Indu's Nook

The Price of Onions

noreply@blogger.com (Indu Bhagat) — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 19:58:00 +0000

This one deserves two accolades. One for being succinct. And the other for its aimless exploration. And yes, the latter isn't necessarily bad inspite of the negative connotations that it may strike.

A brief bio and some excellent articles on some issues, regulations and policies in India by Ashok V Desai (best known for his columns in Business Standard) can be seen here.

The book touches upon several fundamental questions around India's economy , like :

1. Is the Rationing System in India working the way it was aimed for ?
2. Why is the sugar price almost constant in countries like Britain, Germany etc. where u can buy it for the same price from the supermarket, whereas it fluctuates so much in India ?
3. How can subsidy be a recipe for corruption / black market ?
4. What are the ways to disperse this "web of deceit" so widespread in India's civil services and the government ?
5. How to enable the financial institutions to make decisions in favor of the economy and not the government ?

Economics is intricate and more than often a plaited interplay of various forces in context. The book gives some answers to these questions without the rigmarole of convoluted economics jargon. I have come to realize that the widespread corruption and red-tapism in India *partly* holds its roots to the subsidies / Government imposed restrictions in order to ensure equality and more just distribution of resources (food, shelter, employment) amongst its populace (and hence, defying their very purpose).

The social problem of corruption will take a long time to be resolved, if at all; But the book makes you think. Policies can make or mar a country's destiny and affect its people in a great way. To add to that, effective policy-making is hard -- often could be termed as a NP-hard problem. And isn't Governance incomplete if it does not include a futuristic policy-making ? Given all this, isn't it obvious that there needs to be a "minimum expertise level" obligatory to be an elected representative involved in policy-making for a nation of billions ?

" I knew a man who could not bear to look at a mountain range; it reminded him of a price chart and the fortune he had lost in speculation on stock prices".

Finance & Economics can be intimidating, but this one was a great read overall. Totally recommend to read it and enjoy the strewn witty remarks.

Green Number, Climate-Change Conscious Consumerism

noreply@blogger.com (Indu Bhagat) — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 16:00:00 +0000

Recently, the political leaders meeting at the UN Climate Talks just finalized on the Copenhagen Accord. There is undoubtedly a clear understanding among both the developed and developing nations about the precedence of a global consensus regarding the environmental policies, and strategic negotiations to be adopted in the coming years. Experts argue that the accord is not seemingly as far-fetched, given the gravity of climate change.

The driving force however still focuses on "internationally accepted binding deals" across nations which percolates mostly to the industrial sector and/or the infrastructure within a country. A widely implemented model is called the Emission Allowance Trading (e.g. in EU) applicable to carbon (Carbon Trading), which allows companies (e.g., steel plants, power plants and cement makers) to freely trade carbon points much like the financial trade market. It follows a cap-and-trade model whereby the government of the participating countries set a threshold on the allowed emissions per industry and allow selling/buying of carbon credits between them via trading. Facts indicate that the carbon trading market is expected to grow fast and just as inherent with trading, with rather unaffordable flaws/risks [download and listen to the BizDaily telecast here].

However, the awareness about climate-change and the urgency of action must be shaped appropriately to actualize environment-friendly policies at not only international levels, but also at state and local levels down till the granularity of the surviving citizens on this planet. I especially like the way some countries (and enterprises) are opting for a more moral and ethical choice by promoting greener technologies without imposing on the others.

Schemes to tap "Climate-Change Conscious Consumerism" can be effective at the grass-root level. In the era of globalization, the cultivated global citizens, who are the end-consumers, can also make immense contribution by making simple choices ensuring sustainable human-development, and living a greener life by adopting a Climate-Change Conscious Consumerism. The choices that can be clubbed into the latter are beyond reducing the usage of utilities and conserving energy.

For example, a model could be derived upon whereby every commercial entity has an objective way to calculate how "green" it is - lets call it the Green Number. The bottom-line is to let the consumer decide on the trade-offs between green and costly product (there may not exist a trade-off btw : just as a costly product is not necessary green, a greener product may not be expensive). What I am hinting at is basically a more pervaded and aggressive form of, say, Energy-Labelling that is already in place in the EU. The green number should be seen on all packaged food items of a particular brand - much like the nutrition breakdown. It should be available for all commercial entities ranging from shops, supermarkets, restaurants to insurance companies, banks, and internet hosted services. The underlying principle is much like a democracy, which unlike the capitalist ways of tackling the climate-change via carbon trading like models, lays more emphasis on the "choice" by people.

The business aspect of implementing a Green Number model fits gracefully by itself - An enterprise needs to be more green in order to have more costumers and hence, just like carbon trading ensures financial incentives for greener enterprises. However, the emphasis is actually on "being greener" - which I argue is the direct and explicit approach towards acting now for climate-change (rather than carbon-trading which in a way defers and may not provide the desired outcomes). As a parallel process, trade duties and tax systems could also be revisited to allow easy operation and usage of greener businesses.

Climate-Change Conscious Consumerism based models can be additionally bootstrapped apart from other international and state level efforts, and with sufficient awareness and education among the citizens can potentially lead to fabulous outcomes. Recent research has suggested that as more and more people are becoming aware of the climate change hazards, they are also ready to contribute their bit - provided its easy. More models like the Green Number model around "Climate-Change Conscious Consumerism" may allow a fairer and more effective solution to the problem at hand.

Dream a Dream

noreply@blogger.com (Indu Bhagat) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 12:27:00 +0000

 I recently read APJ Abdul Kalam's Ignited Minds. It had been lying since a long time on the "Wishlist" of my bookshelf. After reading the book, I was overpowered by deep respect for Kalam, for his commitment and vision for the nation as a whole. The book has lot of words of wisdom embedded all along.

I scribbled few lines inspired by APJ Kalam's Ignited Minds and my die-hard admiration for children. I believe children have more healing powers than any divine saint, their touch is more miraculous than of God Himself, and their love the most selfless and unconditional.

Photo courtesy - Animesh. I sincerely adore the expression on the face of this kid !

With smiles from your heart, and with touch so pure

Embrace this world and heal with your love.

Dream of just a world-full of amity and empathy,
And mold that dream into reality.

 Transcend the superficial divisions,
        Dream of a white dove with an olive branch,  
And fly with the dove on the road to peace.
Dream of freedom and responsible liberty,
And sing that dream into reality.

Where the cord of equality and intellectual knowledge,

Are the drive band,

Dream of that rolling wheel of progress and positive change,

And steer that dream into reality.

Nothing is impossible.
Believe in self, and listen to your heart
Then just wish upon the brightest star,

Bunch all your wishes into sweet little dreams,

And liven all those dreams into reality.

Remember all dreams can come true;

There are no walls, and there are no hurdles.

There is just this world, and you are the mastermind.

Dream of a better world for all life,

And pilot all those dreams into reality.
'Ignite your minds and dream big'.

Sunset At Ibiza

noreply@blogger.com (Indu Bhagat) — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 20:08:00 +0000

Like a rainbow of infinite bands
The shades in the sky so beautifully unite.
I stand awestruck at the shore
As the twilight repaints all the creations at its free will.

Lively orange with a golden yellow,
Blend in to mellow
All life for one last time in the day.
And then the furious red with a mysterious blue,
Concording to perfection into a placid purple hue.

Hiding behind the clouds
The bright star was coquettish at times
All so playful before the final submerge.
And then it showed up again smiling
Lucidly marking the confluence with a sliver lining;
The confluence of the furious ocean with the horizon

The sturdy star caved in willingly
Into the wide-armed ocean.
Abiding meekly to let Nature have the last word:
Nothing shall last forever,
But sure it will be a new beginning tomorrow.
Only thy deeds and words shall decease but never.

Are we evolving?

noreply@blogger.com (Indu Bhagat) — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 12:06:00 +0000

I have had this wondering since a long time now. I asked the same question from my science teacher when I was in my ninth grade in school. The answer, if I remember correct was - Yes, definitely we are. But you know, kid, its a very slow process. We, the homo sapiens sapiens, are the ongoing product of the continual process of variation, reproduction and natural selection which started millions of years ago.

We may be evolving; non-biologically?!
However, I continue to meditate if we really are evolving. Biologically, evolution is defined as "change in the gene pool of a population from generation to generation by such processes as mutation, natural selection, and genetic drift". On this front, I take an equivocal stand; We may not be evolving biologically. On an orthogonal note, we may actually be devolving as we see an upsurge of genetically-prone diseases like diabetes, cancer; the deadly HIV etc. Increase in life expectancy has been exponential; no denials. But do you think its because of a "biological evolution" per se? I, however, do believe that what is really evolving is the environment around is. And technology is the principal vehicle on which we are barging ferociously into the future, may be faster than we should. Ray Kurzweil's statement here would appropriately summarise my stand. We as intelligent beings are making intelligence more intelligent. And I contend that this process is largely non-biological.

Technology is the principal vehicle.
Technology is powerful. Period. We create technology. We also have the ability to enable technology create (evolve) us. A thought-provoking one hour I witnessed today as I heard Kevin Warwick's story of being the First Cyborg (Cybernetic Organism; part human part machine) in the world - "Robots with Biological Brains and Humans with Part Machine Brains". According to his take on technology and evolution, exciting times are nearing us as we ready ourselves for being cyborgs. His research has introduced us to human implants of RFIDs; using technology as a capability-enhancer for blindness, alzheimer's disease etc. Most adrenalizing is the concept of technology to upgrade human capabilities. We are the evolved product of a process which continued (and still does?) for millions of years, but we are still stuck with a not-so-efficient nervous system (!), mortal biological cells (!!) and limited senses in terms of their number and quality of service (!!!).

Non-Biological Evolution is a choice.
One of the most exciting experiments of Kevin Warwick was putting his nervous system online on the internet, and controlling a robotic arm at a physically different place. This was achieved by a neural implant (fotograph of the chip implanted appears in the top left corner of this post) which communicates the biological nerve signals to provide input online to the robotic arm. Even communication between two biological beings (himself and his wife Irena) was successfully accompalished. A small arm movement by himself stimulated a similar movement in his wife's and vice versa. I was able to look further for a moment as he commented that times may be near when you might have the capability of having multiple personalities!

And further these times may be inevitable, for who would want to remain a mere sub-species by being just a "human".

"Humanity can change itself but hopefully it will be an individual choice. Those who want to stay human can and those who want to evolve into something much more powerful with greater capabilities can. There is no way I want to stay a mere human." - Kevin Warwick

Are we prepared to evolve?
There are already concerns about the possible misuse of technology as a capability-upgrader, ethical issues around the same, and the rather dire consequences of mixing-mistake-with-driving whilst heading towards future. If you have read (or heard) Ray Kurzweil, you will understand how this research is a baby step towards the hypothesis - the singularity.

"And ultimately these computers will be in our bodies and brains...so it really is one civilization. I object to the word 'Transhumanism' because—or 'Posthumanism'—because it implies we’re going beyond humanity. I think this is the human—maybe 'Postbiological' ultimately—but it's a part of the human civilization. --Ray Kurzweil's response to a question regarding future competition between human- and artificial intelligence. Early 2005 Harvard conference [Source - Ray Kurzweil]

What striked me was Kevin's response to one of the audience question - "How do these sensations feel like?". The answer - 'it was a new sensation.It did not simulate itself in the form of a new smell or sight, rather the brain evolved over time to recognise it as a new sensation.' This implies that the response and training of a biological being to these new implants is highly personalised. As I collect myself and my thoughts about this exciting yet bloodcurdling possibility of future (and the response to the aforementioned question), I do want to pose a question to the researchers in cybernetics -

How much then is the reliability of such new implants? If the response (and well the stimulus too) is going to be so personalized, how then can we be sure that the enhanced capability is actually the enhanced capability that was desirable? If the probability of achieving something but the desired effects is non-zero, should we not re-think before its too late? It is important to think now as what is at stake is the "human"kind. How magnified (dire) will the error rates (if any) be?

I waited further to meet REEM-B, the first humanoid developed in Barcelona. REEM-B has accredited to itself some pretty sophisticated features. Here I made a video of the small presentation introducing REEM-B to the Barcelonites. This fella has been programmed to evolve (learn) over time. That's (baby) technology for you - useful, neat and smart.

Now is the winter of my discontent

noreply@blogger.com (Indu Bhagat) — Sat, 10 May 2008 16:33:00 +0000

"All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages."

And Life is a one man show definitely. All your joys, all your sorrows, all your belongings, all your desires, all your acts are your very own. Yours alone. Period. No one can ever take them away from you. The more you fancy that your friends, or your dear ones will share your griefs, the harder is slap in the face when reality strikes. Sometimes some fellow performers can make it a little smoother for you, but the fact stands irrefutable - you have got to act and duly bow even on the rainy day.

Life is lesson hard to learn. It teaches in its antipathetic ways how to smile when you are totally disheveled. Survive in sheer awe of the miseries life can inflict, living through moments of discomforting impotence, keeping hopes alight through shattering expectations. It tests your patience when you have totally run out of it. And to make it more backbreaking, you are escorted with phonies.

Why is life such a puzzle anyway? What the heck is so well about life when it never ends well? Death is a hideous end to life. Have you ever seen it living in someone's eyes - through your eyes, by the touch of those hands on yours...Its a creepy feeling.

Its such a funny thing. Life is a bitch as I always say but still we want to live. Sometimes I wonder what is the bright side of life, if at all there is? 

Life is a paradox. And death is not a prophecy. Though the winter of my discontent is now, the unhappiness shall never be past.

Of Web Feeders and Readers

noreply@blogger.com (Indu Bhagat) — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 14:12:00 +0000

Technology freaks would know what I am talking about here. Web Feeds and Aggregators(Readers). Using Web Feeds offers the users a convenient non-intrusive access to an aggregated update of the on-goings or updates of your website. At the same time, it also offers you an opportunity to integrate various elements to your website, automatically. Subscribe to blogs, news, website updates, offers; its all made so easy with feeds and readers. Come to think of it, you can theoretically play with it to render a complete web page that only offers "web-content" customized online based on the user-behavior. Its more than the Google ad-sense marketing that I trying to suggest here. Its your behavior that makes the web page render to you meaningful updates and/or content from the other side of the humongous internet repository.

There exist two main standards as far as feeds are concerned - RSS and Atom. Various options exist for burning feeds for your website or blog, but one of the most popular ones is FeedBurner, now acquired by Google. And for readers, of course, there are many players in the market, but Google Reader is one good option.

BTW, now you can subscribe to my blog - either use Google Reader (or some other aggregator) on your machine, else subscribe via email. Its simple. Its safe. Every time I post an entry, you will be notified. And if your are a web-publishing entity, its also a good way to ensure regular and guaranteed traffic to your website ;)

Time's Arrow (The Nature of the Offence) (1991)

noreply@blogger.com (Indu Bhagat) — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 21:23:00 +0000

Time's Arrow is a great read. Another one of Martin Amis' on my shelf. Its one of the most adrenalizing works that I have encountered.

As you stride though it, and time goes backward, quite many aspects of life seem to be upside down. While others like relationships appear to be the same, whether followed in a backward or forward manner. He touches upon the brutality and the lucidly ignoble acts of inhumanity by the Nazis in a skillful way. Quite aptly said, its the only way, those acts can ever make sense. As you enter the time when he was a German Holocaust Doctor, "THE WORLD IS going to start making sense...", and you witness that "Creation is easy. Its ugly" as men, women and children are gifted a human body in the ovens in those camps and reunited eventually.

Its interesting to see how backward chronology makes some phases of life "make sense" whilst other utterly cynical; few so appealing whilst others damn disgraceful, and yet others remain changeless.

Any memoirs of Adolf Hitler's dream of a race...the third Reich are gruesome (unlike this one). A gripping thought remains - Each of Albert Einstein, MK Gandhi and Adolf Hitler impregnated this world with their everlasting "contributions" about at the same time. Doesn't it resemble the concept of Trinity in Hinduism - the creator, the keeper and the destroyer of life ?

Overall, loved it! :)

morbid death

noreply@blogger.com (Indu Bhagat) — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 19:02:00 +0000

Life is beautiful, she once said.
Oh what good is life but, she wonders now

Quotidian wandering of lonely heart
While the mind pumps new puzzles, oh all so hard
Why lay dominoes when they are but destined just to fall
Why dream, when they shall so shatter, oh one and all

When gloom puts off the light within
When promises are broken and soul cries shrieking
When the heart goes empty, and none dots linking
When what appears endless is mere brooding and sulking
That's when morbid death over daft life
Conspicuously seems a saner choice.

If smiles and blossoms are the spring
And then descends the autumn, the unyielding
She once just hoped for another spring
But why dread life from spring to spring?

So capricious are ways of life,
That it makes her now but dread life.
Oh yes, morbid death over daft life
Conspicuously seems a saner choice.

Do Parchaiyan..

noreply@blogger.com (Indu Bhagat) — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 14:02:00 +0000

Another yearly break. Sweet times with my nephew, Nonu and niece, Tanu. Here I post their photograph to mark those few snug memories with them in my blog forever. Thats the joy of being an unsolicited unpublished writer! :-)

We, The Headless Chickens.

noreply@blogger.com (Indu Bhagat) — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 17:27:00 +0000

Three weeks. My yearly vacation this year was short and unforgettable. Enjoyed every bit of it, except some annoying ordeals. Media and Politics clearly skirted their way out as the winner of all the discomforting experiences in India.

During these three weeks that I spent, media was busy with all its vigour trying to talk about primarily three things, Indo-US Nuclear Deal, Salman Khan and Sanjay Dutt. Though the issues were indubitably incomparable wrt the significance for the nation as a whole, but effectively each was treated equally – inexpiably immense coverage, dumb comments and speculations, lack of critical opinion. Far from being the unbiased benefactor of significant “facts”, media is being the irresponsible, commercialised recipient of sheer abhorrence by critics all the way. And for the other gullible ones, its the one culpable for architecting skewed opinion.

Ronen Sen, India’s envoy to the US, on Nuclear Deal, made a comment -
“So why do you have all this running around like headless chicken, looking for a comment here or comment there, and these little storms in a tea-cup?”
“I can understand (such a debate) immediately after independence,” he said. “But 60 years after independence! I am really bothered that 60 years after independence, they are so insecure -- that we have not grown up, this lack of confidence and lack of self-respect.” Wow, I was never so impressed by a comment so appropriate in my lifetime, really :). Forget the row generated by his statements for a moment.

I distinctly remember one of the comments by a commoner made in a TV show (on one of the numerous news channels) trying to eat up a 60 minute slot interviewing ppl for their opinion on the nuclear deal. So here goes the guy, “Bharat ki akhandta, uska swabhimaan hi uski sabse badi takat hai. Hum kisi bhi halat mein amreeca ke gulam nahin ban na chahte. Kareeb ek sadi tak ladne ke baad bharat to british raj se ajaadi mili thi. Hum apni aazadi dubara khona nahin chahte. Hum na kisi ke gulam the, na fir kabhi honge!” this was followed by a round of applause by one and all. Due respect to the sensational spirit of nationalism but unfortunately the issue at hand needs more than that. Compare the two comments and you will see what my vexation is all about.

The latest Sethusamudram Ship Canal Project row is also amusing enough. No one is willing to look at the geographical implications of the project. The link here shows how the adam’s bridge acted as the natural barrier during the tsunami, helping protect most of the coastline west and northwest of Dhanushkodi from devastation. Hindu Activists claim that it’s a old cultural heritage and should not be damaged in wake of nothing on this earth.

That apart, rather the row at this hour is over the statements included in the reports saying that there is no proof that Lord Rama existed which implies that this is a natural bridge, and hence, cutting a canal through it is not a cultural attack on the Hindus. !! . Why is no one willing to re-evaluate the key fundamental factors (the one mentioned above is just one of them) which really make sense and put them on the table?!

Isn't all this exasperation, incessant illogical frictions a cause of discomfort for you? It is high time we realise that the purpose is to critique and not to condemn each other, the essence is in moving forth and not from the pillar to the post.

Moulin Rouge

noreply@blogger.com (Indu Bhagat) — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 10:20:00 +0000

Quite impressive a movie which is Moulin Rouge. Its treads along the footsteps of a musical, unfogettable perfromances by gorgeous Nicole Kidman and the penniless writer Christian (Ewan McGregor). A romantic musical, an unconventional cinema with graceful enticing lyrics well kneeded at opportune moments. Unlike some musicals, there was never a feeling of an awkward intrusion of music or woohoo.. types :-). The sets were simply majestic. I can just imagine the effect in the widescreen image of this movie. The passion for lust and/or love is vividly blatant all through.

Here is the link to the lyrics of the movie. Its difficult to say how true in real life this might be, but the effect that this single assertion had in the whole movie was unforgettable -

The greatest thing you'll ever learn...Is just to Love, and be Loved in return.

Needless to say, all the lyrics were just beautiful."Come what may.." , "One day I'll fly away", and "Sparkling Diamonds" amongst others were just awesome.

One day I'll fly away
Leave all this to yesterday
Why live life from dream to dream?
And dread the day when dreaming ends
One day I'll fly away
Fly, fly away

Wiki-Moulin Rouge

Miles to go before I sleep

noreply@blogger.com (Indu Bhagat) — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 17:16:00 +0000

Sometime the unpalatable nature of life bangs hard onto me. This unsavoury feel for life is a new development though. The feeling of finding -every- bit of -everything- around you so phony, so contradistinctive from what I thought the world should be like. Being into research these days, there is this phenomenon of 'contemplating' leeching me. Why do people fake? Why do relationships so dear to you begin to itch all of a sudden? Why do tend to restrict yourself to the same finite boundary inspite of yourself?

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village, though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there's some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

- Robert Frost

May be I should not blame this phase of my life, I am just being extra freaky again. And another year comes and goes. Damn! :P Oh...and its worth a mention that being the winter solstice, today's night is gonna be a long one. But it will end, in the end.

Do Parchai...

noreply@blogger.com (Indu Bhagat) — Sat, 26 Aug 2006 16:46:00 +0000

These are the two parchaayies (Nonu and Tanu). This post is a tribute to the simple ways in which kids spread joy, laughter and smiles to cherish all-through your life. Nonu sang a beautiful song (sang it like a bhajan though: P) for me too (I shall share it soon).

Love incarnate :)

Aataa...the lifeline

noreply@blogger.com (Indu Bhagat) — Thu, 24 Aug 2006 18:23:00 +0000

My visit to India (a badly needed break) after some 6 months of stay in barcelona shall fetch mixed feelings throughout my life. Never before I felt the heart of india beating so loud (there is a slight possiblity that it was actually my heart :P), I could hear everything around me and none of the sounds was soothing. The Radio Mirchi in the bus, together with the crazy traffic, the shouting-screaming children and feriwallas....India looked like so much oozing with population, heat, sweat and dust for a moment.

Needless to say, as always the last feeling that I have is of awe. So much confusion, so much jostling with people, still everyhting looks effectively pacified...the same as it was. Each city that i visited after 6 months has to its credit accumulated some new developments, be it delhi metro, more facilities, airport renovation, new one coming up in Greater Noida. Jaipur looked even more taken care of. Well-maintained roads, newer buildings, more development plans n schemes. Everything in India seems to be flowing at its regular controlled pace. Each new place that you visit in India leaves in you an intrepid desire to explore more.India is indubitably vast and beautiful.

As the auto managed its way through the rough street to my house, I could hear some lively chanting of females-ladies sangeet, another girl was getting married i think. Listening to the news makes me believe that time is at a standstill here in this land. Everything is moving but nothing has effectively changed. News span everything but old dirty politics, life/infrastructure toll due to floods/famines(depending on the season), accompalishments (no doubt!), bollywood gossips, business icons, bribery/corruption...any flavor in its brute form is vital here in my homeland at all times.

How can I put a full stop to my experience without mentioning a note on the Aataa. Aata is always the favorite question of everyone. In one real incident that took place in the evening when i was surrounded by three neighborhood aunts together with my mom (what a grill that was). So when the third aunty just popped in, after having asked her curious petty questions about my life in spain, she asked "Beta, aata milta hai wahan?". Please note that the two other aunts whose time of popping in was earlier than this one had already asked the same question. I smiled and nodded yet again, resolutely shutting out the temptation of rather banging my head. Is this the manifestation of the so-called (legitimately?) warm indian society? The sound of the evening prayers at the nearby temple with loud drums and bells beckoning God for blessings and arousing an emotional tirade in the god-loving (or god-fearing?) religious people is an everyday affair.

Aaataa...Aataa..Aaataa... I dare not tell them that I have stopped eating chapatis. Aahh...chapaties after a long time. Me at home...at ease (at peace?). BTW, am still not out of it...can you comment if the attaa query is a perennial concern by everyone around you also?

Yahan Kaun Hai Tera...

noreply@blogger.com (Indu Bhagat) — Sun, 11 Jun 2006 15:01:00 +0000

An baffling thought I at times have is about the conundrum of birth and the debut of new life. How can something so physical and biological (and may be chemical) lead to formation of a new life – a life with body, mind and conscience. This gives a pretty bigger meaning to the essence of reproductive characteristics of any form of life for that matter. The first tiny green leaf of a seedling or be it the hatching of an egg leading to a chick, life (birth) is a mystically beautiful. It kicked off from a biological process, but what smiles as life amidst us is much beyond that. When does everything get so much baptized with that bliss of life? As I write this today, I am not just a bunch of chemical reactions or a set of particles( and/or biological cells) in conjugation, I am more than that, and so are you. When does one change existence from just the conjunction of two gametes to what we call a life?

I remember an exercise that we were made to do in groups in my Art of Living classes. Each person closes his/her eyes, and asks the companion- “Who are you?” After each answer that I gave, my companion was just re-iterating the same question as if hinting that I don’t know who I am. I was defining the way world knows me. Hence the bigger question still remains “Who am I?” Do you think your essence is in consanguinity with that very instant when you were baptized with life? I wish to conclude now, but will let the tantalizing thought linger.

Song I am listening to : Wahan kaun hai tera…from movie Guide. Try listening to this song here.
Current Mood : Contemplative, as always ;-)

Wahan Kaun hai tera..
Musafir, jayega kahan
Dam lele ghadi bhar,
Yeh chaiya payega kahan.

Koi bhi teri raah na dekhe.
Nain bichaye na koi
dard se tere koi na tadpa
Aankh kisi ki na roi

Kahe kisko tu mera
Musafir, jayega kahan

Kuch tera na mera.
Musafir jayega kahan

.Life.

noreply@blogger.com (Indu Bhagat) — Thu, 18 May 2006 15:56:00 +0000

Life is beautiful
when it blossoms in your heart
deep inside amidst the shrouds of dust n gloom.

Life is hope,
a reason for living
when you are all alone

Life is alive
with showers of smiles
and waves of new beginnings after deaths

Undefined is life
for me, for you
who still wander fanatically
looking for an answer .
A simple answer to
...
Who am I?
...

Infinite
is what Life is.
Don’t you try to define me, Life says
For I am the infinite
I span everything.

I am you.
I am Life.
Life is beautiful.

Yin Yang-intriguing or incomplete?

noreply@blogger.com (Indu Bhagat) — Wed, 29 Mar 2006 21:55:00 +0000

On my way to univ each morning, I cross a circular park with curious curves. Only after few days I realised that its inspired by the symbol of Yin Yang (may be!). The concept of Yin Yang (a chinese symbol developed from the natural and rhythmic changes in our universe) is very captivating. Yin represents everything about the world that is dark, hidden, passive, receptive, yielding, cool, soft, and feminine. Yang represents everything about the world that is illuminated, evident, active, aggressive, controlling, hot, hard, and masculine. Everything in the world can be identified with either yin or yang – the two forces of nature (complementary and supplementary).

If you look carefully at the association of Yin (dark-passive-feminine-cool-soft) vs Yang (illuminated-active-masculine-hot-hard), its not difficult to fathom the beauty of the theme. Yin exists because Yang exists; each one originated from the other and is the reason of changes in the other. But I was wondering if this implies that darkness (in terms of vices, pain, sorrow et al) cannot be eliminated from roots? (at all?)

The concept of Yin Yang essentially states that since no one principle dominates eternally, that means that all conditions are subject to change into their opposites…and all phenomena have within them the seeds of their opposite state. So when do you reach a state of balance? Or how do you define balance, in the first place? Does Yin Yang hint that there always exists a balance, but the fact is that its imbalanced or point to a possibility that there can never be balance?

Interesting reads : History/Origin of YinYang

To be or not to be is not the question

noreply@blogger.com (Indu Bhagat) — Fri, 20 Jan 2006 11:54:00 +0000

I have been thinking of putting down these thoughts which keep boggling my mind often.By the way, I know I am not the only one :) I am not sure if I will really be able to express it, but I think its worth a try atleast...

Sometimes in life, one feels empty. So empty, that to be or not to be no more remains a question. The dilemna looms in your head in a form larger and fiercer than ever before. The question then asks...

Why be?

This question is so unabbreviated, crystal and intriguing that a person who is able to answer it for himself has probably known his purpose of life. Or may be he -solved- his purpose of life. The second facet that I sometimes attach to it, a more scientific and rational one, (the former being a philosophical n divine one) is that may be its the Charles Darwin's theory in operation leading to the concept of "Survival of the Fittest". Each one is trying to prove himself as the fittest so that he 'survives', this is what appears to be the superficial and supposed purpose of life on earth. The definition of "Survive" or "Fittest", to me emerges to be a subjective one, implying different meaning to different beings. But then again, I ask myself...

Why survive?

Well, the beauty of this problem is that it has no single outcome or may be no outcome at all. I leave it for you to think...if at all you want to!

Lehron Se Darkar Nauka Paar Nahin Hoti..

noreply@blogger.com (Indu Bhagat) — Sat, 24 Dec 2005 13:39:00 +0000

I am simply in awe of this insirpiring poem by the legendary Harivansh Rai Bachchan. Thanks to the Sender. Here goes the same...

Lehron Se Darkar Nauka Paar Nahin Hoti,
Himmat Karne Waalon Ki Kabhi Haar Nahin Hoti.

Nanhi Chinti Jab Daana Lekar Chalti Hai,
Chadti Deewaron Par Sau Baar Fisalti Hai,
Mann Ka Vishwaas Ragon Mein Saahas Bhartaa Hai,
Chadkar Girna, Girkar Chadna Na Akharta Hai,
Mehnat Uski Bekar Har Baar Nahin Hoti,
Koshish Karne Waalon Ki Kabhi Haar Nahin Hoti.

Dubkiyan Sindhu Mein Gotaakhor Lagata Hai,
Jaa Jaakar Khaali Haath Lautkar Aata Hai,
Milte Na Sahaj Hi Moti Gehre Paani Mein,
Badta Doona Vishwaas Isi Hairaani Mein,
Muththi Uski Khaali Harbaar Nahin Hoti,
Koshish Karne Waalon Ki Kabhi Haar Nahin Hoti.

Asafaltaa ek Chunauti hai Sweekaar Karo,
Kya Kami Reh Gayi Dekho Aur Sudhar Karo,
Jab Tak Na Safal Ho Neend Chain Ki Tyago Tum,
Sangharshon Ka Maidaan Chod Mat Bhaago Tum,
Kuch Kiye Binaa Hi Jai Jaikaar Nahin Hoti,
Koshish Karne Waalon Ki Kabhi Haar Nahin Hoti.

-Harivansh Rai Bachchan

Musings of my heart...

noreply@blogger.com (Indu Bhagat) — Fri, 11 Nov 2005 09:21:00 +0000

Kind of free these days! Just warming up for my next assignment in life, a big one, ...My academic life to be more precise ;)

I was basking in the afternoon sun relishing some fruits in my 8 floor rooms balcony. My balcony gives a beautiful view of the landscape around...Ample greenery(not lush though!). Near to this are some upcoming constructions in pipeline. The homeless laborers who have no place otherwise, take up this 'golden' opportunity to build a small home for their family with the leftover bricks etc. While the parents are busy with the daily labor, the kids are left to play in the sand/muddy corners. I was just concentrating on a kid playing(not sure what it was doing with the sand around!) near to a somewhat big construction. The kid had dark skin and was sittin in the sandy place near to the construction.

Looking at the small dark kid and a couple of its kins around it, I was wondering what the future of such kids is. These kids cannot think of education as their parents are poor and will put them to work as soon as they are some 7-10 years of age.

Can something be done for such kids? Life is not blossoming for them, they don't know what a square meal is. Some years down the line, with no educational background, they will think of taking up some underpaid laborious job just as their parents. Me musing why should life be different for two kids born in different families - one in the slum near the construction and the other in the family next door. Why should an innocent life bear the brunt of being born in a poverty-stricken family!?

This is unfair...but such is life!

Hands-On Blogging

noreply@blogger.com (Indu Bhagat) — Thu, 18 Aug 2005 07:28:00 +0000

Hadn’t thought of blogging ever!

I have always been a great fan of blogging as such. Not because it’s in vogue, but rather coz of the immense power I see attached to it. I believe it's powerful enough to bring about revolutions. I am sure there will be one, someday…
…
The Blogging Revolution!
…
I was curious to know all about blogs, the history, present, and the future. Check out this link if you want to know more!

Let's Rock. Let’s Blog! ;;)