Sri Lanka to promote Ramayana sites

Sri Lanka to promote Ramayana sites. Interesting!!

Know the facts

Over last one month almost every news article on Gujarat elections mentioned one ugly word about Gujarat riots - "pogrom". Yet our so-called "secular" media avoids using this word when (on rarest of all occasions) they write about the 1984 anti-sikh riots executed by Congress following Indira Gandhi's assassination by her Sikh bodyguards.

Every Indian voter who is concerned about communalism in India should read about what happened in 1984. Mentioned above is a good link from wikipedia. Only thing the wikipedia article does not mention is that in 5 days of rioting, 2733 Sikhs were killed (these are official figures, real figures might be higher), while the entire government machinery watched in silence. (On 4th Nov 1984 alone, 1000 Sikhs were killed!). Compare these figures with 254 Hindus and 790 Muslims killed in over two months in post-Godhra riots in Gujarat.

Know the facts, then read your favourite newspaper.

How Indian "secular" media labels events

While reading news reports on BJP's election victory in Gujarat, I came across this post by a reader on rediff, which is a beautiful expose of the India's "secular" media. Here it goes:

---
* Sikhs getting slaughered in thousands = A MISTAKE.
* Hindus getting killed in Kashmir in thousands = Political problem.
* Muslims getting killed by a few hundred = Holocaust.
* Poor protestors getting shot in WB under Left Govt = Misunderstanding.

* Banning Parzania in Gujarat = Communal.
* Banning Da Vinci Code and Jo Bole So Nihaal = Secular.

* Kargil Attack = Government failure.
* Chinese invasion in 1962 = Unfortunate betrayal.

* Fake encounters in Gujarat [Sohrabuddin] = BJP Communalism.
* Fake encounters under Cong-NCP in Maharashtra [Khwaja Younus] = Police atrocity.

* Talking about Hindus and Hinduism appeasment = Communal
* Talking about Muslims and Islam = Secular.

* BJP freeing 3 terrorists to save 100 Indian hostages = Shameful
* Congress freeing 4 militants to save just a life of one daughter of a
Congress minister in Kashmir [Rubina Sayed] = Natural Political dilemma.

* Attack on Parliament = BJP ineptitude
* Not hanging Afzal Guru the mastermind despite Supreme Court orders =
Humanity and Political dilemma.

* BJP questioning Islam = Communal.
* Congress questioning Lord Rama existance = Clerical Error.
Is there any end to Congress and it shameless supporters hypocrisy
---

Depressing days

My last 2 months here in US have been so depressing. I had thought that my confined state, on account of not having a car, was causing me to be depressed, and that once I get a car, I will start feeling better. However that has not happened. Although the car has made life easier, it hasn't alleviated the general gloom that I am experiencing. I am feeling home-sick. I wish I were in India. Much of what I feel is because of the situation at work than anything else. I must bear this situation for many more months. The weather in Seattle doesn't help make things better either. (Seattle has the highest rate of depression and suicides in US, and it is largely attributed to its perennially overcast weather). I pray to God to give me patience and strenght to go through this depressing days.

Minorityism at its worst

Good editorial from The Statesman: Minorityism at its worst

Little to write about

There is little to write about.

Missing India

It's two months since I came to US. And never before have I missed India so much. Every moment I feel that I was better off in India. I have stayed in other parts of world, outside India. I stayed for six months in Korea; seven months in UK. I had come to US before. But never before have I missed India so much as I do now.

Patna University tries to break down caste barriers in its hostels

What is a "Smiley Curve"?

China is said to be at the flat middle portion of the smiley curve.

But what is this "Smiley Curve"?

The curve is named for the U-shaped arc of the 1970s-era smiley-face icon, and it runs from the beginning to the end of a product’s creation and sale. At the beginning is the company’s brand: HP, Siemens, Dell, Nokia, Apple. Next comes the idea for the product: an iPod, a new computer, a camera phone. After that is high-level industrial design—the conceiving of how the product will look and work. Then the detailed engineering design for how it will be made. Then the necessary components. Then the actual manufacture and assembly. Then the shipping and distribution. Then retail sales. And, finally, service contracts and sales of parts and accessories.

The significance is that China’s activity is in the middle stages—manufacturing, plus some component supply and engineering design—but America’s is at the two ends, and those are where the money is. The smiley curve, which shows the profitability or value added at each stage, starts high for branding and product concept, swoops down for manufacturing, and rises again in the retail and servicing stages. The simple way to put this—that the real money is in brand name, plus retail—may sound obvious, but its implications are illuminating.

The implication of this is that although Americans import huge volumes of manufactured goods from China, most of the money spent on those imports stays in American hands. For e.g. not much of Apple's iPod is manufactured in the United States, but the majority of value added is captured by Apple... Apple made $80 in gross profit on a 30-gigabyte video iPod that retails for $299. Its profit is 36 percent of the estimated wholesale price of $224. [Not to mention the retail profit, if it is sold in an Apple store.] The total cost of parts was $144.

References:
The Personal Computing Industry Center at the University of California
More on the "smiley curve": China makes, Apple takes

Philanthropy

NRI doc donates $20 mn to a village

India needs more such philanthropists. Nay, we have to be one of such philanthropists.

upaas

Peace of mind

I searched for "Peace of mind" on google. The second link I got was from hinduism.about.com -

Ten Commandments for Peace of Mind

The ten commandments are -
1. Do not interfere in others' business
2. Forget and forgive
3. Do not crave for recognition
4. Do not be jealous
5. Change yourself according to the environment
6. Endure what cannot be cured
7. Do not bite more than you can chew
8. Meditate regularly
9. Never leave the mind vacant
10. Do not procrastinate and never regret

Read the full article for elaboration.

Our car, Getz!!

Snaps from Cambridge

 

 

 

Relaxed but bored

It is a holiday today. I slept all through the morning and continued my reading of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility in the afternoon. It is good relaxed day. Something that I haven't got in a long time. But I am bored and feeling a bit dull. I need something to keep my mind engrossed and alert.

Back in India

I am now back in India. Getting used to Pune life. Busy in completing a lot of activities that were pending since long. Nothing much to write about. One interesting episode. After coming back from UK, I visited a cousin of mine. He told me of another mutual relative of ours who stays in US. Speaking about his stay in US, he told my cousin, "When I go to US, I miss India, and when I come back to India I long to go back to US"! This is a very common situation of many NRIs. My cousin asked me whether I felt the same. I said that when I love my stays abroad, and when I am back in India, I love the life over here. Baba commented that it's all about considering the glass half empty or half full. On a different occassion, but on the same subject, Poornima said that when we are abroad we long our friends and relatives to visit us, and when we are back in India, we wish we got more time to be alone.

What happened under Aurangzeb?

"Aurangzeb ordered all Hindu temples to be destroyed. The number of temples destroyed by Aurangzeb is counted in four figures. Sikh Guru Tegh Bahadur was beheaded because he objected to Aurangzeb's forced conversions. Nehru might have known about them, but chose to keep quiet and instructed his historians to downplay Aurangzeb's destructive drive and instead praise him as a benefactor of arts. Since then Indian historians have done the same and betrayed their allegiance to truth. Aurangzeb was the Hitler, the asura of medieval India. No street is named after Hitler in the West, yet in New Delhi we have Aurangzeb Road.

People might say: 'OK, this is all true, Aurangzeb was indeed a monster, but why rake up the past, when we have tensions between Muslims and Hindus today?' The first is that no nation can move forward unless its children are taught to look squarely at their own history, the good and the bad, the evil and the pure. The argument that looking at one's history will pit a community against the other does not hold either.

Today the Shariat has been voted in Kashmir, a state of democratic, secular India, UP's Muslims have applauded, and the entire Indian media which went up in flames when the government wanted Vande Mataram to be sung, kept quiet. The spirit of Aurangzeb seems to triumph."

These are some excerpts from Francois Gautier's splendid article on Aurangzeb and our outlook towards our history.

About Scotland and a bit of its history

Haven't you wondered on seeing Scotland's football team playing in world cup why do we have Scotland's football team in the world cup? After all we don't have Maharashtra cricket team in cricket world cup, we have Indian cricket team. So why do we have Scotland (and England and Wales) team(s) and not a British football team? After all England, Scotland, Wales and N. Ireland are four "states" that make up UK. I am sure you would have wondered. I too could not understand this until I came to UK and visited Scotland.

The reason is that Scotland is not a "state" of UK in a way Maharashtra is a state of India. In fact England, Scotland, and Wales are never refered to as "states" of UK. Even in UK, England, Scotland, and Wales are refered to as countries that make up UK. Well, if England, Scotland, and Wales are countries, then what is UK? UK as the name suggests is a Kingdom. And England, Scotland, and Wales are component countries that (along with N. Ireland) make the United Kingdom. It takes some time to understand this and being here in UK helps.

When I was in Scotland for a few days in November, I spotted a very widespread and conspicuous contempt among the Sctoish people for England and Englishmen. A little knowledge of history of Scotland helped me understand why it was so. All through the Medieval period England and Scotland fought each other, with England often having an upper hand. The way we feel about Shivaji and Rana Pratap, the Scots talk about William Wallace, who fought fought for Scotland's freedom from English occupaction. (He was captured by the English in 1305, beheaded after brutal torture, and his limbs thrown in four corners of Britain. He was 35 years of age then).

(hope to continue later)

Beautiful Thames

A beautiful snap taken from the Golden Jubilee Bridge on Thames river in London. On one bank is London Eye (the huge wheel) and on the other bank is Westminster (British Parliament) & the Big Ben (the tower with the clock). Rays of of setting sun are beautifully reflected from a skyscraper.

Let the truth be known to all

There is a quiet controversy going round with a website alleging Rahul Gandhi having gangraped daughter of a Congress party worker in Amethi. As expected, the Indian media has swept the issue under the carpet. If it had been any other politician or celibrity the media would be sensationalized the issue, held its own investigation, given its decision and convicted the person. But not when somebody from the Nehru-Gandhi family is involved.

Internet Service Providers in India have blocked the website. The so-called intellectuals of our country to whom freedom of speech is so important are silent about it. Again that is to be expected. However other websites across the globe have picked up the issue. So you might be able to read the same stuff here, assuming that this site isn't blocked in India.

These allegations may be false. They may be true. In either case, the truth has to be investigated, told to all, and appropriate legal action has to be taken. Unfortunately like all alleged crimes of the Nehru-Gandhi family, this issue too will be covered up. Those who loathe the Nehru-Gandhi family would blindly believe this allegation to be true, many others would blindly believe it to be false, while most of the people of our country would never hear about it at all. And that's not a good thing to happen. The truth should be known to all.

Sanskrit

Our President Dr Abdul Kalam on the importance of Sanskrit.

Surya Siddhanta

I have written only 25 posts in 2006 (of which 4 are still in draft state), compared to 179 posts I wrote in 2004-05. It is not because I was too busy last year or because I have lost interest in blogging (after getting married, as you would be tempted to add). It's because I didn't have internet at home last year. But now I do have internet connection at home, so I think there will be more frequent entries on this blog than in near past. And hopefully most of those entries won't be links to articles from newspapers and other sources.

Having said that, I am too tempted to refer you to this link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Standard_Time#History

An excerpt:
"One of the earliest descriptions of standard time in India appeared in the 4th century CE (i.e. AD) astronomical treatise Surya Siddhanta. Postulating a spherical earth, the book defined the prime meridian, or zero longitude, as passing through Avanti, the ancient name for the historic city of Ujjain (23°11′N 75°45′E), and Rohitaka, the ancient name for Rohtak (28°54′N 76°38′E), a city near the historic battle-field of Kurukshetra."

Unfortunately, you will never read this in any history book in India. Because the government-published history of India begins with the Mughals and ends on 15th August 1947 (while remaining silent on all the atrocities commited on the people by Muslim rulers in this period). But our great nation existed before the the marauders conquered it and has great stories to tell of that era. We have to read about it and tell it to all. In my own insignificant way I continue to do that here.

Who was Bhai Taru Singh?