, 40GB HDD. She was later augmented with a Gforce 2 MX card so that I can play Unreal Tournament.OS:Win XP

My 3rd Baby

After another unfortunate Motherboard burnout (2005), I chose to try AMD Processor.AMD Athlon 3000 64bit,with 80 GB HDD and 512 RAM. Later I added a 1 GB Ram and Gforce 9600 GT. OS: Win XP

My 4th Baby

No my third one lives but I had to move to Bangalore for work and then could have been later relocated anywhere and thus I chose to buy my first laptop (2009). Hp Pavilion DV6 3009tu.i3 370M Processor,500GB HDD,4 GB RAM(2 GB Added later).This was my first entry into multicore processors. OS :Win 7,Ubuntu 11.04.

Through this travel of Technology I have learnt a few things which I wanted to share with you. To start with for new people who want to buy a computer but only knows the shop address where they always manage to give a budget of around 30K-40K for a PC. Since the market is always changing along with the prices thus there is no point in giving the same quotation for a PC. Instead let me quickly guide you through some very basic computer buying tips and guide.

Guide 1: Buying A PC

What type of usage you have planned will play a very vital role in buying. I will try to post everything in budget price so for the highest rig, I guess the shopkeepers will be able to better help you out.

Basic Type of Users

Casual user: One who surfs the net, plays movies and music.
Programmer: One who uses the PC to learn various programming knowledge.
Gamer: Well this is the casual Gamers.
The Clan Warrior: The ultimate gamer and Hardcore gamer.This also included people who are into multimedia editing(photos and videos).

Note :The categories has been done tier wise so for example Tier 3:Gamer can do all the things Tier 2:Programmer can do and a bit extra.

Basic Building Components

Note: I would recommend only advanced computer users to assemble their system otherwise just ask the shopkeeper to do so. They make ask some extra cash but believe me it’s worth the risk.

1. CPU

CPU Chips

I guess now days there is no single core CPU in the market.

Q: So what exactly is this Multicore terms like Core to Duo ,Quad core or Dual core(and Hex core) means ?

A: They mean that 2/4/6 processors have been clubbed in a box for you.

Q: Now what was the need for doing such a thing?

A: Imagine the case where a 2 is being done by 1 person (Multitasking single core) and 2 work is done by 2 people. In 2nd case the work will be done much easier. Also a work can be broken into threads in which case multithreading or having more than one thread helps.

For the first 3 category of users dual core will be more than sufficient but for tier 4 a quad core processor is recommended.

CPU Wars

Intel Vs AMD

There are two CPU manufactures out there (many more but these 2 dominate the market). Intel and AMD Processors nearly have started a war to dominate the market.

Myths and their validity

AMD Processors are like hot oven. Partially true. While AMD processors do get a little header compared to their Intel counterparts but then again there is a catch. Intel processors are more costly that AMD, thus if you buy an AMD the extra cash can be used to buy a good CPU cooling fan or a good cabinet with extra fan and still save say 2000 to 3000 INR extra.

But Intel on the other side offers rock solid performance, zero heating problems(unless the fan is not running) and a slight boost over AMD processors.

Lastly the choice is based on users so choose whatever you feel like..but if you have a budget to follow I guess AMD is a strong contender for hardcore gamers.

2. RAM

The more ram you have the better. Wrong. There is a sweet thing called dual channel so ideally my 4GM Ram(2X2GB same frequency) will eventually your 6GB (4+2 GB).So I suggest either buy in pairs or buy a single chip so that the option to upgrade later remains open. With only 2 ram slots present in most motherboards and rams coming at 1GB/2GB/4 GB combos. Give it a thought before buying

Ram frequency also matters. So buy the highest frequency the motherboard supports. This will be a safeguard against future expansion.

Casual user: 2GB.

Programmer: 4GB

Gamer: 4GB

The Clan Warrior: 8GB

3. HDD: Choose as you please. Exclusively depends on how much you want to store. Then there are external ones.

4. Motherboard: If you are casual or Programmer, don’t worry about the motherboard and if you are a gamer or a clan warrior you probably will know about these.

5. Graphics Card/PCI Express Card

GForce 9600GT

Casual user: NA.

Programmer: NA

Casual and Programmers need not to worry about PCI Express card. They will be having their own sweet inbuilt card which in some cases is real good enough cards to play games as well.

Gamer/The Clan Warrior: Read the market and decide well. The gamer will go for a good mid range card and the clan warrior will probably go for a twin entry level high end card. Yes twins.2 cards of same model clubbed together can deliver awesome power (Nvidia SLI or AMD Crossfire).Be sure to get a DX 11 supported card.

War of Cards

Nvidia Vs AMD(ATI)

Yes once again we arrive at the point where there a two giant competitors for a rich market. Nvidia and AMD (formerly known as ATI).In an attempt to stop a 2nd war on my post, please read the Google for further info. Oh and Nvidia is possibly coming for PC CPU market soon.

Personally I prefer using Nvidia and have never used ATI. One of the reasons being that most of the games that need a serious card always show a logo that says made for Nvidia.

That pretty much concludes the guide. The next one will be about various operating systems available for use. There is always lots of information available on the internet so before buying search Google, visit the shops for a price quotation and then plan your PC.

Note: Never buy a Branded PC. They actually suck and if you open the cover in many cases the warranty is actually void unless specified by the technical support executive or the authorized service engineer. A PC with its cover closed is as good as a laptop minus portability.

Signing Off
Santanu Ghosal

Mumbai Blasts a Brief Timeline

noreply@blogger.com (Santanu) — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 13:56:00 +0000

Yesterday when I stumbled upon the news, my first reaction was to call my cousin who is presently in Mumbai. He was safe. Immediately after keeping the phone down I thought of those families who had lost their loved ones. It’s a long list and perhaps after reading this article you will understand that Mumbai unlike other cities has endured much yet they live and have not abandoned their sanity.

First Attack: 1993 Bombay Bombings

Mumbai was Bombay back then. On 12th March 1993 there were 13 consecutive explosions that rocked the city. It was the most destructive attack till day in Indian History. The attack left a casualty of 250 people 700 injured and numerous traumatized. The master mind was Dawood Ibrahim. It is believed that the attacks were carried out in retaliation for the enormous Muslim casualties and widespread damage to the Muslim owned businesses and properties which occurred during the Hindu-Muslim riots in Bombay between December 1992 and January 1993, in the fall-out of the demolition of the Babri Mosque. Once again 900 people died. An estimated 275 Hindus and 575 Muslims died and 2,000 people were injured in the riots.

Themed in Movie: The Black Friday

Second Attack: Mumbai train bombings

The 11 July 2006 Mumbai train bombings were a series of seven bomb blasts that took place over a period of 11 minutes on the Suburban Railway in Mumbai , capital city of the Indian province of Maharashtra and the nation's financial capital. The bombs were set off in pressure cookers on trains plying the Western line of the Suburban Railway network. 209 people were killed and over 700 were injured. According to Mumbai Police, the bombings were carried out by Lashkar-e-Toiba and Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI).

Themed in Movie: Mumbai Meri Jaan

Third Attack: 2008 Mumbai Attacks

The 2008 Mumbai attacks (often referred to as November 26 or 26/11) were more than 10 coordinated shooting and bombing attacks across Mumbai, India's largest city, by Islamic terrorists who invaded from Pakistani seawaters. The terrorists who carried out the reconnaissance before the attacks later stated that the attacks were conducted with the support of Pakistan's secret service, the ISI. The attacks, which drew widespread global condemnation, began on 26 November 2008 and lasted until 29 November, killing 164 people and wounding at least 308.

Themed Movie: None. We don’t need any when Ajmal Kasab’s trial was so costly.As of 2007, Indian Govt spent nearly 31 Crore for his safekeeping.

Fourth Attack: Mumbai Blast 2011

The blasts occurred at the Opera House, Zaveri Bazaar, and Dadar West localities. A fourth bomb was reported to have been discovered in the Santa Cruz area and defused in time.More than 20 people were killed overnight and at least 100 injured.

Summary

1500 People killed and 3000 people injured.Amazing figure for a city.I wonder why the government is still silent about it.The bigger picture can be seen here.

Yet the Mumbai population has shown extraordinary courage and valour during the crisis hours.Its a true unity rarely seen these days.Numerous incidents can be marked in favour of the aam aadmi of a city that never stops.

I am speechless after this.Both by the actions of Terrorists and the government of India who has vowed to protect us.My condolences to the family of victims.This is a post where I decided not to put any pictures because i didn't find any nice pictures to stick,not it was funny this time.

Photography with Digital Camera A-Z

noreply@blogger.com (Santanu) — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 06:34:00 +0000

Until recent time the Digital world of photography was highly analogue. I still remember my dad’s old camera which used a simple expose and click mechanism for photographs. Times changed since then. My first version of digitized photograph came with the scanning of some old school photos with a friend’s scanner. I posted the pics here. Soon I realized that the world is going to change with the widespread of the Internet Phenomenon. I was an Internet user since 1998 and thus realized that with the increase in internet usage will come the age of Digital media (Photos and videos).

As of now, I stand at a time when video calling is being offered as a part of 3g plan. Mobile phones come with a good camera at least 3MP.Alas there was a time when the first camera phone used to come with VGA Camera. After 6 years the camera has boosted up to 12MP or even 16 MP with the phone, able to challenge a good camera of same MP(Not SLR Cameras-they still rule).

So I decided to write this mini guide which helps an individual to asses/buy a camera phone and tips on how to enhance the photo. Please note the price and camera phone model is reflecting for the Indian subcontinent thought the tips holds good for everyone.

Buying a Camera Phone

There are many camera phones available from market. The cheapest standard I say will be Nokia X2(around 5000/-).Comes with a 5MP camera and Flash. Please note that this is not a Smartphone and will only be loved by Camera Phone lovers. It’s not a touch screen and is just another Candy bar Phone with 5MP camera. Now that’s the selling point. Remember since the base camera can cost lesser than the touch screen and screen display matters little less as the photos will be finally viewed and edited in PC, the camera makes an excellent choice(once again to those who fancies a good camera and not much in a phone).

Once we move a little up in the tier, Nokia X6 comes with a Carl Zeiss Optics 5MP and Dual LED Flash(around 15000/-).Unfortunately the 8GB Version is over and they have launched the 16 GB owing to the high price. Behold the cheapest Carl Zeiss optics phone.

For a little high end choice Nokia N8 is the best option (around 21000/-), with 12MP Carl Zeiss Optics and Xenon Flash this is a monster that will dominate the market for a long time....apparently not. With the Megapixel race, Nokia is coming up with 16MP Carl Zeiss Xenon Flash equipped Nokia N8-01 phone.

Why should we go for such a high priced phone and not some other 8000 Rs phone or for that matter the Nokia X2 phone which also has the 5MP Camera?

An honest question that might come to your mind. Yes very true that the working mechanism inside each camera phone is the same .The real players are the following things that make a camera.

CMOS Chip. Though I am not an electronics engineer but needless it doesn’t takes much intelligence to figure out that the high end CMOS chips can produce better image form the lights and shadows. Though the CCD Chips are more suited for SLR Cameras but due to the high cost factor, CMOS has become more popular.
Megapixel. With the MP race, the top notch MP camera is around 16MP.Why do we need so much MP. Frankly speaking since the usage is normally limited to posting in facebook or maybe Picasa account. And since the person viewing the image does so from his normal 15” or say 17“monitor (rarely form a 21” monitor unlike me).The highest viewable resolution is mostly 1366X768 which comes easily with a 3MP camera. So why such a high MP is required. The answer lies in a phenomenon called cropping. Cropping is cutting the pics into desired size and focus. So ideally with lesser resolution the cropped photo might not be very proper.
Lens. So what’s the big deal about it? Well it’s the lens that captures the lights reflecting back from the subject to the camera. Carl Zeiss lens comes into picture in terms of capturing detailed image and dynamic color lens. Who are they? The company who makes lenses for Satellites and has been in the business for whooping 160 years. Yes it does make a real difference. Apart from Nokia Sony Ericson is the only other company who used to pack Carl Zeiss lens until recently dropped.
Flash. The common myth says that flash is only necessary when in Indoor and low light. But the truth is a good flash can sometime lessen the whitish background even on a sunny day. But yes true that the flash is mostly used in nighttime. So unless your camera is intended to shoot only in daytime with sunlight...make sure that the flash is present in the phone. There are two types of flashes.LED Flashes comes with two one flash while the Xenon flash is the more costly and better option for the users. In summary the Xenon flash is more flashy and costly than the LED counterpart because of more light it produces with more intensity.

However please note that a lousy photographer with a 10MP camera can lose to a good photographer with a 3.2 MP camera. No matter how big the camera resolution is ultimately it’s the photographer that is in charge.

The next section covers the basics for those who already have a camera phone or has just bought one.

The Art of Photography

The Photography is a unique art which covers both your imagination and the technicalities. So let’s take a quick look into the mystic art that helps us to capture moments into the frames.

Instead of just copying the same material from the website, I choose to give the links for the same.

Needless to say the website http://www.digital-photography-school.com/ offers various tips on photography which finally can enhance the photos you take.

My Small Tips

Never face towards the light or sun while taking picture. Goes opposite for the subject. Always face the subject towards the sunlight or light source.
Prefer portrait mode (holding the phone normally upside down) for taking pictures of solo subject or when the scenery is not important. Landscape mode(holding sideways) is the best for taking sceneries or when multiple subjects are there in focus.
Take more than one picture. You never know which one turns out to be the best.

The website pretty much covers up the techniques. Now let’s talk about the Imagination part. Although my personal belief was that in India camera is best to be used in Social occasions or vacation. Otherwise there is not much to take a snap. But my recent experiments show that it was my lack of vision not the lack of subject. My experience says start taking snaps and eventually your inner eye will show up to reveal the real image…..that’s the true photography.

Etiquette in Photography

With the rapid growth of mobile phones with camera…it has somewhat been a very idiotic and stupid habit of people taking pictures of everything and anything they find anywhere. They sometime feel proud of the pictures taken. Sometimes within the No Photograph zone to unsuspecting ladies and perhaps in institutions taking snaps of not so funny moments of faculty and students without their consent.

Please remember that with Great power comes great responsibility and so while you have the power to capture a moment, freeze the time in frame, misuse of the power may not result in happy moments after all. While the law is not very strict against photographing a person without his/her consent, but the fact that the public is unaware of this makes the whole situation very difficult. Even though the intentions are good you might end up in a hospital or Jail depending upon the public response.

Best way to approach is perhaps to ask the person if he/she is the main focus or if it’s a place of interest...Read the rules before snapping.

Summary

And always remember that it’s your vision what matters most that the equipment you are using. So open your mind’s eye and start snapping. Surely one day won’t make a difference but with practice and determination you can master the art to a great extent.

Just to add the mood.I ve included some pics taken with my Mobile Phone...Enjoy

Breakups in a Post Apocalyptic world

noreply@blogger.com (Santanu) — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 20:52:00 +0000

Our world is like a small S**T Hole and facebook is just the reflection of it..just stumbled upon one of my good friend's X's profile..after a long relationship they had parted..they were a part of my very special memory and it hurts a lot when I see both of them with different people.This post might hurt them who has already been through such a situation, but my intention is to help them who are perhaps going through one or aren't ready to face the heat crisis and needs tips on that..I myself hate to see breakups..tried to stop as many as possible(with some success)..Sorry for the pain just in case but please understand that this one is for those who still has a chance.
Why breakups happen
Interestingly there are lots of theory and reasoning available, but however it really cant be predicted coz for everyone the reasons are different.In some cases it might be suggested that getting bored of relationship or finding some one better has led to breakup but then..it was never really a true love in that case and so move on for a greener pasture(better person i mean).
The most common categorization can be made on the basis of requirement.When one partner observes that his/her other half is ignorant and he/she is not getting what they expected can really lead to argument, fight and finally a breakup.Love in the essence means to give and not to expect anything in return.But in our modern day life..we sometime do expect something form them in return and when we don't get it, results in the first reason to have a breakup..here a a few things that follow the disappointment phase..

They stop expecting and promises themself never to open up
They try to find an alternative to that expectation.
They fight over it sometimes winding back to the same phase with a bitter memory or can also successfully avert the situation.

Prevention is always better than cure

Coming to the point of prevention,perhaps the whole thing cant be summarized in just a post but can be boiled down to at least few points…

Speak up:When in pain and sadness over some issue always choose to speak up.Don't stay mum fearing another quarrel or bad days but rather open up your mind to the other person.If you cant speak up try writing a email ,letter ..send them an audio/video recording..communicate..
- Do’s and Don'ts
  - Do Speak,write or record..but don't send an sms or chat.They hardly convey the real meaning and can lead to more confusion
  - Don't ask your best friend to do the job.They actually might try from their heart but may mess up more coz they really will say what they feel not what you intended to say.
  - Don't create a fuss about it and try to get his attention.I’ve seen people doing all sort of things to draw the attention and end up doing the stupidest thing ever done.
  - Don't pick up past issues.They only complicate the matter
Fight Up: When speaking doesn’t resolve roll up your sleeve and get into the fight.Chances are that you will end up saying and he will end up listening what you were trying to say.Even as psychologists say..releasing the emotion helps in better understanding and after all it is not wrong to fight for something you love.
- Do’s and Don’ts
  - Fighting should be strictly limited to you and not spread over the family and friends.Never know when someone might just take the advantage over it.
  - Once again it should be under reasonable grounds.Means since you are fighting..its not wise to hang out with someone else just to make him hurt or jealous..the intention of the fight is to convey your message not hurt your loved ones.Even bitter enemies like India and Pakistan have ROE(Rules Of Engagement) over battlefield and doesn’t fight like animals
  - Inflicting self pain..or hurting oneself during the fight is the biggest stupidest thing to do.It only forces the other person to come to a stalemate without true understanding.Nothing really achieved

Fighting Techniques

To lighten up the mood here are a few fighting techniques used during a fight.Due to my knowledge and vast field experience in this matter I present to you the “Technique de la Fighting Manual”.

The Silent Treatment, when used forces the other half to go crazy.Makes him/her wonder what went wrong.They end up saying all sorts of thing and in the end get tired and calls for a truce.Name your terms.
The Violent treatment, can result in biting,slapping,boxing and scratching..which eventually ignites the passion and voila the love is back.Note please don't practically try to hurt the other half badly..its not a boxing match..knockout is not the way of winning.
The Slang Treatment.I was fortunate enough to listen to a good conversation where each one was just abusing the other.First it sounded very cheap but at the end I realized they actually have made up.
The Emotional Atyachar Treatment.Boy o boy this is a big one.If done in limited dose and proper usage can leave the opponent in a dazzled state and once again you have the victory at your feet.

Making up

Making up is a unique thing once again, different for different people.I will list the most common types.Once again my vision is limited to that being a male species so cant really say the same will work for boys from girls…so read on..

The I Love You Phrase.If used in proper fashion and good timing can lead to cool down.Add I’m dying and cant leave with out you adds perfect 100% to the score.
Pampering.When used against any other person is normally called buttering or oiling.The motive here is to say nice things to the other half(even if it is not true)
Guchu Guchu.In face to face fight..guchu technique can also lead to instant cool down.I don't think i need to explain this in details..but for dummies, get more passionate..dumb
Chocolates and Red Roses are known to be good anti fighting agents but not recommended for budget lovers.
Stuffed Toys.If budget permits can add to cool down.

Conclusion
While the subject is widely discussed and there is no real guideline to it.The best thing to remember is what really matters.Is it your loved one or is it your ego.Its up to you to save your relationship and you know the best how to do it.My article simply urges you to do it.

The new face of Kolkata Metro

noreply@blogger.com (Santanu) — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 15:42:00 +0000

Recent in the news that our beloved metro is finally giving way to Token based tickets instead of paper ones.The preparation was complete in during May June and was just waiting for the right moment to launch.Now looking at the new system and since I had been used to delhi metro for quite some time,I did a quick review of the metro with an extensive research on the token system.

Launch Date

KM:Started back in 1973,the first line Dumdum to Mahanayak Uttma Kumar(AKA Tollygang) started in 1995.

Timelines of the metro in Kolkata:

October 24, 1984: Esplanade – Bhowanipur (now Netaji Bhaban) (3.4 km)
November 12, 1984: Dum Dum – Belgachhia (2.15 km)
April 29, 1986: Bhowanipur (now Netaji Bhaban) – Tollygunge (now Mahanayak Uttam Kumar) (4.25 km)
August 13, 1994: Dum Dum – Shyambazar (3.8 km)
October 2, 1994: Esplanade – Chandni Chowk (0.7 km)
February 19, 1995: Shyambazar – Girish Park (1.9 km) and Chandni Chowk – Central (0.6 km)
September 27, 1995: Central – Girish Park (1.8 km)
August 22, 2009: Tollygunge (Mahanayak Uttam Kumar) – Garia Bazar (now Kavi Nazrul), 5.85 km
October 7, 2010: Garia Bazar (now Kavi Nazrul) – New Garia (now Kavi Subhash), 3 km

DM:Planning in 1984,operation started on 2002.

Meto Coverage

KM: Line 1 has a total length of 25 kilometres (16 mi) with 23 stations of which 15 are underground.Operating Speed:55 km/h (in service)

DM: The network consists of six lines with a total length of 189.63 kilometres (117.83 mi) with 142 stations of which 35 are underground.Operating Speed:35 km/h

Fare

KM:Zone based fare starting from Zone I@4 Rs to Zone V@12 Rs

DM:Distance based fare staring for min 8 Rs to Max 30 Rs

Daily Passenger Load and Trains.

KM:18 Trains(2590 passengers (approx)).I couldnt find the number figure so would be glad if someone can point me out to a website

DM:1.6 million with 188 trains(1506 Passengers approx-AC)

Ticketing

KM:Until lately paper tickets.Hopefully by the time this blog is posted,we will be having token based tickets

DM:Token based tickets all along.

Profit

KM:Kolkata Metro was only able to rake in a total of Rs 60.9 crore in 2007-08 and Rs 64.84 in 2008-09, with an operating ratio of 1:1.95. Thereby, for every Re 1 that the Kolkata Metro earns, it spends Rs 1.95. The losses are substantial.

DM:For the financial year ended March 2008, the Metro reported operating revenues of 305.27 crore (US$68.1 million) and a profit before tax of 19.98 crore (US$4.46 million),[76] which rose to 723.77
crore (US$161.4 million) and 90.43 crore (US$20.2 million) respectively for the financial year ended March 2009.

Coming to the Second Section:Token

Here is a quick comparison form Telegraph(http://www.telegraphindia.com/1110510/jsp/calcutta/story_13959452.jsp)

TICKETS

Gates: Turnstiles
Number of gates: 211
Mode of operation: Paper tickets have magnetic strips. Once the ticket is inserted into the machine, a magnetic reader recognises it and sends a signal to the turnstile. It can then be turned to let the commuter in.
Type of operation: Manual (and often problematic). After inserting the ticket, a passenger has to turn the turnstile to enter.
Types of tickets: Paper tickets for single and multiple rides, smart cards for regular commutes across different zones. New smart cards are not being sold any longer.
Time factor: 30 to 35 passengers per minute

TOKENS

Gates: Touch-free flaps
Number of gates: 280 in 23 stations. The gates will be divided into three categories. There will be gates exclusively for either entry or exit while some will be revertible ones. According to Metro sources, 66
will be for entry, 96 for exit and 111 revertible gates. The number of gates will be increased later.
Mode of operation: Radio-frequency identification technique ensures faster, smoother system. “A sensor inside the machine reads the signal from the plastic token and the flap gates open automatically. The
system will be operated through a central server at Metro Bhavan,” spokesperson Protyush Ghosh said.
Type of operation: The plastic tokens, about three cms each in diameter, have to brought near the sensor for the flaps to open. When the commuter exits, the token needs to be dropped in a “collector” for the
gate to open.
Types of tokens: Coloured daily tokens and smart cards. There will be no multiple-ride tokens.
Time factor: 50 to 55 passengers per minute.

Pros

Tokens are are mostly resistant to wear and tear because of the plastic body
They are a effective solution to paper tickets which actually gets wasted after use.Tokens are easily reused.
The mechanism is fast so expected time for ticketing and passing through the gate is much less
Eliminates the ticket misuse or broken gates so increasing the flow of passangers in and out of station.

Cons

Tokens have a lifetime of 30 mins from issue and overall 90 mins in travel.So forget waiting outside metro for someone and grabbing the ticket earlier.
No return funda meaning..longer queue for irregular passengers.
Gates operate for 20 seconds after sensing the tokens so..buckle up and run...
Loss of tokens will incur a fine of 250 Rs..ouch, incase some one decides to keep the token as a souvenrir

Conclusion

Well Kolkata metro definitely geared up for the change.After reading the post one can think that I do favour delhi metro more than kolkata.But no I take the neutral stance and the true story behind delhi metro's success is that,they had someone to learn from(Kolkata Metro) where as kolkata metro,being the country’s first, and a completely indigenous process, the construction of the Kolkata Metro was more of a trial-and-error affair.
As a result, it took nearly 23 years to completely construct a 17 km underground railway.But looking at the timeline I have posted earlier, we definitely have picked up the pace in recent years.Lets hope for a better and cleaner metro in Kolkata

CID vs CBI

noreply@blogger.com (Santanu) — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 10:59:00 +0000

The Televison Funda
The televison has been a major entertainment source since the dawn of Indian Cinema and its contribution towards the making of Indian mentality has been greatly influenced by the quality of the movie/soaps.Here are a frew glimpses of the famous/not so famous TV serials and movies.This list doesnt speak entirely of the theme but rather is a segment of the full list and obviously of my fav choice.

The CID and ACP Pradyuman

Everybody knows the CID and ACP Pradyuman played by Shivaji Satyam who is also otherwise popular for the roles of Father of the hero/heroine or as a Police Commissioner. When we say CID a reflection of a highly efficient and good looking people comes to our mind who has devoted their life for fighiting crime. Notable of mentioning is also Sr Inspector Abhijeet and Daya, Inspector Fredricks and Dr Salunkhe. The episode and the direction was the brainchild of B P Singh who had successfully created a cult/mainstream where ACP Pradyuman and his team will be there in our minds continuously after the bad guys. So why was this a success? It is still the longest running TV Serial(Yup even beats the Ku Ki Saas bhi Kabhi Bahu thi and Shanti.

The success mantra could be definitely that the storyline was superb along with the acting. The real catch though is that we wanted something like this in real life where the truth and justice finally triumphs over the bad and evil(By the way the base line is very ancient..dating back to Ramayan).They were successful because we wanted to see a team who will be feared by the criminals and politicians alike.

Ajnabi and Major(Not the Movie)

Well needless to say this was one of my favourite serials.An ex army who has settled in the hill tracks faces various challenges including typical human emotions and with a huge chunk of terrorists thrown in.Casted by Danny Denzongpa, the serial had action flicks and emotional twists(unlike recent Ekta kapoor productions).The soundtrack was something that penetrates the mind and takes us to those hilly areas.Needless to say the location chosen for shooting also had plenty of natural beauties(yeah..Beauties).Anyways those who have watched it needs no description.

The serial was more about the Indian Patriotism and Valor.Of sacrifices the people make for their better understanding of Freedom and Unity..

Prahar and Major Chauhan

Once again this needs no description as both the titles are very familiar.For me prahar signified the beatings in school by my chemistry teacher, Sharmistha madam who punished me with a scale for practicing the sacred art of Astrology and predicting who will mary who and how many babies they will have. Ahem…a bit off track…Anyway the Movie signified the struggle of an army man who adops the idea of cleaning the drain by getting in the drain. Nana perhaps had best suited for the role(Trivia:He undertook the training in Indian Army for the role and thus has been awarded honorary captain rank.He also had joined the Territorial Army (India) in early 90s).

The movie shows us how an army captain is forced to take up justice in his own hands and had to neutralize certain antisocial threats for the benefit of social cause and unfortunately the public makes wrong judgment of it.

Real Life Funda
As against the TV,there are certain real life agencies or govt organizations whose life is equally thrilling and perhaps could fetch high TRP if made a movie/serial out of it.Here is once again a segment of the list and my favs..

National Security Guard (NSG)

The NSG is a Special Response Unit in India that has primarily been utilized for counter-terrorism activities and was created by the Cabinet Secretariat under the National Security Guard Act of the Indian Parliament in 1986. It works completely within the Central Paramilitary Force structure.

Some of the NSG's known operations include:

#30 April 1986 - 12 May 1988 — attack on Khalistani militants hiding in the Golden Temple during Operation Black Thunder II

#25 April 1993 — rescue of hijacked plane Indian Airlines Boeing 737 by Islamic militants during Operation Ashwamedh

#October, 1998 — major combat missions in Jammu and Kashmir

#15 July 1999 — rescue of 12 hostages held by armed terrorists who had stormed an apartment complex in Kashmir and killed 4 people

#25 September 2002 — Operation Vajra Shakti to free hostages held by terrorists who had killed 29 worshippers[4] at the Akshardham temple in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. They suffered their first combat death in this operation. A second commando, who was seriously injured and was in a coma, died after 18 months.

#26 November 2008 Mumbai attacks — Operation Black Tornado and Operation Cyclone to flush out terrorists & rescue hostages after multiple attacks across Mumbai, India. Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan and Havaldar Gajender Singh Bisht of the Special Action Group lost their lives during the operations.

Note: A large number of SRG personnel of the National Security Guards are assigned as bodyguards for various political leaders leaving a significantly lesser number of rangers who may be able to assist when the need arises.

However, after a recent media uproar, many of the NSG commandos were reassigned from their bodyguard positions(also known formerly as Black Cat and has been known to deploy in markets and sabzi mandi to fetch household groceries for VIP, making tea and providing guard to VIP’s sons and daughters ofcource) back to active duty

Research and Analysis Wing

The R&AW or RAW is India's external intelligence agency. It was formed in September 1968 after the poor performance of the Intelligence Bureau (which handled both internal and external intelligence) in the Sino-Indian war of 1962 and the India-Pakistani war of 1965 convinced the then government of India that a specialized, independent agency was required for competent external intelligence gathering.

The raw gained real power during the reign of Indira Gandhi and had been continuously on a growth pattern until the corruption had his hands on the organization. Major General (retired) V K Singh has recently written a book on R&AW where it was alleged that political interference and corruption in the intelligence agency has made it vulnerable to defections. One of the instances of corruption mentioned in the book was the preference given by R&AW departments towards purchasing intelligence from the 'Rohde and Schwarz' company. A reason for such corruption as explained by the author is that "...R&AW was not answerable to any outside agency - the control of the Prime Minister's Office was per functionary, at best - many officers thought that they were not only above the law but a law unto themselves”

Central Bureau of Investigation

The CBI is a government agency of India that serves as a criminal investigation body, national security agency and intelligence agency. It was established on 1 April 1963 and evolved from the Special Police Establishment founded in 1941. Its motto is "Industry, Impartiality, Integrity".

The CBI is controlled by the Department of Personnel and Training in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pension of the Union Government usually headed by a Union Minister who reports directly to the Prime Minister. While analogous in structure to the FBI, the CBI's powers and function are severely limited to specific crimes based on Acts (mainly the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946). The CBI is the official Interpol unit for India.

Because of its intensely political overtones, it has been exposed by its former bigwigs like Joginder Singh and BR Lall who were Director and Joint Director respectively, to be engaging in nepotism, mal-prosecution and outright corruption. In his book, Who Owns CBI, BR Lall, an honest and upright officer details the modus operandi of manipulating and derailing investigation] This organization has become synonymous with corruption as information obtained under the RTI Act has revealed. Even the Top Bosses are known for stooping to illegal fund diversion.RTI activist Krishnanand Tripathi has alleged harassment from CBI in order to save itself from exposure through RTI CBI has now been exempted from RTI act.

Summary

Well Perhaps India has yet to see all of its Govt agencies into peak function taking example from US Special Forces and FBI/Scotland Yard.Perhaps then we can truelly say that our country is developing and no one can enter our house and shoot us and then leave easily.

Looking at the current prespective,I think it is high time that we start looking into the security loopholes and make india a better and stronger country.

Signing Off

20 Years Ago till Today...a timeline for me.........

noreply@blogger.com (Santanu) — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 06:24:00 +0000

On my 27th Birthday I decided to make a timeline for myself.Since its a blog as well you are welcome to read it.....Its not a very romantic or action timeline but its true and my honest line.....

20 years ago I . . .
Can barely remember what exactly I was doing. No date wise memory

(2001)10 years ago I . . .

I had attained my first board exam ICSE and awaiting the results. I was especially scared about the physics and mathematics. I knew I was going to fail in biology. My Physics teacher was more scared than me.
Finally completed the Unreal Tournament and beaten Xan. Vomited after playing Doom and decided never to play the series in my life.
Elder brother got married, and I got the privilege of being the groom’s brother for the first time. Got a very dear Sister In Law(I call her Didi till day)Family Member = 9+1

(2006)5 years ago I . . .

Got transferred from Kolkata to Bangalore to study Engineering.(Against my will)
Lost both my Grandparents. Dida(2003) Dadu(2006).Family=10-2
Sitting back at home with Zero morale and trying to find my way back to the College.
Appeared for an interview with Wipro BPO, got rejected due to lack of proper communication skills.
Went to Vishnu solutions for an Interview and came to know that being a 2nd Year Pass Engineer, I was overqualified for the job. Though he did agree to get me a job if I would have paid some 10,000 as a security and my certificates as an assurance.
Morale boosted up once I had cleared the exams(all except one EC32)
Realized that really women can be deceptive and they can lie for their benefits.
Gifted with a nephew(Sangsaptak) who became the youngest member in my Family (taking my title...he he).Family=8+1

(2008)3 years ago I . . .

Brother visited Bangalore and had a kickass time.Those days were like heaven when your brother is there to take care of your financial needs and to lets you to have...ahem many many good things.He was like a guide,philosopher and friend to me that time...We were the perfect bachelors with some of our fellow bachelors.We sort of had an unofficial bachelor's club with my brother being the unofficial president for the club....we had daily meetings and addas..
Finally passed out of the college, even with a job in Keane India (then known as Caritor).Though the buggers didn’t called me immediately.
Joined Wipro BPO (cleared the rounds with highest in comm. Skills and tech knowledge) to earn my pocket money, which was proudly spent on Computers and fruit juice and girlfriend.
Celebrated my first Love anniversary (November), and realized that when you receive gifts it’s wonderful and when you have to give its costly.
Realized that once you get into job it’s really the end of personal leizures, took up my first call as FLA(Front Line Agents more like Front Line A** HOLE) on 23:59 PM 31st December 2008.The lady on the other side was very courteous and offered me cookies to compensate the pain of taking her call on this occasion. Mrs. Mary Mathews, from Ohio.

(2010)1 year ago I . . .

Have someone in my life to annoy and bother with my actions...
Proudly was going for a dayshift with Sunday as week off and a promotion.
Handling a team of around 10-15 people. I didn’t know I could do it. Planning to quit the job as well.”Frustration…ami hote chai sensation (TM)” was my motto.
Weekend Attendance at Ajanta for a couple of Beer(*Contains fruit juice and no added flavour) and Dry Chili Chicken.
Luckily had received a call from Keane India and Wipro Technology at the same time
Left home in the month of September and settled for Bangalore then Noida.
Joined my 2nd Job as a Software Engineer at Keane India (Noida)-Finally got the call.
Purchased the Nokia X6 on EMI to enjoy the superior photo quality at 5MP Carl Zeiss Optics. Still paying the EMI. The phone successfully survived one snatching event and multiple drops from hand.
Gifted with another nephew (Panchajanya) who once again becomes the youngest member of the family. Family=9+1

(2011)So far this year I . . .

Been to office and tried to use the office hours for blogging and other social activities.
Office blocks facebook, Gmail and blogger. **&&**!@@@*!!.
Got a salary hike (don’t know why) and had little more money to spend on Pizza.
Missed half of my second brother’s wedding and landed up in Kolkata on 2nd day. Did expected a lot of brother’s Saalis but sadly that’s another story to be narrated later. Got a cute and really nice person as Sister In Law who calls me Bhai. She even reads my blogs dedicatedly(thanks) .Family =10+1
Quit the habit of drinking in weekends and now can stay without a drink for months
Presently planning to quit cigarette(that’s a tough call)

(15th June 2011)Yesterday I . . .

Boozed a little to enjoy the night. Managed to drink the entire stuff without spilling even a drop. Record.
Got wet in the rain to feel the nature. Caught cold and had a little fever.
Watched the movie Darjeeling Darjeeling by Anjan Dutta and tried to relate the characters to my own life(Nope I am the only piece in this universe..single piece sample)
No cakes were cut and no payesh was made, not even one sweet. Booooo…..
Realized that I am 27 now. More Booooooooo…………

Today I . . .

1. Completed 27 years of my.
2. Completed the first chapter for SCJP by Kathy Sierra
3. Promised to quit smoking
4. Promised to be good to the special lady and not to annoy her(*Conditions apply)

Tomorrow I will . . .

Again annoy that woman
Be back at work (full-day)
Smoke 10-12 cigarettes in office.
Cook some good food with the newly learned recepie and post the pics on facebook.

In the next year I will . . .

Open a new blog about my personal journey to the wastelands
Start the Optimized Savings plan (Self Designed)
Try to change the job by the end of the Year.
One of my best friend is going to enter the family phase of life.Planning to be there for the fun...

Thats all for today...signing off..

The Famous Google Search

noreply@blogger.com (Santanu) — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 01:36:00 +0000

Searching Names in Google

One of the favourite passtime of many people browsing the Internet is searching for their own names.Seeing ones name in Internet definitely makes the majority happy as very similar to having faces shown in TV.Internet research says a staggering 67% people have searched for themself or some other close friend in google.While the motive is not always good and intentional,but for either way lets take a closer look at the Searching techniques and how they can be used to get the most desired search result.

Searching for Your Name in Google

When we type our names in google search box,the intention could be varied.One it can be just for fun to see how many different people are there by my name and even to an extent when you just want to see if by any chance your name comes in the top of the google search result.This could be termed as an ego-searching.Another reason to search would be to determine how visible is your profile on the internet.Popular search technique is to place the name between quotes which increases the chance of finding the complete name.With the social networks running in most PCs the search engine is likely to display your name on the very first page itself.Alternative ways of searching would be throgh the website pipl.com.The website offers certain advantages over traditional google search.They show pictures with the profile info and social site.Search can also be made with username from chats essions and email address..Another one will be 123people.com.Thought the content is neatly organized but its not india centric.A search for one of my friend in US showed a more prominet record including DOB And Address with Phone.I would suggest getting both the google and pipl for a full coverage.

Searching for other Names in Google

Why do we need to search for other's names.Well that my friend definitely doesnt need any explanaiton.So I am going to skip this question and discuss the methods in a more in depth manner.The primary problem in searching for a person on the internet is that their profile might be visible in front of you but it will be very hard to recognize due to the fact that you may not recognize the person by his/her picture.They might have put a different one or even you may not recognize the pic altogether?

So basically searching by name is like finding a needle in haystack.Well perhaps searching the haystack would have been easier but we exactly are not looking for the needle anyway.

The methods exploited will be more or less same.So Google it out or use pipl.com to get the desired search for ya.Only thing that counts is that how well do you know or knew the person.That my friend is explained in the next section.

Here is a sample search by my name

Going gets Tough

"When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going".Going by this famous quotes,lets put forward a test case.You want to search a person whom you have never seen so the posibility of searching that person by picture is very less.Next gather as much information as you can about the person and then literally begins the filtering process through lots of social networking accounts.Any information can be helpful.Employer,School,Education,Interest,City....you get the idea.A word of warning,I didnt found orkut results in the search.

The Question Straight from Hell

The obvious question that might come to your mind is that what if that person is not on facebook or any other so called network.As stated earlier you may want to search orkut once again using orkut's search interface.Orkut being one of the oldest social networking site still might hold some tricks up to its sleeve.So once again we say that the person you are trying to find is not on social network.There is however another traditional way of finding a person though is a little trivial and time consuming task,but the success rate increases with each small knowledge of Father's name,Mother's name,Locality...etc....

Kolkata Centric Solution

Ladies and gentlemen behold the Calcutta Telephone Directory which still kicks a punch.Though there is another slight probability that the person no longer uses a BSNL landline but still is worth a try.The results at http://www.calcuttatelephones.com/newdirectory/dqresidential.php are failry hits owing to the fact that you must be knowing some few details as mentioned above.

Last But not the Less

Get a professional detective to do your job or else go for a Feluda style enquiry into the matter.

How to Remove Your Name and Info from Google

With all these research and facts there might remain another fact that you dont want your profile to be visible.Here is what google has to say,

Like all search engines, Google is a reflection of the content and information publicly available on the Internet. Search engines do not have the ability to remove content directly from the Internet, so removing content from Google or another search engine would still leave the original content that exists on the Web. If you want to remove something from the Internet, your best bet is to contact the webmaster of the site and ask him or her to make a change. Once the content has been removed and Google's search engine crawl has visited the page again, the information will no longer appear in Google's search results. If you have an urgent removal request, you can also visit our help page for more information.
Google Privacy Policy

Usually google search gets all the info it can find about you and posts them in chronological order,while it will be difficult to remove oneself entirely from google but it can be done to a certain degree by making the name appear later in pages.Usually people dont go beyond page 3 in google search unless they are dead crazy about finding somehing real hard.

In case if that's a website or page you want to remove(that you own) check out this link to google webmaster.For other websites(that you dont own) the best option is to request the webmaster to remove it.Drop a mail and see if it helps.

Social Networks

Now as we can see the best way to do it is to go to various social networking sites and deselect/remove the option from settings.It should say something like include me in search or make my public profile visible.Once removed the result will take a few seconds to a few days to update.And voila you are gone from the internet but still present like a shadow of a soul.

Conclusion

Well enough Gyan and Enough Stuffs...the most important thing is to maintain a level of privacy and respect other's privacy over the Internet, though for myself I believe there is nothing called privacy in Internet .Its all a open network where if one knows their way the will even find the Tiger's milk as well.But since everyone has the right to defend their own privacy thus the best path is to follow three basic rules.

Never try to access information that might harm some one else
Never do it in the unethical way
Keep looking until you find it.

Thats all for now se ya later folks...................

Facebook Apps and their Security

noreply@blogger.com (Santanu) — Fri, 06 May 2011 11:49:00 +0000

Very recently facebook promoted the usage of https to facebook access.While this went mostly unnoticed ,a very small community of people started to use the feature.Majority of the people didnt even understood the funda and passed it on.So I decided to give it a try and share my experience with you people.

Normally facebook allows both http and https options for browsing but apps are not working in https.

What is http

In a technical jargon http stands for "Hyper-text Transfer Protocol".Its a good thing that they abbreviated to Http.Ok now for the fun stuff.Http is actually a network protocol.Its something like a list of rules what or how your and my computer wants to speak over the internet.If put in a better way say its like a guideline or rules which forces you to speak in a proper manner(yes like grammar).To know more technical and geeky stuffs head on to wikipedia and check out the OSI layer and network protocol.

Similarly there are many more protocols.Here is just a brief list of things(Skip if you are already yawning).The complete list can be found in Wikipedia

Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)
Mainly used to speak to the server (facebook,google,yahoo etc) and settle some rules for you to check the website and how it should speak back to you.Do not confuse this with the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). HTML is the language used to write web pages.

Post Office Protocol (POP3)/Simple Mail Transfer Protocol(SMTP)/Internet Message Access Protocol(IMAP)
All these are mostly used up when you send or receive a email.POP3 and IMAP are responsible for receiving your email and SMTP..yup you guessed it,for sending mail.

File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
Whenever you are downloading a file(pic,songs etc) to your hard-drive you use this one.It copies one file from one Server to your pc and vice versa..

Ok enough of this Technical Stuff..Please Straight to the point

Okay..okay..So whats the difference between http and https..Simple there is an extra s.Well thats a correct one.Actually the s stands for secure.Means this guarantee of security of the website has been given by a company with something called as a digital certificate.

Hey even I have lots of certificates and I have heard that they can be easily faked.

Well unlike the certificates in real life an SSL certificate is a digital certificate that authenticates the identity of a Web site to visiting browsers and encrypts information for the server via Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology.

A certificate serves as an electronic “passport” that establishes an online entity’s credentials when doing business on the Web. When an Internet user attempts to send confidential information to a Web server, the user’s browser will access the server’s digital certificate and establish a secure connection

Information contained in the certificate includes:

The certificate holder’s name (individual or company)*
The certificate’s serial number and expiration date
Copy of the certificate holder’s public key
The digital signature of the certificate-issuing authority

To obtain an SSL certificate, one must generate and submit a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) to a trusted Certification Authority which will authenticate the requestor’s identity, existence and domain registration ownership before issuing a certificate.

So to make a long story short "If a website has https secure it ensures that the site has been verified and authenticated by a real third party organization and there is a lot of legal stuffs there to put the company or individual in long term jail if he tries to fake the certificate.

The connection itself is encrypted means whatever you are sending over the internet cant be easily visibe to other people who want to steal some information.Practically they exchange keys.It is always two keys.One is made public and the other is with the server so without knowing both the keys no one can listen to what you are saying.

Hey there are lot of qualified hackers to break it

Umm..lets take an example...

Password:PLEASE SOMEONE CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG HERE*

Length:14 Charcters,14*8=112bits.

Password is strictly alphanumeric. So there are 26 letters + 26 capital letters + 10 digits.
That's 62 possible characters. The amount of combinations would be:
62^14, or:12401769434657526912139264

Lets assume that the brute force lats attempt is your password. I don't know how long it takes for a password cracker to generate and try a single combination. If that time is 1 second, the password would be cracked in 393257529003599914.768 YEARS. Even if it takes a millionth of a second to generate and try the combination.
(For 1/1,000,000 of a second: 393257529003.59 YEARS - THAT'S 26 TIMES THE AGE OF THE UNIVERSE)

Lets say that the hacker has the most powerful super computer Tianhe-I(with capacity of 1,000,000,000,000,000 calculations per second) it would take roughly 393 years to break.But then the normal 256 bit means 32 charcters(including all ascii sets)

Now imaging NOT KNOWING the amount of characters...

Try this link.Dont use any of your original password.Try something random.

I say the person will not try to hack the password rather will use a backdoor entry or bypass mechanism to gain acces.

Note:All of the banking or payment portal sites uses the AES 256 bit encryption with a digital certificate.

Now thats the real question-What are the backdoor entries or bypass mechanism to facebook

Facebook apps.

Lets take a closer look and compare two applications in facebook.

Intially if you are on https connection then facebook will prompt to swich over to http

Ok done.

Next lets take two typical applications.When it comes to giving permission.....

See the difference between the options.

So Ideally the application states that it has these following information and clamis that it will never access the photo gallery and other sensetive information.However if you read the privacy policy you will be surprised.For Farmville it was atleast better than the other one.

Next:If you look at the website address,its not in facebook anymore...Infact the apps are javascript which are hosted on 3rd party servers and facebook just promotes them but otherwise holds no responsibility for the actions.

So to Summarize if you are using facebook apps:

It openly says that it will post to your wall without your permission.
In some cases access your data and photo album.
It is hosted in 3rd party websites(not in facebook) for which facebook has no credentiability.
Its on a http network where a hacker can easily check and find out your usage or even worse hack your profile or use the personal information for a different purpose.
Apps are written in javascript which virtually has the access to your local drive and can upload and download remotely without you even knowing.

So Whats the Solution
The solution is the choice between security and fun.One can be chosen at atime sacrificing others.However the choice of fun cant be fully down security.

Gaming sites like Zynga hosting popular games like Farmville,Cafeworld and Mafia Wars should be having dedicated security team.Being the top #133 website does pose some reputaion stuff onto itself.

Whereas apps like view my infographics shows :Site Ranking #1,674,405.

Lets Do a case Study.

App:My Zoo

Users:21958

Originating Site:http://zapumal.info/(Page Rank:1,079,656 )

Author Info:I am currently studying for my BSc Degree on Electronic and Telecommunication Engineering in Sri Lanka. this blog is to share things i do on my free time. Well it will go from technical to non technical. These days i am more interested on RC aircrafts and testing on them. I also hope to share my other hobbies here such as numismatics in future. Keeping it simple here is my facebook badge

The blog is a lot successful with visitors from around 50 countries within the first 3 months (Copy and Pasted)

If you visit the site you will see that he has mastered the art of developing facebook app.There are plenty of apps in his site only.

Final Words....
Well once again the app has clear access to your photo uploaded and can post messages without your approval.And if you need proff that javascript can upload and download from your hard drive,"Facebook photo uploader".Though the facebook's one is secure but can you really trust a guy from Sri Lanka with your facebook photos..thats the real question and thats the real concern.Sacrificing security for just a 2 min laughter.

Think over it.Wether you can risk to put you and your dear ones in the line of fire..Can you tolerate and handle some really nasty comments when someday you might stumble upon a morphed picture of them..or try to explain friends in facebook for the violent/bad/**** comments that suddently was posted to your wall.

Here comes the best...can you really enjoy the scene knowing that you once had read about it in an article and didnt bothered to pay attention.......Think

Signing Off
Santanu Ghosal

The Global Countdown-Can we slow it down?

noreply@blogger.com (Santanu) — Thu, 05 May 2011 14:57:00 +0000

As of January 2010, the Doomsday Clock sits at 6 minutes before midnight

My last article was about global warming and its ill effects.One of my friends pointed me out to a documentary The Great Global Warming Swindle.You can view the documentary in youtube.There was another documentary "The age of Stupid" which I had managed to download in the past.What I felt that both of them were as if the sides of the same coin.Here are a few highlights of both the documentarys

The Great Global Warming Swindle

Read out the article and browse the internet to find out more about this documentary.The summary is that global warming is a government and industrialist funded hoax to stop the third world country from using up their oil reserves.

While this movie cites the example of a remote african health clinic to show that solar power is not even sufficient to operate the clinic to full potential and moreover about the uncertainity of sunny and windy days.

As the documentary claims that even speaking against the most happening event and to prove it a lie would be like as to pointing our fingers to god almighty and question his authority.

As the matter went up to court.Ruling was given against the channel for misusing of information and misinterpertetion of the interviews.I say read up the wikipdia about it and then watch the movie.

The Age of Stupid

Once again if you can watch it.The summary says that we had made several mistakes and one of them was to rely on Oil or fossil fuel for our development.The idea it proposes is not to stop all together but to bring the consumption to a standard level so that every major continent gets fair share of it with minimal usage.

The documentary narrates 6 stories.Stories of how we made mistakes and never even bothered to look at the consequences of those mistakes.

Six Human Stories

- Alvin DuVernay, is a paleontogolist helping Shell find more oil off the coast of New Orleans. He also rescued more than 100 people after Hurricane Katrina, which, by 2055, is well known as one of the first major climate change events.
- Jeh Wadia in Mumbai aims to start-up a new low-cost airline and gets a million Indians flying.
- Layefa Malemi lives in absolute poverty in a small village in Nigeria from which Shell extracts tens of millions of dollars worth of oil every week. She dreams of becoming a doctor, but must fish in the oil-infested waters for four years to raise the funds.
- Jamila Bayyoud, aged 8, is an Iraqi refugee living on the streets of Jordan after her home was destroyed - and father killed - during the US-led invasion of 2003. She's trying to help her elder brother make it across the border to safety.
- Piers Guy is a windfarm developer from Cornwall fighting the NIMBY's (Not In My Back Yard) of Middle England.
- 82-year-old French mountain guide Fernand Pareau has witnessed his beloved Alpine glaciers melt by 150 metres

Once again read and google out before you watch the documentary.

Well so which one is True?

So the question comes that which of these are true.What is true and what is false is really based on our perception of this world and the reality around us.But one thing is for sure.The Energy that is wasted simply because there is a lot to spend will have a dramatic effect on our future.The problem is the energy takes long time to become usable and then is used in a shorter span of life thus leading to near depletion.Lets take a closer look

1.Oil

Normally we use the petroleum or Gas for the Cars and Aircraft.The American Petroleum Institute estimated in 1999 the world's oil supply would be depleted between 2062 and 2094, assuming total world oil reserves at between 1.4 and 2 trillion barrels and consumption at 80 million barrels per day.

Imagine a life without Cars and Aviation.Not only that.All the major industries are based on a supply/delivery chain which will be hampered.Practically speaking we will go back to the stone age.Surely many have predicted that there will be alternate fuel source but the question is what if it is not discovered in the right time.Even a gap of 10 years can ultimately lead to the downfall of humanity.

2.Electricity

As we can see.Majority of the electricity comes from coal and gas.Both of these commodities are non renewable sources.

With the increase in world population(reach between 7.5 and 10.5 billion) there is going to be more demand for electricity and thus more non renewable sources will be used up.Also the alternatives are clealy visible to us but why they are not produced in a mass scale?

Three factors contribute the answer.

1.Cost of manufacturing alternate source of energy is very high

2.The energy developed doesnt yield much of power compared to a non renewable energy.

Ex:Solar Panel produced Electricity usually costs between Rs 15-18 /KwH (much higher than the Rs 3-6/unit paid normally) which makes it uneconomical except in special cases like off grid applications

3.The energy needs to be stored for distribution which further adds up to the cost.

The future relies however on the fact that over the time period the cost will go down and usage of non renewable energy source will discared or minimized for good.

3.Water

Though not alarming but still consider the fact that almost 1/4th of the world population lives on drinking water what we sophisticated people wouldnt even touch.

Consider the fact that most of the population in Africa has virtually no access to clean water.Check on Internet for various pictures and videos.But be advised that it may create a severe consequence on your humanity.

Conclusion

Yes I agree that we are going through a very golden age and are happy about our life.True that today we are enjoying the modern marvel of technological advance.But do give it a thought wether our next generation that comes during 2050 will be able to see and enjoy the same or will they pray to god for a glass of water and curse us for being whatever we are today.

Only thing I ask you to think over and stop wasting energy and contribute towards the awareness factor.Go Green

Signing off
Santanu Ghosal

Global Warming

noreply@blogger.com (Santanu) — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 03:29:00 +0000

After a long series of thoughts I finally decided to write about this article.It took me a long and deep thinking for I was wondering whether to really trouble the readers with disturbing facts.The biggest question that was coming to mind immediately was "Is this the right decision for this moment".But finally I decided to put my thought to you guys in a different manner.

Our Planet is Dying

Lets take a peek into the few ecological problems we are facing or are about to face in the next decade.Since the content is very huge and requires detailed explanation I will be splitting it into several posts.

Global Warming

Hey we all know it.People all around the earth are facing it.Even on a fine Sunday morning when you ask the shopkeeper why the price of the fish is going up,he may even shoulder the global warming effect for that.

Global warming is the increase in the average temperature of Earth's near-surface air and oceans since the mid-20th century and its projected continuation. According to the 2007 Fourth Assessment Report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), global surface temperature increased by 0.74 ± 0.18 °C (1.33 ± 0.32 °F) during the 20th century.^[2]^[A] Most of the observed temperature increase since the middle of the 20th century has been caused by increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases, which result from human activities such as the burning of fossil fuel and deforestation

Wikipedia

Effects of Global Warming are various but the most direct and straightforward is the rise in sea level due to the melting of ice in polar caps.

Here is a glimpse of what could happen in the future. Note that the results are tentative and just calculated based on the temperature increase in a steady level.But if it starts to increase in an exponential level.

As you can see certain parts of West Bengal is hugely affected.What more to say.Buy a boat and stash it on roof.Just in case you know.Oh and be sur e to stack up rations.Lots of Booze and Cigrette(For those who smoke and drink of course).Money may not be a priority but here is some important stuffs. The list has been collected from Post Apocalyptic Movies and Games

Apple ipod.As seen in the Movie "The Book Of Eli" the ipod survived the appocalypse and Eli managed to load some cool songs onto it also(god knows from where)
Umm...some way to recycle water..as seen in the Movie "Waterworld".Well to be honest "Whatever liquid comes out are recycled and put back in"...pretty groovy but a practical way otherwise.
Chuck Noriss movie posters and gears.Indians can also settle for a Rajnikant or Sunny Deol or even Mithun Da Gear.The Gear helps in camaflaudge when your opponet will think that the mighty hand of god has just come forth.
Some kind of Power Generator.Be it solar or be it Nuclear doesnt matter.

Last Minute Suggestion:Start buying land in the Himalayas.As seen in various movies.Himalaya remains dry at most of the cases.While we may not be looking at the immediate effects as shown in the movie 2012,there is no harm in getting prepared.

Changes in CO2 level in the Ocean Water and thus the Effect of Ocean Acidification

The role of the oceans in global warming is a complex one. The oceans serve as a sink for carbon dioxide, taking up much that would otherwise remain in the atmosphere, but increased levels of CO2 have led to ocean acidification.Dissolving CO2 in seawater increases the hydrogen ion (H+) concentration in the ocean, and thus decreases ocean pH. Caldeira and Wickett (2003) placed the rate and magnitude of modern ocean acidification changes in the context of probable historical changes during the last 300 million years.[16] Since the industrial revolution began, it is estimated that surface ocean pH has dropped by slightly more than 0.1 units (on the logarithmic scale of pH; approximately a 30% increase in H+), and it is estimated that it will drop by a further 0.3 to 0.5 units (more than doubling ocean H+ concentrations) by 2100 as the oceans absorb more anthropogenic CO2

A Quick Overview

Here is an excellent link..Click n the below posted picture to go to the national geographic site link and get a good knowledge of how things fare.

How to counter the Global Warming

Be aware of the Global Warming.
Drive less. Instead take bikes, walk or carpool each time possible.
Prefer investing in a hybrid or electric vehicle so as to avoid further global warming.
Replace the bulbs in and around your home with energy-efficient tubes that require fewer watts for the same amount of light.
Every month, clean or replace filters of your air-conditioners.
Whenever buying new electrical appliances always go for energy-efficient ones.
Decrease your travel by air.
Wash clothes in cold or warm water instead of hot water and prefer line-dry sooner than drier.
Use a low-flow showerhead as it will lessen the hot water used, and will not reduce water pressure in the shower.
Reduce your garbage. Use eco-friendly bags for shopping. Purchase less packaged materials to stop further global warming.
Unplug electronics whenever not in use, as they consume energy in the stand-by mode.
Recycle your waste to the extent that is possible. Purchase recycled paper and recycled products to prevent further global warming.
When shopping for grocery, take your own reusable canvas bags so that you don’t accumulate more plastic at home.
Plant a tree, whenever possible.
For cleaning, prefer using natural or nontoxic cleaning products.
Prefer fresh food rather than frozen foods. A farmer’s market is the best place to get fresh food.
Get your car serviced and tires pressure checked to save consumption of fuel.
Include less meat and more organic foods in your diet to prevent global warming

A matter to think over.

Signing Off
Santanu Ghosal

Taj Mahal-The Beauty under the veil of Secrets

noreply@blogger.com (Santanu) — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 03:26:00 +0000

Recently I was interested in an TOI article that was about drying Yamuna River and the effects on Taj Mahal.

"The MP R S Katheria (BJP) is now rooting for an independent agency to inspect the boarded and barred basement of Taj Mahal. ''No one has been allowed to enter the 16 underground chambers for more than three decades and we have only ASI's word that all is well"
Times of India

The controversy if you can remember started a few years back by the Book "The Taj Mahal A True Story" by Dr P N Oak(ISBN-10: 0961161442 /ISBN-13: 978-0961161446 ).The book itself was published back in 1989 but was banned by Indian Govt fearing a public outcry and keeping its secular nature.

The Strangest thing is that not even a single news paper or a popular website is hosting any information about the Taj Mahal controversy as if a Taboo is placed on them for not to say anyting.

Here is a sample search screenshot.

I ve also tried with other search terms including

Taj Mahal A True Story-->No News Sites.Amazon hits with the book(Limited Availability)
Taj Mahal Controversy-->Interestingly BBC's 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' page turns up with an article where the author takes a neutral stance.

Best of all.There was a case fought by P N OAK for claiming Taj Mahal as Hindu Temple in Supreme Court.The news was only published in The Tribune.

Plea on Taj history dismissed

NEW DELHI: A self-proclaimed historian’s petition seeking to rewrite the history of Mughal monument Taj Mahal, which figures among the seven wonders of the world, has been dismissed by the Supreme Court as "misconceived". Somebody has a bee in his bonnet, hence this petition," was the remark of a Division Bench comprising Mr Justice SP Bharucha and Mr Justice Ruma Pal when the public interest litigation (PIL) came up for hearing on Monday. The self-proclaimed historian, PN Oak, claimed "the monument of world heritage, Tejomahalaya, commonly known as Taj Mahal, was constructed in 1155 A.D. by one Raja Parmar Dev’s Chief Minister, Salakshan." Oak claimed that the court chronicle of Shahjahan said "the mansion known as Raja Mansingh’s Manzil, at present owned by his grandson Jaisingh, was selected for the burial of Mumtaz and she was buried in it" and added he moved the court "to reestablish the truth and cultural heritage of our country". — PTI

Well I tried searching the archives.The news was on July 14th 2000.TOI has its archives from 2000.ABP since 2001.HT charges for its archives.Well The Hindu keeps from 2000.Yup Lucky me.....

Plea to rewrite Taj history dismissed

NEW DELHI, JULY 13. A self-proclaimed historian's petition seeking to rewrite the history of the Mughal monument Taj Mahal, which figures among the seven wonders of the world, has been dismissed by the Supreme Court as ``misconceived.''

``Somebody has a bee in his bonnet, hence this petition,'' was the remark of a Division Bench comprising Mr. Justice S.P. Bharucha and Ms. Justice Ruma Pal, when the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) came up for hearing on Monday.

``We repeat this is an abuse of the process of the court,'' Mr. Justice Bharucha reprimanded before counsel for the petitioner, Mr. Bijan Ghosh, withdrew the petition.

The petitioner, Mr. P.N. Oak, claimed that ``the monument of world heritage, Tejomahalaya, commonly known as Taj Mahal, was constructed in 1155 A.D. by one Raja Parmar Dev's Chief Minister, Salakshan.'' He claimed that the court chronicle of Shahjahan said ``the mansion known as Raja Mansingh's Manzil, at present owned by his grandson Jaisingh, was selected for the burial of Mumtaz and she was buried in it'' and added that he had moved the court ``to reestablish the truth and cultural heritage of our country.''

- PTI

Rest was almost blank.

So Why Now Again ?

The Point is.Dont you think this is really a sensational topic and atleast should be properly discussed and reviewed by a Country.I wont go into the controversy about wether Taj Mahal is Tejo Mahalaya.Its past.A past which cant be changed.So what ever may be the result of the revelation of Taj Mahal,its not going to change anything in our daily life.In fact Taj Mahal is one of the Seven Wonders of the World and average Indians dont care wether it was built by a Hindu or a Muslim but rather prefer to enjoy the beauty of Taj Mahal in a full Moon Night...But We deserve to know the truth.Thats what matters.Instead of reading the wrong history in school text books we better know and project our history and heritage properly.

The Other Controversies

A longstanding myth holds that Shah Jahan planned a mausoleum to be built in black marble across the Yamuna river. The idea originates from fanciful writings of Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, a European traveller who visited Agra in 1665. It was suggested that Shah Jahan was overthrown by his son Aurangzeb before it could be built. Ruins of blackened marble across the river in Moonlight Garden, Mahtab Bagh, seemed to support this legend. However, excavations carried out in the 1990s found that they were discolored white stones that had turned black. A more credible theory for the origins of the black mausoleum was demonstrated in 2006 by archeologists who reconstructed part of the pool in the Moonlight Garden. A dark reflection of the white mausoleum could clearly be seen, befitting Shah Jahan's obsession with symmetry and the positioning of the pool itself.

No evidence exists for claims that describe, often in horrific detail, the deaths, dismemberments and mutilations which Shah Jahan supposedly inflicted on various architects and craftsmen associated with the tomb. Some stories claim that those involved in construction signed contracts committing themselves to have no part in any similar design. Similar claims are made for many famous buildings.

No evidence exists for claims that Lord William Bentinck, governor-general of India in the 1830s, supposedly planned to demolish the Taj Mahal and auction off the marble. Bentinck's biographer John Rosselli says that the story arose from Bentinck's fund-raising sale of discarded marble from Agra Fort.

Another myth suggests that beating the silhouette of the finial will cause water to come forth. To this day, officials find broken bangles surrounding the silhouette.

In 2000, India's Supreme Court dismissed P. N. Oak's petition to declare that a Hindu king built the Taj Mahal.Oak claimed that origins of the Taj, together with other historic structures in the country currently ascribed to Muslim sultans pre-date Muslim rule of India and thus, have a Hindu origin

Information gathered from Wikipedia

Hey Honey I've Got The Taj Mahal For Your Birthday

Sale only for INR 10 Lakh

Apparently someone came forth with an Idea to sell the Taj Mahal.Natwarlal AKA Mithilesh Kumar Srivastava .He had repeatedly "sold" the Taj Mahal, the Red Fort, and the Rashtrapati Bhavan.Mithilesh Kumar Srivastava, better known as Natwarlal used to pose as a government official and dupe foreign tourists by selling them famous Indian monuments.He is called the Greates Con Man of India.

What a country where Noble Prize and Taj Mahals can be purhcased.

Boiling Point

Maybe this is another of the secret things Indian Govt has decided to keep secret along with other secret things which is tabooed to be even mentioned by press or author.

Or maybe You need to wake up and start believeing that every history book is not true and every Govt has to hide something from Public.This is once again not a call to start a protest but just to be aware and use our own senses to judge instead of just reading news papers,blogs,email circulations,facebook or that loudmouth neighbour

Signing Off
Santanu Ghosal

A peek into Anna Hazare's Movement

noreply@blogger.com (Santanu) — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 08:58:00 +0000

A peek into Anna Hazare's Movement or shall I say that a peek into our inner self.A 72 year old man starts a movement that really should have been a top priority of the country.Lets begin the overview from the scratch.

Who is this Guy?

Kisan Bapat Baburao Hazare (born 15 January 1940), popularly known as Anna Hazare , is an Indian social activist who is especially recognized for his contribution to the development of Ralegan Siddhi, a village in Ahmednagar district, Maharashtra, India and his efforts for establishing it as a model village, for which he was awarded the Padma Bhushan by Government of India, in 1992.

On April 5 2011, Hazare started a 'fast unto death' to exert pressure on the Government of India to enact a strong anti-corruption act as envisaged in the Jan Lokpal Bill, a law that will establish a Lokpal (ombudsman) that will have the power to deal with corruption in public offices.

Read more about him in Wikipedia

So whats this Jan Lokpal Bill ?

In India, the Jan Lokpal Bill (Citizen's ombudsman Bill) is a draft anti-corruption bill that would create a Jan Lokpal, an independent body like the Election Commission, which would have the power to prosecute politicians and bureaucrats without government permission.

The bill was drafted by Shanti Bhushan, former IPS Kiran Bedi, Justice N. Santosh Hegde, advocate Prashant Bhushan, former chief election commissioner J. M. Lyngdoh in consultation with the leaders of the India Against Corruption movement and the civil society. The bill proposes institution of the office of Lokpal (Ombudsman) at center and Lok Ayukta at state level. The Jan Lokpal Bill is designed to create an effective anti-corruption and grievance redressal systems and to assure that an effective deterrent is created against corruption and to provide effective protection to whistleblowers.

The Lokpal Bill drafted by the government has failed to pass the Rajya Sabha for 42 years. The first Lokpal Bill was passed in the 4th Lok Sabha in 1969 but could not get through in Rajya Sabh. Subsequently, Lokpal bills were introduced in 1971, 1977, 1985, 1989, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2005 and in 2008. Yet none of these bills were ever passed.

Read more at Wikipedia

Whats in it for us?

Bingo.Thats the most important question.See we Indians have never done anything against a matter which doesnt involve our personal well being.Take a typical example of cleaning the sewer.In a neighbourhood,people argue that they dont want to pay the sweeper to clean the entire sewers because their part is clean.Its something like that.

Imagine a person who directly benifits from corruption.Now naturally he wont even bother about this bill but rather protest against this bill.Next a person who is the sufferer of corruption in one way or the other.At some point of time in his life he has entertained corruption or has adhered to corruption for his own personal benifit.He wont also care about it since it really doesnt bother him...

So who is there to bother?A 72 year old man who is actually a war veteran happily getting his pension and heck he doesnt even have a family.He has been fasting for 3 continuous days as we speak living only on water.He simply could have stepped back and enjoy the rest of his life.

But he didnt.He considered himself as an Indian citizen.Prehaps thats what really matter.When the national anthem is sung as we stand up to pay homage...most of us do it just for the sake of custom..even not understanding the true meaning of the verbes.Strangely I think Kabiguru didnt had that much farsight to gauge present day scenario.

India has become corrupted from the soul.It will take more than just a bill to check that.It requires active participation.We are so proud over our cricket team,our culture,our military and our intellect that we have even forgot that an Indian was sometime known for his or her honesty..

Okay.I get the point so what.Are you asking me to start fasting?

Simply by starting to fast wont really solve this immediate crisis.We need active participation from you.Though if you ask about fasting.If you feel like doing it..do it but also do publicize the reason for fasting.Tell people that you are fasting not for some religious belief but for an Idea.When Mahatma Gandhi started the Indian Freedom movement it was the idea not Bapuji that touched people.

So if you want to do anything regarding this Jan Lokpal bill.Dont do it because you feel sympathetic towards an old man but out of your own will which is influenced by the idea.

Cool.I have shown my active participation by clicking Like in Facebook.

Great.Even that helps.Helps in a way that those people who choose to ignore the movement.But perhaps you can do a little more than just a mouse click to show your appreciation.You can speak out.Be it the evening chayer adda or be it the chit chat..spread the news like fire and encourage people to do so.Write speak dream about the idea untill it becomes a reality..You can check out local news papers for activity in your locality.

Links
Sign the protest-->http://www.avaaz.org/
Anna Hazare Info-->http://www.annahazare.org/

What are you doing for the cause?

The idea of writing this blog was the second step towards joining the cause.Yesterday night I decided to go for a fasting for as long as possible to extend my passive support for Anna Hazare.I dont know how long I can continue without food but one thing is for sure...I will not bent untit my body gives up or the bill is passed.Be it a fools decission be it a hasty one but its my decission to support the cause with whatever and however possible by me.

Signing Off
Santanu Ghosal

Top 10 Desi Power

noreply@blogger.com (Santanu) — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 05:47:00 +0000

While going through various websites i realized that India has been spending huge amount of money on Military Budget and Research.The defence budget went up to Rs 164,415 crore (nearly $36 billion).Compared to the world military budget expenditure,this is truelly nothing..Here is a peak

http://www.sipri.org/yearbook/2010/files/SIPRIYB10summary.pdf

Now the Report shown above is drawn from open source information so you can pretty much guess that these are really undervalued and the report itself dated back to 2009.Similar report is shown in Wikipedia also.

Now When I come to think of the amount spent and the arsenal we had,I digged in a little bit in order to find the answers and Desi made stuffs which are manufactured in India and or imported and stands as the pinnacle in Indian de
fence.

1.Sukhoi PAK FA

The Sukhoi/HAL Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) is a fifth-generation fighter being developed by Russia and India. It is a derivative project from the PAK FA (T-50 is the prototype) being developed for the Indian Air Force (FGFA is the official designation for the Indian version).

2.BrahMos

BrahMos is a supersonic cruise missile that can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft or land. It is a joint venture between Republic of India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO-Bangalore) and Russian Federation's NPO Mashinostroeyenia who have together formed BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited. It is the world's fastest cruise missile in operation.

The name BrahMos is a portmanteau formed from the names of two rivers, the Brahmaputra of India and the Moskva of Russia. The missile travels at speeds of Mach 2.8 to 3.0.[1] It is about three-and-a-half times faster than the USA's subsonic Harpoon[3] cruise missile. An Air launched variant is also planned which is expected to come out in 2012 and will make India the only country with supersonic missiles in all the defence forces. A hypersonic version of the missile is also presently under development (Lab Tested with 5.26 Mach Speed)

3.Agni V

According to one of the India's senior defence scientists, Dr M Natrajan, DRDO is working on an upgraded version of the Agni III known as the Agni-V (Earlier known as Agni-III* (Agni-III star) and Agni-IV).The missile will have a range of about 6000 km. In September 2010, DRDO Chief V.K. Saraswat confirmed that the first test flight will be conducted in 2011.The missile will be tested for the first time in September 2011.

Coverage

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Agni_missile_range.png

4.Vikrant class aircraft carrier(IAC 1)

The Vikrant class aircraft carriers (formerly, the Project 71 "Air Defence Ship" (ADS)) are the first aircraft carriers of the Indian Navy to be designed and built in India. They are being built by Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL).

The Vikrant class carriers will be the largest warships built by CSL. Work on the lead vessel of the class started in 2008, and the keel was laid in February 2009. Eighty percent of works on the carrier will be completed before its launch in 2010. The first carrier of the class was expected to enter service by 2012, but was delayed by a year reportedly due to the inability of Russia to supply the AB/A grade steel. This led to SAIL creating facilities to manufacture the steel in India.[3] In August 2009 the military purchasing publication Defence Industry Daily reported that the in-service date had slipped to at least 2015.

5.INS Arihant

INS Arihant (Sanskrit: अरिहंत) (S-73) is the lead ship of India's Arihant class of nuclear-powered submarines. The 5,000–6,000 tonne vessel was built under the Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV) project at the Ship Building Centre in Visakhapatnam.

The symbolic launch ceremony for the Arihant was held on 26th July 2009, the anniversary of Vijay Diwas (Kargil War Victory Day). The name of the vessel, Arihant is in Sanskrit and literally translates into destroyer of enemies. The completion of the INS Arihant will make India one of six countries in the world with the ability to design, build, and operate its own nuclear submarines.

6.F-INSAS

F-INSAS has been taken up to equip Indian infantry with advanced weaponry, communication network and instant access to information on the battlefield.This program is similar to the future soldier programs of other nations. F-INSAS includes a fully networked all-terrain, all-weather personal-equipment platform, enhanced firepower and mobility for the digitalised battlefield of the future. The weight carried by soldiers will need to be reduced by at least 50%.

The fully integrated Infantry of tomorrow will be equipped with mission-oriented equipment integrated with his buddy soldier team, the sub-unit, as also the overall C4I2 (Command, Control, Communications Computers, Information and Intelligence) system.

7.Arjun II

Arjun (Sanskrit: अर्जुन) is a main battle tank developed by India's Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO), for the Indian Army. The tank is named for Arjun, one of the main characters in the Indian epic poem, the Mahabharata.

Delays and problems in its development from the 1990s to the 2000s prompted the Indian Army to order vast numbers of T-90S tanks from Russia to meet requirements that the Arjun had been expected to fulfill.

The Arjun features a 120 mm main rifled gun with indigenously developed APFSDS ammunition, one 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun, and a 12.7 mm machine gun. It is powered by a single MTU multi-fuel diesel engine rated at 1,400 hp, and can achieve a maximum speed of 70 km/h (43 mph) and a cross-country speed of 40 km/h (25 mph). It has a four-man crew: commander, gunner, loader and driver. Automatic fire detection and suppression, and NBC protection systems are included. All-round anti-tank warhead protection by the newly developed Kanchan armour is claimed to be much higher than available in comparable third generation tanks.

In March 2010, the Arjun was pitted against the T-90 in comparative trials and performed well. Subsequently the Army placed an order for an additional 124 tanks on May 17, 2010.

The Arjun entered service with the Indian Army on 12 March 2011. The tanks were first inducted into the 75th Armoured Regiment in Jaisalmer, replacing T-55 tanks.

The Arjun MKII variant is to be followed by the Futuristic Main Battle Tank (FMBT), the development work of which has been started in 2010. The Indian Army plans to induct the FMBT from 2020 onwards.[66] The FMBT will be a lighter tank of 50 tons.

8.INSAS rifle

The Indian armed forces had been equipped with a copy of the famous Belgian FN FAL rifle since the 1950s. This copy was considered to be a distinct weapon, since its parts cannot be interchanged with either the metric or inch-pattern versions of the FAL.[1] With the 7.62 mm self-loading rifle becoming obsolete in the 1980s, India began to develop the INSAS, incorporating features from several contemporary rifle designs. Although largely based on the ever-popular AKM, the INSAS has a number of differences, making it a unique weapon.

During the late 1980s, the Indians expressed interest in purchasing (and possibly manufacturing under license), an East German-designed AK chambered for the 5.56x45mm cartridge.[2] The deal ultimately fell through.

The INSAS system was originally planned to have three component weapons: a standard rifle, a carbine, and a squad automatic rifle (LMG), all chambered for 5.56x45mm NATO ammunition. In 1997 the rifle and LMG were ready for mass production, and in 1998 the first Indian army units were observed armed with INSAS rifles for the Republic Day Parade. The mass introduction of the INSAS rifle was initially delayed by the lack of domestically made 5.56 mm ammunition; India accordingly bought significant stocks from the Israeli company, IMI. At least 300,000 INSAS rifles are in service with the Indian army; some of these have seen action in Indo-Pakistani conflicts.

The INSAS rifle is based on the famous Kalashnikov AK-47 action, but with many modifications. The basic gas-operated action (long stroke gas system, rotating bolt, and stamped steel receiver) is of the Kalashnikov pattern. The gas system is fitted with a manual gas regulator similar in design to that found on the FN FAL as well as a gas cutoff. The charging handle is positioned on the left side of the forearm; it is similar in position and design to the German HK G3 rifle.

9.INS Vikaramaditya

INS Vikramaditya (Sanskrit: विक्रमादित्य, Vikramāditya, "Brave as the Sun") is the new name for the former Soviet aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov, which has been procured by India, and is estimated to enter service in the Indian Navy after 2012.

The Vikramaditya is a modified Kiev class aircraft carrier built in 1978-1982 at Black Sea Shipyard, Mykolaiv, Ukraine. The ship is presently being extensively refitted at the Sevmash shipyard in Severodvinsk, Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. It is projected to replace India's only currently serving aircraft carrier, INS Viraat.

10.Nuclear Power

India possesses nuclear weapons and maintains short- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles, nuclear-capable aircraft, surface ships, and submarines under development as possible delivery systems and platforms. Although it lacks an operational ballistic missile submarine, India has ambitions of possessing a nuclear triad in the near future when INS Arihant the lead ship of India's Arihant class of nuclear-powered submarines formally joins the Indian Navy in 2012 after undergoing extensive sea-trials. Though India has not made any official statements about the size of its nuclear arsenal, recent estimates suggest that India has between 80 and 100 nuclear weapons, consistent with earlier estimates that it had produced enough weapons-grade plutonium for up to 75-110 nuclear weapons. Production of weapons-grade plutonium is believed to be taking place at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, which is home to the CIRUS reactor, acquired from Canada and shut down in 2010, to the indigenous Dhruva reactor, and to a plutonium separation facility.

India is not a signatory to the 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which India argues entrenches the status quo of the existing nuclear weapons states whilst preventing general nuclear disarmament. India tested a nuclear device in 1974 (code-named "Smiling Buddha"), which it called a "peaceful nuclear explosion." The test used plutonium produced in the Canadian-supplied CIRUS reactor, and raised concerns that nuclear technology supplied for peaceful purposes could be diverted to weapons purposes. This also stimulated the early work of the Nuclear Suppliers Group.India performed further nuclear tests in 1998 (code-named "Operation Shakti").

India has signed and ratified both the Biological Weapons Convention and the Chemical Weapons Convention.

Summary

Now I am not very trigger happy person but I am rather comfortable with having the big guns at my house with so many trigger happy neighbours.Here is just a list of wars India has fought.

Partition of India 1947
Indo-Pakistani wars and conflicts
Indo-Pakistani War of 1947
Sino-Indian War 1962
Indo-Pakistani War of 1965
Bangladesh Liberation War
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
Siachen conflict 1984
Kargil War 1999

And believe me in none of these cases India was the country to draw weapon first.We simply acted to our defence.Well maybe Bangladesh Liberation War was but it too was also done to prevent mass genocide.So thats a solid reason to spend in defence budget.

You might say that "In a country where 37% of the population is below poverty line,how can they spend so much money".The solution lies in only one thing.Fight corruption.Though I do agree that India may just be at the top of the corruption chart.With some people storing huge amount of money in forigen bank.India tops the list for black money in the entire world with almost US$1456 billion in Swiss banks (USD 1.4 trillion approximately) in the form of black money.

So as of now the Government has realized it and trying to bring back the money to India,we can hope that it will benifit us.

Signing Off
Santanu Ghosal

Kobita Sonkolon-A short Story of how they Lived and Died

noreply@blogger.com (Santanu) — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 03:07:00 +0000

I never did thought of posting the poems that I had written long back.Those were like one phase of my life and reflected the warrior poet in me.However the poems started to fade away as if by some divine power they realized that I no longer need them because there is no one to read out to...So there they remained under the pages of my old diary which I had started to use as a mouse pad by the way.

But one night,I woke up from my dreams and decided to free them.It was a very painful task to do.Specially like letting go of your loved ones..as if some part of your memories are being forcibly erased.So I freed them.First I drenched them in soaking rain and then i purified them with fire..Rather nomadic you might say but actually its like setting your memories on fire...Though I did it under the influence of Holy Water(XXX rum to be precise),but I did take pictures of them so as I can revive them some day or have some memories of them...

So here I present my Humble collection of Poems..Oh and in case if you are wondering that how Bonolota Sen came to the top of the list...I posted it because I liked it...its not mine.

Click here to visit or alternatively click on Amar Bhalo Laga Kobita Songroho to read more about my poems.

Signing Off
Santanu Ghosal

Pyaar Ke Side Effects

noreply@blogger.com (Santanu) — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 17:13:00 +0000

Today I thought of looping the article "50 reasons not to Marry a Bengali Woman" as a ending for the final installment as Bong culture.But I was surprised after going through the entire article in detail.It seems the article has been published just as a formality against "50 reasons not to Marry a Bengali Man".

If you want you can read it all here.

Coming back to the main article,the author(who is also a bengali lady-POULOMI BANERJEE AND MALINI BANERJEE)describes "Only in her case, making up the 50 is a bit of a tough job!" and also the first point suggested "And yet, despite it all, she is just too good for you. Sorry men".The first point has been briliantly put at the bottom of the list which actually starts from 50.

As I was reading I felt as if I have been drawn into a Feminist War where females are always been opressed by men and are subjected to social and physical harm.The best part of the story is that we men have been potrayed as typcial bengali jonjal and the fairer sex has been potrayed as the bond that holds us together to enter complete chaos.

Actually I do agree this particular agreement because I feel that a woman plays a very vital role in the family.No wonder she is potrayed as Ma Saraswati,Ma Lakhi and of course Maa Kali.We all have shared a few instances of all the incarnations at some point of time in our life.

So instead of sharing the Top 50 stuff here is a different prespective of love.The material has been consolidated from my personal experience and observation.

True Love and their side effects

But truelly speaking I feel both of them need each other and are incomplete being just alone.My idea of love and relation had been idealized by movies like Basanta Bilap,Hum Tum and of course Dil Chata Hai.These movies actually had shown me how and why Bengali men are ofen reluctant to show their affection.On the other side Bengali Women are more aggresive now a days yet somehow they too expect to hear the magical three word scentence from men.And then comes the most heroic act one man can ever perform.

Proposing to a lady in Bengali culture had been driven by Literature and the cultural essence.That is why Saraswati Pujo is considered Bengali Valentine Day.A day which is chosen by millions of bengali to propose.So here is a summary of the events which are normally followed for a proposal(from a Man's Prespective)..

Step 1:Get a good bath and clean shave.Apply Deodrant.The love lady might just run away if she can sense the holy smell.

Step 2:You may choose to kneel down but that has a possibility of getting backfired.Instead just fix up a meeting with her in the presense of her and your friends.Just in case if either of the party gets a little nervous.3rd party is a must.

Step 3:Chew up some poetry or some romantic quotes.I know you have it in you but I have seen negetive side effects of expressing your own style.

Step 4:Now strangely enough if she has actually come..that means she has already said yes even before you propose.Of course she can also meet you with her friend whom you had misinterpreted to be another charming lady but turns out to be a huge muscular hunk.

Step 5:So far so good.If you are not left with a dark eye then you have already conquered half of the battle.Rest is all drama.She might actually ask you questions,much like interview questions which can start from :

How much do you love me?
What will you do if I leave you?
Does your mother knows about it?
What if my dad comes to know about it.

The questions may vary depending on the situation.

Finally she will ask you about your past.Be frank but dont be a open history book.The bengali lady expects you to be honest,but if you become too honest she might actually keep them for use in later quarrels.

And lastly she says yes.Actually she even might say no but in that case you have to followup with phone,email,sms to get the yes.Also be prepared to hear out no and a list of reasons why she says no.(Mostly depends on how good you were at the interview)

Job Confirmed

Wow you are in love.Enjoy the first year as much as possible because this is like the honeymoon period.The next year is mostly a book keeping job.Here is a list of things to do to ..

Remember every single detail about your meeting.If possible write and oh the dates and what she was wearing what you ate and where did you go.In emergency always look into her eyes and say "I love you".
When ever into a quarrel be ready to put down your arms as soon as possible.Because ultimately they have a nuclear weapon that can end the war instantly.Tears.When tears drops from her cheek,there is simply no counter to that.Its a tragedy that men cant apply that to their advantage.
She wants you to be romantic even when you are hungry.
They simply dont understand that drinking simply doesnt mean being Matal as potrayed in bengali commercial movies.
No matter how correct you are.You are always proved wrong.

The Real Truth

To summarize life doesnt really turns out as dreamt a year ago.But to really think about it,actually its a lot better.Now you have someone to share your thoughts.Someone to share the pain and joy.Truelly someone to call at the middle of the night and say "I love you and I miss you".

Its really a different feeling."Jab uske aankh se aaso nikal te hai to yahan dard kyu hota hai",quoting Karan from Hum tum reveals a very sweet pain we all share towards the other kind.It cant really be described by words alone and I know everyone of you have felt it at some point of time in your life.

Shaadi ke Side Effects

Since I am not married I really cant tell what is the real side effect.However going by the numerous jokes about Husband-wife I take it to be very umm...Interesting.....So I will be eagerly waiting for that phase of life..however if you feel that you need to add something up..feel free to add in the comments.

Signing Off
Santanu Ghosal

Sukumar Ray jodi software engineer der jonye kobita likhten

noreply@blogger.com (Santanu) — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 08:55:00 +0000

Today Morning when I checked my mailbox I found this really funny email sent by one of my friends Deboshree Ghosh.Thought of sharing it with you guys.Even for the added fun..I panned to make the entire post in bengali.For those of you who cant see the Unicode 8 formatting,I am posting this as a picture blog.(By the way UTF-8 can be enabled from View-->Encoding in Internet Explorer)

This came in the wake of the hot debate 50 reasons not to marry a Bengali Man

Signing Off

Santanu Ghosal

In Defense Of Bangali Men

noreply@blogger.com (Santanu) — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 07:31:00 +0000

The famous Demented Ratling takes on the defense for Bengali men against the Telegraph article in his own istyle.Cant say that I am enjoying this(Though its a old and ancient feud).Watch Basanta Bilap to get the full feeling and action.Once again "Dada ar Didira this is not my words,I am a mere messanger.So please dont get angry on me."
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In Defense Of Bangali Men

Recently the Telegraph, a Kolkata-based newspaper published what I can only consider an attack piece on Bangali men in the same vein that Karan Johar attacked Marathi manoos by using the “B” word in “Wake Up Sid”.

It is just because we Bengali men do not have a Raj Thackeray in our midst that Telegraph can get away with this. In an ideal world, we would have an army of MNS (“Moonmoon and Nirad Chowdhury Shoinyo”) supporters throwing smelly “shoontki maach” in front of Telegraph offices till the said reporter apologized and the paper retracted this insulting article. But since most Bangalis have no energy left over from burning buses and singing along with Babur Suman to protest on the things that matter, namely the vilification and the emasculation of the Bongosontan, nothing like this will happen.

Given that, let me make my humble attempt to frisk this piece as a representative of those who have been so ridiculed.

A significant number of contemporary Bengali men, unlike their forefathers, condemn fish. Excepting ilish, for the men love it too. “I don’t have fish, only ilish,” many men have been heard confessing in a tender moment. Since they love ilish, they will not care if others do so as well.

Now I know that there are a few Bengalis, the same minuscule minority who detest Sourav Ganguly and support Salgaocar in football, who say “ami maach khai na” (I don’t eat fish) and may be prejudicial when it comes to fish. But I can say, no assert, as a representative of the contemporary Bengali man, that just like our forefathers we not only love ilish but also swear by chingri (shrimp) and kaankra (crab), worship our bhetki and bhola maach, lust for small tengra maach cooked with brinjal and salivate over pabda, parshe, pomfret and rui, in the same manner that we do over Roopa Ganguly. The day we cease to do so, Bengal will become like Gujarat in that there will be development and industry. Since that is not so, it shows that we still love our fish. Of all types. QED.

There is also some other innuendo that Bengali men are petty enough to hog the “peti” pieces and more specifically leave the “stricken with thorns” gada pieces to the women. Alas the author knows not the pleasure Bong men derive from munching on fish bones though yes sometimes they do have a nasty habit of getting into the windpipe. If you ever see a Bengali man silent, then that’s possibly the reason why he is so.

A similar Powerpoint presentation will explain why the leg piece of the chicken is also reserved for the man at the table. There is an additional reason here. Growing Bengali boys, who keep growing into growing Bengali boys, need more “protein”, which is good for the “brain”. The “brain”, when encased within the head of a boy, is a collective Bengali obsession. Nurtured by his parents, Horlicks and chicken legs, it will be a potent weapon when he grows up: it will be the highest point reached by a man with a steady, decent job, besides being the embodiment of sex appeal. A Bengali man draws women towards him with his “brain”.

Again I do not see where the problem is. According to legend we like to believe, millions of years ago, when the Great Enlightened One (whom we Bangalis call Jyoti-Babu) made the universe, he asked the Bangali man which organ would be like to be made robust and strong. To his surprise, the Bengali man, perhaps to be contrarian, said “My brain”. And from that time onwards, Bongo-sontaans have stayed away from the light in their dark studies solving “sums” from KP Basu and KC Nag and studying the intricacies of gerunds from Wren and Martin while every other children of man have gone about exercising their powerful organs in more pleasurable ways.

Given the choice that the first Bangali man made, what is the problem if he likes his Horlicks and has a Maltova Mom and has a fondness for chicken legs—why should that be a matter of derision? What is the problem if the second most sold medical product in Bengal is the brain tonic Brainolia (the first being Livosin which no self-respecting Bengali with his chronic stomach problems would ever be caught without).

And before I forget. The chicken leg. Every waking hour the Bangali man leads a meek apologetic life, being flattened like sardines in a sweaty public bus, working low-paying jobs under non-Bangali masters, forced to endure the increasing insignificance of our state to the rest of India. Beaten and bruised throughout the day, when he sits for his dinner, his equally bent and ancient stainless steel plate becomes his castle and empire. There he wants to sit, like a king for ten minutes, his hand balanced on the side of the plate caressing the grains of the rice like a tender lover as his hand sensuously gets wet with the watery daal. It is then that he expects and demands that his chicken not be a size zero Kareena Kapoor bird. Is that too much to ask ?

But men actually look down on women for chewing fishbones. Or for eating green chillis on the side with their meals

Bengali men do not have green chilllis? Really? Dear Telegraph author, what kind of Bengali men have you been interacting with? Do you not know that the first quadrant of the Bangali man’s plate, right next to the leboo (lemon) and salt is the region we call “Sri Lanka” ? (Lanka is Bengali for chilli)

Many men still make that slurping sound as they eat. They sneeze, cough and yawn louder.

Here is a question I want to ask the author. Has he/she ever experienced the pleasure one gets from draining the tea from the cup into the saucer and drinking it with a noisy contended slurp? Note the double-standards dear readers. While the newspapers sex columns will advice the female reader to vocalize her pleasure, the standard are different when it comes to men. Cause if a Bangali man, deriving carnal pleasure from his lau-sukto so much as makes a contented slurp then it is derided as downmarket, sloppy and so very “issshhhh”.

In public, they admire Nandita Das. In secret, they want to be Salman Khan

Please do not generalize. I for one do not admire Nandita Das one bit. For me there is only one. Nandana Sen. And as to our desire to be Salman Khan, thank your lucky stars it is a “secret” desire—-if we started taking our shirts off at every opportunity the sight will not be pretty I tell you.

Once they would only be doctors, engineers or IAS officers. Now they will be MBAs. The rest is “same to same”.

Perhaps this is the only place where the author speaks the truth. Bengali men have two dreams in life—-to lord over others and to not do any real work. Getting an MBA allows them to do both.

Romance means lots of poetry and sublimity

Again this is shown as a negative. Evidently things would be better if we said “chalti hai kya nau se baraah” rather than quoting from Neru-Da, Nero-Da (any bald-headed intellectual) Deri-Da and the great Dero-Da (the bearded one—-Rabindranath Tagore). If indeed this be the case, women only need to say it. We will be equally comfortable singing “Challenge nibi na sala, panga nibi na sala” if that is what is needed to get the Suchitra Sens today all warmed up.

Which doesn’t take away from the fact that few Bengali men look good in jeans and a tee. For the same reason, they seem to be rolling on the dance floor. From where they are often not picked up. Understandably.

Don’t make me laugh. Bengali men do not know how to dance? Two words. Tito De. I challenge Prabhu-Deva to do Sukhen Das’s belly dance in “Hoyto amake karu mone nei” or Hrithik Roshan to execute Tapas Paul’s “Jai Baba Phootballnath” jig in as graceful a manner. If there is anyone who can out-dance a Bangali man it is one Gauranga Chakraborty better known as Mithun-da. Oh wait I forgot. He too is a Bangali.

For a video demonstration of the Bangali male dancing style, I ask you to watch this.

They think growing hair on their upper lip will make them more “manly”.

Yes right. All Bangali macho men have hairy upper lips—Uttam Kumar, Soumitro, Biswajit, Tapas Pal, Bumba-da? Right? Wrong. Let me say dear Telegraph writer, if you are looking for a region where the mustache is worshipped you are in the wrong part of the country.

Dressed as they are in their executive suits, they are often sighted at a sweet shop gorging on langcha, mishti doi or telebhaja at the para shops, looking guilty, before returning home from work.

While men from other parts of the country would go for comfort to a female friend, this act of eating sweets and oily fries is the most egregious expression of rebellion against marital authority that a Bangali man will show. Yes that is the sad plight of the Bangali male. From the mid 30s onwards, the Bangali body, not a marvel of engineering at the best of times, starts developing some problems arising out of a lifetime of sugar coursing through its veins both from rosogolla as well as from Subinoy Roy’s syrupy Rabindrasangeet and also from more than a bit of cholesterol accumulating in its plumbing not to speak of the whale blubber that cover the six-packs.

This is when their Bengali wives start “monitoring their diet”. Which shorn off the euphemism essentially means that they impose a regime of healthy eating at home through a series of measures even the Stasi and the KGB would find excessive. And it is to break those strict controls that scores of Bangali men stand in front of mutton roll shops or “mishtir dokaan”, furtively looking over their shoulders, as they bite into a chomchom or a Kobiraaji cutlet with the guilt and a fear of a married man going to a house of ill repute.

Now reading this piece, one would be surprised that this is the case. Cause according to the learned author, Bangali men totally dominate their women giving them the bad pieces of fish, making them do the dishes, being boorish and chauvinistic. Nothing can be further from the truth. In a Bangali family, it is the lady who cracks the whip and while the husband may be granted the odd bit of license like getting the gossip page of the newspaper first thing in the morning, on the things that matter the Bong woman is firmly in control. Of course the Telegraph plays up to stereotypes of the coy and submissive Bangali wife, oozing with sensuality and all eye-fluttering femininity. In reality, the Bipasa Basu thing is only an act and within a few years of marriage, Bangali women reveal their true selves and become a Mamata or Matangini Hajra.

Which brings me to the last line of the article.

The Bengali boy’s mother thinks he’s “flawless”. He secretly agrees.

The truth is slightly different. The Bangali’s “mama’s boyness” which is being lampooned here is essentially a concomitant of his being afraid of women. Before marriage, he is mortally scared of his mother as he is forced to, whether he likes it or not, to become a “khokon sona” . Then he gets married and a power struggle ensues. The wife is pissed at the son’s unquestioned subservience and the mother’s insistence that the son, being a reflection of the mother, is perfection personified—a sentiment reflected in this Telegraph piece. What it misses (mischievously no doubt) is the mother’s perspective as she rues how her son has become “distant” and “different” after marriage. Very soon brass utensils are being banged a bit too loudly, poisonous glances are being exchanged, mother tells son to “stand up and take control” (i.e. listen to your mother) while the wife says “How long are you going to let others take your decisions for you? Be a man” which is Bangali woman-speak for “Worship my every word”.

Torn between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea (which is which I leave to the judgment of readers) the Bangali man sits at the dinner table, looking down at his plate, morosely biting into the chicken leg or the “peti” fish piece with the weight of the world on him, from the peasants of San Salvador and Singur to whether he should wear the punjabi his mother presented him (but wife says “It’s …mm….okay) or the Chinese collar shirt wifey insists looks smart on him (but mother looks and says “Does not bouma’s brother also have one of these?”) for Ashtami dinner.

And it is at this poor Bangali man that the Telegraph author unleashes his/her sarcastic bile , grudging him his only diversions—a bit of extra meat or fish or the privilege of massaging his pot belly or of liberally applying talcum powder to avoid “ghamachi” (prickly heat), a disease he hates even more than the common cold.

Shame on you. Chi chi. Khoob dushtu tumi. Very naughty you are.

[Picture courtesy Abhik Ranjan]

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You can read the original article here.The posts are old but the facts are still very much true and holds good...

To Be Continued..........

Signing Off
Santanu Ghosal

50 reasons not to marry a Bengali Man(The Telegraph-04/10/2009)

noreply@blogger.com (Santanu) — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 11:13:00 +0000

eWhile looking for some other information I had stumbled upon this article.While many might argue about the points,the intention for posting is pure humour.Read on......
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50 reasons not to marry......a Bengali man. Metro explores

1. So much about Bengali men is about food. A significant number of contemporary Bengali men, unlike their forefathers, condemn fish. Excepting ilish, for the men love it too. “I don’t have fish, only ilish,” many men have been heard confessing in a tender moment. Since they love ilish, they will not care if others do so as well. Love makes them blind. The men will have the best peti (belly piece), for they say they are afraid of the kaantas, fishbones. Ilish abounds in them, which makes it a challenge. Women, at some point in their life, learn to tackle the kaantas, but confronting them able-bodied men become bashful and tremble. It pays off. Women are left to work their way through the thick-with-bones gaada pieces and men just sit back and allow the ilish to work on them. Eventually, the women get to liking chewing the bones and they are considered sexy while they are at it — remember the photographer-lover looking at Paroma in the film of the same name?

Anyway, if men won’t have fish, why do they relish the best parts of ilish? You see it rhymes, which is not a coincidence. Ilish is poetry — and Bengali men have exclusive rights over both.

They hog conversations the same way.

2. A similar Powerpoint presentation will explain why the leg piece of the chicken is also reserved for the man at the table. There is an additional reason here. Growing Bengali boys, who keep growing into growing Bengali boys, need more “protein”, which is good for the “brain”. The “brain”, when encased within the head of a boy, is a collective Bengali obsession. Nurtured by his parents, Horlicks and chicken legs, it will be a potent weapon when he grows up: it will be the highest point reached by a man with a steady, decent job, besides being the embodiment of sex appeal. A Bengali man draws women towards him with his “brain”. For these reasons the popular Bengali sayings: Maachher muro khao, brain-er pokkhe bhalo (Have fishhead, it’s good for the brain); TV dekho na, brain-er pokkhe kharap (Don’t watch TV, it’s bad for the brain); Beshi khela dhula brain-er pokkhe kharap (Too much sport is bad for the brain); Amartya Sen maachher maatha kheye boro hoyechhen (Amartya Sen grew up on fishheads). Fishheads being another powerful Bengali obsession.

3. But men actually look down on women for chewing fishbones. Or for eating green chillis on the side with their meals. There’s a suggestion of corruption or perversion about these two things — as if a clean piece of fish is morally superior and liking the bones is an unmentionable proclivity. Or liking a hot green chilli is slightly carnal. As a character in Tagore’s short story Khudhito Pashan, dismissive about women, put it: women love hot chillis, sour tamarind and a stern husband. Though he didn’t specify which was the worst for her.

4. Chicken roll.

5. Egg chicken roll.

6. Double egg chicken roll.

7. The Sunday mutton lunch. After which men can only go to sleep.

8. They really don’t want to go to the bajaar, not even to the AC retail stores for grocery or vegetable shopping. Especially the new-age Bengali man. The way he tiptoes through the fish market makes the wife cringe.

9. Many men still make that slurping sound as they eat. They sneeze, cough and yawn louder.

10. They expect women to serve them at the dinner table. At least she should be urging him on to the right bowls.

11. They expect the women will carry the dirty dishes to the sink, clear the table and put away the remnants in the right containers.

12. If they do put the food away, the fridge looks like a battlefield, with several things dismembered, dismantled and oozing liquids. In any case, they would never clean the refrigerator. Ditto for the cooking gas.

13. When they are drunk they invoke Robi Thakur. Then they tend to go for the cosmic, namely, Debabrata’s rendition of Akash bhora surjo tara, after which they have dinner.

14. But then when they are sober why are they still discussing Sachin Tendulkar versus Sourav Ganguly, and backing Dada to win?

15. In public, they admire Nandita Das. In secret, they want to be Salman Khan.

16. Rare is the Bengali man who looks good in a formal suit. He stops midway into it. He looks square. Or round. But proud. If you ask him why, he is likely to say that intellect is inversely proportional to height in his part of the world. He can be smug, very smug.

17. Which doesn’t take away from the fact that few Bengali men look good in jeans and a tee.

18. For the same reason, they seem to be rolling on the dance floor. From where they are often not picked up. Understandably.

19. They want biryani even at a Chinese restaurant. And chow mien at a mughlai eatery. Poor binary creatures.

20 . Only men can get to organise pujas and ignore everything else for four days.

21 .Their genjis.

22 .Their paijamas.

23 .Once they would only be doctors, engineers or IAS officers. Now they will be MBAs. The rest is “same to same”.

24 .Their stock of jokes is small and oft-repeated, especially in family circles. Such as the one on the various kinds of baldness. It ends with the variety in which only a few strands of hair remain. It is called Smritituku thak (forget me not). But as one has heard it since childhood, one has to remember to laugh hard. Outside family circles one common joke is: “Age no bar, caste no bar etc...”

25 .They will wear the dhuti for a wedding, but not before turning the household upside down. The dhuti has to be located first, sent to the laundry, and has to have the gile work done on it. Same for the addir punjabi. Then the gold punjabi buttons have to be located. In fact, every time a punjabi is worn, locating the buttons is the woman’s job.

The wearing of the dhuti itself is an event. There is at least one assistant, sometimes two, to help with it. Some men have worn the dhuti only on the occasion of their marriage — and their relatives still remember it, blow-by-blow.

The end-result is certainly not worth the fuss that goes into it.

26 .Romance means lots of poetry and sublimity.

27 .They think growing hair on their upper lip will make them more “manly”.

28 .Men are reluctant to make the bed, open the windows in the morning or make the morning pot of tea. Most of all they are uncooperative about hanging the mosquito net. It shakes the foundation of marriage.

29 .Their after-work activities include watching soaps like Bou Kotha Kao, Durga, Ekhane Akash Neel and game shows like Dadagiri, Dance Bangla Dance, but they pretend only the wives watch serials.

30 .They part their hair.

31 .They scoff at Dan Brown’s “poor language”, but devour his thrillers anyway.

32 .Dressed as they are in their executive suits, they are often sighted at a sweet shop gorging on langcha, mishti doi or telebhaja at the para shops, looking guilty, before returning home from work.

33 .They not only have an opinion about everything but they think they take the right decision in everything, though this could be a universal male trait.

34 .The television remote lands in his hands the moment he returns from work and stays there till he goes to sleep. But office phone calls don’t end. So he sits there with the remote in one hand and the phone in the other. This could be another universal male trait.

35 .Of course it’s okay to stay with his family. If she does, she is being a good woman in these selfish times. Of course it’s not okay to stay with hers. If he does, he is being a wimp in the traditional sense.

36 .He will insist that she looks beautiful, hot in fact, wearing sindur along with jeans, when she knows she is looking downright uncool.

37 .On online networking sites, Bengali men show a high tendency towards matrimony.

38 .They may not know the language. But they know the choicest Bangla gaalis and use them liberally.

39 .They like to pat their pot bellies in private. Sometimes in public.

40 .All nursery rhyme heroes are boys. Khoka goes fishing, goes to the river of milk, goes to hunt, goes to get married, while Khuku sits at home, learning to cook, waiting to get married or just plain crying. Obviously Khoka will face several adjustment problems when he grows up.

41. They are less chivalric compared with men from other Indian communities, many women report.

42. Many Bengali men think they are from Brazil. Which is why they go rabid during the World Cup.

43. During summer, they will smear their chests in slow motion with talcum powder before going to bed.

44 .If you are going to Digha, they will definitely advise you to have vodka mixed with coconut water on the beach.

45. If he’s there himself, he will drink it, wearing nothing but a beach hat and “baarmudas”.

46.-50 .The Bengali boy’s mother thinks he’s “flawless”. He secretly agrees.

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Here is the link to original article

Note:All the above information or comment has not been dwawn by me.Its a mere replica of the original article.If at any section of the article you find that the content is inappropiate or is not correct,Feel free to mail me and the article will be removed.

Signing Off
Santanu Ghosal

The Death of the Blue Planet we Know as Earth

noreply@blogger.com (Santanu) — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 09:03:00 +0000

Last week I had published an article regarding the UFO sighitings in Kolkata.While that was more like a statistical report sort of thing with a few overview thrown in,this one gives you more to think and speculate.Lets take a little bit different part of the History this time with a different prespective.

The Gaia Theory-a brief Introduction

The Gaia hypothesis was formulated by the environmentalist James Lovelock and co-developed by the microbiologist Lynn Margulis in the 1970s.This is still considered as a hypothesis since the theory had not been proved scientifically.

Gaia is a Greek Goddess symbolizing earth.She was also considered as prime titan.I dont want to dig deep in mythology but if you want to know you can check it out here.Modern day scientists and believers simply call Gaia,"The spirit of the earth".

The supporting facts

The Gaia theory posits that the Earth is a self-regulating complex system involving the biosphere, the atmosphere, the oceans and soil, tightly coupled as an evolving system. The theory sustains that this system as a whole, called Gaia, seeks a physical and chemical environment optimal for contemporary life.

Gaia evolves through a cybernetic feedback system operated unconsciously by the biota, leading to broad stabilization of the conditions of habitability in a full homeostasis. Many processes in the Earth's surface essential for the conditions of life depend on the interaction of living forms, especially microorganisms, with inorganic elements . These processes establish a global control system that regulates Earth's surface temperature, atmosphere composition and ocean salinity.

The existence of a planetary homeostasis influenced by living forms had been observed previously in the field of Biogeochemistry, and it is being investigated also in other fields like Earth system science. The originality of the Gaia theory relies on the assessment that such homeostatic balance is actively pursued with the goal of keeping the optimal conditions for life, even when terrestrial or external events menace them.

Wikipedia

Here are some Highlights of the Theory

Regulation of oxygen in the atmosphere
Regulation of the global surface temperature
Regulation of the salinity in the oceans
Processing of CO2

Read it all here.

To sumarize the entire theory.Gaia is the Mother Nature who forms the ecosystem along with all of us.Humans,Animals,Plants and even the non Living things also.Thats pretty much seems like crap doesnt it.But even if the story is crap,the idea is not.To me Gaia is like the mother of all the ideas to save our ecosystem..Our planet is dying.With water levels rising and other natural disasters being more frequent,life is not as simple and easy as it used to be.

Stats are Booring

As you can see the relevant pictures shown here are courtesy of CRED(Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters).The best part is that they have only mapped till 1900.So does it means they dont have the data for it or it was not that frequent before.Well if the second one is true..we sure are in deep waters.

You might even add the tsunami effect in Japan to this list.

So what changed during these 100 years

World War I.Needs no introduction.Death Toll:15,000,000--65,000,000
World War II.Death Toll:40,000,000--72,000,000.

Note:These are figures reflected in Govt Reports.As alwasy the numbers really vary

Nice figures.Surely does lift my spirits.

The Damage to the Eco System

Not only the loss of human life makes me sad but also the enormous pollution generated simply during these two wars and afterwards due to the industrialization has left our planet bleeding.Even a naive person who doesnt knows about Envronment surely does knows about Global Warming,Hole in Ozone Layer,Polar Ice melting and lots and lots of things like this cover our newspapers.

The damage that is being caused by us cant never be repaired.But surely we can prevent further damage to our planet,our beloved Blue Home.

Human Being are too Busy to Live

We humans are really too busy to live our life.We are busy earning a living and survivinng this life hoping for a better one.Our regular day starts by attending to our work and for 5 days the routene is same.Going and coming and eating and sleeping.The much awaited weekends are normally spent with our dear ones and relaxing.Then once again 5 days work waiting for a break.

Step aside for a moment from the daily work flow ask yourself the question.This question is to those future Dads and Moms who are about to bring a new life to this world.

"What are you doing to make the world a better place for your children?"

Surely you will say that I am securing the future with money and a roof to live under.Money for better education and better living.Money to make a better living.I cant deny the fact that money is important.But can the money buy a cleaner and better future for you where Water we drink is fresh and free of chemicals and air we breathe is not polluted.Even can we assure our children that the food we eat is free of harmful chemicals and has not been genetically altered.Oils will be over by 2050.Eventually water might dry up or may flood us..Drinking water may be the most valueable comodity..even might go higher than platinum..Or maybe it will be the dry patch of land the most sought after.

Perhaps someday we will become somewhat like most of the sci fi movies showAlmost all the movies show us a very painful future.So isnt there a movie that shows happy future?Sorry I dont remember a movie that reflects one.2012 was a box office hit because we could blame the destruction upon mother nature and fought back to survive.It is as if human being showing a middle finger towards mother nature and challenging her.."Throw us whatever you got..we will survive it".

The Human Extinction

An Omar From Deus Ex Invisible Wars

It is inevitable.Some day some how human civilization has to end.It is the law of nature but perhaps something better will evolve out of it.Perhaps we will find a better home or perhaps we simply will learn to live on this planet by changing ourself.

"After the Great Collapse only the mighty survived. Two centuries of war saw the rise and fall of many empires. It was the age of heroes. The battle fired crucible all subsequent history. In the end the Earth was no longer green. Nothing survived on its surface other than a few embers of human kind. But from this crucible emerged a masterworks of evolution. They were fit not just for the new Earth, but for the most barren corners of Creation. The glory of humanity would hence forward stretch on through time and space to the vanishing point of Eternity."

Deus Ex Invisible Wars

Well perhaps it will be different that I thought but no matter what.Earth will change and we will change with it.All our efforts should be focusing on how to delay that day and even how to preserve what will be left for humanity.

So what's this all about

Gaia is that unified spirit of mankind and everything good this planet has.Its a collective life.A symbiosis exists among us and the nature which we are trying knowingly or unknowingly to shatter.

Realize how important and vital this planet is for us.Though I cant tell you the path to travel in order to live but surely I can give you the idea..The idea alone shall prevail and help us to take the human civilization to the next level.Even a small action is like dropping a pebbel into the ocean which might eventually rise into a big wave...You get the Idea.Hoping for a greener and better future,I end this article

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Prologue

This article was infuenced by a dream.A dream about Fallout 3.Its a computer game set in year 2276 after manking has been devastated by Nuclear Holocast and are barely living from a scratch.The journey through the wastelands shows how human being has mutated and went from bad condition to worse.But hope remains while even a single individual believes that we can return..........

Signing Off
Santanu Ghosal

Aliens and Bengali

noreply@blogger.com (Santanu) — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 07:17:00 +0000

There are many accounts of alien visits and sighting all over the world.Upon a closer look,the most recorded sightings are over USA.Here is a preview.The list is compiled from Wikipedia information provided and obviously doesn't includes smaller and less hyped background sightings.So it might be having an accuracy of around 80%.Readers discretion is advised.

As you can see that USA tops the list with 62 sightings followed by UK and Canada at 14 and 6 respectively.Strangely enough our beloved country India is ranked 4th with 5 sightings.The last entry is a recent additon that came to my note while checking for sighitings.

Lets Have a closer look Shall we

Date	City	Description	Kind of Close Encounter	Sources
3/3/2007	New Delhi	A green fireball was seen over Delhi by ten pilots.	1	1.Gautam, Vishwas (March 31, 2007). "'A ball of fire... what was that?"
3/7/2007	New Delhi	Two UFOs were detected near the prime minister's residence.	1	1.Paljor, Karma (March 15, 2007). "Were there UFOs over PM's house?". CNN IBN
5/28/2007	Bangalore	Afzal Khan told CNN IBN that he photographed a UFO, "Today (Monday) at around 9 pm (IST), I and my brothers saw a bright, slow-moving object which looked like a group of lights moving in a triangular formation in the sky towards west/north-west direction. This object was definitely not an aeroplane as it was moving very slowly. We observed the object from around 9 pm until 9.30 pm before it disappeared into the distance. During this time we managed to take some pictures with my camera. The astronomical/space/science departments of any activity in the sky during the above time can be confirmed. We live in Jayanagar area of Bangalore. Another thing that we noticed during this time was an aircraft that took-off from Bangalore Airport was flying very close to this object. It is possible that the pilot of that aircraft could have spotted this object as well."	1	1."Spotted: UFO in Bangalore airspace!". CNN IBN. May 30, 2007.
10/29/2007	Kolkata	Many people claimed to see a UFO near Eastern Metropolitan Bypass, Calcutta. It was also recorded by an amateur videographer. It was like a ball of light which some time hovered, sometimes moved very fast and changed shape and size. The video was broadcasted on local news channels.	1	"1. UFO sighted in Kolkata sky? Indiainfo.com. 2. UFO puzzle has city in a tizzy Times of India
5/31/2009	Kolkata	UFOs detected by Kolkata ATC	1	1. "UFO' blip leaves airport officials foxed". Times of India. March 21, 2009. .
1/26/2011	Kolkata	UFOs detected by Air India Pilot near Bengal Bihar Border	1	1.UFO Mystery in Kolkata Air.Decand Herald.1 Feb 2011

You can click on the link inside source to get the news page.

Interesting

Though strange enough for Kolkata where not much of the population is even interested or even aware of the alien theory.Hot topics for adda may be world cup or Political Party,recent movies or even in that case PNPC but rarely people go ahed and discuss about alien life form or life outside space.

Here is a good one.There is a Shoe company called Alien Shoe Company.Address56, Near Shisha Gali, Rabindra Sarani, Chittaranjan Avenue, Kolkata - 700073,Ph:+(91)-(33)-22368964.Description:Footwear - Domestic

Well Got the info from Just Dial.You might wanna call them up and enquire about the type of shoe they make.

How come we don't know about that?

I am still onto that looking for information on the interent.As I dig into news paper archive it seems that 30th and 31st October had some sort of Bandh called by both the prominent parties of West Bengal.Naturally the news could have shifted towards that.Also aliens not being the hot curry news in the block,the editors might have skipped the topic altogether fearing that the space will be wasted which rather can be used up for Rizwanul like cases AKA Hot Curry News

How many of us really bother to ask ourself wether we are alone in this world?

Expert's comment?

Nazi Scientists team of UFO Speialists

"M.P. Birla Planetarium director Debprosad Duari said "From what I can understand, it could just be digital trickery as no natural phenomenon can last that long and change its colour and shape so rapidly"
"If the person who shot the object with his handycam is to be believed, the fireball was seen moving from the east to the west. I first thought it could be a fragment of the Holmes Comet that had broken up on Oct 24, but if it is indeed a remnant of Holmes, it should have been seen in the western sky and also at 60 degrees above the horizon. But this is not the case here," Duari said.

"The object could be Venus because it is spotted in the eastern sky. But one cannot capture Venus on his handycam so close and so bright. So, if it is not Venus or a Holmes Comet, then it must be an optical illusion or just a figment of one's imagination," he said.

Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics astro-particle physicist Kamalesh Kar said: "A cosmic body cannot change its appearance so rapidly. An expert needs to observe it for a longer period to comment on it. It is very difficult to draw any conclusion based on television pictures

Source:Kolkata scientist punches holes in UFO theory

In summary the scientists claim that its Ganja.Not the marijuana type thing but one which we bengalis say as Gul AKA Dhop.

Unknown Location and Nicholas Roerich

So with the known information already discussed lets move onto the undiscussed part of the legend.If you look at the graph more carefully,there is a note of Unknown Space,Possibly Nepal with Sighiting source by one Nicholas Roerich Written during his visit to the Hmalayas in 1929,the author gives a detailed sighiting report in the book

On August 5, 1926, while traveling in the Humboldt Mountains of Tibet's Kokonor region, Nicholas Roerich reported that members of his expedition saw "something big and shiny reflecting the sun, like a huge oval moving at great speed. Crossing our camp the thing changed in its direction from south to southwest. And we saw how it disappeared in the intense blue sky. We even had time to take our field glasses and saw quite distinctly an oval form with shiny surface, one side of which was brilliant from the sun.”

Another description by Roerich was, "...A shiny body flying from north to south. Field glasses are at hand. It is a huge body. One side glows in the sun. It is oval in shape. Then it somehow turns in another direction and disappears in the southwest."

Source:Wikipedia on UFO

Map View

.I am still in the process of obtaining the book and get the exact narration from them. Here is the two books written by the Adventurer Nicholas

Nicholas Roerich, 'Altai-Himalaya: A travel diary', Kempton, IL: Adventures Unlimited Press, 2001 (1929), pp. 361–2
Nicholas Roerich, 'Shambhala: In search of the new era', Rochester, VE: Inner Traditions, 1990 (1930), pp. 6–7, 244.

Now as a matter of fact soon after the sighitings there were a number of both supporting and anti arguments against the idea.Whats important is that a very similar kind of gossip has been going on about the Indo China Border commonly known as Aksai Chin.Whatever details about this gossip have come forward all seems to be originating from numerous discussion forums and posts.

The New Story( Cooking Curry or is it just the leftover Smell ?)

Recently, some Hindu pilgrims on their way to Mount Kailash from the Western pass, came across strange lights in the sky. The local guides while in the Chinese territory told them that this was nothing new and is a normal phenomenon from Kongka Pass area - the tensed border region between India and China. This strange lighted triangular silent crafts show up from underground and moves almost vertically up. Some of the adventurous pilgrims wanted to look into the site. They were first turned back by the Chinese guard posts as they were refused entry from the Chinese side. When they tried to approach the site from Indian side,

the Indian border patrol also turned them down in spite of their permit to travel between the two countries.

The pilgrims at that stage started quizzing the Indian border security personnel. The security personnel told them that they are ordered not to allow any one near the area of interest and it is true that strange objects come out from under the ground with amplified and modulated lights. India’s Special Operations Forces and the intelligence agencies are in charge of that area. "

Source:India Daily

Well the best part of the story is that almost every blog or Forum is using a Copy/Paste version of the story and doesnt really offer anything extra out of it.Do yourself a search in Google with Aliens in Indo China Border and let me know if you can dig anything else.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/

"The locals start laughing in that area when they are asked about these UFO sightings. They get surprised why the Governments are so eager to hide these obvious facts. According to them the extra-terrestrial presence is well known and is in deep into the ground. They believe neither the Indian or Chinese Governments do not want to expose the fact for some reason. When they bring up this matter to local Governments, they are told to keep quiet and forget the same. This is the region where the Euresian plate and the Indian plate have created convergent plate boundaries. Convergent plate boundaries are formed where one plate dives under another. Consequently, this is one of the very few areas in the world where the depth of the earth's crust twice as thick as in other places. The opposite is found in hot spots like Yellow Stone National Park in America where the earth’s crust in thin.

The double thick earth-crust allows the creation of underground bases very deep into the tectonic plates.

Kongka La has beautiful rocks and granites. For some strange reasons neither the Chinese nor the Indian authorities ever excavate, dig or mine in this area. The area is pristine and untouched.

Recently, both India and China have moved forward to solve all border disputes and start the Sino-Indian relations all over again. The Aksai Chin area is still disputed. But interesting while negotiations both the Governments are indifferent on this area. India and China as shown in the accompanying maps have huge border areas along the Himalayas and they are negotiating on all these regions. Though India claims that Aksai Chin is part of India, the common belief in the Government is that it is not a show stopper. On the other hand, Chinese after winning Aksai Chin from India in 1962 war, built a strategic military highway. Now they are using an alternate highway not to bother with the area in Kongka La.

Recently in the local school, young children of the area entered into a drawing contest. More than half of the drawings had to do with strange objects in the sky and some coming out of the mountains. Many of them even know what and when to look for.

Many UFO researchers believe that there are hidden UFO bases under the ocean and deep under the ground. Kongka La is experiencing some strange phenomenon and suspicious objects coming out of the inaccessible huge mountains (Himalayas) and both the Governments refuse to come out and say what these are. "

"I've Seen an Alien in my Backyard"

Though this might be a common quote in USA,its not very popular in India.However the Bengali literature has been gifted with Professor Shonku who had once a "mulokat" ahem I mean mulakat with Aliens.Other not so popular sci fi writers from Bengal have also written some shots about it but definitely not so illustrating as Satyajit Ray.

Comming down to the question.Yes I do remember seeing something in my backyard..Dont start laughing..I dont remember the day or the year because it was way too early even before my earliest memories.Possibly I was into morning timings in ODS.But I do remember the incident very clearly..

"I was playing hide and seek with out maid servant and I went to hide in the backyards of our old house.There was a dobakhana along with usual kachuri pana just to the eastern side of our house.I had taken a peek to see if she was coming or not and wnat I saw,I was stunned for atleast few seconds..

A huge black or dull colored block was slowly moving upwards.The shape best described can be compared with the hull of a ship a flattened V,[\_/].I close my eyes and next moment it was gone.I dont remember a thing before or after that.For a long time I had thought it was a illution,thought I might not have actually seen it rather dreamt about it. I still dont know and normally let it pass as fragement of my Imagination.

Call it a dream or a reality,my passion for aliens and extra terrestrial lifeform comes form the memories of that single day.

So What's the connection ?

It might be possible that Aliens simply might had the taste for Bengali cuisine.After all Fish Curry and Laou Posto cant be mastered by just anyone.Even I am also puzzled why did they showed up in Kolkata rather than being at some hightech government project or even in that case some other place where they might had some more attention.I will be looking into it.

Recomended Good Stuffs to Read or Watch

In the mean time if you are interested look into these stuffs.They are really interesting and should give you enough insight to draw your own conclution.

Carl Sagan Cosmos.Read the Book or Watch it here.
Into the Universe with Stephens Hawkings with Discovery
Chariots of The Gods by Eric Von Daniken
Ancient Aliens in History Channel

Please feel free to mail me if you want to know how to download these documentaries.Enjoy the show

Signing Off

Santanu Ghosal

Childhood and the Memories

noreply@blogger.com (Santanu) — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 09:30:00 +0000

Today while having a long discussion with my office colleague Ruma Di..a very interesting black and white idea came to my mind(.Now in this case black and white doesnt suggest that the idea is lacking color but instead is very old.)Me and Ruma di were discusing about her younger son and my nephew.As like all bengali addas..the Hankerchief suddenly chaned to a Cat.Our childhood.While discussing our memories about our childhood i felt a very special joy in the way she spoke and a very similar wave of positive energy in my mind too.....

So what is a childhood like to a man/woman.

Its like those black and white photos you have back at your home which are almost inside dirty photo frames covered with dust and spider web.The picture itself has faded at some places.Yet when you look back at them you are transported instantly back into time and relive those days.The effect stretches for a few secods to may be a long lasting hour but not more.......Once again you are drawn back to reality by some mystcial force.

My Childhood:Frames in my mind that will never fade away

Dadu and Dida

Today it was different.It lasted for a long enough time to spend time on this blog.Though I really cant remember which is the oldest memory I have but I sure do recall some of the best times in my life.A lot of people who knew me from my childhood says that I was very "Duronto".I was exacly opposite to my name.In Bengali Language "Santanu" means a person whose mind and body is calm.Well i was exacly opposite to that.Now a days also my old stories arrives at a place before me.Somwhat like my reputation preceeds me..I remember I used to climb tall trees and sit there for a long time.The only thing that could persuade me to come down was my Grandmother(Dida) telling me that "If you dont come down immedieately I wont feed you with my hands and you have to sleep with your grand pa".Yup I was really scared of my Grandpa(Dadu).He was always so calm and used to talk less.Rarely I had seen him loose his temper and best of all,till the very last days he tried his level best to be independent.They always wanted to see me happy and successful and yet the sadest part is that when I have every possible happyness that a man can have...they are not there.I lost my Grandmother during the schooling days and my Grandfather passed away when I was in Bangalore.

Color TV

Coming back to the happier shades of memory..I remember when one day my dad brought home one color tv thus marking the entry into the world of true color.Watching my favourie "JOHNNY SOKKO AND HIS FLYING ROBOT" was truelly a trill on DD1.

Babu

One of the best moments I enjoyed was when my cousin brother used to visit kolkata from asansol during his summer holidays.Those days were absolutely faboulus.Starting from playing demo Mahabharat wars to even fights..he was my only companion those days.If I have to describe him..he is more like one of my few best friend with a blood relation.The word cousin just dont fit in.Some person,the name I dont remember gave us the name "Lav and Kush".The best part is that the time we are at the same place we are hardly seen apart.Only thing is that I got so little time to spend with him.Even when he finally setteled in bangalore,I was on the verge of leaving Bangalore.

My Maternal Uncle's Place

My maternal uncle used to live in Kalikapur near Champahati(The famous fireworkd market).My memories of the place is only during the Summer vacations.The taste of famous Hatu Parata and hot jalebis.My Grandfather had a very big stationery shop over the place.One of the biggest sort of like mini big bazar in those days..And i remember stealing hajmola and chocklates from there.A fellow named Bappa was my companion there.My uncles used to have big Gardens full of all sort of trees and a big pond in the middle.All the day it was just roaming around.Specially for a child who is brought up in cities the sight of a huge Garden and big ponds and vast rice fields were like water to a desert beduin..I used to loose myself..

The Famous Trio

I remember my faithful companion the Hercules Cycle.It was bought when my elder brother used to go to school.Later it was refitted for my schooling completed with new tyres and a fresh paint.Me and my friend Sumon and Rajat each having their own cycle used to spend hours and hours cycling over to unknown destinations.Heck even before ICSE physics board exam we were out cycling.Those days were without any fear or remorse.Perhaps a very golden age.Sadly enough all our cycles were stolen under mysterious circumstances during a very particular time frame marking an end to the cycle era.Now both of them have purchased byke.Perhaps I am the one who is left to buy one and join them.Even after so long time our friendship has passed the tirals of time and memory and still stands true.If you ask me the formula perhaps I dont know but one thing is for sure...it surely worked out truelly.

Well that pretty much summarizes almost everything.Though there are something I choose not to share on this blog either because they are too sensetive or perhaps because I didnt find any words to describe it.
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So Whats so special about this post

Well to begin with,this blog deosnt contains pictures.Why?Because naturally there is no way to replicate my memory or imprint that on digital media.Second,this blog post will mark the ending of personal blogs which otherwise I have planned to host on another site.I will post the link soon once the blog is up and running.From now on this particular blog will focus more on anything else that me & myslef.

Why such a sudden change?

I felt that my blog readers must have something better to do than reading my updates..or like updates about my daily life..This overall was reducing the blogger value..so....

Signing Off
Santanu Ghosal