The other Olympics

I came across this interesting article by Ariel Dorfman, where he raises some concerns about the indifference & cold behavior of humans inhabiting the pitiless earth.

Is this what we ordinary citizens do?
“…..that colder and more perverse and dangerous form of death which settles in the soul when we witness something terrible and cruel and incredibly stupid being perpetrated upon our fellow humans and we prefer to forget those crimes, we prefer to switch the channel or go to sleep or walk the dog.”

“How can we possibly be so obsessed with the drama of who is the fastest man in the world, who can break the record for swimming butterfly style, who can outrace all the other women in the marathon, which team is better at handling a ball in space, how can we be glued to our screens to see these efforts of the body, and we show such scant interest in who is the bravest in confronting iniquity, which woman is the most tenacious in denouncing the causes of pollution, who is the most serene of our contemporaries in proclaiming that we cannot sleep well at night while so many billions are spent on guns and generals and so little is offered for schools and hospitals? “


Does this mean we have a serious shortage of socially responsible citizens?

2 weeks in France

If you are a Food and wine connoisseur, then France is the place to be. The spectacular landscapes of St Emillion ,wine appellations in Bordeaux, Chateaus of Loire valley , notorious Marseilles and it fish bouillabaisse, high tides of Normandy, Cornices of Nice, food and culture of Provence, Louvre’s Mona Lisa , Paris,……the list goes on!

We backpacked in France for 15 days. Our itinerary was Paris->Normandy ->Paris->Loire->Bordeaux->St Emillion ->Avignon -> Arles -> Marseilles -> Nice -> Paris.
In spite of all the premeditation, we would be at sixes and sevens, if not for lonely planet. We carried it around like it was our baby!

Here's the blog of some of the places we visited in no particular order
St Chapell , Notredame

Bordeaux and St Emillion.

Avignon

Marseilles,

St remy - Les Baux - Arles

Louvre Museum, Musee D’orsay, Champs-Elysées‘

Catacombes, Montmarte and Cruise on Seine

Loire valley

Nice Monoco Corniches

Versailles

Just when Life seemed like a fairy tale, I was in London’s Luton airport, sleeping on the corridor, while trying to keep myself warm with a beach towel, waiting for the sun to come up. The next day, I flew out of Heathrow and V flew out Charles De Galle. We are back home in SF, living our mediocre lives.

St Chapell , Notredame

After spending 5 weeks away, alone in UK, I was looking forward to this trip with V. His absence had made my heart grow fonder. Like planned, we met in Paris, at the Charles De Gaulle airport. Everything felt new and fresh for us. Delta airlines had misplaced Venu’s baggage, but that didn’t diminish our spirits. We took RER B from airport to Republique Station, from where we took Metro line 3 to the rented apartment in Oberkampf. We had no idea that owner of the apartment couldn’t speak English. With the help of our neighbors Frederick and Sara we settled our dues with the owner, who also gave us a tour of the apartment, in French, of course!

We kickstarted our vacation, with Tomasin whisky, I bought in Scotland. After lunch, we visited St Chappell and Notre Dame. St. Chappell was built to house Christ's crown of thorns and a piece of his cross. The stained glass in St Chappell is worth visiting once

Be wary of the homeless near Notre Dame. They don’t shy away from stealing your food while your eating it. It is worth taking an audio tour of the Cathedral as it explains the history and architecture of the Notre Dame 

Versailles

Versailles was the unofficial capital of the French throne. Chateau de Versailles is one of the largest palaces in the Europe. It magnificent gardens draws huge crowds.

We took a 40 min Train to Versailles from Paris on a very cloudy, rainy morning. We arrived at Versailles in the noon. We took a three hour organized tour of the palais and wandered aimlessy in the garden till it closed, after the not-so-great musical fountain show 

Louvre Museum, Musee D’orsay, Champs-Elysées

Louvre was the former seat of the French throne and now the grandest museum in the world. The colossal glass pyramid commissioned by president Francois Mitterrand and designed by Pei, is the main entrance to the museum. The pyramid has always been a controversial monument of Paris. In my view, the pyramid fails miserably to radiate the artistic energy of the museum, although some may disagree

We dreaded the long lines at the Louvre. To our surprise, we were inside the museum in no time. We spent all morning and most of the afternoon in the museum. We took an organized 2-hour tour of the museum, which covered all the famous pieces, like the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, Headless Statue of Samothrace, Napoleon’s Apartments, and Coronation of Napoleon. I’m gonna talk about Mona Lisa in another post. The tour also covered the Sully gallery, with an introduction to the history of the Louvre.

After lunch, we wandered aimlessly in the vast museum, cursing every min as to why the Parisian’s wont put English placards, so we know what we are looking at.

The impressionist art fascinated me when I visited the Tate art museum in London. I watched some videos and did some homework before visiting the Musee D’orsay. This museum is world famous for its stunning Impressionist art. Here you’ll find the precious works of Monet, Von Gogh, Cezanne, Pissarro, Manet, Renoir… If you are an art connoisseur, this is the place to be!

We spent time in the museum until it closed and then sauntered on to Champs-Elysées, the most famous avenue in the world. Champs-Elysées is exactly like MG Road in Bangalore, India, but 10 times as big. We settled down in one of Champs-Elysées‘s Street side café. We started making plans for the next day, while devouring the rose wine. We had a delicious bowl of Moules(Mussels). I have never tasted moules like that in my entire life!

Catacombes, Montmarte and Cruise on Seine,abbey of Mont St michelle,Arc de Triomphe

Catacombes is a disturbing attraction where millions and millions of bones are stacked up. Some of them have cross formations, heart formations.


Then we visited the lively Montmarte Basilica. After some promenading on Champs-Elysées,we took a midnight cruise on Siene,where we saw young tourists, partying on both sides of the bank. .


We also crossed paths with the wee Statue of Liberty








The abbey of Mont St michelle, perched on a rocky island, was founded by Benedictine monks,as a sanctuary,dedicated to archangel St.Michael.


The Arc de Triomphe ,at the western end of the Champs-Élysées, was commissioned, by Napoleon Bonaparte

Loire valley

After dumping our backpack in one of the Château’s cloakroom, we began touring the castle in Loire. Loire was declared the world heritage site in 2000 for its Château, cultural landscape and pretty little villages. The history of the Château is a medley of murder, conspiracy, debauchery at the highest level, Splendor,……..!.We visited the Château in Blois, Cheverny and Chambord. Few other attractions in Cheverny, is the Tintin exhibition and Dog show.

Update : Vijay Mallaya bought a Vineyard in Loire to help bring French wine to Indian market. Read the news clip here 

Bordeaux & St Emillion : Wine Country

If you are a wine aficionado, then St Emillion is the place to be. We made a day trip to St Emillion, which was named as the World Heritage site in 1999,for its awe-inspiring vineyards (St Emillion appellation) and lime rock underground monuments. Saint-Emillion was also a stop on the pilgrimage path , that led from northern Europe to Spain’s Santiago de Compostela, the most popular pilgrimage destination for Christians.

Our tour began at Château Dauphine, owned by a businessman. The manager of the vineyard, who was very coy, gave us a tour of the facility, after which we tasted 6 different types of wine. The hangover still lingering, after consuming excessive wine in Bordeaux’s wine festival the previous night, we decided to use the spittoons during the wine tasting session. Almost all the wines were fruity, except for one vintage (I don’t remember which year) which was spicy, Clove probably, with a woody flavor.

We had duck confit, a local specialty, for lunch, in one of the restaurants, recommended by our tour guide, in St Emillion’s City Center. The salty flavor of the duck went perfectly well with the bland, potatoes baked with fat.

The tour guide took us to the underground lime rock monuments, explaining the history of St Emillion. Then we were on our way to the family owned Chateau Haut Veyrac. The owner is the guy in green Shirt (he has green eyes too!). He gave us a tour of his vineyard, with a sense of pride. The glow in his eyes and the zest, with which he gave the tour sold us! Even before drinking the wine, many of us had decided to buy the wine here.

The longevity of the vineyards was what amazed us. The vineyards were 70 yrs old!. They grew merlot and cabernet. The blending of wines is family tradition. He explained that, his grandfather, father and himself worked in concert to come up with a perfect recipe for blending the wine!
Then came the best part, Wine Tasting!. We couldn’t wait to taste the wine. We stepped into the modest home, where the living room also served as wine tasting room. It could fit around 25 people. We all sat down with glasses, and the owner gave a brief description of the wine while he poured wine for all. He loved to serve wine! He told us some inside secrets about wine tasting, most of which was not discussed in the wine tasting course we took the previous day in Bordeaux.

We tasted around 4 different types of wine and decided to buy 1997 vintage, which had complex aromas, called the “bouquet”. It was of common consensus that, the wine was under priced. When venu asked the proud owner about that, he goes “He is aware of the fact that he could sell his wine three times higher than the current price. Its not about money.” he says, “It’s about personal satisfaction”. Very seldom do people do what satisfies them

 

Avignon : Did V kiss the dude?

Avignon is the cultural capital of France. The theater festival is world famous.

We signed up for “Daughters of Rhone”, organized by office de tourism. A French women who lived in Tibet’s French colony also signed up for this tour. The tour which was scheduled to begin at 10:30 AM, didn’t start until noon, as the whereabouts of the tour guide was unknown. We then found out that there was a disconnect b/n the tourism office and the tour guide on the tour’s starting location. “Daughters of Rhone” started at the St Benezet Bridge, outside the fort, where our tour guide was waiting. Apparently, some personnel in the tourism office were not updated. Finally, at noon we were dropped off to the starting location by an office de tourism personnel.

Our tour guide, Sophie, was absolutely amazing! She told us all kinds of fascinating stories, history, and facts. She had some documents on her to corroborate the stories. The 2 hour tour, exceeded the time limit and kept on going. There was no end in sight and we were starting to get restless. Venu was subtly sending her messages that we didn’t want the history lessons anymore. She coolly dismissed it saying it was men’s natural tendency to do so. OOPS!
When she expressed her intentions to give us a tour of Notre dame, we set our foot down and plainly declined it. While parting we asked her for recommendations on restaurants and the Provencal dishes. She walked with us to the restaurant, still giving us history lessons and explained to us the French menu.

She was very pleased, when we invited her to lunch with us. During the course of our conversation we found out that, dear Sophie didn’t have anything to do in the afternoon (and we were punished with history lessons for that). She said, for a girl like her Avignon was mind numbingly boring. All action is when the tourists start pouring in. She seemed be concerned about the fact that her boyfriend, who is in the French navy, was moving to the base in Tahiti for 2 yrs. She wanted to move with him, but then what would she do in Tahiti for 2 yrs , She questioned herself.

“Women in France usually don’t drink bear” She said, in response to my order of chilled Heineken. They drink Monaco (She didn’t know how it got the name), which is a concoction of beer, lime juice and fruit syrup. Unlike beer it is sweet and thus appealing to the women’s palate. After tasting Monaco, I decided to stick with beer. Well…I want beer to taste like beer , not like some fruit juice!.

We spent all afternoon chatting with Sophie. We talked about France, French people, food, wine, culture, Sophie’s Indian friend and his arranged marriage to a naïve girl in India! We parted after huggin & exchanging contact information

Tourism office gave us free tickets to the Pope Palais as they made us wait all morning.
After touring the Pope Palais, we headed to rent a motorbike for the next day. The shopkeeper at the rentals, told us proudly that he was in Madras, for a music festival 20 Fu**ing yrs ago!

Did V kiss the “DUDE”?
After taking a break at the hotel, we decide take a romantic walk on the bank of river Rhone before dinner. On our way, a big man dressed like a women whose name I don’t know, but would like to call him “The Dude”, stopped us. The carousal was running with loud music behind him. People had gathered to see “The Dude” and suddenly , we were put on the spot by him. He started blowing his whistle in front of us, making funny gestures. For reasons unknown (My best guess is the rhone valley wine we had earlier!) Venu started whistling with his mouth, louder than the “The Dude”. The crowd was cheering them on!. Then the “The Dude” stopped to ask Venu if he could hug and kiss him. To my surprise,Venu was like “yeah ,sure why not”. I was dumbfounded when they hugged , and kissed right on the mouth! I crowd burst out in laughter! Recovering quickly I joined the crowd in laughter with my face red! I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forget this. Just hoping ,I wont get nightmares about this. 

St Remy,Les Baux,Arles

Hopped on the rented 150 CC motorbike towards St Remy. Brushed past the Roman city of Glanum,toured the Mental Asylum where Van gogh was treated. The view of lavender fields and alps from Van gogh's room, are reflected in his paintings. Les Baux is perched on the rocky outcrop,has an extraordinary history. Bauxite was first discovered here and named after the village. Arles is 20 miles from Les baux.Van Gogh lived in Arles for about a year before volunteering to goto Saint remy's mental asylum. The Yellow painted house depicted in his drawings,was his residence in Arles. Photo expo was going on in Arles. After browsing thru some,we went to the arena. On our way back to Avignon,we made a quick stop at the sunflower fields,to take pictures. Provence is such a beautiful place on earth,it should not come as a surprise that this place inspired Van gogh. 

Marseilles

We began touring Marseilles by having a sumptuous traditional fish bouillabaisse lunch, in one of the street side cafe's of Vieux Port. Then we headed towards "lles de Frioul" on a ferry to view the ancient maritime site. In the evening we rode the bus to Notre Dame de La Garde and sauntered on JFK blvd (That's right,JFK blvd!). We Came back to Vieux port, only to see the center totally shut down and people (intoxicated, ofcourse) were gathering to watch world cup(France Vs Portugal) on the big screen TV, setup right in the center of the port. We were off to NICE like any unsuspecting tourist and reached NICE at 12:30 AM. The Railway station in NICE closes at 12:30. So we were kicked out of the Station on to the roadside Taxi Stand.
To our horror,we realized, it would be a long long night!. France had just won the game against Portugal,gliding into World Cup finals and was celebrating the Victory. As a result, there was no Taxi serving the Station. The crowd was drunk & wild. All the phone calls for the Taxi went unanswered. There was a small queue for the taxi, waiting for over an hour. There was this one taxi that showed up couple hrs later and that was the only one serving the station that night. And when our turn came it was early in the morning! Until then, ladies and gentlemen,it was wine time ,with some swearing thrown in,which made the sweet rose wine, bitter! 

Nice Monoco,Corniches

Vegged out on the nice pebbley beaches in NICE. Promenaded on Promenade Des Anglais. Biked on corniches from Nice towards Monaco/Mentone. Stopped at villefranche sur-mer,Eze sur-mer,Monaco and Menton (France-Italie border). On our way back ,we stopped at Mont Boron for a panaramic view of NICE. This is suppose be the absolute best place for a perfect picture. I'm told Elton John owns a villa up here!

Why am I agnostic?

I grew up in a moderately conservative, god-fearing society. There are fewer chances of people being agnostic, in such a setting. So, how did I become agnostic? When did this process begin for me?

• When the believers visit Tirupathy/Shabarimalai, (Any temple): They bribe the temple personnel to see the Statue, bedecked with jewels, which they call “GOD”, quicker than any other, so they can get out of that madness as early as possible. Then put incredibly amount of money/wealth to the temple’s Hundi (Temple Donation), wherein they wouldn’t give a penny to the needy. Worst of all, them believing that, by doing so, their sin is washed away and they can start working on a fresh batch, which can be gotten rid off, in their next visit. (Yes guys,God is watching how much money you donate to the temple. The more you donate, the less full your pot of sin,is gonna be) “
• From my experience, “The most devout are the most presumptuous ” (Ring a bell!)
  

This put me on the road to atheism( I dont consider myself an atheist ,yet). I have explored many avenues since. During my exploration, I have met believers whose whole theory is just simply wrong. I don’t believe in God/Religion/Culture. I don’t celebrate any festivals or practice any rituals. It doesn’t make sense to me. What makes sense to me is to get involved in the community and work for the upliftment of the world we live in. What makes sense to me is to celebrate Diwali/Christmas/Ramdan by organizing a blood donation drive or cooking food for the homeless… What makes sense to me is to fight against, slavish obedience to a custom, culture or to the crowd” [Gora].

I believe in, as Douglas Adam says,” Justice and Fairplay”. (Read the interview, Link Via Arun). I have come to understand from my experience on this Earth so far, that I could lead a worthwhile life, without god/religion/caste/culture. Also read Madman's plight in dealing with these religious nuts.

Mukthar Mai : Pakistan's Gang Rape Victim

Mukthar Mai is an inspiration to women,who are physically abused,all over the world,to come forward and fight for their rights. It takes a lot of courage to do what she did. She deserves every ounce of respect by all individuals. She is "ABC's Person of the week" and was awarded "Glamour's, Bravest Women".

Earth Quake Safety

Earthquakes strike suddenly, violently and without warning. Identifying potential hazards ahead of time and advance planning can reduce the dangers of serious injury or loss of life from an earthquake.

At Home :

• Fasten shelves securely to walls.
• Place large or heavy objects on lower shelves.
• Store breakable items such as bottled foods, glass, and china in a low, closed cabinets with latches.
• Hang heavy items such as pictures and mirrors away from beds, couches, and anywhere people sit.
• Brace overhead light fixtures.
• Repair defective electrical wiring and leaky gas connections. These are potential fire risks.
• Secure a water heater by strapping it to the wall studs and bolting it to the floor.
• Repair any deep cracks in ceilings or foundations. Get expert advice if there are signs of structural defects.
• Store weed killers, pesticides, and flammable products securely in closed cabinets with latches and on bottom shelves.
• Locate safe places outdoors.In the open, away from buildings, trees, telephone and electrical lines, overpasses, or elevated expressways.
• Make sure all family members know how to respond after an earthquake.Teach all family members how and when to turn off gas, electricity, and water. Teach children how and when to call 9-1-1, police, or fire department and which radio station to tune to for emergency information.
• Have disaster supplies on hand. Flashlight,portable battery-operated radio and extra batteries. First aid kit and manual Emergency food and water. Nonelectric can opener. Essential medicines Cash and credit cards. Sturdy shoes. Develop an emergency communication plan. In case family members are separated from one another during an earthquake (a real possibility during the day when adults are at work and children are at school), develop a plan for reuniting after the disaster.
• Ask an out-of-state relative or friend to serve as the "family contact". After a disaster, it's often easier to call long distance. Make sure everyone in the family knows the name, address, and phone number of the contact person.

During the quake:

• If indoors,take cover under a sturdy furniture such as a heavy desk or table. Against an inside wall. Away from where glass could shatter around windows, mirrors, pictures, or where heavy bookcases or other heavy furniture could fall over. Stay inside. The most dangerous thing to do during the shaking of an earthquake is to try to leave the building because objects can fall on you.
• If outdoors,move into the open, away from buildings, street lights, and utility wires. Once in the open, stay there until the shaking stops.
• If in a moving vehicle,stop quickly and stay in the vehicle. Move to a clear area away from buildings, trees, overpasses, or utility wires. Once the shaking has stopped, proceed with caution. Avoid bridges or ramps that might have been damaged by the quake.

After the quake:

• Be prepared for aftershocks.Although smaller than the main shock, aftershocks cause additional damage and maybring weakened structures down. Aftershocks can occur in the first hours, days, weeks, or even months after the quake.
• Help injured or trapped persons.Give first aid where appropriate. Do not move seriously injured persons unless they are in immediate danger of further injury. Call for help.
• Listen to a battery-operated radio or television for the latest emergency information. Remember to help your neighbors who may require special assistance like,infants, the elderly, and people with disabilities. Stay out of damaged buildings. Return home only when authorities say it is safe.
• Clean up spilled medicines, bleaches or gasoline or other flammable liquids immediately.
• Open closet and cupboard doors cautiously.
• Inspect the entire length of chimneys carefully for damage. Unnoticed damage could lead to a fire. Check for gas leaks. If you smell gas or hear blowing or hissing noise, open a window and quickly leave the building. Turn off the gas at the outside main valve if you can and call the gas company from a neighbor's home. If you turn off the gas for any reason, it must be turned back on by a professional. Look for electrical system damage. If you see sparks or broken or frayed wires, or if you smell hot insulation, turn off the electricity at the main fuse box or circuit breaker. If you have to step in water to get to the fuse box or circuit breaker, call an electrician first for advice. Check for sewage and water line damage. If you suspect sewage lines are damaged, avoid using the toilets and call a plumber. If water pipes are damaged, contact the water company and avoid using water from the tap. You can obtain safe water by melting ice cubes.

Pets after the quake

The behavior of pets may change dramatically after an earthquake. Normally quiet and friendly cats and dogs may become aggressive or defensive. Watch animals closely. Leash dogs and place them in a fenced yard. Pets may not be allowed into shelters for health and space reasons. Prepare an emergency pen for pets in the home that includes a 3-day supply of dry food and a large container of water.

MITIGATION :

Mitigation includes any activities that prevent an emergency, reduce the chance of an emergency happening, or lessen the damaging effects of unavoidable emergencies. Investing in preventive mitigation steps now such as repairing deep plaster cracks in ceilings and foundations, anchoring overhead lighting fixtures to the ceiling and following local seismic building standards, will help reduce the impact of earthquakes in the future. For more information on mitigation, contact your local emergency management office.

Contact your local emergency management office or American Red Cross chapter for more information on earthquakes.

Funny Ambiguous English Signs Abroad

In a Tokyo Hotel:
"Is forbidden to steal hotel towels please. If you are not a person to do
such thing is please not to read notis."

In a Belgrade hotel elevator:
"To move the cabin, push button for wishing floor. If the cabin should
enter more persons, each one should press a number of wishing floor.
Driving is then going alphabetically by national order".

In the lobby of a Moscow hotel across from a Russian Orthodox monastery:
"You are welcome to visit the cemetery where famous Russian and Soviet
composers, artists, and writers are buried daily except Thursday"

In a Budapest zoo:
"Please do not feed the animals. If you have any suitable food, give it to
the guard on duty"

In a Rhodes tailor shop:
"Order your summers suit. Because is big rush we will execute customers in
strict rotation"

In a Bucharest hotel lobby:
"The lift is being fixed for the next day. During that time we regret that
you will be unbearable"

In a Rome laundry:
"Ladies, leave your clothes here and spend the afternoon having a good
time"

Inspiration for the uninspired

Here is a posting from bharatUdayMission yahoo group. This has been published here with the author's permission.

No claim of 100% authenticity,somewhat tentative

India's population would continue to increase till 2025-2030 when it
would become constant and is not expected to decline before 2050, if the
current trend continues. By then the number itself would be staggering...
..around 1.8 billion or so. Just imagine how many people stuffed up in
1sqkm and the amount of resources for each individual.Even if India
follows 2 child norm from now onwards India would surpass China in the
near future where 1 child norm has been already achieved.

Indians breed worse than most animals of comparable size and decent
intelligence level(shameful) : the current fertility rate is alarming,
between 3 and 4. Talking about religious distribution , it is the
highest among Muslims ,well above 5.(Fertility rate is the average number
of children per couple).

One percent of India is becoming,on an average,desert every year. Already
,south Delhi has used up its share of water and is reeling under water
crisis along with Chennai and other cities. It is not surprising that
the third World War might be fought for water when in one country itself
states are fighting for river water.

By 2010 there would be about 1 HIV+ in every 60 or 70 of us. And it
is but obvious that this figure rises exponentially.One,because of an
obvious fact and the other, because of frustrated HIV+ who put infected
needles in Cinema Halls and Autos leading to a second level of
frustrated people.Besides AIDS, cancer and impotency are also spreading
in the country like an epidemic.

In the qualitative aspect, we are a shame: we comprise of more than
16% of the world population but we earn only 2% of what the world
earns. The average productivity of the Indian famer is 30 times lower than a
German one and 20 times lower than an American one.Our urban
population is around 28% as compared to more than 70% of US or UK.
38% of ourselves are below the poverty line.We live on an average for
61 years whereas Americans, English or Canadians live more than 75 years.

Around 65% of us only eat and ask for resources(unproductive consumers
in demographic terms). An average Indian eats only 2400 calories whereas
developed countries eat more than 3500 calories per day. Only 65% of us
are literate, that too, in the demographic definition, is the ability to
write your name in a particular language ; compared to a threshold of time
where we stand and where according to world definitions, soon people not
having computer knowledge shall come under the definition of illiteracy. 67
% of us work in the primary sector whereas more than this percentage
of people work in the tertiary sectors in developed countries and that
is why our p.c.i. is $89 compared to $2893 of US or $1400-1800 of
Australia, UK or Canada .

But all this must not lead to shame,rather,it should lead to inspiration
for the uninspired and that is why we people are here.

Adding to all this, we have in India communal tension, caste politics,
regionalism, linguism,pseudo-secularism, baseless and blind opposition to
change(esp.UP,Bihar and Bengal), extreme level of selfishness in the
citizens and blind following of the religious texts all paving the road
for the complete rotting up of the country.

Another thing which has kept me wondering , besides this ultimate quest for development, is that we should also aim for attainment of the great Indian culture, which I am afraid is moving to gutter, a special thanks to the
high-class and upper middle class youth, television,page-3 culture by few
of the socially 'responsible' newspapers who ridicule traditions and customs.

For India to prosper as the US,be devoid of tradition and ethically
starving citizens!? Certainly not. We should take inspiration from the US
only in terms of properity and quest for knowledge and watch China and
Japan who have preserved their age-old culture to some extent. In Swades
the panch says that we are the greatest nation in the world because we
have 'sanskar' and 'parampara' (culture and tradition).Even though it is
a lame excuse to escape,yet I am afraid that even then the culture
which he talks about is corrupted and infected.

Some people then become too orthodox to revert from their scriptures. Even
that is an adamant course to take.....when God has given us the ability to
understand what is right and what is wrong, then why do we not realise
what is detrimental to scientific approach and what not and what is
moral/ethical and what not.

Why are we so blinded by irrationale not to see what is good for the
humankind?Does it suit man who has such a superior brain to consult his
scriptures and blame God for each and every single thing? Why can't we
take inspiration towards science from the west though it might be
morally starved and why can't we reject a scriptural text though it might be
great, if it is harmful to rational thinking? Buddha himself said, " Do
not follow something just because it is written in your scriptures." He
was hinting towards an intelligent balance between science and religion
and that is what I personally dream of for my beloved India.

Lastly,another thing crops up in my mind is that of secularism. Today
perhaps in India all apparent secular gestures conceal hidden political motives.....just wonder:

Why a hajj-subsidy,when no such subsidy is there for Amarnath or
Kailash Yatras? Why aren't Ashok Singhal and Togadia asked to keep
their mouth shut when they utter extreme nonsense,leading to communal
tension,when on one hand SIMI was banned?. I remember lately Singhal
made the statement that Hindus should produce 10 kids per family
(apprehending high fertility rates among muslims)....how can he be allowed
to speak such crap? Shiv Sena rewards those Hindus who produce x no. of
children. Perhaps all these religious leaders shall carry on Hindu-Muslim
politics and lead the country towards ruins.

Why do we have something called the 'Muslim Personal Law'? Why do we
have something called the 'Hindu Marriage Act'? Why isn't there a
uniform civil code for the entire Indian community? If it is not so , then
how the hell do we call ourselves secular? In the truly secular countries, these kind of things do not exist, and if they do, a personal law is
subordinate to national, but in India it is perhaps the reverse.

These things clearly show how polarised our community is and we
call ourselves 'secular' on top of that.

In the end I would like to hint at a last point. We are here to preach
others about our noble ideas and mission. But as it is said," Be the change
you wish to see in others", we ourselves should strive for strength of
character and an epitome of rational thinking. If amongst ourselves, we
acquire biased views, have 5 children , litter around ourselves in public,
indulge in corruption and do things derogatory to our own culture, then
perhaps we do not fit to be for this cause. Hence I plead the fellow
members to strive for discipline and stern characters and ideals in their
own lives.

Perhaps that is all,


Vande Mataram,

President's Hyderabad address

I concede with our president’s argument when he addressed the crowd in Hyderabad. He says

“In Singapore you don't throw cigarette butts on the roads..” “YOU would not dare to speed beyond 55 mph (88 km/h) in Washington..” “YOU wouldn't chuck an empty coconut shell anywhere other than the garbage pile on the beaches in Australia and New Zealand “

When I get together with friends and family, we talk about corruption and everything else that's wrong with India. Of course, we know whom to blame at all times. THE GOVERNMENT. I hardly know a handful of people who would take responsibility and contribute to the society in his\her own individual ways.

Americans have no family bonding, but they have community emotions. In India, we have family values (which are deteriorating by the way),but lack the community feeling. Let me explain that a little bit

”You say that the municipality does not pick up the garbage.”

Fine. It doesn’t. Does it mean we should live in filth?. Apparently we do. We only know, to clean our backyards. But we have no clue, whatsoever, on how to keep our surroundings litter-free. Oh, wait a minute! Why should we? That's municipality’s work. Weeeeeeee are not going to pick garbage. What are we scavengers now? But what we are going to do precisely is, contribute to the filth and make it more repulsive. Smoke and throw cigarette butts and the empty pack wherever you wish (We live in free country, you see). How about pan? What about water, noise pollution during festivals? I could go on.

What amazes me the most is, the highly educated people do it all the time. And it’s very hard to make them fathom. How many educated Indians realize the ramifications of sound and air pollution during Diwali? Even if they are aware, how many take action? How many impart it to their children? How many teachers inculcate this to our children at school?

I always thought we have to educate the uneducated. But time has come, to educate the educated. And it’s a tough job, mind you!

I truly believe that if every Indian is at his/her best international behavior in India, our journey towards progress would be a little less bumpy.

In addition to devising sophisticated plans to erase corruption at this juncture, we should work concertedly to create awareness among the masses.

Like our president said

"ASK WHAT WE CAN DO FOR INDIA AND DO WHAT HAS TO BE DONE TO MAKE INDIA WHAT AMERICA AND OTHER WESTERN COUNTRIES ARE TODAY"

His speech is really thought inductive. Don’t you think?

Prashant's Death

My mother-in-law called, early evening, on January 6th, to inform us about the death of one of my husband’s cousin. It turns out that, my husband’s cousin, Prashant, who was working in Bombay, went out to seek medicine for his headache in the early morning hours. He took an auto and on his way back home got into an argument with the driver over the fare. The argument was over Rs 50,the fare, the driver wanted. A inebriated constable, patrolling the area, saw this and came towards them. As the story goes, for no reason, he started kicking Prashant. Prashant managed to escape, but the constable wouldn’t give up. He cornered him and kicked him again and again and again. When prashant was taken to the hospital, he was pronounced dead. Apparently, Prashant was dead long before he was brought to the hospital.Full Story

I sometimes wonder, what killed Prashant? The inebriated constable or the Rs 50. Would he have been spared, if he had paid the driver the fare he asked? Was Rs 50 the cost of his life? Maybe. But, considering the fact that the constable was drunk, he may have done the same, for the deceased, was on the streets, when rest of the world was sleeping. Would he have acted any different,if he was not under the influence of alcohol? After reading through the 3 articles below,your answer would be "Probably Not".
1. Police Brutality in Khanpur
2. Police Assault in Surat
3. Police Assault in Thrissur

We have already, established that police on duty, intoxicated, are extremely dangerous. I’m sure there are laws for this. But the question is,” How strictly is it enforced?” Well, if it were enforced strictly, Prashant would be alive today.

So, one can come to a conclusion, that, drunk or not, police have been consistently showing violent behavior and as a result, harm the very people, they are suppose to protect. I’m not sure what action has been taken against these people, as they seem to grow in numbers.

It is quite hard, to get rid of a government employee like this constable, unless they kill somebody. Please do read this article, as to how much of a battle this is. The circumstances are totally different. But it does give an insight.

UPDATE :
Amit varma of mumbai has blogged about this issue,in the post Guardian of the law.

Petition: I have created a petition. Please sign the petition and show your support. Please forward this to all your friends and have them sign it.

Tsunami : How you can help?

The horror unfolding in Southeast Asia is of Biblical proportions. It is one of the worst and costliest disasters in history. The victims of the disaster are poor fishermen, who made two meals a day, from their nightly catch. These are people who have no financial reserves. Now, they have no home. They have lost their family and livelihoods. People, who survived the tsunami, have diseases to worry about. There has been warning from all major organizations about water borne diseases like, cholera, Dysentery.
Its been predicted that, more people could perish from diseases than from the disaster itself. My heart goes numb. I’m trying to do as much as possible to help. Below are some of the links that are helpful for people who are offering help and people who need help.

Prime minister's relief fund

More Resources

More Resources

Tsunami help

It’s hard for the surviving victims to go on with their life. How would we console people, who are undergoing pain of such staggering proportions? Is it possible to do that?. How do you deal with them? How do we motivate these people to get on with their lives? I know time heals most of the wounds. But do they have so much time?

I’m going on vacation to India in Feb and I intend to spend a week in Nagapattinam(one of the worst hit in south India) to help the victims. Please help me find answers, so I’m better prepared to give comfort to these people and make my trip worthwhile.

My husband and me are also giving up our New Year plan of going to a dance club, and instead are channeling that money to help the Tsunami victims. We are going to motivate our friends to do the same.

We are all in shock and our hearts are heavy. Please feel free to share your feelings. To post, click “comment on this” on the right bottom corner of the post

Tsunami Help : GuideLines to prevent outbreak of diseases

Here are some tips on how to prevent waterborne diseases. Please try and get this message across the disaster torn area. If you are a friend or family of a victim or a relief worker, please talk to them about this. They may or may not know. These tips help both the relief workers and the victims.

Water borne Illness is caused by viruses and bacteria, from inadequately treated drinking water. It’s one of the main sources. Water borne diseases could also spread through, clothes, hands, from things used for cooking/eating. They can also spread through open wounds, nose, eyes, but it’s rare. People are at a risk, from not only typhoid and cholera, but also skin diseases. In a situation like this, all contagious diseases are likely to spread faster.

In the aftermath of tsunami, the drinking water is contaminated. Drink water provided by the relief workers only. Boil water before drinking. The water tanks will be placed in affected villages to store treated water. Please do not drink/wash hands/wash clothes in the floodwater. Do not drink water from wells unless tested/treated. It could be contaminated by floodwater. CNN reported, that people were touching decomposing bodies with bare hands. Wash hands thoroughly after handling any flood-affected items.

Parents need to help children avoid water-borne illness. Children should not be allowed to play in floodwater areas, and parents should ensure that children's hands are washed frequently, especially before meals.

Do not Wash Wounds with floodwater. Do not use home remedies like turmeric powder/coffee powder for the open wounds. Make sure that there are no open wounds.
Personal hygiene should be promoted as the responsibility of the individual. Wash hands in soap and water immediately after going to the toilet and always before handling and/or eating food. Avoid the use of common or unclean eating utensils, toothbrushes, razors, drinking cups, towels, handkerchiefs, combs and hairbrushes. Avoid coughing and sneezing on others

Make sure that faeces is buried deeply, as it can contaminate water, cause odor, attract flies. Important of all, “use the waste disposal site identified in your area”. The same for the infant faeces. Disposing of organic and animal wastes properly to avoid flies. Dispose ashes, tin, old iron, rags, cardboard, animal wastes, kitchen waste, meat, discarded fruits to the sanitary landfill.

An unfortunate outcome of disasters, particularly those involving flooding, is the resultant death of animals both domestic and non-domestic. It is essential that the carcasses be disposed of quickly to prevent an outbreak of disease and fly infestation. The method of disposal selected is dependent on the type of carcasses. For low numbers of small animals such as chickens, cats, and dogs it would be acceptable to place them into the general waste stream. However for stock and larger native and feral animals it may be necessary to consider a special purpose disposal area, especially if the numbers of carcasses are high. Strict personal hygiene must be practiced in the handling of all dead animals. The wearing of appropriate boots, gloves, proper protective clothing and adequate person disinfection is essential.

Flooding may initially flush out or destroy mosquito breeding or harboring sites but can subsequently create additional habitats that may produce even greater mosquito numbers. Flooding can result in excessive breeding of mosquitoes, resulting in the possibility of diseases being carried by the insects. Swarms of mosquitoes may be seen in the affected regions several weeks after the storm. Mosquito eggs can lie dormant for years without water. Those eggs will now hatch increasing the potential for mosquito-borne disease until the first frost. State pest management officials will address this problem. Residents should remove excess water from flowerpots, tires, buckets and other containers to minimize the breeding of mosquitoes. I haven’t seen or heard about donation of mosquito nets or insect repellents. These are very important and should be collected and distributed by the aid workers, so as to prevent exposure to mosquitoes, ticks and other biting insects. Spray disinfectants and disinfect stagnant water with bleaching powder, which is easily available

Homes may have building materials containing asbestos, which has been associated with respiratory diseases. Building materials that may contain asbestos include flooring, siding, roofing, pipe insulation, fireproofing, or decorative ceiling treatments. If asbestos is suspected to be present in building materials, the materials should be carefully wetted to minimize dust production whenever they are being disturbed or moved from place to place.
All persons affected by the disaster need to be informed about and encouraged to practice personal hygiene to prevent the outbreak of disease.

Immunizations:Tetanus - A booster for tetanus should be given to anyone sustaining an injury (particularly lacerations and puncture wounds) that has not received a vaccination within the last 10 years, 5 years for particularly major or unclean wounds. Hepatitis A - Immune globulin is given only to those persons known to be in direct contact with a confirmed case of hepatitis A. Hepatitis A vaccines are not required.

Symptoms of Waterborne Diseases:Fever , Fatigue, Vomiting, Stomach cramps, Dehydration