I loved sleep. I would play a lot and somewhere in there I went to high school and college, but come 10PM I was out and nothing could wake me till I had worshiped Hypnos for 8-10 hours. I was very religious about it. Weekend the worship was an extended one, taking as long as 12 hours. I can see that my older one has taken after me. She once did not get out of bed till 1PM in the afternoon!
You know how people drop in on you in India without calling first. Well the reason they did that was very few people had telephones then and cell phones had not yet been invented. It was not like we had much of a life outside of home. So people knew that they could expect someone at home more often than not and the few times you travel a couple of hours to find out that your friend is not at home, you go back cheerfully.
C'est la vie and all that you know.
Well this one time, about 25 years ago, a good friend of our parents, Mr Venkatachalam and his wife Girija came to see us and no one but I was at home. Figuratively speaking, of course. I was physically present but my mind was lost in the dream world. They rang the bell but the result was not conclusive. It was not as if I was far away from the bell. Moreover these are Indian ones built with a strong sense of purpose. I mean they were definitely not build to be polite as in please wake up. No; they were loud and shrill; capable of waking almost everyone but the dead. They told me later that after ringing the bell futile for 5 minutes they took to banging on the door.
Our neighbors got into the act and together while one banged on the door the other yelled loudly. This is not unusual in India at least when I was growing up. Finally after a quarter hour of various attempts at rousing me; most folks would have given up after 2 minutes; they left a note and went back home. A hour later when my parents and sister came back from wherever they had been, they discovered the note and got in and woke me up.
Mr Venkatachalam was a lot of fun to be around. I am sorry to use the past tense. He died last year when I was in India. He was very funny and could tell a joke well. He had a good singing voice and was an amateur Carnatic vocalist. He had a good knowledge of the scriptures and would frequently recite the old shlokas to my parents and their friends and bring out the meaning behind them. He never talked down to you; he was capable of engaging me in a conversation as well as he could my parents. I could argue with him which I could not with my dad. Whenever I met them later in life, he and his wife would remind me about it and we would have a good laugh over it. I think of him often and miss him.
Back to my sleep; fatherhood did nothing to diminish my passion for sleep.
And then I started working for a company that had developers in India in 2006. Well it is simple; to get work done, one need to engage with the resources in real time. People think that you can send emails during the day here and gnomes in India (and other places) would scurry around and do the work. It is mostly collaborative and regular conversations are required to iron out details. Well with the time zone differences of about 10 hours, the best way is for folks in US to work very early and folks in India to work late. So I started getting up at before 6AM.
Before 2006, I do not recollect seeing Helios ride out in his chariot, since then I have taken to reprimanding him for being late to work! It has gotten so bad even if I sleep very late, say at 1AM , I still end up getting up by 7-8AM. I cannot sleep more than 6-7 hours even during the weekend!
I am sad, my first love has deserted me.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Ambitions
Those who have two or more kids marvel at the personality differences. If you ask my older one what she wants to be you would get a shrug and if you prod more you will get a slightly more clear answer - I don't know.
On the other hand you do not have to ask the little one. She has no fewer than a half dozen careers chosen. When we were driving back home, she saw this bridge under construction and told me that she want to be a Crane Builder. I asked her if she liked building cranes, no she said she like building bridges. So I pointed out that she wanted to be crane operator. She liked that a lot.
Then she casually mentioned three other careers she had chosen for herself and the first on the list was Archeologist. I tried to put her in place by asking her if she knew what that was, but she is made of unsquashable India rubber. She promptly said, she was going to dig for Dinosaur bones!
Oh, BTW, she also wants to be a doctor and a teacher.
Manama insisted that that pines also change color. My older one explained again to her again what it meant to be ever green. But the little one is stubborn as a mule. She insisted that she has seen pines change color.
This argument went on for a few minutes when she triumphantly pointed to a pine like tree that had changed colors. We are not sure if it is a pine or not. In any case my wife and my daughter mustered as much dignity they could and moved on.
The next my wife needled her.
"Manama, look at that pine. I think pines too change colors"
Her reply was typically cocky
"You think. but I know they do!"
Saturday, August 22, 2009
The Little Red Book
I am a book worm. I read books everyday. I start the day with a book and go to bed with a book, not necessarily the one I started the day with. I read them anywhere, everywhere. I read them several times. I own hundreds of them. If I sit for 10 minutes, I would rather sit with a book, even if it were on a potty.
In fact let me tell you a secret, that is one place no one can disturb me.
My Wife - Honey can you do me a favor?
Me - Sorry sweetheart, I am reading a book, oops, I mean I am in the bathroom.
So our bathrooms always contain books. Luckily since my wife and older daughter share this passion, it has not caused too many troubles.
It was not unusual in our house for someone to announce "I need to use the bathroom" and run to the library to pick a book! I am bad but I am proud to say my daughter is worse. She has no sense of time. When you want her to get ready for an party, she will promptly take a book to the bathroom and come out an hour later. During that time, her mom would pop several arteries screaming
where are you, what are doing, please hurry, we are late, irresponsible, you are just like your dad....
Anyway, recently it was borne on me how much of a women world this is, at least my small world, my house.
I went to the bathroom and found to my dismay that I forgot to take along a book. So I picked one lying there, a library book, a small red book aptly named, My Little Red Book. I did not know that my wife was interested in Communism or Mao to read his book. You see I had not borrowed this book from the library.
Imagine my surprise when I read the first chapter and found that this book had nothing to do with redistribution of wealth. It was not The Little Red Book. It was about the onset of Menarche, aka, the First Period. I know my older daughter had varied interests but this one was a stunner. We all avoid this topic, definitely the men. I do not know why. Well we all have a mom and many of us have one or more sisters and have seen their pain first hand.
So I will say this.
Please read this book.
This is an anthology. Almost all of them are 1 pagers, little stories by women across of the world and their introduction to The Period and how each of them dealt with it in their own way. Even if we do not entirely understand it we may have some sympathy for our mom, sister, daughter, and better half.
In fact let me tell you a secret, that is one place no one can disturb me.
My Wife - Honey can you do me a favor?
Me - Sorry sweetheart, I am reading a book, oops, I mean I am in the bathroom.
So our bathrooms always contain books. Luckily since my wife and older daughter share this passion, it has not caused too many troubles.
It was not unusual in our house for someone to announce "I need to use the bathroom" and run to the library to pick a book! I am bad but I am proud to say my daughter is worse. She has no sense of time. When you want her to get ready for an party, she will promptly take a book to the bathroom and come out an hour later. During that time, her mom would pop several arteries screaming
where are you, what are doing, please hurry, we are late, irresponsible, you are just like your dad....
Anyway, recently it was borne on me how much of a women world this is, at least my small world, my house.
I went to the bathroom and found to my dismay that I forgot to take along a book. So I picked one lying there, a library book, a small red book aptly named, My Little Red Book. I did not know that my wife was interested in Communism or Mao to read his book. You see I had not borrowed this book from the library.
Imagine my surprise when I read the first chapter and found that this book had nothing to do with redistribution of wealth. It was not The Little Red Book. It was about the onset of Menarche, aka, the First Period. I know my older daughter had varied interests but this one was a stunner. We all avoid this topic, definitely the men. I do not know why. Well we all have a mom and many of us have one or more sisters and have seen their pain first hand.
So I will say this.
Please read this book.
This is an anthology. Almost all of them are 1 pagers, little stories by women across of the world and their introduction to The Period and how each of them dealt with it in their own way. Even if we do not entirely understand it we may have some sympathy for our mom, sister, daughter, and better half.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Bigamist? Me? No Way. Maybe. You be the Judge!
Two years ago, my friend, Sriram, got married. Before I go into the details of his marriage, let me tell you a little about us.
Sriram and I used to be roommates for a little over 2 years during our time in Graduate School. It is interesting how we met and ended up being room mates. During the summer of 1991, I was in the campus getting my admission process rolling while simultaneously looking for rooms to share, when I saw these two Indians walking in the street. A brief introduction later we found we shared not only a nationality but a mother tongue as well. Naturally it helped a lot to break down barriers. They needed a roommate and I needed a room. That is how I met Sriram. It was that simple. My initial suspicions were soon confirmed; although he was from a rich family, Sriram was guilty of being simple, easygoing, and generous to a fault.
After my marriage in 1993, he moved out but stayed still in campus apartments and so we had ample opportunities to meet. Then the Gold Bug bit him, at least the fever to move to the Golden State hit him after he vacationed in California for 2 weeks. I forgot to mention, Sriram was also very impulsive. He very soon got a job and moved to the left coast and has lived there since then. We stayed in touch regularly despite the distance.
Sriram then behaved in the most unfilial manner possible for an Indian boy. He refused any proposal for marriage. Since I met my wife during graduate school and got married, his mother believes he was unduly influenced by me. Soon he met a nice girl in California and after a while she moved in. Melissa and Sriram lived together for a while before he popped the question. She accepted and they set the date.
Now comes the location where they would get married. I told you earlier how Sriram was simple, generous, easygoing, and impulsive. I forgot to mention he was also romantic. He liked the movie Shawshank Redemption. If you have seen the movie then you know the place where Tim Robbins settles after escaping from prison!
I liked the movie a lot and I thought that the place was beautiful too. I wanted to vacation there.
Well Sriram chose to get married there!
If you have not seen the movie, it is Zihuatenejo, Mexico. It is a beautiful place on the Pacific coast.
The marriage was a secular ceremony conducted by a Mexican official. It took place on the beach with chairs set in several rows facing the water. The bride and the groom stood a few feet away from the waves. A ten person music band dressed in beautiful traditional clothes played very nice music. To cap it all there was the setting sun in the background. Altogether it was a wonderful wedding, uniting two very nice people.
During the ceremony conducted mostly in Spanish - I forgot to mention the bride and the groom spoke Spanish quite fluently - the secular minister (if there is such a phrase) mentioned several names including mine. That did not surprise me since I was one of the official witnesses and had to sign various documents. Also I was not sure since there was the sound of the surf in the background we could not hear much of what was said. So I kept quiet till I heard my name spoken for the fourth time and then I knew it was time for me to speak now or forever hold my peace.
Well I am sure you understood what happened. It turns out that minister got the two names mixed up, our names being very long, unfamiliar, and similar enough for him. Now you all know my name is Ramaraghavan Srinivasan and my friend's full name is Sriram Ramachandran.
We all had a good laugh but to this day I am not sure about my friend's marital status....
or mine for that matter!
Sriram and I used to be roommates for a little over 2 years during our time in Graduate School. It is interesting how we met and ended up being room mates. During the summer of 1991, I was in the campus getting my admission process rolling while simultaneously looking for rooms to share, when I saw these two Indians walking in the street. A brief introduction later we found we shared not only a nationality but a mother tongue as well. Naturally it helped a lot to break down barriers. They needed a roommate and I needed a room. That is how I met Sriram. It was that simple. My initial suspicions were soon confirmed; although he was from a rich family, Sriram was guilty of being simple, easygoing, and generous to a fault.
After my marriage in 1993, he moved out but stayed still in campus apartments and so we had ample opportunities to meet. Then the Gold Bug bit him, at least the fever to move to the Golden State hit him after he vacationed in California for 2 weeks. I forgot to mention, Sriram was also very impulsive. He very soon got a job and moved to the left coast and has lived there since then. We stayed in touch regularly despite the distance.
Sriram then behaved in the most unfilial manner possible for an Indian boy. He refused any proposal for marriage. Since I met my wife during graduate school and got married, his mother believes he was unduly influenced by me. Soon he met a nice girl in California and after a while she moved in. Melissa and Sriram lived together for a while before he popped the question. She accepted and they set the date.
Now comes the location where they would get married. I told you earlier how Sriram was simple, generous, easygoing, and impulsive. I forgot to mention he was also romantic. He liked the movie Shawshank Redemption. If you have seen the movie then you know the place where Tim Robbins settles after escaping from prison!
I liked the movie a lot and I thought that the place was beautiful too. I wanted to vacation there.
Well Sriram chose to get married there!
If you have not seen the movie, it is Zihuatenejo, Mexico. It is a beautiful place on the Pacific coast.
The marriage was a secular ceremony conducted by a Mexican official. It took place on the beach with chairs set in several rows facing the water. The bride and the groom stood a few feet away from the waves. A ten person music band dressed in beautiful traditional clothes played very nice music. To cap it all there was the setting sun in the background. Altogether it was a wonderful wedding, uniting two very nice people.
During the ceremony conducted mostly in Spanish - I forgot to mention the bride and the groom spoke Spanish quite fluently - the secular minister (if there is such a phrase) mentioned several names including mine. That did not surprise me since I was one of the official witnesses and had to sign various documents. Also I was not sure since there was the sound of the surf in the background we could not hear much of what was said. So I kept quiet till I heard my name spoken for the fourth time and then I knew it was time for me to speak now or forever hold my peace.
Well I am sure you understood what happened. It turns out that minister got the two names mixed up, our names being very long, unfamiliar, and similar enough for him. Now you all know my name is Ramaraghavan Srinivasan and my friend's full name is Sriram Ramachandran.
We all had a good laugh but to this day I am not sure about my friend's marital status....
or mine for that matter!
Thursday, July 02, 2009
Twenty Years Later
I have been in this country twenty years! Two decades! Where did all that time go?
I still remember the blue skies when I landed in San Fransisco on July 4, 1989. Yes I came to the good old USA on the Independence Day. I could not believe that the sky could be so blue. In India I do not remember looking up in the middle of the day for fear that the glare would blind me.
On the first evening, the manager of the motel where I stayed initially in Santa Clara, suggested that we all climb on top of the roof of the motel to view the fireworks. Spectacular!
My first year in this country was filled with so many novel experiences. I remember the awe with which I used the ATM the first time, something that now is passe even back in India.
My boss was amused that I found it strange that someone would accept a plastic card from me in return for expensive goods and services merely on my assurance that I would pay him back in 30 days. I did not realize then that the banks had a noose round my neck! The noose has gotten lot tighter since then. Back then, formal credit was mostly unknown especially in middle class. My parents and everyone I knew paid cash for everything. Now, credit in all forms in ridiculously common place in India.
I remember with wonder that the darkness set at the insanely late hour of 9:30-10:00PM! I had not heard of Day Light Savings.
With no email and only one choice of long distance, I cannot forget what a pinch it was on the purse to make a 10 minute call to India. A minute of long distance was about $3.00! Adjusted for inflation that is about $6.00 in today's dollars. So I would make one quick call to our neighbors to tell my parents to come on line and then after a suitable interval call them again! How crude. Since then India went completely wireless by (almost) skipping the land line phase! I now pay about 5 cents a minute and can call my parents any time, any where, however long I want!
Within a month of coming to the US, I got my driver's license, and soon I became a proud owner of a beat up Honda Civic of indeterminate color; let us say Gray; with over 85,000 miles on it. I roamed all over Bay Area using my new, used car and a bicycle.
I survived the 6.9 earthquake! After that all the minor tremors were like storm in a teacup. In fact I found out that I had slept through several 5+ earthquakes.
I discovered The Supreme Court and pretty soon added much needed bulk to my lanky frame.
I watched the great Joe Montana win a Super Bowl without understanding rudiments of American Football.
It probably rained in the Bay Area, but I do not remember those days for there could not have been many of them. All I remember were long days with blue skies and wonderful balmy weather.
I probably had the most carefree 12 months of my life, which is why California always manages to evoke extreme nostalgia.
I still remember the blue skies when I landed in San Fransisco on July 4, 1989. Yes I came to the good old USA on the Independence Day. I could not believe that the sky could be so blue. In India I do not remember looking up in the middle of the day for fear that the glare would blind me.
On the first evening, the manager of the motel where I stayed initially in Santa Clara, suggested that we all climb on top of the roof of the motel to view the fireworks. Spectacular!
My first year in this country was filled with so many novel experiences. I remember the awe with which I used the ATM the first time, something that now is passe even back in India.
My boss was amused that I found it strange that someone would accept a plastic card from me in return for expensive goods and services merely on my assurance that I would pay him back in 30 days. I did not realize then that the banks had a noose round my neck! The noose has gotten lot tighter since then. Back then, formal credit was mostly unknown especially in middle class. My parents and everyone I knew paid cash for everything. Now, credit in all forms in ridiculously common place in India.
I remember with wonder that the darkness set at the insanely late hour of 9:30-10:00PM! I had not heard of Day Light Savings.
With no email and only one choice of long distance, I cannot forget what a pinch it was on the purse to make a 10 minute call to India. A minute of long distance was about $3.00! Adjusted for inflation that is about $6.00 in today's dollars. So I would make one quick call to our neighbors to tell my parents to come on line and then after a suitable interval call them again! How crude. Since then India went completely wireless by (almost) skipping the land line phase! I now pay about 5 cents a minute and can call my parents any time, any where, however long I want!
Within a month of coming to the US, I got my driver's license, and soon I became a proud owner of a beat up Honda Civic of indeterminate color; let us say Gray; with over 85,000 miles on it. I roamed all over Bay Area using my new, used car and a bicycle.
I survived the 6.9 earthquake! After that all the minor tremors were like storm in a teacup. In fact I found out that I had slept through several 5+ earthquakes.
I discovered The Supreme Court and pretty soon added much needed bulk to my lanky frame.
I watched the great Joe Montana win a Super Bowl without understanding rudiments of American Football.
It probably rained in the Bay Area, but I do not remember those days for there could not have been many of them. All I remember were long days with blue skies and wonderful balmy weather.
I probably had the most carefree 12 months of my life, which is why California always manages to evoke extreme nostalgia.
Friday, June 26, 2009
India Is Racist, And Happy About It
I am ashamed but there is quite a bit of truth in this statement. Outlook published this article recently. A while back I told someone (and it is not an original observation) that the caste system in India is a form of color based discrimination and they did not accept it. In Sanskrit it is referred to as The Varna system. Varna means color.
My former CEO is an Indian American and his VP is a white American. He would tell us that when the two went to India on business trips, everyone would automatically assume that the VP was the boss!
I am not sure if India will ever stop discriminating on the basis of color. It is so deeply rooted that I am not sure of a lot of the people think of it as discrimination!
My former CEO is an Indian American and his VP is a white American. He would tell us that when the two went to India on business trips, everyone would automatically assume that the VP was the boss!
I am not sure if India will ever stop discriminating on the basis of color. It is so deeply rooted that I am not sure of a lot of the people think of it as discrimination!
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Top 10+10 Kishore and Asha - Part II
Here is Part II of Top 10+10 Kishore and Asha. Observe the preponderance of RD Burman in this list (Songs 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19). RD and Asha had a very productive relationship since his first film Teersi Manzil.
10+01) Sharaabi - Intaha Ho Gayi (Video)
This song should be in the previous list, so putting it on top is my way of making amends. Bappi Lahiri can be a good music director when he chooses to not copy pop songs.
10+02) Aankhon Aankhon Mein - Aankhon Aankhon Mein (Video)
Great song but Rakesh Roshan is nuts.
When Rakhee says "Mujko Apni Bahon Mein Sone Do"
His reply is "Shaadi Ho Jaane Do"!
10+03) Seeta Aur Geeta - O Saathi Chal (Video)
Just before the song starts Hema cutely mispronounces the word skate as kates. She plays the role of a uneducated but confident girl.
10+04) Chor Machaye Shor - Le Jayenge Le Jayenge (Video)
10+05) Deevar - Kehdoon Tumhe Ya Chup Rahoon
10+06) Hum Kissi Se Kum Naheen - Hum Ko To Yaara Teri (Video)
I do not know if this girl ever acted in any other movie.
10+07) Jhootha Kahin Ka - Jeevan Ke Har Mor Pe (Video)
10+08) Khel Khel Mein - Ek Mein Aur Ek Tu (Video)
Every song is a hit, but putting Iftekhar in the role of a jealous romeo is absurd.
10+09) Yaadon Ki Baarat - Meri Soni Meri Tamanna (Video)
The only redeeming feature in this movie is Zeenat Aman. The hero's acting is worse than my writing!
10+10) Zakhmee - Jalta Hai Jiya Mera (Video)
The End
10+01) Sharaabi - Intaha Ho Gayi (Video)
This song should be in the previous list, so putting it on top is my way of making amends. Bappi Lahiri can be a good music director when he chooses to not copy pop songs.
10+02) Aankhon Aankhon Mein - Aankhon Aankhon Mein (Video)
Great song but Rakesh Roshan is nuts.
When Rakhee says "Mujko Apni Bahon Mein Sone Do"
His reply is "Shaadi Ho Jaane Do"!
10+03) Seeta Aur Geeta - O Saathi Chal (Video)
Just before the song starts Hema cutely mispronounces the word skate as kates. She plays the role of a uneducated but confident girl.
10+04) Chor Machaye Shor - Le Jayenge Le Jayenge (Video)
10+05) Deevar - Kehdoon Tumhe Ya Chup Rahoon
10+06) Hum Kissi Se Kum Naheen - Hum Ko To Yaara Teri (Video)
I do not know if this girl ever acted in any other movie.
10+07) Jhootha Kahin Ka - Jeevan Ke Har Mor Pe (Video)
10+08) Khel Khel Mein - Ek Mein Aur Ek Tu (Video)
Every song is a hit, but putting Iftekhar in the role of a jealous romeo is absurd.
10+09) Yaadon Ki Baarat - Meri Soni Meri Tamanna (Video)
The only redeeming feature in this movie is Zeenat Aman. The hero's acting is worse than my writing!
10+10) Zakhmee - Jalta Hai Jiya Mera (Video)
The End
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Top 10+10 Kishore and Asha - Part I
After my previous post, my wife requested that I make a similar list with Kishore and Asha. She also added that a Top 10 list would not suffice and she was right. But that is not surprising since duets by Rafi-Lata and Kishore-Asha are more common than the cross pairs, Rafi-Asha and Kishore-Lata.
I was easily able to identify my Top 10, but I found that there were several others that were good and worthy of being mentioned in a list. So I decided to create a list which I titled Top 10+10 to be presented in two parts.
I feel that one of the important aspects of these songs is the absence of quality lyrics. Kishore songs are known for their energy and I think such songs do not lend themselves well to convey deep thoughts. Consequently these songs do not have great lyrics. They are simple and the songs invariably revolve around both the quality of the music and the voices of the singers and their abilities. Poetry and yodeling somehow do not go hand in hand.
This is by no means a put-down of Kishore songs; I personally feel that Kishore songs with pathos in them tend to have better lyrics, not his happy ones, with a few exceptions of course.
So let us jump into the without much ado.
01) Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi - Haal Kaisa Hai Janab Ka (Video)
Are you surprised that Kishore is the actor? I do not think anyone else could have done justice.
02) Baap Re Baap - Piya Piya Piya Mora Jiya Pukare (Video)
There is an interesting story about this song that Asha describes in details on one of her CDs. She made a mistake in one of her lines during recording and you can clearly hear it in the middle. She confesses to Kishore who assures her not to worry. He then informs her that he is the lead actor for that movie and that at the moment when Asha makes the error he would put a hand over the heroine's mouth!! Watch for that in the middle of the song at about the 2:15 minute mark.
03) Dilli Ka Thug - C..A..T.. Cat Mane Billi (Video)
Good spelling tutorial.
04) Paying Guest - O Nigahen Mastana (Video)
Amazing song. Asha sings not a single word, so technically it is not a duet. Nutan is great, but I feel Dev Anand did not do justice on screen.
05) Nau Do Gyarah - Aankhon Mein Kya Jee (Video)
Again the chemistry between Dev Anand and and Kalpana Kartik is clear.
06) Paying Guest - Chhod Do Anchal Zamana Kya (Video)
Nutan was an underrated star from that period. She was probably more famous for her histrionic abilities. She won five Film Fare awards.
07) Baton Baton Mein - Suniye Kahiye (Video)
I wish to make no R-rated comments and I am sure you will agree that Tina Munim is not in this movie for her acting skills. Good thing, since she cannot act if her life depended on it.
08) Budda Mil Gaya - Bhali Bhali Si Ek Surat (Video)
Who is this heroine? You do not know? Neither do I!
09) Humshakal - Hum Tum Gum Sum Raat (Video)
I have always liked Moushmi since I saw her play the role of the ditzy wife as the wife of Sanjeev Kumar in Angoor. A steamy song for its time (India in 1974)
10) Javaani Deevani - Jaane Jaa Dhundtaa Phir Raha (Video)
This song shows RD Burman at his experimental best. He makes Kishore sing at certain times at a very high pitch and Asha down a whole octave!
Well which one of your favorites did I miss?
I was easily able to identify my Top 10, but I found that there were several others that were good and worthy of being mentioned in a list. So I decided to create a list which I titled Top 10+10 to be presented in two parts.
I feel that one of the important aspects of these songs is the absence of quality lyrics. Kishore songs are known for their energy and I think such songs do not lend themselves well to convey deep thoughts. Consequently these songs do not have great lyrics. They are simple and the songs invariably revolve around both the quality of the music and the voices of the singers and their abilities. Poetry and yodeling somehow do not go hand in hand.
This is by no means a put-down of Kishore songs; I personally feel that Kishore songs with pathos in them tend to have better lyrics, not his happy ones, with a few exceptions of course.
So let us jump into the without much ado.
01) Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi - Haal Kaisa Hai Janab Ka (Video)
Are you surprised that Kishore is the actor? I do not think anyone else could have done justice.
02) Baap Re Baap - Piya Piya Piya Mora Jiya Pukare (Video)
There is an interesting story about this song that Asha describes in details on one of her CDs. She made a mistake in one of her lines during recording and you can clearly hear it in the middle. She confesses to Kishore who assures her not to worry. He then informs her that he is the lead actor for that movie and that at the moment when Asha makes the error he would put a hand over the heroine's mouth!! Watch for that in the middle of the song at about the 2:15 minute mark.
03) Dilli Ka Thug - C..A..T.. Cat Mane Billi (Video)
Good spelling tutorial.
04) Paying Guest - O Nigahen Mastana (Video)
Amazing song. Asha sings not a single word, so technically it is not a duet. Nutan is great, but I feel Dev Anand did not do justice on screen.
05) Nau Do Gyarah - Aankhon Mein Kya Jee (Video)
Again the chemistry between Dev Anand and and Kalpana Kartik is clear.
06) Paying Guest - Chhod Do Anchal Zamana Kya (Video)
Nutan was an underrated star from that period. She was probably more famous for her histrionic abilities. She won five Film Fare awards.
07) Baton Baton Mein - Suniye Kahiye (Video)
I wish to make no R-rated comments and I am sure you will agree that Tina Munim is not in this movie for her acting skills. Good thing, since she cannot act if her life depended on it.
08) Budda Mil Gaya - Bhali Bhali Si Ek Surat (Video)
Who is this heroine? You do not know? Neither do I!
09) Humshakal - Hum Tum Gum Sum Raat (Video)
I have always liked Moushmi since I saw her play the role of the ditzy wife as the wife of Sanjeev Kumar in Angoor. A steamy song for its time (India in 1974)
10) Javaani Deevani - Jaane Jaa Dhundtaa Phir Raha (Video)
This song shows RD Burman at his experimental best. He makes Kishore sing at certain times at a very high pitch and Asha down a whole octave!
Well which one of your favorites did I miss?
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Top 10 - Rafi and Asha
This article was revised on 1-16-2011. See details of the changes at the end.
Ahmed, a friend of mine says on Facebook that this song makes him want to fall in love all over again. His comments reminded me of a resolution I had made - to come up with my Top 10 list of Rafi-Asha Duets. Naturally this is just my opinion and I am sure I have missed a few that could reasonably make the cut, but somehow coming up with a Top -12 or Top-17 did not sound appealing. I have tried to find both audio and video links for all the movies and songs and I have verified that all the links work. Hope you like them too.
01) Hum Dono - Abhi Na Jao Chod Kar (Video)
-- If I have to list only one song, this song would be IT, a song that would make you fall in love again. So married folks stay away from this song!
02) Kala Pani - Accha Ji Mein Haari Chalo (Video)
-- What a wonderful way to say sorry! Madhubala is sooooo ..... I am at a loss for words
03) Kashmir Ki Kali - Deevana Hua Baadal (Video)
-- Barson Se Khizan Ka Mausam tha
-- Veeraan Badi Duniyan thi meri
-- Haathon Mein tera aanchal, aaya Ke Bahaar Aayi
What a wonderful sentiment!
04) Bambai Ka Babu - Deevana Mastana (Video)
-- A very happy song, very good music. Otherwise no deep meaning.
05) Ek Musafir Ek Hasina - Aap Yunhi Agar Milte Rahe (Video)
-- Aap Yunhi Agar Hamse Milte Rahe, Dekhiye Ek Din Pyaar Ho Jayega
Well I am sure you would not be surprised when I tell you that Sadhana was my first crush!
06) Teesri Manzil - Aaja Aaja Mein Hu Pyaar Tera (Video)
-- Shammi is truly nuts. There is a scene in the middle of the song when Shammi to comes the end of his stanza and Asha Parekh who is in the background throws her jacket over the chair and twirls her way into the foreground with Shammi moving into the background. This is an unusually long shot for a song and really well done.
07) Kashmir Ki Kali - Ishaaron Ishharon mein (Video)
-- Bahaaron Ko Bhi Naaz Jis Phool Par Tha, Wohi Phool Hamne Chuna Gulistan Se.
08) Nau Do Gyarah - Aaja Panchhi Akela Hai (Video)
-- The chemistry between Dev Anand and Kalpana Kartik, spouses in real life not just reel life, is palpable. I am not an expert in Hindi, but I wonder if this movie spawned the phrase "Nau Do Gyarah Hona" which means to run away!
09) Ek Musafir Ek Hasina - Bahut Shukriya Badi Meharbani (Video)
Joy Mukherji is lucky to have so many amazing songs. As an actor, well the less said the better.
10) Hum Kissi Se Kum Nahin - Hai Agar Dushman Zamana (Video)
About 5 years ago, they had a three violin Carnatic concert at the Shiva Vishnu Temple in Maryland. In the middle of a long Ragam Tanam Pallavi, one of the violinist, smiled at the other and played this song. No jokes. I asked her at the end why she did this and; she explained that this song is based on the raaga Valaji. She is from Bombay and grew up listening to Hindi film songs and tried something different. Also I had to do justice by putting Zeenie baby back in after removing "Chura Liya Hai" from my original list.
What do you think?
Changes made 1-16-2011
I am deleting "Chura liya hai" and "Aaye Hai Door Se" from this list09) Yaadon Ki Baarat - Chura Liya Hai Tumne Jo Dil Ko (Video)
-- Zeenie Baby, Wow! It took 25 more years before the rest of the Indian Film heroines had a figure like that! I am sorry I had to delegate this song so far down the list. I definitely am partial to the classical period of Hindi Film Music if I may refer to 1950s and 1960s in that manner.
10) Tumsa Nahin Dekha - Aaye Hai Door Se (Video)
-- I just like this song, nothing particularly quotable about this song
Saturday, June 20, 2009
My Weight Problem
Long ago, I wrote about my my wife's weight problem. She really does not have a weight problem. No, I am not in denial. She just thinks she has one. Even now she looks just the way she did when I first met her. I am sorry, I did not phrase that well. I mean, she now looks prettier, if possible. Phew, I think I got over that land mine well. As far as weight goes, she has maintained her trimness over the past 20 years, that include two pregnancies, and a Madrasi crowd around us that focuses exclusively on food during any get together!
I do not have a weight problem either. No, I am not in denial again. Let me explain.
First of all, if you twist my arm I would admit that I could lose a few grams. Unlike my wife I have gained a lot of weight in the two decade since I left the shores of India, at least the shores of Yamuna. Good thing I did too. I mean, good thing I left the shores of Yamuna. It was and still remains now one of the most polluted rivers in the world. In the intervening years, depending on how you do the math, I have gained anywhere from 28% to 40% in weight since I came to this country!
It looks bad, but that is not the complete story. You see when I came to the US, I was an anemic 132 lbs although I stood nearly 6ft tall. I am told that it made me look like a drug addict! Within three months I discovered the weight room at a Bay Area gym funnily called the Supreme Court and by the end of year I had gained 30 lbs and I stood a very reasonable 165 lbs.
So taking out the one time rapid weight gain, what it boils down to is that I have gained about 1 lb for every year of my marriage. That is not really bad.
The one place where this extra poundage does show up more and more prominently is in the waist line. Even my adoring and admiring wife and daughter have started taking pot shots at the commencement of a protruding abdominal region colloquially known as a pot belly. So I do a Seinfeld. Remember that episode where Seinfeld tells his girl friend that he changes the label on his jeans from a 32 waist to a 31. I do not go that extent. I just confidently tell everyone that I wear a 32 and that I just ate a few minutes ago! No one has so far bent down to verify the number that adorns my Gluteus Maximus muscle!
So although I believe I do not have a weight problem, I would like to one day really fit into that jean with a 32 inch waist hanging in my closet. So I want you to be the witness that I have stated a definite goal to lose weight.
Here it is - by the end of this year I want to go down to a trim 180 lbs. Why such a modest goal?
Well I am a man of few words and fewer actions. I am very retiring when it comes to things that require too much effort on my part. In short you could say that modesty in action is my middle phrase!
Geek alert - If you chose my initial weight as the reference then the gain is 40%. Whereas it is only 28% if my current weight is the reference.
I do not have a weight problem either. No, I am not in denial again. Let me explain.
First of all, if you twist my arm I would admit that I could lose a few grams. Unlike my wife I have gained a lot of weight in the two decade since I left the shores of India, at least the shores of Yamuna. Good thing I did too. I mean, good thing I left the shores of Yamuna. It was and still remains now one of the most polluted rivers in the world. In the intervening years, depending on how you do the math, I have gained anywhere from 28% to 40% in weight since I came to this country!
It looks bad, but that is not the complete story. You see when I came to the US, I was an anemic 132 lbs although I stood nearly 6ft tall. I am told that it made me look like a drug addict! Within three months I discovered the weight room at a Bay Area gym funnily called the Supreme Court and by the end of year I had gained 30 lbs and I stood a very reasonable 165 lbs.
So taking out the one time rapid weight gain, what it boils down to is that I have gained about 1 lb for every year of my marriage. That is not really bad.
The one place where this extra poundage does show up more and more prominently is in the waist line. Even my adoring and admiring wife and daughter have started taking pot shots at the commencement of a protruding abdominal region colloquially known as a pot belly. So I do a Seinfeld. Remember that episode where Seinfeld tells his girl friend that he changes the label on his jeans from a 32 waist to a 31. I do not go that extent. I just confidently tell everyone that I wear a 32 and that I just ate a few minutes ago! No one has so far bent down to verify the number that adorns my Gluteus Maximus muscle!
So although I believe I do not have a weight problem, I would like to one day really fit into that jean with a 32 inch waist hanging in my closet. So I want you to be the witness that I have stated a definite goal to lose weight.
Here it is - by the end of this year I want to go down to a trim 180 lbs. Why such a modest goal?
Well I am a man of few words and fewer actions. I am very retiring when it comes to things that require too much effort on my part. In short you could say that modesty in action is my middle phrase!
Geek alert - If you chose my initial weight as the reference then the gain is 40%. Whereas it is only 28% if my current weight is the reference.
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
Pittsburgh - My Path to Salvation
We, my wife and I, went to graduate school at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan and after my wife got done with her doctorate, we moved to the suburbs. My sister-in-law and her family on the other lived in Maryland. Every other year we would drive late Friday evening and either travel non-stop to Maryland or take a break somewhere in the middle. That place was the Steel City, Pittsburgh.
For Indians and more specifically, Hindus, this city is quite important. The best known Venkateswara temple out side of Tirupati is in Pittsburgh. We have seen this temple grow from a small temple to one where it is now hard to find admission for aarti.
A decade ago we moved to the Maryland area, but we still have friends in Michigan. One such couple is Pria and Ravi. Along with Jeshmi/Krishna and Jyothi/Ram, they are so important in our lives that we talk to them 2-3 times a week and try to meet them at least 2 times a year. Think about the magnitude of this commitment; we talk to them more often than with our parents; we see them more often than we see our parents or my sister and her family. Let us just say, Ravi and Pria are family.
When we were newly married we traveled light and had little to worry. With two kids it is no longer easy to travel long distance. So now Pittsburgh has assumed an even greater importance in our lives. From being a pit stop in our travels, Pittsburgh is the place each family now drives to. It is 5 hours by road for Ravi/Pria and a mere 4 hours for us. We start early Saturday and drive to Pittsburgh, check in to a motel by afternoon. We then go to the temple and here is the best part. The temple serves some of the best food at amazingly low prices. We spend 4 hours in the temple and the kids have a blast since there is a lot of space outside where they can play. We check out Sunday morning go back to the temple and after an early lunch drive back to our respective cities. Now here is the interesting thing; none of us are very religious and we do not particularly care whether we go to temples or not.
My parents on the other hand are staunch Vaishnavites and a trip to the US is not complete without a trip to Pittsburgh. Although they also know my opinions well, they have not given up hope. Even if I keep going to the temple not to worship the Lord but for secular reasons, it is OK. In their minds his blessings are still with me whatever my motivations and one day I will understand the Lord's eminence and grace.
They hope that my travels to Pittsburgh will somehow put me on the road to salvation!
For Indians and more specifically, Hindus, this city is quite important. The best known Venkateswara temple out side of Tirupati is in Pittsburgh. We have seen this temple grow from a small temple to one where it is now hard to find admission for aarti.
A decade ago we moved to the Maryland area, but we still have friends in Michigan. One such couple is Pria and Ravi. Along with Jeshmi/Krishna and Jyothi/Ram, they are so important in our lives that we talk to them 2-3 times a week and try to meet them at least 2 times a year. Think about the magnitude of this commitment; we talk to them more often than with our parents; we see them more often than we see our parents or my sister and her family. Let us just say, Ravi and Pria are family.
When we were newly married we traveled light and had little to worry. With two kids it is no longer easy to travel long distance. So now Pittsburgh has assumed an even greater importance in our lives. From being a pit stop in our travels, Pittsburgh is the place each family now drives to. It is 5 hours by road for Ravi/Pria and a mere 4 hours for us. We start early Saturday and drive to Pittsburgh, check in to a motel by afternoon. We then go to the temple and here is the best part. The temple serves some of the best food at amazingly low prices. We spend 4 hours in the temple and the kids have a blast since there is a lot of space outside where they can play. We check out Sunday morning go back to the temple and after an early lunch drive back to our respective cities. Now here is the interesting thing; none of us are very religious and we do not particularly care whether we go to temples or not.
My parents on the other hand are staunch Vaishnavites and a trip to the US is not complete without a trip to Pittsburgh. Although they also know my opinions well, they have not given up hope. Even if I keep going to the temple not to worship the Lord but for secular reasons, it is OK. In their minds his blessings are still with me whatever my motivations and one day I will understand the Lord's eminence and grace.
They hope that my travels to Pittsburgh will somehow put me on the road to salvation!
Where Red Wings are concerned - The Cup is always Half Empty
As I told you earlier, I am a huge Red Wings fan. Unfortunately I do not enjoy watching them play. Unlike true fans of the game, I do not enjoy the triple overtime 1-0, 2-1 3-2 victories or worse 1 goal losses. My heart takes permanent residence in my mouth and I turn into a cannibal; I chew my fingers to the bone!!
With so many victories; and by golly the Wings have been phenomenally successful by almost every measure of success; you would think I have so many happy memories to choose from. Although I remember all the victories, I remember even more vividly the times Wings blew a one goal lead with less than 2-3 minutes left in the game and the subsequent heart wrenching overtime loss. I have been known to consider a 4 goal lead, as the third period winds down, to be less than ideal! The only games I consider fun or worth watching are blow out Wings victory.
In close games, I tense up and I get so caught up that I lose my temper and curse which of course makes my wife cringe and get mad at me for using inappropriate language in front of children.
Besides the stress of watching my team play, I am one of those steeped in sports superstitions (read this, this and this for a few examples). I have this irrational feeling that when I watch the Wings always manage lose the game. Not only that, I am also a believer in conspiracy theories; at least those that affect the Wings. It is of course a known fact to all Wings fan that the NHL and the umpires do not like the Wings and do not want them to win!! I have seen so many games when it looked like the Wings would eke out a victory, when the umpire would call a penalty and allow the opposition to tie the game and change the momentum of the game.
Having said all this, I am going to make an admission that would shock you. I think that the Pittsburgh Penguins are the better team in this year's Stanley Cup Finals. In both the games played so far they they out shot the Wings, had better scoring chances, and in general seemed to be doing all the little things that the Wings were known for. Usually I believe my teams does not get the breaks; but in the first two games of this years of Stanley Cup finals I feel that it is the Penguins that do not have Lady Luck on their side. I personally saw at least 3 times the puck hitting the posts. Yet it was the Wings that won both games.
But, I do not feel too bad!
So if the Wings win 2 more games and win the Cup, remind me to buy you a beer.
With so many victories; and by golly the Wings have been phenomenally successful by almost every measure of success; you would think I have so many happy memories to choose from. Although I remember all the victories, I remember even more vividly the times Wings blew a one goal lead with less than 2-3 minutes left in the game and the subsequent heart wrenching overtime loss. I have been known to consider a 4 goal lead, as the third period winds down, to be less than ideal! The only games I consider fun or worth watching are blow out Wings victory.
In close games, I tense up and I get so caught up that I lose my temper and curse which of course makes my wife cringe and get mad at me for using inappropriate language in front of children.
Besides the stress of watching my team play, I am one of those steeped in sports superstitions (read this, this and this for a few examples). I have this irrational feeling that when I watch the Wings always manage lose the game. Not only that, I am also a believer in conspiracy theories; at least those that affect the Wings. It is of course a known fact to all Wings fan that the NHL and the umpires do not like the Wings and do not want them to win!! I have seen so many games when it looked like the Wings would eke out a victory, when the umpire would call a penalty and allow the opposition to tie the game and change the momentum of the game.
Having said all this, I am going to make an admission that would shock you. I think that the Pittsburgh Penguins are the better team in this year's Stanley Cup Finals. In both the games played so far they they out shot the Wings, had better scoring chances, and in general seemed to be doing all the little things that the Wings were known for. Usually I believe my teams does not get the breaks; but in the first two games of this years of Stanley Cup finals I feel that it is the Penguins that do not have Lady Luck on their side. I personally saw at least 3 times the puck hitting the posts. Yet it was the Wings that won both games.
But, I do not feel too bad!
So if the Wings win 2 more games and win the Cup, remind me to buy you a beer.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
My Other Love
I used to live in Detroit, MI during the 1990s. By year three I became familiar enough with their best sports team; The Detroit Red Wings. They are an Original Six team and have had periods in the 40s and 50s when they were dominant. After two decades of mediocrity, their resurgence began with the arrival of my favorite player, Steve Yzerman in mid 1980s. I could write an entire post about him and maybe I will, but that is for later.
My earliest memory of a hockey game or at least the earliest one I remember was not a happy one. It was a first round play off Game 7 loss to San Jose Sharks in 1993-94. In those days I naively thought that the better hockey team always won. That year, the Wings were acknowledged to be in a league of their own whereas Sharks were the new kid on the block.
The next year was even more tragic. The Wings advanced to Cup finals and lost to a bunch of goons and thugs, euphemistically called the New Jersey Devils. As you can see almost 15 years and several cup victories later the bitterness has not left the palate.
The following year, in 1995-96, the Wings sprinted through the regular season setting a NHL record 62-12-8 record!! They seemed to run out of gas by the time the playoffs started. They muddled through two rounds of playoff and even endured a scare when St Louis Blues, led by the tandem of the great Gretzky and Hull, nearly upset them. Then in the conference they ran into another up and coming team, the Colorado Avalanche. The Avs only beat the Wings, Clod Lemeiux rearranged Kris Draper's face.
Then comes my favorite moment ahead of almost all the cup victories. On March 26, 1997 of the following season when Avs and Wings met during a regular season game, a fight broke out that would have ramification for the next decade. Darren McCarty pummeled Clod and then to rub salt in the wound scored the winning goal in overtime!! The Wings would never look back. As expected the Wings and Avs met again in the conference finals and this time the score was reversed. The cup final was an anti-climax with the Wings crushing the Philadelphia Flyers.
Within a week came the worst moment in franchise history. Vladimir Konstantinov's career ended in an auto-accident. This cut short the career of what could have been one of the greatest D-man in hockey. His nickname was Vladinator and during the pre-game warmups, JLA used to frequently show videos spoofing the Terminator.
The Wings are arguably one of the best managed teams in pro-sports. I say this not as a fan, please read what sports writers regularly say about the team management in CNNSI and ESPN. By the end of the 1990s they had been to the Stanley Cup Finals several time winning it all twice. Over all in the past ten years they have won the Cup 4 times!!
In summary, I have had the benefit of watching them
Note 1: The Wings have won several more Stanley Cups, appeared in several finals, what I have here is a snapshot of the past 2 decades when hockey was relevant in my life.
Note 2: The playoffs for this year is still in progress. Based on the results this blog could be updated.
My earliest memory of a hockey game or at least the earliest one I remember was not a happy one. It was a first round play off Game 7 loss to San Jose Sharks in 1993-94. In those days I naively thought that the better hockey team always won. That year, the Wings were acknowledged to be in a league of their own whereas Sharks were the new kid on the block.
The next year was even more tragic. The Wings advanced to Cup finals and lost to a bunch of goons and thugs, euphemistically called the New Jersey Devils. As you can see almost 15 years and several cup victories later the bitterness has not left the palate.
The following year, in 1995-96, the Wings sprinted through the regular season setting a NHL record 62-12-8 record!! They seemed to run out of gas by the time the playoffs started. They muddled through two rounds of playoff and even endured a scare when St Louis Blues, led by the tandem of the great Gretzky and Hull, nearly upset them. Then in the conference they ran into another up and coming team, the Colorado Avalanche. The Avs only beat the Wings, Clod Lemeiux rearranged Kris Draper's face.
Then comes my favorite moment ahead of almost all the cup victories. On March 26, 1997 of the following season when Avs and Wings met during a regular season game, a fight broke out that would have ramification for the next decade. Darren McCarty pummeled Clod and then to rub salt in the wound scored the winning goal in overtime!! The Wings would never look back. As expected the Wings and Avs met again in the conference finals and this time the score was reversed. The cup final was an anti-climax with the Wings crushing the Philadelphia Flyers.
Within a week came the worst moment in franchise history. Vladimir Konstantinov's career ended in an auto-accident. This cut short the career of what could have been one of the greatest D-man in hockey. His nickname was Vladinator and during the pre-game warmups, JLA used to frequently show videos spoofing the Terminator.
The Wings are arguably one of the best managed teams in pro-sports. I say this not as a fan, please read what sports writers regularly say about the team management in CNNSI and ESPN. By the end of the 1990s they had been to the Stanley Cup Finals several time winning it all twice. Over all in the past ten years they have won the Cup 4 times!!
In summary, I have had the benefit of watching them
- Win 4 Stanley Cups
- Appear in 5 Stanley Cup finals
- Appear in 8 Western Conference Finals (including this year)
- Win 6 President's Trophy for the best regular season. In the years that they do not win the Trophy they are in the hunt and usually in the top 3 teams.
- Appear in playoffs for the past 18 straight years, the longest current streak of any professional league in the US
Note 1: The Wings have won several more Stanley Cups, appeared in several finals, what I have here is a snapshot of the past 2 decades when hockey was relevant in my life.
Note 2: The playoffs for this year is still in progress. Based on the results this blog could be updated.
Monday, May 18, 2009
I Ran A Relay Marathon - Again
Yesterday I took part in another relay marathon. I had taken part in the same event last year too. This year there was a small twist. In this year's edition all four legs of the relay were of equal length of about 6.5 miles (10.5 km), whereas last time the first leg was 10 miles with subsequent legs being 5.4 miles each. This meant I had to run more than a mile extra compared to last time.
The Chariots of Fire team brought only 5 teams this year. Just like last time, we came second. I personally did better this time since I had two personal goals that I had set out to achieve
I was within a few seconds of my second goal (I think I need 1 hour 20 minutes and about 14 seconds)!! (I averaged slightly less than 8 minutes for a km, rather slow I agree)
After I came home, I talked to my wife and we are planning on taking an entire team, even two teams from our area (4 to 8 people) to this event next year!!
The Chariots of Fire team brought only 5 teams this year. Just like last time, we came second. I personally did better this time since I had two personal goals that I had set out to achieve
- No Walking
- Under 1 hour 20 minutes
I was within a few seconds of my second goal (I think I need 1 hour 20 minutes and about 14 seconds)!! (I averaged slightly less than 8 minutes for a km, rather slow I agree)
After I came home, I talked to my wife and we are planning on taking an entire team, even two teams from our area (4 to 8 people) to this event next year!!
Saturday, May 09, 2009
Am I a Loser?
That was a rhetorical question. So please do not answer unless your answer is a No, I mean an emphatic No!!
Let us go back to our childhood days when we were in some class or other. Do you remember what the teacher asked of us? Do your best. I am sure you never listened. Neither did I. I did not simply care to do my best, I wanted to be better than the others. I wanted to be better than the other boy at cricket. I wanted to beat everyone in badminton. I hated losing as I am sure you did too.
Detour time; during early years at school, I hated girls. Clean; punctual; always did their homework; teachers pet; those goody two shoes!! How I despised them!! In particular it bothered me when the girls in the class always stood first. It was not good enough for me to be good at studies; I wanted to be better than them. It rarely happened, but when it did, it felt sweet. Thank god, this phase lasted only till puberty.
Back again with more rhetoric; Let us flip the question. Am I a winner? Define winner.
Each of us has a chosen profession. I am a Computer Scientist from that time when it meant something to be one. I mean I understand algorithms, I understand good design, I do not like to merely sling code just because it works.
So am I the best in this? Am I at least near the top? Ha. I mean Ha Ha. (Hint - you are supposed to laugh)
Last time I checked, no one is waiting to give me a Turing Award which is the highest award one can get in my profession and from the body of my accumulated work there is no danger of any nominations in the near future, or for that matter in the distant future. As far as badminton is concerned I am a amateur at Class C/D level player. There are no levels below this. How about wealth? Not unless I am as rich as Bill Gates or Warren Buffett.
If we define success as being the richest, then most of us would be losers. If we define success as having won a Turing Award, Nobel Prize, Olympic Gold Medal, best in badminton (choose your favorite sport) well most of us are not even close.
When someone philosophies that the struggle is simply strive to be a better person; we think it is old man talk.
Well I am older and it now makes sense. Do your best. Yeah I get it now.
I try at every job to be better. I make mistakes and in my next job try not to repeat them. I try to write better code. I read what others in the field have to say and try to follow that. I try to pass on what I know to those who care to listen. In badminton I listen to my daughter's coach. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. At least I cannot be accused of not trying.
Talking about philosophy you know what Descartes said - I think, therefore I am. You all know what a great man he was.
So who am I to quibble - I think I am a winner, therefore I am.
Let us go back to our childhood days when we were in some class or other. Do you remember what the teacher asked of us? Do your best. I am sure you never listened. Neither did I. I did not simply care to do my best, I wanted to be better than the others. I wanted to be better than the other boy at cricket. I wanted to beat everyone in badminton. I hated losing as I am sure you did too.
Detour time; during early years at school, I hated girls. Clean; punctual; always did their homework; teachers pet; those goody two shoes!! How I despised them!! In particular it bothered me when the girls in the class always stood first. It was not good enough for me to be good at studies; I wanted to be better than them. It rarely happened, but when it did, it felt sweet. Thank god, this phase lasted only till puberty.
Back again with more rhetoric; Let us flip the question. Am I a winner? Define winner.
Each of us has a chosen profession. I am a Computer Scientist from that time when it meant something to be one. I mean I understand algorithms, I understand good design, I do not like to merely sling code just because it works.
So am I the best in this? Am I at least near the top? Ha. I mean Ha Ha. (Hint - you are supposed to laugh)
Last time I checked, no one is waiting to give me a Turing Award which is the highest award one can get in my profession and from the body of my accumulated work there is no danger of any nominations in the near future, or for that matter in the distant future. As far as badminton is concerned I am a amateur at Class C/D level player. There are no levels below this. How about wealth? Not unless I am as rich as Bill Gates or Warren Buffett.
If we define success as being the richest, then most of us would be losers. If we define success as having won a Turing Award, Nobel Prize, Olympic Gold Medal, best in badminton (choose your favorite sport) well most of us are not even close.
When someone philosophies that the struggle is simply strive to be a better person; we think it is old man talk.
Well I am older and it now makes sense. Do your best. Yeah I get it now.
I try at every job to be better. I make mistakes and in my next job try not to repeat them. I try to write better code. I read what others in the field have to say and try to follow that. I try to pass on what I know to those who care to listen. In badminton I listen to my daughter's coach. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. At least I cannot be accused of not trying.
Talking about philosophy you know what Descartes said - I think, therefore I am. You all know what a great man he was.
So who am I to quibble - I think I am a winner, therefore I am.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Vegetarianism - Ecological reasons for being one
I read this article today in NYTimes. This article talks about emission and the resultant global warming due to increased meat consumption. About a year or two ago I read another article (I have not been able to locate the link) that went into the details of meat production and the costs involved. Roughly it takes 15lbs of corn to make 1 lb of meat (give or take a few pounds). In other words, one could feed an order of magnitude (techie speak for 10 times) more people if we were all vegetarians. In yet other words, it means there is an order of magnitude more carbon emissions than in growing plant based food.
When I mention this as my reason for giving up meat, quite a few find it amusing and some even snigger at this. Of course if this were the only reason it may not sound compelling. I already knew that I could get my proteins from a vegetarian diet. I lived on such a diet for my first 21 years and still stand 6 feet and 185 lb. There is enough documentary evidence about some of the inhumane treatment of animals reared for meat. Most of you may have seen these videos. I have too. Further more the unsanitary conditions of many of the places and the frequent outbreak of E Coli, Mad Cow, Bird Flu, Swine Flu and other diseases should have convinced us to change our dietary life style. It did not convince me. Lots of vegetarians feel that it is just plain cruel in this day and age to kill an animal just for the benefit of our taste buds. I argued about man being a carnivore although it is no longer an issue of mere survival.
For me, for some reason, it was the ecological cost of eating meat that was the tipping point. I guess that makes me an environmental vegetarian.
Caveat: You will not see me hesitate if the only item available on the menu is chicken soup. I do not believe in starving myself to save a chicken.
PS: Jannavi found the link and this article has been updated.
When I mention this as my reason for giving up meat, quite a few find it amusing and some even snigger at this. Of course if this were the only reason it may not sound compelling. I already knew that I could get my proteins from a vegetarian diet. I lived on such a diet for my first 21 years and still stand 6 feet and 185 lb. There is enough documentary evidence about some of the inhumane treatment of animals reared for meat. Most of you may have seen these videos. I have too. Further more the unsanitary conditions of many of the places and the frequent outbreak of E Coli, Mad Cow, Bird Flu, Swine Flu and other diseases should have convinced us to change our dietary life style. It did not convince me. Lots of vegetarians feel that it is just plain cruel in this day and age to kill an animal just for the benefit of our taste buds. I argued about man being a carnivore although it is no longer an issue of mere survival.
For me, for some reason, it was the ecological cost of eating meat that was the tipping point. I guess that makes me an environmental vegetarian.
Caveat: You will not see me hesitate if the only item available on the menu is chicken soup. I do not believe in starving myself to save a chicken.
PS: Jannavi found the link and this article has been updated.
Friday, March 20, 2009
She wears a shirt!!
Manama, my 4 year old likes to wear and prance around in a princess costume that some one gave as a gift for Christmas. These dresses are frilly and generally bright colored. She likes it so much sometimes during weekends we cannot get her to change into any other clothes and it is a trial getting her into street clothes come Monday morning when it is time to go to school.
Last week she came down walking down the stairs and exclaimed "Am I not the most beauuuutiful girl you ever saw!!". Needless to say she is well known for her modesty.
Much as I love her, I could scarcely agree since that would mean facing the wrath of two other girls in the household.
So I told "You are very pretty, but I know two other pretty girls. Do you know who I am talking about?"
She thought very quickly and came up with two of her friends. I agreed with her that her friends were very pretty. I explained I was referring to her amma (mom) and akka (older sister). Ignoring my reference to my older daughter Manama focused her thoughts on my wife. Something clearly was wrong here.
"She is not a girl, she is a women"
So?
"She is a mom!!". The tone was clear. Dad, you don't get it do you?
She clinched the deal with this
"She wears a shirt!!"
Sorry honey I batted for you.
Last week she came down walking down the stairs and exclaimed "Am I not the most beauuuutiful girl you ever saw!!". Needless to say she is well known for her modesty.
Much as I love her, I could scarcely agree since that would mean facing the wrath of two other girls in the household.
So I told "You are very pretty, but I know two other pretty girls. Do you know who I am talking about?"
She thought very quickly and came up with two of her friends. I agreed with her that her friends were very pretty. I explained I was referring to her amma (mom) and akka (older sister). Ignoring my reference to my older daughter Manama focused her thoughts on my wife. Something clearly was wrong here.
"She is not a girl, she is a women"
So?
"She is a mom!!". The tone was clear. Dad, you don't get it do you?
She clinched the deal with this
"She wears a shirt!!"
Sorry honey I batted for you.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Concert by Shobana Vignesh
Shobana Vignesh gave a Classical Carnatic music concert yesterday at the Mahalakshmi Temple in Hockessin, DE. She was accompanied on the violin by Sandhya Srinath, a well known artist from the DC Metro area Rajana Swaminathan on the Mridangam.
The concert started with Saraseeruha Sanapriye in Raga Nattai followed by a piece in Raga Atana. The second half of the concert was devoted solely to crowd pleasers such as
Kurai Ondrum Illai by Rajaji
Chinnan Chiru Kiliye by Bharatiyar
Bho Shambo by Svami Dayananda Sarasvati
There were only three songs that I would rate as more serious or heavy. The first was in Raaga Lalitha, the second was in Raaga Dharmavati and the last was Raaga Thodi, although the last is a popular concert raaga. She closed out her concert with two songs in Raaga Madhyamavati and Raaga Kurinji.
Shobana has a crystal clear voice. They ranges effortlessly in the upper ranges of the scale (tarastayi) where she shows no signs of stress. In fact I told her after the concert that it felt as if she had a whole octave to spare. I did feel that she did not dwell a lot in the lower ranges (mandarastayi), but that I feel is not surprising. In general I think male singers fare better in the lower scales whereas women seem more comfortable in the upper reaches. Overall, she was keenly aware of the pulse of the audience and picked her songs very wisely. This was not a crowd of hard core Carnatic music connoisseurs besides there was a decent sprinkling of children. So typically the songs contained a brief alapana and short svara kalpana. The bulk of the time was spent rendering the Kriti itself.
Click here for a complete list of songs.
The concert started with Saraseeruha Sanapriye in Raga Nattai followed by a piece in Raga Atana. The second half of the concert was devoted solely to crowd pleasers such as
Kurai Ondrum Illai by Rajaji
Chinnan Chiru Kiliye by Bharatiyar
Bho Shambo by Svami Dayananda Sarasvati
There were only three songs that I would rate as more serious or heavy. The first was in Raaga Lalitha, the second was in Raaga Dharmavati and the last was Raaga Thodi, although the last is a popular concert raaga. She closed out her concert with two songs in Raaga Madhyamavati and Raaga Kurinji.
Shobana has a crystal clear voice. They ranges effortlessly in the upper ranges of the scale (tarastayi) where she shows no signs of stress. In fact I told her after the concert that it felt as if she had a whole octave to spare. I did feel that she did not dwell a lot in the lower ranges (mandarastayi), but that I feel is not surprising. In general I think male singers fare better in the lower scales whereas women seem more comfortable in the upper reaches. Overall, she was keenly aware of the pulse of the audience and picked her songs very wisely. This was not a crowd of hard core Carnatic music connoisseurs besides there was a decent sprinkling of children. So typically the songs contained a brief alapana and short svara kalpana. The bulk of the time was spent rendering the Kriti itself.
Click here for a complete list of songs.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Genome - Matt Ridley
Two years ago Raji introduced me to Matt Ridley by lending me a copy of the book Genome. This is a book that should be read in one sitting. I did. This is a book that should be read many times. I have. Three times - so far.
The book consists of 23 chapters and each chapter focuses on one of the 23 chromosomes in our species. The author goes about with his description in an interesting manner. He takes various topics that are important or interesting to humanity and weaves a story about the chromosome using that topic. The author credits this approach to a similar approach by another famous author, the late Primo Levi. In his book, The Periodic Table, Primo Levi described the elements of a periodic table by relating them to various stories, some of them taken from his own life and experiences.
Without revealing too much details, let me describe some of the chapters that were very good, the rest being merely good!!
Chapter One sets the tone for the book with a grand title Life!! It deals with several important topics, RNA, DNA, 5S gene on chromosome, and surprisingly a Turing machine!! What on earth does a central concept from computer science have to do with biochemistry? Well you have to reach this chapter for that. Trust me it is not incidental. A brief digression - Alan Turing was a genius. If Noble Prize could have been awarded for outstanding work in Computer Science, he would have easily won one or two.
Chapter Four is Fate. Religious people and others who are not aware of advances in biochemistry generally misrepresent or misunderstand how genes work. They imply a determinism to genes - if you have this gene then this bad thing (put a suitable disease) will happen to you - that does not exist. First of all, genes do not exist to cause diseases. They exist to serve a purpose. It is when a mutation occurs in a gene that bad things could happen. The key here is could. Second, genes are no more deterministic than the weather is, both being examples of nonlinear systems. Just as weather man never gives absolute answers but couch their prediction in probabilities of certain weather patterns occurring, so does a geneticist.
Chapter Seven is about Conflict. This chapter was really scary - at least for men. Men may rule the world, but out in the world of gene, it is the women who have the men on the run!!
I will just list the titles of a few more chapters that I loved; Stress, Immortality, Sex, Memory, Politics, Free Will, and Death.
If there is one message I took away from this book, it is this - Genes are not there to cause diseases.
The book consists of 23 chapters and each chapter focuses on one of the 23 chromosomes in our species. The author goes about with his description in an interesting manner. He takes various topics that are important or interesting to humanity and weaves a story about the chromosome using that topic. The author credits this approach to a similar approach by another famous author, the late Primo Levi. In his book, The Periodic Table, Primo Levi described the elements of a periodic table by relating them to various stories, some of them taken from his own life and experiences.
Without revealing too much details, let me describe some of the chapters that were very good, the rest being merely good!!
Chapter One sets the tone for the book with a grand title Life!! It deals with several important topics, RNA, DNA, 5S gene on chromosome, and surprisingly a Turing machine!! What on earth does a central concept from computer science have to do with biochemistry? Well you have to reach this chapter for that. Trust me it is not incidental. A brief digression - Alan Turing was a genius. If Noble Prize could have been awarded for outstanding work in Computer Science, he would have easily won one or two.
Chapter Four is Fate. Religious people and others who are not aware of advances in biochemistry generally misrepresent or misunderstand how genes work. They imply a determinism to genes - if you have this gene then this bad thing (put a suitable disease) will happen to you - that does not exist. First of all, genes do not exist to cause diseases. They exist to serve a purpose. It is when a mutation occurs in a gene that bad things could happen. The key here is could. Second, genes are no more deterministic than the weather is, both being examples of nonlinear systems. Just as weather man never gives absolute answers but couch their prediction in probabilities of certain weather patterns occurring, so does a geneticist.
Chapter Seven is about Conflict. This chapter was really scary - at least for men. Men may rule the world, but out in the world of gene, it is the women who have the men on the run!!
I will just list the titles of a few more chapters that I loved; Stress, Immortality, Sex, Memory, Politics, Free Will, and Death.
If there is one message I took away from this book, it is this - Genes are not there to cause diseases.
Dubya's affliction with The Foot In the Mouth Disease
George W Bush has a well documented affliction with this disease. In fact the store of inanities attributed to Dubya, or Bush-isms as they are called, is so large this site has indexed it by the year it was uttered. Here is a short list of my personal favorites.
- See, in my line of work you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of catapult the propaganda.
- I'll be long gone before some smart person ever figures out what happened inside this Oval Office.
- Rarely is the questioned asked: Is our children learning?
- There's an old saying in Tennessee -- I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee -- that says, fool me once, shame on --shame on you. Fool me -- you can't get fooled again
- Too many good docs are getting out of the business. Too many OB-GYNs aren't able to practice their love with women all across this country
Prince And I
You all know the maxim - If at first you don't succeed, try try again. The spider at the center of the legend surrounding King Bruce required eight attempts to succeed.
But George W Bush succeeded in only his second attempt!!
4-5 months ago it was finally clear that Dubya, as the former President is affectionately addressed, had done it. I mean he had succeeded in ruining our great economy. The economy is now officially in recession. Over 10 trillion dollars of wealth has evaporated!!
It is such a large number, that it makes no sense to ordinary folks like us who need a calculator to compute 15% tips at the restaurant. So I tried various ways to put it in perspective - if you counted one dollar a second you would need nearly 30000 years to count it all!! I am sure that leaves you as clueless as before as to the sheer enormity of this number. Don't worry. I am in your company. I am no more capable of comprehending 30000 years as I am of 10 trillion dollars. It leaves you with a feeling of helplessness.
So I stopped my attempts at getting a handle on how someone could evaporate this large an amount of money and I did the next best thing. I decided to refinance. I had a more aggressive 15 year mortgage and wanted to move to a easier 30 year loan in case one of us loses our job.
I searched for one and found a lender named Prince Aurora. When I met him, I was not able to place him accurately. He was tall; over 6 feet, of wheatish complexion, smart looking, well dressed and generally presented an air of quiet confidence.
The phrase wheatish complexion is a familiar one in Indian matrimonial circles. When used on a man it is complimentary; a man who is neither too dark not too fair. God forbid if it were used to describe a girl; it means she is dark. And Indians discriminate very well on the basis of color!! The Hindi word गोरी pronounced funnily enough "gory" means fair maiden!! Not for nothing is our caste system called वर्ण (varna); it means color.
Back to Prince. Now I am a curious fellow and my curiosity takes the form of trying to figure out origins of names. His first name, Prince, gave me no help and his last name Aurora had a Scandinavian sound to it; Aurora Borealis. Prince did not look like he was from Norway or Sweden. So I caved in asked where he was from. I was pleasantly surprised to find that he was from India and was raised in West Delhi quite close to where I used to live as a child. So I asked him how did he get the name Aurora and it turned out his father when he became a naturalized American, changed the Punjabi name Arora to Aurora to make it easier for folks in the good old USA.
My curiosity was now sated. I could now sleep well at night.
But George W Bush succeeded in only his second attempt!!
4-5 months ago it was finally clear that Dubya, as the former President is affectionately addressed, had done it. I mean he had succeeded in ruining our great economy. The economy is now officially in recession. Over 10 trillion dollars of wealth has evaporated!!
It is such a large number, that it makes no sense to ordinary folks like us who need a calculator to compute 15% tips at the restaurant. So I tried various ways to put it in perspective - if you counted one dollar a second you would need nearly 30000 years to count it all!! I am sure that leaves you as clueless as before as to the sheer enormity of this number. Don't worry. I am in your company. I am no more capable of comprehending 30000 years as I am of 10 trillion dollars. It leaves you with a feeling of helplessness.
So I stopped my attempts at getting a handle on how someone could evaporate this large an amount of money and I did the next best thing. I decided to refinance. I had a more aggressive 15 year mortgage and wanted to move to a easier 30 year loan in case one of us loses our job.
I searched for one and found a lender named Prince Aurora. When I met him, I was not able to place him accurately. He was tall; over 6 feet, of wheatish complexion, smart looking, well dressed and generally presented an air of quiet confidence.
The phrase wheatish complexion is a familiar one in Indian matrimonial circles. When used on a man it is complimentary; a man who is neither too dark not too fair. God forbid if it were used to describe a girl; it means she is dark. And Indians discriminate very well on the basis of color!! The Hindi word गोरी pronounced funnily enough "gory" means fair maiden!! Not for nothing is our caste system called वर्ण (varna); it means color.
Back to Prince. Now I am a curious fellow and my curiosity takes the form of trying to figure out origins of names. His first name, Prince, gave me no help and his last name Aurora had a Scandinavian sound to it; Aurora Borealis. Prince did not look like he was from Norway or Sweden. So I caved in asked where he was from. I was pleasantly surprised to find that he was from India and was raised in West Delhi quite close to where I used to live as a child. So I asked him how did he get the name Aurora and it turned out his father when he became a naturalized American, changed the Punjabi name Arora to Aurora to make it easier for folks in the good old USA.
My curiosity was now sated. I could now sleep well at night.
Sunday, February 01, 2009
Sporophyte and Gametophyte - When is a human a human?
Alternation of Generation - I remember reading about this in 9th grade and not paying much attention to it. But it is very interesting. In simple terms, there are two phases, the haploid when the cells of the plant have one set of chromosomes and then the diploid phase where the cells have two sets of chromosome. The former is also called gametophyte and the latter sporophyte. The diploid form is produced by fusion of two haploid and the haploid form by meiosis of the diploid form. In most higher forms of plants (the word higher is not used in a pejorative sense) the dominant phase is mostly diploid and the haploid form is restricted typically to flowers. But in Bryophytes such as moss the dominant phase is the haploid phase.
Well humans and also most animals are diploid, that is, the majority of the tissue contains two sets of chromosomes. The haploid phase is restricted to the gametes, namely the sperm and the ovum.
What does this all mean?
Think of it this way - the broyophyte is either made of all sperm like tissue or ovum like tissue. I do not mean in physical appearance.
Why is it all important to us?
It is a question of when a human being is a human being. Is there some humanity in the sperm? How about the Ova? People use the 24th week of pregnancy as a magic mark, as the line that differentiates a human from what is euphemistically called a fetus. We use that word fetus so we can be objective when decisions involving termination of pregnancy is being made. But is that obvious? Not to me. In certain creatures the entire life is made up of sperm and ova like entities and the diploid form shows up for only a few days during spore formation!! As I see it, the sperm, the egg, and the fetus have as much humanity as does the individual that reads this post. There can be no individual without the sperm, the egg, or the fetus.
Despite all this I still am Pro-Choice. Why?
I am opposed to the Church, which means Men, controlling the womb.
But I also hope we could have an educated conversation on this topic. Abortion after all should be a means of last resort and not a form of birth control!!
Well humans and also most animals are diploid, that is, the majority of the tissue contains two sets of chromosomes. The haploid phase is restricted to the gametes, namely the sperm and the ovum.
What does this all mean?
Think of it this way - the broyophyte is either made of all sperm like tissue or ovum like tissue. I do not mean in physical appearance.
Why is it all important to us?
It is a question of when a human being is a human being. Is there some humanity in the sperm? How about the Ova? People use the 24th week of pregnancy as a magic mark, as the line that differentiates a human from what is euphemistically called a fetus. We use that word fetus so we can be objective when decisions involving termination of pregnancy is being made. But is that obvious? Not to me. In certain creatures the entire life is made up of sperm and ova like entities and the diploid form shows up for only a few days during spore formation!! As I see it, the sperm, the egg, and the fetus have as much humanity as does the individual that reads this post. There can be no individual without the sperm, the egg, or the fetus.
Despite all this I still am Pro-Choice. Why?
I am opposed to the Church, which means Men, controlling the womb.
But I also hope we could have an educated conversation on this topic. Abortion after all should be a means of last resort and not a form of birth control!!
I actually like Federer now
Before 2008 there was an air of inevitability about men's tennis matches. Unless it was French Open, it was a given that the winner would be Roger Federer. Even at that venue, there were some doubts - what if Rafeal Nadal were to succumb to a hot player in an earlier round and lose. After all Federer had been in 19 consecutive Grand Slam Semi-finals and 18 of the past 23 Grand Slam Finals!! You had the sense you were watching Borg in their relentless mission to assimilate and nothing would get in his way - Resistance is futile and all. If there was a smidgen of suspense left, it was always who was going to be the bridesmaid.
If all this did not give away my opinion, let me state it before it is too late. I do not like Federer, I do not mean as a person, since I do not know him at all. I know, it is sacrilege, as if I said I did not like Michael Jordan. Yes I did not like Michael also; only one who has lived in Detroit or New York and rooted for Pistons or Knicks respectively would understand. Similarly I always rooted for Pete Sampras from the outset. Sampras lost at Wimbledon in a 5 setter to Federer in 2001 in their only head to head meeting in an ATP tournament.
Before 2008, the question was when would Federer win more Grand Slams than Sampras's tally of 14. Then came the year 2008 when Federer won only a single grand slam title and lost in (holy cow) of all places Wimbledon to Rafa. Now people could actually dare to ask - will he ever get more than 14?
In 2009 it gets more interesting. Roger Federer aiming for the 14th grand slam title, loses again to Nadal in a final of 2009 Australian Open in another 5 setter epic considered by many to be one of the best matches. To compound it he breaks down and sobs during the the award ceremony!!
The Borg do not cry!!
I was always afraid that if we we ever peered inside Federer, we would see nuts, bolts and micro chips not blood and guts. I guess, this was the first time I saw the human side of Federer. I could even conceive of the possibility of actually rooting for Federer, since no matter what, he is definitely now the underdog whenever he plays Nadal.
If all this did not give away my opinion, let me state it before it is too late. I do not like Federer, I do not mean as a person, since I do not know him at all. I know, it is sacrilege, as if I said I did not like Michael Jordan. Yes I did not like Michael also; only one who has lived in Detroit or New York and rooted for Pistons or Knicks respectively would understand. Similarly I always rooted for Pete Sampras from the outset. Sampras lost at Wimbledon in a 5 setter to Federer in 2001 in their only head to head meeting in an ATP tournament.
Before 2008, the question was when would Federer win more Grand Slams than Sampras's tally of 14. Then came the year 2008 when Federer won only a single grand slam title and lost in (holy cow) of all places Wimbledon to Rafa. Now people could actually dare to ask - will he ever get more than 14?
In 2009 it gets more interesting. Roger Federer aiming for the 14th grand slam title, loses again to Nadal in a final of 2009 Australian Open in another 5 setter epic considered by many to be one of the best matches. To compound it he breaks down and sobs during the the award ceremony!!
The Borg do not cry!!
I was always afraid that if we we ever peered inside Federer, we would see nuts, bolts and micro chips not blood and guts. I guess, this was the first time I saw the human side of Federer. I could even conceive of the possibility of actually rooting for Federer, since no matter what, he is definitely now the underdog whenever he plays Nadal.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Free At Last
It is one of the best days of my life. I saw Barack Obama being sworn in. I heard his speech. I never thought I would live to see the day when a speech by a politician would move me. We are all jaded. We saw Nixon, Reagan, Clinton, and Oh My God, Dubya and we saw the spiral downward from which we thought politics would never recover.
We are finally free, free of George W Bush. Hooray.
It is too early to say the politics as it was is finally over. I have hope. I have hope that this man would lead us to a better future. I also hope that the weight of our expectation would not crush him.
All in all a great day for United States of America and the world in general.
We are finally free, free of George W Bush. Hooray.
It is too early to say the politics as it was is finally over. I have hope. I have hope that this man would lead us to a better future. I also hope that the weight of our expectation would not crush him.
All in all a great day for United States of America and the world in general.
Monday, January 19, 2009
What is in a name - Take Two
I have written before how my name gets mangled all the time. Recently I received an mail from my bank addressed to
Ramar G Havan
It was pretty decent of the bank to shorten my first name, give me a new last name and finally add a middle initial that I so lacked!!
Ramar G Havan
It was pretty decent of the bank to shorten my first name, give me a new last name and finally add a middle initial that I so lacked!!
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