Manual Scavenging in India

Talk about the divide that a fast growing nation like India creates and you are looking at virtually every aspect of everyday living. Just noticed a small editorial piece on manual scavenging in India in one of the dailies. Yes, it still exists today...worst part is, that though i find it disgusting and unimaginable, i was aware of this commonplace practice in India and perhaps just chose to turn my face away from the filth. Never ever giving a thought to the men and women who provide the 'service'. Still in this day and age, 1.3 million such men and women carry and dispose of human excreta.

In this scenario it is heartening to find efforts of a voluntary organization - Safai Karmachari Andolan (http://safaikarmachariandolan.org) . Its efforts are truly laudable in a country where such tradition and caste based mindset changes are difficult to bring. While this is an abyss of social imbalance, we perhaps do not blink at the sordid conditions prevalent in other professions - whoever cared about the health and well being of rickshaw pullers, coolies, building labor. Do we even consider them a part of our society...or even a vote bank? I guess the majority chooses to ignore as I had done before...

George...the snake

This morning i found this snake dude sitting in the bushes right in front of my door and basking in the sun. It has been a wet weather for some time and the way it kept still gave me that sense as well. I went closer and could see directly in his eyes and i could feel that he is looking at me too. Yes..at first it was creepy but a few minutes later i started to realize it was indeed a beautiful creature. Without trying to be Steve Irving i clicked a few snaps (see pic) and researched a bit. This species is the Northern Brown snake also called the DeKay snake after a nature conservationist. A vertical dark bar a short distance behind the eye is a key identifying mark. Ground color is light to dark brown or gray, sometimes with a slightly yellowish or reddish tone. Two rows of small dark spots run lengthwise along the sides of back; a lighter stripe runs down the middle of the back between the dots. The dots may be hard to see. Usually seen in the spring time it feeds on snails and earthworms and small crawling insects.
So well, it kept sitting there for a long time and i kept looking at it intently; mentally trying to ask him how was his day or what he thinks of the rising inflation and food prices. But then after a little while the dude just slipped and slithered away, clearly not interested to interact with me on any of his issues or mine. He of course belonged to non venomous species but i didnt try to test him at all. Well, so long George...it was nice meeting you!!
(Ohh..why the name George....i just named him that as he kept sitting in that Bush..)

The first shots!!

Some of the first shots of differing themes from my Canon DSLR XTI. The great colors of the sunset, the lone melting snow on the pine tree, a bird taking flight on the frozen lake, an amazing lunar eclipse and the trapped mannequins!! Notice the different expressions on the faces of the Mannequins..i like that....also the fact that they look behind bars (trapped) with a Statue of Liberty on the back...Interesting huh!!!

The meaning of 'OM' (AUM)...

This was the question that my mother asked me one day...'Do you know what OM stands for or what does it symbolize'? Partly, her intent was to question my knowledge about my religion, and partly to make me interested in my religion by her small and non intrusive efforts. She did give me a version of the meaning which i wanted to debate and so began my quest for the answer. In a way my mother did succeed in some of her objectives.
Anyway...so what does this symbol that is such an integral part of Hinduism stand for?
First up..OM is not a word..it is merely a sound or an intonation. The sacred texts also interpret this sound as a mantra in itself. The sound of OM can touch your soul or atma it is said. The sound itself is made from the three Sanskrit letters aa, au and ma. Another interesting aspect is the interpretation that OM represents the Brahmana. Brahmana is considered the source of everything...hence OM represented that one source of all past, present and that will be in the future. A good read online for all this and more is available online at http://www.omsakthi.org/.

So in case you are considering to put this Sacred symbol as a body art or as a tatoo, you would do well to know its meaning and appreciate its infinite power.

Ghazals of Mirza Ghalib
This is a nice site....Ghazals from Mirza Ghalib.

haiN aur bhee duniya meiN suKHanwar bohot achche
kehte haiN ki 'GHalib' ka hai andaaz-e-bayaaN aur

The sense of extrapolation of thoughts exhibited in Mirza Ghalib's ghazals are amazing.

Why drive an SUV?

I recently bought an SUV- a Mitsubishi Endeavor. It drives pretty nice and smooth like a car and has space and power of an SUV. I have always wanted to own and drive an SUV despite the fact that cars usually give you more bang for the buck and come with more luxurious 'extras'. But people who like an SUV would always like an SUV for some reason or the other...All wheel drive, family and luggage space, towing ability, Off road etc etc...knowing fully well that these capabilities are required in minority of circumstances in the urban setting. Urban US settings, especially in the crowded expressways in East Coast require low floor fast moving cars that are highly manouverable and can change lanes quickly.

Anyway..here are some useful tips for SUV drivers whatever may be your reason for buying:

When approaching dips or descents on the trail, take your foot of the accelerator and let your momentum take you down, controlled with the brakes. Also keep in lower gears for steeper descents.

- In snow and ice, the faster you go, the longer and the more distance you will need to stop your vehicle. This applies to all vehicles. Also recall your physics class! The greater the mass of the vehicle, the more force/better grip is needed to control your vehicle. Therefore, drive slowly. The four-wheel drive works better when it has surfaces to grip.

- Make your turns at a slower speed to prevent the vehicle from tipping over due to its higher centre of gravity. I've seen an SUV on its side in the city because of a hard turn! The worse thing that could happen is having your SUV powerslide and then suddenly grip the road, causing you to tip over and perform some undesirable circus acts.

- Respect your SUV. It is not a WRC (World Rally Car) and you are not out there to win medals. Treat your SUV with respect, and it will return the favour.

- Just before you hit the peak when you ascend a climb, let your foot off some of the gas to prevent overshooting to the descent.

- Approach obstacles at an angle to prevent your SUV from being lodged upon the object. The rules here is to keep at least three tires on the ground at all times!

-In deep snow, again, use your momentum, epecially when going uphill. I've seen some SUVs lose momentum uphill when they decide to slow down or stop completely in the middle of an ascent. Then they start to slide backwards.

Most of these tips should be executed at slow speeds no greater than 50km/h. 15 to 30km/h is ideal.

Also you may want to visit this interesting site on SUV. http://www.ihateyoursuv.com/
Yes...it is about SUV haters...but like i said..it is interesting.

"Honey i am Thinking..errr Shaving!!"
I am in my most potent mode of thinking when i am doing the morning shave for getting ready to leave for office. This fact about a very normal morning chore has intrigued me for several years now. It is the moment of the day when i am 'forced' to look at myself in the mirror (i know there exists a breed of men who can do it without a mirror) and reflect on many things that either come randomly or are immediate priorities. Let me explain this phenonmenon in a little more detail and you may have to visualize this in your own context in case you also go through similar feelings.
I wake up on a regular monday morning and as usual there are tasks lined up for me for the day - things that i have to accompolish, achievements i have report, pick up the car from the service station, prepare for the final consulting presentation, pay my rent etc etc etc....and yeah do something special for my wife while i get a day older in my life!! Obviously enough, the content for each day can be different and there could be many things to think about or just a couple of pressing issues that need the focused devotion of the grey cells. But whatever be the content, the mind is working fast in trying to solve the issues. It is as if it realizes that it needs to get the puzzle solved within 10 minutes (lets say a man takes an average of 10 minutes to shave). And yes...i am convinced that i am able to organize my thoughts better and my action plan for the day in those 10 minutes than when i am sitting in my office desk or waiting for boarding at an airline gate. Even in my growing up years when i was waiting for the first signs of my beard i used to observe my Father (he is no more now..). It used to be a dreadful time....I have been brought up in a strict parenting environment where it was important to get up early in the day and do the right things. My father would let out the instructions to the entire family with his half shaven beard and with the foam still on. I never got it then as to why would he take almost half an hour just to shave his beard. The real reason as i understand it now has to be related to the thinking angle.

I am not the first genius in the planet to say this...i have heard and also read at some places that many people do their best thinking while taking a shower or sitting on the throne (toilet). Some hypothesize that it has something to do with "thinking better" when your body is free of constrictions (clothing)? Well....i am usually not in my birthday suit when i am shaving..so this does not answer my question. I have also heard of some research on ideas and creativity where it was found that most people have their most creative ideas away from the job environment. When asked, they said that they do their best thinking while in the shower, while shaving, while in bed early in the morning or just before drifting off to sleep, in the car and when out walking. Few people mention that they have great ideas while at work. The central theme from such empirical evidence is that the mind in a job location or any other scenario is either too busy or not relaxed enough.

Again, it is not what i am saying that is any bit interesting as you may be either already knowing this or must have observed these feelings anyway. What is interesting really is how i have been able to leverage this phenonmenon in a deliberate fashion. So now, i actually like to shave every morning and line up my priorities that needs help from the top few inches of my physical existance. It really has been helpful...i am wondering if somehow this can be used by corporations, sports experts, psychologists etc for either treatment or creativity purposes???