QUESTIONS ON YSR CRASH

I am sorry for this sad post but I guess it reflects how I am feeling today and the anxiety of the previous day when the Helicopter first went missing. I have to ask some plain and simple questions

If there isn't any, start it!

I wanted to know all the facts relating to a certain Kannada book which was at the center of various controversies when it was first published. Since the book was published two years back, all I could rely on was internet. But that proved to be a failure. I was very much wrong when I assumed that there would be wealth of information on the book- in English- as it had generated unbelievable controversy and also the fact that the book had seen several reprints. There was very little information which was available on the net and whatever was available.... continue reading

Happy Birthday to the Blog

It was an incredible high when I first published my first blog post. It felt really good. As you can see from my first post, it was an outpouring of wonderment at the new world that I found on the Net via free hi-speed broadband Internet courtesy a Summer Internship in some company. I wrote again and again and it felt better and better. Then came the spoiler. The first comment by Neil on my first post and I was like “errr wot?” I wondered why he was commenting on my post! It was like putting on music and dancing away merrily in the privacy of your room only to find out that you have an onlooker. That was my feeling at getting my first comment. I went over to Neil’s blog and found to my surprise that he had a blog too. That was my first click through in blog world...more.

Citizen Journalism - The "Media Periphery"

This is the gap that Citizen Journalism fills up. It is sort of a "media periphery", which accommodates those stories which do not make to the mainstream media, but are interesting all the same. The end result is a huge widening of media reach, thus facilitating our reach and accessibility to a wider range of news. And the benefit? Greater enrichment of knowledge (More information = More knowledge). More.....

10th Anniversary Of World Blogging

Today blogging features among the top hobbies (read passions) of the world, enabling a wide range of people (from celebrities to nobodies like me) to express their feelings/comments/evaluations, etc. on virtually everything under the sun.

Personally speaking, having a blog of my own has been one of the most significant things to have happened in my life. Through my blog I can share with the world my feelings, views, etc. on such a diverse range of topics (ranging from global affairs to my personal experiences), which is such a thrilling and fulfilling experience. Today I am an active member of the world blogging movement, and it is an identity that I am extremely proud of. Blogging is a revolution in the human civilization, and I cherish this fact that I am a part of this revolution. It is certainly true that I am a very ordinary blogger, and my contribution in the world blogging movement is simply negligible. But I am at least a part of the blogging movement, and that is all for me. More.....

Is “VIP Culture” Really Absent In The USA?

However, while evaluating the incident, a different thought came into my mind. While it is certainly true that the US government officials do not show any special treatment to the celebrities and politicians, does that necessarily mean that there is no “VIP Culture” at all in that country?

After all, isn’t it true that the business magnets and corporate Tsars hold huge influence in the USA, so much so that sometimes they even largely influence government decisions and policies? And is it really believable that the US government officials do not show any special favour to these people? More

Primary School Drop Out Honoured by Engineers

The Institution of Engineers ,Mysore Chapter, honoured one such “uneducated” person last year, breaking its old two and a half decade old convention. What are the special traits, attributes or qualities these engineers saw or considered in that uneducated person as to distance itself from its self- established norms as to bring this fifth standard drop out as to drape him with shawl, read citation and eulogizing him along with retired engineers on the same dais....More

Done with Bangalore

All set to return to Mysore tomorrow morning. My books, which weighed around 15 kgs, have already reached home. Few years back, I lived in Mylapore, Chennai for a good five months. When I left that place and came back to Mysore, I actually missed it for quite sometime. Perhaps because I thought Mylapore was the.... continue reading

A Matter of Life And Death

A new study finds that women who keep feelings of marital conflict to themselves are much more likely to die than those who don’t.

There is research (presented at the annual American Psychological Association) to show that for women, communication in their marriage could make the difference between life and death. Women who bottle up their feelings related to marital conflict are four times at risk of dying from various causes when compared to women who talk their heads off.

So if someone tells you that talk is cheap - it is not true in this context - in fact, it could be a matter of life and death. In a marriage, or any relationship, open communication is crucial - regardless of whether the couple is happy or not. Keeping it all inside only eats away years of your life.

So - how can you ...More.

Small Announcement

Today, when I took bath it was around 3pm and did not even eat the lunch. From morning ten, when I had come back from classes, I did nothing but stare at a website till the dreaded hour, 12 noon. The website continuously displayed the same message in spite of me refreshing it every ten seconds. This is the picture it presented. And waiting for the.... continue reading

Chattisgarh Delegation Visits MGP

Fifty people's representatives and officers of various local bodies in Chattisgarh state visted Mysore Grahakara Parishat office in two batches on 18-8-09 and 25-8-09. They interacted with MGP members on civic and consumer issues. They were given a demonstration about how various foods are adulterated and how one can detect such adulteration.

A Shocking Decision By The Supreme Court

A shocking decision by the Supreme Court in which it has termed a provision of law as legal fiction and disregarded it has been reported recently..... continue reading

Electricity - Charging More For Less Quality And Quantity

The five electricity supply companies (ESCOMs) in Karnataka have applied for yet another increase in tariff. The quality of power supply is steeply deteriorating with severe load-shedding, frequent interruptions and voltage fluctuations, but the ESCOMs keep asking for higher tariffs at every opportunity. As a result, the electricity tariff has increased by 60% in the last 9 years in Karnataka.... continue reading

Onam: Some interesting news

Some people call bloggers ‘scavengers of the media’. Never mind that. I am so touched by a news item that was splashed over the electronic and print media that I decided to write about it for the benefit of those who have missed the piece. To illustrate the contrast, I decided to add another story as well...

Niswarth - Caring for Disabled Tea Garden Workers

The life of Surjya Oraon, who is blind, changed considerably once Niswarth became a part of it. Surjya would take a bus ride into the nearby town of Oodlabari everyday and beg for a living. He is now fully employed at the incense stick production unit run by the Niswarth Centre in Bagracote. Read more...

Photos: Flowers for Onam

Of Friends - With And Without Faces

Here's a lovely picture my best friend Corinne sent me - and my spirits rose instantly!Hey Corinne - I just wish we can actually do this soon!

There's something about the beach at dusk (or sunrise) with friends that is purely magical.

I came across this cool poem recently. It seemed to very charmingly express what most of us experience with...More

Hello, can you please give my friend a . .

It was raining very heavily in the night, may be at around nine thirty. I was on my way home and stopped at a nearby medical store to buy some medicines for my grandmother. I gave the prescription to the shop keeper and was waiting to receive my order. At about the same time, a tall man came there and stood on the opposite side. He asked for something, which I could not hear. Not that I was interested, but since there was a heavy downpour, the whole area was deserted and normally, I should have clearly heard what he had said. Even the shop owner wasn’t able to hear him properly. By gesturing, he asked “What?” The tall man said..... More

I am Making An Appointment With Myself

Life is so rushed these days - I have been spending almost all last month at the hospital (mom is unwell) - I have been juggling time between work, taking care of my mom, cooking and all the other essential peripheral things life cannot run without. And obviously I've been wishing there was some way I could stretch the day some more, apart from wishing...More

Kaminey- not a review

Film watching is akin to a journey of few hours into the lives of so many- at once. It could be engaging, entertaining, thrilling, saddening, or even outright boring. Your reaction to the movie depends on how well you associate with the characters and the sequences. Sometimes, you may not associate with all the characters, but if the film maker is able to create enough drama and curiosity around the lives he is projecting, then that itself is sufficient to hold your attention span for three hours or so. Few days back......More

Remembering Ammai

Ammai was 96 years old. She had no health problems except dementia for the last two years. On 7^th afternoon she suddenly took ill and died the same night in a private hospital at Cochin. She did not suffer and did not make others suffer....

Monsoon blooms

Monsoons are made for Dendrobium orchids. I'm convinced of this. This season, like no other, sees my collection of orchids plump themselves up, fluff their petals, green their leaves and get all dressed for the greatest event in their calendar (and mine) ... the grand 'Bloom-your-heads-off Spectacle'!
Which means that in Mumbai, late-July onwards sees a lot of activity and barely-suppressed excitement in the orchid gardens. The flowers are coming!

Too much of a good thing

The thing I looked forward to the most when I was a kid (okay, when I grew up too) was ... vacations!
Sleep late, roll out of bed late, breakfast at noon, lie on the lawn and watch the clouds drift by, stroll, hang out with friends, watch movies, read and read and read ... oh, the sheer deliciousness of it!
There is a magical something in the very aimlessness and let-your-hair-down quality that these long holidays conjures up. Something that makes you long for it and count the days till you can revel in it again.

Ganesha sharanam

It's Ganesh Chaturthi this Sunday 23 Aug, and here's an offering to help remember Him when you are online. More...

An old-world briefcase

Grand-father-in-law was a very special person - if you were to hear his twin grandsons speak of their 'muthachan', you would agree readily too. Krishnan Kutty Menon was an agriculturist, who tended daily the small plot of land he had in Annanad, in central Kerala. He would escort the twins to school and back while patiently giving satisfactory answers and examples to (millions of questions)X2. More...

MASKS EVERYWHERE!

First it was the Japanese who always went around the World wearing masks and gloves long before this new bug called H1N1 came along. Now, it seems Indians have panicked (thanks to the high decibel, repeated screeching of anchors on news channels there) and loads of them were seen wearing these masks without knowing whether the masks they had on were really going to stop the infection from hitting them or not.

Lessons From Living -People Savvy

'What are the lessons you've actually learnt from all these years of living?"
This is a question I asked many of the people I know, sometime ago.

To read the answers people came up with read .......

Vande Maataram!

Here is wishing everyone a happy Independence Day - praying for health, peace and happiness.

Image courtesy: http://erazer007.wordpress.com

Vande Mataram from Bankim Chandra Chattopadyaya's "Anand Mutt" remains the classic Indian national song. Beautifully sung by Lata Mangeshkar ....More

Sri Krishna Jayanthi

For Krishna Jayanthi it is customary to draw the little feet of Baby Krishna going from the front door to the place where the pooja is to be conducted. It looks beautiful and children love to place their feet on the drawn feet and pretend they are Krishna. More here.....

Road to Nowhere

I’m happy riding back into this country. It is a kind of nowhere, famous for nothing at all and has appeal because of just that. Tensions disappear along old roads like this, said Robert M Pirsig in his book, The Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance. To experience that, at least once in life, travel without the destination in mind. I happen to travel a lot and it is not the ..... More