Waste

I guess most of us would have either heard or seen how 'clean' the streets of the developed world are. On the same note, we would have heard smart comments on how 'filthy' how our own backyards are in India. We usually don't stop to think beyond this point of open admiration of the western world and criticism of ourselves regarding this cleanliness factor. A little further thinking makes us think about the final destination of all the waste that the western world generates. After all, anything and everything is packed in the developed world. The only thing that is not packed in large scale in the west is the air we breath. Every time one goes to Safeway or Wal-mart for a regular purchase, one ends up with atleast 7-8 plastic bags. Apart from this, every single item that is purchased is packed with plastic and carboard. Every eatable has a sticker on it. From the apples to bananas to onions, every single item has a sticker on it. Every food item has to be bought. Be it milk, butter milk, water or juice. Every time there is a party, hundreds of water bottles are consumed. Every time you go to have a cup of coffee, you use two coffee cups, a plastic lid for the cup, two small paper packets for sugar and a wooden stick for stirring the coffee. Obviously, such a lifestyle is going to produce tremendous amount of garbage. Above all, all garbage bins are covered with plastic bags. Once the bin is full, the plastic bag is removed, tied and left in the backyard for the waste management to pick it up. If this is the case, where do all this waste go? Why don't the people in the western world see the garbage in the streets as the people in the under-developed world?

The first answer given when this question is raised is that the waste management organizations in the west are efficient and dedicated, people in the developed world are cultured and hence they don't throw plastic bags on the streets and recycling, the purported panacea for all environmental atrocities, is being pursued rigorously in the developed world. As a result all the waste that is generated by western life styles is taken care of and hence is no seen in human colonized areas. How I wish this were true!!! Unfortunately, the reality is far from this. There are few facts that one needs to be aware of if we are to understand why.
1.) Every environment has a very limited waste sink capacity
2.) Waste management in the west is a corporate activity. This means that actions are driven by profits and by no other motive.
3.) Rules and regulations in the developed world prevent incineration of many types of waste

As a result of the above three, the waste management companies find it difficult to handle beyond certain levels of garbage profitably. They've almost run out of landfills to bury the accumulated waste. So they find it cheap and convenient to 'export the waste'. So, tonnes and tonnes of waste generated by the western life style is being transported to third world cities in africa, south america and asia where disposal cost is low due to lax administrative and safety procedures. Usual targets in asia are Indonesia, India and China. A new distinctive type of outsourcing, along the lines of software development, call centres, legal and education - waste disposal outsourcing, has blossomed. Refer to [1], [2], [3], [4], and [5] to find examples of this. I don't think it is necessary to even talk about the health and environmental hazards that this poses. Any person with even little intellect will know that improper disposal of waste will cause all sort of problems to the health of environment and the health of the living creatures in that environment.

So, is preventing this waste disposal outsourcing the solution. Or, is it to have proper disposal mechanisms in place in these asian countries. Yes and No. With a very short term perspective both of these need to be adapted. But, to get a reasonably long term solution, we need to think out of the box. Years of tutoring that more is good and more material possession means good prevents us from doing us. When cars cause environmental degradation, we only talk about fuel efficient engines and catalytic converters, but never do we talk about the reducing the usage of cars. Its about time we start thinking and acting in this direction. Waste reduction is the most important step in waste management. IMHO, a large quantity of waste can be easily limited by individuals themselves. I am not going to give a list titled the top 10 ways to reduce garbage. No amount of listing of such procedures can help us. These steps have to come from within for it to last. As most people in the western world are 'educated', once one realizes the seriousness of what ones lifestyle, and the consequent garbage, does to the environment, one is automatically pushed towards finding ways to reduce the garbage one generates.

Obviously, individual action alone cannot accomplish anything. Without significant changes to the organization of societies very little results can be achieved. But that is no excuse to generate mountains of garbage. It is not enough to call rivers as 'ganga matha' and 'cauvery matha'. We should'nt be feeding our mothers (mathas) with nickel, lead and cadmium. We should start doing things that discourage the generation of garbage at our household level. Individual efforts is the precursor to a larger social change. That is the right thing to do. Ideally, we as humans should act based on analysis of right and wrong. But off late, humans as a society have taken an evolutionary step backward. Instead of basing our actions on rights and wrongs, we base our actions on personal benefits, which is an animal characteristic. In this case of waste creation and disposal, it is not just right to produce less garbage, it is also in our interest to produce less garbage. The danger of many households having a malformed baby due to exposure of the mother to toxic chemicals is very real. So at least from the perspective of rational egoism, one needs to take steps to reduce garbage that one produces.

Lastly, it is not good to simply point hands on the western world. Many asian cities are also becoming tremendous waste sources. Chennai and Bangalore are obviously producing far more waste these days than what they produced 10 years ago. Thanks in no small part to 'globalization'. Also, wal-mart is now entering india and is planning to setup large number of shopping complexes all over the country. This is definitely going to increase consumption and hence waste generated by the cities. We need to stop being stupidly euphoric that wal-mart has condescended to come to India. We need to analyze the actual cost of this. I guess, as many people in the indian cities, whom wal-mart targets, are 'educated', this is not a terribly complex task, provided the will to find out is present. 'Development' can never be an excuse to create waste. No amount of 'development' will change basic human requirements of clean food, water and air to survive. If 'development' impacts these, we need to take a long hard look on the need of things that affect this.

For further information, refer to chapter 7 of the book Confronting Consumption [6]. I would actually suggest interested readers to read the whole book, preferably by borrowing it from someone and not by purchasing it. I thought a corollary to Moores law would be apt to conclude this post as most people who read this blog have something to do with computers. It would be that, "The amount of e-waste that is generated approximately doubles every 24 months". For some startling information on e-waste refer to [7].


References

[1] www.things.org/~jym/greenpeace/where-recycled-plastics-go.html
[3] http://multinationalmonitor.org/hyper/issues/1993/12/mm1293_08.html
[4] www.ban.org/ban_news/haitian_ash.html
[5] www.ban.org/ban_news/illegal.html
[6] www.ban.org/ban_news/outcry.html
[6] www.amazon.com/Confronting-Consumption-Thomas-Princen/dp/0262661284
[7] www.computerworld.com/news/2000/story/0,11280,44380,00.html

The story of Puviyoor and its slave

Puviyoor was an idyllic little place and had many families living there. Each person did his/her job and everyone managed to live reasonably happily. All families grew and greatly assisted each other to grow. They all understood that no one of them was better than any other person and had truly achieved interdependece. Though the community and its setup had its shortcomings, it was still a good place to live.

The success of their setup primarily relied on a commonly owned slave who toiled day and night to get Puviyoor functioning. He was a slave in the true sense of the word. He would never say a word against the command of his masters and would always perform as the master wished him too. This slave was thus extremely selfless and the only thing he expected from the residents of Puviyoor was a means for him to survive. Even this desire arose out of his understanding that the welfare of Puviyoor's residents is inextricably linked to his welfare. He didn't feign welfare for the residents but truly wished them good and did his best to ensure that the demands of every member of every family was met with a smiling countenance. He prepared their food, treated them when anyone was ill, helped every family grow and took care of all the basic necessities of the community. This, he hoped would allow the rest of the community to spend their time in higher pursuits. All families realized the cardinal role the slave played in their lives and hence ensured that their requirements did not seriously harm the slave. Though they got the slave to do many of their jobs, each family had an internal law that limited the maximum extent a member of the family could push the slave. The slave was strong enough physically and mentally to meet all the requirements of him and ensured he met all their demands in a pretty competent fashion.

A few years of such wonderful existence passed. Then, a new family migrated to Puviyoor. They were the distant relatives of an existing family. The slave was as kind to this newcomer as he was to other families in Puviyoor. Initially this new family behaved well and used the services of the slave effectively to further itself. Some members of the new family were extraordinary and immediately recognized the importance of the slave. They even went to the extent of proclaiming that the slave was actually their god. A few other people agreed but mostly everyone decided to ignore this proclamation for all practical purposes. Some of them also ridiculed the proposition of the slave being god. They actually proposed other gods. Lots of members proposed lots of gods. None of these affected the slave. Neither was he gratified when he was proclaimed god nor was he upset when he was called a slave. It just did not matter to him and he continued to provide the residents with his services. There were a few other people in this new family who, despite the slaves presence in front of their very own eyes, blatantly denied his existence. They argued that as the slave did not talk, listen or respond in a way that they could understand, the slave has no life. Some also insinuated that the slave can be treated in any way as one liked so as to increase one's happiness. Many people in the family bought this idea. It was not clear though what members of other families thought of this new idea. But, true to his nature, even such a preposterous suggestion did not bother the slave.

Time passed by and the new family integrated well into Puviyoor. They adapted themselves so well that they started to dominate other families. A few families resisted this but this new family was all powerful and managed to easily subdue everyone else. This went to the extent of murdering members of other families for no reason. Now, the slave started to get upset. To him, all masters were important. The physical and mental capabilities of a master did not matter to him. He provided his services to all masters with no discrimination whatsoever. So, whenever some family got destroyed, he got upset. He did not react violently then but he did show his displeasure. Due to this, all families were upset. They pleaded to the new family to mend their ways but the new family, inebriated with power, was in no mood to listen. They argued that the slave should not show dissidence. They also contended that since they were the masters, they could control every single action of him. They also thought they could train him to behave in a way they liked. They also thought that the other families were also their slaves and started to blatantly deny that they were relatives of some other families in Puviyoor. So they said and they treated the other families like slaves. Though the other families dissented, they were powerless against this new family.

A few years passed and then the new family made a dastardly new invention. This new invention was never ever seen in any other family. The social setup of Puviyoor was such that when a new invention was made by some family, all other families tried and inherited some variant of the invention in due course of time. But this new invention was so bad that no other family could even understand its purpose. All other families were horrified at this new invention but almost all members of this new family were extremely proud of this. For the first time in the history of Puviyoor, a hierarchy was established within a family. Till this time, all members of a family were equal. But now, any person with more of this new invention was deemed to be better than the rest. So, almost everyone wanted to own more of this new invention. Though this new invention was available in plenty, some members of the new family hoarded a lot of it and thereby deprived many of their family members of the new invention. This created a lot of trouble and resulted in another first for the new family. The social setup of Puviyoor was such that no person caused intentional harm to any of his relatives. But the new family, thanks in no small part to the new invention, managed to break this unwritten law. They started killing each other and members of other families for the sake of this new invention. The madness did not stop there.

The slave was engaged full time by every member of the new family to enable him/her to own more of this new invention. Though the slave was upset due to this, he still managed to find ways to satiate this craze amongst the members of the new family. But, the situation only deteriorated. Though the slave possessed tremendous reserves of energy, it was not infinite. He could only do so much. The slave was made so busy that he did not have time to serve members of the other families. Members of other families were unhappy and the slave was upset but they had no choice. The new family also truly regarded the other families as slaves and used them to accumulate this new invention. Slowly, the other families started to become weak and one by one they started to migrate out of Puviyoor. The slave was trying his best to keep up to the wishes of the new family. Despite the phenomenally huge reserves of physical and mental strength that the slave possessed, he started to falter. None of this affected most of the members of the new family. A handful of people in the new family realized the importance of the slave and started crying for the slave. A few others tried to protect the slave and reasoned with their relatives to stop overworking the slave. A few others understood that the new invention was only a fad and was totally insignificant. They even tried to educate their relatives about the same. But, alas, none of this was heard and the slave was over worked relentlessly.

The funnniest part of all this was that the new invention was totally useless. It could not be eaten as food or medicine. It could not give one peace of mind. It could not give true happiness. It could not relieve one of suffering. Despite knowing this and many other properties that it possessed, even many well meaning individuals started to do ridiculous and totally insignificant things to obtain it. Some people got smart and adviced others to limit ones possession of the new invention by singing songs. But the irony of it was that the person who told others to limit ones possession of the new invention himself took home a lot of the new invention for saying what he said. It was not all funny. Lot of sad things also happened in the wake of this new invention. Almost all members of the new family started developing a number of vices that was hitherto unknown in other families. These vices caused a lot of suffering to the members of the new family, members of other families and the slave. A few enlightened members of the new family asked others to drop these vices. But, ironically, other people developed new vices and enhanced old vices in the name of these enlightened members of the new family. It is not clear what the slave thought of the new invention or of the new vices in the members of the new family. But, he was coninuing to toil to satisfy everyone's needs.

Now, after years of exploiting the slave, a good number of members of the new family are noticing that the slave is tired of their demands. They are inventing new ways of keeping the slave happy. They also identify things that can help the slave help them to obtain the new invention. They think they are trying to improve the slaves position. The refuse to see the stupidity in helping the slave to help them to make more of the new invention. They simply don't understand that its their demands that has tired the slave. Even people who understand it a little and want to make the slave happy, don't want to reduce their demands. There are some enlightened members of the family who advice others that their demands are seriously affecting the slaves plight. These enlightened folks shout that everyone is on the road to perdition. But, no one listens to them. What more, everyone mocks at these enlightened souls. Most members of this new family don't realize that the slave cannot be made happy if he is not allowed to serve all families. They don't realize that only by reducing their demands and by not monopolizing the slave can they make the slave better. They don't realize that the slave is common property and is owned by all the families. They don't realize that the other families are also masters of the slave. They don't realize that its not the slave who is dependent on them, it is actually they who are dependent on the slave. They don't realize that the slave is actually not their slave but is indeed their master and could possibly be their god too. They don't realize that unless they realize all of this fast and act accordingly, they and all the other families are doomed.

The story of Puviyoor, at least as it stands now, is indeed a sad one. What was once destined to be an idyllic place is now in tatters. The most important reason was the ill treatment of the slave. It remains to be seen if a miracle happens and if the members of the new family halt their journey on the road to annihilation.

It's all about the money

Why do I write efficient software?
your company can make more money, honey.
Why do I write anti-virus?
to prevent companies from loosing money, honey.
Why do I device multicasting algorithms?
you can patent it and make money, honey.

But isn't money ridiculous and irrelevant?
No honey, money is the panacea for all problems.
Oh, Can it give me health?
it can buy you medicines, honey.
Can it give me happiness?
it can give you car, laptop and cellphone, honey.
But, all I want is happiness?
your friends will wow at your new car, honey.

Isn't it craving for money that is raping the earth now?
No honey, its called development.
Isn't money the cause for most wars?
No honey, money is the cause for most happiness.
When I have more money, don't i deprive you of it?
No honey, my life and death is not your concern.

So, is my life all about the money?
Yes honey, its the raison d'etre of your existence.
But, nature was not designed that way.
Our society is designed like that honey.
But that is wrong!!
But it is the reality!!!

Lots of stuff to post about...

but honestly very little time... So, the best I can do now is to at least mention some of the topics that I'd like to post about...

1.) Is this a valid justification?
http://www.rediff.com/news/2006/dec/05guest.htm?q=np&file=.htm

The perfect example of specious argumentation, sophistry etc... Caste based discrimination is indeed a terrible stain on the Indian society. Also, the prevalent economic disparity amongst the various castes is extremely deplorable but that can never justify violence.

2.) 40 richest Indians
http://www.forbes.com/2005/12/15/india-richest-40_05india_land.html

What does this really mean? That they are the modern day moguls who can get anything done anywhere on earth? or is it that they are amongst the most respected in their society due to this? or is it that they lead the most happiest and healthiest lives amongst their contemporaries? or, considering the fact that the total amount of money available in a society is more or less constant, do they perennially carry the stain of being a symbol of the class of people that directly / indirectly holds a huge section of humanity in perpetual hunger and poverty?

3.) Whats the big difference between the money obtained by exercising a few internal cells and a few external cells?
If all work I do is for gaining money, what is the difference between myself and a prostitute? I sell the capabilities of my internal cells and he/she sells the capabilities of some external cells? So, are both right? or are both equally wrong and despicable? or is only one of them right? If so, which one and why? I have no clue whatsoever.



With my recently acquired skills in writing a proper commentary on a topic, not basing it on assumptions and instinct, but on reasonably concrete proof and other related work, I hope to write on atleast one of the above. Mostly it will be about 2. But thats not gonna happen before the coming 20th.

IIT-ans are God's gift to the world?!

IIT - The springboard to greatness, the gateway to a global passport, the locus of the most intelligent students in India, blah blah, blah... Agreed. Obviously, one would be a fool to even debate this (No, this is not said sarcastically). I fully and whole heartedly agree that a lot of the smart people in India get themselves polished and prepare themselves for great achievements in the hallowed portals of the IITs.

A bunch of these people have gotten together and have started something called the PAN-IIT movement. Obviously, everyone has heard about this as a lot of noise is being made out of this. At the face of it, it certainly looks like a truly genuine approach and a laudable initiative. But they are making far too much noise for comfort. Anything started by IITians naturally generates a lot of curiosity and expectations as they have a proven track record of success and capability. When such is the case, its probably not a great idea to make so much noise as its only gonna hype it a bit more. It would be lot better to get the results and let the results make the noise. Only second grade marketing companies give out stupid and sensationalist slogans / messages about their product even before theyve managed to sell a couple of items.

To cap this, today, I read a ridiculous statement such as IIT-ians are gods gift to earth on rediff. What crap? Some time back I read another statement by another, so called, hi flying person that the IIT-ians have the whole world ahead of them. I wanted to comment that so is the case is every life form but I resisted my urge and attributed my reaction to a case of grapes gone sour as I couldnt get into IIT. But this one about IIT-ians being gods gift really got to me. It is totally ridiculous and stupid. I've heard of people beating their own drums now and then, but this is the height of it. Hopefully saner sense prevails and these guys walk the talk.

PS: In case you didnt know, the symbol '?!' stands for a dubious move in chess

Masters in Canada - FAQ

I've been receiving a spate of requests through orkut and otherwise for assistance regarding applying to Canada for masters. I myself have received generous help from people here when I was in India and hence I feel obligated to help anyone with their application. But there is no point in repeating the same answers to everyone. Hence this post which lists answers to some questions that have been thrown at me quite frequently. Also many of the questions that have been asked to me are pretty stupid. I am listing those questions too (for fun and for the benefit of those who want them).

Q: Can you help with my application process?
A: Absolutely, but please go through this list completely. If you are applying for under graduation, I might not be of much help. I tried to answer questions from a guy who contacted me through orkut but realized that I couldnt give too many answers. If you are an undergrad, then goto this community called Indians@UoCalgary in orkut. Please check if there are any undergrads in that community and request them for their assistance.

Q: I am in a hurry and I have to apply immediately. Can you please give me names of universities to apply, sample recos, sops etc...?
A: No. I am not a consulting agency.

Q: What universities in Canada should I apply?
A: Bad question. How the hell am I supposed to know? Please do your homework on this. I can answer if you ask me for names of some good universities in Canada but I cannot suggest universities to you. Go through the list of good universities and see what research is happening there. If they do good work in a field that you like, then go ahead and apply.

Q: What are the good universities in Canada?
A: Good question. I am not aware of a definitive list of any sort. I am just listing down a few here which in my opinion are good. There could me and most probably will be universities out of this list that are outstandingly good in some fields and some of these universities could also be outstandingly bad in some fields. Notwithstanding this, these are generally considered to be good places to park yourselves for a couple of years.
1) Univesity of Toronto
2) Univesity of British Columbia
3) Univesity of Waterloo
4) Univesity of Mcgill
5) Univesity of Mcmaster
6) Univesity of Western Ontario
7) Univesity of Alberta
8) Univesity of Calgary

Q: How about professor ABC in University of Calgary? (or) How about the research group ABC in University of Calgary?
A: Ill try and put you in touch with someone in that research group. Ill not be giving my personal opinions on any prof. At best, I can give info on how popular they are and how much funds they are in possesion.

Q: What is the fees for this course XYZ in your university?
A: Bad question. What the hell is the Internet there for? If you cant find this info from the universities web page, then either you are bad at searching or that university is not worth applying to.

Q: What is the cost of living in city ABC?
A: Good question. You need to contact people living in city ABC to get an exact picture of the cost of licing for ABC. I live in Calgary and hence I can give info for Calgary. Calgary is in the middle of what people call 'Chinaish' economic growth. So, cost of living has spiralled and has shot through the roof. For a pretty average one room basement where utilities are shared with others in the house, you will have to pay something around $450. This is as of Nov 14, 2006. If you are reading this much after this date, you might have to talk to someone to get the latest info. The university does provide residence services and rooms are available there for rates between $400 and $600. Again this is as of Nov 14, 2006. For exact rates, check the website. Food and other expenses can be managed within $200. The university fees includes a free pass in all modes of public transport and hence there will be no special transportation cost. So you can manage to live frugally with about $650 - $700 per month.

Q: I have friends in US who do masters there and the numbers they said were much lower. These numbers seem to be unbelievable.
A: Yes. These numbers are unbelievable. As I said, Alberta (State in which Calgary is located) is in the middle of 'Chinaish' economic growth and hence cost of living has increased tremendously in the last one year.

Q: What are the requirements for University XYZ (or) Do I need GRE to apply to University XYZ (or) My scores are so much in these exams and I have this GPA in my UG. Will I get admission in University XYZ?
A: Bad question. You should definitely find details about requirements on the universities website. Also, I am not in the admissions committee. If your grades are above the requirements mentioned, then it simply boils down to the competition.

Q: Is it worthwhile doing a masters in Canada (or) Are the degrees given there recognized all over the world (or) How does masters in Canada compare with masters in US?
A: My personal opinion is that the standard of education in the universities that I listed above are really high and easily compare with the standard of education in the top 30 ranked universities in the US. So, as regards your knowledge, you will learn a lot. Finally, as a post graduate, any industry will look primarily only at your knowledge. Also, these univesities are in no known 'black lists'. So, you can apply without any fear. The biggest advantage of applying here is the fact that you wont be spending too much (details below). If you intend to do a phd or go back to India after your masters, then studying here makes much more sense than spending a huge amount and studying in a not so highly ranked university in the US. But, if you want to settle in the US, then this is probably not a great route.

Q: Howz the job scenario?
A: After seeing the job boom in India (in IT) and hearing stories about US, you would probably expect tremendous job oppurtunities. But thats not the case. Thats the flip side. You dont have the big IT companies like Intel, Microsoft, Oracle etc... But this does not mean people go jobless or there are no jobs. There are lots and lots of jobs. Most IT jobs are as in house software developers in companies like Shell (oil and gas) and Rogers (Communications) etc... There are a few startups that offer exciting job profiles, there is an IBM research lab etc.. But no companies that thrive on headcount like Infosys, Wipro etc... For non IT people, I can see that there are lots of jobs for people related to petroleum industry. Otherwise, I really dont have much idea. Please contact someone in your field.

Q: How about settling down there?
A: You can get a PR within say an year or an year and a half of completing your masters. You will have to stay here for another 2 years to apply for citizenship. So, it takes about 6 years from your date of landing to become a citizen.

Q: What about funding?
A: Thats the best part. Unlike the US, almost everyone has some kind of funding. Its either a Teaching Assitanship or a Research Assistanship or a combination of the two. The assitanship is calculated so that you can pay your fees out of that and still manage to live frugally without spending out of your pocket.

Q: How can the tuition fees be paid?
A: Since almost everyone gets some sort of funding, most universities allow people to deduct the fees from your funding on a monthly basis. So, if your fees is say 12K for the first year, then 1K will be deducted from your funding every month. So typically the funding you recieve is around 1.7K per month. I know for sure this feature exists at University of Calgary and have heard that this is the same in all universities. Please check with someone in the university of your interest to understand if this is possible there. This, according to me, is a tremendous advantage when compared with US universities where you have to cough up a huge amount upfront. Also the second year fees is only 4K, which again is quite unlike US universities where the second year fees is pretty much same as the first year fees.

Q: Can you look for a place for me to stay at Calgary?
A: Ideally this question does not belong here in the application FAQ but am including it due to the difficulties involved in finding a place. The answer is applicable to Calgary and I have no idea about other cities. I really wouldnt want to look for a place for you but if you are really desperate, yes I can try and help. The reason is that the renting scenario in Calgary is really really, I cant stress enough, really bad. There are hardly any houses that are vacant. So, I'd suggest that you apply immediately to the University Residence. This way you can avoid a looooottttt of pain. Also students who stay outside, themselves stay in pretty shanty one room basements sharing lots of stuff with other students. To accomodate another person will be a pain. One needs to talk to fellow room mates and the pain in the ass landlords. So, dont even imagine staying at someones place and searching for a house. Its nearly impossible. Please apply to residence services at the earliest. Also residence services maintains a database through which you can look for houses in the city. Try using that. Dont relax if that shows lots of available places. The database is sometimes not upto date, the houses might be bad and/or pretty far from the university. I am not painting a bad picture to discourage people from asking me for help. Finding houses in Calgary is seriously a pain. Please apply to residence services at the earliest.

Q: I am from a tropical place. Will I be able to mange to cold?
A: I myself am from Chennai. Summer temperatures sometimes touch 45 and winter temperatures rarely go below 25. I've managed to stay alive here :). So, dont worry too much about the cold. Temperatures rarely go below -35 in Calgary. You dont have to be paranoid about that. With proper protective gear and a few precautions, you wont even notice the cold. Normal life goes on even in -35. So, dont consider the cold as one of the factors for your university selection.

Q: Can I get a contact from University of Calgary in XYZ department or from ABC city?
A: I can try.

Q: Are there Indian Restaurants?
A: There are a plethora of indian restaurants in Calgary. I've been here only for 2 months and I myself know atleast 25.

Q: Can I cook my own food?
A: Of course, you will go broke if you eat outside. Almost any item you need to cook your own style of food can be cooked here. You get all the raw materials.
Special note for vegetarians: If you are vegetarian, then please come prepared to cook every meal of every single day. There are hardly one or two items that you get outside that are vegetarian. I myself am a vegetarian and have managed to stay alive :). Just be prepared to improve your culinary skills.

If you feel your questions have not been answered, please contact me on orkut
http://www.orkut.com/Profile.aspx?uid=7325350134106176386

The adventures continue

Me: Hey ***, I think we should do something about this...
***: About what?
Me: This program.. I dont think I can do it all by myself.. I am sure you are trying your best.. but unfortunately.. that isnt enough.. So far, this double work has not been affecting me too much.. but I need to start working on my term projects.. I simply cannot afford to spend so much time on this..
***: OK, Ill learn programming in 2 weeks
Me: Well.. It is not possible for you to learn programming in 2 weeks... Its an art.. like dance or music.. you can learn C syntax.. but programming? you cannot do it...

** is silent for some time.. Goes out for a walk and comes back...

***: You are so rude
***: You are condescending
***: You boss around so much and do not know proper etiquette
***: Take it from me that if you talk like this in company meetings you will be thrown out.
***: blah blah blah


Well my adventures in Canda are continuing. After being comically accused earlier I was accused pretty seriously by someone of being rude and having a condescending attitude. This happened in pretty dramatic fashion, with blood shot eyes and a loud voice. All this, for pointing out to the person that he/she cannot learn programming in two weeks. I just cant understand how on earth can someone learn programming in two weeks. You can learn C syntax in two weeks but not programming. Its an art like dance or music. It takes time to learn it. I guess the ego couldnt take it and resulted in me listening to a mindless rant for a few hours.

This event actually provides evidence for a hypothesis that I had for many years. Many people often say that westerners are very polite and thats not the case with people in India. Westerners say sorry and thank you for everything. They keep the door open when you go behind them and stuff like that. I had actually had serious reservations about this. When you say sorry and thank you for every damn thing, the word looses its meaning. Its like the air hostesses saying thank you. They dont mean it. When you dont mean it, why say it? Behind this facade of politeness lies a gargantuan ego which hisses its head like a rattle snake at the slightest hint. I am not trying to say that all Indians are buddhas or anything of that sort. I just want to say that the proportion of people who are actually polite and who are not is pretty much same all over the world. Putting up a facade of politeness for the sake of it is very artifical and does not make one gentle and is not necessary. If someone doesnt keep the door open for me, I can do it myself. I am happy as long as the other person does not prevent me from opening the door :)

Update from Calgary

Caveat: After writing this whole thing down, I've realized that this is huge (brilliant discovery) and that it is rather boring. Dont waste too much time if time is at a premium!!!

Its been two months since I landed here. Lots of interesting events happened - everything from a shared feeling with Madhavan in Nala Damayanti (Madhavan in Ramji Londonwale) to coming close to being reported for sexual abuse. I am describing all these events and updates in a specific order here - the order in which they come to my mind :). This is mostly an incoherent rant, nevertheless...

Updates first
----------------
The big thing first, the University:
Its AWESOME!! Really good university with excellent standard of education. Have taken two courses - one is introduction to cryptography (Didnt even dream that an introduction to a subject can be so rigorous) and the other one is about computer viruses and malware where we have to creat UNIX viruses and anti-viruses that run on Free BSD. I simply love this course. But this is a course for which the university has been ridiciuled, derided, abused and what not by the anti-virus companies and researchers all over the world. ( http://gauntlet.ucalgary.ca/story/9496 http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,110938-page,1/article.html) Also I am a Teaching assistant to an under-graduate Operating Systems course. Oh Boy!! Its a really rigorous course. Contrasting it with the OS I learnt at VIT, makes me look back in shame and makes me want to remove that from my transcripts. There is an OS developed at Harvard for training purposes. Its a stripped down version of UNIX. The same is used here. Students have to write code and make it a fully functional OS. They will have to implement process management, scheduling etc... Its really wonderful.

As a result of taking these two courses and my TA work, am getting royally jacked everyday. Hardly find time to even sleep. Yesterday was the first time I had dinner in three weeks!! Its so rigorous and adapting to this after years of mediocracy has been tough, but I am catching up fast.

The City:
Calgary is a really beautiful place with scenic beauty all around. You can see deers and rabbits hopping around the university campus many times. There is so much greenery around that it makes you fall in love with it. Also, it is a very clean city. Some locals claim that it is amongst the cleanest cities in the world. Its also so huge that not even people who have been here for about two years know every part well. But, unlike many US cities, this city is well connected by public transportation. So, I get to go around easily myself.

Food:
It was tough initially being a veggie here. I took me about a week to settle down in a house and start cooking. Till such time I ate outside and I hated that fact like hell. There is a huge food court in the university and I get only two things to eat there. A veggie sandwich at Subway or fried rice at a taiwanese place (NOTE: Its fried rice and NOT veg fried rice. Typically they put ham or beef in that and you need to tell the person in the counter a million times not to add meat to it, much to his amusement). Things have become much better, and I cant stress enough, once I've started cooking.

Cold:
When I came here it was hot (according to the locals) i.e. 20 deg C. Many people roamed around in lingerie :D. Off late, things have started to feel more like Canada. Its -14 today. Actually the temperature does not matter since one is well covered most of the time but when the wind blows it kills you. As murphy would have it, Calgary is a windy place. Its so bad that, no one is really bothered about the temperature; everyone cares about the wind chill. Todays temperature is -14 but the wind chill was -20. Soon, it will be -40. No no, I am not at the North pole. I am only at Calgary which is pretty close to US border. It started snowing heavily here couple of days back. The whole place was clothed in 3-4 inches of snow.

Stay:
My room mates are all international. Most people typically staty with desis and my experience is a rare exception but its a good one. Two are from Switzerland, one from Canada and one from US. They are all undergrads and hence they do all the stuff a 20 year old teen in the west will do :) while I am forced to go into my room and shut myself up. For starters, they drink more alcohol than I drink water. But, they are nice chaps and really respect privacy.

Company:
Got a few friends here with whom I spend most of my so called spare time of 10 minutes a week. As everyone is busy, to meet both parties have to be free and this is pretty rare. It is likely to get even rarer next month. Apart from that my computer at the school is my company. I have a few books at home which I read when I get really bored. I've ordered a laptop which I will get in another couple of weeks. A beautiful IBM Lenovo laptop. It should be great once I have it.


Events
---------
My first few hours in Canada itself was bizaare. There were so many crazy things happening around me that I really didnt know what to do. My Air India flight from Delhi was late and I missed my connecting Air Canada flight to Calgary. An officer told me to go and report to Air Calgary and that they will put me for free on the next available flight to Calgary. He then gave me the route. I needed to walk down a long corridor, take two elevators, walk across a bridge, take a train, take two more elevators (this time to go down) and walk down a tortuous path. I had hardly had any sleep in the last 24 hours and to figure this out was a big pain. After a lot of struggle and asking atleast 10 people on the way I managed to go to Air Canadas office. Phew, Toronto airport is a city in itself. They run a train service at the 8th floor level to connect buildings :0. In murphy I trust and he never fails me. Be at a printer that refuses to work right when I need it most or a request to Air Canada, murphy always stands by me. Air Canada didnt have a vacant sear in any flight to Calgary till next day morning and they refused to me give me accomodation for the night as it wasnt their flight that was late. They asked me to go back to Air Indias office by taking that small route that I had just described. It had taken me 30 mts to come here and every ounce of my reserve energy. After resting there for some time, when I was stared at repeatedly by the Janitors, I took the long route back to find that Air India had closed office for the day. I was distraught and didnt know what to do. Finally I asked a police officer who called up a lot of people to somehow get an accomodation for me. I thought, finally my adventures for the day had ended. It was not to be.

I had to call people waiting to pick me up at Calgary and inform them I am not coming today. I tried to call from a public phone but to my surprise there was no slot to insert any coins there. After staring at it for sometime, I figured out that i has a slot to take in a credit card. Desperate to talk to someone, I swiped my India credit card but much to my chagrin it wouldnt accept it. I had to get someones help to make the call. To admit that I, an educated person from India coming for masters, didnt know to make a call hurt the ego really REALLY badly. But ego had to take a back seat and I had to ask someone. He simply told me to get a calling card. I went to a shop and got that but didnt know how to use it. It had something that looked like a magnetic strip so I was vigorously swiping it but it wouldnt work. Seeing my travails, a nice gentleman asked me if I knew how to use it. I sheepisly acknowledged that I didnt no. He then demonstrated its use and before he went he asked me why I am here in Canada. I wanted to bury my head in a pile of shit. After a pause, I said, as a student.

I said to myself, "Dont worry Partha. Such crazy things happen ocaasionally. Cool it and it will all be fine". I then had a tingling feeling inside my tummy. I hadnt eaten anything for like 6 hours then. Went to a shop and asked the really good looking teenage girl at the counter for some cookies. She gave me a couple of delicious looking Macadamia white cholocate cookie on a couple of tissue papers. I wanted to take it to the hotel where I was given accomodation and eat it. This is what transpired then...
Me: "Can you give a cover"
Girl: "What? What did you ask for?"
Me: "A cover"
Girl: "You are not talking to me like that sir"
Me: "What? I just need a cover. Whats wrong in that. Please give me a cover. Dont you use covers?"
Girl: "Am gonna report you to the manager"
and she left. I was thinking, "Oh boy! What have I gotten myself into"
The Manager, a really hefty man, came and asked me, "Did you really misbehave with her?"
I was really angered then. I started to shout.
"What the hell!! You guys claim to be polite but you dont know how to behave with a person from another country. I just asked for a plastic cover to put these cookies in them and take it to my hotel and she says I've misbehaved with her. What the hell"

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.... All folks around were laughing like hell. I didnt understand a shit!!
After sometime, the manager took a cover, gave it to me and said,
"Son, we are indeed polite and welcome visitors. This is called a plastic bag and NOT a cover. A cover is the slang for a condom!!! Welcome to Canada!"

After a pretty exhausting stay in Toronto, I reached Calgary next day morning. I had asked a friend of mine at Calgary to pay the advance for a house that I picked by looking at its description on the net. I went to see the place. That was another shock. I went to see the house in person and boy, the place was not even fit to be rented out in India. It was stinking like hell. The washroom was so bad that when we opened it, it reminded me of Coovum!! The standard practice here in the west is to give the house in pristine condition to new tenants and this place was stinking like hell. I then had to fight with him and forced him to cancel the agreement. What a start!!! But it was not over. I had already paid him like 1000 dollars as part of my advance and first month rent. He said he had spent and had no money with him now. This sounded so eerily similar to my experience with my landlord when I was in Bangalore. Then, I had to give a police complaint to get back my money. I got the money back after 1 month and after atleast 10 visitis to the police station. Those thoughts made matters worse for me. I was really upset about this and really gave this guy a piece of my mind. I dont remember the last time when I had behaved so rudely with someone.
Finally, after threats of legal action from the Universities legal council, he agreed to pay half the amount now and the rest after a month. After this, I went on a big house hunt and finally found a house. For all my troubles, I got a really good place to stay. Probably, the best deal one can ever hope for here. Looking at all this, a friend commented "Aandavan nallavangala sothipaan, kai uda maatan." :)

I know you are thoroughly bored at this hhhhugggggeeee post. Dont worry, am about to end with just one more event.

I was very irritated that day. It was Diwali and I sorely missed the festive atmosphere back home. So, I decided to walk into the church, a baptist church, nearby. There were very few people in there. A couple of guys dressed in formals, replete with blazers, kept staring at me for a long time. It was quite disconcerting as I didnt know what to expect. After sometime, I left the church and went back home. I was quite happy to escape those two guys. In the evening, a good friend had invited me to his Diwali party. I was enjoying the pleasant evening and was walking briskly towards his house and suddenly...

"Good evening dear sir!! Do you remember us? We saw each other today morning in the church"
Me: "Oh yes, i remember. How is it going for you guys?"
"Great sir! Hope you are doing good too!! Which country are you from? We are missionaries and we would like to talk to you for sometime. Would you condescend sir?"
Me: "Sure. Tell me, what would you like to know. I am from India"
"Oh! good. So are you a hindu?
Me: "Yes"
"Do you believe in christ"
Me: "Yes"
"But you said you are a hindu"
Me: "Did christ every say that hindus shouldnt belive in him"
"Well, No. But do you believe in evolution? Dont you think god created us all?"
Me: "Well, I believe in evolution!! Hindu mythology talks about that"
"Dont you feel it is rather impossible for those useless monkeys to become such intelligent humans like us"
Me: "Haha. No. Dont say monkeys are useless!! In India, we worship monkeys. Almost everyhouse has a photo of a monkey and everyone worships then"
"Huh!! What?? Huh!! Talk to you later sir"

and they left.. probably thinking that I am some kind of adivasi :)

(Kumar and sriram, if at all you get to this point of the post.. do you guys recollect?)

Kamam

Kamam ennum antha kaateri ennai soozhum
Ennai pamparam pol suzhatri vaikkum
En ariviai mazhuga adikkum
En manathil vishathai ootrum

Olinthu athu aadiya aatam pothum
En ennangalil nanjai kalanthahthu pothum
En vizhiyin koormaiyai kuraithathu pothum
En manathin vairagyathai azhithathu pothum

Enge olinthirukirathu endrum theriyavillai
Eppadi kalainthu erivathu endrum puriyavillai
Eppadi oru nodiyil avathairikirathu endrum theriyavillai
Eppadi athai sirai vaipathu endrum puriyavillai

Iraiva nee vanthu vidu, ennai aatkonduvidu
Intha theeya ennangalil irundhu ennai viduvithu vidu
Illaiyenil ithai azhithidum sakthiyai kodu
Illaiyenil ennaiye azhithu vidu

Games Gods play

You create us, the humans,
give us the five senses
which love to wande at will,
you then send Thirumoolar
who talks about taming the senses
so that we can reach you,
once and for all

You create our brains
and put a damn mind in that
which continuously wanders, from
inside of pamelas blouse, to
einsteins theory of relativity, then
you send Krishnamurthi
to instruct us to watch our mind,
so that we might realize the Truth

You create my hormones
which are on a overdrive most of the time
Which start rumbling
at the most inopportune moments, and
you send a Patanjali to instruct us, that
Brahmacharya is the sacred vow , that
can take me to greatness

It beats me to comprehend why,
why you would want to give us these things,
which, naturally, do things that
are deplored by these special people,
why do you play such games?
Why? But Why??

I know how am gonna die

Over the last few days, when I have been deep in meditation, there is this strange image that is recurring. There is this monster that eats me bit by bit. It changes me bit by bit like itself. My resistance to this monster exponentially decreases and one day I cant take it anymore and I die. All this happens, despite the best efforts of all my well wishers.

Yeah.. Ill cut the crap. That meditation thing was made up but the other parts do represent something. Any guesses?? There is this thing which if you get, attacks you at the most basic level; at the cell level. It then changes the compromised cell into one of its own, pretty much in the style of the agents in Matrix, and the new cell starts targeting other uncompromised cells. Once you get this, there is no turning back. Even the most expensive brains in the medical business cant reverse this. You should have got it right by now. Cancer. I do think, thats how my life will end, if at all a speeding water tanker in Chennai does not take the honor.

There are many reasons I think this is highly likely:
a.) I had three cavities in my teeth recently filled and I had no idea that it is mercury that is generally used to do this. Please use the services of a certain google to find out how this can affect a person. Though I am not really sure that mercury was indeed used, it is still a chance. If at all mercury was used, then it will dissolve bit by bit everytime I put something in my mouth and slowly a good amount of mercury will go into my system. Its not exactly a great feeling.

b.) After the filling, the doctor had kindly adviced me to use a certain mouthwash twice a day to reduce the sensitiveness inmy gums. Contents of it - Fluoride components. Another dude who invites cancer with outstretched arms. This was at one of the best dental hospitals in chennai. The ill effects of flouride is pretty well documented. I've stopped using that mouthwash.

c.) Right now, I live in phoren where I dont get too much indian food. So, I am forced to get frozen stuff and microwave it. Though not regularly, but still a few times a week. I can still hear my friend in India who told me not to nuke my food but that is exactly what I am doing. Could the microwave cause the cells in the food to mutate? Could this possibly affect my cells? I hope not but then my hope doesnt count. Microwave contains electromagnetic radiation. Guess, hope does not stand much of a chance against that.

d.) I lived for about 24 years in India and will probably be there again in another 2 years. India once used to be such a fertile and blessed land. It was so fertile once upon a time, that it had enough to foster the evolution of vegetarianism. No other country has such a high percentage of vegetarians. Other countries, probably, dont even come anywhere near. The only reason I could think of is the fertility of the land which offerred so much that people decide not to kill other species. But now, greed and circumstances are pushing people to poison the land with fertilizers / pesticides / what not. Once sprayed, they are not going to leave the land. They have to eventually find their way into the food cycle and into my intestine. Result? No prizes for guessing it correct.

Guess, there are lots more ways I am inviting cancer. But then, these are good enough. I just hope its not a painful ending which keeps dragging along like the mega serials.

Back to you

I've been working and working
I've forgotten all about you
I've been busy with other issues
But I wished upon those stars
To take me to you
and now, my wish has been granted
I'm gonna come back to you
and that day is coming soon
I'm coming back to you

Last time around, I might have messed things
I might have let you down
But now, I am mature and confident
Please pardon me for those stupid
and foolish juvenile days
I'm coming back to you with all seriousness
Open your door and take me on your lap
Here I am, please take me back
and make my dreams come true
I'm coming back to you

I know coming back to you involves
forgetting costly eateries
forgetting long phone calls
forgetting frequent outstation visits
and a lot others
but you got to know
I dont care a damn for all these
coz I cant stop this thing that we started
All i want is you and nothing else but you
and so, please.. please take me back
I'm coming back to you

The last time we met
that was amongst the best times in my life
Those were indeed the best days of my life
and I long for those to come again
Though times do change
and situations change and
good times dont last forever
I still believe it is still possible
to recreate the magic
I'm gonna try and to do that
I'm coming back to you

Beautiful Thirumandiram

Thirumandiram, which literally translates to 'The Sacred Mantra', is the magnum opus of Thirumoolar, a saint and mystic who lived in Tamil Nadu in India sometime between the 4th and 6th century A.D. Thirumandiram is a series of highly metaphorical quadruplet verses (3047 in all) which talk about life, philosophy, yoga, tantras etc.. I've been reading this for some time and I just cant seem to get enough of these. More info can be found here

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thirumoolar
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thirumandiram

Am giving a few extracts from Thirumandiram that I really love

Anbu sivam iranduenbar arivilaar
Anbe sivamavathu aarum arigilaar
Anbe sivamavathu aarum arinthapin
Anbe sivamai amarnthu irunthaare
To paraphrase the above, Love is God.

Marathai maraithathu maamatha yaanai
Marathin marainthathu mamatha yaanai
Parathai maraithathu paarmuthal bootham
Parathai marainthathu paarmuthal boothame

Advaita vedanta has been so beautifully elucidated here. A child will call it an elephant but you and I will call it a wooden toy. If you see the elephant, you will not see the wood. If you see the wood, you will not see the elephant. Similarly, if you see the maayai that is this world, you will not see god. If you see god, you will not see the maayai that is this world.

Ondre kulamum oruvane thevanum
Nandre ninaimin namanillai naaname
Sendre pugumgathi illainum siththathu
Nindre nilaipera neerninainthui mine
Says Thirumoolar, there is but one religion and there is but one god. Surrender to him.

Nadunin raarku andri gyaanamum illai
Nadunin raarku naragamum illai
Nadunin raarnalla thevarum aavar
Nadunin raarvazhi naanumnin rene

The glory of taking the middle path is being extolled here. He says, that only the person who sticks to the middle path is the one with the most wisdom.

Kalla arasanum kaalanum neroppar
Kalla arasanir kaalan miganallvan
Kalla arasan aram oran kollenpaan
Nallaraik kaalan nanuganil lane

Here, Thirumoolar gives us a possible reason as to why the world is in a sad state today. He says, an uneducated ruler is worse than a bandit.

Adimudi kaanbar ayanmaal iruvar
Padikan dilarmeendum paarmisaik koodi
Adikan dilen endru achchuthan solla
Mudikanden endru ayan poimozhin thane

This excerpt is extremely metaphorical and I am yet to figure out the actual meaning. This is the base of a famous story that is often told to young kids in India (atleast in the part of India where I live). Most people would be aware of the story but not its roots. The story goes like this.
One day Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu had a fight to determine who is the better of the two. They couldnt decide who is the better and hence decided to get Lord Siva to judge. Lord Siva gave them a test and said whoever wins is the better. Lord Siva would increase his size into huge proportions and Lord Brahma has to find Lord Sivas head and Lord Vishnu has to find Lord Sivas feet. The first person to return after reaching their respective destinations is the winner. Once Lord Siva assumed the huge form, the two warring lords went in search of their respective destinations. After sometime, Lord Vishnu gave up after realizing the futility of ego and arrogance. But Lord Brahma continued to search. As he was searching he found a flower that had fallen from Lord Sivas head. So he decide to lie that he had found Lord Sivas head and decide to produce this flower as proof. When he showed this to Lord Siva, Lord Siva called his bluff, punished him for lying and explained to him the futility of ego and arrogance.

This is a good story if one wants to teach to children that arragance and ego or not good things to have. Or at the minimum, if we want to tell people that if you lie you need to cover your ass. Apparently Lord Siva told Lord Brahma that to take the flower from my head you have to cross my forehead whereupon I would have seen you. But then, as is the case with most mythology in India, the actual intended meaning is lost.

Paarpaan agathile paarpasu ainthundu
Meipaarum indri verithu thirivana
Meipaarum undai veriyum adanginaal
Paarpaan pasuainthum paalai soriyume
This is again a pretty metaphorical verse. Literally it translates to..
In the Brahmins house, there are five cows
They stray around without anyone to herd them
If they get a cowherd and if they are controlled
The cows will yield a lot of milk.

When we look into the metaphor, you can derive any meaning you want to. I believe that this verse has the following nice meaning...

Man has five senses
They stray around easily without control
If you try and control their activities
They will yield tremendous results

Thirumandiram is verily a treasure trove of knowledge. The more you dig into it the more you learn. You can download thirumandiram in Tamil from

http://www.tamilnation.org/sathyam/east/thirumurai/thirumanthiram/introduction.htm
Literal english Translation can be obtained from
http://www.himalayanacademy.com/resources/books/tirumantiram/TableOfContents.html

Come on Come on

Come on Israel come on, Come on Hizb come on,
Fill the earth with the stench of blood,
Who the fuck cares for the smell of roses,
Let the air vibrate with the wail of bereaved parents and orphaned children,
Who the hell cares for music and a childs babbles,
Let the fighting continue till the other person is wiped out from history,
For we are going to live forever, We are gonna outlive the sun
Come on Israel come on, Come on Hizb come on

Come on LTTE come on, Come on SriLanka come on,
Screw the bastards who talk about peace,
Its the language of cowards and impotents,
Display your heroism by drenching the land in blood,
Trees need them to grow, humans have to drink it to survive,
Kill the guy who says a child needs education,
Children need to learn to handle a rifle for salvation,
Come on LTTE come on, Come on SriLanka come on

Come on India come on, Come on Pakistan come on,
Ownership of a piece of land is a billion times more important,
than the lives of those who live there,
Capture thy opponent, gauge their eyes out, chop their limbs, castrate them,
for their gods are different and you need to proove your god is better,
Destruction of a dilapidated old building and construction of a new building there
are more important than the construction of the lives of people,
for Gods dont live in our hearts, they live in buildings,
Come on India come on, Come on Pakistan come on

The Future is not a place where I'd like to live in

Many a times, I become paranoid when I think about the future of humanity. A few of the reasons are

a.) Reckless consumption of Energy
Today, our lives are extremely energy intensive and it is highly unlikely that we will be able to sustain this for thirty years from now. Our lives are totally dependent on the availability of oil for transportation. No food item that I consume is grown withing a radius of 20Km from my house. Living in a city, this is to be expected. But what happens when the world runs out of oil? Even the politicians agree that it likely to happen in the next 50 years. Many experts say, we will start feeling the pinch in another 20. How will the worlds cities survive then? Ho will I get food to eat? The idea that 'scientists will do something' seems too naive and panglossian.

b.) Heavy duty screwing of nature
Today, we humans, screw up the earth like never before. We consume resources like hell. We pollute every possible natural resource in every conceiveable fashion like there is no tomorrow. All our rivers are polluted. Fertile land is contaminated with chemicals. Ozone layer is getting punctured more and more. And the list is endless. We consider ourselves to be the masters of nature whilst we are nothing but a spec in this vast expanse. Cant even imagine what would happen in India when the Ganges becomes a seasonal river.

c.) Wars
We humans have somehow lost the gene that prevents a species from killing its own kind. India and Pakistan trying to destroy each other. Israel and Palestine form another great pair. No need to talk about US and Iran/North Korea. Such rivalries in history have invariably lead to great blood shed. History repeats itself and only fools will ignore it. So, the next major war could just be around the corner. The only difference between the previous wars in history and the current scenario is that one wrong decision by some stupid politician sitting somewhere in the globe, could easily mean total annihilation.

d.) Exploitation
We exploit others to the extent that we have totally become blind to the atrocities that are committed every day in front of our very eyes. Poverty, illiteracy, child mortality are all mere words and statistics without any feelings and emotions. The more a section is exploited, the more violent will their upheaval be. Millions in India and in other third world countries are deprived of basic sanitation, potable water, primary health care etc... How long can this exploitation continue?

Thinking of these makes me paranoid. There is a major catastrophe awaiting us humans in the coming years. With great power, comes great responsibility. Nature gave humans great power, but we have failed miserably in excercising that power. I dont feel very comfortable thinking of all these. The future of human kind appears extremely bleak and it certainly does not appear to be a place where I'd like to live in.

Enna Tag pannitaanga pa
-------------------------------------------------

I am Thinking

• Why should people endlessly haggle for a few rupees with people who are far far economically down troden than them

I said...

• I dont want to say anything

I want to...

• Become an expert in Tamil and Sanskrit
• Possess a mind that is as patient and tolerant as nature

I wonder

• If extra-terrestrial intelligence is on earth and they dont think that we are living beings like we think that water and air are non-living

I need

• I need the mind to make me say I dont need anything

I regret

• That there are people in this world who think they can reach god / be happy by killing other life forms

I dance

• When I am jobless
  

I sing

• When I am jobless

I cry

• When I think about the future of mankind and find that it is absolutely hopeless

I write

• Bullshit

I know

• Nothing that god wanted humans to know

I am

• Tat Tvam Asi :D

On the side of reason
=================

Many a times, you are asked this question - 'Which side do you belong to?'. May be not explicitly, but definitely implicitly. May be not by your peers but definitely your mind does it. The range of topics on which you have to take sides is bewildering. Never mind if your football knowledge is only as good as that of my moms', you need to take sides when it comes to whether Rooneys sending off is correct or not. Never mind if you you are no expert in higher education management and politics, you need to take sides on the reservation issue. Never mind if you are no Sun Tzu in war strategies, you need to take sides in the war against terror.

This taking sides thing, is more of an internal urge than peer pressure. Peer pressure can always be shrugged off but this internal urge to judge and take sides is not so easy to shrug off. I guess, it is a basic human instinct to judge and take sides. Atleast, to enable one to debate about it with peers. Obviously, judging a situation is absolutely necessary but the way we take sides this days and argue about it leaves a lot to be desired.

Most often than not, a debate is a contest to decide who is better at gabbing. People seldom argue on the strength of their convictions. Instead, they argue on the strength on their abilities to keep gabbing. Of course there are glorious exceptions, but exceptions are not examples. So, such debates rapidly degenerate into a contest of one upmanship and it starts resembling a court room where the aim is to proove that the other person is wrong and not to proove that you are right. I've seen this sometimes even with some of my best friends whom I consider to be amongst the best debaters and who make a conscious attempt to argue on the strength of their convictions. With the not so talented debaters, their debating will degenerate further from that of a court room to that of the parliament where it doesnt matter whether the other party is listening or not, you simply shout whatever you want to. This leads us nowhere. Such a debate is an absolute waste of time.

THE AIM OF AN ARGUMENT SHOULD BE PROGRESS. Only then, is there any point in arguing about something. There is absolutely no non-trivial issue where one side is 100% correct and the other side is 100% wrong. So, if we argue on the strength of our conviction and with ovreall progress in mind, our eyes will open to new perspectives that we have not thought about. This will eventually lead the arguing parties to understand why the other person is saying what he is saying. This will undoubtedly result in progress. If this happens, people will agree to some extent that there can be no generalized solution possible for most non-trivial issues. As a result of this, people will take a holistic look at any situation, think about pros and cons from all perspectives and take a decision on a case by case basis. It might not be practically feasible to take a decision on a case by case basis in some situations. Even in such cases, thinking from all perspectives will definitely help. This will eventually lead us to being on the side of reason and will enable us to take the middle path. Instead, if we were to blind our eyes to the most justified arguments of the other person and simply keep repeating our points, no matter how justified, we can neither claim to be on the side of reason nor can we take the middle path. Following the middle path is absolutely vital for the just and fair handling of any situation and this virtue has been extolled by many a saint. Thirumoolar quotes the following in this magnum opus Thirumandiram

Nadunin raarkuandri gyaanamum illai - Persons other than those who follow the middle path do not possess great wisdom
Nadunin raarkunaragamum illai - Hell will never befall persons who follow the middle path
Nadunin raarnalla thevarum aavar - Persons who follow the middle path will become gods
Nadunin raarvazhi naanum ninrene - I too follow the path of people who follow the middle path

Nadunin raarsilar gyanigal aavar - Persons who follow the middle path become great sages
Nadunin raarsilar thevarum aavar - Persons who follow the middle path will become gods
Nadunin raarsilar nambanum aavar - Persons who follow the middle path will make great friends (Doubtful translation)
Nadunin raarodu naanum ninrene - I too stand alonside those who follow the middle path

(DISCLAIMER: I am no expert in tamil and these translations might be wrong from an academic perspective but the spirit of the verses in Tamil have been captured correctly in the translation to the best of my knowledge)

Lets consider the debate on reservation as a small example.

a1.) Says the anti-reservationist... Why should ones birth tilt the odds in favour or against a person? Why should I be denied a chance to study in a college I want to even when I have more brains that the one who actually gets the seat?
a2.) Says the pro-reservationist... Why is it that the majority of the top posts in India are occupied only by the upper caste people? Why is that you dont find any upper caste people cleaning sewages and sweeping the streets? The odds are terribly in favour of the upper caste and reservation only slightly corrects it.

b1.) Says the anti-reservationist... We have been having reservation for the past 50 years and if there is no significant improvement in the status of the so called lower castes, what is the proof that it will improve the situation now?
b2.) Says the pro-reservationist... Yes, it has improved to some extent. The only reason why you see many SC/ST IAS/IPS officers these days is due to the helping hand of reservation.

c1.) Says the anti-reservationist... But what happens to merit? Why should an intelligent boy suffer for no reason of his?
c2.) Says the pro-reservationist... What makes you think people from lower castes are less intelligent? It is precisely this opinion of people like you that has resulted in the social ostracization of huge sections of the society.

d1.) Says the anti-reservationist... Look at the western nations. They too have inequalities. They tackle it at the level of the primary education. Dont get belied by the statements of these politicians. They are not trying to help you be reserving seats for you. They are simply trying to divide and rule.
d2.) Says the pro-reservationist... No. Though the politicans are in general bastards, this is the only time in the history of India where they are trying to do the correct thing. Dont even dare to belie this.

and the debate continues with no end in sight. Each one simply rephrases the same point in different words and keeps on shouting without actually trying to make sense of what the other person says. This will only lead to total chaos and absolutely no progress will be possible.

Another great problem with arguing is that of context. When a person A says something, there is a HUGE amount of unstated contextual information behind this. Unless one really makes a sincere effort to understand that, we can never get, forget the exact meaning, even the approximate meaning of what was said. If we do not get a clear understanding of what the other person says then there is absolutely no point in replying to him. Its like two people A and B arguing where the only language A knows is Sanskrit and the only language B knows is Latin. There is absolutely no point in continuing with such an excercise. In the debates that I have seen so far, I've almost never found a case where two debaters genuinely try to understand each others context. So, to make alteast some progress in any non-trivial argument, the two guys involved in it should be prepared for the long haul. They need to argue patiently, genuinely and with progress in mind. If this happens, the two guys concerned can understand each others' concerns and will be able to decide the right path towards progress.

I've personally NEVER been a great debater myself. Main reasons would be the lack of sufficient fluency in spoken english, inability to keep gabbing at will and an inconscious mind that always tries to take the middle path. So, when I argue, if my opponent says a valid point in his support and if it is something that I have not thought about, I go back to my drawing table to think again about my ideas and thoughts. As a result, Ill stop talking and that kills the debate. I've been doing this unconsciously for a long time and have started to do this consciously off late, even at the risk of being projected as indecisive. I do believe that taking the middle path in this fashion, even at the risk of being labelled indecisive, is always the right thing to do and hope against hope that atleast a few amongst the powers that be also think along similar lines. Also, can we, the general public, ingrain this ability of taking the middle path into our daily activities. If atleast a small minority succeed in doing it, the quality of our society will increase manifold.

What say??????????????????

Some basic statistics on rates of houses / rental rates in different areas of the Chennai follows. Before you go thru those points, please understand that
* None of stats these are accurate and only represents the authors perception of the rates.
* These stats are used for the sole purpose of this blog.
* So, please dont get lost in the actual stats but try and think over the force behind this argument.

AnnaNagar/T.Nagar/Mylapore/Adyar/Alwarpet/BesantNagar - 3.5 - 10/18
Vadapalani/W.Mambalam/AshokNagar/Kodambakkam - 3.1 - 7/15
Velachery/Triplicane/Royapettah/Saidapet/Thiruvanmiyur - 2.8 - 6/12
Aadambakkam/Nanganallur/Chrompet/Pallavaram/K.K.Nagar - 2.5 - 5/9
Madipakkam/Porur/Ambattur/Perambur/Villivakkam - 2.0 - 3/7

* The first number indicates the amount in millions of rupees that one needs to spend to buy a 1000sqft flat in that area.
* The second number indicates the amount in thosands of rupees that one needs to spend to rent a 1000/2000 sq.ft flat in that area.
* I reiterate, these are only some vague numbers based on the authors perception.

Most people start thinking about buying a house at about 22 and actually fall into the trap at about 25. Now that with India Shining, most people are upwardly mobile, especially the IT folks. So they plan to spend 3M in buying a house. ICICI/HDFC/HSBC and all the other financial instituitions are just waiting to give you that loan that you need, albeit at a hefty interest rate which will ensure that you will repay 5M in a period of 20 years.
This means you will stay in your 'own' house, a 1000sqft house, for say the next 20 years atleast. So one ends up spending 5M to own a 1000 sq ft house in a decent area of the city. I am sure most of the real estate eagles would mostly agree with this small maths.

Now, consider this alternate maths about spending that 5M in another avenue.
To rent a 2000 sqft (twice the size which you can buy) house in the same area will probably cost 15K. So, every year it will set you back by 180K. So, after 20 years, you would have spent 3.6M in rental alone. Obviously rent rates will increase. So let me add another 400K to cover that. So at the end of 20 years, you would have spent 4.0M for your living.

Which is a better choice. IMNHO, the second choice rockz. I get to live for 20 years, (the bulk of my middle age) in a nice and plush house (rememeber I am paying a huge rent). I end up spending 1M less which can be used for many things. You can even become a good philanthropist if you so desire. Alternatively you can also travel across the globe. :)

Also, if you think, 'Hey come on.. why do I need a 2000sq ft house. After all, I am going to have one wife and one child. A good two bedroom house would be sufficient.' In this case, thou art indeed blessed. For, you will be spending far less on rentals and will be easily left with about 25M at the end of 20 years. If you spend say 2lakh every alternate year on international travel, then you would have covered most of the places on earth. You might actually be left with some more money despite the travels :)

Of course, everything has a flip side. The flip side is, you will not own a house when you are 50. But hey, do you realize that with all the pollution around us, do you really stand a chance for a healthy(if you are unhealthy, it does not matter if you are living in a 1000 room palace or a 1 room house. you are gonna be stuck in 1 bed) life (if at all you live) beyond 60? Dude, it helps to be a bit philosophical. There have been millions of humans all over the world right thru the ages, owning all sorts of things. Eventually, everyone dies. Remember the cardinal rule of god. You cannot take anything from this earth with you when you die :). Understand this. YOU WILL DIE VERY VERY SOON (wrt to astronomical time scales). So, in this brief period that you are here on earth, make it as fruitful as possible, as happy as possible. Dont get caught into this trap of buying a house and get stuck to it for life. Do things that will excite you and give your brethren tremendous pleasure.

Of course, you are now thinking, "what will my sweet little beta do? He deserves a house of his own." Come on. Give me a break dude. Your son will have a d**k and brain of his own. He will be able to stand on his own leg. Spend the money that you intend to spend on the house on him. Give him good health and good education. He will be able to lead a wonderful and happy life.

What say?

A critique of the Judicial System

In an ideal utopian society, education, health and justice of the highest quality should be free for everyone. The effects of this are obvious. There will be great progress and there will be great happiness in society. But obviously this is impossible to achieve. Nevertheless, free education, health and justice are worthy ideals to strive towards. Whilst decent progress has been made on the education and health fronts, free justice still remains an unfulfilled dream. The condition is far worse in under developed nations like India.

The justice system in place today will certainly rank amongst the worst possible systems that has ever been conceived by the human mind. It certainly cannot take us anywhere near the ideal goal of free justice to all. There are a plethora of reasons for the same. Some of the most important ones are

• Justice is not decided by the spirit of the law, instead it is decide by the word of the law.
• The accused and the accuser have to pay inordinate amounts of money to lawyers to get justice.
• There is absolutely no consistency in the delivery of justice.
• Time taken to deliver justice is inordinately high

1.) The first point mentioned above is probably the worst of the above four points. This alone makes the court rooms a circus. Any law should be adhered to in spirit. If not, all you need to break the law is sophistry. One just needs to keep on talking until one finds a way to interpret the words in a particular fashion. What this does, is that law and all legal documents are so embroiled in legal jargon that the common man, for whom the law was designed, cannot interpret it.
e.g. a smart young man gets a patent on a technology and this is worded in a certain fashion
In comes a corporation with great economic muscle. It hires the best legal talent, interprets the word in the patent statement in a certain fashion and steals the technology that came out of that smart chaps efforts.
There are countless such examples. Now this is a simple example from a civil case. Criminal cases are even more notorious. This is the greatest bane of our society. Justice by the word of the law and not by the spirit of the law is exactly how it should NOT be.

And this is something that is not restricted to the judicial system. It is in our culture. We somehow want to twist each others words to get our job done. That is the root of the problem. Is it possible for us to challenge our mind to break out of this? No matter what, can we stick to honesty and the spirit of our word in each and every action of ours, no matter how trivial?

2.) The Government is of the people, for the people and by the people. So, it is the responsibility of the government to ensure justice prevails. For that, the government mechanism should take care of both the for and against arguments. Instead it appoints a lawyer as the public prosecuor and leaves the defendants to fend for himself. So, for the same crime a poor man for want of money to hire a bright legal mind will have to face the stick whilst a well heeled one will escape the law becoz he is able to hire someone who is better at gabbing than the public prosecutor. This clearly shows that whether one is right or wrong is simply decided by the depth of ones pocket. Can there be a bigger disgrace to justice?

Similarly when two people have a civil case on some issue, the person who hires the better legal talent wins. If lawyer A is better than lawyer B and if X hires A in a suit that he has filed against Y, then X wins. On the other hand, if X had hired B instead of A, then Y would have won. Things certainly cant get worse than this.

3.) The third point is simply a by-product of the first two. The sessions judge dismisses the case, high courts then convicts the accused, the supreme court then dismisses the case. I just cant help but laugh at this. Is it possible to evolve a system that deliver judgement consistently. Yes, overriding a decision is bound to happen now and then. But, in this system it is the norm rather than the exception.

4.) Justice delayed is justice denied. If this were maxim were true, there is hardly any justice available in India. The primary reason for is point 1 mentioned above. Beyond that, it is incompetency and corruption in the prosecuting side. What is the damn point in

With such ills, is there hope? Do we simply accept this as There Is No Other Alternative? Any thoughts?
Is it possible for us to brain storm and find out various ideas to counter this - ranging from the most insane to the most sublime of possiblities?

Kudunga kudunga, anju rupaai kudunga

This is basically an excerpt from a statement made by a haggler demanding five rupees for some purchase. Any guesses who this haggler might have been? My guess is that most of the conjectures that you might have made now are wrong. This is NOT what I heard from the (in)famous chennai auto drivers or from the owner of a petty shop or from a flower seller. This is what the priests for the main deity in palani had to say!! Disgusting.

I had been to a friends marriage to a place near Madurai and from there I went to Palani along with a friend. I had visited many religious places in Chennai with the noted exception of Palani. So, I was all the more excited to go to palani, see the famed lord Muruga and experience the bliss of being in a famed temple. I guess those who have been to temples in Tirupathi, Thanjavur, Kumbakonam would vouch that visiting these temples is truly a great experience. I was expecting something along the same lines in Palani.

But the first caveat for what would follow came from my friend.
"Dei, do not listen to what any one says and do not look into the eye of any sales person"
"hmmm... why?"
"The guys there are a**h*** who will want to fleece the last penny out of you. They will grab your hand and place their product in your hand and will demand a huge sum for that. So never bother about what they say and never look them into their eyes."
"Oh... what a nice way to welcome people coming to a holy place... kudos to indians"

This caveat from my friend didnt prepare me for the greater surprises, read shocks, that awaited me.

The time of the year that we went was 'off season' and hence the crowds were minimal, rather non-existent. So we decided to perform a pooja and obtained the pooja ticket from the counter. This is what that transpired in front of the main deity, the moment we went there. Let the following be the various characters.
P1: person who performs the pooja
P2: person who distributes the prasadam
F: My friends father
M: Yours truly
CC: Crowd controller

P1: kudunga sir kudunga, archana panrathukku kaasu kodunga
F: mothalla archana pannunga saami, piragu tharen
P1: archana panna piragu, kootam irukarthunaala odiduveenga. athenaala ippove kudunga, kaasu kodunga
F: poi archana pannittu vaanga

After the archana, P2 gives the viboodhi. Typically, the priests in any temple would say, "inthaango prasadam", but...

P2: kudunga kudunga, anju rupaai kudunga. kaasu kodunga. (my friend then gives 5 rupees)
M: I was screaming inside. But some how the words wouldnt come out. !@#$%$#!!#
CC: kalumbunga sir, kalambunga.. kalambunga kalambunga

All of us then start to move

P1: hello sir, kaasu kuduthutu ponga... ithukku thaan appove ketten.. kaasu kuduthuttu ponga... kudunga kudunga
(my friends father then gives him five rupees)

I was fuming when I came out. I couldnt understand why. We are living in an economy driven by money and everyone needs money. So whats wrong in the priest trying to make some money. Afterall, when I landed in palani, the hawkers there were trying to fleece me. I was only irritated then. But now I am really fuming. Why?

The difference is hypocrisy. The hawkers dont claim to be great souls. They simply go about doing their businees. But these priests claim to be holy and do all this which really irritates the hell out of people. Atleast they did get under my skin. I really couldnt fathom why we need to pay them money. They are being paid by the temple trust to do their job. So what is this money that they are demanding for? Is it brokerage for them for they acting as brokers between the devotees and the gods. This is worse than a government employee demanding bribe. The priests are supposed to act as people who show the common man the path towards spiritual enlightenment. Thats why they were given an exhalted place in society in earlier times. Already most of the priests dont do it any more. To add to that, these guys are now demanding money. So from being a guru who shows the path toward god, they are now acting as brokers.

Definitely man does not need a broker between him and god. The relationship between man and god does not need a middle man. In fact one does not really need to go to a temple to connect with god. We just need to realize god within our hearts. A temple is simply a place that provides the right environment for humans to go about the process of connecting with god. In that respect, what these priests at palani do, have reduced or rather obliterated that environment at palani. If this is allowed to continue, we will no longer be able to call palani a holy place. For it would have lost its raison d'etre of providing a good environment for man to realize god.

Somebody stop them!!!