Virtual Diary

నువ్వు?

2019-09-01T14:20:00.001+05:30

ఎవరి లాగో ఉండడం ఎందుకు!!
ఎవరి లాగానో నువ్వుంటే, ఇక నువ్వెందుకు?
వాళ్ళే రెండు సార్లు పుట్టి పెరిగితే సరిపోద్దిగా...

Two books which influence me

2016-10-27T03:08:00.001+05:30

Two books, both of which I picked up accidentally have a significant influence on me. I'm not someone who picks favorite heroes, leaders, colours or books. Certain aspects of every leader and visionary, or for that matter even rote day to day events inspire and teach me depending up on my age, the stage I'm at in my life, my background and thought process at that moment. But, there are certain people, certain events and certain books that influence you. Sometimes by teaching something new, sometimes by questioning you and sometimes by providing deep insights.

I love learning. It is a continuous process, so learning new stuff is a routine. Sometimes, things I learn inspire me with awe, make me so excited that I share it with everyone, or ponder on them, think about how that changes how I understand the world and smile at silly thoughts.

Some insights make you wonder how you never thought of them, how they change your world and stick with you for the rest of your life. They change the way you think and become a part of your personality. I have a list which I'll share later.

Probably the only two books that I picked up accidentally were A Collection of Letters of Swami Vivekananda and The Selfish Gene.

I was probably in 10th class when I visited a close family friend's home. They are a joint family. Different generations of their family lived in one big house. While playing around in the house, we somehow ended up digging a pile of books. I fell in love with the books. All of them had book worms in them. I've never seen them.. book worms and that made me excited. I'm kind of weird like that. It was also the first time I ever saw books that old. Oldest books in my house were my father's and they weren't old enough for book worms.

While I was opening each one of them and marvelling at the book worms and the weird shaped tunnels they made in the books, I came across a book with a lose dirt coloured cover. A Collection of Letters of Swami Vivekananda. I borrowed it and took it home. I read it day and night, whenever I had time after playing cricket during the vacation. As you know, cricket comes first. It inspired me. It questioned my view of life and made me think about my purpose, why I was alive and what I can do with my limited time on this planet. It turned me into a change agent. After reading the book, I didn't want to be just another person. I wanted to do something. Something great. It then led me to choose a not so sexy engineering branch and end up as an environmental consultant. The book still influences how I think.

I was talking to a physicist about how phytoplankton recirculate in oceans when I read the title Selfish Gene on a book stacked in a shelf across the sofas we were sitting on. We were in a small library which moves up and down with the waves. It also had a lot of movies, old ones.. but still movies. After a thorough search through all the movie titles, we decided the best one to watch was Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. That wasn't a memorable movie. But that was the best we could find. Imagine the other titles they had. Lack of good titles is understandable because we were in the smallest library I've ever seen. But I was surprised they even had a library in a research cruise.

I was doing my Masters when one of BP's oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico exploded and cause one of the largest and most devastating oil spills in our history, the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. A few months after the oil spill, I got an opportunity to join a team of biologists, physicists and oceanographers to go on research cruise through the Gulf of Mexico to study the impacts of the oil spill. In the library, I picked up the Selfish Gene and randomly opened a page like I was playing book cricket. I wanted to just glance, but started reading seriously. Beginning from a random page, I finished the book that night. I was thrilled. This book again questioned my view of life, made me think why I was alive and destroyed any purpose I was holding on to until then. It gave a greater meaning to my life, made me realize I'm one among a sea of life.. literally. It made my thought processes about purpose and meaning stronger.

I'd like to think picking them up was accidental. When we look at the circumstances, it might seem accidental, but when you think about what led me to those situations, it doesn't seem so. Before I picked up that book, I've already heard about Swami Vivekananda. How he was known to be a great spiritual master. I was already interested in spirituality. My dad has also suggested I go to Ramakrishna Mutt to enhance my skills and spirituality. I was aware that it was founded by Swami Vivekananda. While the book worms might have made me sit and sift through books (for the first time ever), it might be my existing interest in spirituality and Swami Vivekananda's name recognition which made me borrow that book.

I picked up Selfish Gene in a research cruise which is generally hired by geologists, physicists, biologists, oceanographers and such science nerdy types. What other kind of books could you expect to be there? Being one of the best books which illustrated and popularized the theory of evolution, the book was bound to be there. I started my Masters in 2009 and by then I've come across debates on evolution, genetics and religion that were taking place in the U.S. If I didn't pick Selfish Gene first, I'd have picked it up eventually. All other books were too technical and would not have piqued my interest after reading the jargony titles. But, what do you expect in a science nerdy ship?

ఆనందం, ప్రతిబింబం

2016-05-17T02:06:00.002+05:30

ఈ ఒక్క బ్లోగ్ పొస్ట్ కొసం ఏప్రిల్ 2010 లొ ఫ్రతిబింబం అని ఒక బ్లోగ్ స్రుష్టించాను. ఆది మళ్లీ ఎప్పుడూ వాడలేదు. కాని ఎప్పటికప్పుడు ఇది గుర్తొస్తూ ఉంది, కాబట్టి ఇక్కడ పోస్ట్ చేస్తున్నాను
_____

ఆనందం

మనసంతా ఆనందం

ఎందుకో తెలియదు

ఏమిటో తెలియదు

ఆనందం

వర్షం ఇంకా మొదలవ్వలేదు

వాతావరణం నాకు తగలట్లేదు

తను గుర్తురానే లేదు

అయినా ఆనందమే

తెలుగు పాట వలనో తెలియదు

మన మాట వలనో తెలియదు

ఎందుకో తెలియదు

ఏమిటో తెలియదు

ఊపిరి తిత్తులకు గాలి కూడా చేరట్లేదు

అంత ఆనందం

ఇందులో స్వార్ధం లేదు

ఉత్తి ఆనందం

ఆనందం

అని జపించిన ప్రతీ సారి

మరింత ఆనందం

దీనికి అంతమూ లేదేమో

ఏమో

ఆనందం

Questioning, Learning & Carl Sagan

2016-04-06T02:46:00.000+05:30

Questioning started early in my life. One of the questions I still remember is: why a construction worker can climb a temple's gopuram on his legs, whereas, I was not even allowed touch a book or anything sacred with my leg. I put this question to my mom when we were travelling in a car as we passed by a gopuram under construction. She said it is OK for the worker to touch it because he had a reason to. Until then, I thought it was an absolute rule not to touch anything sacred, but this question changed how I understood the world. Almost a decade later, when I came across the four horsemen, I readily recognized I was an atheist and that that was a thing..

My journey as an atheist continued as I studied at Columbia, where I attended a talk by Salman Rushdie. I got agitated when Christians screamed into microphones at the subway and distributed booklets to convert people. The only thing that got me that agitated was filling forms.

My journey of questioning and learning continued, and I became a "non-thinker" of religion. The topic of religion was important to others, but not me. Studying for Masters and living alone and then in a relationship with a like-minded person in New York, I never had to deal with religion and it became a non-issue to me.

Then, our marriage, ISIS and Islamophobia followed, all of which re-immersed me in conversations on religion. By then, I co-founded and was managing an organization of people and the focus of my work had also changed from protecting the environment to providing basic rights and services to people while making sure that does not compromise the ability of future generations to do the same. In short, my interest was sustainable development with a strong focus on helping people. This is where my personal opinions also changed to understanding others and helping them. I turned into a humanist.

My thoughts during the past few months were summarized a few decades ago by an intellectual giant--Carl Sagan:

If it takes a little myth and ritual to get us through a night that seems endless, who among us cannot sympathize, and understand!

We long, to be here for a purpose, even though, despite much self-deception, none is evident

I'm still questioning and learning and I encourage you to do so. I'll not lie by saying that you have to do this only once and the rest of your life will be set. This was what children growing up in India are told before their school enrollment, before their 7th class boards, before their 10th class boards, before their 12th class boards, during Engineering examinations, before their job interviews, before their promotions, and the list goes on.

Learning is a life long process. Don't despair that you have to do this all your life. Find joy and happiness.

A race of dotards

2016-02-19T20:53:00.001+05:30

When I was in my 10th/11th standard, I came across a book called the Letters of Swami Vivekananda. I don't read books, but I heard a lot about him and Ramakrishna Matt. I was also willing to know more about ancient Indian tradition and he seemed to be a good bridge to get me there.

That book was revolutionary. I didn't expect what I was seeing and couldn't stop reading. It changed me forever in many ways.

There was one passage about Indians and their ambition. It burnt through my heart and lit it on fire. I still clearly remember his message. It still holds true for many of my fellow Indians. If they hear this clarion call to reform from one of the clearest and strongest voices of Indian history, it will help. For many others who are already reforming the world and India, this is inspiration to keep going. Read it for yourself:

".... A race of dotards, you lose your caste if you come out!..."

"...Sitting down these hundreds of years with an ever-increasing load of crystallised superstition on your heads..."

"...for hundreds of years spending all your energy upon discussing the touchableness or untouchableness of this food or that..."

"... with all humanity crushed out of you by the continuous social tyranny of ages — what are you? And what are you doing now? . . . promenading the sea-shores with books in your hands — repeating undigested stray bits of European brainwork..."

"... and the whole soul bent upon getting a thirty-rupee clerkship, or at best becoming a lawyer — the height of young India's ambition.."

"... Is there not water enough in the sea to drown you, books, gowns, university diplomas, and all?.."

"... Kick out the priests (all those) who are always against progress, because they would never mend, their hearts would never become big. They are the offspring of centuries of superstition and tyranny."

Universe's New Sense of Perception #LIGO

2016-02-12T03:54:00.000+05:30

Heard great news about #LIGO's success today. Celebrating it with my quote and an image from the internet.

I wish everyone could take a moment to celebrate this. Once we start perceiving something new, we identify patterns, make observations and theories and then utilize the new knowledge for the betterment of earth's life -- the consciousness of universe.

New age lynch mobs

2015-12-09T09:32:00.001+05:30

I'd like to hold less popular beliefs without the fear of getting lynched. Many of us condemn middle-ages treatment of people on many subjects. But, when we see a tweet or hear byte about an opinion which differs from ours, on subjects where we feel soft and gooey in our heart, we join lynch mobs online without a second thought.

I'm like those humanists or most humans. I do not kill someone or abuse them because they don't agree with me.

Solving a problem

2015-12-09T08:28:00.004+05:30

When you want to completely solve a problem, not a mathematical sum, but a real world problem, it is not enough to be just an engineer or an artist, an educator, a politician or a businessman!

When you are trying to completely solve a problem, you morph from one role to another.

But even that is not enough. Because that's just you taking up different roles.

When you completely solve a problem, you would understand that you need the support of hundreds or thousands of others who play various roles. Educators, artists, businessmen, engineers and scientists and politicians.

Politics by Scoundrels

2015-08-31T08:29:00.001+05:30

If you don't enter politics, scoundrels will fill that void.

I need perspective

2015-01-02T21:27:00.001+05:30

See, the problem is I want to give everything I have or do everything I can for others without expecting anything back from them. I try and work hard to understand what their priorities are and change my life and goals accordingly.

When it comes to my family members, I cannot garner enough time for them. I do not try to understand their priorities. When they try to tell me their priorities, I even get irritated! But, I expect the world from them! I expect them to understand me, support me and be with me no matter what!!

See, that's the problem! I don't know how to think about this. I have to develop a perspective. Perspective is a valuable thing age can provide you. And, the new year on my calendar reminds me that I am getting old.

Increasingly environment conscious. #AbuDhabi is #recycling it's waste clothes

2014-10-07T19:50:00.001+05:30

via Facebook https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152353133126681&set=a.10150171620696681.291572.570371680&type=1

Themelis

2014-08-23T04:00:00.000+05:30

I don't want to attach any out of space, foreign help! Neither do I want to take any credit for any of my deeds. There can be a thousand and one reasons or there doesn't have to be a reason for everything that's around or everything I did!

I'm very glad that I came across and got associated with someone driven by passion, so early in my life! I can hear someone saying "it was just the right time, before you began your professional life"

Not just moments and feelings,
sometimes, humans happen too,
and they can happen to be the best things around.

I sometimes think,
He doesn't have to do it.
He could have settled down
in a leisurely town,
and go to sea every clear dawn.

He could spend his entire time
with his children and lovely wife.

And every dime
on his grandchild's life

But, He works,
He fights,
He initiates,
He propagates, and
He inspires,
Souls like myself.
_______________________________________________
Finally published this post, which was a draft since Dec, 2010!

_______________________________________________

General question: Are you called "lucky" even when you get something which your friends or peers or anyone else can get?

Fear is a privilege

2014-07-06T03:30:00.000+05:30

Fear is a privilege. It means you have something.

Malnourished kids in Cambodia hunt for Tarantulas for a meal. It is one of the few sources of protein they can find there. When asked if they were aware of how dangerous Tarantulas are, they said, yes, it's very painful if you get stung by them, and it has no cure.

When asked if they were not scared of them. They said that only the rich are scared of them, the poor are not.

More about eating Tarantulas and insects (60 minutes) - http://youtu.be/Acxbx-DUkL4

Defining Happiness

2014-07-02T17:42:00.001+05:30

In the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle wrote, “the happy man lives well and does well; for we have practically defined happiness as a sort of good life and good action.” Happiness is not, he argued, equivalent to wealth, honor, or pleasure. ~ Carol V. Hamilton

Question: Do you think happiness is a) the end of all means or b) the end of all other ends?

Post

Aristotle defined a happy man, but left the definition of happiness unclear. This post is an ongoing effort to define happiness. If you can help with your comments and suggestions, we can get there quicker.

I hit a wall thinking what makes a human live well and do well. I imagined a human and tried answering what makes him/her do and live well. After a few minutes, I thought I should read more to be able to define happiness based on its contributing elements. I then stopped thinking about an imaginary human being and started thinking what would make me happy, and suddenly the wall vanished!

I would stay happy on the long run if everything in my life went according to my plans. I have desires, the achievement of which and may be in some cases, the pursuit of which will keep me happy. For example, I'll do well as long as I am able to create a positive impact in other people's lives, which will enable them to achieve their goals.

It goes without saying that I'll not be happy when I'm unable to reach my goals or when I work towards my plans, but they fail.

Therefore, in trying to define happiness, we can certainly say that happiness is the emotional state when we are able to achieve our goals or thinking that we are on our way to achieving our goals. There goals could be personal, familial or societal.

... in the 1690 essay Concerning Human Understanding. There, in a long and thorny passage, Locke wrote:

The necessity of pursuing happiness is the foundation of liberty. Therefore the highest perfection of intellectual nature lies in a careful and constant pursuit of TRUE and SOLID happiness... ~ Carol V. Hamilton (emphasis mine)

What is true and solid happiness might be based on the types of our goals, the effort we put into them, and what we consciously or unconsciously lost in their pursuit.

When defining happiness, it helps to define what it is not. We can take Aristotle's help here.
Happiness is NOT
- Wealth/property
- Honor
- Pleasure
- a combination of just these 3
- suggestions?

Happiness is NOT POSSIBLE WHEN you are
- in danger
- under stress
- suggestions?

Here, I have to mention that on the 21st of June, during a lengthy discussion on "what's the most important thing in life?', within two iterations, three of us friends arrived at the conclusion that the answer is happiness. The three of us - because of the kind of people we are - showed a specific bias towards not falling into the "rut of life", but knowing where our lives are going at all times and actively making changes to MAXIMIZE happiness.

If we can extrapolate this to human development/well-being/welfare (I don't know the difference), people should be able to actively make changes to their lives to do what they WANT(?) to, or end up doing things which make them happy.

It is very likely that I'll explore the following next
- Happiness is the end of all means/ends
- Human development vs. human well being vs. pursuit of happiness
- Why do people opt happiness over other emotions like sorrow or surprise?

---
This is an ongoing exploration. Help with your thoughts, links, anger and opinions. Be generous :)

I am an environmental consultant trying to understand decision making. Exploring why one should or should not do anything, and extending it to leaders who decide for others.

Via Bhupinder Sawhney

2014-06-27T13:40:00.001+05:30

via Facebook http://ift.tt/1mBSyqY

There is no bad, only less good

2014-06-19T01:41:00.000+05:30

Bad : Good : : Cold : Heat

There is no bad, only less good.

Environmental journalism

2014-05-28T19:37:00.000+05:30

Image: Google Doodle (May 27th, 2014) celebrating Rachel Carson's birthday

"As mankind, we are challenged to prove our maturity and our mastery, not of nature, but of ourselves" ~ Rachel Carson

RACHEL CARSON changed human conscience by showing that short-sighted human activities affect all of earth's life, which is connected back to us. Her book Silent Spring helped us understand our limited planet does not have a place called "away" to pollute.

She is an inspiration and deserves respect from environmental journalists. Today's environmental journalists can learn from her to report science-based facts and not self-serving cries of crisis.

More..

Summary of Silent Spring - http://www.nrdc.org/health/pesticides/hcarson.asp
Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rachel_Carson

Research

2014-04-02T16:16:00.005+05:30

As much as I am a fan of fundamental research, which is defined as "gathering knowledge for knowledge's sake", I would like to spend my time on applied research. I think those who get to do fundamental research are lucky and gifted.

For others, who are not so lucky, and have decided to spend time on applied research because of their own choice or chance, here's a suggestion:

"Please always think about how your research will help the bigger picture. Always have that in mind.

At some point in your research, if possible at the beginning, define whose problems and what kind of problems you want to solve using your research."

All the best,
We have a lot of work to do!
Future depends upon your success...

Criticism

2014-03-31T15:40:00.002+05:30

Don't be too quick to criticize.
If you want to criticize your father, wait until you become one.
If you want to criticize politicians, wait until you become one.
After becoming one, if you succeed in doing something different,
share how you could do it with your fellows and future generations.

Most appropriate solution

2014-02-25T03:10:00.000+05:30

A city or a community with a problem will not choose a solution just because it is the most appropriate solution. By appropriate, I mean the most environmentally friendly, economically viable and easily implementable. There's more than that to all decisions in this world.

This is probably the first time I'm writing an account of my work, but here's an example of what I mean.

For recovering energy from post-recycled waste, plasma gasification is not the best solution. Mainly because it is neither economically viable nor technically feasible at scale. One day, as part of my work, I came across a municipality which was calling for bids to build a plasma gasification plant to reduce the volume of their waste. Is that the best use for the technology or is that the best solution for the problem they were facing? It might be if it worked.

Since I have been analyzing various technologies from around the world as part of my education and work, I went to educate that municipality about plasma gasification to change their minds. I showed them many examples, and enormous amount of research on it. The guy I was talking to seemed to understand most of what I was talking. He was a chemical engineer too and we talked in our lingo. When you try to persuade someone, there will be a moment when they think "what does this guy get by doing this?" and you'll know that moment by observing their eyes. I got that look too, for a moment. Somehow, I did end up convincing him towards the end. But, nothing changed.

Nothing changed because some person higher up heard from somewhere about plasma gasification and thought it would be really "cool" to be the first municipality to do such a technology in the country. That person who was higher up could not be reached by the deadline to submit proposals. I don't think the municipality got enough proposals to go ahead at that time. I haven't followed up later. But, you get the point, cities don't choose technologies just because they're the most appropriate.

Another example from Kerala. I wrote about waste management in this state in my previous publications. They were in absolute crisis - youngsters in a village adjoining a dump were unable to get married. Guess what happened with them? They took many measures to make the situation better. One of them was to go for gasification. Gasification is more technically viable than than plasma gasification, but still not good for a developing economy, which cannot experiment with its public health or environment or for that matter with money. If they conducted a proper analysis of the situation, they would have gone with other solutions. But, they were talked in to gasification by a fly-by-night company, the management of which has set up numerous companies before closing them down a few months later. Last week, I read a slew of reports about how the entire project failed. Again, a decision made not just because a solution is appropriate.

I don't know if its me, but when I analyze these project failures (I worked a project analyzing waste management failures from around the world), I somehow always deduce failures happen due to a general lack of understanding about waste. I know situations where politics were a bigger reason for failure than education. But, by increasing awareness about waste solutions, we can create a level playing ground for politics and other factors, which are avoidable in the light of good information.

Communities

2014-02-21T23:00:00.000+05:30

A community is an insurance to shared values.
An educated community is an insurance to the world.

Reel of evolution

2014-02-19T13:53:00.001+05:30

Whenever I look up at the stars,
I forget all reasons for worry!

As I play the reel of evolution in my mind,
I'm reminded that
I'm related to the stars and
everyone I imagine in the apartments surrounding me!

I forget my worries,
not because I am surrounded by relatives.
But, because
the humanly incomprehensible timeline of
our origins, change and possible end
takes worries out of the equation,
It relieves me of desires and obligations.

It reminds me that
I can do whatever I truly want or
whatever makes me happy!

The reel of evolution is liberating and
it takes my worries out of the equation!

23:07; Feb 18, 2014; Hyderabad

History and Politics

2014-02-19T11:16:00.002+05:30

The problem with quoting history for political goals is that you can choose to start from wherever it fits your story.

00:16; Feb 19, 2014

A good human being

2014-01-26T21:51:00.001+05:30

Trying to be good is a perversion of its own kind!

When Emotion?

2014-01-07T13:45:00.002+05:30

Emotion should drive actions, but not decisions.