tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-191639672024-03-06T22:29:52.553-08:00The HologramTheres no description, so to speak, for this blog. The mind is unpredictable, so will the blog be.Sailesh Ganeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10434654034135974696noreply@blogger.comBlogger54125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19163967.post-23933209738082369542011-04-25T07:32:00.000-07:002011-04-25T07:34:34.507-07:00India always loses when Tendulkar scores a hundred(<i>This has also been cross posted at the <a href="http://mumbaicricket.blogspot.com/">Mumbai cricket blog</a></i>)<br /><br />It has become something of a given. People are happy that Tendulkar did not score a hundred. Because we all know that if he does, India (or Mumbai) will definitely lose the game. Entire prayers were for the world cup were based around Tendulkar not scoring a hundred in the knock-out games. The sigh of relief when he was dismissed early in the final was heard all the way in Sri Lanka, who were probably wondering whether India were trying to be more than gracious hosts.<br /><br />So, how true is it? Does India really lose every time Tendulkar scores a hundred? <br /><br />A quick check reveals that of the 48 ODIs that Tendulkar has scored a hundred in, India have won 33 of them and lost 15, with one tie and one no result. That means India have only lost 27% of the games in which Tendulkar has scored a hundred, which is certainly not bad. In fact, starting 2007, Tendulkar has scored 8 hundreds, and India have won 5 and tied 1 of those, with a failure rate of 25%, so discernable difference there either. <br /><br />In tests, the hypothesis makes even less sense. Of the 51 tests in which Tendulkar has scored a hundred, India have won 20, drawn 20 and lost 11. The failure rate here is only 22%. In the last 5 years, the failure rate from 16 tests falls to under 19% (8 wins and 5 draws). In fact, the highest this number has ever been is 32% in 1999. The success rate (for wins) was always in the tens and twenties in the 1990s, and since 2002, has steadily gone up to almost 40%.<br /><br />So, how did this urban legend of India's loss being caused by Tendular's hundreds come about? Probably due to sheer numbers. Most people score as many centuries as Tendulkar does in losing causes. Plus, some epic centuries by him resulted in losses due to the brain dead batting of the players who followed. Such things tend to stick in the memory longer. And good old confirmatory bias probably plays a part as well.<br /><br />Next time, do yourself and others a favour. Stop this India loses whenever Tendulkar scores a hundred nonsense and just enjoy the game.Sailesh Ganeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10434654034135974696noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19163967.post-4916579295082656162011-04-25T04:09:00.001-07:002011-04-25T04:17:04.660-07:00LegislationThe recent <del>dictatorship</del> Lokpal bill reminded me of the following exchange between Floyd Ferris and Hank Rearden from Atlas Shrugged:<br /><br /><blockquote>Dr. Ferris smiled. "We've waited a long time to get something on you. You honest men are such a problem and such a headache. But we knew you'd slip sooner or later—and this is just what we wanted."<br /><br />"You seem to be pleased about it."<br /><br />"Don't I have good reason to be?"<br /><br />"But, after all, I did break one of your laws."<br /><br />"Well, what do you think they're for?"<br /><br />Dr. Ferris did not notice the sudden look on Rearden's face, the look of a man hit by the first vision of that which he had sought to see. Dr. Ferris was past the stage of seeing; he was intent upon delivering the last blows to an animal caught in a trap.<br /><br />"Did you really think that we want those laws to be observed?" said Dr. Ferris. "We want them broken. You'd better get it straight that it's not a bunch of boy scouts you're up against—then you'll know that this is not the age for beautiful gestures. We're after power and we mean it. You fellows were pikers, but we know the real trick, and you'd better get wise to it. There's no way to rule innocent men. The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren't enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws. Who wants a nation of law-abiding citizens? What's there in that for anyone? But just pass the kind of laws that can neither be observed nor enforced nor objectively interpreted—and you create a nation of law-breakers—and then you cash in on guilt. Now that's the system, Mr. Rearden, that's the game, and once you understand it, you'll be much easier to deal with."</blockquote><br />Now that you think about it, doesn't this sound like India?Sailesh Ganeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10434654034135974696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19163967.post-72257307570356808642011-04-23T05:47:00.000-07:002011-04-23T06:02:25.478-07:00Libertarian India?From <a href="http://www.tnr.com/article/magazine/78543/Gary-johnson-2012-republican-candidate-new-mexico?passthru=MWFjY2RkZDlmYWRlY2U5YmIyYTk1N2NhZDczMzA2ZDc">this</a> article over at <a href="http://www.tnr.com/">The New Republic</a> on USA 2012 presidential candidate Gary Johnson:<br /><br /><blockquote>Within moments, he's taking aim at stop signs and red lights. "I'm not opposed to the concept," he allows. "But sometimes, you know, it's 5:30 in the morning! There's nobody on the road!" Johnson laughs, turns in his seat, and fixes me with a grin. "That's the first sign you know you're a libertarian," he says. "You see the red light. You stop. You realize that there's not a car in sight. And you put your foot on the gas."</blockquote><br />Does this mean most of India is libertarian?Sailesh Ganeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10434654034135974696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19163967.post-40217532190219955302010-03-12T08:25:00.001-08:002010-03-12T08:37:45.327-08:00Weekend SportsThis is a conversation between me and an American colleague.<br /><br />Me: We're playing cricket on Saturday. You're coming.<br /><br />AC: Can't make it this weekend. Besides, I am more of a golf person.<br /><br />Me: What's so interesting about golf?<br /><br />AC: I just love it, man.<br /><br />Me: What about it?<br /><br />AC: You know when you go to the course for the first time? You swing hard and miss. You miss the ball completely the first hundred times. And then the one time you hit it, it is so sweet, it is the perfect shot. That one shot makes it totally worth it.<br /><br />Me: That sounds like too much effort for a little bit of pleasure.<br /><br />AC: That's just the beauty of golf.<br /><br />Me: Well, how about we spice this up a bit?<br /><br />AC: How would you do that?<br /><br />Me: Suppose that instead of just one hole, there are many holes scattered all around you, and you can choose which one to aim at.<br /><br />AC: Okay, I'm with you on that.<br /><br />Me: Further, suppose that the ball is not still, it is moving and you have to hit it at the right moment.<br /><br />AC: Ah, interesting. Crazy, but interesting.<br /><br />Me: The ball is not on rolling on the ground. It is in the air, flying around waist height, and depending on its trajectory and position, you have to choose your hole, and the precise moment to hit the ball.<br /><br />AC: That's like no golf I know, but where do I sign up?<br /><br />Me: So, see you Saturday for cricket?Sailesh Ganeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10434654034135974696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19163967.post-22155118440009547162010-01-01T13:15:00.000-08:002010-01-01T13:42:03.384-08:00Vodka Price FixingAnd so the new year begins with more of the same old. As we all know, the Russian economy is heavily dependent on the production of vodka, creation of new nations from unwanted pieces of Russian land, Finland, and Rasputin related accessories. This has been especially true since the mafia went into recession due to the new capitalist regime. Therefore any effect on any of these vital industries will have deep reaching impacts on the Russian economy, and they provide the best known examples of industries that are too vital to be left to market forces. Accordingly, Russia employs millions of mathematicians and statisticians to maintain the fragile balance between supply, demand and price of these commodities.<br /><br />The latest in a series of efforts is the new law mandating a <a href="http://en.rian.ru/russia/20100101/157441015.html">minimum price on vodka</a>. According to the new law, any 0.5 L bottle of vodka selling for under 89 rubles has been outlawed. Fake vodka has long been a major problem in Russia, and the new law is widely expected to help in the fight against counterfeit alcohol. Details are sketchy at this point on how exactly this will help, but as Russia has demonstrated for over 80 years, they do have the best economists in the world, and have shown by example the correct formulation of economic principles, leading to decades of prosperity in the country.<br /><br />Fake vodka producers celebrated long and hard after the new law was implemented, and termed it the best new years gift they could have received. "We have always been hard pressed to justify our prices, and have had to sell our product at ridiculously low prices because of market forces. Now, we can finally justify charging 89 rubles for half a liter of the absolute worst you can get out there. We expect our profits to double this year as compared to last."<br /><br />When we contacted the Russian minister for price fixing for comments, is response was, "As you can see, our policies are already on their way to working. With these increased profits, the fake vodka supplies will be able to build better equipment and start producing real vodka. Pretty soon, we will be rid of fake vodka from our market shelves."<br /><br />Absolutely ingenious. Now, why didn't we think of that before?Sailesh Ganeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10434654034135974696noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19163967.post-24209998215145920012009-07-07T16:14:00.000-07:002009-07-07T16:19:40.823-07:00Right to IntelligenceIn a remarkably productive session of the parliament, the legislature has introduced a new bill which can revolutionize the country. The new bill, called the Right to Intelligence Act has been tabled close to the introduction of another bill, called the Right to Food Act. Just as the Right to Food Act is expected to end hunger in India by providing subsidized, and if required, free food to people, the Right to Intelligence Act will ensure that no man, woman or child will be left behind in the intelligence stakes.<br /><br />The bill was jointly tabled at the working session of the Lok Sabha yesterday by Mr. Pranab Mukherjee, the Finance Minister, and Mr. P. Chidambaram, the Home Minister. Mr. Mukherjee hailed the bill as path-breaking and said that it will ensure that no one will ever have to face stupidity again. Mr. Chidambaram echoed the sentiments of his colleague, and further added that the constitution will be amended to make this a fundamental right of people.<br /><br />According to the bill, a new Ministry of Intelligence (not to be confused with the Defence Intelligence Agency) will be set up to oversee the program. Mr. Shivraj Patil, the former Home Minister, is being widely tipped to head the new ministry. With the new act, intelligence will be made compulsary in schools and colleges.<br /><br />"What we have today is that a large number of people do not possess sufficient intelligence to survive, and as a country aspiring to be among the leading nations of the world, that is just unacceptable." said Mr. Mukherjee. "Just like poverty, lack of intelligence is also a vicious circle. People who are not intelligent will always be taken advantage of by the intelligent ones, and this will further perpetuate their lack of intelligence. We will break this cycle by making intelligence easily accessible by creating an efficient distribution mechanism, especially in rural areas."<br /><br />On being asked as to how exactly people will be made more intelligent, Mr. Chidambaram said, "We are suffering a crisis today. Many intelligent and not-so-intelligent people have been leaving the country for opportunities abroad. When they do that, not only are they being selfish, but they are also carrying much needed intelligence away from India. We intend to restrict the flow of intelligence outside the country, and any intelligence that is repatriated back to India will be taxed at the rate of 10%. We will also levy a modest surcharge of 2% on all intelligence that has been acquired within India to fund this program."<br /><br />When asked whether the implementation of this act will be done in parallel with the implementation of the right to free and compulsory education, Chidambaram said that this will not be the case. The government is looking into setting up intelligence kiosks across the country where the needy can go and gain intelligence.<br /><br />However, not everyone is happy with this scheme. Mr. Prakash Karat, the general secretary of CPI (M) opposes what he believes is a fundamentalist policy. "There is a very good chance that the minorities will get discriminated against. There is currently no restriction on who intelligence will be distributed to. Essentially, the urban elite, with their advantage of superior intellect, will be able to usurp a disproportionate amount of intelligence for themselves. I have nothing against the right to intelligence act, however minorities should have the first option on intelligence, and it should be provided free to them. I am going to raise a protest against this discriminatory act, and till my these concerns are addressed, the CPI (M) will go on an intelligence strike!"<br /><br />Predictably, the issue has raised the hackles of several local parties. Raj Thackerey, the leader of MNS, feels that this is a blatant attempt to subvert and destroy Marathi culture. "People of Bihar and UP are already coming in large droves and taking away jobs from local Maharashtrians here. Imagine what will happen when they come armed will intelligence!" he fumed. There were reports of violence in Borivli, a suburb of Mumbai, where a mob from MNS set fire to shops and BEST buses.<br /><br />The law is revolutionary in the sense that this is the first time such an act has been tabled in any country. However, if not implemented correctly, it has the potential for misuse. While we wait and see if this act becomes a success, one thing is for sure. Even if only a section of the population benefits from this act, the average intelligence of the country will go up and India will take her rightful place amongst the leading nations of the world.Sailesh Ganeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10434654034135974696noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19163967.post-44447780199165845252008-10-27T21:44:00.000-07:002008-10-27T21:44:51.891-07:00Of faces and asses...This is the kind of research that deserves a nobel prize. This is the kind of research that will probably end up winning the ignoble prize. <br /><br />Often times we have some of the most brilliant ideas and imaginations and questions as kids. Then we grow up, and spend the rest of our lives re-inventing the wheel. For example, you might have wondered about the fact that humans look different from each other, while different members of other species all look the same. You might have further wondered whether other species can recognize each other. And then you might have gone off to play cricket. And totally forgotten about it till now.<br /><br />Apparently some people did not forget. Messers Waal and Pokorny, who presumably had no access to cricket games in which to forget said ruminations, based their entire careers out of that question. How do chimps recognize each other?<br /><br />Hypothesis 1: They don't give a chimp's ass.<br /><br />Hypothesis 2: They actually do, quite literally, and recognize each other by <a href="http://www.veryshortlist.com/science/daily.cfm/review/729/Other_print_publication/faces-and-behinds/#">their asses</a>! And faces, of course.<br /><br />Mr. Waal and Mrs. Pokorny then played the children's game of match the following with some chimpanzees, with column A showing a bunch of faces, and column B showing a bunch of asses, jumbled up, of course. And the chimps passed with flying colours! <br /><br />Naturally, the question then arises, can us humans win at the game too? Of matching faces and asses? Perhaps. But it is not important. Because, you see, chimps move about on fours (legs, I mean, not the other sort). So of other chimps, they see: 1) faces (when face to face), and 2) asses (when butt to face). The research thus makes perfect sense. With chimps, it makes sense to match faces and asses. <br /><br />Humans, on the other hand, evolved (if you are a conservative nut, please read to the end of the post before taking any action) to move about on twos (legs again). The unfortunate consequence was that asses were no longer in the line of sight of people. Women, generally being smarter than men, evolved further, and <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6X2B-4BP3M6S-2&_user=10&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=bae3ccbaf3291a897a13fcda2706e280">developed breasts</a> as a feature that would attract mates. <br /><br />With this background in mind, I propose a similar "match the columns" experiment on humans. Except, in deference to evolution, asses must be replaced with breasts. For the sake of thoroughness, I also propose part two of the same experiment with asses. The fun part is that in the original experiment, both columns were featured purely by the test taking chimp's acquaintances, for very obvious reasons. Therefore, said test on humans must also feature only acquaintances of the test takers. Further, since it is the women that evolved breasts (and since no one really wants to look at a man's breasts), they will provide the pictures, while the men will take the test.<br /><br />Is it sexist? You betcha. Ironically, its the women who brought this upon themselves. Is it unscientific due sample bias cutting off half the population? Maybe. But evolution is to blame for that. Testing applicants are requested to provide names of atleast ten female acquaintances.Sailesh Ganeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10434654034135974696noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19163967.post-48211918608343898512008-02-03T22:10:00.000-08:002008-02-03T20:10:14.891-08:00Remembering the Busby Babes<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.thebusbybabes.com/"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiMfCdphurjp6FRUAEBNX9R0yXL7kf80z5MD3nYVVWUlq6SxMU0wr_3nVYt4-S4w6T_UVkrGyiwe1B68MYBEL7T6GQ_Y9MviHn0Gef0OvOuN3t_C9lk9Hm9-HhmdIg2v0bouhxlw/s400/busby+babes.jpg" border="0" alt="The Busby Babes"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5162969700636940034" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">(Click <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsXpRFBvRCE&feature=related">here</a> to listen to it sung at the Stretford End)<br /><br />Oh Manchester,<br />Manchester United,<br />A bunch of bouncing Busby babes,<br />They deserve to be knighted.<br /><br />If ever they're playing in your town,<br />You must get to that football ground,<br />Take a look and you will see,<br />Football taught by Matt Busby.<br /><br />They are the greatest team today,<br />If you don't believe it go see them play,<br />The type of football, second to none,<br />'Cos they're at the top of Division One!<br /><br />It's the greatest thrill that you've ever seen,<br />They are known as a soccer machine,<br />They are the best, there is no doubt,<br />So raise a cheer and give a shout.<br /><br />Down on Maine Road's greasy pastures,<br />Play a load of dozy bastards,<br />Colin Bell, the City ace,<br />A ruptured duck has got more pace.</div>Sailesh Ganeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10434654034135974696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19163967.post-6904397870447928982008-01-29T22:25:00.000-08:002008-01-29T20:25:53.343-08:00Great Rivalry?<a href="http://dopaisekatamasha.blogspot.com/">Homer</a> has <a href="http://dopaisekatamasha.blogspot.com/2008/01/rivalry.html">pointed out</a> the <a href="http://cricketwithballs.blogspot.com/2007/12/what-would-walter-think.html">prophetic words of Uncle J Rod</a>: <i>Great sporting rivalries can’t be manufactured by administrators, they need to be fuelled by arrogance, cheating, choking, cockiness, sh1t hot performances and twats.</i><br /><br />Great words of wisdom. The BCCI tried to manufacture a rivalry and almost, but not quite, succeeded. I have very good reasons to believe that this was actually manufactured. A great rivalry means more money, and I cannot believe that the BCCI were not quick to spot this marketing technique to create a rivalry. <br /><br />The seeds were sown during the one day series in India. No one really cared about the matches. It was just a testing ground. The real action was to be in Australia.<br /><br />Melbourne was just a starter, Australia humped India like the lords they are, and India barely blinked before it realized it had been had. The marketing machinery kick-started in Sydney. The Australians behaved like twats. Then they claimed that the Indians were behaving like twats. The umpires, not to be outdone, joined in. The match referee, not sure what the fuss was all about, decided that it was fun anyway, and went along. And the Indians claimed the moral high. Everyone hated the Australians at that point. Phase one accomplished. <br /><br />The Indians took their cue at this point, and threatened to boycott the tour. The BCCI, ever the master of the misleading word, supported the players and claimed that there were other things more important than money. Surprisingly, the world fell hook, line and sinker for that. Now it was the turn of the Indians to become the hated party. Phase two accomplished.<br /><br />Suddenly, Australia realized that the cute chick they had been eying was visiting, and like most school children, were on their best behaviour. And India took advantage and steamrolled Australia at Perth! (By Australian standards, that was a steamroll!) The euphoria of a victory at Perth drowned all other emotions. Most Australians were relieved that their team lost. Some others tried to play foot soldiers of the BCCI and duly blamed umpiring errors for the loss. But the signs were there, phase three was not going as expected.<br /><br />And it all came apart in Adelaide. A typical Adelaide wicket with no third innings collapse led to a boring game. And the Australians continued to be on their best behaviour even though the girl had left long ago. And so, Indians (I generalize from a sample size of one!) now cannot be bothered to hate the Australians. And the idea of a <i>great sporting rivalry</i> is now left hanging by a thread. Unless they start behaving like arrogant twats again during the one dayers. For you see, it is just not a great rivalry if half the time the opposition tries to make sure you dont hate them.<br /><br />However, as surely as I can identify the back of my palm, the BCCI will switch to plan B. In fact, plan B is already in action. Justice Hansen found the charge against Bhajji not proven, as Bhajji, very smartly, made his own words indecipherable. The Australian players are <a href="http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/ausvind/content/story/334111.html">furious</a>. Expect some rowdy action during the one dayers. Enough to keep the teams and fans simmering till October. Further, the BCCI, with a typical nudge-nudge message, has asked the franchise owners of the IPL to <a href="http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/ipl/content/story/333542.html">go easy on Australian player signings</a>. Expect more fuel in April.<br /><br />The prospect of a great rivalry is not dead yet. And no matter what Uncle J Rod says, in my book, this one has a directed by BCCI stamp all over it! The genius!Sailesh Ganeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10434654034135974696noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19163967.post-47807344701811865032007-11-01T20:05:00.000-07:002007-11-01T18:04:38.751-07:00Protests outside local courtA group of people staged a protest outside a local court in Delhi after the court <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2510491.cms">passed judgement</a> in a divorce case. In its judgement, the judge observed that "marriage was <i>anathema</i> without sex" and ruled that a person can seek divorce is the spouse is infected with HIV.<br /><br />"This judgement is a disgrace and claiming that sex is part of marriage is totally against our culture," claimed a representative for the protest group. "We are a group of people who have no regular jobs and so we have decided to devote our lives to cleaning up the filth in our society. We will continue to oppose everything that is alien to our culture." Questions about what our culture is went unanswered. <br /><br />Of course, our moral protectors are always correct. So there you have it, we do not have sex after marriage. All sex is before marriage. None after. Which, come to think of it, is probably true anyway.Sailesh Ganeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10434654034135974696noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19163967.post-86314548498069716862007-10-25T19:47:00.000-07:002012-07-10T22:49:02.874-07:00A botched plan<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
If you have never been in the news and if you do not have a fan following, you don't really know what it means to fall flat on your face. It was just mostly bad luck, but I guess part of the blame can be attributed to bad planning.<br />
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I suppose I have been a bit too quiet of late and my followers were getting a bit nervous. I mean, I cannot blame them. As any actor or singer will testify, too much time out of the news is not good for publicity. So publicity is what I needed. It didn't matter if it was good or bad publicity. After all, how hard is it to spin bad publicity to paint me as a victim? The crowds never fail to buy it and they revere me even more for that.<br />
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So anyhow, I met with my chief adviser (who, apart from advising me on many matters and taking care of day to day activities, also advises me about which boys have been behaving well this week and who deserves a treat and so on... oh that reminds me, I need to refill my stock of oil) and we decided that something outlandish was needed this time. We went through various plans but none of these looked like a good idea. Heal the sick? Nah, too easy (easy to fake sickness that is... what, have you never skipped office to watch India play cricket?) and besides, its been done too many times to have any novelty. Healing the sick is a bit like the "Hello, world" program that you write. An exciting first step, but eventually you move on to more complicated tricks. Manifest objects? That is lame too. Besides, this has the potential to backfire. All too often, the audience gets excited and demands something to be manifested! People demand small objects like coins, notes and lemons. Fairly easy to handle them. But occasionally, it gets tricker and someone demands a watermelon. I mean, ever tried sticking one up your ass? Besides you need to differentiate yourself from the rest of the crowd, you know. How about transporting a monument, ventured a smart alec. This sounded exciting, until we realized it was also fraught with risk. People might demand go inside the monument, and the whole charade is pretty much revealed.<br />
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And then someone had an idea that could only be termed as brilliant. A couple of aides were eagerly discussing the news regarding the space race in Asia. What with Japan sending a satellite into moon orbit and China also sure to beat India on technology, a few people were getting worried about India's progress and whether or not they would at all be able to send a mission to the moon.<br />
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And this aide goes, "Baba, why don't you show the rest of world that Indians are the best at this stuff, and present yourself on the moon?" Now this was genius. It managed to solve two problems that had us worried with a single solution. Also, I wouldn't have to shove stuff where I dont want to. Picky people would, of course, claim that this is cheating and that India never developed any technology to get to the moon and besides, miracles do not count. But then again, the same picky people do not believe me when I say I am God, and so I have just learnt to ignore them. Life in denial is much easier, especially in this line of business. Then there was the little matter of how I could actually be present on the moon. (Note: Now I hear some of you waiting eagerly to see how I will transport myself to the moon! Why dont you become my devotee and come to my ashram? We do have a Friday night special going on for new devotees!)<br />
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So we spent the rest of the week setting up the hologram projector. Part of the problem is that field testing is not possible. Imagine, you announce with all fanfare that you will appear on the moon, and someone happens to show up just while you are testing. Even the biggest idiot would require some convincing after that. In any case I am sick and tired of having to deal with skeptics who have an alarming habit of pouncing on every mistake I make. But no matter, I have emerged stronger and wiser for it. I do not repeat my mistakes. We decided to test the idea by projecting an image of my face on the ceiling and it worked fine as a charm. Everything was set now and all the announcements were made as well. I was having a really good feeling about this. I even tried to come up with a punchline for this - chal meri lunar - but I wanted to be seen as moving with the times, so I decided agains that.<br />
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We had decided to get the public together at the airport. More people, more publicity, more money, more followers, more fun on fridays! We left well before the event started, so that we take care of unforseen delays. People say that wisdom of the crowds is a myth, and the myth was totally shattered that day. More people than we ever imagined turned up for the event! This was turning out to be better than expected!<br />
<br />
I, of course, couldnt be seen in public because I was supposed to be on the moon! A few of my aides were nearby, in a concealed location, setting up the system. A few others were in the crowd, disguised as normal people! You might wonder as to the reason for their presence in the crowd. It really is deception 101. You always need a back up for every plan. If things go wrong with plan A, we try to pretend that it worked anyway. Just like management. Someone (one of my inside men) in the crowd yells, "There he is on the moon!" and another (again, one of my inside men) yells, "Gosh, you are right, it is him!" By this time the whole crowd gets excited, and some totally random guy (one of my inside men) starts proclaiming about what a miracle it is. Now, here is the really smart thing. Another of my inside men starts questioning my presence on the moon. Sort of like the emperor's new clothes. But in reality, actually questioning the lack of clothes is similar to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somebody_Else%27s_Problem_field">somebody else's problem field</a> and people in general never see it that way. But it is a good idea to pretend that someone does. So a few more inside men end up yelling that they see me. And pretty soon, everyone claims to see me.<br />
<br />
The best laid plans fail. My chief adviser was roaring at the phone.<br />
<br />
"What do you mean, you cant get the image on the moon? ... The projector what? ... You mean you did not change the image scaling after testing it on the ceiling? ... IT SKIPPED YOUR MIND? ... You imbecile, you #%@&, you ..."<br />
<br />
I asked him to take it easy. More pertinently, to lower his volume. People might hear.<br />
<br />
"Okay, so how long will it take to fix it? ... A COUPLE OF HOURS? ... What? ... No, I cannot entertain the crowd for a while ... What do you think this is, stand up comedy? ... NEVER MIND ABOUT THE PROJECTOR, I WILL WORRY ABOUT HANDLING THE CROWDS!!!"<br />
<br />
He looked at me like a kid does when he has to get his father's signature on an unflattering report card. He looked at me like a kid who would forge his marks! I nodded my approval. He gave a discreet signal to one of the inside men! The inside man gave a discreet nod and vanished into the crowd. Moments later, we heard an ecstatic yell from the crowd. Simultaneously, Murphy played his card.<br />
<br />
People looked towards the moon expectantly. I was feeling strangely disillusioned. There was no real excitement in the crowd. In fact, they looked confused. Someone else yelled that the first yeller was lying. I frowned. Much too early for that. That is not one of our men, muttered my chief adviser. I looked out of the window and towards the moon. All I saw was cloud cover. No moon. In the small time period between plan A failing and plan B being kicked into operation, a cloud cover had obstructed the moon. I groaned. This was getting worse.<br />
<br />
A scuffle broke out in the crowd. The first yeller, one of my inside men, was being pummelled by the crowd. Such a tragedy. A man of <i>sophisticated</i> tongue!! We decided to get our of the place quickly. When Murphy makes his appearance, he really kicks you in the nuts! Some sharp-eyed guy in the crowd spotted me. And pretty soon everyone was around my car, making wierd noises. Remember, as kids, we used to describe certain situations as "Aage geela, peeche peela" (wet in front, yellow in the back)? Well...<br />
<br />
Anyway, luck finally turned our way when some policemen spotted our predicament. They quickly created a path for us to escape. I dont know how we did it, but finally we were back at the ashram. I hear rumours of elections in some places...</div>Sailesh Ganeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10434654034135974696noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19163967.post-46928847279180231452007-10-17T19:38:00.000-07:002007-10-17T17:37:17.446-07:00How to stop Global Warming<a href="http://suvratk.blogspot.com/2007/10/diets-consumption-and-global-warming.html">Stop exercising</a>. Drive, rather than walk, everywhere you go. And if you are vegetarian, it is time to purchase a two wheeler.Sailesh Ganeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10434654034135974696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19163967.post-69930713338160204832007-10-12T18:55:00.000-07:002007-10-12T16:59:49.573-07:00IPL ContractsNew Zealand Cricket Players' Association boss Heath Mills has a <a href="http://ia.rediff.com/cricket/2007/oct/12iplcontract.htm">concern</a>. He feels that the contracts that players sign with the IPL (or MOUs) are too long at 112 pages and that the contracts might put NZ players who sign them in breach of the contracts they have with NZC. Fair enough. Then he says this.<br /><br /><blockquote>Mills said Vettori was uncomfortable with a particular clause in the contract that stipulates that "the player is not allowed to play for any other team that may at any point of time qualify for the Champions League".<br />...<br />Mills said NZC is overlooking the fact that if Vettori signs his current IPL contract then he would not be able to play for Northern Districts if they qualified for the Champions League.</blockquote><br />This concern is somewhat ridiculous. Obviously, no team will want to sign a player if he is going to run away when the Champions League comes around. Since the closest analogy is European football, let's look at that. <br /><br />If a player signs for a club (say, Ronaldo for Manchester United), he is obligated to play for Manchester United till either his contract runs out, or he is sold to a different club, whichever is earlier. Selling here implies that all three parties (Manchester United, Ronaldo and the other club) agree on the sale (and all its specifics). If Manchester United qualify for the European Champions League, Ronaldo MUST play for Manchester United, even if Sporting Lisbon from Portugal (Ronaldo's childhood club) qualify for the event. Once he has signed for Manchester United, he has no connection with Sporting Lisbon and the question of playing for them does not arise.<br /><br />Further, if Ronaldo moves to a different club in the middle of the season, he is also cup-tied. Which means that if he has played for Manchester United in any cup competition (Champions League, FA Cup, League Cup), he cannot play in that competition for his new club that season. He can play in those cups starting from the next season. In fact, being listed in Manchester United's roster for the Champions Leauge is enough to make him cup-tied for the Champions League. (League games are not classified as cup competitions, and the player can play in league games for the new team.)<br /><br />While the merits and demerits of making a player cup-tied can be argued over, the important point here is that Ronaldo cannot play for any club other than Manchester United as long as his contract with them is valid. So, why should it be any different in cricket? Granted that the European/US styled league model exists only in India at present. But since teams from many local leagues do feed into the Champions League, it stands to reason that a player should be eligible to play only for one team at a time. <br /><br />I do grant Mills one point though. If the IPL team Vettori signs for agrees to release him for Northern Districts, there should not be a problem with Vettori representing them in the Champions League. Which is prevented by the MOU. But then again, the IPL teams are only franchises (US style), and not clubs in their own right (European style), which means the IPL can introduce such restrictions and get away with it legally!Sailesh Ganeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10434654034135974696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19163967.post-60607647114551656802007-09-17T22:44:00.000-07:002007-09-17T20:44:57.123-07:00PopularityA measure of the popularity of a blog is finding a reference where one <a href="http://www.mohdrafi.com/meri-awaaz-suno/rafi-with-music-composers-%e2%80%93-part-2.html/all-comments/#comment-4010">doesn't expect it</a>. The <a href="http://thehologram.blogspot.com/2006/08/remembering-mohd-rafi-tribute.html">original</a>. No matter how illusory, it feels good.Sailesh Ganeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10434654034135974696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19163967.post-13352220345657357222007-09-12T18:28:00.000-07:002007-09-12T18:28:38.453-07:00Final eleven for IndiaMy final eleven:<br /><br />Virender Sehwag<br />Robin Uthappa<br />Rohit Sharma<br />Yuvraj Singh<br />Mahendra Singh Dhoni<br />Dinesh Kartik<br />Joginder Sharma<br />Yousuf Pathan<br />Irfan Pathan<br />RP Singh<br />Sreesanth<br /><br />Though I suspect Gambhir will make the squad ahead of either Rohit Sharma (a pity, since he is the only Indian with a century in this form of the game) or Joginder Sharma (he is an all-rounder after all, atleast on paper).Sailesh Ganeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10434654034135974696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19163967.post-6349011271811405292007-09-04T21:22:00.000-07:002007-09-04T19:30:11.625-07:00Traffic Congestion Charge in Mumbai?There are plans to implement a <a href="http://www.rediff.com/money/2007/sep/04mumbai.htm">traffic congestion charge</a> in Mumbai, similar to the one used in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_congestion_charge">London</a>. I have a few questions.<br /><br /><p style="margin-left: 12.5pt; text-indent: -12.5pt;"> 1) Why is a GPS system needed for toll collection? I would assume a simple card reader such as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ez_pass">EZ Pass</a> or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toll_Tag">Toll Tag</a> will be sufficient for such purposes.</p><p style="margin-left: 12.5pt; text-indent: -12.5pt;"> 2) After the fiasco with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conditional_Access_System">CAS</a>, how will the government ensure that a similar shortage of the electronic devices will not occur?</p><p style="margin-left: 12.5pt; text-indent: -12.5pt;"> 3) How will authorities ensure that the readers are protected from vandals?</p><p style="margin-left: 12.5pt; text-indent: -12.5pt;"> 4) Given the inefficient system in place for collections in India, with legal recourse not a practical option, how will the authorities ensure that fines are collected in a timely manner? Or, for that matter, that fines are collected at all? Without resorting to hired goondas.</p><p style="margin-left: 12.5pt; text-indent: -12.5pt;"> 5) What is the financial cost for installing such a system? Does the government believe that there are enough people who will pay the fine to keep the system running on its own? Or does it believe that reduced congestion itself is enough to underwrite the system?</p><p style="margin-left: 12.5pt; text-indent: -12.5pt;"> 6) If the system is installed as a way of collecting toll for travelling on the most congested roads, what is the guarantee it is not merely shifting the congestion to other roads? After all, the existing public transport in Mumbai is not good enough for everyone to stop using their cars.</p><p style="margin-left: 12.5pt; text-indent: -12.5pt;"> 7) On a related note, does this mean that the government will collect toll on every major road in Mumbai?</p><p style="margin-left: 12.5pt; text-indent: -12.5pt;"> 8) Have the authorities analyzed the expected impact of different systems before deciding on the congestion charge? For example, a charge based on the colour of the vehicle and day of the week might be as effective in reducing congestion as the congestion charge, with the added benefit of low investment costs. (I really don't know if the colour charge can be as effective, but the question needs to be answered.)</p><p style="margin-left: 12.5pt; text-indent: -12.5pt;"></p><br />A lot of this might sound like nit-picking, and maybe it is too. But there are always concerns about directly using ideas that work in the western nations without considering their effectiveness in Indian conditions. And governments in India could never be accused of thinking through the issues. Now that I have done my job in raising some questions, someone go through the job of finding out the answers, assuming they exist.Sailesh Ganeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10434654034135974696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19163967.post-4957000982147623572007-08-31T17:00:00.000-07:002007-08-31T15:15:56.426-07:00Conversations with Kane, part one<b>Kane</b>: "Reality is a question of perspective; the further you get from the past, the more concrete and plausible it seems -- but as you approach the present, it inevitably seems incredible." Wtf is wrong with him man? (him here is Varadan)<br /><br /><b>Me</b>: The idea is that an incident in the past, which has an impact on you, feels good. But as time moves on, it is something like an avalanche, and the incident becomes more and more glorified till it acquires the status of a legend. It could be glorified in your mind, or it can be glorified in public consciousness. It would be something like hyping up the past incident.<br /><br /><b>Kane</b>: Very true.<br /><br /><b>Me</b>: Well, now I am sure that is not what beerbelly intends to say. <br /><br /><b>Kane</b>: Hahaha!<br /><br /><b>Me</b>: His is more a case of something like this:<br />Consider an analogy. You feel you can do something, such as perform on stage. But as the time approaches for you to do it, you get more and more nervous and your confidence is shattered for no reason other than stage fright.<br />Now step back and think of an incident that occurred. In hindsight, it seems okay, but in the moment it does seem incredible, maybe for the novelty factor, and maybe in the heat of the incident, you cannot imagine it happening.<br /><br /><b>Kane</b>: Dude u seem in a philosophical mood today.<br /><br /><b>Me</b>: I am bored, thats all. Don't even think what I am saying actually makes sense.<br /><br /><b>Kane</b>: For mere mortals like us it doesn't.<br /><br /><b>Me</b>: See, it is easy to speak rubbish and claim it is a great philosophical truth. Or, to simply muddle the heck out of people's brains.<br /><br /><b>Kane</b>: lol<br /><br /><b>Me</b>: And it would be funny if people started taking it seriously.<br /><br /><b>Kane</b>: Quite!<br /><br /><b>Me</b>: Funnier yet if another person does the same with the same effect.<br /><br /><b>Kane</b>: Quite!<br /><br /><b>Me</b>: And funniest if the two sets of people start fighting with each other as to which one spoke the greater truth.<br /><br /><b>Kane</b>: Hahaha indeed!Sailesh Ganeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10434654034135974696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19163967.post-29865697392522374292007-04-03T22:36:00.000-07:002007-04-03T19:36:35.401-07:00Parallel cricket leagueThe latest news regarding Indian cricket is that Zee Tv's chairman, Subash Chandra, has announced the formation of a <a href="http://ia.rediff.com/cricket/2007/apr/03zee.htm">parallel cricket league</a> for Indian domestic cricket. Well, not exactly, but he atleast has plans for creating a parallel league, and as such, has applied for permission to the BCCI. On first impressions, this seems like a good idea, both for Zee TV, and for Indian cricket. But following India's early exit from the world cup, emotions are running high, and it is easy to view any radical idea as a step in the right direction.<br /><br />In the short run, the parallel league will be nothing but a money making enterprise for Zee TV and the BCCI, which has been woefully inadequate in tapping the market for domestic cricket. The most likely structure of this league will be something along the lines of the <a href="http://www.premierhockeyleague.com/">PHL</a>, with the tournament lasting a month or less. If Subash Chandra does manage to attract the best players from India and abroad, there is no doubt the players in the league will be exposed to high quality cricket for a short time. But this will not help Indian cricket improve any more than a few international matches every two years helps the associate nations improve their cricket.<br /><br />Even with the parallel league, many of the existing problems lacing Indian cricket will remain. The dead nature of Indian pitches used in domestic cricket, the lack of fitness among the players, lack of killer instinct, et. al. are problems that will remain. This is not to say that these problems cannot be solved. In fact, in the longer run, it will make sense for Subash Chandra to make sure that these problems are addressed in the proper manner. If he plays his cards correctly, he will have a winner on his hands, and if his intentions are genuine, so will the BCCI.<br /><br />This announcement would have pushed them out of their comfort zone. Already, the media and the people are waiting to scrutinize every move that the BCCI makes. If the BCCI does accept Zee TV's offer, it is going down a one-way lane. I cannot imagine the BCCI pulling out in a couple of years time when (if?) the league becomes widely popular and financially beneficial. Furthermore, for domestic cricket to improve, it makes logical sense for the parallel league to expand in duration and number of teams, and to eventually replace the existing domestic league, or at best, merge with it. And therein lies the problem for BCCI. For it must somehow ensure that its authority as the guardian of Indian cricket does not get diluted by its partnership with Zee TV. Zee TV, while promoting a package that will appeal to the fans, will try to ensure the best quality possible, and the BCCI will be loath to listen to a third party on how run the cricket in this country.<br /><br />The bottomline is that Subash Chandra's proposal is a much needed booster for Indian cricket, which has hardly been able to get itself out of the rut it has gotten itself into. If successful, the league will make the players more professional in their approach to cricket, and India will have the strong domestic league that the fans have been demanding. There are many pitfalls along the way, not least, the question of authority, but none insurmountable. The only real issue is whether or not the BCCI will allow it's ego to get in the way.Sailesh Ganeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10434654034135974696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19163967.post-1163806000393988652006-11-17T18:19:00.000-08:002007-04-03T17:24:19.759-07:00RIP PuskasWhile most of the desi blogosphere seems to be <a href="http://www.desipundit.com/2006/11/16/milton-friedman-is-dead/">writing obituaries</a> to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milton_friedman">Milton Friedman</a>, the death of the legendry Hungarian footballer <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferenc_Puskas">Ferenc Puskas</a> seems to have escaped the notice of most desi bloggers.<br /><br />Puskas is one of the best strikers ever in my book, even better than his compariot, Alfredo de Stefano, who played alongside him at Real Madrid. While I have not had the pleasure of ever watching a game of his, his exploits present a vivid story of a remarkable footballer. He had an astonishing goal scoring record for both club and country, scoring 84 goals in 85 appearances for Hungary, and 324 goals in 372 appearances for Real Madrid! The highlight of his career is undoubtably the European Cup final of 1960 against Eintracht Frankfurt at Glasgow, where he scored four goals in a 7-3 win (de Stefano scored the other three)! He had also made it a habit of scoring hat-tricks for Real Madrid in big games, including one in the European Cup final of 1962 against Benfica, and yet ended up on the losing side on that occasion!<br /><br />Predictably, he was very popular in Hungary. When he returned to Hungary in 1981 to play a game, the demand for tickets was five times the stadium capacity; this for a game whose only publicity was by word-of-mouth!<br /><br />I doff my cap off to one of the most brilliant footballers of all times!Sailesh Ganeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10434654034135974696noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19163967.post-1161072698188864762006-10-23T15:30:00.000-07:002007-04-03T17:35:01.007-07:00Digital (Un)LogicA recent discussion with a relative of mine about American students in general reminded me of this incident that happened in summer, when I was teaching Digital Logic to second year students.<br /><br />(Those of you not familiar with the concept of an electrical signal might not get this!)<br /><br />The topic of the day was propogation delay of gates. The lecture had just finished and I couldn't wait to get away from the class and go to watch the world cup game between USA and Czech Republic, when this guy comes up with a doubt. Those who know me will know this was the worst time to catch me, football (soccer) games are after all no ordinary matters! I tried to be quick about the whole thing.<br /><br />He had some trouble understanding how the signal propogated through a particular circuit, where the input was connected to a NOT gate. The input switched from zero to one. I thought the analysis was fairly straight-forward, but no, he didn't get it.<br /><br />"This input," he began, "it changes from zero to one, right?"<br /><br />"Yes." I replied.<br /><br />"So, the output of the NOT gate goes from one to zero?"<br /><br />"Yes!"<br /><br />"So why doesn't this output go back to one??"<br /><br />It certainly would be interesting if NOT gates began to do such things to the output, but on balance, not such a good thing because the job of a TA would then become infinitely more difficult!<br /><br />"Theres no reason why it should go back to one!"<br /><br />"I see. How about the input?"<br /><br />I blinked. Atleast this one was a straight-forward question. "Well, what about the input? It changes from zero to one."<br /><br />"Yes, it does, but shouldn't it go back to zero?"<br /><br />I really had no idea what he was upto by this point. Maybe he just wanted to irritate me with such inane questions, something that others had experienced at different points in their teaching assignments. Maybe he wanted to talk about the inherent randomness of the universe. Or maybe...<br /><br />"If the external circuit driving this one has its conditions changed, then maybe that can get reflected as a switch back to zero, but otherwise, the input will not change to zero all on its own."<br /><br />The look of bemusement on his face suggested he really did not get it. By this time, he had started using his hands as an aid to speech, treating the signal as if it were some emotion gushing forth from the heart.<br /><br />"The thing I do not get is," he continued, with his hands moving away from his chest in the manner they sometimes do when one is professing one's love to a lover, "after the input has <i>finished giving the 'one'</i> to the NOT gate, shouldn't it get extinguished and go back to zero?"<br /><br />Four and a half vodkas (neat) wouldn't have done half as much damage to me!Sailesh Ganeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10434654034135974696noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19163967.post-1156104953026107922006-08-20T16:10:00.000-07:002007-04-03T17:26:09.830-07:00PremiershipIts great to see some football again! The time between the end of the previous season and the start of the next is perhaps the worst one to endure! Yes, we had a world cup, but it is only a distraction to the joys of the regular season!<br /><br />I did have a <i>jhalak</i> of sorts when I went to watch <a href="http://www.fcbarcelona.com/eng/noticias/noticias/n06081301.shtml">Barcelona play the NY/NJ Red Bulls</a> at the Giants Stadium. Watching a game in the stadium is a whole lot better than watching it on TV. The excitement doesnt quite get translated on TV (the crowd was suprisingly vocal), and you enjoy the luxury of watching the entire field, knowing where each of the 22 players are! Of course, it helped that Barcelona put on a show, almost toying with the home side. Ronaldinho, in particular, was near his best, and deservedly received a standing ovation when he was taken off. But the biggest cheers actually went out to Messi, who showed that when he is at his best, he often overshadows Ronaldinho himself!<br /><br />The premiership got underway yesterday, and it was immediate delight for me, as both Arsenal and Liverpool only managed draws in their opening fixtures. Chelsea did win today, but it would have been too much to expect a hat-trick of opposition fixtures going your way! But the biggest source of cheer was Manchester United's splendid performance today against Fulham. In fact, twenty minutes was all it took to blow the opposition away! Rooney and Ronaldo, in particular were excellent, and it looks as if they have resolved their world cup dispute once and for all! Saha was a constant menace all throughout with his pace, and for once, even Patrice Evra had a decent game!<br /><br />It was probably just the start needed for Manchester United. They might not be favourites this time around, but they are going to be no roll-overs either. The midfield is still cause for some concern, but the squad does look to be the most balanced of the past three years! And if Hargreaves does come to Old Trafford, anything will be possible!<br /><br />Heres to the new season, and heres to hope - that Manchester United will win back the premiership (if not the Champions League)!Sailesh Ganeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10434654034135974696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19163967.post-1155749509183965502006-08-16T13:26:00.000-07:002007-04-03T17:26:21.277-07:00GodFound a Sufi teaching that illustrates the point of God:<br /><blockquote>A man knocked on the God's door. "Who's is there?" asked God from within. "It's me," said the man. "Go away then. There is no room for two," said God. The man departed and wandered in the arid desert until he realized his error. Returning to the door, he knocked once again. "Who's is there?" asked God as before. "You," answered the man. "Then come in," God replied.</blockquote>(Quote from <a href="http://www.hinduwebsite.com/who_is_brahman.asp">here</a>.)Sailesh Ganeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10434654034135974696noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19163967.post-1155168305862666852006-08-09T20:07:00.000-07:002007-04-03T17:26:40.990-07:00Sanskrit workshop<a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/umd_samskritam/">UMD Samskritam</a> is a branch of <a href="http://www.samskrita-bharati.org/newsite/index.php">Samskrita Bharati</a> at the University of Maryland. They also have a <a href="http://www.speaksanskrit.org/">website</a> for spreading the use of Sanskrit. They had organized a two day weekend workshop in Maryland on 5th and 6th August. I was interested in learning Sanskrit for a while now, and <a href="http://drisyadrisya.blogspot.com/">Arun</a> had got me interested in workshop. Since I had nothing to do anyway, I went ahead for the workshop.<br /><br />The method of teaching at the workshop was very simple. Instead of starting off with grammatical rules and vibhaktis that sees the student lose interest very quickly, the focus was on teaching to speak basic Sanskrit, to be able to alteast start a conversation in Sanskrit. Mr. Rajesh Rachabattuni, who was in charge of the workshop, is a really good teacher. He tried to use as few English words as possible, yet the concepts were understood by everyone.<br /><br />A lot of words and usages were taught in the workshop, but I probably retained only about half of that. Which is expected considering this was my first exposure to Sanskrit outside of mantras, and a whirlwind one at that too! But for those who had prior experience of such workshops, this would have served as an excellent review session. Either ways, the workshop was beneficial to everyone in attendance.<br /><br />While I probably might not be able to speak fluently (thats asking for too much after just two days), I can certainly manage broken Sanskrit (the grimace on the face of Rajeshji notwithstanding). The biggest plus, though, is that I can now read Sanskrit to a moderate degree. I just logged onto the samskritam yahoogroup, and I could almost completely understand the latest message in Sanskrit. For this, I must thank Rajeshji, Arun, Avinash and everyone else at the workshop who helped clear various doubts at different times!<br /><br />The next step now is to organize a similar workshop at Rutgers. The group at UMD has already promised help. I really hope the aim of Samskrita Bharati is fulfilled in the future.Sailesh Ganeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10434654034135974696noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19163967.post-1154417370586227792006-08-01T03:24:00.000-07:002007-04-03T17:38:44.199-07:00Remembering Mohd. Rafi - A TributeYesterday (July 31) was the twenty sixth death anniversery of Mohammad Rafi, who, in my opinion, is the greatest (male) singer of the hindi film industry. Rafisaab had a deep and melodious voice over which he had such control that he could sing just about any type of song. The genius of Rafi lies in the fact that he could make just about any song seem easy to sing. Perhaps no greater proof of his genuis can be found than the fact that Madan Mohan (of whom it was said that while the rest composed for the masses, Madan Mohan composed for the classes!) almost always preferred Rafi's voice for the male singer because only he could have done justice to his compositions.<br /><br />In rememberence, I initially decided to list my ten most favourite songs of Rafi, but it was a damned difficult choice even with separate listings for solo and non-solo songs. Hence I have taken the easy way out and simply listed only those songs where Rafi sings for Madan Mohan! (Why Madan Mohan? Because he was the most brilliant of all music directors.)<br /><br /><p style="margin-left: 12.5pt; text-indent: -12.5pt;"> 1) Aakhri geet mohabbat ka suna loon toh chaloon</p><p style="margin-left: 12.5pt; text-indent: -12.5pt;"> 2) Aapke pehloo mein aakar ro diye</p><p style="margin-left: 12.5pt; text-indent: -12.5pt;"> 3) Baad muddat ki yeh ghadi aayi (with Suman Kalyanpur)</p><p style="margin-left: 12.5pt; text-indent: -12.5pt;"> 4) Main nigaahen tere chehre se hataaon kaise</p><p style="margin-left: 12.5pt; text-indent: -12.5pt;"> 5) Main yeh sochkar uske dar se uthaa tha</p><p style="margin-left: 12.5pt; text-indent: -12.5pt;"> 6) Meri duniya mein tum aaye (with Lata Mangeshkar)</p><p style="margin-left: 12.5pt; text-indent: -12.5pt;"> 7) Rang aur noor ki baarat kise pesh karu</p><p style="margin-left: 12.5pt; text-indent: -12.5pt;"> 8) Tu mere saamne hai</p><p style="margin-left: 12.5pt; text-indent: -12.5pt;"> 9) Tujhe kya sunaaon main dilruba</p><p style="margin-left: 7pt; text-indent: -12.5pt;">10) Tum jo mil gaye ho</p>Sailesh Ganeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10434654034135974696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19163967.post-1153353781466375982006-07-22T00:01:00.000-07:002007-04-03T17:31:12.983-07:00Indian response to Mumbai terror attacksI really did not want to write what might be just another post on how India should respond to the Mumbai blasts, but I get the feeling the incident is slipping out of public memory. We need to remember the incident as if it happened yesterday so that we can force through the required changes that are needed in our security and such.<br /><br />Much has been made about how India should respond to the terror attacks. A few people have called for us to attack Pakistan to show we mean business. Others, including me, have <a href="http://www.desipundit.com/2006/07/13/the-great-spirit-of-bombay/">criticized the <i>pseudo-resilience</i></a> of the Mumbaikars, which is more akin to helplessness rather a show of strength.<br /><br />As for our response itself, the Prime Minister delivered an insipid speech that would have done wonders to the confidence of the terrorists! There seems to be no move to improve our preparedness either. So much for a kick up our backsides! <a href="http://palscape.wordpress.com/2006/07/18/our-response/">BongoP'o'ndit</a> has a summary of the Indian response so far.<br /><br />Our long term response to the terror attacks is not as simple as it sounds. It is not simply about improving our preparedness in case of future attacks, or simply about boosting our intelligence network, or about holding Pakistan accountable for the attacks. It is, of course, all of these, but also more.<br /><br />While Pakistan does deserve a response, that is not the end of it all. India must stop playing the blame game. It merely shifts the focus to Pakistan, while ensuring that India does nothing about its own position as far as the attacks are concerned. The evidence is mounting that the actual attacks were carried out by Indian muslims, and this is cause for real concern. This means there is something fundamentally wrong in the state of the country. A highly cathartic self-introspection is needed as to why things are going wrong. This is a time when the country must stay united and not split into several distinct communities each pointing the finger at each other.<br /><br />First and foremost, we have to accept the bombings as a jihadi attack (<a href="http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110008651">[1]</a>, <a href="http://www.dailypioneer.com/AGENDA1.asp?main_variable=SUNDAYPIONEER%2FAGENDA&file_name=agen1%2Etxt&counter_img=1">[2]</a>, <a href="http://www.frontpagemagazine.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=23337">[3]</a>). In fact, Maloy Krishna Dhar, has likened the terror attacks to <a href="http://ia.rediff.com/news/2006/jul/19inter.htm?q=sp&file=.htm">an all out invasion of India</a>. This is a very serious statement, and it deserves our full attention. The notion of misguided youths does not hold water any longer. Misguided or not, they are causing serious damage to the nation and we must spare no efforts in stopping it. For this, our intelligence network needs a massive and urgent upgrade. Our response system needs to be revamped to standards that the western nations follow. And importantly, the government needs to stop playing its minority politics, which while alienating the minorities from the mainstreem, also drives through the right-wing ideology that creates anti-minority policies. Again, the country desperately needs to stay united.<br /><br />Secondly, India has to stop expecting the western powers to do something about this. This is our own problem, no matter how intricately it is tied in with the global jihad, and we must learn to solve our own problems. If for no other reason except that <a href="http://ia.rediff.com/news/2006/jul/21raman.htm?q=sp&file=.htm">the US cannot be trusted to do anything</a> (and by extension, the western world). The ToI claims that India does have proof that <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1762193.cms">Pakistan was behind the terror attacks</a>. India must now show some spine in its diplomacy with Pakistan. Peace process be damned; when Pakistan is not at all serious about the peace process, India is living in an illusion if it expects anything positive out of it.<br /><br />India must take up a strict stance wrt to the terror camps operating in Pakistan. It does, after all, have every right to expect Pakistan to do something about them, failing which, to take matters into its own hands. While operations mounted at the terror camps would be welcome, attacking Pakistan itself is not a good idea. The moment India attacks Pakistan, the entire middle-east will be against us. Expect bombings all over the country on a daily basis. Coupled with the war itself, India's already thin emergency resources will be highly stretched. Even if the military manages to gobble up Pakistan, it will not be the end of it all. Expect the war to escalate to global proportions. Not a situation anyone except the arms companies will be pleased with.<br /><br />Finally, India must ensure that through all this, the civil rights of its citizens are not violated. While this seems like a trivial point, any small attempt at restricting the liberties of the citizens does nothing except <a href="http://thewitchyangel.blogspot.com/2006/07/spirit-of-desi-blogworld.html">divert the focus away</a> towards less important events. Which is in fact what is happening right now! Amidst all the hullabaloo about the banning of blogs, let us not forget that eight bombs exploded in Mumbai on the 11th of July, 2006. Let us not allow the government to snooze back on its job.<br /><br />(<i>Cross-posted on <a href="http://desicritics.org/2006/07/22/031958.php"></a></i><a href="http://desicritics.org/2006/07/22/031958.php">www.desicritics.org<i></i></a>)Sailesh Ganeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10434654034135974696noreply@blogger.com1