Rocks and Sand

End of an era

noreply@blogger.com (Thoth) — Sun, 06 Feb 2022 09:05:00 +0000

It is befitting probably that the daughter of Saraswati departed from us to her heavenly abode along with the visarjan of Goddess Sarawati- the day after Saraswati puja. The legend is Lata Mangeshkar who is probably synonymous with Indian music. The legendary artist has sung uncountable songs in her heavenly voice. Don't think there ever will be an artist of this caliber and versatility. A career spanning over six decades she has sung songs in various languages from hindi, marathi, bengali, kannad to name a few and not surprisingly all her songs have been hits. Lata ji's accomplishments are such that it cannot be covered in one small post. Her solo songs, duets with Kishore Kumar, Md.Rafi, Manna De will always remain etched in time. I remember listening to her songs with my father, mother and grandmother. My grandmother who was contemporary with Lata ji also had great taste for music, she herself played the piano, harmonium and sang beautifully would always sing great praises for Lata ji. With her demise it brings back memories of loved ones who are no more with us physically but would always be close to us through memories created through her music.

The nation mourns the loss of her beloved daughter who may have left us but rest assured she will be alive in our hearts forever.

Utmost respect and prayers for the majestic voice of our nation- Lata Mangeshkar. The voice that will always remain at the heart of every Indian. As her famous song aptly says:

'नाम गुम जायेगा, चेहरा ये बदल जायेगा
मेरी आवाज़ ही, पहचान है
गर याद रहे'

Boons of Gupi and Bagha

noreply@blogger.com (Thoth) — Sun, 03 May 2020 22:28:00 +0000

If you have watched Satyajit Ray's films then you must be aware of the film Gupi Gyne -Bagha Byne. These are the two characters who are ousted from their respective villages for being misfits. Gupi wants to be a singer but didn't have the training nor the talent. Bagha on the other hand wanted to be a dhol player( A dhol is a percussion instrument of India) but he too was no good at it. They meet in an unknown jungle and meet the King of Ghosts or "Bhuter Raja" who bestows upon three boons to them as per their choice. They chose the boons wisely. The first boon is food, so that they never go hungry - that was granted they only needed to clap each other's hand and wish for the food they desired and bingo! The second boon was clothes and it was granted and they would get any attire of their choice by clapping their hands. The third one was to travel far away places as both longed to travel unknown lands. The third wish too was granted. They were given a special pair of shoes , they would have to wear it and clap and say the name of the place and they would reach there chosen destination instantly - sort of teleportation power one could say.

Well, lying in bed, unable to go out of my apartment due to the current situation I was wondering a couple of days back what if I had those 3 boons? That would have been fantastic and perfect for the current scenario. No worries of cooking food everyday and washing the dishes(the worst part really) or getting groceries wearing mask and gloves. Then travelling to corners of the world in a giffy without contact with any person thereby maintaing clear social distancing as well.

I forgot to mention they also got an additional boon where their dream for music was also fulfilled and after receiving the boons they were master musicians. I wish I could play the violin like a maestro with such a boon.

Incidentally, it was Satyajit Ray's birthday the day before yesterday and this was one of his earlier films based on the book of his grandfather - Upendrakishore Ray Choudhury.

The boons he had conceived for Gupi and Bagha more than 100 years ago seems so perfect in today's world where we are restricted and confined within our homes!

" Bhuter Raja dilo bor

Jobor jobor tin bor

1..2..3.."

A scene from the film Gupi Gyne and Bagha Byne .

Ray directing Robi Ghosh(Bagha Byne) in one of the scene in the film which released in 1969.

Survival in the times of Corona

noreply@blogger.com (Thoth) — Wed, 22 Apr 2020 20:42:00 +0000

A few years back, after watching a season of 'The Walking Dead' , me and my sister had planned what if such a situation arises someday and what would we do? Basically it's a show featuring zombies, and how the virus infiltrates the US and a bunch of people are trying to survive the pandemic. We would talk about getting the groceries and how to avoid the zombies. At the back of our minds we knew that such a situation won't ever arise. It is afterall totally fictitious.

Well this year proved that fictions do come true sometimes. The 'C' word every human in the planet is listening to everyday for atleast 10 times has thrown us into unknown territory. The Governments of all nations are grappling to protect their citizens, trying to do the best they can to save lives and for once we see a kind of cooperation among all nations which was never seen in the modern world.
The dreaded disease who shall not be named, mostly because the word is basically synonymous with death and panic, has in a strange and tragic way created a harmony in us, the human beings. This virus is an alien entity which we are fighting together.

In these tough times, when the whole world is under lockdown, a stand-still, something no one in this planet had imagined, an unprecedented situation. The only way we can survive this situation is by staying at home.The house lockdown is difficult but one can get through it if they nurture their hobbies! One can develop a lot skills during this time as there is indeed a lot of free time to spare.

Playing games when the mood is down is good way to engage the mind. Playing board games or the games available in the internet are of all categories. Games like Ludo and carrom are quite good to pass the time. Temple run is also a good game. Other games like first person shooter games , PUBG, strategy games are also entertaining. Chess online is a great idea to pass the time and engage one's faculty.

Cooking is a great pastime during our time at home. If your have not tried your hand in cooking it's a great time to start with all the free time and no home deliveries and cooks available.

The important thing in these grim and tough times is staying positive both mentally and physically!
Stay safe and stay indoor as much as possible!
Ciao!

The Whale Story

noreply@blogger.com (Thoth) — Wed, 31 Jul 2019 12:37:00 +0000

Whales are majestic creatures which have been hunted mercilessly by humans almost to extinction. Thankfully, due to conservation efforts the population of whales are on a steady rise. There are various species of whales patrolling the oceans of our planet but the one which I find the most riveting is the Humpback Whale. Like many marine mammals, they were heavily depleted during the whaling era, but are now a centerpiece in ecotourism. These gentle giants are found in all the oceans across the globe. But the most unique of all humpbacks are the ones living in the north Pacific off the Alaskan coast.
In this region, the Arctic winter lasts for a period of four months. Temperatures go below -40 degrees and only the toughest survive during this time. The whales from the northern hemisphere migrate from their temperate cold waters to the south tropical-subtropical warmer waters to breed. They give birth to their young ones during this time and raise them in the warm waters down south. The Humpbacks hardly feed during this period of 6 months. Their great migration (more than 3000 miles) start with the onset of autumn towards the northern, colder Pacific waters. It is a race against time and the elements of nature. A delay of a couple of days to the feeding grounds can cause death of the mother (and the child subsequently) due to starvation. Life carpets every available surface during this time. The feasting begins with millions of tiny mouths- the phytoplanktons. These are the life force that keep the oceans around the world alive. They are the prime source of nutrition for all shoals of herring in the Pacific. The herrings in turn are the prime food source for the gigantic humpbacks.

A humpback whale

The feeding technique of the whales of the North Pacific is indeed a sight to behold! It is known as Bubble-Net feeding. Bubble net feeding of hump back whales is a unique technique, only 100 such whales exist perhaps who feed in such team work. The primary whale goes deep and blows a series of bubbles and begins the whale-singing- high pitched noises. The other whales dive one after the other in an organised fashion and each whale gauge exactly the same timing. This series of bubbles and high pitched singing confuses the herring and they don't escape this net of bubbles and rise up to the surface. The whales gulp them down with ease after that. Each whale can feed up to 1 ton of herring a day. Only mankind exploits the sea better than these majestic beings. Considering the fact that a whale calf can drink upto 400 litres of milk per day the food supply should be equally abundant for the mother.

Its astonishing to know that some of the mightiest creatures of this planet are dependent upon the tiniest. The days become shorter the plankton growth decreases.The herring go into the depth to avoid the colder waters and the whales leave the north pacific of Alaska.

Bubble net feeding

Nature is the most wonderful symphony we will ever witness. Conserving it is the best thing we can do for the upcoming generations. Travel the world and witness such events - they are the true wonders of the world!

A tribute to GSI

noreply@blogger.com (Thoth) — Mon, 04 Mar 2019 09:59:00 +0000

Today, the 4th of March is the 169th foundation day of Geological Survey of India (GSI). Today we celebrate not only the birth of the premier geological organization of this country but also earth science as a whole. Since its inception in 1851, GSI has contributed heavily to the development of this nation. It was established by the British to aid in the exploration of coal but with the passing years GSI has spread its wings in all branches of earth sciences be it mineral investigation, mapping, polar research, marine research, natural hazard mitigation, engineering geology to name a few. It is the parent institution from which all other organizations such as Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM in 1948), Oil and Natural Gas Corporation(ONGC in 1956), Coal India Limited,(erstwhile NCDC in 1956), etc. have branched out in later years.

The ongoing focus of Geological Survey of India is in mineral investigation to boost the economy of our nation. As in previous years, all the major deposits of India has been the find of the geologists of this institution, the good work goes on even now by the tireless working of the geoscientists of GSI who spend months on end in intensive field work, sacrificing the comforts of home and family.

The advent of modern technology and the depletion of conventional deposits has led to the necessity to think outside the box to find substantial mineral deposits in the country. The first step has been creating a geochemical map of the whole country to delineate potential zones of mineralisation with the aid of geophysical techniques as well. The integration of the geological, geochemical and geophysical maps provide a much robust approach with a higher degree of confidence for targeting mineral deposits. The concept of mineral system is also need of the hour as is followed by the USGS, Geocience Australia, and the Geological Survey of Canada. The advantage of the mineral system approach is that it focusses on the critical geological processes necessary to form a major mineral deposit and is not restricted to descriptive elements of a specific mineralisation style. Mineral systems can explain the spatial and temporal co-occurrence of mineral deposits within a specific mineral province. The mineral system concept can also explain families of coeval mineral systems that potentially formed in the same or adjacent terranes or provinces.(Mineral System Analysis, SG Hagemann et.al., Ore Geology Review)

Geological Survey of India has collaborated with Geoscience Australia for searching mineral deposits which are at greater depth covered by more than a kilometer of overburden, in a project named as the 'Project Uncover'. With the help of sophisticated geophysical techniques such as Magnetotelluric survey and a combination of other geophysical, geochemical and geological data discovering a massive deposit is the target such as the one in Lewis Ponds Zn–Pb–Cu–Ag–Au deposit, located in the eastern Lachlan Fold Belt, New South Wales, Australia.

Coming to the other aspects, GSI has recently been increasing its outreach to the general public with the help of certain programs such as the Bhuvi Samvad, where geologists of the organisation have been visiting educational institutions to spread the knowledge of geology and GSI's role in nation building. GSI is attempting to be a bridge between the academic sphere and the industrial one by collaborating with various top universities of the country.

On this auspicious occasion of its 169th Foundation day, every office of GSI throughout the country is celebrating the birth of this esteemed institution and planning to take forward the legacy.

In GSI, Gandhinagar, a function was held where guests from IBM and IIT Gandhinagar where invited for today's occasion to pay homage to this great institution. The Deputy Director General of SU: Gujarat elaborated on the current workings of GSI and the need for collaboration with universities for the overall development of earth sciences in the country. Chief guest, Prof. Vikrant Jain from IIT Gandhinagar, emphasized on the role that GSI has been playing for the past one and a half century in all aspects related to geology. He made an important statement regarding the environmental aspect of our planet with climate change occuring due to anthropogenic activities around the globe and it has brought about scientists from all spheres to work together to protect our planet and look forward for a sustainable and greener future.

Today is a day of pride for all geoscientists of Geological Survey of India and also for every other geoscientist in this country. Let us make a pledge to perform our duties with the best of our ability, as has been done by all geologists of this phenomenal organization for more than a century, and take our nation ahead to days of glory.

Jai Hind!

Inauguration of the Foundation day by lighting the ceremonial lamp

Address by Chief Guest at GSI Gandhinagar

Give Peace a Chance

noreply@blogger.com (Thoth) — Fri, 11 Jan 2019 18:31:00 +0000

"Move out"...sounds of firing...panic and cries of despair filled the air as i tried to evade the bullets running and ducking and finally jumping into a muddy trench dug for safe passage within the city!

I had a strange dream tonight. I dreamt i was trapped in a war-zone somewhere. There was mass destruction, fires, screams of helpless people. I was standing atop of a pile of rubble with fallen buildings all around me, I could feel the hopelessness and the pain of that situation.

Sipping a cup of tea and sitting at my cosy spot on a cold winter morning looking at the trees fluttering with the breeze and listening to the birds chirping is blissful. Really calms the mind and sets you up for the day to come.

Now, if you kindly may, close your eyes for a minute and just picture yourself in your hometown- destroyed and battered by fellow human beings-- the feeling of loss and despair. Just take it in for a minute. Is it too depressing? Just do it anyway. Because as I write this sitting in my home sitting at that cosy corner and you too reading this in your couch or someplace safe there are millions who are feeling that pain which I just asked you to feel. It will never be close to what our fellow human beings are feeling in all the war-stricken areas of this planet but we might get a whiff of it and open our eyes.

Since the dawn of mankind perhaps, Humans have been killing each other. But can it not stop now? Are we not sane enough to do that? Stop the cruelty, stop the mass-murders, stop feeding of each other! Have not enough men bled and tears not shed for this lunacy to end?

There have been outbreaks of several diseases through time. Epidemics as they are called have hurt us but we have survived and the reason has always been unity.
The epidemic that has grasped the world for the last 100 years is going to end this world as we know it.
Let us all as citizens of planet Earth take a pledge to protect our only home in this galaxy from destruction by our very own human species. Let us be kind to each other and let there be no ore walls between countries. But as I am typing I know a massive wall building (literally) is underway in a western country which claims to be the most democratic of them all.
Why not give peace a chance in this brutal world? It might solve many a problem that grips the modern world.

I firmly believe that human beings always look for peace. The core of human beings never wants to fight. Only a handful are exceptions to this rule and unfortunately this bunch are controlling positions. But what about the mass? The majority of us can unite and put an end to this. There have been revolutions in modern history and one is required now to end the atrocity and the monstrosity that is rampant around the globe. But first let that peace begin within me and then lets spread it everywhere we go. Amidst all this chaos and cruelty there is still some good left in this world and its worth fighting for. What do you think?
As John Lennon wrote in his song

" You,may say I'm a dreamer

   But I'm not the only one
   I hope someday you will join us
   And the world will be as one "

Blood Donation at GSI Gandhinagar

noreply@blogger.com (Thoth) — Mon, 13 Aug 2018 10:38:00 +0000

A blood donation camp was held at Geological Survey of India, State Unit: Gujarat, Gandhinagar on 13.08.2018. Officers and staff members donated blood to the Civil Hospital, Gandhinagar. A total of 16 units of blood were collected in this event. Many of us donated blood for the first time and it was an enjoyable experience.

Blood donation is something we have all heard since our childhood. It is indeed a wonderful act which does save lives. Moreover donating blood is good for the donor too. Every year India requires more than 5.5crore units of blood out of which approximately 40% of the requirement is fulfilled.

Some of the facts that underlines the importance of blood donation are listed below:

1. Every 2 seconds someone needs blood in our country.

2. More than 45000 blood donations are required everyday to match the normal requirement.

3. Thalassemia and sickel cell anemia patients require fresh blood throughout their lives. Patients diagnosed with cancer also require blood transfusions.

4. Commuters meeting with accidents on the roads can require huge volume of blood which might add upto 100 units of flood. In India, more than 150000 people die each year from road accidents which means 400 fatalities a day many of which occur due to lack of proper blood supply.

Donating blood has benefits for an individuals' emotional and physical health. According to a report by the Mental Health Foundation, blood donation can:

Lower risk of heart diseases
Lower risk of cancer, especially liver, lung, colon, stomach to name a few.
You get a free health checkup: Blood, blood pressure, hemoglobin levels etc.
Removes the body of many toxins and helps in generation of fresh blood.

Around half of the blood that is donated is made of water. This means its best to be fully hydrated. When a donor lose fluids during the blood donation process, the blood pressure can drop, leading to dizziness. Intake of enough fluids can restore this condition. Foods rich in iron should be taken for the next 2 to 3 days to increase the hemoglobin in the blood.

Donating blood is a great way to give back to the community. It’s usually quick and easy.

If one eats healthy on the day of the donation and drink plenty of extra fluids, one should have minimal or no side effects.

This was a wonderful initiative taken by GSI Gandhinagar and hopefully this benevolent act will continue in the future.

Blood donation camp

"Blood is meant to circulate so pass it around."

22 e Shrabon

noreply@blogger.com (Thoth) — Tue, 07 Aug 2018 12:11:00 +0000

২২ এ শ্রাবণ প্রত্যেক বাঙালির কাছেই এক বিশিষ্ট দিন। জোড়াসাঁকো ঠাকুরবাড়িতে আজ যেমন নানা অনুষ্ঠান হয় তেমনি অনেক বাড়িতে, কিছু পাড়ার ক্লাব গুলিতেও ছোট অনুষ্ঠান আয়োজন করা হয়ে থাকে । বাদলের ঘনঘটা ও বৃষ্টি দিয়ে ঘেরা সন্ধ্যা তে বসে মুড়ি-তেলেভাজার সাথে রবীন্দ্রসংগীত ও চা কার না ভালো লাগে। ২-৪ ঘন্টা নিমেষে কেটে যায় । বাইরে কাঁচের সার্সি দিয়ে গড়িয়ে পড়া বৃষ্টির জল, ল্যাম্প পোস্টের নিয়ন আলোর যে ছবি টা আঁকে তা কিছু টা অস্পষ্ট করে দায় আকাশ থেকে পরে যাওয়া অবিরাম বারী । ঠিক যেমন টা হয়ে মনের মধ্যে , কিরকম যেন ধোঁয়াশা । রবি ঠাকুরের গানের মাঝেই মানুষের সব রকম ইমোশন লুকিয়ে আছে মনে হয় । মনের যে ভাবটাই থাকুক না কেন কোনো এক গানে নিশ্চই পাওয়া যায় । প্রত্যেক ঋতু নিয়ে তো গান আছেই সঙ্গে প্রত্যেক রিতুর মধ্যে আনন্দের ও বেদনার গান ও রয়েছে। পদ্মের যেরকম পাপড়ি গুলো এক অদ্ভুত সিমেট্রি তৈরী করে ঠিক সেরকমই রবীন্দ্রনাথের গানেও অনেক গভীর মানে লুকিয়ে আছে ।

সুখ দুঃখ সকল মানুষের জীবনেই আসে । তার বহিঃপ্রকাশ হওয়া বেশ প্রয়োজনীয় । আনন্দ যেরকম একা অনুভব করার চে দশ জনের সাথে অনুভব করা অনেক ভালো । অথচ বেদনা হয়তো নিজের মধ্যে রাখা টাই অনেকে পছন্দ করে। হয়তো ১-২ জনের সাথে শেয়ার করলে কিছুটা হালকা লাগে কিন্তু কি লাভ ? মনের ব্যাথা তো নিজের কাছেই , অন্যরা হয়তো কিছুক্ষন সংবেদনা দেখাবে তারপর সেটা নিয়ে মজা করবে । এটাই দুনিয়া। প্রকৃত বন্ধু তো খুব কম আজকের কলিযুগে । রবীন্দ্রনাথ ও অনেক কষ্ট ও দুঃখ সহ্য করেছেন তার জীবনে । তার বহিঃপ্রকাশ তাঁর লেখা গানে, কবিতাতে , গল্পে । বেদনা না পেলে ওরকম লেখা হয়তো লেখা সম্ভব নয় । তবে রবি ঠাকুরের সঙ্গে কাউকে তুলনা করাটা মূর্খতা ছাড়া আর কিছুই নয় তবুও যেকোনো সৃষ্টি যা সময়কাল ধরে জনপ্রিয় তা হয়তো বেদনার ফল । ভ্যান গঘ র অপরূপ ছবি বা বেটোভেনের অসাধারণ ৯ সিম্ফনি । কিংবা মিল্টনের কবিতা হোক বা নিখীল বন্দ্যোপাধ্যায়র সেতার-- বেদনা একটি খুব বড়ো ক্যাটালিস্ট র কাজ করেছে বৈকি ।
লেখা টা শুরু করেছিলাম ২২এ শ্রাবন নিয়ে কোন দিকে যেন চলে গেলো । মনের ভাব টা হয়তো সেরকম, কিরকম যেন এলোমেলো ।

ঝড় হোক বাইরে আজ, বৃষ্টি তে ভেজা ঘাস গুলো নিয়ন আলোতে জ্বল জ্বল করুক । মনের ভাব টা প্রকৃতি প্রকাশ করুক । এটাই কি রবীন্দ্রনাথ কে আবার খুঁজে পাওয়া নয় ?

আজি   বরিষনমুখরিত শ্রাবণরাতি,
          স্মৃতিবেদনার মালা একেলা গাঁথি॥
আজি   কোন্‌ ভুলে ভুলি   আঁধার ঘরেতে রাখি দুয়ার খুলি,
   মনে হয় বুঝি আসিছে সে   মোর দুখরজনীর সাথি॥
          আসিছে সে ধারাজলে সুর লাগায়ে,
          নীপবনে পুলক জাগায়ে।
যদিও বা নাহি আসে   তবু বৃথা আশ্বাসে
ধুলি-'পরে   রাখিব রে   মিলন-আসনখানি পাতি॥

রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর

২১ শ্রাবন ১৩৪২

Indian Football on the Rise

noreply@blogger.com (Thoth) — Mon, 06 Aug 2018 10:28:00 +0000

India stunned Argentina in the Under-20 COTIF Cup tournament and it definitely is one of the most memorable victories for Indian Football defeating the 6 time U-20 champions and a heavy-weight team like Argentina. On a cool Sunday evening at Valencia, Spain, the Indian colts played out of their skin to snatch a deserved 2-1 victory over the Argentines despite being reduced to 10 men at the 54th minute of the game. Goals from Deepak Tangri(4') and Anwar Ali(68') saw India notch up a historic victory under coach Floyd Pinto. The Argentines on the otherhand were coached by 2006 World Cupper Lionel Scaloni and former star midfielder Pablo Aimar.

In Jordan on Sunday, an injury time goal by Bhuvenesh earned India U-16 team a stunning 1-0 victory over current Asian U-16 champion Iraq in the WAFF U-16 championship.
India produced a dominating performance as Buevenesh headed in the match-winner in the dying minutes to provide the perfect finish to a sublime build-up.
This is the first-ever victory for any Indian football team against Iraq in any format and among all age-groups.
“I would like to dedicate this win to all my fellow Indian coaches who train the boys before they join us at the AIFF Academy and eventually the National Team,” India U-16 head coach Bibiano Fernandes said.

Two memorable victories in a single day marks a historic day for Indian Football. But will this incredible achievement ring any bell on the Sports Ministry? For years the only sport promoted in the country is Cricket. The players are no less than Gods worshipped all over the nation. With billions of viewers of cricket the money pumped in unbelievable amounting to a multi-billion dollar industry. The cricket stars earn millions of dollars and fame is only comparable to the Bollywood stars in this cricket crazy country.
But the question is when will Football and athletics and other sports gain similar kind of attention?
A small fact : 212 countries are registered under FIFA, whereas only 188 countries are registered in the United Nations. Imagine India playing the football World Cup with the world watching and the National Anthem playing in the background, the new generation of Indian Football stars emerging! I hope it becomes a reality soon.
If a country like Croatia having a population of 4.3million can play the World Cup final then why can't we produce a world class team with 1.2 billion people?
The answer is simple. Lack of interest and infrastructure. Owing to the growing interest in foreign leagues such as La Liga( Spanish League), English Premier League(EPL), Bundesliga(German League), Copa Italia( Italian League) viewership has increased in the country but still hardly a handful can name 5 players of the Indian Football team.
We should take note of our football players with similar interest as we take in our cricketers. Virat Kohli and Sunil Chetri are both captains representing our Nation. Both should be given equal stature. but unfortunately that's not the case.

These victories are no easy feat as defeating a team like Argentina is a massive achievement and add to that defeating Iran, Asia's top ranked team at the moment.
The AIFF and the Sports Ministry should look after the grooming of our young, talented football players as in the near future they have the potential to represent India in the biggest sporting event on planet Earth.

Lets grow some interests other than cricket , Football in our country needs our support and we the sports lovers can give that and then perhaps the Authorities will be bound to take action and money will be invested by the industrialists.

So lets cheer for the Men In Blue, only

this time the ball is at their feet!

U-16(left in white) and U-20(right in blue) Indian team made us proud

Floyd Pinto-coached side scripted a historic result against ..

The Last Goodbye

noreply@blogger.com (Thoth) — Tue, 22 May 2018 18:57:00 +0000

Come what hurricane may,
I will love you
Till my dying day...
That's what the poet says.

And a poet is forged out of pain
A life full of despair;
'I hope you remember our happy times,
For me those were the moments of a lifetime.'

Love is the language of God
So they say;
Then why do men don't respect this holy script?
What kind of justice is this, I ask thee?

I feel like life has passed me by.
I'm breathing but my soul feels lost!
Goodbye my love...It's time I fly
To the unknown, undying lands afar!

I say Goodbye one last time!
Hope to see thee in the undying lands!
Hope is what keeps one alive
A ray of sunshine awaits the gloomy sky!

Cab Service Exploitations

noreply@blogger.com (Thoth) — Fri, 20 Oct 2017 19:38:00 +0000

In today's busy schedule we all are scurrying from one destination to another. 10 years back the dependence was on public vehicles or the yellow taxis in the cities of India. With the advent of cab service providers such as Uber which came into existence in California, USA things became a lot more easier for the public. Several offers were given to promote the application. Soon it spread like wild fire all over India.
Initially for the first couple of years the service of cab companies such as Uber and Ola were satisfactory. With passing time the major problem which arose was the sudden and unexpected surcharges. Even when there are plenty of cabs around a particular area surcharges are levied on customers citing increased demand. Going for a 5km trip costs 150 or 200 bucks or more depending on the so called demand. It's really annoying for all to pay such ransom for such short trips.
Then comes another problem that is the addition of trip fare to the next trip even when you have cleared it by paying your
hard earned money to the cab driver or through online payment portal. I will share one of my experiences.
I was left aghast when I tried to book an Uber a couple of days back when the app showed that I have to pay an excess of 262 rupees withstanding from my last trip. For the record, I had paid 105 rupees for a distance of 5 km. I was left wondering how I could be paying the said amount. Even after reaching out to the Uber helpdesk i did not receive any reply to my satisfaction.

The next major issue many customers are facing is the little knowledge the drivers have of the city they are driving in. If you are in a new city it is sometimes very difficult to know the shortest route especially when you are in a hurry. It really helps if the driver has basic idea about the city routes. I have faced a similar problem in Hyderabad where the driver took a much longer route to reach the desired destination at double the charge than was estimated during the start of the trip. Its absolutely bizzare. I find no logic behind these absurd fare that these cab companies are extracting from us in various tricky ways. They should look into these matters and stop exploting the customers.

Something needs to be done to address these issues or else we, the common man, will be the scapegoat.

Cabs are growing by the day in the cities and so are the unjustified fares

Please come forward and put forth suggestions as to how this growing problem can be solved to some extent.

shei somoi

noreply@blogger.com (Thoth) — Mon, 17 Jul 2017 15:28:00 +0000

১. ছোটবেলায় কথা মনে পরে মাঝে মাঝে। এখন বর্ষাকাল। ঘন মেঘ করে বেশ উপরজোন্তেই বৃষ্টি হয় নিজামদের শহর হায়দরাবাদে। ছুটিরদিনে বারান্দায় দাঁড়িয়ে চা খেতে খেতে অনেক কিছুই মনে পরে যায়। অনেক স্মৃতি ছুটে চলে আসে নিমেষের মধ্যে।

২, ছোটবেলায় দক্ষিণ কলকাতায় আমদের ছোট ফ্ল্যাটে এই বর্ষাকালে বেশ আড্ডা জমতো। কেউ না কেউ আমাদের বাড়িতে রোজ আসতো। যেই দরজায় বেল বাজতো আমার মনটা আনন্দে ভোরে উঠতো - কেউ এসেছে - আড্ডা তো হবেই তার সাথে সেই সন্ধের পড়াশুনো টাও শেষ। উফফ সে এক দারুন আনন্দ।

ভূত বলে নেই কিছু
ভয় নেই তাই।
নিছক গল্পের লোভে পড়ে নেওয়া চাই।
পড়ার সময় কিন্তু মজা আছে ভাই
পড়ার পরেই সব ভুলে যাওয়া চাই।

এই ছড়া টা বাবা লিখেছিলেন। এরকম ছোট ছোট ছড়া ও ভূতের গল্প বৃষ্টির দিনে পড়তে আর শুনতে কার না ভালো লাগে। প্রায়শই বসত গানের আসর। হারমোনিয়াম বাজাতেন আমার জেঠু ও তবলায় সঙ্গত দিতেন বাবা। রবীন্দ্রসংগীত ও পুরোনো দিনের আধুনিক গান গেয়ে ও শুনে সবার মন তরতাজা হয়ে যেত। বাইরে মুষলধারে বৃষ্টি তার সুরে সুর মিলিয়ে বেজে উঠতো :

"মন মোর মেঘের সঙ্গী ,
উড়ে চলে দিগ্দিগন্তের পানে
নিঃসীম শুন্যে শ্রাবণবর্ষণ সঙ্গীতে
রিমিঝিম রিমিঝিম রিমিঝিম।"

৩. কাঁচের সার্সি দিয়ে বৃষ্টি ভেজা ঘুমন্ত শহরের নিয়ন আলোয় ছবিটা অন্যরকম। মাঝরাতে বসে আকাশ কুসুম ভাবা আমার অনেকদিনের অভ্যেস। সময় তো আর থেমে থাকে না বয়ে চলে নদীর মতো। আজ ৫ মাস পরে বাড়ি যাবার পালা। জিওলজিকাল সার্ভে অফ ইন্ডিয়া র ট্রেনিং র মাঝে ছুটি। তাই আজ খুব ভালো লাগছে দিল্লী এয়ারপোর্ট এ বসে অপেক্ষা করছি ফ্লাইট র জন্য। পাশে একটি ইন্ডিয়ান ফুড কাউন্টারে বাজছে সেতার নানা রাগ ভিন্ন গতে। নানা রকম অভিজ্ঞতা নিয়ে দেশ ঘুরে বাড়ি ফিরছি। ভালো লাগছে। শেষ কিছু মাস কোথা দিয়ে বেড়িয়ে গেছে বুঝতেই পারিনি। পুজোর সাজে দেখবো কলকাতা কে। অপেক্ষা শেষ হবে।

Problems

noreply@blogger.com (Thoth) — Sun, 18 Jun 2017 18:47:00 +0000

Do you feel sad?
Is the world trying to bring you down?
Are negative thoughts clouding your mind?
Do you feel down for no reason?

Look up, my friend
Look up at the sky so vast
The stars that are light years away are looking over you!
Don't be perturbed by your problems
Bigger questions lie unanswered in the Universe!

Life is a journey riddled with twists and turns.
Don't fear it, rather embrace it.
Let the light fill up the heart!
Why live in fear and in a shell when you are born free?
Conquer the world! Its waiting out there to be conquered!

The troublesome day shall pass too!
Problem and its solution lies in the mind itself.
So chin up and face the world head on
Every problem has a solution.
Remember my friend,
Problems kneel down in front of a stubborn heart!


Spread your wings and fly high!

Making of Jack Daniels

noreply@blogger.com (Thoth) — Sun, 23 Apr 2017 11:24:00 +0000

We all have heard of the legendary Jack Daniels whisky and its rich taste and aroma, but how is this exquisite whisky really made? Where is it made? Who was the pioneer for developing this masterpiece?

Jack Daniels was a extremely talented man born in 1950. He opened his distillery and produced whiskey. The speciality of jack daniels is its unique charred flavour. The Jack Daniels unaged spirit is poured into a series of pipes where they are fed into vats(72 of them).

These vats contain sweet mash charcoal(wood burned in jack daniels ethanol). The spirit in the pipes run down 10 feet of charcoal into the vats and come down the bottom of the vats. this reduces the pungent and conc whisky to a much lighter and sweeter variety. This is half the job.

barrels containing the Jack Daniels whiskey ageing a the warehouse

the rest is done in the special wooden barrels in which JackD is stored.
The barrels are specially built and burned from the inside for 25 seconds which makes it black inside giving the woody charred flavour to the JD whisky.

The whisky is stored in this barrel and kept in the warehouses for 5-7 years before it is sent out for supply.
The best are the barrels kept at the highest racks in the warehouse where the evaporation is max. This is known as the angels meeting. They are hardest to keep and turn out to be the best.
One of the finest whiskey with good company is another definition of a happy life!
Cheers!

Cheers!

Tastes best on the rocks!

The ordinary train journey

noreply@blogger.com (Thoth) — Sun, 24 Jul 2016 08:43:00 +0000

Working 12 hours a day in the laboratory for the past 7 days to finish off some pending work of Zircon processing I head home for a day before again field work follows. I sit in Black Diamond Ex.in the middle seat sandwiched between two fellow passengers. Utterly bored listening to my playlist repeatedly I turn to writing to pass the time.
When I was young I would listen to the radio, when it played my favourite tune I would smile. It seems so far ago now. Those times were simpler and while listening to the songs now I feel happy turning back the clock would be so great. But alas stuck in this train I can't go back nor forth.
Reaching my destination would take another hour and till then I would try to paint the picture of my journey in this ordinary train of the extraordinary railways of this country.
The woman sitting next to me seems to be of a dominating stature. One who loves to rule the roost and everything ready at her beck and call. She is dressed in a conservative fashion in saree and the hair done in a bun adding to her domineering personality. She seems organised and confident but is arrogant in the way she talks and glances at the fellow passengers. The man next to me is dozing off on my shoulder while I try to nudge and keep him awake. Opposite to me the seats are occupied by a newly wed couple. Mostly keeping to themselves and talking infrequently. Next to the couple is an elderly man well into his sixties with grey hair and rectangular spectacles in formal attire. The old man is with his colleagues probably from work who embarked the train at the same station and are about to get off the train. Ahhh! My destination still an hour to go.
The lady in white saree chews on 'jhal muri' and keeps typing on her iphone while the others gaze on aimlessly, bored I guess.
The couple gets ready to get off as the pretty wife signals her quiet husband to get the luggage from the luggage stand. What a relief with their departure I occupy the window seat. After having a hearty cup of tea and a couple of samosa I feel refreshed.
Time passes so quickly. We rarely give value to the present moment we are in. Opening our senses to the surroundings and concentrating on the present might bring the best out of us and more importantly keep us much more happier than usual. Life is like a un unplanned train journey. We should watch out and be on the look out. You might never know when your station might come! Live the present as now is the best time.
Adios! I have reached and would be catching a cab.

Rain, tea and pakora

noreply@blogger.com (Thoth) — Mon, 30 May 2016 06:56:00 +0000

What a relief! The rains have finally arrived and quenched the thirsty lands of eastern India.
The frogs and toads have come out of their burrows to welcome the rain. The perched river bed breathes a sigh of relief as water again flows through its veins.

Tea and Pakora

The relationship between tea, pakora and rain is an old one for most Indian household. Having hot crispy pakoras of onions, potato or brinjal with a cup of tea and the rain pouring outside is just pure bliss. Firstly, its a great relief from the sweltering heat wave that comes to a stop for the time being. The connection though between pakoras and rain is kind of inexplicable. The amazing sensation of crunching on a plateful of pakoras and sipping tea cannot be expressed but just experienced.

The sense of happiness as the rain comes to greet our tropical lands is something that we might have inherited long time back from our ancestors as they too might have felt the same sense of joy when the rains arrived.

Sitting by the window of my room and watching the rains pour down is something I have enjoyed since childhood. The pakoras and tea used to be ready and Maa used to serve them at home. Here, though far from home, I had a similar feeling of happiness while eating the pakora and tea while watching the rain and lightning-thunder show which was presented by Mother nature.
In a flash, I was a boy of eight again sitting by my window and watching the eucalyptus tree dancing in the rains at my hometown.

Watching the rains from the windows- bliss

The lazy life

noreply@blogger.com (Thoth) — Sun, 01 May 2016 13:59:00 +0000

"Wake up, wake up it's a brand new day"- that's my alarm ringtone that blares at full volume every morning at 8am. It is just so depressing to hear this. End of sleep, go to work that's what the brain keeps shouting. Me on the other hand feel like staying on bed for another good fifteen minutes. But eventually I wake up to go to work. Somedays, I just dont wake up and am late. I feel anxious at first as to what the boss is going to say if I'm 1 hour late but trust me the lazy weekdays are the best. Makes you come alive and feel more optimistic.
Let me come to the main point here. Simply put in words is that I just love to sleep. There's no better thing than taking a good old nap. No worries no tension, just lay back and doze off. I think people who can sleep a lot are more happy than who sleep less. I can sleep whenever I want- be it day, night, afternoon.
Life has so many facets and dimension and what do we keep doing? Keep running to work and keep jamming our heads with profits and losses. Take a seat! Relax! Have a few days off and live the lazy life. There's no better way to unwind.
I dream of having a house in the hills with nothing to do but write and watch nature, listen to classical music and oh yes take naps. Live the lazy life. It's important in today's world. Give some time for the world to heal itself and stop that damn car engine.
The lazy life beckons me.
Goodbye folks. Signing off to take a nice nap.
Happy napping!

Chelsea bid adieu to Jose Mourinho

noreply@blogger.com (Thoth) — Sat, 19 Dec 2015 18:42:00 +0000

Jose Mourinho- a manager of immense talent, acute mind and a never say die attitude was sacked by Chelsea Football Club for the second time after a disastrous start just 5months since winning the Premier League title. Chelsea have lost 9 of their 16 matches under Jose this season and lying 1point above relegation. In Chelsea's 110 years he is the most successful manager with 3 Premier League titles, 3 League Cups, 1 FA Cup and 1 Community Shield. Before the start of the 2015-16 season Jose managed 98 matches at Stamford Bridge losing only one match.

The astounding record of Mourinho before this season

What prompted Jose's sacking?

The results and controversies this season are enough to sack any manager in any of Europe's top flight clubs but Jose-'The Special One'- is not the commonwealth. His brilliant ability to read games and the way he makes his team play especially those 'big' matches are something everyone respects and adores him for. His record speaks for itself.
Jose's sacking has to do with a number of factors the most obvious is Chelsea's awful campaign so far. His bad habit of getting involved with match officials, staff members of the team as well as the players and owners are well known. This time around it was a combination of these factors which led to his demise.
The loss at the hands of Leichester City started the avalanche when Jose said his players betrayed him. It looked likely that the end was near and within a couple of days on 17th December 2015 he was relieved of his duties at Chelsea.

What next for Chelsea?

Gus Hiddink has been appointed as the interim manager till end of season after that perhaps Chelsea will be trying to rope in the likes of Pep Guardiola or Diego Simeone the latter being the most favoured to get the job. But after the horrible stint with the Holland national team it will be a real challenge for Gus Hiddink especially at his age to tackle the ups and downs of the English Premier league.

The Squad

Chelsea players celebrate their win over Sunderland

Looks pretty good up front with midfield players of the ranks of Pedro, Hazard, Oscar, Willian, Fabregas Matic and Ramires Chelsea have lot of options with Loftus-Cheek on the bench. Cesc Fabregas should be given a more attcking role and played upfront so that he can orchestrate the Chelsea attack. Oscar could be a key player though he often looks out of touch but the Brazilian does have that X-factor. Hazard is one of the best players in the Premier league and the Player of the Season should be back to his best soon. Diego Costa needs to fire if Chelsea has to have any chance of progressing in the Champions League or climb up the League table. Chelsea's defence looks fragile and they need a good center back next season.

Chelsea Fans remaining loyal to their manager even after his exit

After watching the first match without Mourinho at the helm, against Sunderland- a team currently fighting its own problems at the bottom of the table- Chelsea players looked a rejuvenated lot. Oscar was the best player on the pitch for Chelsea having good support from Pedro and Willian. Chelsea won comfortably 3-1. The majority of fans chanted "Jose" for most periods of the match and booed off Fabregas and Costa when they were substituted.

Jose Mourinho a manager with 'Special' qualities and vibrance which only he can bring would be missed sorely at Chelsea FC and if he does depart England would be a great loss for English Premier League as a whole. He is rumoured to join Real Madrid next season or might be given the top job at Manchester United after repeated failures by Van Gaal reently loosing to promoted AFC Bournemouth, Norwich City and getting knocked out of the first round of the Champions League.
Jose Mourinho's dream run as manager has come to an end but still commands respect as one of the world's finest and tactically sound managers. Thank you Jose for all that you have done for this club!

Chelsea's Best manager in 110 years

Dreams

noreply@blogger.com (Thoth) — Tue, 29 Sep 2015 17:50:00 +0000

All of us have dreamt multiple times in our lives- some are vivid, some are vague and most are forgotten the moment we wake up. We dream almost everyday but not always can recall the dream when we wake up.

Lets just have a brief idea about what is a dream in scientific terms--

"Dreams are successions of images, ideas,emotions, and sensations that occur usually involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep".

Many psychologists believe that these are thoughts in the sub-concious region of our brain which are manifested in our sleep as dreams.

In spite of our attempts to demystify the phenomenon of dreaming, human beings simply have not yet come close to answering the question “Why do we dream?” According to Jim Pagel, MD, Director of the Sleep Disorders Center of Southern Colorado, "If dreaming has an actual function, it really supports why we spend a third of our lives sleeping." For now, we will have to be content with simply enjoying the show our brain puts on for us each night.

Though scientists say that dreams are a manifestation of our inner-most thoughts, I feel that may it is something entirely different.

What if I say that a dream might be a portal to an alternate universe?
May be in our dreams we are projected through some dimension (still unknown to man) to some other spatial frame, where we see different versions of us. If you notice carefully, you would recognise that we never see our face in our dreams. Isn't that strange? Of the billions of dream all humans have each day not a single can picture one's own face . The probable reason might be that our soul can't be seen. When we are travelling in our dream its not our human self but the soul that's taking us on the ride!
I have various weird dreams often and luckily whenever I sleep I dream. It's like an adventure everyday.

The scientific truth is not known and I don't know when our dreams can be understood fully!
But I know that Dreams do hold a more powerful meaning and purpose than we realise.
May be someday it will be proved that dreams can be used as a portal though it might seem far fetched and absurd but who knows what the future will reveal!
So keep dreaming!

Dream: Portal to another Universe!

As Edgar Allan Poe had said:

"All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream."

The Accordion Maestro - An enchanting evening with Mirco Patarini

noreply@blogger.com (Thoth) — Sat, 26 Sep 2015 21:25:00 +0000

It was a friday evening and luckily a public holiday. My sister and I dropped by the prestigious Sandre Hall where the renowned Italian accordionist Mirco Patarini was performing.

The accordion is a free reed instrument. Its reeds are classified into treble and bass reeds. They are made to vibrate by air coming from a bellows that is operated by hand. The accordion has traditionally been used to perform folk, popular music, and transcriptions from the operatic and light-classical music repertoire.

Hohner Accordion
Source: furtadosonline.com

Mr. Mirco played a string of beautiful pieces, bewildering the audience with his deft touches and exquisite fluency.

The Capriccio no. 24 composed by Niccolo Paganini was wonderful, as were the Finale dalla sonata III composed by Vladislav Zolotarjow, Cocerto Rondo composed by Nikolay Tschaikin, Volo del Calabrone II composed by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov and the Don Rhapsodie by Viacheslav Semjonov.

The Polkas that Mr. Mirco effortlessly played were fantastic, mesmerising us and sweeping us through time and space as if we were part of a festival in an European town. The rhythm and tempo were outstanding, it was after all a maestro at work. The penultimate piece was the famous "Bumblebee" which made the audience tap their feet.

Maestro at work!
(Picture courtesy: The Calcutta School of Music)

The evening which Mirco Patarini gifted us, courtesy of Calcutta School of Music, was something the audience would cherish for a long time. The rich bass and the numerous chords of the accordion is not something Kolkatans get to experience everyday, so it was all the more special.

As the performance came to an end with a loud round of applause we headed back home with the enchanting evening engraved in our memory and with a spring in our steps.

The "Educated" in India: A short article.

noreply@blogger.com (Thoth) — Thu, 06 Aug 2015 08:54:00 +0000

At an interview room in an well reputed institute in India, ten candidates have come to attend an interview for a project having a single seat. All of these candidates have a first class master's degree in geology or a related branch.
The interview board consists of renowned professors who would be having a discussion with the candidates and select as per their performance (at least that's what all they officially say!).
All had mediocre interviews as none except one took longer than 10 minutes at the interview board.
The one who had a longer and tougher interview was not from the same institution and had to answer lots of questions which he successfully answered to everyone's satisfaction.

At the end of the session the candidate who gave the best interview was feeling pretty good about his chances of getting selected. After sitting at home for almost 12 months a ray of hope had emerged again.

But alas it was cut short! One of the candidates revealed blatantly that he had already spoken to the professor in charge and was sure to get the project after a nice interactive session at the interview which lasted little more than five minutes where he was asked about his family condition and whether he would stay and do the project. On the otherhand the candidate who was asked more than 20 questions pertaining to the topic of the project and who answered more or less to their satisfaction was standing dumb struck as to what could he have possibly done wrong!

The results were out and as expected the guy who had a seven minute interview and a pre-interview talk with the prof. was selected ahead of the guy who gave the better interview.

Well that's just one story folks! But this what happens in most educational institutes including the most prestigious ones in our country, India.

If an educated, Phd. and what not degree holder, professor cannot be fair in his selection how can we expect an illiterate to be fair in his judgement? Is it not expecting a lot ?
Food for thought for all the so called "educated"!

The Rain

noreply@blogger.com (Thoth) — Fri, 10 Jul 2015 16:22:00 +0000

Its July, the monsoon has set in. The window panes are wet with rain, the citites are looking different and the villages seem to be taken over by nature turning every barren pasture with water or green.

Rain and romanticism go hand in hand. The cloudy sky hiding the sun and the constant water drops coming down, the rainy season is a concoction of sadness, loss, hope and love.

the window pane

Its been raining cats and dogs for the past few days here in Bengal. I am at Mohanpur, a small town near Kalyani. At nature's lap the flora and fauna is at full swing in this suburban village. The frogs and crickets are singing all night long with hope and aspiration that they will find a mate. There's no doubt in their belief and the merriment and hope of their hearts is filled in the jungle behind my lodge.

Why can't we be like them? Why do we doubt ourselves? Well, take a leaf out of their book and believe in the goodness that is in this world and in ourselves.

Rain brings forth hope of better times and fills the earth with abundance.

The dreary weather brings back old memories. As Henry Longfellow has written:

"Be still sad heart, and cease repining;

Behind the clouds the sun is still shining;

Thy fate is the fate of all,

Into each life some rain must fall,

Some days must be dark and dreary."

As I sit near in my room with the rain falling down through the leaves and hitting the grass creating the music of life I remind myself that there is hope. As the rain paints a new portrait of the earth removing the withered and dry land, we should also keep our disappointments and pain in the background and move ahead and start afresh like the sprouts of grass and plants starting to emerge from the earth awakened by the rain.

As Walt Whitman had so beautifully said:

"And who art thou? said I to the soft-falling shower,

Which, strange to tell, gave me an answer, as here translated:

I am the Poem of Earth, said the voice of the rain,

Eternal I rise impalpable out of the land and the bottomless sea,

Upward to heaven, whence, vaguely form'd, altogether changed, and

yet the same,

I descend to lave the drouths, atomies, dust-layers of the globe,

And all that in them without me were seeds only, latent, unborn;

And forever, by day and night, I give back life to my own origin,

and make pure and beautify it;"

The hope of a new beginning

Dedicated to Paulo Coelho

The Great '8' Outing!

noreply@blogger.com (Thoth) — Mon, 18 May 2015 18:54:00 +0000

Plan initiation in Whatsapp group Bokbok.
8 members; utter confusion over availability of all its member on a given day.

waiting for the union!

Atlast it was decided after 500 odd whatsapp messages that the 8 members would meet at Mani Square at around 11:30 on Sunday the 17th May 2015.
As usual Mithi(my sister) and I was late by an hour but on my defense neither Jhumpa di nor Guddu (Jhumpa Di's brother) had arrived yet. On the 3rd floor of Mani Square, at the food court, waiting for the rest of the members were Titli, Jeet(Titli's brother) and 'Sir' Sunny. Papai was at the multiplex watching Madmax so he too hadn't joined the gang.
After an hour(2hours from the scheduled meeting time) all 8 were together after nearly an year or more!
The topic of discussion was whether Mr.Sunny would give us the "treat" for his placement. But as always Sunny kept churning one lame excuse after another, one of which was his company didn't pay the salary before the 19th of any month. We were determined to get the treat after great persuasion and Guddu's agreement that he would pay half the bill bent"Sir"Sunny's resolute resolve and he agreed, much to our amazement.
Then started another debate over the choice of the restaurant. The ladies wanted to travel to half way across the city to Rajarhat to have lunch and then visit Eco park. The men were not willing barring Mr. Sunny. After an hour's debate we finally went out of the mall, caught a bus, and went to Aminia, a restaurant serving Mughlai/Indian Cuisine.

At the restaurant, after much debate!

We placed our orders and it took forever for the food to arrive. There was something wrong with the staff--they would bring half the food and bring the other half after a considerable time lag--be it the starter, main course or dessert!
Well after all the drama we finished lunch(you can call it dinner) at 5 in the evening.
The whether Gods were kind so after all the disagreements the 8 headed towards Eco park.
It was a cool place to hang out and all of us had a nice time taking photographs and selfies and chatting away long lost memories and obviously bullying Mr.Sunny without which the outing would be a disappointment.

Having a laugh at Eco park

After trodding around different themed gardens, neatly cobbled lanes, both soft and wet grass and witnessing a huge crowd of people around the lake it was decided to call it a day. Ofcourse not before we had gossip over the evening tea !

The meeting of the eight is not an usual affair which it once was. It carries great memories and moments which all of us hold very close to our hearts! The outing ended with the promise of another. It was a day well spent in the company of loved ones.
I hope the gang of 8 never splits and we can all decide on a day and venue atleast once in a year even after 30 years from now!

The crazy 8 moment!

Cheers!

Earthquake on 25th April 2015

noreply@blogger.com (Thoth) — Sun, 26 Apr 2015 08:19:00 +0000

My sleep was jolted at 11:45am IST when I felt a jolt and felt my bed shaking for over a minute. I realised it was an earthquake as I had already experienced tremors twice before. The magnitude in Kolkata, nearly 1000 km from the origin was a 4 on a scale of 12, thus not affecting human lives.

The earthquake originated 34km ESE of Lamjung, Nepal i.e. 77km NW of Kathmandu.The epicenter is marked by a star in the map given below.

Epicenter marked with a star ; NW of Katmandu

The April 25, 2015 M 7.8 Nepal earthquake occurred as the result of thrust faulting on or near the main frontal thrust between the subducting India plate and the overriding Eurasia plate to the north. At the location of this earthquake, approximately 80 km to the northwest of the Nepalese capital of Kathmandu, the India plate is converging with Eurasia at a rate of 45 mm/yr towards the north-northeast, driving the uplift of the Himalayan mountain range. The preliminary location, size and focal mechanism of the April 25 earthquake are consistent with its occurrence on the main subduction thrust interface between the India and Eurasia plates.

The earthquake was a shallow focussed crustal earthquake having a depth of around 11km. Shallow focussed earthquakes generally cause the most damage to human lives and property as the waves propagate with greater magnitude on the surface.

The question is often asked, "How many aftershocks will there be? "
Generally, an earthquake large enough to cause damage will produce several felt aftershocks within the first hour as with 25th April earthquake there were 14 aftershocks of magnitude 6-6.5 as per the Richter Scale.
The rate of aftershocks dies off quickly with time so even the second day will have many less aftershocks than the first.

Although a major plate boundary with a history of large-to-great sized earthquakes, large earthquakes on the Himalayan thrust are rare in the documented historical era. Just four events of M6 or larger have occurred within 250 km of the April 25, 2015 earthquake over the past century. One, a M 6.9 earthquake in August 1988, 240 km to the southeast of the April 25 event, caused close to 1500 fatalities. The numbers on the rise.

The largest, an M 8.0 event known as the 1934 Nepal-Bihar earthquake, occurred in a similar location to the 1988 event. It severely damaged Kathmandu, and is thought to have caused around 10,600 fatalities.

It takes an earthquake to remind us that we walk on the crust of an unfinished earth.

Sincere prayers go out to the victims of this calamity.

Australia vs India WC 2015

noreply@blogger.com (Thoth) — Fri, 27 Mar 2015 15:25:00 +0000

After a dream run in the World Cup, India finally exited the show piece event to a well balanced Australian side at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Australia played a near perfect match and outplayed Dhoni's men with both bat and bowl. Steven Smith continued his golden form from the summer piling more agony to the Indian players, scoring a superb century of just 89 balls.
The match was sided towards Australia as soon as they won the toss. India's best chance of winning was batting first and posting 300 on the board.

The toss was crucial giving Aussies the edge

With 18 overs to play Australia were cruising at 197/1 and a score of 350 was on the cards. India pulled it back somewhat but conceded too many in the final overs owing to a cameo from Mitchell Johnson-27*(9).
India were off to a flier-thanks to Dhawan and Rohit but after the southpaw was caught of Hazlewood by Maxwell at deep cover- India didn't recover. Kohli was caught trying to pull a Johnson delivery.
By the time MS came to the crease the captain had realised he needed to stay till the end as his departure would lead to an embarrassing defeat. Captain cool played a good knock of a run-a-ball 65 on what could be his last world cup match for India. The pressure of the chase and the occasion was too much for the India batsmen.
India was never in the fight and were bundled out for 233 in the 47th over losing the match by 95 runs to the Aussies.
India were unable to beat the hosts in a gruelling four and a half months in Australia.
All said and done we must congratulate MS Dhoni for the excellent turn around in our Indian side after the drubbing in the test series and triangular series, taking 77 wickets out of a possible 80.
India played flawless cricket in the World cup and one off day in the office came in the semi finals against the best team in the competition. It is indeed difficult to beat the Aussies in their home turf but one would have expected a better fight by the defending champions.

Could be Dhoni's last World Cup match for India

The youngsters must have gathered a truck load of experience and come back from the Southern hemisphere as better players and hopefully can apply them in the coming tournaments.
The final will be a cracker between the Black Caps and Aussies but Australia seems to be the clear favourites! Hope it turns out to be a cracker of a match.
Cheers!