Me, Science and Life !!

Justice Done: No Muslim got elected as MP from Uttar Pradesh

2014-05-16T22:58:00.001+05:30

In December 2013, I visited Muzaffarnagar as part of winter relief activities organized by a NGO. I spent time at relief camps and got an opportunity to interact with people, both the victims of the riots and the general Muslim population. The most depressing aspect of the whole visit was, lack of apathy & absolute cold-bloodedness of Muslim MPs & MLAs of Uttar Pradesh, who didn’t contribute anything to the relief activities. Instead, many of them chose to visit foreign countries when the women and children were dying due to severe cold. If any of them Muslim MP or MLA had chosen to raise funds for the victims, within a week, none of the victims would have stayed in open air camps.

It was the sheer arrogance & betrayal of the elected Muslim representatives that caused more deaths of Muslims than in the riots of itself. As per the official reports, more than 70 children lost their lives due to severe cold. On the ground, people mentioned that, over 100 children, women and senior citizens passed away fighting the winter cold in refugee camps.

Five months later, the Muslims of Uttar Pradesh has spoken out. Not a single Muslim MP from Uttar Pradesh has got elected in 2014 National Elections. Uttar Pradesh has around 20% Muslim population and it was expected that, out of 80 MP seats, at least 5 seats would be won by Muslims.

I recollect having this conversation with a Maulana at Meerut. I asked him, what’s the reason, why all the Muslim MPs & MLAs have distanced themselves from helping the people. He mentioned something very funny but profound. He said, ‘elections se pehle, yeh log ghulaam-e-Rasool bolte hain, elections ke baad, ghulaam-e-mayawati ya ghulaam-e-mulayam ho jate hain” (before elections, they call themselves slaves of Prophet (ﷺ) but after elections they become slaves of Mayawati or Mulayam). So, from the results, it has become apparent that, Uttar Pradesh Muslims neither want the slaves of Mayawati nor the slaves of Mulayam.

Another interesting point from this election results is that, BJP which has won over 280 seats, doesn’t have even a single Muslim candidate who has won the seat. So, the whole government doesn’t have even a single Muslim MP.

O’ Allah, grant me victory.

2013-08-31T22:34:00.001+05:30

I am at the verge of defeat. I don’t see the spirit of warrior anymore in me. May be, it’s just about to end. It’s like the last breath. The dreams… how can one give up on dreams while being alive?

I am 27 years old now. It’s been 9 years, since I first attempted at unifying quantum mechanics with relativity. It’s been 9 years! And how soon these 9 years have gone by. I feel aged and lost.

I haven’t published a research paper in a while. The ideas have evaporated. All that is left is dead brain cells that are only good enough to lead an ordinary life. How did it happen? How did I lose so much of time without doing anything?

Today… what am I? What happened to all those dreams? Every moment, Allah was kind. I had everything. The hope, the intelligence and the angel. All that was needed was one step ahead. And I failed.

I wish.

I wish I can explain my humiliation. I wish I could scream to describe this suffocation. I stand alone. No one around me even understands my state. This feeling of losing everything. This feeling of being lost in the waves of time. This feeling of being overwhelmed by ignorance.

But it isn’t over. I can’t die in this pain. Death is inevitable. I don’t want to die as a loser, even if I die losing. Whether I succeed or not, whether I stand alone or not… I will fight against ignorance. I will fight for that identity.

Allah has not given up on me. How can I give up?

O’ Allah… I ask for a chance. I ask for help. I ask for direction. I ask for right path. I ask for forgiveness. I ask for victory. I am just Your slave and You are my master. O’ Allah Grant me the knowledge.

Visit to Madrasa-e-Faisul Quran, Kishtapur– Awakening moment

2013-05-17T03:19:00.001+05:30

Last Sunday, I visited Madrasa-e-Faisul Quran located at Kishtapur, Pargi about 100 km away from Hyderabad. The story of Madrasa-e-Faisul Quran is amazing and heart touching. Several years ago, a liquor merchant named “Lakshmaiah” was a dominating figure in the lands of Kishtapur and surrounding villages. He had everything except the light of Imaan. He tried to fulfil the spiritual vacuum by consulting various scholars. Soon he came across Maulana Muhammed Hameed Aqil Hussami, who helped him understand the message of Islam. Allah poured imaan into the heart of Lakhmaiah. He took Shahada and took the name “Muhammed Omar Hussami”. After converting to Islam, Omar Hussami faced several challenges. But the imaan in him was so strong, that he overcame every problem with Allah’s help. He made sure all his children receive not only the basic Islamic education but also become Hafiz and Aalim. Meanwhile, Omar Hussami was confronted with the challenge of disappearance of Islam from the small villages due to lack of Masjids and Imams. He realized that, not many Imams were willing to work at small villages around Kishtapur and Pargi. Moreover, the locals of the villages were not in a position to pay salaries to Imams. One solution to this problem was, guiding the local kids to become Hafiz-e-quran.

In 1987, with a conviction that Allah’s help would arrive, Omar Hussami started a Madrasa called “Madrasa-e-Faisul Quran”. In order to start the Madrasa, Omar Hussami gave up all his wealth. In 2013, Omar Hussami passed away. May Allah grant him paradise. Today, his sons and grandsons, who have become Muftis are running the Madrasa. In last twenty six years of service, 175 Huffaz and Ulama have graduated from the Madrasa. By the grace of Allah, today the Madrasa has separate quarters to accommodate more than 200 girls and 300 boys.

To be at this place was one of the most humbling experience of my life. I stood there, looking at the institution created by a great man and the revolution he went through in his life. I felt small and guilty. As I write this, I have tears in my eyes. There is no money… there are no resources… surroundings are hostile… yet, they are able to pull off this monumental feat. 180 Kg of rice is cooked every day to feed the students. They grow onions, brinjals and tamarind in the backyard of Madrasa. Occasionally, they get some funding, with which they purchase rice. What is making these people stand tall against all the hostilities? The answer is simple. Their imaan is much higher than I can imagine. They believe in Allah. They believe that this life is temporary and preparing for afterlife is more important than worrying about the needs of this world. Subhan’Allah.

And here I am, sitting in a chilled room, writing this … and I ask myself… what am I doing with this life? What answer do I have, when I return to Allah? All my life, I have competed with others. During school, I was the school topper. During college, I topped the class and published research papers. When I started working, I was rated highly over others. Neighbours and relatives give my example to their kids. And what a fake world I was living in. Before Allah, I am among those bottom 5% category. Those people, who follow Islam but are of no good. How selfish and short sighted I have been all these years. What is my investment for afterlife? A polytheist, who sold liquor, was able to get such guidance from the book of Allah and Sunnah of Prophet … that he rose to the heights of creating an institution that would produce hundreds of Huffaz and Ulama. His progenies and their progenies become Muftis. What a blessed life he lived! I envy him. I wish I can pull off something similar.

I heard the Prophet saying, "There is no envy except in two: a person whom Allah has given wealth and he spends it in the right way, and a person whom Allah has given wisdom (i.e. religious knowledge) and he gives his decisions accordingly and teaches it to the others."

Narrated by Ibn Masud, Sahih Bukhari Volume 2, Book 24, Number 490

I feel like woken up from a bad dream. It feels like, investing all the wealth in a scam. The true investment is the investment for the afterlife. And I have got nothing allocated to that afterlife fund. I don’t know, how much more life, I have been granted. But I want to make the most of it. I want to grab every opportunity that is out there. I am thankful to the capabilities that Allah has given me and I would deeply regret if I don’t make the best use of it. There is so much to do. There are millions suffering of hunger and poverty. There are millions who are unemployed and exploited. There are millions who are misguided and fooled. There is certainly so much to do. I want to impress Allah. And this life is worth living for impressing Allah. And to start with, let me supplicate Allah through the awesome prayer of Prophet Mohammed (ﷺ)…

The Prophet (ﷺ) used to supplicate Allah: "My Lord, help me and do not give help against me; grant me victory, and do not grant victory over me; plan on my behalf and do not plan against me; guide me, and make my right guidance easy for me; grant me victory over those who act wrongfully towards me; O Allah, make me grateful to Thee, mindful of Thee, full of fear towards Thee, devoted to Thy obedience, humble before Thee, or penitent. My Lord, accept my repentance, wash away my sin, answer my supplication, clearly establish my evidence, guide my heart, make true my tongue and draw out malice in my breast."

Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas, Abu Dawud Book 8, Number 1505.

A True Wake Up Call

2013-05-03T20:18:00.001+05:30

At around 4:00 PM today, I was driving to Microsoft office, on an empty road between In-Orbit Mall and Gachibowli and I don’t know, what happened, suddenly my bike went out of control. I was driving around 80kms per hour speed and the road was completely empty. I realized that, I am over-speeding as there is a turn is ahead. As I hit the brakes, the back tyre started shaking, throwing me out of balance and the bike started skidding. 15 meters before was a large pit with lots of large stones and around the corner of the pit was a sand dune and some grass. It’s just the matter of milliseconds that I am about to fall in a pit with large granite stones. The heart-beat is stopped and I am putting as much pressure as possible using my right leg on the breaks. The bike doesn’t stop. The bike is skidding and I don’t have any control. There is no feeling about, what going to happen. Typically, in movies, during these moments, you see the face of a beautiful girl fading away… or something like that. But all I could see was those merciless sharp granite stones, that I am about to hit. And few milliseconds later…

Boom. I have hit the sand dune. My one leg was under the bike. I was wearing helmet, so I knew my head was safe. And for few seconds, I went completely blank. I don’t know, what’s just happened. The blazing sun, the weight of the bike on my leg and the shock. I slightly lifted the vehicle to pull-out my leg and lied on back there for few seconds. The front tyre of the bike was hanging in the air and somehow the bike has stopped just before falling into the pit. A car stopped and a person came over to help me. I was gave him a sign that I am alright. He pulled the vehicle aside. As I stood up, there was a strange shiver throughout my body. I could have hit those sharp granites and had the bones of my body broken. I could have bruised by whole body while skidding. And how merciful Allah has been to save me from the danger. All I found was few bruises to my right leg. There is a little swelling now but overall, I guess, I am alright.

Three hours have passed by since the incident and it having a psychological effect on me. If not death, I would have been badly injured. As dramatic has last three days have been, this is the real wake-up call. It’s like, I have been told, “Do what you have promised or make an exit from this world”. Or maybe, Allah wanted to give me a warning that, time is running out, realize the value of the time that I have in hand and make amendments to life. A realization that, “how insignificant I am, when the things go out of control” is slowing sinking in. May be, this is what people refer to ‘near death experience’. In just the matter of few milliseconds, my life would have changed dramatically. But Allah saved me.

Generally, whenever such an incident happens, people speak about, how they have realized, how valuable the people around me are, how they have ignored the relationships and how they would get back to people. Well, I have a complete opposite feeling. I don’t want to describe now, why I have such feeling. I would let some actions speaks on my behalf.

Tonight I would have been in pain at a hospital surrounded by family and relatives, but here I am, all hail and healthy. This is a gift of Allah. I must do everything to make best use of this opportunity that Allah has given me.

My Lord, Increase me in knowledge

2013-03-24T17:16:00.001+05:30

Tonight, I am supposed to be partying and hanging out with friends, yet here I am, all alone, thinking about the time that has gone by. The more I look at the past, the more hurt I am, at the way I have spent all these years. In Holy Quran, Allah says

“By the time, surely man is in loss, except those who believe and do good, and exhort one another to Truth, and exhort one another to patience”.

And I look at the time I have spent, I am certainly at loss. So much at loss that, I feel ashamed at myself. Every minute and every day that I have wasted, today appears as the mountains of gold that I failed to make my own. And with time, I am becoming more and more ineffective. The confidence to produce big ideas is diminishing. The ability to self-assure on the possibility of big break-through has drastically decreased. I don’t know, how far I can push myself. Mediocrity has been creeping into my actions and words.

Surely, I have had lot of opportunities in life that I have failed to convert into big. Laziness, distractions, lack of persistence and so on, have all contributed to my failures.

I have categorized the issues that are impacting me and have formulated a plan to overcome them. The most damaging issue has been laziness. Life is too short to be lazy. Following is my plan to combat laziness and distractions:

· Perform Salah five times a day, on time. Among the thousands of advantages of Salah, one of them is ‘discipline’. Excess the progress after every Salah. I am accountable to every minute I spent.
· Supplicate Allah to increase knowledge. Prophet Mohammed (ﷺ) used to supplicate Allah by repeatedly saying “Rabbi Zidni Ilma” (My Lord, improve me in knowledge”)
· Supplicate Allah to make me part of His plan. Found this beautiful prayer of Prophet Mohammed (ﷺ) in Abu Dawud Book 8, Number 1505, narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas:

The Prophet (ﷺ) used to supplicate Allah: "My Lord, help me and do not give help against me; grant me victory, and do not grant victory over me; plan on my behalf and do not plan against me; guide me, and make my right guidance easy for me; grant me victory over those who act wrongfully towards me; O Allah, make me grateful to Thee, mindful of Thee, full of fear towards Thee, devoted to Thy obedience, humble before Thee, or penitent. My Lord, accept my repentance, wash away my sin, answer my supplication, clearly establish my evidence, guide my heart, make true my tongue and draw out malice in my breast."

I pray to Allah that, to accept my prayers and make me a better person.

O’ Allah, the King of the universe, the Master of the universe and the God of all mankind, I am your humble slave. I am nothing but Your creation. To You I worship and to You I ask for help. Make my stay on the earth meaningful. Grant me knowledge to overcome ignorance. Make me powerful to help the weak. I have done things that are unworthy and deeply shameful, O’ Allah, kindly forgive me. You are repeatedly forgiving. You are the best forgiver of Allah. O’ Allah, you have said that, your kindness precedes anger. Don’t make me part of your anger. Forgive my sins and lead me to the right path. Direct me when I am lost and energize me when I am on the right path. Push me away from the distractions. Give me refugee from the evil whisperings of Satan. You are the best planner of all and Your plan never fails. Make me victorious as part of Your plan. I want to make discoveries and inventions. I want to lead this civilization towards knowledge. My Lord, improve my knowledge. Make me the most knowledgeable among the men that are alive.

Chief Technology Officer– High Level Career Development Plan

2013-02-01T03:23:00.001+05:30

From last few days, I was working on my career development plan at Microsoft. Career planning is an iterative process and it keeps updating with time. Here’s the high level plan I have come up with so far. I will be blogging more details about each aspect of this plan soon.

Long term goals (10 years): By 2023, I would like to be the CTO of a large scale organization.

Short term goal (5 years): By 2018, I would like to be an Enterprise Software Architect.

Career development plan:

Personal Traits

Be recognized as trustworthy and truthful person. Untrustworthy and fake people never succeed in long term.
Be available to team members. Work selflessly. Nobody wants to work with people who always ask for credit.
Be helpful to others in the best capacity. There is always a return for being helpful.
Undergo voice modulation training. (Learn how to modulate Pitch, Pace and Power based on situation).
Work on Ego-management. Be driving but not aggressive.
Take responsibility during failures and share credit with others during wins.
Avoid short cuts.

Community & Networking:

Participate in the discussions in the technical communities and establish a reputation for being the 'go-to' person (SME) in at least 3 technologies.
Build a network and stay connected with various SMEs on various forums.
Participate in Business and Technical Conferences
Identify a group of trusted individuals who can advise/suggest/mentor on technical/professional issues.
Mentor people.

Technical Expertize:

Invest in being technical SME in at least 3 major technologies.
Be an enterprise architect.
Keep up to date with the latest technologies, tools and techniques (at least Level 100)
Become hands-on with programming.
Learn to strike balance for 'time, scope, cost and quality' for projects.

Business Acumen:

Invest in Financial & Business Education (CTO is a bridge between technology and business)
Keep up to date with the trends of Industry and market. Read Gartner reports regularly.
Interact with various CTOs inside and outside of Microsoft.
Participate in business and political discussions related to IT industry.

Big Picture:

Understand the 360 degree view of the organization.
Develop a 'Trust but verify' approach with people.
Understand business problems and identify technical solutions. Be the bridge.
Raise above the organisational politics.
Be a strategist and articulate the vision.

I am no hero, I am no warrior

2013-01-20T03:41:00.001+05:30

“I am no hero, I am no warrior,

I just have the patience to burn”

I am losing. Losing a portion of my dream every day. I don’t know, how much of it is left. Ideas have become scarce, confidence is extremely low, courage to push myself has drastically decreased… I don’t know, if this is the time to call ‘quits’. Deep inside, every day, I keep frowning at the way I am living life. Every hour that gets wasted pierces through my soul. But what should I do?

I am unable to write research papers. I am unable to produce new ideas. I have lost the love of my life. I don’t know where she is and I don’t even have courage to talk to her. I have failed to keep all the promises that I have made to people around me. Probably, they have forgotten but I haven’t. I was never meant to be ordinary. And for making this life ‘ordinary’, I have myself to blame.

Long ago, when I was a little kid, I read a story of an old man, who is alone on a rainy night, on the verge of death… and he cries in pain about all the time he has lost. He remembers his youth, his courage, his confidence and he wonders why he failed to achieve anything. He looks outside, at the sky, through a tiny window. Within the clouds, through the brightness of a lightening, there appears an angels. The angel resembles the love of his life. He recollects the moments he had spent with her. And then tears flow from his eyes. He remembers the moments, when she was snatched away from him. And how much he wished to be with her. He remembers his attempts at succeed in life and regain her. He sheds more tears. But else can be do? He has lost away all his life and now, he has no one but himself to blame. He repeatedly asks himself, why he ended up living an ordinary life. He has no answers. It’s too late to do anything. He waits for death. But the death doesn’t come easily. And he keep recounting every bit of life that he has wasted away. I remember translating this story of the old man from Urdu to English. I am increasingly getting a feeling that, my life would turn into that.

Last five years have been extremely tragic. During this time, I have lived two lives. One life within my heart and other life outside. Both the lives have no connect with each other. Sometimes, I try to figure out, how one life can exist with other and it all falls apart. The problem is that, just like that old man, I am failing to give shape to the life in the heart. I am failing to convert my dreams into reality. I am failing. And in the process I am losing myself.

At the same time, I am living a life outside. A lot of people have been associated with me in this life. I don’t know, if I ever will be able to explain them about my other life that exists in my heart. I don’t know, if they ever will be able to understand my frustration and humiliation. But then, I don’t want my depression to have any impact on anyone who is associated with me in this outer life.

I know, I am sounding all confused and out of mind. But, I don’t want to sit at my death bed and recollect this life as a waste of time. I don’t want ordinariness to creep into my life. If sacrifices are to be made, this is the time.

A man needs isolation to connect with himself. I don’t know, how long this isolation lasts.

How to develop submission and devotion to Allah in prayers

2012-12-15T21:24:00.001+05:30

This was shared in one of the groups that I am part of. Copyrights belongs to the original creator. Khusho means “submission, reverence and devotion to Allah in prayers”.

Justic Katju’s letter

2012-12-10T21:27:00.001+05:30

Recently, in an enlightening speech, Justice Markandey Katju mentioned that, ‘90% of the Indians are idiots’ as an honest feedback. However, as usual, some people mistook his words of wisdom and sent legal notice to him. In Justice Markandey Kajtu was a Muslim, people would have labeled him anti-national. I say this, because, once in a seminar, I spoke about the status of science in India and criticized the current standard of science in India… after the seminar… a lady walked up to me and started labeling me as antinational. Anyhow, some idiots can’t take feedback. Below is the letter written by Justice Kajtu to the people that have sent him legal notice.

----

Dear Tanaya and Aditya,

I have received your email, and am giving my reply, but before doing so in detail I wish to make some preliminary remarks:

I have been misquoted in the press reports, but it is true that I have said that 90% Indians (not all) are fools. My intention in saying so was not to hurt anyone but to awaken people to the realities, that is, the widespread casteism, communalism, superstitions, and other backward traits in the mindset of a large section of our people which is blocking our progress and keeping us poor.
The figure 90% is not a mathematical figure, it simply means that in my opinion a large proportion of Indians (and again I repeat, not all) are fools.
I never named you, nor any community, caste, or sect, and I never said that you are in the category of 90%. Hence I do not see how you are defamed.
I made this comment not to humiliate or harm anyone but because I love the Indian people, they are my people, and I wish them to prosper and have decent lives, which is only possible if the Indian masses develop the scientific outlook and scientific temper and give up casteism, communalism, superstitions and other mental attitudes which a large part (not all) of them presently suffer from. I wish to see India in the front ranks of the advanced industrialized nations of the world, with our people having a high standard of living, instead of suffering from the present evils of massive poverty, unemployment, price rise, corruption, farmer's suicides, child malnutrition, absence of health care and good education, casteism etc. So you see I made that statement not to harm the Indian people, whom I love, but to benefit them. The truth is sometimes bitter, but sometimes bitter medicine has to be given to an ailing person.

Having said this, I may proceed to give a more elaborate explanation.
I wish to first of all clarify that I do not regard Indians as inherently stupid or foolish. It is only at present that large parts of our people are foolish. But there was a time when we were leading the whole world in science and technology, and India was perhaps the most prosperous country in the world. It is now that we are having bad times, but we had a glorious past and shall have a glorious future too, but for that we have to get rid of casteism, communalism, superstitions and other backward traits in the mentality of a large part of our people (because of which I call them fools).
India's Past

With the aid of science we had built mighty civilizations thousands of years ago when most people in Europe( except in Greece and Rome) were living in forests. We had made outstanding scientific discoveries e.g. decimal system in mathematics, plastic surgery in medicine, etc (see in this connection my article 'Sanskrit as a Language of Science on my blog justickatju.blogspot.in and on the website kgfindia.com). However, we subsequently took to the unscientific path of superstitions and empty rituals, which has led us to disaster. The way out of the present morass is to go back again to the path shown by our scientific ancestors, the path of Aryabhatta and Brahmagupta, Sushrut and Charak, Panini and Patanjali, Ramanujan and Raman.
It is not necessary to mention here all the great achievements of our ancestors, but I may just mention a few.

The decimal system in mathematics was the most remarkable and revolutionary invention in the past, and it was created by Indians. To understand its significance, one must know that the ancient Romans, who built a great civilization (The civilization of Caesar and Augustus), felt very uncomfortable with numbers above 1000. This was because they expressed their numbers in alphabets, I standing for 1, V for 5, X for 10, L for 50, C for 100, D for 500, and M for 1000. There was no single alphabet expressing a number above 1000. Hence to write 2000 an ancient Roman had to write MM, to write 3000 he had to write MMM, and to write 1 million he had to write M one thousand times, which would drive him crazy.
On the other hand, our ancestors discovered the number 0, and hence to write 1 million they had simply to put 6 zeros after 1.
Plastic surgery was invented by Sushrut 2000 years ago, whereas Europeans invented it only about 100 or 200 years back.
The English alphabets are all arranged haphazardly, there is no reason why D is followed by E, or E by F, or F by G, etc. On the other hand Panini in the first 14 sutras of his Ashtadhyayi arranged the alphabets in Sanskrit scientifically. Thus , the first sequence of 5 consonants (the ka varga i.e. ka, kha, ga, gha, na ) are all sounds which emanate from the throat, the second sequence from the middle of the tongue, the third from the roof of the mouth, the fourth from the tip of the tongue, and the fifth from the lips. The second and fourth consonants in each sequence are aspirants in which the sound 'ha' is combined with the previous consonant e.g. ka+ha =kha.
5000 years ago in the Indus Valley Civilization the system of town planning was created with straight streets, covered drains, water and sewage system, etc.

Before the coming of the British India was a prosperous country. Its share in world trade in 1700 was about 30%, which fell to 2% by the end of British rule and is still not more than 3%.

India's Present
Today there is no doubt that India is a poor country. While there are some pockets of affluence, about 80% of our people are afflicted with poverty, unemployment and other evils, and one major cause of this is the mental backwardness of a large part of our people.
(though there are also brilliant people like the Indian scientists and engineers in Silicon Valley) Consider the following:

When most of our people go to vote they cast their votes on the basis of caste or religion, not the merit of the candidate. What else is the meaning of vote banks? And this is exploited by some unscrupulous politicians who know how to manipulate and manage these vote banks. That is why many persons with criminal backgrounds get elected.
'Honour' killings are common in many parts of the country. This is a barbaric practice, and shows how backward many of us still are.
Dowry deaths are common in India, and as a former Judge I can tell you that our courts have a large number of cases of young married women who are murdered in a barbaric manner by their in laws for not getting dowry e.g. by pouring petrol on them and setting them on fire.
Scheduled castes are still often treated inhumanly, and an example is the recent attack on dalits in Dharmapuri district in Tamil Nadu.
Female foeticide is common in many parts of India. Often when a male child is born the relatives are happy and distribute sweets, but when a female child is born often relatives get dejected. This is also a sign of backwardness among many of us.
Communalism, which was almost non-existent in 1857, is widespread in our society today. Muslims often face discrimination in getting jobs, houses on rent, etc, as the Justice Sachar Committee report has highlighted. Muslims are often falsely implicated in bomb blasts and they have to spend years in jail though ultimately found innocent.As I mentioned, upto 1857 communalism was almost non-existent in India. There were no doubt differences between Hindu and Muslims, but there was no enmity between them. In the Mutiny of 1857 Hindus and Muslims jointly fought against the British. After crushing the Mutiny the British decided that the only way to control India was divide and rule.Consequently, the policy came from London to create hatred between Hindus and Muslims. The British Collector used to secretly call the Panditji and gave him money to speak against the Muslims, and similarly he gave money to the Maulvi Saheb to speak against Hindus. All communal riots began after 1857. The communal award in the Minto-Morley 'Reforms' of 1909 introduced separate electorates for Hindus and Muslims. Year after year, decade after decade, the communal poison was injected by the British into our body politic, and even after 1947 there are elements which continue this (see online 'History in the Service of Imperialism' and my article 'What is India' on my blog justicekatju.blogspot.in)Certain agent provocateurs take advantage of our backwardness to incite communal riots, and unfortunately many people fall prey to these evil designs and get emotionally carried away by communal propaganda and fight with each other.
Superstition is rampant in India. Most people believe in astrology, which is pure superstition and humbug. And it is not just the illiterates who believe in it, it is also most of the so called educated people in India. Many Ministers and Judges prefer to take oath of office at the 'auspicious' time.A few years back it was announced that Lord Ganesh is drinking milk, and there was a rush of people to offer milk to Ganesh. Earlier, a 'miracle' chapati was circulating.
A large section of the media, taking advantage of the backwardness of a large section of our people, dishes out lives of filmstars, cricket, etc as if these are the real issues before the people, when the real issues are socio-economic.

As I said above, when I called most people(not all) fools I did not wish to harm them, rather it was just the contrary. I want India to become a prosperous country, but this is possible only when the mindset of a large number of people changes, and their minds are rid of casteism, communalism, superstitions, and other backward ideas and they become scientific and modern.
By being modern I do not mean wearing a nice suit or a beautiful sari or skirt. By being modern I mean developing a modern mind, which means a rational mind, a scientific mind, and a questioning mind. As already stated above, at one time we led the whole world in science and technology, but today we are undoubtedly far behind the West and even China. How did this happen? Why were we left behind, why did we not have an Industrial Revolution like Europe? This is known as 'Needham's Question' or 'Needham's Grand Question', named after Prof. Joseph Needham of Cambridge University (1900-1995). It is high time Indians try to answer this question, instead of trying to evade the reality of the backwardness of most of us.

The worst thing in life is poverty, and 80% of our people are poor, which is largely because of the mental backwardness of most (not all) of us. To abolish poverty we need to spread the scientific outlook to every nook and corner of our country. It is only then that India will shine. And until that happens the vast majority of our people will continue to be taken for a ride.

Justice Markandey Katju
10.12.2012

Picasa Collage feature

2012-10-17T00:17:00.001+05:30

Picasa Collage feature is nice and simple. My gut feeling is that, a lot of innovation can happen around this feature.

Life–Road Map

2012-09-23T02:40:00.001+05:30

It’s been a while since I posted about my personal life. Honestly, there hasn’t been any progress in my life, so didn’t feel the necessity of posting. And I didn’t want to embarrass myself repeating same stuff again and again (although when I read my old posts, I find them poetic and intimidating). Even as I write this, there hasn’t been much change in my life. Still, my priorities are the same. But the failure to produce anything productive in last few years have taught me lot of things. The first and foremost being, the value of being able to convert the raw ideas into actionable items. Frankly I never had difficulties in producing new ideas, however, the fact that, I haven’t had much success in life testifies that I haven’t been able to convert my ideas into actionable items.

As one grows old, the need for stabilizing the life increases. You either have get adjusted with the direction in which your life is heading or you have to push the life towards the direction of your choice. I am working at Microsoft, earning reasonably good income and have a supporting family… there isn’t much to complain. Yet, I am finding it difficult to adjust with this life. This means, if I have to be happy, the other option is, I need to push my life towards the direction of my choice. In order to do so, I first need to identify the ‘direction’ of my choice. Otherwise, I will be trying out various things but that ‘happiness’ would still be elusive.

I did a mind-map of what exactly I want to accomplish during this life… the list of objectives when accomplished, I would feel satisfied with life. After lot of introspection, this is what I have got.

Essentially, there are four top priority goals. And each of these goals have a criteria for being successful. I don’t want to go in details about each of these things… but what this essentially means is that, I need to immediately reduce investing time in activities which aren’t my priorities.

The next step was to draft action items for each of these goals. Here’s what I have come up with so far.

Practice Islam: Action Items

Offer Salah punctually
Give away significant portion of earning in charity
· Stay away from Riba and Zina
· Read and Understand Tafsir of Holy Quran
· Read all six important books of Hadith
· Practice the values of mentioned in Holy Quran and books of Hadith.

Be a Good Son, Brother, Husband, etc.: Action Items

· Practice Islam and guide the family members towards the right path
· Love and respect the family members even if they don’t listen to me
· Support and fulfil the (halal) wishes of family members
· Be selfless and reduce ego

Make Discoveries: Action Items

· Be persistent in learning new stuff
· Convert ideas into research papers and publish in top journals (Nature, Phys. Rev. Letters)

To showcase intellectual leadership: Action Items

· Complete Masters and PhD.
· Connect with people and understand the issues faced at a civilization level
· Inspire and guide people through ideas and values

Will keep you posted about my progress. By the way, I do recommend you to try the above exercise if you are not happy with life.

Indian Government Scanning Facebook Posts

2012-08-21T09:45:00.001+05:30

Yesterday at around 12 noon, I posted the following message on my Facebook account and immediately my account got disabled.

For next three hours or so, I have receiving the following message when I logged on the Facebook account. The message said “The URL you requested has been blocked as per instructions from Department of Telecom (CHNN). URL = www.facebook.com/nextnewton”.

www.facebook.com/nextnewton happens to be my account profile page.

After some time, my Facebook account was up, however I was not able to find my post on Facebook. In the notifications tab, I found that someone had liked my post, before my Facebook account was disabled… so I clicked the notification and it redirected to this message.

Anyhow, by yesterday evening my account and posts were reinstated.

State of Education and Teaching in Indian Universities

2012-08-09T09:46:00.001+05:30

An excellent article written by Krishna Kumar, Professor of Education at Delhi University and a former Director of NCERT, published in THE HINDU news paper.

------------ Universities, ours and theirs --------------

As long as we discourage young talent, encourage an obsolete examination system and remain indifferent to research, we will continue to lag behind the West

There are four critical differences between universities of the western world and ours. The first is that they do all they can, when they recruit young faculty, to make way for excellence. We do everything to block its entry. We start discouraging talent early, but a few bright youngsters manage to come up despite our best efforts. They are the ones who face the greatest resistance from our institutions at the time of selection for vacancies. The norms and standards that western institutions apply for selecting young faculty focus on individualised assessment of potential. Senior people and administrators who make decisions make sure that the aspirants are assessed on the basis of what they have published, the quality of research they have done, and how passionate they seem about the pursuit of knowledge and teaching.

Mechanical criteria

In our case, the initial criteria applied are purely mechanical. Any hint of trans-disciplinary interest means that the candidate loses the chance to be interviewed. And those who somehow escape this fate are ultimately sized up at the time of interview in terms of the lobbies they might belong to. Someone rare enough to be independent of personal as well as intellectual lobbies is the first to be eliminated. In the semi-final act of short listing, those lacking support from the dominant lobbies get weeded out. Then, in the ultimate moment, hard bargaining takes place and the institution’s future gets sealed. If there is someone with an unusual background or achievement, you can depend on the selection committee to find a technical ground to reject him or her. The only way he or she might get appointed is if a determined Vice-Chancellor forces the person in. Democratic procedures and correctness have become incompatible with respect for quality. Our universities feel comfortable with the labyrinth of eligibility norms that the University Grants Commission has nurtured with relentless energy to issue circulars over the decades. Selection committees debate over the finest of technicalities to justify the selection of the average, allowing anyone with sheen to get stuck and lost in the maze of criteria.

The second major difference between our universities and the western ones relates to the concept of teaching. We calculate teaching in terms of periods taken. The Radhakrishnan Commission had bemoaned the fact that our colleges work like higher secondary schools. More than six decades after the commission gave its report, life in our undergraduate colleges is just the same. The UGC demands 18 periods of teaching per week from an assistant professor. “Isn’t that reasonable?,” one might ask. Of course, it is, if you ignore what the word “teaching” means. The practice of calculating teachers’ daily work by counting the number of periods they stand beside the blackboard exposes the hollowness of our system and the concept of education. It also shows how little we have progressed since colonial days when accountability was tied to crude measures. How far Britain has moved away from the procedures it introduced in India long ago became apparent to me a year ago when I was invited to serve on a course evaluation committee in a British institute. After examining the course content, the recommended readings and the description of each lecture session taken through the year, the committee met groups of students from the previous three years. We also read the detailed feedback each student is required to give at the end of each course.

Our discussion with students and — separately — with their teachers was frank and detailed. We learnt how students assessed their teachers in terms of preparedness for each class, personal interest in the subject, the pedagogic strategies used to arouse interest, and not just regularity — which was, in fact, taken for granted. In India, we worry about attendance records to keep the student under pressure to attend classes that may be altogether devoid of intellectual stimulation. Despite attendance norms being stringent, there are classes without much attendance. There are also numerous cases of attendance without classes. An obsolete system of examination helps teachers who miss classes and make no effort to relate to students. There are many who take the number of periods required, but their classes have no soul or spark.

Concept of knowledge

The third critical difference between life in an Indian university and a university in the West arises out of the concept of knowledge embedded in the system. The crude measures our regulatory bodies such as the UGC apply in the name of accountability mask the epistemic sterility of the curriculum, the pedagogic process and examination. In the West, curriculum and pedagogy both follow the teacher’s own research interests. Even smaller universities with limited resources attempt to cultivate a research environment. Topics of research reflect the university’s concern for the social and natural world surrounding it. Research is seen as an inquiry to solve problems as well as to induct the young into a community of inquires. Keeping a record of hours spent on direct teaching becomes irrelevant in such a system, even in the case of undergraduate students. To keep their research interests alive and popular, senior professors engage with young undergraduates who bring fresh questions and perspectives to ongoing inquiries. In India, you stop teaching undergraduate classes as soon as you attain professorial status. Teaching and research are seen as two separate activities. While teaching is perceived as institutional work, research is viewed as a personal agenda for moving forward in one’s career. Not surprisingly, infrastructure and administrative procedures that might facilitate research do not exist. Obstacles do, and the teacher who makes the mistake of initiating a research project has to struggle all the way to its completion and the ritual of report submission to the funding agency. No one among colleagues or in the administration cares to know the findings, let alone their implications. Teaching goes on following the grooves of preset syllabi, like the needle boring into an old gramophone record.

The fourth critical difference lies in the library. In the West, even in the most ordinary universities, the library forms the centre of life, both for teachers and students. Librarians enjoy a high status as their contribution to academic life cuts across academic disciplines. They work closely with teachers and students in the various tasks involved in procurement of books and journals, keeping the library quiet and friendly, and ensuring speedy access. Our case is the opposite. The library exists on the margins of the classroom. In many universities, undergraduate students are not allowed to use the university library. Subscription to journals and magazines has dwindled over the years, and maintenance of past volumes is now seen as an obsolete practice because e-storage is available. We forget that the library is not merely a service; it is also a physical space whose ethos induces the young to learn the meaning of belonging to a community of scholars. Our reading rooms carry an unkempt, hapless look, with clanking ceiling fans and dog-eared books waiting to be removed. Book acquisition has been saturated with petty corruption and a crowd of spurious publishers has thrived on the outskirts of the academia.

Symptomatic

These four critical differences are, of course, symptomatic of deeper problems entrenched in structures that govern higher education in India. Those who perceive all problems in financial terms miss the barren landscape of our campuses. Inadequacy of funds is, of course, worrisome, but it cannot explain the extent to which malice, jealousy and cussedness define the fabric of academic life in our country. There is a vast chasm that separates the Indian academia from society. Let alone the masses, even the urban middle class cares little for what goes on inside classrooms and laboratories.

The citizenry does not see higher education as an intellectual resource. Nor do political leaders. The only commonly understood purpose that the system of higher education serves is to alleviate — and keep under tolerable levels of discomfort — what the British economist, Ronald Dore, has called the ‘Diploma Disease’ in his 1976 classic on education in developing economies. Dore has explained why a country like ours will continue to lag behind the West in knowledge and technique so long as we keep using mark-sheets and certificates to screen the young for further education and employment. His insight that the valid goal of widening the pool of talent is defeated by bureaucratisation of selection continues to be pertinent across the colonised world.

Hyderabad Weekend Getaway: Medak

2012-06-30T03:33:00.001+05:30

Medak is approximately 100 KM away from Hyderabad and it roughly takes about 2:30 hours to reach there. My initial research about the city revealed that, there isn’t much to see except for a beautiful church and some ruins of a fort. The only reason I decided to visit Medak was because I wanted to visit it.

We started at around 8:00 AM in the morning… had breakfast at the outskirts of Hyderabad and reach Medak by around 11:00 AM.

It was a Sunday morning and Medak Church was jam packed. Spend an hour observing people in the Church… most of them had no clue about Christianity but were there because they had problems and someone had told them to visit this Church. Post the sermon, people gathered in a queue to take the blessings of the father. Unlike they show in movies, where there is separate chamber for discussing stuff with father, here, it was all in open. Will describe what I heard in some other post.

After lunch, I visited the fort. There isn’t much left in the fort, although government is renovating the fort. One can visit the fort, which is situated on top of a hill to get a good view of the Medak town.

Started the journey back from Medak around 5 PM in the evening and reached Hyderabad by 7:30 PM.

View of Medak town from the top of the Medak fort:

Hyderabad Weekend Getaway: Gooty Fort

2012-06-30T03:03:00.001+05:30

About 300 KM away from Hyderabad towards Bangalore, Gooty is a small town that will be one day famous as the town where a Nobel Prize winner was born. For the time being, Gooty is known for a historic fort. About 10 Km away from Gooty, archeologists have discovered a stone on which constitution belonging to Ashoka is written. This means, that this area was inhibited by civilized people since 2000 years. The fort of Gooty is an amalgamation of Hindu-Islamic architecture. The most hurting aspect is that, Archeological department of India and Andhra Pradesh Tourism has done nothing to protect/preserve this beautiful fort.

Trip Details:

Gooty was earlier situated on NH7 but now NH7 bypasses the town. It’s approx. 300 KM away from Hyderabad and the distance can be covered within 3.5 – 4 hours. We started around 6:00 AM in the morning and reached Gooty by 10:00 AM in the afternoon. We were told that, best time to visit the fort is on any festival day… as lot of locals would be visiting fort and it would be lot secure.

It takes approximately 2 hours to climb the fort. If you are photography enthusiast, then you would be spending well-over 4 hours to climb the fort as there’s lots of stuff to be photographed. There are no restaurants/food carts on top of the fort… you need to carry the food along with you.

Who is my God?

2012-06-08T19:05:00.001+05:30

My God has no partners. He is The One. He is Unique.

My God is the Owner of what is inside and outside this Universe. My God is the Creator of what is inside and outside of this Universe. My God existed before the creation of this universe and He would continue to exist after the end of this universe. My God is The First and The Last. He is Ever-Existent, Ever-Lasting and Ever-Surviving.

My God is the Originator and Expander of this Universe. My God is the Fashioner of this Universe. My God is the Owner of Time. My God is the Best Supporter of this Universe. My God has the complete knowledge of every activity that is happening inside and outside of this universe, i.e. He is All-Knower.

My God is the Giver of life and the Bringer of Death. My God can bring the living out of dead and dead out of living. My God is Sustainer of life. My God is the Best of Providers for the survival of the every living being in this Universe.

My God is Most High yet He is nearest to me. When I am in danger, my God is the Granter of Security. When I am lost in darkness, my God is the Guide to the Right Path. When I seek refuge with Him, my God is the Best Protector among all protectors. When I am facing difficulties and worries, my God is the Remover of all troubles and sorrows. When I pray for wealth and happiness, my God is Most Generous in accepting my prayers. When I pray for forgiveness for my sins, my God is the Greatest Forgiver. When I commit the mistakes again and again, my God is Repeatedly Forgiving. And when I repent about my mistakes, my God is the Best Acceptor of repentance. My God is Giver of Peace. My God is the Most Loving.

Submitting to the will of my God is the best way to lead the life. For those who deny the signs of my God, He is swift in calling to account. My God is Guardian of faith. My God is Preserver of truth. My God is Exalted in Might. My God is Knower of the Unseen. My God is observing every action that is taking place in the Universe. He is Best of Observers.

For those who plot against my God, He is Lord of Retribution. For those who spread evil in the universe, my God is the Best Avenger. My God is the Enforcer of His Will. My God is above all comprehension, yet He is acquainted with all things. My God is the Restorer of Peace. My God is the Slayer of oppressors and the Best Accepter of repentance.

My God never fails to keep His promises. My God is Supreme in Greatness. My God is the Doer of what He wills. My God is Master of His concern. My God is the Most Honorable and He is the Giver of Honor to the people. My God is the Best Helper among all helpers. My God is the Most Gracious among all the gracious ones. My God is the Kindest among all the kind. My God is Greatest Forgiver among all forgivers. My God is the Best Protectors among all protectors.

He has no defects. My God is Wisest. My God is Strongest among Strong and Wisest among wise. My God is the Greatest King among all Kings. My God is the Greatest Emperor among all Emperors. My God is the Best Ruler among all the rulers. My God is the Best Judge among all judges. My God is the Best Planner among all the planners. My God is the Best of Narrators among all narrators. My God is the Best Listeners among all Listeners.

My God is the Knower of future. My God is the Ultimate Decider. My God is Complete, All-Sufficient, Most Merciful and Most Beneficent. None deserves more praise than my God. None is Worthy to be worshipped other than my God.

Need for Geology Museums in India

2012-06-08T18:09:00.001+05:30

An year back, I was at a small Swiss city called Lausanne for a business visit. Adjacent to Lake Geneva and on the back ground of snow mountains, Lausanne is blessed with natural beauty. At Lausanne railway station, I found a large banner displaying the places of tourist interest within the city. I was surprised to find that a Geological Museum was among the list. Instantly, I decided to give a visit to this Geological Museum. Believe it or not, I spent nearly six hours in the geological museum, absolutely blown away looking at the colors and shapes of different minerals on display. The museum had collection of minerals found from all parts of the world, including from different states of India. Imagine, watching the rocks of India on display in Switzerland! I asked myself, what’s the purpose of this Museum? Just when I was thinking this, I was distracted by a little girl, who asked her mother pointing towards a white rock with blue spots, about what those blue spots are. The mother explained her that, its Cavansite, a calcium vanadium silicate, a mineral found at Maharashtra, India. I got the answer to my question.

In India, we often complain that, everyone either wants to be either engineer or doctor. What about explorers, physicists, chemists, botanists and GEOLOGISTS? I think, the part of problem lies with the attitude of the people. How can we expect students to take up studies in earth sciences passionately when they can find no inspiration around? How inspiring it would be for Indian school students to visit a Geological Museum, where they can see thousand different minerals and understand where they were found? There is so much of beauty in the minerals of earth… Unfortunately, Indian student gets to know about that beauty only when they reach the level of graduation. There are less than 10 public geological museums in India. Some Indian Geologists, especially the geology professors might argue saying, our geological department has museum, I ask them, how many visitors, especially school students, they had in last one year?

Books on different Fiqhs (Islamic Schools)

2012-04-05T02:26:00.001+05:30

Name of the Book	Author/Translator	Fiqh
Al-Hidayah: A Classical Manual of Hanafi Law: Vol 1 & 2	Burhan al-Din al-Marghinani; Translated by Imran Ahsan Khan Nyazee	Hanafi
Nur al-Idah: The Light of Clarification	Hasan Shurunbulali; Translated by Wesam Charkawi	Hanafi
The Risala: A Treatise on Maliki Fiqh	Abdullah ibn Abi Zayd al-Qayrawani; Translated by Alhaj Bello Mohammad Daura	Maliki
Al-Muwatta	Malik bin Anas bin Malik bin Abu Amir Al-Asbahi; Translated by A’isha Abdarahman at-Tarjumana and Ya’qub Johnson	Maliki
Reliance of the Traveller and Tools for the Worshipper	Ahmad Ibn Naqib Al-Misri; Translated by Sheik Nuh Ha Mim Keller	Sha’fi
The Mainstay Concerning Jurisprudence (Al-Umda fi l-Fiqh - Hanbali School of Law)	Shaikh al-Islam Imam al-Muwaffaq ibn Qudama; Translated by Muhtar Holland	Hanbali
Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence: According to Shi'i Law	Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr; Translated by Arif Abdul Hussain and Hamid Algar	Jafari
The Evolution of Fiqh (Islamic Law & The Madh-habs	Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips	-
Fiqh-us-Sunnah	Sayyid Saabiq	-
Fiqh Made Easy	Dr. Saalih ibn Ghaanim al-Sadlaan; Translated by Jamaal al-Din M.Zarabozo	-
Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence	M.H. Kamali	-

Here are few things that I have decided to follow. Correct me if I am wrong:

1. Truth is not confined to one madhab. Seek knowledge for cause of Allah and not the sake of insulting or winning debates. In Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 1, Book 1, Number 1, it is mentioned that Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, 'Actions are but judged according to intentions. Every man has what he intends. So whoever emigrates to gain something of this world or to marry a woman, his emigration is for that to which he emigrated.'"

2. In case of doubt while reading any of the book, consult scholars. If you have no doubts while reading the book, then it only means you haven’t understood the fiqh to it’s deepth. In case of doubt, , consult more than one scholar so that you can avoid any human error.

Influential leaders: They are never fat

2012-03-25T22:40:00.001+05:30

Ever thought about the common thing among all the influential leaders across the world? Is it their leadership qualities? Is it their attitude? It is their intellectuality? Is it their ability to win over odds? Philosophers might argue about these questions over centuries, but I have found a very simple thing that is common among all the influential leaders.

That quality is that, they were never fat during their peak years. I can’t think of a single influential leader who was fat during his peak years. Note, there is a distinction between being fat and being obese. Obesity is a disease, whereas being fat is laziness. From Mahatma Gandhi to Barrack Obama, from Nelson Mandela to Abraham Lincoln… none of them were fat.

Also, the larger question is, does success relates to fitness? Statistically, it appears to be true. Success indeed is dependent on the fitness of the person. People with athletic abilities are more chances of being successfull in life than fatsos. I list out the following reasons

1. By birth, if there is anything that accompanies a person is his/her physical body. If a person has already compromised with his own body, he/she can compromise on anything. Making compromises doesn’t lead to success.

2. Long term success is always achieved by persistent hard work.

English translation of “The Last Sermon” by Prophet

2012-03-23T21:44:00.001+05:30

“O People, lend me an attentive ear, for I know not whether after this year, I shall ever be amongst you again. Therefore listen to what I am saying to you very carefully and take these words to those who could not be present today.

O People, just as you regard this month, this day, this city as sacred, so regard the life and property of every Muslim as a sacred trust. Return the goods entrusted to you to their rightful owners. Hurt no-one, so that no-one may hurt you. Remember that you will indeed meet your Lord, and that He will indeed reckon your deeds. Allah has forbidden you to take usury, therefore all interest obligation shall henceforth be waived. Your capital, however, is yours to keep.

You will neither inflict nor suffer any inequity. Allah has judged that there shall be no interest and that all the interest due to ’Abbas ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib[Muhammad’s uncle] shall henceforth be waived...

Beware of Shayṭān for the safety of your religion. He has lost all hope that he will ever be able to lead you astray in big things, so beware of following him in small things.

O People, it is true that you have certain rights with regard to your women, but they also have rights over you. Remember that you have taken them as your wives only under Allah’s trust and with His permission. If they abide by your right then to them belongs the right to be fed and clothed in kindness. Do treat your women well and be kind to them for they are your partners and committed helpers. And it is your right that they do not make friends with any one of whom you do not approve, as well as never to be unchaste.

O People, listen to me in earnest, worship Allah, say your five daily prayers, fast during the month of Ramadan, and give your wealth in zakat, Perform hajj if you can afford to.

All mankind is from Adam and Hawwāʾ, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a white has no superiority over black nor a black has any superiority over white except by piety and good action. Learn that every Muslim is a brother to every Muslim and that the Muslims constitute one brotherhood. Nothing shall be legitimate to a Muslim which belongs to a fellow Muslim unless it was given freely and willingly. Do not, therefore, do injustice to yourselves.

Remember, one day you will appear before Allah and answer your deeds. So beware, do not stray from the path of righteousness after I am gone.

O People, no prophet or apostle will come after me and no new faith will be born. Reason well, therefore, O People, and understand words which I convey to you. I leave behind me two things, the Qu’ran and my Ahlul-Bayt, and if you follow these you will never go astray.

All those who listen to me shall pass on my words to others and those to others again; and may the last ones understand my words better than those who listen to me directly. Be my witness, O Allah, that I have conveyed your message to your people”

Hyderabad Weekend Getaway: Sagibanda Tanda

2012-03-23T00:58:00.001+05:30

The motive behind this trip was to visit an unexplored territory. After lot of researching, I found this place called “Sagi Banda Tanda”.. a small village somewhere inside deep jungles of Andhra Pradesh. So, what’s there in Sagibanda tanda? Well, there’s nothing. People living in Sagibanda tanda are sufferring with no water and food. Moreover, this is considered as a naxal area. I felt, visiting this place would give me a view of India that I haven’t been able to see in my life. So, the journey began. Btw, this place isn’t that far away from Hyderabad.

Route: Hyderabad – Nagarjuna Sagar Rd till – Gangal – Bodakonda – sologutta tanda – sagibanda tanda – Ram das tanda – Mallepalli – Nagarjuna Sagar Rd till – Hyderabad.

Total distance of the journey is around 225 Kms. Started the journey at 8:00 in the morning. We had packed food for breakfast and lunch.. and some extra food for the locals if at all we meet needy people.

Overall, the journey was Ok. There are places were roads aren’t that good.. but good enough for Tata Safari to march on.

For the first time, I clearly understood, why people vote for politicians who promise 1Kg rice/white for Rs. 2...or politicians who promise free electricity. These people have nothing but a little hope.. that someday.. one of those politicians keeps his word. They hardly get food twice a day… hardly there is rain in the region… and hardly there is any scope for employment.

Hyderabad Weekend Getaway: Suryalanka Beach and Kotappa Konda

2012-03-23T00:24:00.001+05:30

Finally, we decided to visit Suryalanka Beach. Got two cottages booked at Harita Beach Resort for Saturday night.

Along with Surya Lanka Beach, I also wanted to cover a place called “Kotappa Konda” as part of this trip. Therefore, I planned the following route.

Hyderabad – Miryalaguda – Narsaraopeta – Bapatla – Suryalanka Beach (night stay) – Kotappa Konda – Narsaraopeta – Miyalaguda – Hyderabad

The above route is slightly tricky. Below are the route maps for your reference.

We started at 8:00 AM in the morning from Hyderabad and reached Surya Lanka Beach at around 6:00 PM. We could have travelled at a faster speed but since it was family trip, I asked the driver not to push the acceleration peddle much. My didn’t have high expectation from the Harita Beach resort. I was expecting cottages with minimum facilities. But I was so wrong. The cottages have all the facilities that you would expect in a 2-3 star hotel. And the best part was… these cottages are right in front of the beach. Also, Harita Hotel has a good restaurant..

After a good night’s sleep, we hit the beach at 5:30 AM in the morning. Sun was just about to rise..

After breakfast, we started towards Kotappa Konda. This place is close to Narsaraopeta. Kotappa Konda has several temples on top of a hill.

At 12:30 PM, we started the return journey. Had lunch at a small town called Piduguralla. Reached Hyderabad by 8:00 PM.

Hyderabad Weekend Getaway: Hindupur, Puthaparthi and Lepakshi Nandi

2012-03-22T23:42:00.001+05:30

This post is about my two days trip to Hindupur, Puthaparthi and Lepakshi Nandi.
Route: Hyderabad – via NH7 – Kurnool – Hindupur (night halt) – Lepakshi Nandi – Puthaparthi – NH7 – Hyderabad.
Places of Interest: Wind Mills, Kumbakaran park and Mosques in Hindupur, Lepakshi Nandi statue, Puthaparthi (prashanti Nilayam).

We started the journey from Hyderabad at around 9:00 AM in the morning. Took Nehru outer ring road from Gachibowli to reach NH7. Had breakfast at Hotel Munawvar at Jedcharla. On the outskirts of Anantapur (at NH7) had lunch at a dhaba. As you approach, Hindupur, you would notice number of wind mills installed on the hills. If you carefully notice, you would find that, there is a ‘kaccha’ route on each hill to reach the wind mills. So, we decided to take these kaccha route (note that, this route is dangerous, unless you have a good driver, don’t attempt this).. reach the hill-tops to observe wind mills.

Kumbakaran park at Hindupur:

Church at Hindupur:
Mosque at Hindupur:
There are several good hotels at Hindupur for accomodation. I forgot the name of the hotel we stayed. It was a two star hotel with decent facilities. There are several vegetarian and non-vegetarian restaurants in Hindupur. As such, you won’t face any difficulty in finding good food.

Next day, we started from Hindupur at about 8:00 AM in the morning and reached Lepakshi Nandhi by 8:30 AM. Lepakshi town is about 17 KM away from Hindupur. The famous Nandi Statue is in the middle of the Lepakshi town. For a moment, you would wonder, whether this is the actual one. Apart from the Nandi Statue, there is a huge temple in Lepakshi. The priest at the temple, showed me the a stone which had foot prints engraved. He mentioned that, these foot prints are of Sita and Ram. Out of curiosity I asked the priest, how come their marks got engraved on the stone.. were they so heavy? The priest smiled and said… ‘no, they stood on that stone.. and later their foot prints were carved on the stone’. I couldn’t resist myself.. I said to priest.. ‘so.. the person who carved the stone.. actually removed the portions of the stone on which Ram and Sita stood.. what I mean is, the stone you have was never touched by Ram and Sita. The portion of the stone they touched.. is removed’. I guess, the priest had never encountered a tourist who posed such a question. The priest had no answer.

Temple at Lepakshi Nandi:

We started our journey towards Puthaparthi at 10:00 AM. Puthaparthi is about 70 KM away from Lepakshi. The journey was smooth and roads are decent. Reached Puthaparthi at around 11:15 AM.

As such, I didn’t have any plans of going inside Pranshiti Nilayam (the palace of Sai Baba). One thing that you would notice in Puthaparthi is the number of people from Nepal. I wonder what they are doing here. Remarkably.. many of these Nepali guys appear to be drug sellers.. as shown in 1970s Indian movies.

At 12:30 PM, we decided to return to Hyderabad. Reached Hyderabad by 7:00 PM.

Hyderabad Weekend Getaway: Nagarjuna Sagar

2012-03-22T22:20:00.001+05:30

Nagarjuna Sagar is around 180 KM away from Hyderabad and can be easily covered within a day. We started at around 8:00 AM in the morning.. reached Nagarjuna Sagar by 12:00 noon. Had lunch at Sagar town. There are three things that are worth seeing at Nagarjuna sagar. They are (1) The island museum and (2) Nagarjuna Sagar Dam and (3) Ethipothula waterfalls. Unfortunately, when I visited, the gates of Nagarjuna Sagar Dam were closed.

In order to go to the island museum, you need to take the ferry. The island has huge museum and scattered statues belonging to Buddhist Monastery that existed two thousand years ago.

Ehtipothula water falls are around 10 KM away from Nagarjuna Sagar. Make sure that you ask for directions from the locals.

Hyderabad Weekend Getaway: Chirala Beach and Amravathi

2012-03-22T21:53:00.001+05:30

This was one of my most exciting trips. When you search for nearest beach to Hyderabad, you would find lot of information on Suryalanka Beach. However, I was interested in exploring beaches that are not that famous. After bit of research, I found that, there is a beach 10 kms away from Chirala.

So, I planned the journey for the following route:

Hyderabad – Vijaywada – Guntur – Chirala – Guntur – Amravathi – Miryalaguda – Hyderabad.

Hyderabad to Vijaywada route was a nightmare.. it was so full of traffic and there were portions of road that were under-construction. We started from Hyderabad at about 9:00 AM in the morning. By the time we reached Vijaywada it was around 5:00 PM. After a bit of looking around Vijaywada, we started for Chirala at around 6:00 PM. Reached Chirala by 9:30 PM. Checked-in at a lodge at Chirala. The price per room varies from Rs.800 to Rs.1500 depending on AC/Non-AC.

Next day, we started early morning… at around 4:30 Pm towards Chirala Beach. The beach is around 10 KM away. Reached the beach before sun-rise at around 4:45 AM. Sunrise took place at around 6:00 AM. Stayed at the beach till 9:30 AM. The best part about this beach was… at around 7:00, there is a fish market on the beach. You would hundreds of different fishes being sold in wholesale. I had great time holding each of these fishes…

Had breakfast at Chirala Town.. there is a good vegetarian hotel near railway station. Our next destination was the historic town Amravati. Started at 10:00 Am… reached Amravati by 1:00 PM.

There is an excellent AP Tourism hotel at Amravati. Had lunch there and started returned journey at around 4:00 PM.

Reached Hyderabad at about 11:30 PM.