There's so much Space

Please visit the below URL for the entire range of space exploration described there.


http://www.bbc.com/future/bespoke/space_infographic


I really wonder what's in all those space and beyond.....and what is this place that we are living?? What else out there...is there an end to the space or space the end in itself. What are the things we don't know?


This topic never ceases to amaze me - ahhhh I would love to be a space traveller exploring all these.

Happy Birthday Mummy/அம்மா :)

Happy Birthday to the best mummy/amma/அம்மா

She and me share the same birthday date. She is the short, dynamic lady...who is at times stupid...at times ignorant but never without love :)




I get some of my blah blah nature from her coz she talks similar ways. I also get my characteristics of honesty and doing the right thing or feeling guilty coz she is similar ways and can talk pointedly straight when she wants to. Very famous for speaking and getting bashing/scolding at her parents (Thattha) place and her in-law place (my appa :D). I wonder how she can get bashings from the both side, especially when both the sides think she supports other side. hehe

She is the most encouraging person for me and never said no for anything that I ever wanted to do.

Much of my liberty in life comes from the fact that she chose to give it to me.

You are the reason why Me, Appa and Aarthi are able to live the life we are living :)

My Loose mummy/அம்மா :D - Happy Bday to you.

Rahul Dravid - My hero

No other cricketer's image adorned the walls of my room like yours did.

From the days Big fan released a cricket card along with their gum, I always held one more of your card than any other cricketer in my collection. Not that I didn't like them, just that I liked you that much more.

The first century of yours at Chepauk, Chennai and the subsequent celebration of yours, the way you did, with your bat held high and swiping at all the crowd, in a thankful manner. That is the gesture that I talked for one whole day, the very next day in school. A gesture and celebration I always tried to do when I did well while playing cricket. Just that every move of yours was something that I cherished.

That started a long debate of who is best in Indian cricket, back in 1998 itself, with arguments with Sachin fans never ending. Alas, that discussion subsided soon after, coz we realized you are a class of your own. Sachin is considered a gifted player, everybody confirms to that. Sourav a flair player. But it is you who proved to all through your hard work and determination and technic that anybody can be a player, if only they wanted to be. For that, you rank higher for me than anybody else.

I have always watched you closely, in fact, one eye will always be on you when you play a game. I celebrated your success as mine, your struggles as mine. In fact, had a tear on my eyes when I saw you totally lost after that 2007 WC, which you lead India in to. It was not your fault that India didn't do well, but you took it yourself and that image of yours still evokes sadness in me.

Sourav is a great captain, coz he had you. That says enough about you and your captaincy as well.

I never know anybody else who has gotten out so many times in the 90's than you. May be Michael Slater comes close. Despite that, your career and records speak of staggering heights and volume to them.

Your centuries in New Zealand in the beginning of 99 and the subsequent top score of WC 1999 in Englad showed to the world your class agains really good bowling attack. There are so many more records of yours that I cannot even begin to list down, coz there are so many. But most important of them all, is the way you conducted yourself. Always subdued, never letting any bad word or intent around. Flashing a smile, even in the worst of dismissals of umpires, never showing the disrespect and going back to doing what you do the best. Playing well.

The way you bid adieu is also, typical Dravid. Thanking everybody and heaping praises on them when all of us know that you never got your due, ever, coz somebody else did something more flashy than you.

I have never met you in person, but would like to do so if an opportunity where to come for me in future. All that apart, for me, you are special;  coz, I have never held anybody's picture in my wallet except yours. Rahul Dravid - My Hero

What is it?

I seldom have headache or head pain. I always shrug it off at the very least, when hit the nadir and kinda move. May be small drag may reside within me but it wouldn't be sufficient enough to bring me to nought. Coz, being nought or idle is not something that I'm good at, maybe :D.


So, what is it, this collision of two things, which are vying for the same mind space of mine, that deals with the common thing of mine -  what I do (did or want to do) ?

Life is a game - I have always played it, will always end up doing so. Sometimes, there is a small amount of fear/hope that clings on to me so as to have an ok sort of outcome. I think it is good in a way to have that but it shall may not be limiting oneself. 

Be happy and play it, wherever you may play and however you may play.

Why am I here?

Why am I here?

Once in every while, this question passes through me, making me wonder and leaving me at that. A walk or thought down the memory lane or few events from past or some thing so present often leads me to this state of "Why am I here?" And every time, I'm lost in the wonder of my thoughts and to come out of it in more wonder, confused, relaxed and sometimes with a thought of may be time wasted a little, but that's ok feel.

I have no idea what it is but I feel 2006 kinda lingers in me for some reason. It was the new year I came to my city, lovely city of Chennai after my initial training in work, excited, enthusiastic, with so much energy (that I'm always blessed with) for work and everything life has to offer. Phew, I almost ended up losing it all, much to my own surprise and chuckle, by my own will. Alas, the dance classes in JNR, the countless water melon juices after them kept me going. Time spent going in the cab after work to my home, listening to FM was all so nice or the times I have to run and catch buses to reach my home. My frustration to wait for the last leg connectivity in buses to my locality that runs at a frequency of 1 hour at off peak hours lead to me purchasing my trusted warrior, mate, one whom I always reckon on - my Honda Unicorn. It was my first big purchase once I started for work and Im so happy it is my bike. Thanks to my appa for arranging part of the money when I wanted it and I dutifully adjusted it with something else down the line so that my claim above that it is my own purchase stands valid :) :-D hehe.

Going to Tidel back up center for my entire project, establishing myself so well with the clients and leading my own team of 3 members by the end 2006 in my work were all so much positive for me. Lots of time spent with my project and I even stayed up support till 12 AM on the new years eve of 2006-07 in my work that year. Doing countless dance performance with my Moto guys, watching movies with them and so many things were all so enjoyable and time well spent.

I dont wish to over emphasize 2006 here, even If I recollect some moments of my college times it brings back so much of a time well spent with ups and downs and something I would like to be part of again. Same with school or may be till my birth :. In fact my whole life had been good to me. I'm fortunate, thankful and glad about it. May be Im purely lucky or its just me.

Now, where do I go from here? I have few things that I want to do and lot more as well. I only wish for persistence and little bit of good luck on all of this now and going forward. Contrary to what some of my family members think, Im very flexible with things that are of interest to me. And, I still consider myself a clay that is not hard. I wish to remain this way, a moldable state and wish good objects and impressions (surroundings) to be molded upon.

Now, one thing for sure. I have been here before and shall be here again.  I'm referring to the state of "Why am I here?"

Mullai Periyar - my thoughts

In a blog post earlier in 2008, I had lamented about Hogenakkal water issue that came to trouble the farmers of Tamil Nadu. Like most of the water issues that has befallen on TN, it also, unfortunately, had to deal with excesses from the neighboring sister states.


In that post, I had explained in simpler terms 3 things:


1) Geography of TN is such that it is the lowest state in the Indian subcontinent and it depends on water from top to flow down to its borders.


2) How, sister states have started building more dams and reservoirs within their borders to hold more water and use TN as a conduit ONLY when they have all they need and more. Their demands have increased due to increased urban population, which needs water to drink. No denial in that but what will the poor farmer in the downstream do if he doesn't get the water?


3) How, TN also has faulted in not taking care of the small ponds and ground water resources within its soil.


I titled that post as "Now it is Hogenakkal - what next and what more?" expressing my exhaustion at all these water issues the state of TN has to go through every time, time and again. But, never have I ever expected that another issue would come to trouble this water starved land even more.


The facts about TN, which is not very well know to people outside of this state are given below.


1) The most Urban state in the India (more than 50% of this state lives in Urban-semiUrban areas). They live in all these areas for the lack of water to do vegetation in rural areas.


2) The state with less than the national average of mandatory Tree cover. Please see the link for the same.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sadhguru/planting-trees-is-not-som_b_613811.html


3) If rains fail, even for one season, the whole of TN faces drinking water shortage. That is the hard fact. If rains fail one season, there will be water shortage in all cities and towns across TN. Last few years 7-8 years had been beneficial for TN, in terms of rain fall - it has had expected rain fall, not excess, just expected. And, we are happy for that. But it has never been that way before that - famine and drought have occurred in regular interval for every 2 years all through last 2-3 decades.




4) It is well captured by the this movie (1981) - just the introduction of this move captures the essence of the situation. Just see first 3 -4 minutes, you will know the enormity of the issue back then that director Balachander took a movie on this.

Coming to Mullai Periyar, it is a river that originates within TN-kerala border, and flowing westwards and flowing in to the ocean. In order to prevent the Famine and drought, dating even back to 18 the century (and also continuing as shown in the above scene), The Mullai periyar dam is envisioned and constructed to hold the water and push it back to TN via Gravity mechanism as the dam is perched at a height to do that. That is how it works and British designed it that way.


I don't want to elaborate on the how the Dam is built or how the deals were made back in those days. As enough has already been said about it.


But, I do want to talk about the safety issue. Lime may not be the strongest building substance known to mankind, but it has withstood the time for 100 years before Kerala govt brought any concerns. Agreed. Concerns have to be addressed. And, it was addressed with strengthening of that dam in three stages and completed by TN. And, in 2006, Supreme court, highest court in Indian constitution gave a verdict asking TN to raise the water level to 142. The dam is safe. And, restricted Kerala govt and police to prevent any obstacle for TN for further maintenance of dam. 


Immediately after this - Kerala made amendments to its existing Rule/law of 2003 saying no govt- state or Central or no court can control this law. And, by their law, they determine the height of dam as 136 ft. And, kerala has full control over that Dam. That is outrageous to an honorable contract that is in place, reviewed again in 1971.


I understand that there have been tremors (count of which has to be verified) in this year and people are really worried about the dam safety. Again, a valid concern. It has to be addressed appropriately. Appropriate is checking if dam is strong again by today's standards and by neutral folks. Technical and otherwise. Then, let us see the next course of action. 


Questions to Kerala:


1) Why did you refuse to agree to highest court in India in 2006 and agree to that order? 


2) Coming to present day, Tremors happened, but let us wait for a proper study. Before that, why to arouse the fear of people more even before the strength of dam is tested again?


I have Keralite friends all over my life. I like the Kerala girls too for their long hair and munda kannu (big big eyes :D ). And, Keralites and Tamilian are one of the closely associated people of India, with barely no or very less difference between them. So, I value their life, in the down stream. Their fear after the recent tremores is valid and living with fear is worst than living at all. I can empathize with the situation. But, to add more fear stating dam will collapse, is not the right step forward for a govt. It can be the agenda of rumor mongers but not of responsible elected people of a state. They should be pacified and we should wait for a neutral, valid, technical study and have to see what to do next.


Also, no structure in the world, is designed to withstand mother nature fury. We can only hope it is and prepare for the worst and leave it at that. And, in case of Mullai Periyar dam, that preparation was also done by strengthening and we have to leave it at that. God forbid any worst eventuality, the downstream river bunds are high enough to hold the water flowing at full level (per what I read about the river bunds down stream) and Idukki dam can withhold the overflown water. The loss of lives as feared by people may not happen at all.


The intentions of Kerala govt, as expressed by it as safety may not be the real issue here. If one looks back at this issue from last 30 years, one can see a pattern. They revoked rights established by that contract one by one including right of TN on the entire stream and the fishing right, right of TN to determine the water height in the dam and various other rights that were part of the original deal. Now, the only thing that is left standing is the Dam and they want to remove that also. Why? So that TN's right on anything will not be left there. 


Why don't they say that Dam is weak, we will build a new dam and give you back the same contract and deal as before? Your only concern was safety, right? Why don't you say that way? Coz, it is not entirely about safety. Underneath the safety bandwagon, lies the human ego and the need to establish rights over something on the kerala border. This is infact not even human trait, this is animal trait - territorial rights and demarcation. Humans are all animals and I didn't quote animal traits to demean Kerala govt nor the people of Kerala. Coz, all humans including TN folks, Andhara and America and everybody have this territorial behavior. If not, how can we define the wars we have fought over ever since we came in to being in to this land. I quoted that human character to just establish that it may not be safety at issue here but something more which is control and rights of property in Kerala land. And, even that character comes to Humans from Animals as we are all one. :)


If we get this reason behind all these clear, even a TN folk will not feel so much hatred or animosity towards Keralite due to this issue. And, vice versa. One fighting for territory, another fighting for resource. We have to accept this is human, to avoid falling victims to hating and hitting each other.


Now, how do I see this issue pan out?


1) Supreme court will again come out with a valid technical detail and the Dam wil be saved.


2) Else, if they find issue, technical or anything, considerable steps need to be determined to establish the safety of Dam again.


3) If it is found to be so grave as portrayed by Kerala - let Supreme court say so. Lets see the next steps after that. TN, would still like to follow Supreme court order; Unlike Karnataka which is not following the order on Cauvery. Kerala which didn't follow on Mullai Periyar.


If some mishap of Kerala govt or otherwise would happen to the DAM or some miscommunication lead to a bad decisions or policies of Central or Kerala govt that would result in TN being snatched of its right to water - I foresee the following.


- TN will block any goods to Kerala from within its border
- TN will stake a claim for bringing the Idukki district to be with in TN. Change the border so that TN shall claim full responsibility for the down stream people. Request and voices in this direction are already being heard in TN. If UP can redraw its state to 4 different states, why can't we revisit the border issue with Central govt so that Kerala govt can feel the pressure of them on the safety issue.




At a humanitarian level, a land, that is once the rice bed of India, the land that gave three yields of rice (unlike any other land in the world) would be left to dry by people who claim to be sister states but refuse to give water for TN. Tamilnadu is already one of the dry beds of India.


Govt of India, better watch out - this will be a wake up call for integrity of the nation itself. If two states (Karnataka and Kerala) can disobey the supreme court order and another (AP) building dams across Palar river to let less and less water to TN, where is the Unity in diversity or Integrity of the nation?


Where are your policies? Isn't water a universal requirement of all people? Shouldn't that be under control of central govt? Instead of state govt which has obligation with only that state?


These issues need to be discussed; water rich states will never understand the seriousness of this issue being faced in down south.


Let me end this by saying this much. I'm not a farmer. Neither my dad is. Or, my grandparents. I have never lived outside of Chennai while in TN. But, if I can feel the gross cumulative atrocities and injustice handed out to state of TN in water issues this much, imagine the rage of a farmer who is ploughing the field for his life? Imagine the bleak future that is dawning on them? Imagine the rage and plight of his son.


Below is the video of Vaiko - I'm posting his video coz I find his speech to be based on facts and listed without any bias. He is even requesting Kerala people to see the new dam approach will not lead to the water through Gravity mechanisms. A very neutral speech with facts from TNPWD engineers on stage. (please see all three parts of the video)

What we ask is Water (and the honoring of existing contract; contract leads to obligation and we will only oblige when we have a contract as this is a multi centuries trust) and what will be ensured is safety and precautionary steps of dam and emergency mitigation steps. 


Fear psychosis will lead to more fear. More "if else" question will come and it is a never ending cycle. What it needs is better awareness and a assured plan for any contingency. Slowly, life will move on without fear.


But life cannot, without water - the elixir of life.

Steve Jobs

I mentioned about Steve Jobs in one of my earlier post last year. Even then, I decided to save off writing about him for later time. I wasn't really sure on how to capture all about him in a post. I have been fighting the same question in the last couple of days as well. Alas, I have decided to just list down all I think of him and leave it at that.


But, never did I think in my horrible thoughts that I will be writing about him after his passing away.iSad. Really, really really sad.


I didn't know much about Steve jobs before my college. Well, I didn't have a personal computer before college and so no clue of him. But, what I did come to know of Apple were the colorful machines and apple computer with their apple logo in colors. Thats all I ever knew then.


But later on my curiosity grew on apple, to know more that Macintosh is different from PC, it doesn't run on windows but on something much much better. But, thats all about Macintosh and me till I owned one myself. But, I become aware of iPod much more earlier and in detail than Mac, thanks to Music and what iPod meant for music. It was this mystical costly player that I could never own, alas I choose to spend a lot of money on it. Thankfully, I got the first generation iPod shuffle as a gift from my uncle and boy didn't I love it. stuffing in my pocket and flashing the white earpieces and the chord. Wow, I will stand out in a crowded bus where all used to have black ear pieces and chord. Though it didn't have any visual, I still loved the portability and the way in which I can throw it, and still nothing can happen to it. I throw my stuff - thats me. 


Then came the iPod Touch; a lucky break in a portal competition in bangalore. I was not the original winner, I was a close second. But they chose to give to me a prize coz they liked the way I designed that portal and also had a story to tell for that portal. Others only did the compliance check to showcase the portal. I actually chose to ignore few of the compliance thing coz it was too cumbersome to find and win that point to win the competition. Instead I designed what I liked and explained it in a way I liked. Well, they liked too :). Thats how iPod touch came to me. The first time I could pinch to zoom a picture - aaahhh. What a happy feeling to do what I saw Steve Jobs do in the iPhone presentation a year back. It was indeed magical to pinch a zoom a picture. Now, it has become a standard but boy isn't it a wonderful thing to have in a touch device. The technical side of it is one of so many things we should be thankful to apple for.


To touch a device and communicate - you need to have the following things working.


- touch capable screens, location mapping of your fingers, observing the action that you are doing (say you are scrolling swipe or pinch swipe), then pass this information to the OS which actually determines the swipe functionality I said above, then seeing what screen you are and doing corresponding action. Coz a picture pinch to zoom is different from the browser pinch to zoom, functionality same, app is different and OS has to determine that as well. All this and may be more may be happening just for the pinch to zoom. 


And, all of these have to happen simultaneously, so that you can see the picture zoom in front of your eyes, as you do it. Wow :)


Then came my mac - to have a PC that can boot fast is sufficient enough reason for a mac :). Enough said.


Steve Jobs - to me, he summed up one thing. Be yourself. At the core, he never really changed. He did things he wanted to do and did it well. Everything else, he didn't care. He just didn't care.


[There is a tonne of material out there in the net that talks about his visionary skills, drive and how he created things. Im not even going to touch upon those qualities with my writing skills and constrain them. ]


Apart from being oneself, he also symbolized what drive can do. He loved what he did and coz of that, did it well. He was brutally honest in some of his/apple's failures or shortcoming and didn't try to hide behind few good things. He wanted all of them to be good, even the minute details of anything apple, to be good.


A read of the below post by Vic of Google would say how much he cared for the tiniest of tiny things.


https://plus.google.com/107117483540235115863/posts/QNWKwJTFmki


Or, what is the need for a CEO, to come down and explain his store to the world like he did? Explaining isle, products etc..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLTNfIaL5YI


Everything apple meant to him - he was ready to do everything to anything of apple and knew everything of apple.


One of the very few people in the world who can solely claim their entire career is their own. And, the one of the only handful ceos who can do whatever they want with the company - coz it is theirs. Every other CEO in world is off late appointed for few years tenure and they have no connect with company as Steve did with Apple.


Apple has its fair share of questionable policy, platform initiatives, but off late, what I come to understand is that, they are excessively supremely controllable of anything that is apple, coz they love their products even beyond the sale. I dont like their restriction of iOS environment or OS, but they want to make sure that the device doesn't break once it reaches consumer hands. I dont agree with this stand, greatly. But, I have stopped questioning their intent off late.


And, only a person like Steve jobs can choose to be so outrageous with his demands and still pull it off. Who can ever forget the iPod deals?


Apart from being a successful product, iPod needed a legitimate way to download music to make sure that product is sale-able in the market. Till then, music industry refused to accept MP3 downloads as a valid way to get the music and even that format. iPod changed all that. He was famously quoted as saying to all the 6 big music labels, "If I can't sell a song for 99 cents in iTunes store, then there is no deal". Music labels agreed. And, now we have legitimate and easy music downloadable industry in the world.


Same applies with iPhone. Before iPhone, a phone's price, data plan, and the Tenure were all determined by Cellular carrier. When Steve Jobs launched iPhone, he had stuck a deal with AT&T to launch it at 199$ price, for two year contract and unlimited data plan. What you have to notice is that, Apple, a device manufacturer, is dictating a Carrier business when they are launching their product. The status quo till that time was other way around. 


A vegan.


And believer in heart and instincts, he did mistakes and corrections. Never one to be ashamed of his actions, he did one of the greatest comeback in history of the world business to turn a company on the verge of bankruptcy to be the most valuable company in 14 years time. Wow.



How respected would you have to be to have your competitors mourn your loss? Google paying tribute in the home page, Wired.com blacking out its entire page. Google and samsung celling their own mobile event due to the untimely passing of Steve Jobs.




I still cannot believe he is gone - Im really pained and shocked.



[Im giving links to some of the most wonderful Steve Jobs video, article around now.]




http://www.fastcompany.com/pics/steve-jobs-obituarites-most-innovative-powerful-different#0


A tribute to Steve Jobs below

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-BXzifkxsk

Think different Ad with Steve Jobs own voice

Im not an apple fan boy, but of Steven P Jobs. iRespect. iLove. iMiss.

The journey from Monday to Friday :)

Dil to bacha hai ji

One of the most wonderful songs that I have heard recently is the one above. I first heard this song while going in a friends car and found it to be so melodious and nice to listen to. I also thought to myself, may be it is from 1980's or earlier. Coz it was so melodious.So much so that, I started recollecting this song and humming just after the first time I heard it. And, when I heard it the next time in his car after 2 weeks, I asked it to be played again.

It is a quality of really good song and singer, when it makes one to like the song so much to go and see its video. Rahat fateh ali khan is one such singer - wow, what a melodious voice, so soothing.

After having seen the video, I like this sone even more. :)

-  The reaction of the girl at 0:06 and hence forward till Naseerudin shah sit, is so subtle, and wonderful.

   She looks simple, nice, and speaks with her eyes and smile, without even uttering a word.

-  The look of Vidya balan at 0:48, was beautiful :). So, is at 02:00.

-  Arshad Warsi, standing with flower - hilarious :).

Such a wonderful song !! Even if the video was a crap, it is worth to be heard over and over again. But, they made video, even better by keeping it so human and natural and nice.

Dil to bacha hai ji :)

How one generation loves....the next generation learns.

There are very few videos that will move you - above is one of them. 

Being young and brazen, I had been similar ways to the moments expressed in this video. Luckily for me, realization also dawned soon of my stupid or ignorant ways and had the opportunity to mend it as well. However, in life, there would be people who would do most to us but we may never be able to repay or offer them the same things that they offered us. And, we continue repaying everybody else in our life the way we would have probably done for the few, in gratitude as well as also as a lesson we learnt from the very same people who offered us the most.

The last quite was the highlight of this video - may be the strand that keeps our species (or all the species) going in this earth as well.

How one generation loves...the next generation learns.

Un-Changing

The only un-changing thing is change. Whether it is my life or your life or our life or the life of other living organisms in this planet or elsewhere, there is change. What is change? Is it just a word? If change is the very nature of everything that is, why not have change renamed as nature?

I have observed that certain songs, when I listen to them, immediately transport me back to some other time. Likewise, with few events or some activity, that if I do or am involved, takes back to the last time I was doing the same activity or the related activity. In getting transported to that particular time, I look at my life then and now - to see that I'm pretty much the same guy that I could recollect back myself to.

The things that I enjoyed doing, that I wanted, that I did - have all kinda remained the same, un changed. Yes, due to exposure amongst other things, the gamut of things have increased. May be something got added, few things fell off, blame it on the benefit of time and exposure with life more. Yes, it did bring understanding of few new things and how to handle them - people, the most important of it all. How to handle them, and let them handle me is something I'm learning, may be will continue to learn as well.

But, one thing I wish to refuse, and that is, not being what I'm. Not for any reason that it might be. Not for the age, growth, expectation or what not. Agreed, we need to be according to the norm or atleast limits of its boundary for major part of the time. As that makes exploring new things, experiences, events and responsibilities and everything that comes with it - a great opportunity to grow oneself and change. And, that is important too - something that cannot be substituted at all.

To see this exposure, time and learning as something that will enable the growth amidst the realization of un-changing me, is what the reality is.

Have you blogged lately?