Lookin through my glass

Flavours of Delhi

2012-01-20T22:39:00.001+04:00

My street My food.

After delivering a lecture at his alma mater, St Stephen’s college, former minister of state for external affairs, Shashi Tharoor, decided to go to old Delhi for dinner with wife Sunanda. However, unlike Stephen’s, where Tharoor received a standing ovation, the dinner experience was quite humbling for the couple. Tharoor, who wanted to dine at Karim’s, assumed he would have no problem in getting a table. But Karim’s, it seems, is unfortunately a little more famous than Tharoor. When he was told he would have to wait for a table, he opted to leave the restaurant. Interestingly, the menu of the restaurant has an extract from a review that his son wrote for the Time magazine. But that didn’t help!

http://bit.ly/vZy53P — in New Delhi, India.

Basheer's aadu in one of its delirious wanderings

Distant gaze, across a few centuries

Spicy!!

I don’t know anything about light, from where
it comes nor where it goes,
I only want the light to light up,
I do not ask to the night
explanations,
I wait for it and it envelops me,
And so you, bread and light
And shadow are.

-Neruda

Masterchef

Delhi bellies

Zen and the Art of Masala Dosa making

Melting point

When Delhi gives lemons...

Jan 02, 2012

2012-01-02T15:38:00.000+04:00

Greater Noida

Long drive to Office

Leftover rains...

..and leaves

Just another day

mist' ical

behind the veil- Maya

anticipation of a spring

click on image for full size

Evocative Movie titles in Malayalam

2011-01-20T15:11:00.003+04:00

Blue bird , on a Thursday afternoon dug up those stunning, evocative titles:

Arappatta kettiya graamathil
Thoovaanathumbikal
Njaan Gandharvan
Dheshadanakkili Karayaarilla
Namukku paarkaan muthiri thopukal
Aalkootathil thaniye
Rathinirvedham
Novemberinte Nashtam
Sindhoora sandhyakku mounam

RIP 2010

2010-12-25T13:48:00.001+04:00

The year in which
Com. Jyothi Basu died.
BT Brinjal paused.
Information highway leaked.
Octopus predicted.
Chile resurrected.
Burma freed.
Dreams incepted.
Ayodhya split-verdicted.
Haiti trembled.
Binayak Sen gagged.
Leader faded.
Europe Eyjafjallajokulled.
Dantewada raged.
Nandhalala released.

Life,
continued.

Mid (?) Life Crisis

2010-12-18T06:49:00.000+04:00

" I still have a long way to live- three whole streets!"

The day I realised that the local barbershop wallah has lost interest in me as a prospective customer has been the turning point.And of late, I 've been hearing in the "golden classic" section of radio and TV more songs which were hot hits during my school / college days.

And slowly it dawns on me that in a couple of years or so, I'll be 40! The thrill of the magic figure was as swiftly overshadowed by the ever increasing worry lines on my fore head and later the rising tremors of panic deep down inside.

For some one who has lost any hopes of after life (heaven or hell - whatever is available) the panic- in-the- belly syndrome assumes a more deadly (no pun intended) posture.

Soon, I ll be history. Worse, I ll be another forgotten dust particle- leftover of worm eating earthworms. It could happen tomorrow, or the day after, just as it could have happened any particular day of the past 30+ years. But now the figure 40 ushers in a sense of urgent definitude to the inevitable.

I havent seen many of the good movies yet. More so, I will never get to KNOW of the movies that will be made after I die. Infinite number of trivialities that I would miss ! And much more...

It could be the far fetched paranoid thoughts of an idle mind, but then its also true that none of us would be lucky (?) enough to keep body and soul together for another term as we have managed to do so far.

Standing at the cross roads, realizing that life is so short , and more than half (?) of it is already spent, the faint chill spreading across the veins obliterates , albeit momentarily all the present day priorities like the shifting sands of desert storm and presents you with a totally different picture of the past, the present and more significantly, of the (uncertainly limited) future.

Coincidentally , one of those days while I was tinkering with such gory ideas, (or because of it?) I managed to slip down the stairs and get my leg fractured and encased in plaster cast. Temporarily immobilized and suddenly let off the grip of nerve wrecking day to day deadlines of contracting business, I found time to go back to my old flame.

Thats when, from the dust laden bookshelf , among others, Fyodor Dostoyevsky came up with his "IDIOT". In the early portions of the novel written more than a century ago, he talks of a man being "driven through the town to the place of (his) execution".

"I suppose he must have been thinking all the time, I still have a long way to live - three whole streets; there's this street, then another one, and then yet another, with the baker's shop on the right hand side - there's quite a lot of time before we reach the baker's!"

Hope? In the face of death?

Only for those who suitably select the yardstick with which to measure their lives.

(posted a couple of years ago)

Orwellian Farm

2010-11-16T10:21:00.002+04:00

Animal Farm

Do fish have souls?

Dreaming of an out-of-the-box solution?

Like in death, did they have an equally colourful life.. ?

Inception , The Leap of Faith

2010-07-24T08:50:00.009+04:00

Leap of Faith

Early in the movie, Saito had offered Cob a choice and urged him to "take a leap of faith" .

Later, when Cob meets the aged Saito in his limbo, it was time for Cob to remind Saito of the idea planted inside him. "..take a leap of faith. let us return back as young men together".

Mal too is seen prodding Cob "to take the leap of faith". "how long would you continue to be hunted down by corporates and international security agencies? Take your leap of faith and stay with me. This is reality"

Cob wouldn't!

Elsewhere in his dream, he once took a similar leap, by anchoring himself to Mal (or rather to the chair she was seated in) with not so convincing results.

Standing between two mirrors, it is indeed difficult to differentiate between the multiple reflections. Once the barrier between the images is broken (as was done by the architect, Ariadne) it becomes easier to connect and walk through the multiple levels of dreams, as if in a single continuous walkway.

By the end of the 10 hour journey (a giant leap?) Cob is ready to 'face ' his kids. The single obstacle that stood between him and his kids - guilt- has been dealt with!

Incepted Totems
Fisher tries to 'plant' the idea - that which connects him to his father- as a framed photograph by his father's death bed. And laments that his father fails to notice it.

But in another dream, in another space , his father had placed the wheel to be discovered later by his son.

All other totems lose their significance. The top continues to spin or does it wobble?
Does it matter?

Dream and Reality
Like in any other dream, you never knew when the movie itself started. Thats because there were no opening credits at all. You just find yourself in the middle of the movie. You never (you dont have to) know where it began and where it ends.( In fact if you decide to pursue the beginning and end (like an eternally nested group of parenthesis ) you would be left wondering if your visit to the movie hall was a dream. Or reality.)

And as Nolan ( the dream keeper in Yousuf's basement) says : " Dream is the reality. Who are you to say otherwise?". There is no point in differentiating between dream and reality. You never know what you are looking for.

The top continues to spin ? Or does it wobble?
Does it matter? Ever?

Whats there in for you?
The snow sequences open with a close up of Cob focusing his view finder on Fisher. Ariadne calls out Cob's name - as if trying to wake him up from his sleep. Cob wonders 'whats in store down there for Fisher'. Ariadne retorts "Whats in there for YOU?"

Each viewer has a different response. And it varies with each viewing experience.

PS: Wondering how Nolan planted the idea of making such a movie into the consciousness of the big corporate , Warner Bros. And its said that Nolan took 10 years to make this 'Leap of faith'.

Read previous post on Inception dreams here

..and your comments?

Aham Brahmasmi - Nan Kadavul

2010-07-21T18:00:00.000+04:00

Bala breaks quite a few idols. Divine as well as the celluloid ones.

“Picha edukurathukku intha vesham thaan kedachutha?” he (one of his characters) asks those dressed up as tamil cine actors.

Hard hitting.

The gods are ridiculed, abused and exposed. It was a masterstroke of Bala to let us focus on the god man up the hill who ‘never speaks or opens his eyes’. And let him declare finally ‘naan sami illai’ . That’s when the viewer should have been made to realise “Aham Brahmasmi” (Nan kadavul). And the personification of aham , is the protoganist of this movie-who can decide one’s fate in this and the next incarnation.

Yes. The body in this world and the soul for ever can be liberated. (Where is Nair’s body? BTW )

Realise the truth (Aham Brahmasmi)

Get yourself liberated in this and subsequent births .

Return to your guru.

The synopsis is illustrated in a wider canvas. Hindi, Tamil ,Malayalam speaking characters expose the pan Indian market where citizens are traded as commodities.

Like the physical deformities of the characters , quite a few populate the movie too. The compromises catering to a wider audience conditioned by the song and dance sequences of tamil cinema for example. Like a mainstream magazine running a story on *orn literature with illustrative excerpts , Bala introduces the same sequences that he wishes to ridicule.

Inception , The plot, The synopsis

2010-07-18T17:37:00.009+04:00

SPOILER ALERT!

Those who havent seen the movie yet, proceed at your own risk.

Mal(Cob's wife) 's presence is not mentioned because hers is a different orbit.

click to enlarge

Bhoothakannadi

2010-07-10T16:18:00.006+04:00

The Magnifying Glass
(July 03, 2010 We TV)

Revisiting the movie after a decade , its contemporaneous relevance helps us get closer to the movie and the issues raised in it more than ever.

Lohita Das's first directorial attempt , Bhoothakannadi (1997) hasnt been in the limelight unlike many of the movies which he directed or wrote. At the most, the film used to be referred to as the one in which Mamooty came up with a high voltage performance as Vidhyadharan, the clocksmith.

Vidhyadharan, who is addressed as Mani (reference to 'time'?) in the early part of the movie is a man from the 'pre development' era. One whose existence is threatened by the arrival of sophisticated quartz watches. He also represents the 'silent' majority of the Keralian society.

In the scene (arguably one of the most haunting ones in Malayalam cinema) where his neighbour -who also happens to be the one closest to his heart on earth- runs desperately crying her heart out into the middle of the night looking for her lost daughter followed by the villagers, Vidhyadharan, instead of going out to console her, feels more concerned about his own daughter. Or rather weighed down by his cowardice, he seeks justification for his inaction by expressing concern for his own daughter. Thats when he moves away from his terra firma and hides himself in his attic. He starts losing his sense of time.

In the next part of the movie, Mani, who is now referred to as Vidhyadharan, when faced with the reality of taking care of a family with a new wife and his grown up daughter, once again feels comfy by moving further away from reality.

Instead of facing the challenge of real world, he looks through his paranoid glasses and 'discovers' that there are others who need his care , attention and voice in the virtual world. His personal challenges are substituted onto a broader scale of society and while he loses himself in a wider perspective , ends up in a state he is not even able to recognize his own daughter, let alone the issue of raising her up.

Parallels can be drawn to any of the issues currently being magnified by the people of Kerala and its media.

Incidentally in one of the scenes the protagonist is seen imitating the swinging movements of a pendulum , moving Left and then Right... Left and then Right....

Time progresses?

synopsis here

Media and the Bt Business

2010-03-07T09:36:00.006+04:00

On March 6, 2010 The Hindu (and none of the other media players in India ) posted this news. Bt cotton ineffective against pest in parts of Gujarat, admits Monsanto . In a rare first of its kind any where in the world, Monsanto openly admitted its failure in what is otherwise hailed as the success story of Bt Cotton, the saviour of cotton farmers.

Genetically modified (click here to know more about GM crops) Bt Cotton was introduced in India in 2002 as a fool proof seed variety which could withstand attack of the most common pink bollworm pest. The Hindu reported that Monsanto had admitted that at least in some parts of Gujarat where the seeds were introduced , the pink bollworm have developed resistance to its Bt crop.

A news release dated March 5 , 2010 by Monsanto says "Monsantoⁱ and Mahyco scientists detected unusual survival of pink bollworm to first-generation single-protein Bollgard cotton... in four districts in Gujarat – Amreli, Bhavnagar, Junagarh and Rajkot."

The news release establishes that the "resistance is normal" and places the blame squarely on the unsuspecting farmers and the Government for its failure!!!

"The findings in Gujarat are an important reminder to Indian farmers......it is essential to regularly monitor and scout fields throughout the season for insect presence..... and properly manage crop"

"Government policies should encourage investment in R&D.."

Rest of the media woke up a tad slowly and reported on the Bt Cotton failure the following days:

Monsanto accepts its Bt cotton failed pest-control tests - Times of India

Bt cotton flunks pest resistance test in Gujarat - Hindustan Times

Bollworm in Gujarat Bt Cotton: GEAC to look into report - Indian Express

It is interesting to note how each of the media houses camouflage the news, none beats the story filed in Business Standard. The 'news' item in Business Standard tries to establish that the failure of Monsanto as reported by Monsanto itself is not correct!!

Despite the disclosure by Monsanto, Business Standard reports on March 7th that

Government lab faults Mahyco's study of pest resistance to Bt cotton and props up the success story of Bt Cotton quoting a Government agency.

Eventhough the company that produces the seeds say that they are not as effective as they are meant to be, Business Standard contradicts and establishes that they are still effective and the 'farmers' can benefit by continuing its usage!!

Its a curious case of media reporting.

Its raining in Dubai - March 02, 2010

2010-03-02T08:55:00.000+04:00

Its raining! In Dubai

Business Bay

That's Burj Khaleefa

Burj meeting the rain clouds...

Dec 23 2009

2010-01-17T11:00:00.004+04:00

Tirunelveli Nellayappar Temple

700 AD

Bt Brinjal

2009-11-03T17:19:00.003+04:00

Mainstream and the social networking media observe a criminal silence over the proposed introduction of Bt Brinjal in India. A landmark decison by the Indian Government which will affect all Indians irrespective of their caste, creed, gender, political affiliations, geographical or economic positioning.

What is Bt Brinjal?

Its better to follow another question for easy understanding of the above one. “What is GM Food?”

Genetically Modified (GM Food) are those plants / crops whose genes have been altered. To make an exxagerated comparision with human beings, it can be described as follows:

The most common illness affecting human beings is the common cold. Everytime someone gets an attack of cold, he / she takes medicines like Panadol , Actified etc. Instead of taking medicines AFTER getting affected, is there any way to prevent its occurrence at all? If there is such a mechanism, can we introduce it even before the child is born on this earth?

In other words, can the unborn child’s genes be altered so that once out in the world, the child (and as the person grows up) never gets affected by the common cold? This is what is being done to plants / crops when they are being Genetically Modified.

The basic DNA structure is altered so that the gene equivalent of “Panadol” is introduced into the egg (seed) of unborn child and the modified DNA is capable of generating its own medicine as and when the person’s body is affected by cold or flu.

Soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis is introduced into the DNA or genetic code of Brinjal so that the crops in turn produce pesticidal toxins in every cell. Seeds impregnated with this bacterium will be sold in the market for farmers to sow and reap a diseaseless variety of Brinjal.

Genetically modified Bt Brinjal would relieve Indian farmers who have been suffering from the Brinjal Fruit and Shoot Borer (BFSB) pest.

This eliminates the necessity to spray huge amounts of pesticides to brinjal cultivations.

Isnt it a wonderful concept?

But then why some people are making a fuzz over such a pathbreaking development in the history of mankind? May be the fertilizer companies who fear loss of business are behind these trouble makers?

Monsanto, DuPont, Syngenta, Bayer and Dow are the Big Five corporations which control the global GM food market . But the irony is that together, these companies own 59 percent of the pesticide market. (Would Indians forget / forgive DOW chemicals which in its earlier avatar as Union Carbide razed down Bhopal?)

What is the holy nexus between the pesticide corporations and the seed market?

What is the holier than thou nexus between Governements and these companies which are in a hurry to introduce the genetically modified seeds in Indian market?

Why arent the following questions answered?

Why did the Indian biotechnology regulator Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) approve release of Bt brinjal in Indian market without proper studies on the long term effects ?
The studies quoted by GEAC were all conducted by MAHYCO (Maharashtra Hybrid Seed Company) which in collabration with the infamous Monsanto markets Bt Brinjal in India. Isnt it the equivalent of accepting evidence fabricated by the thief in a court of justice? (Media which created furore over police fabricated evidence in Muthoot murder case is silent about the evidence fabricated by the killer !!)
Why were reports by independent agencies with the following findings rejected?

risk of transfer of those genes to human organ systems or viruses -- and hence the adverse impact on human and animal health and the environment.
Effect of previosuly introduced Bt Cotton on farmers and their health?
Study of Economic and environmental impact of Bt Cotton varieties previosly introduced in Maharashtra. (Suicide of 150,000 farmers since 1997 when Bt Cotton varieties where introduced)

· Why introduce an edible crop in India when entry of GM foods is banned in most of Europe?

· Why expose indians to GM foods when world’s largest producers of GM foods, USA , Argentina and Brazil consider GM crops fit for cattle consumption only ?

· Why allow Indians to be exposed to untested Genetically modified crops as test rats?

Questions that beg for answers!!

sources:
http://business.rediff.com/column/2009/oct/26/bt-brinjal-a-step-towards-disaster.htm
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qMCd_WZVOAc/Subapi0vDUI/AAAAAAAAAIM/zrs_m8XSpXk/s1600-h/greatindianrat.jpg
http://www.i-sis.org.uk/Bt_Brinjal_Unfit.php

short film

2009-10-21T10:22:00.002+04:00

A Short Film !

Mohanlal's IPL Team

2009-10-13T13:24:00.038+04:00

@Infinn 'Trivan DRUMMERS' #mohanlalsiplteam

@ajithpaul Mattancheri Mosquitos #mohanlalsIPLteam

@krishashok Cattleclass Coverdrivers #mohanlalsiplteam

@theexperthand #mohanlalsiplteam gafoorkka dosts..

@SPMenon #mohanlalsiplteam pattanathil pottans

@manishkrishnan The Debo Nairs #mohanlalsiplteam

@witsnnuts Maraar 's men #mohanlalsiplteam

@anoopan Harbhajans slappers #mohanlalsiplteam

@ashwinbellur southern "strike"rs #mohanlalsIPLteam

@priyagk Kodungallur Kettleboilers #mohanlalsIPLteam

@anoopan God's own XI #mohanlalsiplteam

@anoopan God's own team #mohanlalsiplteam

@manishkrishnan: The Oman Omanakutties #mohanlalsIPLteam

@raghuvanshr the Oman 'A' Kutties #mohanlalsIPLteam

@ashwinbellur Malabar Goldhunters #mohanlalsIPLteam

@lavsmohan Malabar muscat-teers. Guruvayoor Gelf warriors. Malabar beedis. #mohanlalsiplteam

@girsubra chenjamPuzha cheetahs #mohanlalsIPLteam

@kedars the claude monays #mohanlalsIPLteam

@SPMenon #mohanlalsiplteam naranathu bhranthanmar

@vinod_raman Laletten's LalEleven #MohanlalsIPLTeam

@anoopan Pranavam XI #MohanlalsIPLTeam

@girsubra Kalpathy Karumadi Kings #mohanlalsIPLteam

@krishashok Palakkad Bheemboys and Wadakkanchery Wideoutsideoffstumpers #mohanlalsIPLteam

@rjaideep Lal S(a)lammers #MohanlalsIPLTeam

@agnnair: His Highness Abdullahs #MohanlalsIPLTeam

@SPMenon malabar gold XI #mohanlalsiplteam

@kskarun Venad Warriers #MohanLalsIPLTeam

@adheeth Quotation Team #mohanlalsIPLteam

@nithink Rajavinte Makkal #mohanlalsIPLteam

@kedars: munnar teabags #mohanlalsiplteam
@manishkrishnan The Kera Lights #mohanlalsIPLteam
@vinod_raman Malabar Gold winners #mohanlalsIPLteam
@chill_ara Savari Girigiri XI, Aadu Thoma's Muttanadukal, Eleven Thamburaans #Mohanlalsiplteam
@raghuvanshr Palakkad Maniiyers #mohanlalsIPLteam
@creatitwitty Sultan Battery Chargers #mohanlalsIPLteam
@nikhilnarayanan: Dasan&Vijayan's XI #Mohanlalsiplteam
@moonjungle Pulliyum Puligalum #mohanlalsIPLteam
@flaashgordon Totally High Abdullahs, Thumba Rockets, Savarigiriders, Poda Mone Dineshas, #mohanlalsIPLteam
@chuck_gopal The Malabar Machines #mohanlalsIPLteam
@notytony Pala Paalappams #mohanlalsIPLteam
@vineeth009 Alibhai and the 11kallanmar #mohanlalsIPLteam
@SPMenon LaletTENs+1 #mohanlalsIPLteam

@lavsmohan Kerala rainbows #mohanlalsiplteam
@akaranth Fish Curry Fighters. Appam Ampires. Shakeela Superstars #Mohanlalsiplteam
@bigfatphoenix Sharjah Shakes #mohanlalsiplteam
@startonomics: thirovontharam pails #mohanlalsIPLteam

@tittoantony : "KKK XI (Kerala Kondum Koduthum XI )" #mohanlalsIPLteam

@Nauphal Kochi Kalippans#mohanlalsIPLteam

@jaggs0022 KKPP X1 . Kittiyal kitti poyal poyi! #Mohanlalsiplteam

Dubai Metro- First Attempt

2009-10-10T15:55:00.005+04:00

Exactly a month after Dubai Metro was launched, I decided to let myself be taken for a ride. (no pun intended, believe me!) With a two decade old career and (almost) one decade of marital success behind , listing excuses, even if its for missing the Metro wont be a tough job for me.

Last time when I decided to go for a ride, I happened to overhear Krishnakumarji recount his earlier experience of making the annual pilgrimage to Shabarimala with some of the paandi saamis in a rented tourist bus. In his inimitable style, he was parodying their reaction to spotting the rubber farms of Kerala. " Chinna saami, dho paar ithu thaan rabbar maram" "Appadiyaa saami.. amaam, ithile rabbar enge varooom?" wondered the new saamis, all moving to the same side of the bus to catch a better vision of the rubber trees.

Creeeeps!
What would happen, if all the joy riders of Dubai Metro move to the same side of the train to have a glimpse of Burj Dubai, for example. And at such heights! Thats how I postponed my first visit to the nearest Metro station.

Later while preparing a report on the Metro for ninavu I got in touch with alumni members Jacobji and Rekhaji who have been associated in one or other way with Metro construction works, and made it a point to personally verify with them and confirm that the rail equivalents of buoyancy tests have been done several times. That could have given me enough strength to buy the NOL card. But then I shouldn't ignore the fact that they took their Engineering degrees from the same college as I did! Thats enough reason to cast strong shadows of doubt on their testimonials!

There ended my next attempt .

No, am not the one to lose a winnable battle so soon! I started begging colleagues, friends and strangers to give their opinion of the Metro ride. True to my reputation (*sound of ROTFL*) I even thought of collecting opinions through a five page questionnaire and announcing 'exciting' prizes for the selected responses. But the overwhelming majority of those interviewed rated the ride somewhere between "flying in a magic carpet" and "cloud nine feeling" and once and for all, I decided to 'go for it'!

Now that I decided to take the trip, where would I go , and from where?

When Buddha said, "Journey is THE destination", he would have had prophetic visions of me taking the purposeless Metro ride on a friday afternoon.

Finally, wondering if they have "Tharoor class" tickets for people like me, I shot off to Rashidiya and there started my initial 30 minute drive .. er.. from the Ground floor to the fourth floor of the Car Park building. Something like an early morning vertical Sharjah - Dubai ride! That was seven floors of parking space - each one with enough cars and people to fill the Thampanoor Train AND bus stations several times over. Through the glass panels of the car park I could see the occasional trains gliding smoothly on the elevated rail tracks. As it enters the station, like a horizontally laid "puttu -kutti" it gets filled with a small portion of the assembled crowd and continues its journey. With half of Dubai waiting to be filled inside the train and the other half (including me) rushing to join them, security officials decided to temporarily close doors at the departure section of the station and .....

Well, that gives me scope for the next blog. Next week?

Indo US End Use Monitoring Agreement

2009-08-06T09:36:00.001+04:00

Based on article by Mr. Ashok Parthasarathi, (Science advisor to Prime Minister Indira Gandhi) in The Hindu dated Aug 06 2009.

EUMA signed between

India

and

USA

grants permission for US inspectors to monitor and inspect hi tech weapons supplied to

India

by US.

no other country from which India has imported and is importing hi-tech defence and other equipment — be it France or other West European countries, South Africa, Israel or Russia — has ever asked for an EUMA, even when India imported state-of-the-art weapon systems.
under the EUMA India has to turn over to U.S. inspectors .... all data and information logs containing the entire history of the equipment as used by India.
Any software changes done to original equipment by Indian Software engineers becomes evident to the U.S. inspectors.
India is now fully aware that the technical and operational data relating to the weapons , particularly modifications and improvements India has made as collected by U.S. inspectors, are passed on by the U.S. government to Pakistan.

What is happening already , even without the EUMA agreement?

See the case of Helicopter-carrying vessel USS Trenton, which was imported and inducted into the Navy as INS Jalashar. The U.S. undertakes surprise inspections of any part of the vessel; studies all ship logs, requires a U.S. Navy officer to be on board when India makes any modifications or improvements or even repairs to keep the old vessel going… And this for a 30-year-old helicopter-and-troop carrier.

Against such a background, what kind of EUMA will the U.S. apply should India decide to purchase one or other of the two U.S.-origin multi-role combat aircraft — the F-16 offered by Lockheed and the F-18 offered by Boeing — against the Rs.42,000-crore global tender floated by the Defence Ministry for 126 such aircraft last year? The conditions will obviously be far more stringent than the inspection methodology and coverage which apply to the EUM for individual weapons such as artillery and radar. What will the government do then?

It is important to also note that all the three defence service chiefs have vehemently and repeatedly, verbally and in writing, individually and collectively conveyed to New Delhi at the highest levels their strong and total opposition to India entering into an EUMA with the U.S.

With these numerous, wide-ranging and highly deleterious implications for

India

’s national security of the EUMA, it is imperative that the Government of

India

terminate the EUMA.

full text available here

Remembering Bhopal

2009-08-01T21:14:00.002+04:00

India orders arrest of American in Bhopal gas leak
Associated Press July 30, 2009

Indian court orders UCIl to pay a fine of Rs500,000 (USD 10,000)

June 06 , 2010

Reproduced from an article written several years ago

In it's quest to bring technology and economic bliss to the doorsteps of native Indians, in 1979 the US multinational Union Carbide commissioned its Pesticide factory in Bhopal-- right next to the residential area.

It was from this factory that on the night of Dec 3rd 1984, the poisonous MIC (Methyl Iso Cyanate) gas leaked into the streets, entered the doorless huts, marble tiled posh houses, lungs of those sleeping in the pavements, Railway station, and even the trains ;It raged on for four hours killing more than 3000 people --like pests and worms. Even worse was the plight of those who survived: 3,60,000 people were afflicted with various forms of disabilities--most of them lost their eyes within seconds of coming in contact with the gas. Some managed to die their own slow deaths during the years that followed, but the rest of them? They are still waiting--not for any relief but the angel of death who comes in painful installments.

Could this (the tragedy itself and the continued misery of the survivors ) have happened in any of the developed countries?

This is a classic case study for Third World exploitation.

Two years after the plant was commissioned, in Dec 1981, Ashraf Khan, a worker in the Union Carbide factory died while handling Phosgene, a poison gas. Dr. NP Mishra of Gandhi Medical College, Bhopal conducted a Post Mortem but the report was not released --even after the workers' repeated protests.

In 1982, because of leaks in pipes carrying Chlorine, MIC and HydroChloric Acid, 17 workers were taken unconsious. A few cattle were found dead after drinking the water from puddles around the factory premises. Panic has already spread in the city of Bhopal. The people of Bhopal started protesting.

Experts from the parent company of Union Carbide were flown in and safety measures were studied. But the reports were never published nor the remedial measures implemented. These were known only during the inquiries conducted after the Tragedy of 1984.

But in 1984 Nov, a series of cost reduction measures were suggested. The cost paid by the people of Bhopal the very next month was that of the lives of those Indians--those who died and those who failed to die.

Safety measures that could have prevented the leak, or minimised the death toll were found to be either malfunctioning or totally missing.

Even after the Tragedy, Union Carbide took an agressively offensive and misleading posture. Initially it failed to name the gas that was leaked into the night of Bhopal. Later on when they finally proclaimed the name of the killer gas, it was temed as "irritating but not deadly" . When the Government declared that 3000 people died on the night of the disaster, the company claimed that only 2000 died because of the gas. ( Maybe they felt that the death of 1000 people because of natural causes was not an unusual case in the underdeveloped Indian city.) While the Indian Government claimed that 3,50,000 people were affected, the company shot back that only 25,000 of these were eligible for any relief, whatsoever.

In order to ascertain the facts, Delhi Science Society, Madhya Pradesh Science Society along with Students Federation of India conducted a detailed survey among 6500 families living around the affected areas of Bhopal.

The results indicated that 2.3% of the people were permanantly disabled. 12.4% of the people had occassional inconveniences. 24.6% of them could not carry on with their day to day affairs. Most of the affected are in the 16-45 age groups. Women were more affected than men.

Worse is yet to come. The games played by the multinational and the Indian Government in the court rooms of India and the US were of the nature of ridiculing the affected people of Bhopal. Even after several court battles and verdicts, the misrey of Bhopal continues...

When a piece of land is threatened by an enemy our political masters are swift enough to send in the brave soldiers and redeem it at any cost. But when the basic rights of our people are threatened?

When a child is kidnapped or is killed, the society as a whole is emotionally aroused. But every year when thousands of children die because of non availabilty of medical facilties, we express a criminally indifferent apathy to the massacre. ------Fidel Castro.

I Remember....

2009-07-29T14:19:00.001+04:00

I remember the falling Sky Lab.
the day Indira Gandhi was killed.
" Illustrated Weekly of India"
Short wave Radio
Trunk Call
Doordarshan
My dear Kuttichaathan
shrubs as boundary walls
Harshad Mehtha

Dilip Doshi
Lonely bus rides, rain forcing through the torn window curtains...
Ghosts under the chair
God up above
Black shoes, yellow gifts, nursery rhymes..
naive honesty
Perry Mason
Multiplication Tables (11 X 11 = 121)
Kerosene Lamp
Flowers of December ....

And forgot a lot others.

Picture speaks

2009-07-22T15:44:00.000+04:00

Bramaram , the BUZZZZZZZZZ

2009-07-14T10:53:00.006+04:00

Brahmaran (The Buzz)

Quest of man to bring home truth . Or with a dash of pun, can be rephrased as “driving” home truth.

Truth, which lies forgotten deep down the paranoic rush hour needs to be dug out and brought home so as to establish one’s own identity.

What elevates the movie to a higher plane is the deft suggestion that each one of us is the seeker (as well as the one sought ?). Vishnu? Shivankutty? The terrorist who placed the bomb? The highjacker? The kidnapper? The murderer?

Or the prostitue trying to read it from Vishnu’s palm?

Only those with the highly disturbing inner drive (buzz deep down inside) can cut through the mad traffic!! Rest of us would miss the bag under the bed and follow false leads.

Through some excellent camera movements, and tight script work director Blessy starts by taking us on a feverish roller coaster ride of suspicions, insecurity , confusion and mis placed values of the modern day materialistic world. (Coimbatore under siege by terrorists is the back drop)

Subsequent pieces of journey mystifies as much as it unravels.

From the split second red and green world of stock exchanges, the movie shifts gear to the winding roads that take us to the virgin lands. The journey in which the movie maker forces us to accompany him has some definite intentions.

“My house lies shattered . It is your duty to set it right!”

“ Only those who have nothing to lose will be able to carry out a revolution!”

“I too have a family. Those with education and wealth think I should’nt have one?”

The movie ends in a remote Indian village with a message of love , shared by the new generation. What happens to the white Pomeranian puppy depends on how safe the carriers take it back home .. to the the city.

Blessy will come back again to tell rest of the story?

But next time, he should give his editor a more free hand so that portions like the silly song (even if its one line) unni sings can be edited out.Also the long drawn out fight in the roadside dhaba (macho image of the protogonist is other wise established – “njangade naattee ithine paambenna parayunne”)

Blessy, who broke many a rules should violate the 2.1/2 hour format of malayalam movies to make it crispier.

***

buzz

–noun

1.	a low, vibrating, humming sound, as of bees, machinery, or people talking.

2.	a rumor or report.

3.	Informal. a phone call: When I find out, I'll give you a buzz.

Slang.

a.	a feeling of intense enthusiasm, excitement, or exhilaration: I got a terrific buzz from those Pacific sunsets.

b.	a feeling of slight intoxication.

–verb (used without object)

5.	to make a low, vibrating, humming sound.

6.	to speak or murmur with such a sound.

7.	to be filled with the sound of buzzing or whispering: The room buzzed.

8.	to whisper; gossip: Everyone is buzzing about the scandal.

9.	to move busily from place to place.

10.	Slang. to go; leave (usually fol. by off or along): I'll buzz along now. Tell him to buzz off and leave me alone.

SabhalameeYatra

2009-07-10T08:04:00.003+04:00

Stocks, Securities, Shares- Tutorial 3

2009-07-09T14:28:00.002+04:00

(click here for previous module)
While Raj was busy counting his eggs, the undertaking bank kept its fingers crossed. In case the IPO isnt fully subscribed (not all 30 shares have been bought by the public) they have to buy the unsold ones! - Shares not being fully subscribed is in itself an unhealthy sign.

Meanwhile, somewhere else a new character is emerging from the wilderness. Ravi, whose boss has just approved for him an extra bonus is wondering what to do with the unexpected bounty. His wife was badgering him to buy her jewelery with the latest designs. Kids want to spend money on an overseas trip. But somehow in the back of his mind, the fast paced green and red ticker figures at the bottom of the Television screens seemed to entice him. Office pantry talk ranging from 15 to 25 % profit on ABB; Nifty future calls with 355 margin ; Sensex going wild on infrastructure projections etc etc were buzzing around his head.

With money in his hand, Ravi knew nothing about all these hi-fi jargons and was on the look out for some one to guide him through the multi tangled world of share markets.

Thats when he met Mr.Dhallal, the stock broker and investment consultant.Ravi and Dhallal dovetailed perfectly. Dhallal assisted Ravi complete the formalities before entering the new world.

PAN Card: Its the Unique number issued to Indian Nationals by the Income Tax Department. This number is required for carrying out many of the financial transactions in India.
Linking of his bank account with the demat account and trading account: In olden days , any one buying shares from the share market would be issued a share certificate, which was the valid document and the same can be sold just like any other commodity. But nowadays, this physical proof of possession has been "de materialised". Whenever you buy a share, an entry will be made (just like adding a figure/ making a sale entry in the accounting software) in your "demat " account. Your demat account is like your bank account where actual money is replaced by electronic representative shares.Thats it. Cash used for these transactions are being held in the Trading account.

Once the formalities are completed, Dhallal advised Ravi to test the waters by buying few shares of Raj Farms which has recently floated an IPO. Ravi applied for 10 shares of Raj farms at a premium of rs.17.

And waited......

(to be continued..)

"We won the war. revolution starts now"

2009-07-05T11:23:00.004+04:00

Che Part 1

Theres so much information available about Ernesto Che Guvera . Books have been written, over and over again; movies have been made; his life and legacy has been discussed in many platforms …

So, what is new in one another movie about Che?

From the overabundant data available, what you choose to highlight and what you deliberately edit out will define the theme of the movie- not just the character on whom the movie is named.

And of course the way you present it matters too.

CHE Part 1 stands out with its element of contemporaneity . Eventhough the movie is structured as an interview with CHE himself, inerview portions have been carefully relegated to the bare minimum.Events from the past are not recollections by the protoganist, but are highlighted by the filmaker to illustrate the film maker’s reading / interpretation .Happenings are not linearly arranged- it goes back and front in time. In some cases, voice over and images are from different periods of time. It could be a deliberate attempt to re orient the audience and force them lose track of the concept of time.

Viewed from a “now” point of view, events from the past assume significant relevance.

Che made a briliant speech at the United Nations in 1964. Out of the long speech, limited portions are re enacted in the movie.

…our prime minister laid out the five points necessary for the existence of a secure peace in the Caribbean. They are:

1. A halt to the economic blockade and all economic and trade pressures by the United States, in all parts of the world, against our country.

2. A halt to all subversive activities, launching and landing of weap- ons and explosives by air and sea, organization of mercenary invasions, infiltration of spies and saboteurs, acts all carried out from the territory of the United States and some accomplice countries.

3. A halt to pirate attacks carried out from existing bases in the

United States

and Puerto Rico.

4. A halt to all the violations of our airspace and our territorial waters by

U.S.

aircraft and warships.

5. Withdrawal from the Guantánamo naval base and return of the Cuban territory occupied by the

United States

.”

While Che makes his above speech, images on the screen are of those where Che and his band of mercenaries battling it out in the jungles of Cuba a few years ago. Reference to USA leaving the Guantanamo Bay would toss the viewer from 1964 to the 50s and back to “now”!

In one stream of story telling, the narration ends just before Guevera and his army enter Havana. On his way to Havana, Che finds one of his army men riding in a costly car recovered from one of the captured towns. Che rebukes him and orders him to return back the car where he found it.

“you can reach Havana either by truck or jeep or by foot. Even if it belongs to Batista, you cant drive your way to Havana in a stolen car”

The movie ends with this contemporary message from Ernesto Che Guevera (or is it from the film maker? )

The movie attempts to enter the mind of a revolutionary, locate the source of his inspiration (“love… love for humanity”), aim (“yes, I know what I am fighting for”) and the battles he would fight in the present day world.

Stocks, Securities, Shares- Tutorial 2

2009-06-29T16:12:00.006+04:00

(continued from previous module)

BC: It is clear that each ‘part’ (henceforth referred to as share) will be worth Rs.10. Out of these 100 shares, the initial 70 belong to you (Raj) and the balance 30 needs to be funded by (yet to be identified) share holders.

Raj: You mean to say somebody will give me this 300 rupees?

BC: Yes. One or more person will give you the amount and thus become a share holder in your business.

Raj: When do I return them their money?

BC: You never have to !

Raj: J

Raj: And what is the % of interest I have to pay them?

BC: None. You will pay them proportional value of the profit. And if your business continues to be in loss, you pay them nothing. That’s it!

Raj was very much excited once he got introduced to the possibilities of equity financing compared to the complexities of debt financing . He wanted to take a plunge straight away and expressed his willingness to go public.

The business consultant took him to Manager, Corporate Banking division of his bank(henceforth referred to as Merchant Banker). He took down the details of his business and promised to meet Raj within two weeks after studying various aspects of his business.

During the next couple of weeks ,while Raj was dreaming about expanding his business to new and higher levels, the merchant bank was doing its home work. It had a thorough examination of all the past and current accounts related to his business. It also studied

General health of his business
Expertise and experience of those managing the business
Price / availability of raw materials
Demand for the product in neighbouring geographic locations
Possibility of expansion of market in farther locations
Overall mood in stock markets
Availability and ease with which cash flows in present day economy (liquidity)
Overall sentiment in the poultry and dairy industry
Existing tax benefits accorded to the specific industry by local and central Governments
Possibility of future reduction in taxes.

and several other factors directly and remotely connected to Raj and his business.

After two weeks, Raj reached the bank early morning to collect his 300 Rupees. In the bank, he was a bit dissapointed to know that there are other formalities to be completed before he could get his hands on the additional 300 Rupees.

The manager gave his part of the lecture to Raj:

“We have done a thorough study of the prevailing investment climate in general and your business in particular. As was discussed in our previous meeting, we are about to announce to the general public an Initial Public Offering (IPO) of 30 shares each with a face value of Rs. 10. This should fetch you Rs.300 as public investment in your business.

But we understand that there will be good demand for these 30 shares , since the investors feel that your business is poised for better profit and thus higher yields for their investment. Hence , we might use this demand in our favour by selling these 30 shares at a higher price, instead of the Rs. 10 we have as face value.

There are two types of pricing of IPOs.

1. Fixed price

2. Book building

In the Fixed price method, based on the data available with us, we fix the premium amount.

In the book building method, instead of a fixed price ,we announce a price band (eg Rs. 15 to Rs 32) and the indivdual investors bid the price themselves. Once all the bids are evaluated, we can arrive at the final price.

In your case, we propose to go for the book building method. We fix a price band of Rs. 12 to Rs. 18.

The offer to general public will start on July 1^st and will close on July 4^th. The bids will be evaluated and price fixed on July 6^th.”

Raj was happy. He went home and dug into the past to see how some of the more recent IPOs fared in the market.

http://www.equitypandit.com/2009/06/ipo-special-mahindra-holidays-and-resorts-india-ltd/

Stocks, Securities, Shares- Tutorial 1

2009-06-29T16:06:00.002+04:00

Raj, with his small family (wife and two kids) was living in a small village somewhere in the Indian vastlands. He managed his family with the meagre salary he earned as a government employee. His wife supported him by rearing a few hens and a cow. By the end of each month (and more frequently in between) she used to sell a few eggs to her neighbours and help Raj in meeting the day to day expenses.

Once , after resolving one such crisis Raj thanked his wife for the timley help and started cursing his low paying job. That’s when a thought stuck him. “Why not get some more chicken and sell more eggs to earn a better living, instead of wasting life clearing the sarkar cobwebs?”

His wife too fancied the idea. She, the true Indian house wife chipped in by offering her minimal ornaments for sale. Together they drummed up enough money to buy a few dozen chicken, a proper pen and quality fodder.

With the reliable experience of his wife, Raj seized the Business Opportunity and developed his farm within the next few months. Raj left his government job and plunged full time in poultry farming. The early days were a bit tough on the family, but they took in their stride by cutting a few more edges in their day to day expenses.

Soon, they had more eggs than they could sell among their neighbours. Raj took the excess output to the nearby town and sold it to the small groceries. Regular timely supply, quality product and the good nature of Raj earned the good will of the shop owners.

Sometime later, the shop owners enquired Raj if he could supply other products to them , like milk and dairy products. Raj was happy to take up a chance for Business Diversification and promised them to start supplying milk from his farm soon. But he had only one cow from the olden days and it was not enough to meet the demand of the market. He wanted to buy a few more cows and establish associated infrastructure so as to deliver the promise he made to his clients.

By this time, income, cash flow and profit have all increased. So did their standard of living- and associated cost of living. Increased production meant increased cost of maintenance and other raw materials. Hence he was not able to find enough money to buy cows. He decided to avail a loan from the local bank. He started weighing different options from different banks. He consulted many people . Just when he was about to finalise the loan deal, he happened to meet the Business consultant in the waiting room of a local bank. A brief excerpt of their conversation as follows:

Business Consultant: You came for a loan?

Raj: Yes Sir.

BC: I believe you want to use this money for developing your existing business?

Raj: Yes Sir.

BC: So you will have to pay hefty interest?

Raj:Of course I have to pay.

BC: And you have to pay the principal money back to the bank too?

Raj: Of course, Sir.

BC: And you have to pledge your assets to the bank too?

Raj: Yes Sir.

BC: And you have to do all these irrespective of the profit or loss your business gets?

Raj: That’s the way, it should be , Isnt it?

BC: No. You have other options too !

Raj was pleasantly surprised to hear that he could get some easy money without having to pay interests or worry about collateral.

And thus the business consultant led Raj out from the world of Debts and introduced him to the wider world of Equity (Share) .

BC: As of today, all your assets can be quantified and your net value can be assessed to be worth Rs.700

And it is estimated that you need an additional amount of Rs.300 to
diversify into dairy business

Combining the above two, your revised assett would be as follows:

TOTAL ASSET: Rs.1000

We will have the answers to your doubts of “why” and “how” later on but, for now, lets divide the combined amount of Rs.1000 into a number of equal parts.

For example, lets divide the total asset of Rs.1000 into 100 equal parts.

..(click here to continue..)

Kisan Krishi Deepam

2009-06-22T12:25:00.000+04:00

(For Facebook Farm Town farmers)

Product wise seed cost / yield price analysis with the harvest period factor incorporated shows that its always better to go for Grapes cultivation. And for the cost conscious farmer who cant stay awake during the nights, he can always opt for Strawberry which gives a seed cost vs high yield.

Rich farmers who dont have to worry much about seed cost can discount that factor and look into other options too, as illustrated in the chart #2 below:

Eventhough Coffee plantation yields better dividends per hectare, the 3 day long wait offsets other benefits. Hence it is always advisable to go for Potato during the nights and the day times can be filled busy with plowing for and harvesting Grapes.

Better experiences and suggestions expected from other successful farmers.

SNC Lavalin

2009-06-17T16:12:00.000+04:00

“Pathetic” would be too mild a word to comment on the way “issues” related to SNC Lavalin’s contract with KSEB for their Pallivasal (and other) plant renovation works are discussed currently.

Depending on exposure, social, political (even religious) inclinations each one of us know the issue as one or more of the following:

• Battle between conservative and revisionist elements within CPI (M)
• Personal ego clash between Pinaray Vijayan and VS Achudhananthan
• Rendaam vimochana samaram – a curtain raiser
• Fight between the good and the bad
• Personal corruption of Pinaray Vijayan
• Organised corruption by political parties.
• Misuse of constitutional and regulatory authorities for political and personal vendetta.
• Loss (to the Government) of 33.20 Crore rupees paid to SNC Lavalin as cosnultancy and other fees.
• Loss ( to the Government) of 89.32 Crore Rupees due for Malabar Cancer Institute.

Now that it is sure that those accused in the case will be tried in court , we could assume only two possible outcomes:
• The accused will be tried and found not guilty
• The accused will be tried and found guilty.

Discounting the possibility of both these outcomes being influenced by factors like lack of witness, skill of the lawyers etc, we can fairly consider that the issue has met its logical end, once the verdict is out.

Or can we?

I would like to guide you to the 15 page document issued by CAG’s office in the year 2005. It was a summary of findings listed after a detailed review of “Renovation and modernisation of Pallivasal, Sengulam and Panniar Hydro Power Projects by Kerala State Electricity Board”

Two lines, culled out from different portions are as follows:

The Board undertook the renovation and modernisation of Pallivasal, Sengulam and Panniar hydro electric projects ignoring the recommendations of CEA regarding the good condition of the plant at Pallivasal…….

…….the very objective of improvement in efficiency of machines could not be achieved as there was no improvement in the generation of power.

The absurdity of the whole episode lies not in the lines quoted above. It lies in the fact that none of the mainstream media discusses this absurdity. We have been force fed with the sentimental angle of Cancer Institute and personal involvement of high profile pesonalities.

Think of a project to build a bridge across a river. Even at concept stage, its pointed out that the bridge wouldn’t serve the purpose. And after spending considerable amount of money and time , once the bridge is built, the people still use the ferry instead of the bridge!

And the whole population (including the newspapers;the absolute adjudicators of modern day justice , the know-all TV anchors; literate consumers in local chai shop and toddy shop; e mail groups etc) is discussing the fate of a single person – And he is being tried for the colour he ordered for painting the bridge!!

Summary of CAG report is available at : http://www.cag.gov.in/html/cag_reports/kerala/rep_2005/com_overview.pdf

deatiled report is available at http://www.cag.gov.in/html/cag_reports/kerala/rep_2005/com_chapter_3.pdf

Colours of Slumdog and the Millionaire.

2009-03-01T08:28:00.015+04:00

Jamal, desperately trying to escape from the makeshift toilet where he is trapped, jumps into the pond of s**t. Unmindful of the dirty fact that he is fully covered in yellowy s*it runs to meet the film star. Even as the surrounding crowd is put off by the smell, the film star (clad in an yellow coat) reaches out to Jamal and obliges leisurely with an autograph.

Apart from the obvious attempt by a firangi (foreign) film maker to poke fun at Indian film viewer's 's**hit standard' of appreciation and the 'naturally' obliging Indian cinema stooping to the same levels, should the colour of yellow be taken so seriously while viewing the film?

Yes is my answer.

Through out the film, a deliberate attempt of two- colour composition is evidently displayed.

One of yellow. And the other blue. Blue being the signature colour of the Millionaire reality show is a natural selection.

At any given point, every frame is either given an yellow tint or a blue one. And in some exceptionally beautiful ones, a combination of both! Some of the frames are either horizontally , vertically or even diagonally split into these two colours.

Seemingly insignificant items of irrelevance are decoratively placed in some of the fleeting frames so as to maintain the weight of colour yellow . (Like the paper tray in police station, cartons in the hotel kitchen etc...). The beggar van is painted yellow on the outside and blue on the inside. Call centre, furniture in Javed's house etc are prominently blue.

Not to talk about the dress- especially of the three musketeers (during various phases of the story line) and the inspector!

Ah! Yes! The child Lord Rama who makes his appearance exactly at the point when the children are made to shed their innocence.

Like the sound, music , movements and dialogues, the colour pattern should be considered to follow the movie.

The one character who weaves in and out of these two colours with ease is the inspector.(like in his introductory scene where he enters a room from where streaks of yellow appear through the gaps in the door! ) I would use the word 'interlocutor' to define him. He is the one who seeks the answers (jnana). But he makes it clear that he has other set of (personal) questions- different from those which we as part of (and products of ) the massive reality game show are looking for!

What is the movie about, after all? What are the questions being asked? And more importantly what are the answers? OR WHAT IS THE ANSWER?

Depends on how you interpret the colours and where you find the final denouement.

Does the story (!) end where Salim kills himself , Jamal wins the game show and Latika joins him?

The way Jamal faces his moment of victory (in the game) with a sense of detachment, even reminiscent of the 'Gita' while those around rejoice is ample evidence to the fact that his goals lie elsewhere. (He even makes an explicit statement that he joined the game hoping to find Latika.)

Latika, while declaring that she doesnt know the answer for the final question has her face glowing with controlled contention.

Salim, as he dies in his grave of bank notes doesnt seem to have any regrets. (he has already atoned for his sins- "God forgive me , I know I have sinned!")

But, are Salim, Jamal and Latika three different characters or manifestations of the same?

Where are the Roses of Yester Years

2009-02-25T08:31:00.010+04:00

following is reproduction of an older post -Nov 2001- in cetfriends group, as part of a series where batch mates of CET 86-90 throw light on their missing decade.

BABU SYED

b AUG 1986 d DEC 1990.

WHERE ARE THE ROSES OF YESTER YEARS?

In 1991 , I went back home. By that time, I have spent more than half of my life in hostels and boarding schools. It WAS a real HOME COMING for me!
But I was not allowed to enjoy the luxury of home for long. Friendly enquiries from kind neighbours "entha joli onnum kitteelle?" (not found a job , eh?) made me leave the safe confines of idleness and launch myself from the the city of MADRAS.(the nearest CITY!)
Armed with just a few half baked dreams and a degree (half baked?), started my journey, alone.

MADRAS:(aka Chennai)
Eventhough Chennai was my base, I was busy setting up Refrigeration Plants and Cold Rooms in places as varied as Udupi and Maldives.It was during this time that I had many an unexpected meetings with the forgotten roses.
A gentle tap from behind while I was waiting for the traffic signal in Spencer Junction, MountRoad brought me face to face with Biku Mathew Chacko. ( a couple of years back, heard he was in Bangkok)

After a film screening, when the lights came back in Gorkhy Bhavan, I recognised the face of Shailesh Baskar. He was doing his M.Arch in Anna University.

Another day, I noticed in a hotel in Madras that the guy sitting in front of me was equally interested in me as his dosas.A couple of stares and glances later, "thirontharathalle padichadhu?" broke the ice.

Sisupalan reintroduced himself .

Later when Ganesh joined L&T , he teamed up with Sisu. I used to disturb them often, mostly after 10:30 pm.( remember the nightmares!)

Also Balakrishna K. He remebers the chance meeting we had and the time we spent in the streets of Madras?

While on a trip to Thiruvanathapuram, even met the mighty Kovalam Rajan.

And "Vettu Vinodh", of all the places, in the deserts of Jhalawar, Rajasthan.

In 1997, from Madras, I jumped to Saudi Arabia. (Dhahran in Eastern Saudi Arabia) I was keeping the Aramcoans cool.Contact with friends were confined to emails and snail mails.
Dinesh Venugopal had almost day to day correspondences, but some time later we lost each other. Raju TK with whom I had (and still have) contacts kept me posted about news out there.

After my stint in S.Arabia, joined ETA, Dubai(1999). Came to know there is an active alumni association with regular activities. Could not meet anyone except a few like Mathai, (Mathew Verghese) who walked into my office to meet the guy sitting next to me!.(small world!)The reason I could not meet other guys was that, I was assigned a job (Air Conditioning, if you dont know what I was doing any way) in Egypt and had to leave for the land of Pyramids.

EGYPT:(aka El Misr)
Mother of the world led me into the new Millenium. I will cherish for years to come memories of the early hours of Jan 01. 2000. The first sun rays of the Millineium
found me perching dangerously to the rocks on top of Mount Sinai(where Pr.Moses is supposed to have received the commandments)

And soon after I received my Angel. Fathima became my wife.

Could not meet any of the CETians in Egypt! But online contacts with Balakrishna,
Jahangeer(singapore), Ganesh, Thakazhi etc continued.

After 2 Egyptian years, am back here in Dubai.Trying to get the old contacts renewed.

Expecting a new flower to bloom in mid January....
The journey continues.....

November 21 2001.
Fujairah,UAE

Reflections of a Traffic Violator!

2009-02-19T11:08:00.009+04:00

Its a bad , bad day.

The Kangaroo court is scheduled to meet in the evening at 7pm. I havent even made up my mind yet: to plead guilty? ignorance ? or both?

And there are a host of 'other' mundane things to take care of- like having enough coins for the parking lot in front of Shezhan Restaurant! (thats where the trial is supposed to take place.)

Nothing compares to what is yet to unfold.

A routine call from the office of Insurance provider brings a news that changes it all. Today is the last day for renewing my car registration! That means I have to clear all traffic dues, renew insurance and present my car at the registration office for renewal - or face further fines!

Pushing all other matters to a zone of relatively lesser importance, registration renewal becomes action plan for the day. First step is to clear traffic fines. I remember I havent paid the 150 Dirham ($40) fine which was "framed" on me for illegal parking a few months ago.

Framed?

How else would I refer the tragedy that happened seven months ago:

That was just another day. After circling and re circling the huge parking lot in Dubai creek (in front of Twin Towers) for more than an hour, i finally spotted a vacant space . Carefully squeezing in my (brand new) car and positioning it in the most sought after piece of real estate in Dubai, as a law abiding resident,dropped 10 Dirhams in the machine and got a receipt authorising me to use the parking lot for the next 24 hours. I placed the receipt on the dashboard, and in a rush to reach office slammed the car door close and without a glance back ran off. (already late by an hour!)

Oh! my! my! Why didnt I look back? even a fraction of a second's glance would have saved me. While I was running to reach office, unknown to me, something happened inside the car. Later on I was able to re construct the sequence of events as follows... in slow motion.... after placing the parking receipt in a clearly visible position, i close the front door by pushing it hard and fast... door closes.. moving a volume of air inside the car... the small piece of paper that I have just placed is raised up... makes an 180 degree somer sault ... and settles back in position.. with the blank side up!!

End of day, RTA (Roads and Transport Authority) man has already placed a slip for 150 Dirham fine!

Any way, its an opportunity to learn from mistakes!

Thinking of it, did I learn from mistakes? ....

NO is the answer! And the truth stared at me point blank when I opened the Dubai Traffic web portal to pay the fine today. There I discover ANOTHER traffic violation recorded in my name. This time its attached with an even costlier price tag- Dirhams 400 ($100). Dated 21 November, Friday 08:50 AM !

Considering the fact that Friday is weekend holiday in this part of the world, the natural question arises "Why on earth did I violate traffic rule on a Friday morning?"

And the web portal fails to provide the most important details: what was the type of violation / where was it committed.

Its for me to solve the puzzle. And the clues? ...friday mornings usually start with my wife posing the question:"so what have you cooked up today with your (association) friends so that you can stay away from home?"

YES!! I remember now. On that fateful day, I was driving to Dhaid Cricket Grounds to watch some of my friends play a game I dont like to watch. (cricket)

Now the other question : What was that I committed as a violation?

From the list of traffic violations i could locate four offences for which a 400 Dhirham fine could be imposed.

1. Dangerous overtaking by lorry drivers. - Of course I didnt drive a lorry that day!

2. Overtaking where prohibited.-- may be?

3. Vehicles entering the road in a dangerous manner.-- may be?

4. Carrying out fundamental changes to the engine or chassis without permit. -- Really?

I spent the rest of the day trying to figure out what was the violation I committed, untill i got a reminder for the 7 pm meeting at Schezan restaurant.

As for the registration renewal, well.. I have to attend to it tomorrow!

Don McLean- American Pie

2009-02-14T10:26:00.004+04:00

Lyrics of American Pie by Don Mc Lean
A long, long time ago...
I can still remember
How that music used to make me smile.
And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those people dance
And, maybe, they'd be happy for a while.

But february made me shiver
With every paper I'd deliver.
Bad news on the doorstep;
I couldn't take one more step.

I can't remember if I cried
When I read about his widowed bride,
But something touched me deep inside
The day the music died.

So bye-bye, miss american pie.
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
And them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
Singin', "this'll be the day that I die.
"this'll be the day that I die."

Did you write the book of love,
And do you have faith in God above,
If the Bible tells you so?
Do you believe in rock 'n roll,
Can music save your mortal soul,
And can you teach me how to dance real slow?

Well, I know that you're in love with him
`cause I saw you dancin' in the gym.
You both kicked off your shoes.
Man, I dig those rhythm and blues.

I was a lonely teenage broncin' buck
With a pink carnation and a pickup truck,
But I knew I was out of luck
The day the music died.

I started singin',
"bye-bye, miss american pie."
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
Them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
And singin', "this'll be the day that I die.
"this'll be the day that I die."

Now for ten years we've been on our own
And moss grows fat on a rollin' stone,
But that's not how it used to be.
When the jester sang for the king and queen,
In a coat he borrowed from james dean
And a voice that came from you and me,

Oh, and while the king was looking down,
The jester stole his thorny crown.
The courtroom was adjourned;
No verdict was returned.
And while lennon read a book of marx,
The quartet practiced in the park,
And we sang dirges in the dark
The day the music died.

We were singing,
"bye-bye, miss american pie."
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
Them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
And singin', "this'll be the day that I die.
"this'll be the day that I die."

Helter skelter in a summer swelter.
The birds flew off with a fallout shelter,
Eight miles high and falling fast.
It landed foul on the grass.
The players tried for a forward pass,
With the jester on the sidelines in a cast.

Now the half-time air was sweet perfume
While the sergeants played a marching tune.
We all got up to dance,
Oh, but we never got the chance!
`cause the players tried to take the field;
The marching band refused to yield.
Do you recall what was revealed
The day the music died?

We started singing,
"bye-bye, miss american pie."
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
Them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
And singin', "this'll be the day that I die.
"this'll be the day that I die."

Oh, and there we were all in one place,
A generation lost in space
With no time left to start again.
So come on: jack be nimble, jack be quick!
Jack flash sat on a candlestick
Cause fire is the devil's only friend.

Oh, and as I watched him on the stage
My hands were clenched in fists of rage.
No angel born in hell
Could break that satan's spell.
And as the flames climbed high into the night
To light the sacrificial rite,
I saw satan laughing with delight
The day the music died

He was singing,
"bye-bye, miss american pie."
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
Them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
And singin', "this'll be the day that I die.
"this'll be the day that I die."

I met a girl who sang the blues
And I asked her for some happy news,
But she just smiled and turned away.
I went down to the sacred store
Where I'd heard the music years before,
But the man there said the music wouldn't play.

And in the streets: the children screamed,
The lovers cried, and the poets dreamed.
But not a word was spoken;
The church bells all were broken.
And the three men I admire most:
The father, son, and the holy ghost,
They caught the last train for the coast
The day the music died.

And they were singing,

"bye-bye, miss american pie."
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
And them good old boys were drinkin whiskey and rye
Singin, "this ll be the day that I die.
"this ll be the day that I die."

They were singing,
"bye-bye, miss american pie."
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
Them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
Singin', "this'll be the day that I die."

Evolution, Disturbed

2009-02-11T15:57:00.030+04:00

"Parinaama parischedham" (rough translation: evolution, terminated) was staged on 6th February at Indian Social Centre, Abu Dhabi as part of the annual family meet of College Of Engineering Trivandrum Alumni Association in UAE.

Synopsis:

The pace at which technology is advancing, it was felt that those who graduated as engineers long ago would be misfits in the modern world. The University decides to cancel their degree certificates and asks them to undergo a crash course in modern engineering trends. A group of engineers from UAE find themselves in the same class room of CET along with a few big timers like Shri. Madhavan Nair, Shri Suresh Kumar IAS etc.

The story culminates in the teacher realising the futility of conducting such a class when Shri Madhavan Nair fires up the Chandrayaan probe successfully. (not before the teacher whisking away Arashamoodu Saaraamma, with whom he has developed a more than academic relationship by this time)

Script: Madan Mohan

On stage:

Mathew Verghese

Sanu Mathew

Jayachandran

Babu Syed

TS Jacob

Madan Mohan

Pradeep

Shammi

Rapheal

Kishore

Dileep VS

Joseph

Ranjeev....

"upstaged" by: COAT in tholaninja kurukkanmaar!

for complete script: http://manalaaranyakaandam.blogspot.com/2009/02/blog-post.html

Van Gogh Drives Dubai

2008-12-04T16:29:00.009+04:00

What is Sub Prime Crisis?

2008-10-08T15:51:00.004+04:00

What exactly is the sub prime crisis?

The word “prime” implies that which is optimum. “Sub prime” is that which is graded below optimum.

If Mr.Prime has a very good job, good savings and assets with better liquidity ( can be disposed off easily and profitably in a crisis situation) then he is a prime candidate for obtaining loans from any bank.

Mr.Subprime , a carpenter by profession doesn’t have a regular income (no job), no assets worth showing off, not even good friends to stand guarantee is a sub prime candidate in the eyes of the banker.

What if Mr.Subprime goes to Mr.Local Bank to buy a home for himself? It would seem that no banker worth his designer suit would touch him with a long pole. But, on the contrary some banks gleefully welcome Mr.Subprime offering him attractive loans. What is the catch?

1.He will have to pay a higher interest rate.

2. In case he fails to repay the loan, bank will assume ownership of the house he buys using the loan.

Not so bad . Looks like a win- win situation.

So where and when did the situation turn into a global “lose – lose more” situation?

For the time being lets forget Mr.Subprime who is happy with his family in his newly bought home. We shift our attention Mr.Local Banker who gave him the high priced loan.

Mr. Local Banker after seeing off Mr. Sub prime receives a few more customers and sanctions loans for some. By end of day he shuffles through his papers and realizes that he has made very good business and gives himself a pat at his back.

He collects all the loan documents, compiles them all in a file , puts a covering sheet on top and takes it to Mr. Big Banker, who is an investment analyst in a well known bank in the neighbouring big city.

Mr.Big Banker, who already has got a collection of such files from different smaller banks welcomes Mr.Local banker with a smile. Lets listen to their conversation:

(after the customary greetings, the yget down to serious business..)

Small: All these guys have taken loans from me and have pledged their property against these loans. Why don’t you take this file as my collateral and loan me some BIG money, I badly need for circulation in my bank?

Big: Ok lemme have a look at it. My insurance company needs some sort of solid proof that I have enough cash flow with me. Ill pass on this file to them.

Mr.Big Banker then collects all those files from his huge wooden shelf , puts a covering note to it and bundles them off to his Insurance Company with a copy to his Head Office.

(hes sure to get a hefty bonus on account of this transaction!)

Mr.SubPrime, not knowing that his property deed has been bundled several times over along with a few million others enjoys his life in his newly bought house.

Not for long.

After some time, he finds it difficult to pay off his (euphemistically named ) Easy Monthly Installments. Meanwhile he notices the worried looks on several of his neighbour’s faces too! Rumours get confirmed that some of the houses in nearby plots have already been taken over by the respective banks!

And what the hell does the Bank do with these taken-over homes? They cant keep it in their safe lockers! They sell it to prospective buyers. More and more houses are being sold by banks .. Gradually, in the beginning and later on suddenly property prices falls from their actual values.

One fine morning Mr. Sub Prime realizes that the current value of the house he is occupying is just a fraction of the amount he has to pay back to the bank. He picks up the phone and tells Mr. Local Banker “ Hey you, I cant pay you back my loan amount. Do whatever you want to!”

The next morning, Mr. SubPrime and family move out of their house , Mr. Local Bank posts a notice (printed in bulk!) announcing that the house is for sale!

With more and more houses on sale, less and less of new buildings are being built. Carpenters like Mr. Sub Prime and so many other tradesmen find job opportunities getting scarcer. Lesser amount of building materials are being sold, lesser equipments are being bought, lesser income in house holds.

Supermarkets that once sold consumer goods like hot cakes are busy chasing flies( with lesser employees- most have been fired already!)

Backtracking the goods chain, its revealed that factories receive fewer orders , transport requirements are on the downslide, orders for raw materials for product and equipments aren’t generated either.

People (and institutions) short of cash turn to their savings and investments. Money is withdrawn from stock exchanges, amomh other investments. As shares go down, more people withdraw theirs from the market further driving down the stocks.Panic selling results in Share prices tumble down.

Hey ! hold on, where are the banks ? They should be having enough money to help them all out!

That’s the most “grimmest” situation of all.

Banks, small, big and medium have over the past few years loaned huge amounts of money for their clients to buy new homes. Their coffers are almost empty now but for the valueless property deeds and “House For Sale” boards hanging in front of the discarded homes!

And while Mr.Sub Prime goes homeless, his property document which has made several rounds of packaging and repackaging in all levels of banking structure (along with a few million others totaling multiples of trillions of dollars) is now worth not more than a toilet paper!

There goes an economy down the drain!

Mid Life Crisis

2008-10-07T10:22:00.005+04:00

" I still have a long way to live- three whole streets!"

The day I realised that the local barbershop wallah (tr. hair dresser) has lost interest in me as a prospective customer has been the turning point.And of late, I 've been hearing in the "golden classic" section of radio and TV more songs which were hot hits during my school / college days.

For some one who has lost any hopes of after life (heaven or hell - whatever is available) the panic- in-the- belly syndrome assumes a more deadly (no pun intended) posture.

Soon, I ll be history.

Worse, I ll be another forgotten dust particle- leftover of bone eating earthworms. It could happen tomorrow, or the day after, just as it could have happened any particular day of the past 30+ years. But now the figure 40 ushers in a sense of urgent definitude to the inevitable.

I havent seen many of the good movies yet. More so, I will never get to KNOW of the movies that will be made after I die. Infinite number of trivialities that I would miss ! And much more...

Hope? In the face of death?

Only for those who suitably select the yardstick with which to measure their lives.

(from a previous(may 2006) post in cetfriends yahoo groups )

United Socialist America

2008-09-20T21:30:00.004+04:00

The word "reform" has been in circulation (thanks to Dr. Manmohan and his likes) in the third world for quite some time. And our (outgoing?) PM has always drawn inspiration from the lofty example set by his masters in the US in liberating the economy and subsequently the country from "outdated socialist, state controlled distribution of wealth".
Right from the days of being Finance Minister , Dr.Singh has been a champion of liberating state owned industries (even if it is profit making ! ) as part of his REFORM campaign.

But the word reform is taking a diametrically opposite meaning in the capitalistic camp headquarters.

This morning the (third) world woke up to the news that Henry Paulson , US Treasury Secretary (Finance Minister) initiated a process to take over the loss making banking giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in order to save the US economy from the abyss the subprime crisis is leading to.

Now that the US has decided to use tax payer's money to own loss making companies, would the raajavine swantham bhagthan Dr.Singh abandon his plans to privatize profit making Govt owned companies in India , just before he gets out of office?--------

Another milestone step in America's path of its own Perestroika. Leader of the free economy uses tax payer's money to buy the collapsed ( largest) insurance provider,AIG.
And his master's voice (our own PM) is on a mad spree of distributing profit making insurance companies in India to private (desi and foreign) companies as if its his (party's) bab ka property.
The moment he eased the lefties out of the power corridors of New Delhi he even handed over the hard earned (does he know what it means?) pension money of government employees to private players to well, "play" with.

Why is Bush and Manmohan going in opposite directions? Is it because of some unknown intricacies of "dialectical materialism of capitalism"?

When lenin's statue was removed from the streets of Moscow, it was hailed as failure of communism. today when one after the other ,statues (lehman brothers,AIG Insurance,Merril Lynch,freddie mac, fannie mae,...list continues... ) collapse on the Wall Street and the mighty United States of America starts to use terms like "controlled state intervention" , "federal government support to private institutions" ... is it a (even if slow) march towards the "failed " statue of lenin?

our own PM , I hope would pick a few points from his master when he meets him on Sep 25th in his alma mater.------------------------

an interesting but poetic twist to the story. latest news indicate that premier US investment bank Morgan Stanley is about to be taken over by CITIC. and what the heck is this CITIC?
China International Trust and Investment Company, is a state-owned investment company of the People's Republic of China.
(citic already has a 9.9% stake in morgan stanley!)
may be i have to rephrase my previous comment. United Socialist America is marching not towards the statue of lenin, but towards Tiananmain Square.

ahoy self proclaimed capitalists! (sanu excused, hez on emergency vacation) , any comments?

Pyrrhic victory

2008-07-23T15:19:00.001+04:00

(A victory that is accompanied by enormous losses and leaves the winners in as desperate shape as if they had lost)

Pyrrhus, a first century general and king of a Greek tribe, after winning the battle of Asculum remarked “one more such victory would utterly undo me”

The events leading to the vote of confidence and the high voltage proceeedings in the parliament confirms that the “triumph of democracy” in India has put the country in the battle weary shoes of Genral Pyrrhus.

Right from the day the left withdrew their support to Government when the issue of nuclear deal (who cares! ) took a back seat and all other issues ranging from naming ceremony of Lucknow airport to more serious issues like “how money was allowed into the parliament” took the center stage, the purpose of the battle itself was lost.

Prime Minister Dr.Singh has outlived his reputation as an elite bureaucrat (legacy of his early IMF days) with modesty as his face mask and emerges to claim his rightful place along side PV Narasimha Rao(irony of Shibu is not lost!) and his likes. Any way he won. Or did he?

Decades after his grand mother gave a call for “garibi hatao” Rahul Gandhi finally managed to find the root cause of poverty in India – the energy crisis! If Rahul’s grand son is able to find out WHAT poverty is, we can complete the cycle of victory.

The lone MP from Manipur claims in Parliament that after 4 years he finally supports the UPA because the PM has promised to redraw the state’s boundries with Nagaland. Overnight redefining of territorial boundaries is indeed a sign of victory. Of?

But years later , it will be remembered that while many won the battle, some FOUGHT!

Whats wrong with the Indo US nuclear deal?

2008-07-19T16:43:00.002+04:00

Sec 2.1 of Indo US 123 agreement says :

Each Party shall implement this Agreement in accordance with its respective applicable treaties, national laws, regulations and licence requirements…

Sec 2.1 of Sino US 123 agreement (1985) says :

a party may not invoke the provisions of its internal law as justification for its failure to perform a treaty

It is in this context that the Hyde act passed by USof A should be read with utmost caution.
Hyde act details the circumstances under which USA decided to enter into a contract with India. It also details the circumstances under which USA can decide to terminate the contract.

As per the contract USA would supply ( for a hefty price) nuclear reactors to India. It would also facilitate through IAEA supply of fuel required for the reactors. Fuel shall be supplied by countries other than USA .

What would happen if USA decides to terminate the contract halfway?
US companies would have pocketed huge amounts of money for their supply of reactors to India. These reactors would starve to death due to non supply of fuel by other countries (as per the treaty).

Those in Government say that as per the agreement , India is free to take " unspecified soveriegn actions " as "corrective measures" if such a case arises.

It should be highlighted that USA on their part were smart and patriotic enough to enact the Hyde act to safeguard their interests detailing the corrective measures, India talks of corrective measures at appropriate point of time.

It would be prudent to recollect the corrective measures enforced by the mighty Government of India (under the leadership of several political parties ) against Union Carbide (now Dow Chemicals) . Union carbide (aka Dow) still REFUSES to even clear the premises of chemical waste, leave alone compensation for the affected native Indians!

We can't take corrective measures against a single US company , we are expected to take corrective measures (which aren't even thought of!) against the mighty USof A.

There is another serious breach of Sovereignty of our country that has been allowed to be incorporated in the 123 agreement.

Article 14 of 123 agreement says :

"Following the cessation of cooperation under this Agreement, either Party shall have the right to require the return by the other Party of any nuclear material, equipment, non-nuclear material or components transferred under this Agreement and any special fissionable material produced through their use..."

"If either Party seeks to exercise its right pursuant to paragraph 4 of this Article..."

In simple terms, in the same way as your motor cycle which you have bought through a loan can be taken away by the private money lender's goondas (in case you fail to pay your EMIs) the USA has the right to enter India and take away the nuclear material/ reactor away .

Clause quoted above is not even from the Hyde act, it is from the 123 agreement India is about to sign.

What is the EMI you have to pay?

Hyde act specifies that the President of USA shall submit to relevant congressional committees, periodically , among other things, "a description and assessment of the specific measures that India has taken to fully and actively participate in United States and international efforts to dissuade, isolate,and, if necessary, sanction and contain Iran "

The president of USA will monitor the foreign policy of India and report it to US congress which in turn will take "suitable actions " through its goonda force.

also read eminent nuclear scientist's opinion: http://www.hindu.com/2008/07/19/stories/2008071961631200.htm

alternate post http://babusyed.wordpress.com/2008/07/

Crime and Punishment

2008-03-10T12:54:00.001+04:00

under construction...