WWW news, ed. 1

WWW has taken a new meaning. Wide Weird World. No, I am not making a typographical mistake by mispelling Wired as Weird. It is Weird. :-) And so, if not every day, now and then I will run a piece called WWW news. It will carry normal news that lend the world its weirder touch! Makes for a fun read.

Ever heard about something called "Mecca Cola"? There is something called Mecca Cola. It is a soft drink launched in Islamic countries to protest against the American invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq. Probably they forgot about Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. & now, this cola has entered India too. As if there did not want to leave the last straw too. Check this piece on Deccan Herald - the Hyderabadi newspaper.

Ministers are now coaxing non-vegeterians to eat chicken. Why? There is no bird-flu in India they are saying. And tons of chicken are available for immediate consumption. Now, with what gumption are they asking the populace to do that, I am not sure. But looks like they are lobbying for the poultry companies. Otherwise they would run into huge losses, you see. They should probably relaunch that old "Ande" ad. "Khilao murgi ke murgi ke ande hi ande" as "khilao murgi hi murgi, subzi bhi, gravy bhi... jaise bhi".

It is all about money, honey! But then atleast you would spare you own children. Or so I thought. In rural India, they probably do not think so. Some family sacrificed their child upon the advice of a tantrik to get rich. The mother participated in the gruesome act. How? I fail to understand. HOW? I am a father of a 6 month old baby girl. And a mere cry can send me into a tizzy! I can only imagine how it can be for the mother. And here, a mother does such an heinous act? I cannot understand why wealth is all that important?!

And then there is a separate piece about AIADMK's latest stunt! Check my post on that.

David Beckham - English Football Star - cannot do simple first grade math. I am not saying this. It is in print. He goes on to say that math was probably done differently when he was back in school. First grade math can change a lot in, say, 25 years? How much can simple addition, subtraction and operations like those change? Would 2 x 2 involve logarithmic operations to get to the value of 4? Dumb!

And you probably have not read about this South African news article about native shrubs being prescribed as aphrodisiacs. It is hilarious! Beats me, how can one expect a nice "prim n propah" gentleman in the middle of an african bush to come and accost a nice desirous lady? Hah!

That should end this post. Await the next one... for the world can only be weirder!

The World is one big Blogosphere!

Blogging as a social tool is very much the argument of the day. A few months back, I was talking with my boss over the efficacy of blogs and their usage in a official community environment. And today, I am a passionate blogger myself. Things change, the world moves ahead.. Blogging just seems to be the next generation's choice of socialization where countries, political boundaries, religion, caste, creed - nothing have any meaning at all. "All the world is a stage, And all the men and women are merely players" quoted Shakespeare. If he were to live in these times, he would have said "All the world is one big blogosphere, And its men and women are just bloggers!" :-)

Kadavulae!

(Title name in Thamizh. In English, it means "Oh, God!".)

Now if you are wondering why I am exclaiming like that - check this new piece. And then you might also add to my exclamation. :-)

Idolatry and hero worship is fine in the land of Rajanikanth (also referred to as Thalaivar) and Vijayakanth (also referred to as Captain). If you want to have a taste of hero worship, TN is the place to check it out. Huge cutouts, garlands, special archanais and huge fan clubs whose following is probably greater than 95% of the political parties in India!

But then - worshipping these political "ejemplo" (example in spanish) is beyond every reasonable explanation. How do these politicians tolerate these kind of acts? How can they allow it in first place? Is there not a limit to hero worship? Should not the politicians shun this kind of publicity and set an example on their own? If this land is going to be ruled by politicians who enjoy such idolatry, I doubt in their capacity to govern with credibility. As for the last word of the previous line, I have even less to comment, I do not need to add to it at all. It is appalling!

In the limited scope that we commoners have, other than voting rights that is, there is probably nothing that we can do to tackle these behemoth parties and fan clubs that do not act on rationale. Mass frenzy and undivided adulation are the only driving factors. If as much energy were to be capitalized into a positive force, our country would have gone past many other developed countries as on this date!

Oh God! Hmmm...

India #4 cyber nation & other internet stats

Check this report from internetworldstats.com. It has ranked India at #4 behind US, China and Japan.

Clearly leading the way is US where users obviously are riding on the heavy infrastructural base that exists. From my experience of being there, anything and everything could be done or found how to be done on the internet. The extent to which internet has pervaded common life is only something that can be experienced - the report says it is 68%. Any small outlet is likely to have its own website which is maintained on a regular basis too! e-business takes place at astonishingly high levels, so much that when people from other parts of the world land up in US, their wariness takes a beating.

Next comes China - I was frankly surprised by the internet usage base in China - a whopping 111 million users. Clearly double that of India - 50.6 million users. I was half expecting some European country to rank #2 or atleast Japan. Japan comes a close #3 with 86.3 million users. With India taking the 4th position, Germany slips down to 5th position with a close 48.7 million people. That rounds up the top 5.

There are several other reports and stats that interested me.

1. Asia accounts for 36% of worldwide internet usage.


2. India increased its user base by 914% between 2000 and 2005.


3. English is the most spoken language on the internet - 30.6%, followed by (I least imagined them to be ranked so high!) Chinese and Japanese respectively.


4. While India can claim for the 4th biggest user base, it may not be able to hold that record for long. Because the penetration % is a paltry 4.5%. Germany, that is close to us in internet usage, has a penetration % of 59% and therefore more likely to race ahead of India in short span of time.


5. Broadband is the way to go in the times to come. However India ranks nowhere in the DSL usage. The report is dated - published in 2004 Q4. India has made massive strides since then. It should India start getting listed somewhere better than being unlisted.


6. Check out the top 10 reports. Each of them holds interesting statistics. For instance: Microsoft owns the largest number of internet domains and has the second biggest brand presence on the internet. Sweden has the maximum internet penetration with 73.6%, followed by Hong Kong at 70.7% and Denmark with 68.7%. US is 4th with 68.5%. & surprise of surprises, IBM - which is the biggest IT company in the world - does not have a presence in the top 10 in any of the stats mentioned there.

There is something called as the internet traffic report. Very interesting. Check it out. Click on Asia specific report, India seems to have 0% packet loss. That indeed surprises me. Click on the Mumbai router and check out the traffic pattern in the first plot. India does nod off to sleep between 1AM and 4AM. :-)

& finally, before I close out this post - check this : The Living Internet. Check out the information grid on the first page and start going clickety-click! You will never know what you were missing! :-)

Tables turned over?

BSOD-ied!

No post for last 2-3 days now. Why? My laptop gave me the (in)famous BSOD. Hah! Who has the last laugh? Regardless of the battle that we have against M$ on its "Windoze" operating system, it still continues to have the deciding authority. It will crash when you most dont want it to. It has a solemn birth right to do so. Anything that I say or do can and will be used against me in its own court of justice. I can only smack my head in disbelief and press the restart button. And it decided to up the ante by giving me the BSOD a few more times so that I meekly deceide to surrender. Thanks to my official designation, I have to use tools that work only Windoze. So, I have given my laptop back to the IS people to format and reinstall the complete system. Till then, I got to use this temporary machine.


(Used with due credits to the original)

Anyways, the BSOD experience did prompt me to read about BSODs on Wiki. Looks like there is more to a BSOD than just the frightening experience. It is more like a coroner's examination report. :-)

PS: A few days back I was talking with one of my US colleagues, and after our regular meeting, we were chit chatting about some Open Source stuff. At one point he made this quote and we both were laughing out loud. "Sometimes I want to flush my Windoze computer down the toilet, but I am afraid it would *crash* the plumbing system!" Now, howzzatt?

Will the Maharaj reign again?

Maverick sent me an email today with lots of statistical info on Saurav Maharaj Ganguly. There seems to be a mercurial rise till almost 2002... then started his decline. But till 2002 - he was right up there at the top. Not only that, what he accomplished in that period still makes him stay at the top! Check the compilation below.

MOST ODI RUNS:
Name              Mat    I  NO  Runs   HS     Ave     SR 100 50   Ct St Team 
SR Tendulkar      359  350  33 14009  186*  44.19  85.93  39 71  107  - IND
Inzamam-ul-Haq    352  327  49 11157  137*  40.13  74.48  10 82  103  - PAK/ASIA-XI
ST Jayasuriya     351  342  15 10481  189   32.05  89.10  19 59  105  - SL/ASIA-XI
SC Ganguly        279  270  21 10123  183   40.65  73.79  22 60   96  - IND/ASIA-XI
M Azharuddin      334  308  54  9378  153*  36.92  73.99   7 58  156  - IND
BC Lara           259  252  26  9359  169   41.41  79.46  19 57  109  - WI/ICC-XI
PA de Silva       308  296  30  9284  145   34.90  81.13  11 64   95  - SL
R Dravid          276  255  34  8861  153   40.09  70.22  11 65  164 14 IND/ASIA-XI/ICC-XI
Saeed Anwar       247  244  19  8823  194   39.21  80.66  20 43   42  - PAK
RT Ponting        244  238  28  8806  145   41.93  78.54  18 51  100  - AUS/ICC-XI
DL Haynes           238  237  28  8648  152*  41.37  63.09  17 57   59  - WI

ODI HIGHEST INDIVIDUAL SCORES:
194  Saeed Anwar  Pakistan v India at Chennai, Independence Cup, 1996/97 [1209]
189*  IVA Richards  West Indies v England at Manchester, Texaco Trophy, 1984 [264]
189  ST Jayasuriya  Sri Lanka v India at Sharjah, Champions Trophy, 2000/01 [1652]
188*  G Kirsten  South Africa v United Arab Emirates at Rawalpindi, World Cup, 1995/96 [1049]
186*  SR Tendulkar  India v New Zealand at Hyderabad, 2nd ODI, 1999/00 [1523]
183*  MS Dhoni  India v Sri Lanka at Jaipur, 3rd ODI, 2005/06 [2290]
183  SC Ganguly  India v Sri Lanka at Taunton, World Cup, 1999 [1463] 
181  IVA Richards  West Indies v Sri Lanka at Karachi, World Cup, 1987/88 [457]
175*  N Kapil Dev  India v Zimbabwe at Tunbridge Wells, World Cup, 1983 [216]

ODIs - 1000 Runs in a Calendar Year:
                           Year   M    I  NO  Runs   HS    Av   100s 
SR Tendulkar         (Ind)  1998  34   33   4  1894   143  65.31   9
SC Ganguly           (Ind)  1999  41   41   3  1767   183  46.50   4 
R Dravid             (Ind)  1999  43   43   5  1761   153  46.34   6
SR Tendulkar         (Ind)  1996  32   32   2  1611   137  53.70   6
Saeed Anwar          (Pak)  1996  36   36   5  1595   115  51.45   3
SC Ganguly           (Ind)  2000  32   32   4  1579   144  56.39   7 
ME Waugh             (Aus)  1999  36   36   3  1468   106  44.48   2
G Kirsten            (SA)   2000  36   36   3  1467   115  44.45   2
G Kirsten            (SA)   1996  29   29   4  1442  188*  57.68   6
Mohammad Yousuf      (Pak)  2002  32   30   5  1362  141*  54.48   5
BC Lara              WI     1993  30   30   3  1349   153  49.96   4
SC Ganguly           (Ind)  1997  38   35   3  1338   113  41.81   1 
SC Ganguly           (Ind)  1998  36   35   3  1328   124  41.50   4 

ODIs - Most Sixes in Career: 
Name                  Mat   I   NO  Runs   HS   Ave   100   SR     6s  6s/I Team 
Shahid Afridi         217  208   9  4782   109  24.03   4 108.38  214  1.02  PAK  
ST Jayasuriya         351  342  15 10481   189  32.05  19  89.10  199  0.58  SL  
SC Ganguly            279  270  21 10123   183  40.65  22  73.79  168  0.62  IND   
CL Cairns             215  193  25  4950   115  29.46   4  84.26  153  0.79  NZ  
SR Tendulkar          359  350  33 14009  186*  44.19  39  85.93  148  0.42  IND  
Inzamam-ul-Haq        352  327  49 11157  137*  40.13  10  74.48  136  0.41  PAK  

ODIs - 100s in Most Consecutive Innings 
2  SC Ganguly           India        141* v South Africa  Nairobi (Gym)  2000/01   
                                     117  v New Zealand   Nairobi (Gym)   
     
ODIs - Most 50s in Career (including 100s) 
50+                                          Mts    Inns   100s  50-99 
110   SR Tendulkar         India             359     350     39     71
 92   Inzamam-ul-Haq       Pakistan          352     327     10     82
 82   SC Ganguly           India             279     270     22     60 
 78   ST Jayasuriya        Sri Lanka         351     342     19     59
 76   BC Lara              West Indies       259     252     19     57

ODIs - Fastest to 4000 Career Runs 
                     Team            I  NO   Runs    HS    Av 
IVA Richards         West Indies    88  15   4000   189*  54.79   1975 to 1984/85
CG Greenidge         West Indies    96  10   4000   133*  46.51   1975 to 1988
BC Lara              West Indies   100   9   4000   169   43.95   1990/91 to 1995/96
DM Jones             Australia     102  21   4000   121   49.38   1983/84 to 1990/91
SC Ganguly           India         105   9   4000   183   41.66   1991/92 to 1999 

ODIs - Fastest to 5000 Career Runs 
                     Team            I  NO   Runs    HS    Av 
IVA Richards         West Indies   114  20   5000   189*  53.19   1975 to 1986/87
BC Lara              West Indies   118  13   5000   169   47.61   1990/91 to 1997/98
CG Greenidge         West Indies   121  13   5000   133*  46.29   1975 to 1990/91
SC Ganguly           India         126  11   5000   183   43.47   1991/92 to 1999/00 

ODIs - Fastest to 6000 Career Runs 
                     Team            I  NO   Runs    HS    Av 
IVA Richards         West Indies   141  22   6000   189*  50.42   1975 to 1988/89
SC Ganguly           India         147  14   6000   183   45.11   1991/92 to 2000/01 
BC Lara              West Indies   155  16   6000   169   43.16   1990/91 to 1999/00
DM Jones             Australia     157  26   6000   145   45.80   1983/84 to 1993/94
G Kirsten            South Africa  160  16   6000   188*  41.66   1993/94 to 2001/02

ODIs - Fastest to 7000 Career Runs 
                     Team            I  NO   Runs    HS    Av 
SC Ganguly           India         174  15   7000   183   44.02   1991/92 to 2001/02 
BC Lara              West Indies   183  18   7000   169   42.42   1990/91 to 2000/01
DL Haynes            West Indies   187  24   7000   152*  42.94   1977/78 to 1991/92
JH Kallis            South Africa  188  36   7000   139   46.05   1995/96 to 2004
SR Tendulkar         India         189  18   7000   143   40.93   1989/90 to 1998

ODIs - Fastest to 8000 Career Runs: 
                     Team            I  NO   Runs    HS    Av 
SC Ganguly           India         200  16   8000   183   43.47   1991/92 to 2002/03 
SR Tendulkar         India         210  22   8000   143   42.55   1989/90 to 1999
BC Lara              West Indies   211  22   8000   169   42.32   1990/91 to 2002/03
Saeed Anwar          Pakistan      218  18   8000   194   40.00   1988/89 to 2000/01
DL Haynes            West Indies   219  29   8000   152*  42.10   1977/78 to 1992/93

ODIs - Fastest to 9000 Career Runs 
                     Team            I  NO   Runs    HS    Av 
SC Ganguly           India         228  20   9000   183   43.26   1991/92 to 2003/04 
SR Tendulkar         India         235  23   9000   186*  42.45   1989/90 to 1999/00
BC Lara              West Indies   239  27   9000   169   42.45   1990/91 to 2004/05
Inzamam-ul-Haq       Pakistan      273  39   9000   137*  38.46   1991/92 to 2003

ODIs - Fastest to 10000 Career Runs 
                     Team            I  NO   Runs    HS    Av 
SR Tendulkar         India         259  23  10000   186*  42.37   1989/90 to 2000/01
SC Ganguly           India         263  21  10000   183   41.32   1991/92 to 2005 
Inzamam-ul-Haq       Pakistan      299  43  10000   137*  39.06   1991/92 to 2004
ST Jayasuriya        Sri Lanka     328  16  10000   189   32.05   1989/90 to 2005

Let us hope that the Maharaja returns with a bang... for his own good.

Thumpa Wumpa Dumm

Heard of that figure of speech called "euphony"? It is also called the Figure of Sound. The title of this post should classify as euphony. Now, why this title? Because this is what I was uttering when I was watching Dhoni's pyrotechnics. And I have to add... YET AGAIN!

Indian bowlers had controlled Pak well till the 41st over after which Razzaq and Younis hit some biggies to dent the statistics of the Indian bowlers. Sreesanth was probably the most impressive today, scalping 4 of the 10 wickets that could be claimed. Some impressive catches were taken and good lot many runs saved with tight fielding.

When India came over to their batting, Gambhir batted with more confidence than he has displayed in the earlier ODI outings. Learning on the job is what is showing up. Good for him. Fall of Gambhir brought Dravid and Yuvi together at the crease. Yuvi is increasingly falling into the mould of Dravid. Controlled aggression, impressive strokeplay and "wall"ing up to provide the much needed support. Dravid completed his 68th 50 and fell immediately after that. Stage was set at 141/2. In came Dhoni. And duly did what he is increasingly taking charge of - complete the match with a few overs to spare.

In this match, what was also good to note is that India did not panic despite the asking run rate creeping up to near 8. They kept their cool about themselves and picked runs wherever they could. With an eye steady on the target required, Dhoni and Yuvraj built a great partnership that brought runs at more than run-a-ball. It seems the coach had asked Dhoni to bring India up to 206 runs at the 40 overs mark. And India were 205/2. Sticking to the plan? This execution would be a perfect 10 then!

In the 41st over, Yuvi pulled Rao Iftikhar for a boundary and while completing his run, pulled a hamstring. He appeared in great pain and was treated on the ground for quite a while. He could not run much with that pain and so Gambhir was sent as a runner for Yuvi. Shortly after that, Yuvi completed his 6th ODI 100 (in 90 balls) which deserved the standing ovation he got from the dressing room. Dhoni decided to flex his arms after that. A huge hit off Arafat that sent the crowds into raptures. More was in store.

What followed in the next 2-2.5 odd overs was sheer muscle power. 12 litres of milk dont go waste you see! :-) Dhoni smote a boundary, followed it up with a towering hit beyond the fence and 3 dot balls later, another creamer that rapped the ropes. Who was the bowler? Asif. Utter disdain on display. Sami came next and was clubbed for 2 huge sixers that brought India on level with Pak. Dhoni's ability to hit powerfully with little or no risk to himself is really amazing. He must be taking a cryo-freeze before coming on to the pitch to take the batting stand. Man! What a power hitter!! A single scored, match was complete. Infact, it was a no-match towards the end! :-)


Yuvi and Dhoni win the match for India again at Karachi.
Yuvi - 107 (93) - 14x4s, Dhoni - 77 (56) - 6x4s & 4x6s

India probably inflicted the biggest series defeat for Pak in Pak. 4-1. I had expressed a wish in my previous post that India could only hit the final nail in the coffin by making it a 4-1. My wish has been fulfilled. 13th consecutive ODI win on chase. This must be a record of sorts. I will wait for the record man - Maverick - to post his views on numbers. He is the man for it. Bring it on, Mav! :-)

PS: (Via Maverick)
- India U-19 team lost to Pak in the U-19 World Cup Finals. Talk about Juniors making amends for the Seniors defeat to the same country! A dismal show from Indian team after an impressive win over England in the semis.
- Yuvi may not be available to play against England because of his hamstring injury.

New post on Reflectarium

A writeup and some pics from my recent visit to Meenakshi Temple and Ramalingeshwara Cave Temple on Bannerghatta Road.

Check the post on Reflectarium.

news, links and other wanderings...

Sallu gets the 1 year jail term finally for killing 2 blackbucks in 1998. May their soul rest in peace now! BTW, Bollywood faces a Rs. 110 crore loss if Sallu is behind bars for a year. Oh so sad!! What can we do? The law is the law. And as you sow, so shall you reap. Right? {smirk!}

Our Billwa is coming to Pak to boost the AIDS campaign. Dont ask me how he intends to do it!

Nimbus, the media mogul, bagged the rights to telecast all matches, domestic or international, that would be played on Indian soil. Deal worth? Only USD 612 million! No wonder BCCI is the richest sports club in the world. & Cricket is the biggest money spinner in India. Ofcourse, I am not considering civil contracts and politics. ;-) I am only comparing the deals that are within the legal limits and are on paper!

England's tour of India starts on 1st March, after some warm up matches being played in Mumbai and Baroda. Key players to watch out for? Pieterson, Flintoff, Panesar (English Turbanator!), Vaughan, Harmisson & Collingwood. Mav will provide his special comments on this one. For more... check the tourney page on rediff. Complete schedule.

BTW, India's 4th ODI win at Multan happens to be the biggest defeat that Pak has suffered in Pakistan. The entire tourney is turning out to be one big records tour. I have lost track of the total number of records that got made or broken!

Courtesy Maverick, got to know that M S Dhoni is ranked # 1 in the list of Best ODI Batsmen since 2004. In 30 innings that he has played, he has amassed 1056 runs at an average of 50.29 with 2 centuries and 5 fifties. The 2nd and 3rd are Michael Clarke and Inzy. Dravid is ranked 5th.

& In case you are going for a business trip to some new destinations... check this piece. Hope that you are going to a safe place. Else... God be with you!

Firefox leads the way.... Reclaim the web!!

From a recent pollcast in my organization.



Get Firefox. Reclaim the web!

India wins the Hutch Cup in Pak

Another ODI to go. India are leading the series 3-1. They have won the Hutch Cup convincingly. A team that was known to have choked on previous occassions is beginning to show a great spirit by coming from behind and defeating home teams in their own land.

India has turned around its skills in a lot of departments. Fielding is spirited. Fielders are diving to get the stops! Bowling is having more sting than ever before. India seems to be finding more and more pace bowlers which is a good thing. And Batsmen are doing a much more matured job than earlier. There are always batsmen who land a rough patch at times. Kaif is in one of those lows. Yuvi, on the contrary, seems to be among the crests. He is doing a great job by holding back when he should and going after the bowlers when he smells the opportunity.

Another sight to watch today was Dhoni. He was content to play the singles and watch Raina in the action. And even applaud his fluent boundaries. For a man who is a natural at attacking batsmanship, this is a welcome thing. Dhoni can now seem to do whatever he wants. He can bludgeon the bowlers into submission or he can toe away the ball to singles and give the support to a batsman who is firing away. Yuvi can patiently wait and create great partnerships with other batsmen - something that is typical of Dravid.

Noteworthy among the bowlers were Rudra Pratap Singh and Pathan. I am beginning to feel more and more these days that Pathan may just hold the key to WC 2007. It is becoming normal for him to scalp atleast 3 wickets - most of which are key, contributing well with the bat... etc. Makings of a great allrounder. And he does not like being labelled that. He prefers to be called as a key pace bowler for India who can score a bit with the bat. Now, scoring into the 50s and 90s is not a bit, right? :-) It is only humility on his part that he downplays his efforts.


Team India celebrating Kamran Akmal's wicket.

India's spirits are soaring high, Pak's spirits need some steroids. The only way India can go beyond from this point is by winning the fifth and final ODI too. It would be like driving the last nail in Pak's coffin... But I really doubt that happening. Having won the series, India may want to rest 2 of their key players and play Karthik and Powar to give them some opportunity. Pak might go ahead with their full strength, or whatever remains after so many players have withdrawn, to salvage some pride by winning the last game. It would be interesting to see what really happens in that game.

Parrot makes popat of nature!

Usually in nature, we see that the males of a species are brightly coloured. Explanation given is that they have an attractive clothing to attract the female of the species. Kinda a macho thing!

Not so with eclectus parrots! Eclectus Parrots mock at nature's colour scheme! The females are red-blue coloured, whereas the males are just plain green! :-)


Eclectus Parrots.

There are always exceptions to the rule. It is only natural that nature too have its share.

PS: Popat in Hindi means Parrot. Doing a popat is a Hindi slang word, which means mocking at something or a buffoon. Used here in the context of "mockery".

A to Z of Love

Got this from my brother. Neat! Click on pic for a bigger size.

Love is universal

Check this picture that appears on NatGeo news portal.


Caption as it appears on the site:
"Nam Choke, an eight-year-old male Asian elephant (left), and Boonrawd, a seven-year-old female, form a heart shape with their trunks at an elephant camp in Ayutthaya, Thailand, on February 12."

There is a line in the same article. "But do animals really love each other?". And goes on to claim that it is generally accepted that animals do share emotional bonds but it is impossible to prove.

This kind of ticked me off. God has created each living being in this world, each blessed with emotional faculties. All living beings do have emotions - love, hate, anger, resentment, affection, happiness etc. You do not have to probe science to see if they do. Just observe. Just immerse yourself in the pure bliss that they experience. Watch puppies play with each other, dolphins tease each other, flamingos gracefully necking each other... Thankfully they are not humans to begin reasoning whether to love or not. When you begin to reason in love, you begin to fail in love. Love should be unreasonable, unquestionable, limitless and universal. Period.

Someone once said "Somethings are best left unsaid". We can even say "Somethings are left best without a reason". Let the purity and sanctity remain unscathed.

Message of the day!

Got a small 2 line forward from a friend who is a bachelor. Probably he sent it to all his bachelor friends and cc-ed me just for kicks sakes! It goes like this...

To all those who are alone on this day...

... Happy Independence Day!

I was rolling with laughter. Awesome!!

To Gauri... my adorable daughter.

This one is for my daughter, Gauri. Some of you may have read the poem earlier too in an email that I had sent in May 2005 when I had written this poem. Am posting it again here.

A special gift - A Child

A smile so innocent that makes you smile back
With the same pure pleasure that initiated it
Complete and content, whole and absolute
This piece of you that rules you, mind and soul
As you would have never ever thought of
And you begin wondering how life has changed
And it can never be the same, even if you chose to
How incomplete life would be, but for this child
Would you be able to surrender yourself to anyone?
How easily you do the same with this child...
Melt into nothingness, your existence immaterial...
Your sole purpose, reason ... this child!
Nurturing instinct in you becomes so prevalent
Your thoughts are totally centered on this child
Plans, dreams and ambitions begin to take shape
You move from being any person to the person
That elevated position that God has ordained...
One for another... mutually complete and whole.
You, The Parent, to this exquisite gift...
A gift that makes you the most special person
To the manifestation of your love, your Child.

Happy Valentine's Day

Some poems that I had written sometime in the past. Apt for today. Dedicated to my wife, my parents, all the people whom I hold dear in my heart... and for all the people in this world who "love".

This poem is for everybody!

Flame of Love

Little hearts infatuated, fluttering
Playing games, fingers mingling
Whichever way the flame burnt
Destiny's hand kept it blunt
Time does test their resolve
Does it stand? Does it absolve?
If strong, out came purer emotion
If weak, found newer attraction
Celestial play leavens, tis' preordained
For true love cannot be contained
The flame can either purify or destroy
Truth remains sublime, through any ploy
Like silver that comes out pure
So does love shine out for sure
Do not play with love, tis' divine
For you are human, and not canine
Seeds of truth and honesty do sow
Keep love pure, And the flame shall remain aglow!

This one is especially for my wife. :-)

What Am I Without You?

What is nature without color
What is a flower without fragrance
What are the seas without waves
And the hills without the vales?

What is sharing without giving
What is devotion without purity
What is wealth without generosity
And virtue without conscience?

What is art without inspiration
What is music without rhythm
What is creation without a vision
And a poem without beauty?

What is direction without sense
What is aim without ambition
What is effort without trying
And success without failure?

What is breath without air
What is day without the sun
What is life without love
And me without you?

Meaningless... !!

And this one is for all those who are discovering the thrill of being in love.

You Will Know If You Are In Love

Can something be so good?
Feel as if in seventh heaven...
Can something be so true?
That you pinch yourself to check...
Things that you say and hear,
That you feel and create,
You would want to deny,
And say, this is too good to be true.
Dreaming all through the day,
Nights spent awake, tossing around,
First thing you start thinking about,
Last thing while drifting off to sleep,
Even having company in your dreams...
Nothing else on your mind, nothing else!
Paraphernalia collected around you,
Just to live in the excitement...
Uncontainable as it always is!
Does all these sound a bit too much?
This is nothing, there is more to realise!
Wonder not at this kind of answer,
For you can not just start to measure.
None of these would make sense to you,
But you will know it all...
...If you are in love!

Happy Valentine's Day to all of you!

Dhoni Dhamaal

Today's ODI provided a much needed reinforcement to the belief of Indian Team that they have got what it takes to beat the champions. This was the 11th consecutive OD win on chase for India. Pathan bowling with great economical figures and 3 prize scalps, Sreesanth - 3 time unlucky and wicketless in the end - was damn impressive, Sachin doing what he knows best... whack 'em balls around the park, Yuvi - the yuvraj to dethrone the maharaj [;-)] and whatever adjective I use for Dhoni is not enough. He is just dhamaal!

After going down 2 wickets with Sachin at crease and "Wall" Dravid coming on, not many would have imagined what kind of innings India were to provide for the Lahore spectators. With 3 overs to spare, India won the match with 5 wickets in their bag. And to whom does the credit go to? Sachin, Yuvraj and then Dhoni. Yuvraj and Dhoni were together in a 102 run stand off just 79 balls. When Dhoni came on to the crease, I felt somewhat reprieved, expecting some good meaningful innings from him. Before I started counting the number of boundaries that he had hit, he got an embrace from Yuvi for having completed his 50. 5th ODI 50. I was like "WHAT! Already??". It was that fast. He came on when Yuvi was on 52 or something. And he had reached his 60s when Yuvi was still on 69. That was the power of Dhoni's innings. That's why... Dhoni Dhamaal!

And Indian fans were out there in full strength. And colors and glitter! :-) Check this pic from rediff. Full kudos to them. Indian skipper also acknowledged the immense Indian support that they had in this game.

The tricolour and glitteratti!

In the end, when Pak Prez Parvez Musharraf came on to the prize distribution ceremony, he made a confession of sorts. He told Dhoni that his hair style looks cool and that he should not cut it. The camera quickly cut over to Dhoni who obviously was shying at that moment. He also congratulated the teams between the many "very well"s that he used in his speech.

India move on to the 4th ODI, to be played at Multan, riding high on the success of the 2nd and 3rd ODIs. One more, and they would clinch the series. Which is what every Indian is hoping that the Team India would do.

Keshava Temple, Somnathpura, near Mysore

Yeah, I know. No post in a long long time. No time. Why? Am doing full time daddying to my 5 month old daughter, Gauri. :-) and then working from office in the evenings till wee hours of the morning. It's fun, you know!

Anyways, this post is not about daddying or anything like that. Ferrari had been to Somnathpura and Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary, near Mysore. I had been to Somnathpura in October 2005, thanks to the recommendation from my friend, Naresh Vedagiri (avid photographer). I might be driving back to this place next Saturday! Mmmm...

Somnathpura is third of the 3 great Hoysala architecture temples, the other 2 being Belur and Halebid. Though Belur and Halebid are touted as international tourist destinations close to Hassan, west from Bangalore, I personally felt Somnathpura was a better exhibition of beautiful exquisite architecture. It is also the most well maintained of the 3. Halebid is incomplete and has suffered most damage amongst the 3. There are 2 deities in this temple and both temples are connected to each other on the same platform. Belur temple has beautiful apsara sculptures and many other intricate carvings. I have been to all these temples, and somehow Somnathpura appealed to me the most.

A quick fact about these temples. These temples were made out of a stone mined from the earth and were carved when it was still soft. These stones became hard on exposure to atmosphere. And what you get to see is something truly heavenly.

Read more about the temple and its architecture at this link and this link.

How to get there?

From Bangalore: Take the Mysore Road and continue on towards Mysore on the Bangalore-Mysore highway. It has been widened into a 4 lane highway and obviously a pleasure to drive on. It is about 140 kms SE from Bangalore. As you approach Srirangapatnam, you get a diversion for Somnathpura. Take that diversion and Somnathpura is about 28 kms from that point. You can return via the same route.

From Mysore: Proceed towards T Narsipura and then proceed towards Somnathpura. It is just 35 kms or so from Mysore.

Where to eat?
If you intend to go to Mysore, you should go to the old Dasaprakash hotel for a true treat of South Indian cuisine. You will smack your lips and lick your fingers long after you are done eating, for the taste of the great food will linger on for a long time. And if you are on your way to Mysore or returning to Bangalore, stop by at Kamat's for a taste of North Kanara cuisine. Specifically ask for North Kanara Thali.

For pictures, please check a similar post on my photo blog Reflectarium.

Auto Rickshaw F1

We always knew that the Auto Rickshaw drivers in India were the craziest in the world. probably Bangkok rickshaw drivers could give them a competition, but still the Indian ones would win hands down. The dare devilry, I nay say, is sometimes a treat to watch... a sharply tuned skill only with hands on practice. :-) I know, I am not attempting to glorify those wretched drivers. But then... yeah... you have to give it to them, sometime or the other.

Because there was always that one time when a great rickshaw driver reached you to a certain place in the nick of time and helped you save a lot of blushes!!

rediff.com: Like Formula One, but with rickshaws

Have a good laugh!

Staffa in India

If ever there is Scotland in India, it has to be the Sahyadris.
- Gajanan ;-)

If you are from the famous megapolis Mumbai, or even if you are a "Pune"kar, you would be the one to regale your friends with tales of trekking experiences in the Sahyadris and how you miss being among the emerald lands in the monsoons.

There are many ways to meander through the Sahyadris.
- You would take a drop at a suitable point and trek through the hills.
- You could take a drive through the verdant landscape, if you have a car or intend to rent one.
- You could a buy the Konkan Railway ticket and let the railways do the above for you.


A Konkan Railway train making its way through the verdant Konkan lands.

Check this piece that I found on Rediff. Writeup is chirpy and interesting. Makes you want to plan to return to Bangalore via the Konkan Railway route from Mumbai or the vice versa. (Upd.) Infact, Goa is home to the famed Dudhsagar Falls and a section of Konkan Railway passes close by (Upd./). There is another nice writeup on Outlook Traveller. And some stats and numbers here.

(Upd.)Please check Ferrari's Konkan trips here and here. Am sure you would be left feeling very jealous!!(Upd./)

Updated with corrections from Ferrari: There is no direct train from Bangalore to Mumbai via the Konkan route. You can however take Bangalore Goa train "Vasco Express" which passes over the Dudhsagar Falls. Check on the Indian Railways Portal or IRCTC or Konkan Railway Portal.

All aboard!

PS:
- Those who are still wondering what "Staffa" is, it is a beautiful place in Scotland, UK. Check this link for more. Check this on Wiki.
- Staffa is also the name of an official entity in Scotland having their own postal authority. Philately enthusiasts would know about the Staffa Gold Stamps or the simple stamps that are a rare possession. Staffa stamps are only available to tourists to the Staffa island. It is recognized by the British Postal Society as being among the "Cinderella" stamps - a collection of private local issue stamps.