Democracy put to shame!

Addressing a rally in Gujrat, Narendra Modi shamelessly accepted the Sohrabbudin encounter was faked. What is shocking is that this comes from the Chief Minister of a state! As a newspaper reported,

Modi asked the crowd, ''What should be done to a man who stored illegal arms and ammunition? You tell me what should have been done to Sohrabuddin?''

The crowd replied, ''Kill him, kill him''.

''Well, that is it. Do I have to take Sonia Gandhi's permission to do this? Hang me if I have done anything wrong,'' responded Modi. "Sohrabuddin got what he deserved."

Sohrabuddin was killed in what was then termed an encounter with the police in Ahmedabad on November 26, 2005. But the case came to the national limelight after a CBI investigation submitted a report to the Supreme Court earlier this year that that the encounter was staged, that it was a fake encounter.

This is a shame for the world's largest democracy. I would like to ask Mr.Modi who has given him the right to kill a person before the court convicts him. The chief minister is the last person who would be expected to act in this manner. Does he have no regard for the constitution? If the chief minister himself acts so irresponsibly, what can we expect from the people? Next we hear, every policeman will convict criminals and shoot them at will! Sohrabbudin faced no trial, without a proper investigation, how can we ascertain that he actually was a criminal? He could have been framed by someone , or by the police or Modi's government for that matter.

At least three top Gujarat Police officers including DIG DG Vanzara of the Special Investigation Team were implicated in the killing. Vanzara is still in jail. It is suspected that Sohrabuddin's wife Kausar Bi could also have been killed by the police in custody at around the same time. The matter is still in the Supreme Court. But, it feels that the most important person behind the killing is roaming around as a free person and holding the post of CM of Gujrat! Shame on you Mr.Modi, shame on you.

The BJP is also leaving no stone unturned to show how myopic its party leaders are. Instead of showing regret on Modi's actions, they are justifying his actions and statements by portraying it as an answer to some statements by Sonia Gandhi. What else can we expect from a party that never showed regret on the demolition of the Babri Masjid or the Godhra massacre? And these hypocrites call Nandigram a shame to democracy. I'm not justifying Nandigram incident but, Gujrat government is no better than West Bengal government. Whatever it may be, nothing can justify the violation of human rights by the Government. Every citizen of India has a right to live and the right to undergo a fair trial before he is punished for any offence. Only the courts can convict a person, until then a person is not considered guilty, leave aside punished.

If Maharashtra had a CM like Modi, Sanjay Dutt would have been encountered long ago, does Modi have the guts to acknowledge that? If Modi has his way, he would have staged fake encounters of all people against whom an FIR is registered. So all people in Gujrat, sit up and take notice, its time to take things into your own hands. We, the people must show these soulless politicians that they cannot take the power, vested in them by us, for granted. Unless you don't mind getting yourself or your loved ones killed by the police in a fake encounter, after all the only thing needed is someone planting a few weapons (or drugs, etc.)at your home! And Modi will take care of the rest, RIP!

Author: Vj

Further reading for those who are interested:

http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20070034930&ch=12/5/2007%203:09:00%20PM

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Modi_owns_up_Sohrab_killing/articleshow/2596098.cms

http://www.indiadaily.com/editorial/2517.asp - This is a must read interview of Kapil Sibal.

Brilliant Ancestors

After watching the movie Bhool Bhullaiya, I was bowled over. Though it is not the best entertainer, it contained an extra-ordinary message. The message appeared very subtly interwoven with the story. And the message was simple - our ancestors were brilliant! So many people believe that spirits (or Gods/Ghosts) capture people and make them behave extra-ordinarily (like it happens to Vidya Balan, people assume that the spirit of the dancer has captured her). Whereas the truth is that it is actually a psychological illness. If you have noticed, the remedy applied by Akshay Kumar in the movie, was to make Vidya Balan believe (in her excited state) that the demands of the spirit have been fulfilled ( i.e. the dancer has killed the king). This is exactly what people do when they think a ghost/God has captured a human. It is a common sight at the various religious, especially in Maharashtra. They are no psychiatrists, they are simpletons following the directions passed on over generations by our ancestors.

I have been audience to a few such acts personally. During those acts, the spirits' demands were not as outrageous as in the movie. All they asked for was small things like stuff to eat, or clothes or sometimes a bit of jewellery. Giving it to them is actually a scientific solution to the psychological disorder. Giving it a form of divinity, is the act of our brilliant ancestors who found it easier to make people believe it's the act of spirits rather than explaining to them all about psychology. Similar example can also be found in the movie Lage Raho Munnabhai. Munna seems to talk to the spirit of Gandhiji, which is later proved to be a psychological illness. Maybe this is what happens to all the people who claim they've seen a ghost/God.

Our ancestors (Indian) were very smart people, though not very farsighted I would say. Whenever a new idea or concept is presented to people, it is found that there is an inertia that resists any change of their mindset, irrespective of who is presenting it. The facts that are most readily accepted are those pertaining God or religious customs.

Most of the earlier sages or holy men were actually very learned people. They studied mathematics, economics, politics, medicine, etc. During their age, education was restricted to a privileged few and people did not have access to mass communication systems like TV, newspaper or the internet. So, there was little exchange of ideas and the majority of people were generations away from these sages, as far as their knowledge of such subjects was concerned.

These sages invoked the power or God to solve the problems of people and thereby circumvented the inertia of people to accept the solution. This they did in a very interesting manner. A very good example is the disease of chicken pox. It was found that the leaves of neem plant cured chicken pox. The sages could not explain this to people as the people lacked the level of education required for understanding it. So, the sages invoked the power of God, they told people that when a person is suffering from chicken pox, a particular Goddess captures his/her body. To pacify her, the person should be bathed with hot water containing neem leaves. That was all that was required! People accepted the solution as it came from the sages who were virtually the authority to define God's will.

This is example goes a long way in bringing out the reason for existence of most religious customs. Anything that was difficult to explain to the people was impressed upon them by invoking the power of Gods. A lot of such examples can be found in many religions. E.g. The namaz of muslims includes quite a few yogic poses which help people in staying fit. People who offer namaz 5 times a day stay fitter than those who don't (assuming rest all things are same). Most importantly, maybe the concept of God was supported by these sages simply because it helps people develop psychologically and socially. God gives humans the security, the strength, the confidence they need as well as keeps their actions in check by using the carrot of heaven and the stick of hell!

Whatever it is, our ancestors were brilliant because they found the easiest way to make people do the right things. But, like other systems, even this system is not ideal. All the sages were not necessarily philanthropists. Many must have used this system for their own personal goals of power, glory, money, etc. So, we see many meaningless or illogical rituals or customs. Also as time moves on, the solutions to problems change and today's experts are no sages so, they cannot invoke the power of Gods to present a solution for any problem. Hence, it is now more difficult to impress new solutions to older problems on people. The methodology of the ancestors is proving to be the greatest bane of today's experts. So, the ancestors were not very farsighted. Filling the gap in education would have ensured a different level of maturity in people. But, with the spread of modern education, this scenario is changing and changing for the better, I think.

Agree with me? Disagree with me? Leave a comment…..

Author: Vj

Explain thy actions

Malcolm Gladwell, the famous author of 'blink!' and 'The Tipping Point', in his seminar delivered at PopCast!, argued that whenever people are asked to make a choice and give a reason for it, an astounding majority make the wrong decision or rather, they make a decision that is simple to justify. The need for justification plays a role in our decision process!!!

To elaborate this, he cited the example of Aeron chair (regarded as the best selling and best designed ergonomic chair, find out more on http://www.hermanmiller.com/CDA/SSA/Product/0,,a10-c440-p8,00.html). When the chair was developed, all market survey indicated that it will be a huge disaster but, it turned out to be a best seller within 4 years. The people who had criticized the chair initially, appreciated it and bought it in volumes! How come they changed their opinion from one extreme to the other? Well, according to Malcolm, it was not a change at all. Since, the people had to rate the chair initially, they had to comment i.e. they had to think. This made them take the wrong decision whereas actually, they liked the chair. The chair happened to be radically different at the time it was launched so, it was easier to say I don't like the chair because its so much….. not like a regular chair! He strongly advocated that when people are made to explain what their preference is, they usually gravitate negatively towards the other side and express a preference that is actually opposite of their actual preference.

Another example is of an experiment conducted on a group of students. Each student was asked to pick a portrait out of a bulk of portraits. The portraits were of 2 types. Half the students were asked to justify why they chose a particular portrait. Whereas the other half was not asked to explain. It was observed that the group that did not have to explain their decision chose quite a few abstract portraits while the group that had to explain their decision chose almost no abstract portraits. Also, when a feedback was taken, most of the students of the group that had to justify their decision were unhappy with their selection whereas a majority of the students from the other group were satisfied with their selection.

Think about it for a second. Has it ever happened to you? Were you ever asked to justify why a particular car/house/any article is your favorite and you had a tough time doing it? Maybe yes, maybe not. Or maybe this is just one side of the story, there could be more to the other side also……. Whatever it is, just be alert the next time decide on anything and leave a comment if you observe anything fishy……

To see the video you can visit http://www.poptech.org/popcasts/ It is available for download, free of cost. (Check out many other interesting videos on the same site).

Agree with me? Disagree with me? Leave a comment…….

The Mighty Media...........

Media is the most powerful organization that shapes the opinion of the people. But, in India, most of the media companies are quite commercial. The extent up to which they can go just to sell the news is unintelligible to me. It seems that most of the media reporters today are into the job for the glam, gone are the days when it used to be for the very serious, stereotype guys who were here to make a difference.

A few days ago, I was watching a news report on a channel. An old woman who was bleeding was reported to be lying at the front gate of a private nursing home for over 2 hours but, no one took notice of her or attended to her. This is definitely shocking! How can people be so inhuman as to not even take her in the nursing home? This was the question asked by the reporter of that channel. But, wait a minute, I was surprised to see that they were showing a video film of this. The reporter claimed that they were video shooting the woman for over 2 hours and were surprised no one came to her aid. Her remark was great but an obvious question pops up here, "What were the reporter & camera-person doing for the 2 hours?" "Why were they so inhuman?" Isn't this a big hypocrisy?

If you've seen the movie Chak De India, you'll also be amazed at the way in which Kabir Khan was defamed by the media. I could co-relate this to the defamation of Salman Khan when he used to refuse all interviews. Films are a great source of ideas to take a peek on the other side. Remember Guru? An excellent example of the power of misusing the (irresponsible) media is shown in the film.

Now-a-days people seem to have blind faith in media, some cannot stand any criticism to media. Consider this argument. All politicians claim they are into politics for the betterment of people, and that's exactly what they are supposed to do right? But, we all know that its rarely the case. People enter politics to rake in moolah and to put up a power show. Do we appreciate such politicians? Not at all. We condemn them, we hate them, right? Then why not with the media?

The media has to be accountable to the people and it's the responsibility of the people to keep it in check. We must not idol worship media. I feel like quoting from the Spidy movie, 'With great power, comes great responsibility.' And we, the people, are the most powerful force of any country……

Ring a bell???? Agree with me? Disagree with me? Leave a comment……..

Author: Vj

Photos at the right angle........

Some amazing quotes.......(Note: I am not the author of this article)

Put your hand on a hot stove for a minute, and it
seems like an hour. Sit with a pretty girl for an
hour, and it seems like a minute. THAT'S
relativity.

- Albert Einstein



The brain is a wonderful organ. It starts working
the moment you get up in the morning and does not
stop until you get into the office.

- Robert Frost



The trouble with being punctual is that nobody's
there to appreciate it.

- Franklin P. Jones



We must believe in luck. For how else can we explain
the success of those we don't like?

- Jean Cocturan



It matters not whether you win or lose; what
matters is whether I win or lose.

- Darrin Weinberg



Life is pleasant.
Death is peaceful.
It's the transition that's troublesome.



Help a man when he is in trouble and he will
remember you when he is
in trouble again.



Complex problems have simple, easy to understand
wrong answers.



It is not exactly cheating, I prefer to consider it
creative problem solving.



Whoever said money can't buy happiness, didn't know
where to shop.



Alcohol doesn't solve any problems, but then again,
neither does milk.



Most people are only alive because it is illegal to
shoot them.



Forgive your enemies but remember their names.



The number of people watching you is directly
proportional to the stupidity of your action.

Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes... the ones who see things differently -- they're not fond of rules..

You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can't do is ignore them because they change things... they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.

- Steve Jobs

Compiled by: Rahulji Rasal

The Quarter life Crisis - A great essay....... (Note: I am not the author of this article)

"Being Twenty-Something".

They call it the "Quarter-life Crisis." It is when you stop going along with the crowd and start realizing that there are many things about yourself that you didn't know and may not like. You start feeling insecure and wonder where you will be in a year or two, but then get scared because you barely know where you are now.

One minute, you are insecure and then the next, secure. You laugh and cry with the greatest force of your life. You feel alone and scared and confused. Suddenly, change is the enemy and you try and cling on to the past with dear life, but soon realize that the past is drifting further and further away, and there is nothing to do but stay where you are or move forward. You get your heart broken and wonder how someone you loved could do such damage to you. Or you lie in bed and wonder why you can't meet anyone decent enough that you want to get to know better. Or maybe you love someone but love someone else too and cannot figure out why you are doing this because you know that you aren't a bad person. (few words cut) Random hook ups start to look cheap. Getting wasted and acting like an idiot starts to look pathetic.

You start realizing that people are selfish and that, maybe, those friends that you thought you were so close to aren't exactly the greatest people you have ever met, and the people you have lost touch with are some of the most important ones. What you don't recognize is that they are realizing that too, and aren't really cold, catty, mean or insincere, but that they are as confused as you.

You look at your job... and it is not even close to what you thought you would be doing, or maybe you are looking for a job and realizing that you are going to have to start at the bottom and that scares you. Your opinions have gotten stronger. You see what others are doing and find yourself judging more than usual because suddenly you realize that you have certain boundaries in your life and are constantly adding things to your list of what is acceptable and what isn't.

You go through the same emotions and questions over and over, and talk with your friends about the same topics because you cannot seem to make a decision. You worry about loans, money, the future and making a life for yourself... and while winning the race would be great, right now you'd just like to be a contender!

What you may not realize is that everyone reading it, relates to it. We are in our best of times and our worst of times, trying as hard as we can to figure this whole thing out !!?

How to think.......(Note: I am not the author of this article)

Some time ago I received a call from a colleague. He was about to give a student a zero for his answer to a physics question, while the student claimed a perfect score. The instructor and the student agreed to an impartial arbiter, and I was selected. I read the examination question: “SHOW HOW IT IS POSSIBLE TO DETERMINE THE HEIGHT OF A TALL BUILDING WITH THE AID OF A BAROMETER.” The student had answered, “Take the barometer to the top of the building, attach a long rope to it, lower it to the street, and then bring it up, measuring the length of the rope. The length of the rope is the height of the building.”

The student really had a strong case for full credit since he had really answered the question completely and correctly! On the other hand, if full credit were given, it could well contribute to a high grade in his physics course and to certify competence in physics, but the answer did not confirm this. I suggested that the student have another try. I gave the student six minutes to answer the question with the warning that the answer should show some knowledge of physics. At the end of five minutes, he had not written anything. I asked if he wished to give up, but he said he had many answers to this problem; he was just thinking of the best one. I excused myself for interrupting him and asked him to please go on. In the next minute, he dashed off his answer which read: “Take the barometer to the top of the building and lean over the edge of the roof. Drop the barometer, timing its fall with a stopwatch. Then, using the formula x = 0.5×a×t², calculate the height of the building.”

At this point, I asked my colleague if he would give up. He conceded, and gave the student almost full credit. While leaving my colleague’s office, I recalled that the student had said that he had other answers to the problem, so I asked him what they were. “Well,” said the student, “there are many ways of getting the height of a tall building with the aid of a barometer. For example, you could take the barometer out on a sunny day and measure the height of the barometer, the length of its shadow, and the length of the shadow of the building, and by the use of simple proportion, determine the height of the building.”

“Fine,” I said, “And others?”
“Yes,” said the student, “there is a very basic measurement method you will like. In this method, you take the barometer and begin to walk up the stairs. As you climb the stairs, you mark off the length of the barometer along the wall. You then count the number of marks, and this will give you the height of the building in barometer units. A very direct method. “Of course, if you want a more sophisticated method, you can tie the barometer to the end of a string, swing it as a pendulum, and determine the value of g at the street level and at the top of the building. From the difference between the two values of g, the height of the building, in principle, can be calculated. On this same tact, you could take the barometer to the top of the
building, attach a long rope to it, lower it to just above the street, and then swing it as a pendulum. You could then calculate the height of the building by the period of precession.
“Finally,” he concluded, “there are many other ways of solving the problem. Probably the best,” he said, “is to take the barometer to the basement and knock on the superintendent’s door. When the superintendent answers, you speak to him as follows: “Mr. Superintendent, here is a fine barometer. If you will tell me the height of the building, I will give you this barometer.”

At this point, I asked the student if he really didn’t know the conventional answer to this question. He admitted that he did, but said that he was fed up with high school and college instructors trying to teach him how to think.

The student was Neils Bohr and the arbiter Rutherford.

Brace yourself, here come the robots........

Robotics.......the word is known to conjure a variety of images......humanoid cops, fighter robots, weird insects, cars of various shapes and sizes, flying objects, and a host of others. But, have you ever read the definition of a robot? Now wait a minute, robots are so common-place, everyone has heard about them, its like cars or tables, we don't need to know the definition for that........or do we? What about an oven, is it a robot? A washing machine? Surprise, surprise.....there is no consensus on any definition of a robot. The ones that are available are widely differing and none can be called be 'the right one' as of yet.

To give you a feel of this, check this out.
"A mechanical device that sometimes resembles a human and is capable of performing a variety of often complex human tasks on command or by being programmed in advance." - The American Heritage Dictionaries
"A stand-alone hybrid computer system that performs physical and computational activities. Capable of performing many different tasks, it is a multiple-motion device with one or more arms and joints. Robots can be similar in form to a human, but industrial robots do not resemble people at all." - Tech Encyclopedia
"Any automatically operated machine that replaces human effort, though it may not look much like a human being or function in a humanlike manner." - Brittanica Encyclopedia

It does not end here. A quick Google on Robots will present a plethora of options for you to choose from. Pick anyone that you like. But, I think most of us have a common perception of what Robots are and there is scarcely any need of the perfect definition for the understanding of robots. Robots are said to be the next big thing. Some say, they will be as ubiquitous in the future are computers are today. Imagine all your work being done by a Robot. Your house-maid is a robot, your chauffer is a robot, your receptionist is a robot, all the manufacturing is done by the robots, etc. Wouldn't it be wonderful? All the complex surgeries, the intricate manufacturing, the delicate handling of nuclear stuff, everything being done by the robots. If it dosen't sound so exciting now maybe it is because none of this is a concept anymore but a reality.

Now, where do humans figure in this equation. A lot has been presented in sci-fi movies (iRobot) and a lot of novels about how the machines will take over humans and how we shall land ourselves in precarious situations. But, most scholars believe, this is unlikely to happen as humans are and will remain smarter (or rather more cunning) than the machines. Leaving that behind, one immediate effect that seems obvious is the replacement of man by machine. Millions (or billions) or jobs will be obliterated and that many people will be jobless. What can happen to such people is not a rosy picture to paint. But, wouldn't the manufacturing of robots create jobs? The answer is yes but, they will be a very small fraction of the jobs lost. So, does this mean that development of robotics is dangerous to human beings?

Well, if we peep into our past, the industrial revoution seems to offer a comfortable analogy for analysis. Machines that replaced humans in large multiples were installed at various factories which led to many people losing their jobs. Most of the people who lacked the skill sets to survive in this new world dominated by machines, lived from hand to mouth. But, the few who knew how to be the masters of the machines, employed the machines as their slaves and made a fortune. But, what about the majority who were not so lucky (or intelligent as they say)? Most continued to live from hand to mouth but, their next generation reaped the benefits of their sacrifice ( or rather a forced sacrifice). The generations that came later were much better at utilising the slaves called machines and this raised their standard of living. Imagine what would this world have been if the people then would have completely blocked the advent of the machines for short term gains (i.e. for the benefit of that generation)? Of-course some did try doing that but, most of the organisations that did so, failed miserably.

So, taking a lesson from history we can conclude that if robotics is the next big thing, we'd better start gearing up for it. Though it is hard to imagine that this transition into a completely robotized world will happed suddenly, it can happen well within half a lifetime of a person. Taking a cue from what happened to the early-birds in the computer (both hardware and software) industry, early-birds in this industry may very well strike gold in the near future (if they already haven't). But, what is important is that we must understand that being robotics-illiterate could be as bad as being computer-illiterate today (I can openly say so as those guys won't be reading this article, he he).

So, keep your eyes and ears open for the robots from now on. They are on their way and can arrive at anytime in the near future. Who knows when you might find out that your job has been offered to a robot with a lifetime bond with a onetime payment (for its cost price) and a meagre salary (for maintainece and repair). So, watch out, the robots are coming with all their wheel, limbs and God knows what all..............

Ring a bell? Agree with me? Disagree with me? Leave a comment.......

Author : Vj

Love thy neighbour.........

India and Pakistan are known to be sworn enemies with the border being classified as the most dangerous nuclear flashpoint in the world. The tension between these 2 countries is not likely to be mitigated by any events in the near future. The governments on both the sides have been on the brink of declaring the other as enemy and waging a war quite a few times.

This is what the official records everywhere will say. But, there is a catch. The sentiments of the countries known worldwide are actually the sentiments of the governments. Do the masses of the respective countries also feel the same? One would say that Governments are representatives of the masses and hence, their opinion is the opinion of the masses but, it is not so. Especially in the case of international politics.

In his excellent book 'Inspite Of Gods', Edward Luce has described what he found out from a lot of Indians who had gone to Pakistan to watch a cricket match in April 2004. The peace talks were in great shape then and as an initiative of people-to-people contact, a lot of Indians were granted visas to go to Pakistan to watch the match. To the amazement of the Indians, they were not despised but, welcomed with smiling faces. All of them were delighted by the brotherly love shown by the Pakistanis. The auto-rickshaws declined to charge fares, shopkeepers did not accept money and hotels were waivering bills and on the streets they were greeted by people with sweets and gifts. All this as a gesture of friendship. When Shoaib Akthar delivered a good ball, the Pakistani crowd chanted 'Akthar Zindabad, Zindabad, Zindabad'. But, when an Indian batsmen hit a great shot surprisingly, the same crowd chanted 'India Zindabad, Zindabad, Zindabad'. To the amazement of the Indians, when the Indian team won the cricket match, the Pakistani crowd gave them a long lasting ovation and chanted 'India Zindabad, Zindabad, Zindabad'.

The Indians did not know what to expect from the people when they go to Pakistan, they feared hostility but, were delighted by the warmth of the people they met. What all this goes on to prove is that, not all people in the country subscribe to the opinion that the 2 countries are enemies. Most of the eduacted (& mature) people I talk to (in India) show similar friendly attitude towards Pakistan. But, I have met a lot of people who hate Pakistan, many a times for reasons that are more emotional (or out of partial knowledge) than factual or insightful. I think actually, they hate the people in the Government which is a representative of the nation. The situation of democracy of Pakistan is well known and so, I think the sentiments for the Government in Pakistan and those for the people in pakistan should not be mixed.

I hope that if a similar situation arises in future and a lot of our Pakistani brothers come down to India for a similar event, they are greeted with even more warmth and affection so that they go back home and tell their children that India and Pakistan are friends, maybe not politically but socially. And the next generation of both the countries takes substansial steps in uniting the 2 countries as if there never was a partition, as if there never was any war and as if they never were seperate..........

Ring a bell? Agree with me? Disagree with me? Leave a comment.........

Author : Vj

An Empty Mind Is Devil's Advocate

Recently, while I was talking to a friend, he told me about a friend of his who is quite an intellectual person and participated in social work by heart and soul. His view was that 'A person's social responsibility is directly proportional to his intellectual capacity.' My God, what a beautiful statement! That statement, according to me, hits the bull's eye. It has implications that seem simple on the surface but, are in fact quite deep. He also added that 'God has given the gift of intellect to you, so its your responsibility to use it to help others, your failure to do so can and should be construed as betrayal of God himself.' Now, I am not the best person to discuss God and His actions but, even to atheists like me, the statement serves the intended purpose.

Superficially, one may feel that the statement just intends to encourage people to serve the society. But, the second statement gives a clear picture. 'Intellectual' is the word to concentrate upon. What I appreciate about this view is that it does not ask for monetary service to society but, something much more valuable. It asks one to strive for honing the intellectual capacity of under-privileged members of our society. This is a manifestation of the well known proverb 'Don't feed fish to the poor, instead teach them to fish'.

In the much acclaimed book 'The World Is Flat', the author, Thomas Friedmann, beautifully explains the root cause of the spread of terrorism and crime in todays world. People lacking the skill sets required for modern day life find it difficult to lead a satisfying life. If such people are not given the opportunity to grow, not given the opportunity to improve, they tend to subscribe to anti-social philosophies. Consider the case of India and Pakistan for example. Both the countries started off at the same time (got freedom at the same time) yet, Pakistan has fallen far behind India. Indians are said to lead a more satisfying life than Pakistanis. The reason is that Indians have opportunities to grow, they have the great tool of good education which makes the global field flat for them. Pakistan suffers from lack of strong basic education and hence Indians usually are more employable and likely to avail to opportunities to grow. This, according to Friedmann (author of the book) is the principal reason why more terrorists originate from Pakistan (or Afghanistan for that matter) then from India.

Under privileged people who find out upon maturing that this world has not been fare with them, they have not been empowered as much as others in the society, they can never succeed as much as their privileged counterparts with even double the effort, such people are more likely to commit crime or turn hostile (and probably terrorists to take revenge against society). This is inline with the title of this article. Such people need help to lead better lives. Help, which their parents could not give them. It is our duty and responsibility to do that for them as we live in the same society (or have been created by God as equals). Hence, if you really wish to help under-privileged people, people who were not as lucky as you (i.e. did not have ancestors as great as you), try to contribute in some way to increase their intellectual capacity.

Merely donating money is not the answer to solving their problems (though it is one of the most important requirement to solve them). My friend's friend about whom I mentioned earlier does one of the best things in this regard, he runs a tribal school where he tries to provide the kids with the best education he can manage, the best facilities he can arrange. This is a herculean task (kudos to him for that) which may not be possible for all of us but, we could do our bit by being associated with such a mechanism that does the best thing (atleast according to me) to empower the under-privileged people in our society. It may be a drop in an ocean but lets not forget

Little drops of water
Little grains of sand
Make the mighty ocean
And the pleasant land

Kudos to people like him.

Ring a bell? Agree with me? Disagree with me? Leave a comment......

Author : Vj

Step-motherly treatment given to the hockey team...... is that so???

Quite a few people have started complaining that a "step-motherly" treatment is given to hockey players... Their argument lies on the fact that awards of astronomical amounts have been announced for the cricket players who brought home the first T-20 world cup, whereas the hockey players who brought home the Nehru Cup were given awards in the multiples of meager thousands.

To a certain extent, their argument is definitely right. The various state governments have announced huge awards to various cricket players............ and where does the money come from.........our pockets.....the taxpayers money. The government is expected to behave sensibly, it should treat all sports equally on its part, the difference in the awards bestowed upon the players of both the sports should be equal. Governments cannot be partial in this regard and hence, the government should award the players of all the games (not just hockey & cricket) equally. The failure to do so on the governments part has already been brought to focus by the media, i.e. a lot of former athletes are forced to take up jobs like house-maids and sweepers to support their families, as a result of lack of support by the government. Encouragement to all in all the sports events is a duty of the government. If the attitude of government does not change we can forget about having another P.T.Usha who can win accolades for her country. The protest of the hockey players in this regard is definitely valid and should be taken seriously.

But, if they have reservations over the awards coming out of the BCCI's kitty bag, then they have missed the target by a whole mile! BCCI does not fill its money bags from tax-payers money. The money comes as a result of the sport and no one has the right to argue if it distributes a chunk of it amongst the players that cause the moneybags to be full to the brim in the first place. And the government has no role to play in this. The masses love the game of cricket and that is because of the nature of the game..........its not anyone's fault that other games are not loved so aggressively. The money earned by cricketers or BCCI is a result of a great demand and supply equation with the masses. If the players of any other sport 'demand' similar monetary benefits then it can't be provided. It is not a thing to be demanded. Unless the sport appeals to the masses, that kind of money will not make its way towards any federation of any sport.

The affection and money showered upon the cricketers is grossly because of the appeal of the game and the attraction of the masses towards it, and rationally there is nothing wrong with it. So, the appeal against the government is definitely a 'lbw' but, an appeal against the masses or the awards given out by any organization other than the government is a 'no ball'........

Ring a bell??? Agree with me? Disagree with me? Leave a comment.......

Author : Vj

The Scientific Explanation Of GOD........

This is a very interesting topic about which I heard from one of the guys I was having a discussion with.........don't remember who he was or when we talked about this............I only remember the idea.........ONLY THE IDEA........and that is because I found it very fascinating & it still fascinates me. Here it goes........

For centuries humans (not sure of other creatures though, I wouldn't be surprised even if say dolphins or apes did too....) have argued about the existence (or rather the very concept) of GOD. There are enough number of theories (proposed and self-evident both) on both sides to prove the other wrong but, very few (or none) to prove any side right. Some say GOD has to be there else how do you justify the very existence of the Universe , God has created it all. The other side promptly puts up a question "If you question the existence of the Universe, then how do you explain the existence of God? Is there a God's God to explain that??" Similar is the case with the other side.....even they can't convince everyone that God does not exist because then there is the obvious question about how does the universe exist which has no answer (as of yet). Its a kind of never ending debate.....

One explanation of the possible existence of God that the guy gave me (which fascinated me) is what I want to tell you about. It doesn't take any side, proves nothing but, it really is creative I must say. It is called the scientific explanation of God.

It has got something to do with frames of reference and the thermodynamic concept of a system. Imagine this, a small boy sitting in a train (in motion), throws a coin in the air and allows it to fall on the floor of the train. What was the motion of the coin? For the boy in the train, the coin went up & came down - a straight vertical path of motion. Now here's the catch.... what is the actual path of the coin? Anyone who knows about the frames of reference concept will easily understand that its not a straight line. While the coin was thrown in the air, the train was moving forward - since the boy was in the train, he was also moving forward. He did not observe any forward motion of the coin because he himself was moving forward at the same speed as the coin was (relative velocity = 0). So, the actual motion of the coin can be better viewed by a person not in the train, say a guy on the platform. According to him, the coin moved forward while also going up & then down again i.e. the coin actually followed a projectile path...... Interesting huh?? But, did the guy on the platform observe the actual motion of the coin? "Yes" you may say but, the answer is "No". The reason is again the same. The guy on the platform was on the earth which is itself rotating around itself & revolving around the Sun. So like the boy, he also did not observe the 'actual' motion of the coin. Both observed the motion of the coin relative to themselves.

If we consider a train as a thermodynamic system, we may conclude, in thermodynamic terms, that a person who is outside the system, understands the activities in the system better than someone inside the system i.e. the person outside the system knows the TRUTH better. So, the guy on the platform understood the motion of the coin better than the boy in the train. Similarly, someone outside the solar system will know the truth better. To extend on similar lines, someone outside the milky way will know the TRUTH even better and continuing in this fashion, who will know the ultimate TRUTH????? Someone outside the universe.....Someone who is not a part of any system, someone completely outside the system. He will be the only one to know the entire truth.......in other words, he will be GOD!!!!!

But, does that mean that what the boy in the train or the guy on the platform knew was false....it was also true......only that it was the relative TRUTH that they knew..........and this is what can be called the concept of MAYA, referred to many times in the Indian Mythology......

So, logically, anyone outside the entire system knows the real TRUTH, he is the-all-knowing, he is free from MAYA............and hence, he's GOD.......but, can someone really exist outside this system, outside the universe (or mathematically just inside it)? Does such a God exist??? The answer is no one knows..........and I don't know if anyone will ever know...................

Ring a bell?? Agree with me? Disagree with me? Leave a comment......

Author : Vj

Who fired first???

Well I'm choosing quite a controversial topic for my first blog.....
What is your opinion on Pakistan?
Most Indians feel a kind of hatred towards it. Though this scene is changing now-a-days with people bending more towards peace (thankfully!!!!)...... But why do they feel this hatred? Leave aside the historical reasons of the partition, it is said that time is the best healer of wounds. And its about time we got over it. Kashmir is another very complicated issue on which an entire discussion can be kicked off......Leaving that aside, is it true that a major part of our hatred is created by our own government ( with the aid of the media)?? Consider this, India & Pakistan go on war..........Indian media reports "Pakistan fired the first shot today & India is firing in reply".....And what does the Pakistani media say? "India fired the first shot today & Pakistan is firing in reply". In some cases where Indian media has reported that they shot down some Pakistani troops on the Indian side trying to infiltrate, Pakistani media reports that some terrorists who were trying to cross the border were shot by Indians........Its a cover up you say...but what if its true? How do you conclude who is right? Generally the conclusion depends upon your nationality I would say. But, what do such reports do? They create hatred among the citizens in both the countries. Now, who knows the real facts? Only the government (depends on how faithful the military is to them). So, if both the governments are pointing in 2 directions, how do you decide which one is right? Do you really believe that people in your government always share the truth with you? (I dont think an answer is needed for that question).
The point that I wish to prove here is that, information regarding the 2 countries given in the newspapers (by the press or by the officials), which usually goes into shaping the opinion of common people maybe highly unreliable. So, if you have a strong feeling against any country, its time to introspect......Are you being shepherded by the so called "sources" to believe what you believe?
This is one of the topics that really & visibly has 'more to each side than we know'.........

Ring a bell? Agree with me? Disagree with me? Leave a comment.....

Author : Vj