2006 late by one second

You may have to wait a second longer after midnight on Saturday to welcome the New Year.
That's because 31st of December will end a second after midnight, making the year 2k5 exactly one second longer.

This peculiarity is because the moon's tides in the seas and oceans cause friction with the seabeds and this slows down the rate of spin of the earth or lengthening the year ever so little.
"So once in a way, an extra or leap second has to be added to bring things back to normal, much like the extra day that is added in a leap year," explains B.G. Siddharth, Director General of BM Birla Science Centre in Hyderabad.

According to Dr. Siddharth, that's not the only peculiarity of year 2005. It will end on a new moon day (amavasya) which more over is the second new moon of the month.

Two new moons in a month is also rare. But unlike the phenomenon of two full moons in a month being called a blue moon, there is no special name for two new moons in a month.

Source: http://www.hindu.com/2005/12/31/stories/2005123120950100.htm

Resolutions for 2006

I hereby resolve that I will not make any resolutions from the following year as my earlier resolutions are pending. They are;

• I will never make a resolution hereafter on a New Year
• I will conform to my earlier resolutions

techno-arrest

This may be new term to you. Yes, of course it may be. It’s a term defined by me out of my experience. This term has nothing to do with technology or police. The birth of this term is as follows:

The validity period in my prepaid mobile got over on 14th November 2005. Many of my friends, clients, and colleagues have tried calling me and have ended in recording a voice mail (many of them are frustrated bcoz they are charged for voicemail). It is the 10th day today. Without calling and messaging my friends, and vice-versa, I feel like a dead. Am unable to do my routine activities without a mobile. It’s just a 10 days gap, but I have been and also worked without a mobile for over 5 yrs. But, this 10 days gap is making me feel dead.

The mobile which shows the progress of technology over years has become blood and skin of our life.

I wonder what would happen to the world if all the technologies invented or innovated disappears suddenly (at least for a minute)@!$#@$#@ I know its a weird thought, but still...

! Would all of us be able to survive in the absence of technology?
! Is technology driven by humans or driving the humans?

Q & A

Right from my LKG to my PG final examination I had difficulties in writing exams for the entire prescribed time. But here, one man, the first citizen of the nation has answered 645 (Six hundred and forty five) questions at a single stretch posted by children on the eve of Children's day.

Check out those questions and answers at http://www.presidentofindia.gov.in/scripts/childrenques.jsp

India Inc's Portal

Its a wonderful feel for me when i visited http://www.india.gov.in/ - a National Portal aiming at a single window access to various Indian Government entities. It has pleasant colours, well designed and easily accessible modules and everything about India and its Government. The portal, developed by National Informatics Centre is launched today.

The features which impressed me are;

• 
  Citizens Login - Each and every citizen can register themselves with the portal and when logged in he/she is welcomed by a customized page based on their profile.
• 
  Greetings Card section across categories; Celebrations, Heritage, Culture and Glimples of India
• 
  Kids Corner - A section for Kids all over the world to know more about the Country
• 
  Business Section - Compiled Information for Formation of a Company, Guidance for Entrepreneurs
• 
  Language Selection in Hindi
• 
  Opinion Poll Section which has a Current Issue for poll

Above all a section for rating the portal, suggestions and improvements from the visitor is really pleasing. This is a portal which has to be visited by each INDIAN.

Standard Motor Products of India Ltd

Once upon a time in India there were only three car manufacturing industries. They were Ambassador in Calcutta, Fiat in Bombay and Standard Motors in Madras.

The first two are familiar with everyone now. A brief about Standard Motors Ltd

Standard Motor Products of India Ltd is the manufacturer of Standard 2000 car based on a Rover model which had a low market in England during 1960’s. Following the Standard 2000 model, Tata Motors introduced the Contessa Model which failed to tap the market previously captured by Standard 2000. Then Standard Motors introduced a commercial vehicle (Van) in the name “Standard’ which was a runaway success. Standard Motors remained a leader in the automobile sector then. This company started its operations from a low level and competed with the big players in the market.

Standard Motors then had 2000 employees in its rolls under the leadership of Mr. Karthik Narayanan who was considered as the visionary of the company. It was Karthik Narayanan who took the company into great heights.

This company is situated at Perungalathur along the Chennai-Trichy National Highway at an area of 57.84 acres. Most of the people crossing this long building - stretching up to half-a-kilometer do not know that as a place where once business was on upswing. Standard Motors was the first car manufacturer in Chennai, Tamilnadu; which is now called “Detroit of South India”.

Standard Motors is no more today. In the late 80's, the MA Chidambaram group took over the company and attempted to rope in foreign partners to resume production which had stopped due to political and internal problems, but to no avail.

Today the Madras High Court has cleared the sale of the landed property, plant, machinery and other assets of Standard Motors Limited for Rs. 154.10 crore.

The entire stretch of the company fascinates me and I can still visualize the splendor of the place at its presence. Standard Motors is a past glory to Perungalathur - the place where I live now…

Baashai

Here is a language which is a mix of English and Regional Languages and is unique in its use. The sub-region is easily identified by this language. This language is also called "Tanglish" by linguists'.

Few words from the language:-

• Aapu adchichu
• Mattai
• Aalinaal Alaguraaja
• Appaala
• Bemani
• Dubaakor
• Galiju
• Kamnatti

... and more. For more info on this language and meaning for these words and to be familiar with this language please visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madras_bashai

Convergence???

Most of us who have opted for Arts stream always think that Science is far away from us. It may be true in a few cases, but science is part of life which should not be unknown. I am actually trying to kindle your interest to the ‘would be’ buzz of tomorrow.

We all would have studied basic geometry in our schools. When asked to draw a set of standing parallel lines converging at the bottom, the image would be like this as below;

Now, assume that each of these lines is some technology.

And what you have understood now, is closer to what Digital Convergence is.

Digital convergence is all about-the coming together of diverse technologies into simple devices that are more useful than the original individual ones intended for. Digital convergence has just started off in a big note which promises a huge market not only for the hi-fi’s but also to a common man.

An indicative example of convergence: Some years back it was only the round object with some numbers in it, running with a help of battery which told us time. That was with the help of a technology then. Now, we have clocks all over the place-TV, Mobiles, DVD Players, and Computers, Refrigerator, Video Games, Music System and so many devices in different displays. Manufacturers threw the clock in diverse devices, people liked it and they demand a clock to be in every electronic device they buy today.

Digital Convergence is an unstoppable force that pushes innovation to the limits; it’s a revolution. It’s going to make the term “One World” come true.

Digital convergence is bringing three major industries together-the IT industry with its hardware and software expertise; the consumer electronics industry and the deeply rooted telecommunications and entertainment industry. Just a few years ago a mobile phone that too with a camera, audio/video player was unthinkable. But, today they have become a normal feature.

Following are some of the products with cutting-edge technologies.

Oakley Thump:
You would have seen audio players in different devices. This is first audio player to be built into sunglasses. It is made out of light weight durable plastic and hence suitable for use all day long.
The ear phones are well placed, highly adjustable; they can be rotated, extended or raised to fit any ears without discomfort. The controls are placed on the two arms of the shade. Buttons on the left side are for volume control and those on the right for Play/Pause/Stop and Skip/Shuffle. This product is available in two versions with 128 MB and 256 MB.

Samsung SCH-V770 Cell Phone:
A camera phone is a normal feature. But a 7 mega pixel camera phone! This has the sophistication seen on standalone digital cameras with 7mp sensor. It has 3x optical zoom and 5x digital zoom and auto focusing. The impressive feature is this camera phone can attach to a wide angle and tele-conversion lenses.

Solid Drive Speaker Drivers:
You will never believe if I say “I can turn your wall or table or door in to a speaker”. Yes, these drivers can make any flat solid object into a speaker, by vibrating it to produce sound. The best use of this would be inside the walls of your converged house.

What is Your Converged house? May be like this!

Manufacturers are fighting to enter your homes with sophisticated technology devices, consequently, their gadgets-into every aspect of your life.

• 
  The living room of the future could have unified audio/video output device with their respective streams coming from your PC, TV or Music System. Since, sound is to be heard, hidden speakers would be installed in walls and roof, producing surround sound. Volume and settings would be controlled via the room’s output device.
• 
  Paper Displays that can cover your walls like wallpaper in PC, enabling the change as you wish, of any size, on any part a wall and ceiling.
• 
  Each room would have a Visual Display Unit enabling the user to change the settings. A Centralized Unit controlling all the devices in the rooms and so on…

These types of technologies will intrude in every room of your house making it a paradise of your own.

Most of these inventions have to be dreamed before they are invented. Most of the companies don’t share with us what they dream for future. However, there is a website www.nec-design.co.jp/showcase to see what NEC Studios have lined up for future.

Interested in Science Now??

MADRAS 'nalla' MADRAS

(Rowwise)
1. Central Railway Station - 1925
2. First Line Beach - 1915
3. Mount Road - 1905
4. Mylapore - 1906
5. Napier Bridge - 1895
6. Parrys Corner - 1890

HAIL THY FREEDOM

"INDIA IS THE CRADLE OF HUMAN RACES"
LET US PROTECT OUR INDEPENDENCE BY SPREADING PEACE THROUGH YOUNG MINDS

r--._,----------.
"-, .c-.-----""""
/ i--'
C_J

LETS SAY NO TO VIOLENCE.

HAIL THY FREEDOM. JAI HIND!

Is your boss like this...

Scientists in a Rocket launching station in Thumba, were in the habit of working for nearly 12 to 18 hours a day. There were about Seventy such scientists working on a project. All the scientists were really frustrated due to the pressure of work and the demands of their boss but everyone was loyal to him and did not think of quitting the job.

One day, one scientist came to his boss and told him - "Sir, I havepromised to my children that I will take them to the exhibition going on in our township. So I want to leave the office at 5 30 pm."

His boss replied - O K, , You are permitted to leave the office earlytoday.

The Scientist started working. He continued his work after lunch. Asusual he got involved to such an extent that he looked at his watch when he felt he was close to completion.The time was 8.30 p.m

Suddenly he remembered of the promise he had given to his children. He looked for his boss,,He was not there. Having told him in the morning itself, he closed everything and left for home.

Deep within himself, he was feeling guilty for having disappointed hischildren.He reached home. Children were not there.His wife alone was sitting inthe hall and reading magazines. The situation was explosive, any talkwould boomerang on him.His wife asked him - Would you like to have coffee or shall I straightaway serve dinner if you are hungry.The man replied - If you would like to have coffee, i too will have but what about Children???

Wife replied- You don't know - Your manager came at 5 15 p.m and hastaken the children to the exhibition.What had really happened was..

The boss who granted him permission was observing him working seriouslyat 5.00 p.m. He thought to himself, this person will not leave the work,but if he has promised his children they should enjoy the visit to exhibition. So he took the lead in taking them to exhibition.

The boss does not have to do it everytime. But once it is done, loyalty is established.That is why all the scientists at Thumba continued to work under theirboss eventhough the stress was tremendous.

By the way , can you hazard a guess as to who the boss was????????

He is now the first citizen of our Nation.

are u a management consultant?

it was a chill evening in a green pasture land with sky in its best blue colour. a shepherd was engaged in taking care of his flock of goats with his dog.

as, an unusual happening, a silver shining stylish BMW Z4 came in a rash mode and skidded near him. he was amazed when it was parked near him. the door opened and a young charming man with full fledged suit approached him. the conversation begun...

BMW guy: Hey shepherd, if i say u the number of goats in the flock without counting, will you give me one goat as a compliment?

The shepherd with a bit of stun agreed to it.

The guy took his laptop, connected a GPRS device to it, attained a satellite link, located the flock and the results were displayed in a minute.

The shepherd had no way than giving away a goat. He said, "Ok Sir, you can take any goat from the flock as you wish"

The young man (with a winning whistle and smile) took one and was about to start off from that place. The shepherd stopped him and asked

"You are a stranger to this place...If I say whom you are, Will you give back my goat?"

The young man agreed with surprise.

Shepherd: You are a Management Consultant
BMW guy: (with an open mouth) how do you know that?

Shepherd: It’s very simple. I observed two things.

1. You gave me information which I already knew in a different format.
2. You took my dog instead of goat.

BMW guy: @@~~@@

I am not Alone

I am singing alone in the street
with no one to listen
With no one to listen
makes me to sing loud

I am dancing alone in the street
with no one to see
With no one to see
makes me to swing and swirl

I feel alone
with no one to sense
With no one to sense
makes me to cry

There is no one to hear
There is no one to see
There is no one to sense
And I am Dead

Amaze! I am Alive
I hear the cuckoo singing
I see the orange leaves dancing
I feel the breeze

NATURE is witnessing me...

Child Reporters

These children at class V to VII in Orissa are not preparing for their mid-term exams.They are writing reports for a monthly journal which is a joint initiative of the District Administration and the Orissa branch of United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).The magazine talks about issues such as water shortages, lack of roads and the absence of doctors in hospitals and teachers in schools. The reports show a desire to correct the flaws.

Some of their reports...

"Our village has a large number of children. But half of them are not going to school. Their parents make them graze cattle. The children who refuse are beaten up"

"There are many liquor vends in our village. The people of our village are blowing up their day's earnings by consuming liquor at these vends. Many people are suffering from different diseases by consuming liquor"

"The Government planted saplings in our village, but they did not survive as they were planted at the end of monsoon"

This project by UNICEF is aiming to have a total of 1700 reporters with 10 reporters from each of 170 gram panchayats of Koraput in Orissa.
These child reporters will be a driving force being the development of the village and they will be monitors of the process of development plans which has been drawn in 16 villages.

The District Collector has given each child reporter a signed badge, which is pass for them to enter any Government office.

These child reporters are a force to reckon with.

A Date with Bill Gates

What will you do or how would u feel if you have an offer to meet Bill Gates whenever you wish?

Meet Ajul, 18 from Ahmedabad. He does not get paid, but Microsoft pays all his study fees. In return he helps them as and when asked.

Ajul, a tech wizard holding a MS from Harvard has managed to finish a two and a half year curriculum in five months.

He interacts with Bill Gates every week and says "Why do I need to meet Mr. Gates? I speak to him whenever we have a Microsoft online meeting. Instead, I would have loved to meet Mahatma Gandhi, Swami Vivekananda and Napoleon Bonaparte"

A Merchant and a Monk

Sometime in 1893, a ship called Empress of India sailed from Yokahoma in Japan to Vancouver in Canada. On board were two extraordinary Indians – Jamshetji Tata and Swami Vivekananda. Both were headed for Chicago which was to host the World’s Columbian Exposition, a celebration of technology and Industrial progress. The exposition opened on 1 May 1893.

Tata was heading Chicago for getting new business ideas. Vivekananda, on the other hand was heading for a smaller show that was meant to compliment the industrial exhibition; The World Congress of Religions. There he shook his audience with that exceptional opening “My dear brothers and sisters...” speech on Vedanta.

It was a meeting of two visionaries; Tata, a keen supporter of social reform in India and the monk, very passionate about science and development. On board, the two discussed to start a steel mill in India. It is said that Swami told Tata that there were two parts to the challenge – manufacturing technology and the science of steel. The former could be bought from abroad, but the science has to be researched at Home.

This seeded the idea in Tata’s mind to start the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore.

Tata wrote to Vivekananda in 1898 asking for his support for the venture: “I know not who would make a more fitting general of such a campaign than Vivekananda”

That year was to mark the end of a period of modest but a volatile economy.

Mind in a stand-by mode

As usual I started the day, going through the newspaper. But, this day was different. Lot of interesting news both good and bad went straight to my mind and brain. Some of them...

• 
  Teen Smoking
• 
  Maddy's snippets
• 
  Soundara Rajan, a guy who has won several medals for cycling including International with his artificial lower limb
• 
  AIR's carnatic music sales
• 
  Sivathanu Pillai on Innovation
• 
  91 Indian women in race for Peace Nobel
• 
  Former US President Nixon's comment on Indira gandhi as "Old Witch" and Indians as Bastards
• 
  Picture of bodies from tunnel at Ghatghar hydel project
• 
  Hayden-Jones encounter

Thoughts were juggling, messing up all these in mind till i saw the picture of children in dynamic silhouette, with their care-free thrills as monsoon clouds gathering with a silver lining over the sky. In fact, i was starring at the picture for over 10 min with some memories running background @@@!!


WHERE HAVE THOSE DAYS GONE???

A series of fortunate events one evening...

I have heard stories of being good to strangers during my childhood. But, this is the first time i have encountered it.

Returning from a meeting with Karthik and Karuna of Evam and of course Student Concepts guys(members) there, i left my bag which had some books, notes and a set of my resume in an ATM centre. I was not aware of that.

I was watching the movie 'A series of Unfortunate Events' in Studio-5. Received a missed call and i thought my friend was kidding with me. Sent a message 'i am in a movie. pls call me later'. 'Your bag is in my charge', was the reply.

I realized that i had left my bag, but couldn't remember where. I called that guy and he was waiting to give me the bag. His name is VENKAT, working in Radiant Kashyap, C P R Road, Alwarpet. “So many people leave their things(mostly mobiles) in the ATM centre and I have personally handed over them to the owner”, says VENKAT who goes to the ATM centre daily. Long live his service. I will remember him for ever.

my understanding of mathematics

ADD your BEERS without
SUBRACTing your PEERS
MULTIPLY your CHEERS with
DIVIDing your TEARS

sonnet on me by myself (none is ready to write on me. thats why!)

hello i am rajaram
born at madurai
studied in chennai
not in amsterdam

making things with perfection
taking a pride
in every stride
is always my passion

to be positive in thought
and doing things daring
is a bond in my heart
and friends with me caring

will take me high
scaling the whole sky

Fire…

I still remember that moment, when the Parade Officer with his baton struck with a huge force on my back. I was in the lying position with a Self Loading rifle (SLR) aiming at my target. The second I released the first bullet, the baton struck me. Turning back with fear and anguish I looked at the officer with a ‘Why’ look.

He asked me “Which is your target?”... “No. 4”, I replied

He asked “Then… where did you fire?”... Butterflies started flying in my stomach and brain.

I was in the Senior Division NCC of 13 Tamilnadu Battalion force. I was a first year cadet then. It was a thrilling and unforgettable experience for me that day. We had a very good drill (with rolls, monkey jumps) before we started firing.

Mighty sun was showing all its power on my head.

It was sweating and the weapon was about 10 kgs. It was 10 rounds to start with. The first one hit my co-cadet’s target earning me a slap from the baton.

Then, with the ache I pushed myself aggressively and finished my rounds.

I was having some tips on improvising from my co-cadet who said “I had hit all the 10 rounds in my target. The officer praised me for that”.

I was listening to him with a big ‘O’ in my mouth.

The proceedings came down earlier and the officer decided to give a chance with a superior weapon called Light Machine Gun (LMG), for those who had done well with the SLR.

The tip-guy (the guy who was giving me tips) was on a high. To his dismay, his name was not there in the list.
I was in a jubilant mood, not because of his rejection. My name was in the second place (from last) in the list.

That moment I saw a big ‘O’ larger than mine in the tip-guy’s mouth.

With a sense of pride having the LMG in hand and with perfection I released the trigger. That Parade Officer who hit me was nearby watching me. He posed a rewarding smile and said

“Go On... You will never miss your targets hereafter…”

The other bullets carried his words along with it.

It’s an unforgettable day in my life.

The face of Courage and Determination at 11

He looks frail. But Syed Abdul Razaak has nerves of steel. For a 11-year-old boy, raising Rs. 80,000 to save his mother's heart is no small achievement. In fact, he relentlessly continues to collect the rest of the Rs. 1.23 lakhs needed for aortic valve replacement for A. Ayesha, his 33-year-old mother.

This standard VI student of a school on Vincent Road here juggles with domestic commitment and studies. He has to look after a 10-year-old brother and a three-year-old sister. "I study while on bus to school and between midnight and 1 a.m. after I finish domestic chores."

Razaak is scared to say why his well-educated father left them. But he is determined to save his mother. "I travelled to Tiruchi, Gobichettipalayam, Dharapuram, Udumalpet, Mettupalayam, Udhagamandalam, Erode and Salem to meet people for surgery expenses."

People at a mosque here provided him with the address of philanthropists. (The surgery is to be performed at the G. Kuppusamy Naidu Memorial Hospital in the city. It has also provided some concession.)
The way he has collected funds so far reveals maturity beyond his age. "I first got Rs. 1,500 from a mosque in Coimbatore. Of this, I set aside Rs. 1,000 for the surgery and used the rest for travel to various places to mobilise funds."

On how he travelled, Razaak says: "I left by bus at 6 a.m. to these places. There I walked to meet various persons and got back to Coimbatore by 10 p.m."

Ayesha's heart disorder was detected only in April. Till then, she worked in a pharmacy for five years and as a postal savings agent. But the family is said to have struggled to make both ends meet. Fortunately for Razaak and his siblings, a minorities' trust pays their school fees.

"I like Science and Social Studies. I want to study well. I do not play any sport. I was happy collecting stamps and coins. But now I need to save my mother," he says.

A precious piece

THE BEST OF THE WORST

THE WORST HIJACKING

We shall never know the identity of the man who in 1976 made the most unsuccessful hijack attempt ever. On a flight across America, he rose from his seat, drew gun and took the stewardess hostage. "Take me to Detroit," he demanded. "We're already going to Detroit," she replied. "Oh ... good,"he said, and sat down again.


THE WORST BANK ROBBERY

In August 1975 three men were on their way in to robthe Royal Bank of Scotland at Rothesay, when they got stuck in the revolving doors. They had to be helped free by the staff and, after thankingeveryone, sheeishly left the building. A few minutes later they returnedand announced their intention of robbing the bank, but none of the staffbelieved them. When they demanded 5,000 pounds in cash, the head cashierlaughed at them, convinced that it was a practical joke. Then one ofthe men jumped over the counter, but fell to the floor lutching hisankle. The other two tried to make their getaway, but got trapped in therevolving doors again.


THE WORST ANIMAL RESCUE

During the firemen's strike of1978, the British Army had taken over emergency fire fighting and on 14 January they were called out by an elderly lady in South London to retrieve her cat which had become trapped up a tree. They arrived with impressive haste and soon discharged their duty. So grateful was the lady that she invited them all in for tea. Driving off later, with fond farewells completed, they ran over the cat and killed it!!


LAWYERS VS INSURANCE

This is the best lawyer story of the year, decade, and probably the century. A Charlotte, NC, lawyer purchased a box of very rare and expensive cigars, then insured them against fire among other things. Within a month having smoked his entire stockpile of these great cigars and without yet having made even his first premium payment on the policy, the lawyer filed a claim against the insurance company. In his claim, the lawyer stated the cigars were lost "in a series of small fires." The insurance company refused to pay, citing the obvious reason: that the man had consumed the cigars in the normal fashion. The lawyer sued .. and won! In delivering the ruling, the judge agreed with the insurance company that the claim was frivolous. The Judge stated, nevertheless, that the lawyer held a policy from the company in which it had warranted that the cigars were insurable and also guaranteed that it would insure them against fire, without defining what is considered to be unacceptable fire, and was obligated to pay the claim. Rather than endure lengthy and costly appeal process, the insurance company accepted the ruling and paid $15,000 to the lawyer for his loss of the rare cigars lost in the "fires."

NOW FOR THE BEST PART

...After the lawyer cashed the check, the insurance company had him arrested on 24 counts of ARSON!!!! With his own insurance claim and testimony from the previous case being used against him, the lawyer was convicted of intentionally burning his insured property and was sentenced to 24 months in jail and a $24,000 fine. This is a true story and was the 1st place winner inthe recent Criminal Lawyers Award Contest.

presence of mind

Presence of mind is nothing but giving spontaneous reply to the situation. No more definition is needed for this topic. There are some factors which influence presence of mind. They are;

1. Sense of Humor

2. Keen Observation

3. Thinking Out-of-the-box

Each of the factors can be explained with an example situation.

Sense of Humor: Only human has the boon of laughing. Laughing relieves a soul out of stress. Laughter is the finest jewel one can adorn in his face. Laughter is the best medicine (Even the best doctor prescribe it).

A friend of mine is a very talkative guy. No matter what! He would never stop talking…Once a professor made him sit in a place away from me as he was talking to me during the lecture. There too that guy did not stop. Again his place was changed. He continued talking. Again his place was changed. This continued and at last he came back near me.

The professor made a comment on it.
“You were sitting near him when the class started. As you were talking I changed your place, you continued there too and at last no place has stopped you from talking and you are back to the same place. This shows that………”


Before the professor stopped this guy stood up and replied
“Sir, I am back to same place where I started. This shows that the class room is round in shape”.
Our professor lost his temper with his reply but praised him for his presence of mind. We all enjoyed the situation.

Keen Observation: It is difficult for a person to learn everything reading books. Many times we have to observe what is happening around us and also what we are doing. We should always be alert.

My friends and I were just walking leisurely around, after the class. One person’s cap fell down. He fetched it and was wiping the dust on it. The other guy asked him
“Your cap is superb. Where did you get it from?”
The answer was
“This is a Nike cap. My sister bought it for me from US”.
The second question came up with a little heat
“You are an Indian and you are using an American cap. Are you not ashamed of it?”
The reply for this question came spontaneously
“I don’t like an Indian Cap getting dirty”.
The guy who questioned was fascinated by the reply.

Think out of the box: Always don’t think in a narrow way. Think in multi- dimensions asking yourself questions like “Why Not?”, “How?” and the like. It expands your thinking.

A man was driving home late one afternoon, going far above the speed limit. He noticed a police car with its red lights on in his rear view mirror.


He thought: "I can outrun this guy."
So he started racing down the highway, the police car hot on his trail. Finally, as his speedometer passed 100, the guy gave up. He pulled over to the side.
The police officer got out of his car and approached the man. He said:
“Listen mister, I've had a really lousy day, and I just want to go home. Give me a good excuse and I'll let you go.”
The man thought for a moment and said: “Three weeks ago, my wife ran off with a police officer. When I saw you, I thought you were that officer and you were trying to give her back to me!”
The officer let him go.

There are many factors that influence the presence of mind of human beings. Apart from human beings some animals too have the capacity to think but not as much as a human. It is only the human who has got the boon of thinking and laughing as said before. Always be optimistic when dealing a problem or situation. It really eases the tension from that environment.

I hope you would have enjoyed reading this article.

Thank you.

this pic is dedicated to prakash, sitting before me.

ease yourself...

it was 1830 hrs. rain was slashing the city. me with my friends were entirely
drenched and we somehow reached beach railway station. we waited there for abt 45
min. it was an unusual crowd there.


when enquired we came to know that rain water has stagnated in the railway tracks and
there was no train service for past 2 hrs. we had a conversation,

"if we wait here we would never reach home..so, lets hire a call taxi and share the
cost". an aged man was listening to our conversation from backside.


an announcement came that the train to tambaram will leave after 15 mins (train
service is from beach to tambaram). we again conversed abt the crowd and decided to
go by call taxi.


this old man interrupted us and said "listen young boys, don’t waste your money.
these crowds r part of life, aceept it, iam going to travel amid this crowd upto
chrompet..why cant u?". before he stopped his speech the train too arrived.


the crowd got ready and we decided to split ourselves. dashing the crowd and with a
pull from one friend and push from the mob i was thrown into the train. the train
started moving slowly (till end)


it was raining outside and sweating inside for me.


people inside the train felt it horrible to travel that day. at each and every
station the crowd was increasing. i thought, it should be the worst day in my life.
but not. few excerpts from conversation between X and Y's in the crowd.

X: I couldn't bear the crowd.. i feel as i should jump out from the train
Y: relax boss.. crowd will decline in the next station.. u can feel easy

after 3 stations

Z: the crowd is horrible today.. its very hot inside the train inspite of rain
Y: relax boss... crowd will decrease in the next station... u can feel easy

it was st. thomas mount station. the new subway had rainwater stagnated. it was full

A: see the subway(screamingly) what is this? i couldn't believe this!
B: This is called rain water harvesting!

X: still the crowd is heavy... (hastily) what train service is the government operating in
difficult situations
Y: relax boss... crowd will decrease in the next station.. u can feel easy

R got tensed by Y's repetitive comment and gave and counter comment, "relax boss, the train will become empty in tambaram, and we all can feel ease...” (tambaram is the last stop)

whatever it may be.. its within us to take the situation. that is called as ATTITUDE.

Our Beloved President Speaks here...

Dr. Abdul Kalam’s Speech

I have three visions for India. In 3000 years of our history people from all over the world have come and invaded us, captured our lands, conquered our minds. From Alexander onwards, the Greeks, the Turks, the Moguls, the Portuguese, the British, the French, the Dutch, all of them came and looted us, took over what was ours. Yet we have not done this to any other nation. We have not conquered anyone. We have not grabbed their land, their culture, and their history and tried to enforce our way of life on them. Why? Because we respect the freedom of others. That is why my first vision is that of FREEDOM. I believe that India got its first vision of this in 1857, when we started the war of independence. It is this freedom that we must protect and nurture and build on. If we are not free, no one will respect us.

My second vision for India is DEVELOPMENT. For fifty years we have been a developing nation. It is time we see ourselves as a developed nation. We are among top 5 nations of the world in terms of GDP. We have 10 percent growth rate in most areas. Our poverty levels are falling. Our achievements are being globally recognized today. Yet we lack the self-confidence to see ourselves as a developed nation, self-reliant and self-assured. Isn't this incorrect?

I have a THIRD vision. India must stand up to the world. Because I believe that unless India stands up to the world, no one will respect us. Only strength respects strength. We must be strong not only as a military power but also as an economic power. Both must go hand-in-hand. My good fortune was to have worked with three great minds. Dr.Vikram Sarabhai of the Dept. of space, Professor Satish Dhawan, who succeeded him and Dr. Brahm Prakash, father of nuclear material. I was lucky to have worked with all three of them closely and consider this the great opportunity of my life. I see four milestones in my career:

ONE: Twenty years I spent in ISRO. I was given the opportunity to be the project director for India's first satellite launch vehicle, SLV3. The one that launched Rohini. These years played a very important role in my life of Scientist.

TWO: After my ISRO years, I joined DRDO and got a chance to be the part of India's guided missile program. It was my second bliss when Agni met its mission requirements in 1994.

THREE: The Dept. of Atomic Energy and DRDO had this tremendous partnership in the recent nuclear tests, on May 11 and 13. This was the third bliss. The joy of participating with my team in these nuclear tests and proving to the world that India can make it, that we are no longer a developing nation but one of them. It made me feel very proud as an Indian. The fact that we have now developed for Agni a re-entry structure, for which we have developed this new material. A Very light material called carbon-carbon.

FOUR: One day an orthopedic surgeon from Nizam Institute of Medical Sciences visited my laboratory. He lifted the material and found it so light that he took me to his hospital and showed me his patients. There were these little girls and boys with heavy metallic calipers weighing over three Kg. each, dragging their feet around. He said to me: Please remove the pain of my patients. In three weeks, we made these Floor reaction Orthosis 300 gram calipers and took them to the orthopedic centre. The children didn't believe their eyes. From dragging around a three kg. load on their legs, they could now move around! Their parents had tears in their eyes. That was my fourth bliss!

Why is the media here so negative? Why are we in India so embarrassed to recognize our own strengths, our achievements? We are such a great nation. We have so many amazing success stories but we refuse to acknowledge them. Why? We are the first in milk production. We are number one in Remote sensing satellites. We are the second largest producer of wheat. We are the second largest producer of rice. Look at Dr.Sudarshan; he has transferred the tribal village into a self-sustaining, self-driving unit. There are millions of such achievements but our media is only obsessed in the bad news and failures and disasters. I was in Tel Aviv once and I was reading the Israeli newspaper. It was the day after a lot of attacks and bombardments and deaths had taken place. The Hamas had struck. But the front page of the newspaper had the picture of a Jewish gentleman who in five years had transformed his desert land into an orchid and a granary. It was this inspiring picture that everyone woke up to. The gory details of killings, bombardments, deaths, were inside in the newspaper, buried among other news. In India we only read about death, sickness, terrorism, crime. Why are we so NEGATIVE?

Another question: Why are we, as a nation so obsessed with foreign things? We want foreign TVs. We want foreign shirts. We want foreign technology. Why this obsession with everything imported. Do we not realize that self-respect comes with self-reliance? I was in Hyderabad giving this lecture, when a 14 years old girl asked me for my autograph. I asked her what her goal in life is: She replied: I want to live in a developed India. For her, you and I will have to build this developed India. You must proclaim. India is not an under-developed nation; it is a highly developed nation.

Do you have 10 minutes?

Allow me to come back with vengeance. Got 10 minutes for your country? If yes, then read; otherwise, choice is yours. YOU say that our government is inefficient. YOU say that our laws are too old. YOU say that the municipality does not pick up the garbage. YOU say that the phones don't work, the railways are a joke, the airline is the worst in the world, and mails never reach their destination. YOU say that our country has been fed to the dogs and is the absolute pits. YOU say, say and say. What do YOU do about it? Take a person on his way to Singapore. Give him a name - YOURS. Give him a face - YOURS. YOU walk out of the airport and you are at your International best. In Singapore you don't throw cigarette butts on the roads or eat in the stores. YOU are as proud of their Underground Links as they are. You pay $5 (approx. Rs.60) to drive through Orchard Road (equivalent of Mahim Causeway or Pedder Road) between 5 PM and 8 PM. YOU comeback to the parking lot to punch your parking ticket if you have over stayed in a restaurant or a shopping mall irrespective of your status identity. In Singapore you don't say anything, DO YOU? YOU wouldn't dare to eat in public during Ramadan, in Dubai. YOU would not dare to go out without your head covered in Jeddah. YOU would not dare to buy an employee of the telephone exchange in London at 10 pounds (Rs.650) a month to, "see to it that my STD and ISD calls are billed to someone else.” YOU would not dare to speed beyond 55 mph (88 kmph) in Washington and then tell the traffic cop, "Jaanta hai sala main kaun hoon (Do you know who I am?). I am so and so's son. Take your two bucks and get lost." YOU wouldn't chuck an empty coconut shell anywhere other than the garbage pail on the beaches in Australia and New Zealand. Why don't YOU spit Paan on the streets of Tokyo? Why don't YOU use examination jockeys or buy fake certificates in Boston? We are still talking of the same YOU. YOU who can respect and conform to a foreign system in other countries but cannot in your own. You who will throw papers and cigarettes on the road the moment you touch Indian ground. You can be an involved and appreciative citizen in an alien country why cannot you be the same here in India. Once in an interview, the famous Ex-municipal commissioner of Bombay Mr.Tinaikar had a point to make. "Rich people's dogs are walked on the streets to leave their affluent droppings all over the place," he said. "And then the same people turn around to criticize and blame the authorities for inefficiency and dirty pavements. What do they expect the officers to do? Go down with a broom every time their dog feels the pressure in his bowels? In America every dog owner has to clean up after his pet has done the job. Same in Japan. Will the Indian citizen do that here?" He's right. We go to the polls to choose a government and after that forfeit all responsibility. We sit back wanting to be pampered and expect the government to do everything for us whilst our contribution is totally negative. We expect the government to clean up but we are not going to stop chucking garbage all over the place or are we going to stop to pick a up a stray piece of paper and throw it in the bin. We expect the railways to provide clean bathrooms but we are not going to learn the proper use of bathrooms. We want Indian Airlines and Air India to provide the best of food and toiletries but we are not going to stop pilfering at the least opportunity. This applies even to the staff who is known not to pass on the service to the public. When it comes to burning social issues like those related to women, dowry, girl child and others, we make loud drawing room protestations and continue to do the reverse at home. Our excuse? "It's the whole system which has to change, how will it matter if I alone forego my sons' rights to a dowry." So who's going to change the system? What does a system consist of? Very conveniently for us it consists of our neighbors, other households, other cities, other communities and the government. But definitely not me and YOU. When it comes to us actually making a positive contribution n to the system we lock ourselves along with our families into a safe cocoon and look into the distance at countries far away and wait for a Mr. Clean to come along & work miracles for us with a majestic sweep of his hand. Or we leave the country and run away. Like lazy cowards hounded by our fears we run to America to bask in their glory and praise their system. When New York becomes insecure we run to England. When England experiences unemployment, we take the next flight out to the Gulf. When the Gulf is war struck, we demand to be rescued and brought home by the Indian government. Everybody is out to abuse and rape the country. Nobody thinks of feeding the system. Our conscience is mortgaged to money. Dear Indians, The article is highly thought inductive, calls for a great deal of introspection and pricks one's conscience too....

I am echoing J. F. Kennedy's words to his fellow Americans to relate to Indians.

"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"
Thank you.

its me friends

Kodai Trip