Nirvana

An interesting post by Anji Reddy on Abdul Kalam in The Hindu. One particular anecdote in this post stands out.

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The first citizen of India, Ms. Pratibha Patil, in her speech on the eve of the Independence day address to the nation as published by The Hindu

Ms. Patil ended her address by invoking Swami Vivekanada’s “immoral clarion call” to fellow-citizens to “Arise, Awake and Stop not till the goal is reached.”

I wonder if she really said that !

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Sonia Gandhi was listed 13th on Forbes 100 most powerful women this month.

Born Antonia Maino in Italy, Sonia married Rajiv Gandhi from the (non?) illustrious Nehru dynasty and has risen to become the president of the Indian National Congress, a political party in India. There are rumors abound that politicians flock around her aware of the wealth amassed by Rajiv during the infamous Bofors scandal and also by her power hungry mother-in-law Indira Gandhi.

Her greatest service to the nation to-date is to refuse the post of Prime Minister when offered and instate Manmohan Singh to the post. Or was this a politically motivated move to pull the strings behind the screen?

She was in Bangalore this Sunday to address her political party workers - hundreds of people from villages flocked at Palace Grounds to see her and hear her speak. Never mind the rumor that they were paid 100 bucks and were offered free meals and transport to gather. The meeting was held in the heart of the city resulting in chaos of the worst order, traffic jams and roads were trashed with paper cups, plastic bags and banana peels.

For a more dubious sketch of her by Subramaniam Swamy, you can visit this cached page.

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I recall my first acquaintance with a US news channel in 1999 - the prime news featured was a cat stuck on a tree that had to be rescued by firefighters (no less!). I was quite amused by it all and was thankful that Indian media was sober, covered news of significance and was to the point. Alas, no more!

The Indian media has begun to ape the USA in sensationalizing trivial affairs and news. Are we really that dumb that they have to wash it down for us ? Who really gives a hoot if Saurav Ganguly is in the team or not, what Sachin had for breakfast and what Ajay Devgan had to say about his new movie?

Dont we have larger issues at hand - why not focus on those issues and bring about a change in the mindset of it’s viewers/readers ?

Disgusting!

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Saluting the heroes and paying homage to the Indian jawans who lost their lives in defence of our Motherland and thwarted the enemy’s machinations on the seventh anniversary of Kargil war.

Jai Hind!

In a lighter vein, here’s an anecdote from annals of Indian politics.

In the Parliament, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia raised the issue of the ongoing China-India border dispute and asked Nehru what steps he had taken to resolve it.

Nehru replied that it was barren area not worth taking any steps. Dr. Lohia retorted that as Nehru’s head was bald and barren, why didnt he offer it to china. Nehru’s face was flushed with anger on these remarks.

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Israel, a country that is approximately 160 times smaller than India, proclaims the act of capturing two soldiers by Hezbollah an “act of war”. It bombs Lebanese key areas like the airport and the bridges and blockades the Lebanese waters over the past two days warning that there is more to come.

India (politicians that is), having lost 200 people to Mumbai blasts on 7/11, is busy twiddling it’s thumbs, offering rhetorical statements about how the guilty will be punished when captured and praising the resilience of Mumbaikars.

Two soldiers v/s Two hundred citizens.

The ignominy of Indian politics. A week from now these incidents will be long forgotten and the leeches will be back in their comfort zone playing caste politics.

Mulayam defends SIMI movement indulging in vote-bank politics. Arjun singh and Karunanidhi are all for reservation for Muslims and Christians. Manmohan and his colleagues without adequate security measures open the Indo-Pak routes as part of peace process. We have a spineless PM who is trying his level best to hold onto his power.

The focus is on installing hundreds of CCTVs in Rashtrapati Bhavan to protect these nincompoops NOT for the citizens on the streets, airports, borders or stations.

How long are we going to stand by and notice these suckers rape our motherland?

Apathy is the worst crime of all, India is sadly an example.

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The wedding is a week away.

Next Wednesday.

South Indian weddings are fun.

Huge gathering of friends and relatives.

Cousins, uncles, aunts, school mates, elders, neighbors.

Some I have not met for years together.

All present for the occasion.

Dressed in the best of their clothes.

Men wearing traditional dhotis or kurtas.

Kids adorned in pavadais and sherwanis.

playing around the marriage hall.

Women wearing lovely silk sarees.

Bedecked with gold and diamonds.

Around a thousand are expected.

Can be intimidating to those who are not familiar.

Musicians in a corner.

Playing Nagaswaram and Molam.

The weddings in north and south differ.

North Indian weddings start late in the evening.

The rituals last only a couple of hours.

The merrymaking (music, dance, wine and food) follows.

Till early hours of dawn.

South Indian weddings lay emphasis on traditions and protocols.

The weddings are held during daytime.

The formalities start at around 5 in the morning.

End at around 1 in the afternoon.

The whole ceremony can sap all your energy.

The reception of the groom is on the previous evening.

A formal betrothal runs a few hours.

On the day of the wedding, there are vedic chants.

The proceedings are in front of the holy fire.

The groom usually sits barechested wearing a yellow dhoti.

The bride switches between different silk sarees.

The groom ties a sacred thread around the bride’s neck.

Indicative of the union.

The bride follows the groom around the fire seven times.

Each circle has it’s own significance.

An oath to stay together in times of happiness and travesty.

Followed by a sumptuous lunch for everyone gathered.

Three servings of rice with sidedishes, vegetables, sweets.

A king’s buffet.

Afternoon includes merriment and adequate rest.

There’s a reception in the evening.

Western style - groom wearing a suit, bride usually a saree.

Everyone’s looking forward to the occasion.

Here’s a link elaborating on the wedding rituals and customs.

Barely a week away!

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The stress in this article should be on “If all goes according to plan”.

World’s Tallest Building in India

Quite ambitious for a country that does not feature in the Top 100 of the world’s tallest buildings.How about focussing on building better schools with better infrastructure to avert loss of precious young lives similar to the Kumbakonam School Tragedy ??

Did I hear someone say ‘Superpower by 2010′ ? Ridiculous!

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Characters :

• Arjuna, the Great Pandava and a great programmer
• Krishna, the computer and an avatar of Narayana

Scene:

Arjuna is disillusioned on receipt of a junk mail and Krishna is trying to clear that disillusionment.

ACT ONE :

Krishna : Try to respect the e-mails of your elders..

Arjuna : But Vasudev, How dare I send junk mails to my honorable elders and brothers who are logged on a honorable domain?

Krishna : Paartha, at this moment they are neither your friends nor yourfoes. They are mere mail-users. So follow your Net-dharma. Log on and send dozens of junk mails. This is your Karma and this alone is your Dharma.

Arjuna : Hey Murari ! After seeing all this I feel like resigning from the Software Industry.

Krishna : Bandhu, it seems like you are caught in a vicious circle of Maaya. In this material world you have none and you are committed to none. Junkmails have existed before you came to this world and shall remain long after you are gone. Rise above this Maaya and perform your duty. Just keep firing junk mails.

Arjuna : But Devaki Nandan………..!Krishna : Victory or failure is not in your hands. So stop pondering about results. Don’t waste your knowledge on the junk shastra bestowed by your Guru Dronacharya.

Arjuna : Hey Keshav, how is junk mail related to the system ?

Krishna : Junk mail is just junk mail. It has no connection with Hardware. However, it is another aspect that it overloads the system….fills up the hard disk. But you are not supposed to worry about it. Listen Kunti putra, the way Aatma leaves one physical body and moves onto another, likewise these junk mails move from system to system.

Arjuna : How can one define junk mail ?

Krishna : Neither fire can burn it.., nor air can dry it.. neither can it be conquered nor can it be defeated. He who sends junk mails cannot be looked down upon even by Mahadev.. Junk mails are immortal.

Arjuna : Hey Narayan ! Now all my fundaas on junk mail are crystal clear. You have opened my eyes Yashoda Nandan, else I would have lost myself in Maaya and read all the junk mails myself.

Arjuna hits the forward button.

End of ACT ONE.

Source - Unknown

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1) What is the similarity between krishna jayanthi and communism? Kaal marks.

2) How do flies communicate? eee-mail

3) What is the similarity between short circuit and poramai? Wire-eriyarthu

4) What is the similarity between boxing and goddess kali? Naak-out

5) Deepavalikkum pongalukkum yennanga vithyaasam? Deepavali annikku pongal
saapadalaam aana Pongal annikku Deppavali sapda mudiyaadhu.

6) LIC oda 14th floorla sandhanam poosi yirukkanga.Yaen? Yaenna adhu Mottai maadi.

7) Oru annanum thangachchiyum oadi varranga.Annan elmoochuvangaraan.Thangachchi?
Ava Female moochchu vaanguvaaa
Eli(adhaanga Rat) adhukku yaen vaal yirukku? Seththa pudichchu thookki poada.

9) What is the opposite of Arvindswamy Arvind-DID-NOT-SEE-ME

10) LEO coffee a yaen kalyanam pannikka mudiyaadhu? Yaenna “Manamaana” coffee LEO
coffee

11) Mylapore-kkum, Mandaveli-kkum sandai vandha edhu win-pannum? Mylapore, yenna
avangakitta tank irukku.

12) Russia-la yen kosu-ve illai? Yen-na, anga Kosukku vera peyar.

13) Yen, cinema theatre-la A-row la irukkara-vangalukku cinema ozhungave theriyalai?
Enna, A-row-kku munnala B-row (Bureau) irukku.

14) Yen, desert-la irukkara post-office-la ellarum letter ezhudhittu, stamp vangittu, veliya
pora? Enna, veliya dhan otta-gum irukku.

15) Ramar (the mythological character) sithai-ya thedindu lankai kelambumbodhu kadal-ai
thaandarathukku varar. Appo enna achariyam! Kadal avarukku appadiye vazhi vittuduthu.
Yaen? Enna, Where there is a will, there! is a way.

16) Raja Harischandra use panna paste enna? Promise.

17) Traffic Inspectors enna paste use pannuva? Signal.

18) Harischandra-kku pudicha biscuit enna? True.

19) Bus-ai pinnala thallina enna aagum? Pin valayium.

20) Oru yanai (elephant) vegama ration kadai pakkam odarathu. Athu anga enna vangum?
Muchu Vangum.

21) Oru English therinja maadu(cow) theatre pakkam porathu. Anga theatre Kadhavai
kadikka arambichuduthu! Yen? Enna, Kadhavula “Pull”-nnu ezhudhirukku.

22) Japanese, Leaning Tower of Pisa kattina adhukku enna per veppa? Nikumo-Nikado

23) Mahathma Gandhijikkum, Kunnakudi Vaidyanathanukkum yenna vidyasam?
Avar Non-violinist. Vaidyanathan Violinist.

24) Spin Bowlarruku pen kuzhandai perandal enna payru vaipar? Bala Tiruppura Sundari

25) Independence day-kkum Republic day-kkum yenna vidyasam? Sumar, anjara maasam.

26) Oru maami idli-a thalaila vechinda. Yaen? En-na idli poo pola irundhudhu.

27) Kadri Gopalnath - Kunnakudi jugalbandi censor board banpannina.Yaen?
Romba Sax and violins

28) Neil Armstrong yaen romba great ?
Ellarum 1-ikku, 2-ikku pova. Avar “moon” ukke poitaar.

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