What do you think? Willing to try?

11 Not to Do Things  in 2009

1. Stop drinking vodka and whisky at the same time.
2. Stop writing “Terrorism and Corruption” posts.
3. Stop putting yourself down.
4. Stop waiting for something to come that will make everything better (if only), (apart from a gal that is)
5. Stop thinking you can read minds.
6. Stop trying to do it all yourself.
7. Stop trying old things in new places, unless they’re really old.
8. Stop making excuses for not doing things to move your career ahead.
9. Stop presuming everything will get better because someone else will fix it.
10. Stop beating yourself up when you don’t create something on a given day.
11. Stop striving for perfection, and strive for execution instead.
Here’s the Secret

The secret is this… its ridiculously hard to focus on STOPPING anythin… So maybe lets you and me throw out the first list… and lets do some new things in 2009… And because its hard to actually remember 11 things… lets just do 6 things in the to do list…

6 To Do Things in 2009

1. Find a new way to improve someones day (and determine if theres value in it).
2. Synthesize new ideas from outside your audiences circle (and help us make meanin from them).
3. Promote the great people out there ( and and keep doin it).
4. Learn from brilliant people (and share what you learn).
5. Work on interestin projects that matter to you (and empower others to participate).
6. Discover your passions (and share them openly).

OR

Discover your true self… hate Pakistan if you dont even now… help India sort out terrorism…develop an injection to sort out the ailing Islam… get into the Stock Tradin business.. do a Harshad Mehta.. get into intelligence agencies.. track Americas smart moves.. earn more.. enjoy more.. pay more taxes.. buy a pair of heavy chappals for the Thackerays.. set-up industries.. manufacturing ones.. generate money… grow fruit trees like Laloo does.. hijack the Parliament… drink.. smoke.. wither away…

After all.. human satisfaction comes at a great price…  Wont be long before the Happy vaala new year 2010..

Its very hard to believe a place like this can exist in India.. Unbelievable love, hospitability and serenity all around.. and herez all one can encounter durin their stay there..

The capital city Aizawl is entirely on the hills.. with the steepest roads of the country being its streets.. their homes are built on pillars which stand downhill.. so in many places you will find a person parking his car typically on his houses roof… then steppin down to enter the house..

The roads are so steep and the turns so risky that you cant drive a vehicle yourself.. and you cant really drive too many cars there.. Rule out the midsized.. rule out safaris and scorpios.. rule out even the santros and wagon R.. its just Maruti 800 which does rounds here.. as a personal car as well as taxis.. plenty of the plyin on these roads… no autos.. no other vehicles.. any bike has to be 120 cc or more.. scooters are painful but manageable.. and you only tend to realise the power of Maruti 800 there.. that babys got guts..

The people are extremely co-operative among themselves and hospitable to the people from outside.. of course they keep a stringent watch on outsiders for any unwanted activity they may indulge in.. Among themselves.. see a taxi graze another one and the drivers just responding by a smile.. a car waitin to let way to another one.. so much unlike other places where they scamper to rush in..

.. as for the hospitality front.. there is no attempt whatsoever by any of the shopkeepers to loot a tourist.. they are calm, peaceful.. and are selfless to suggest other shops if you are particularly interested in somethin.. the taxi drivers keep offerin u chips or candies or even cigarettes…

There are more girls than boys there.. and before I elaborate further.. it is essential to acknowledge that there are hardly any obese people around.. or anyone being even healthy above average.. I couldnt spot a single fat person.. the average health levels are amazingly high.. and that is largely because of the fact that everyone in the community works.. I did a statistic count standin in a busy market place.. here are the nos.. 10/11 shopkeepers or store-owners were girls.. and I am not talkin ladies.. 13/17 people smoked… the girls did a variety of  jobs.. from selling cigarettes/paan etc to lifting television sets and loadin them onto vehicles outside electronic showrooms..

Amazingly, they were all very well dressed and especially had well maintained hairs.. i later realised that this was largely because they had a no-savngs policy.. they earned moderately.. and kept them and their family well.. of course the fact that most of the family members worked helped matters…

Their society is very closely bonded and well-knit.. there are aplenty live-in arrangements which work because their selfless nature among themselves.. the girls are free to roam around.. and quite safe inspite of being surrounded by a line-up of disturbed states..

The government on its part has done well to keep up the tempo.. and ensure security.. its a dry state to begin with.. and therez strict vigilance and patrolling.. also.. moreover.. the fact that therez only 2 road routes to escape the place discourages disturbances heavily… you cannot enter the place without a valid permit.. and every local citizen has the right to inspect that anytime and anywhere he wishes to..

Overall.. its the first place I felt like being.. the kinda feelin I last felt in Paris.. if properly publicised, this would be a destination no less than Goa.. but seein the cleaniless and honesty.. the love and care of this society.. it better be left unotuched..

afterall.. how many places do u know of in India where you get a smile from every person you see.. where you are welcomed and thanked for visitin the place from every stranged you talk to.. where you feel so comfortable inspite of not being from there.. where therez color.. therez smoke.. and therez life..

With more than a month gone by, India just lost a glorious chance to end this pakistan trouble once and for all..  it never had a better chance since the removal of Sardar Patel from the negotiatin team.. the most pathetic observation : Indians being worried about innocent Pakistanis gettin screwed.  Innocent.. lol..

Strivin towards peace has made everyone so blind.. that they have forgotten that peace has never been attained in history without war.. on top of that.. India, US and Israel together.. which is more than enough for the entire Islamic world… oh that reminds me of the fact that Islamic countries largely have only 2 assets: Some kind of terrorists.. and some infinite oil.. ( few innocent people too who are not to blame)..

India in this situation cannot afford to be run by people who cant even manage themselves.. by those who dont know to give a commandin speech.. who cant even stand strongly to their own citizens.. who are being made a mockery of everywhere…

Every developed and powerful country had a revolution at some point in history… India could have got one had Gandhi not screwed things up for Bhagat and Co. … its still awaitin that revolution..

Comin back to Mumbai.. for those who are still skeptical need to look below to realise what innocence means.. what an average Indian citizen could end up with any place.. any time.. Lets for the sake of Indians, our fellow brothers, forget the fact that we are supposed to be a bunch to peaceful and tolerant blokes… even Gandhi used a stick to kick out stray dogs from his house..

For those who still stick with dialouge and diplomacy.. well.. you are either a kid.. or too scared in life.. Go end it.. its meaningless and unnecessarily addin to our population..

Well.. they just happen to some of the characteristics of a MEMS Dept trip…  for the 2008 version.. we choose to Rock on…

… and for a glimpse of last years version.. keep tabs on :

http://www.met.iitb.ac.in/mma/

Cheers…

Wake up! Sleep inertia might be paralyzing our ability to think clearly when we awake from sleep… A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, should be of interest for people who are expected to perform immediately upon awakening such as physicians, pilots, truck drivers, military personnel and engineering students… and engineering student who’ll turn corporate…

Scientists have found that many of us suffer from early morning sleep inertia… Here is a description from the Roads and Traffic Authority of NSW, in Australia:

Sleep inertia is the feeling of grogginess after awakening and temporarily reduces your ability to perform even simple tasks. Sleep inertia can last from 1 minute to 4 hours, but typically lasts 15-30 minutes. Severity of sleep inertia is dependent on how long you have been asleep and the stage of sleep at awakening. Effects can be severe if a person is very sleep deprived or has been woken from a deep sleep stage. However, sleep inertia can usually be reversed within 15 minutes by activity and noise. Sleep inertia can affect a person’s ability to drive safely. Sleep inertia can be very dangerous for people who drive in the early morning hours and shortly after waking up from a sleep.

I think for everyone around me I know, our sleep inertia lasts for more than 4 hours and that pretty much kills our morning decision making abilities…like goin to class.. or takin an early morning bus… or not reading blogs so early up.. So If you are reading this early in the morning, here is my advice: Go back to bed and actualize Newton’s first law of motion: A body at rest tends to stay at rest…

Corporate life is tough and that I found out…I mean how the hell can people accomplish so much from 9am to 5pm, while I constantly strive to switch myself on and do somethin useful…hell, I just strive… I figured out I can complete my days work from 9 pm to 12:30am…no breaks… but no one is listenin.. !!

+ this sleep inertia has had such a strong effect on me… its so comfortable to sleep in class with a certain monotonic voice helpin so much… but here.. its a different scene altogether… Five out of the five days, I have been yawning at my table … Just like everyone else in this office… And every time this happens, my mind just tends to wander and I end up being hardly productive and daydreaming…: D

Every day, I try something to keep from getting sleepy :

• Monday – overdose on coffee !!
• Tuesday – talk and text endlessly on the phone !!
• Wednesday – overdose on chewing gums.. !!
• Thursday – powernaps (10-minute naps that I take in the comfort room cubicle of my office) when everyone has gone for lunch.. !!
• Friday – stretching and light exercises walkin around the campus.. !!

Results: It hasn’t really helped…

Pleasant dreams….

P.S. Any spelling of grammar errors in this post are due to S.I. and not any carelessness on my part.

Behind great successes are great men… Behind great disasters, there is just one man… HRD… erstwhile Human Resource Development became Human Reservations Department… and is now Humorous Ridiculous Disaster…

So before one could recover from the pathetic reservation issue… esp applied for premier institutes…. there came the desperate move to open new IITs… new… IITs…

I think them move is sad… its vicious… poisonous… its adding bad ducks to a clean, bright lake… India does need many more such institutions but is not yet ready….Actually… even the present institutes require a lot of attention to maintain themselves up in the comin years… Great educational institutions are not built by money but by talented and dedicated teachers… Unlike financial capital, which can be obtained in a trice, human capital takes years to cultivate…There is already a stark deficiency of Quality Human Capital in present IITs…. As a populist move, one worse than the loan waiver for farmers, the Government wants to have instant IITs… forgetting that without a bank of dedicated teachers it is impossible to raise them to the platform called Brand IITs… The Government is behaving like a milkman who increases the amount of milk he sells by addin more water to it…

When IITs first came up, Nehru took great pains to attract the best available talent… including people outside the nation… The present Parliament is doing exactly the opposite: It is insisting that teachers should be selected not for their ability but on the basis of their caste… It must be remembered that soon after Independence, several State governments, using exactly these kinds of policies, systematically destroyed their universities… Even Kolkata and Allahabad which were amongst the best in the world were devastated.

The Centre is now doing the same to IITs and the IIMs… It took about 20 years for the IITs and the IIMs to establish their reputation all over the world….It did not take many years for Kolkata and Allahabad to lose their sheen… Only a better foresighted parliament can rescue them from disaster.

Brand IIT today is recognised all over India and abroad… However, there are some myths which need statistical re-correction… Everyone believes most IITians go abroad after their graduation, and a majority of them take up management jobs… This is totally incorrect and I am sure there is a need for the over-exaggerated negative media to point out the true statistics to the people…

The actual output of IITs is not what is generally perceived by most people… IIT is not just about the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) or the outstanding success achieved by some graduates in the U.S. ..It is also about the PGs and PhDs who outnumber the UGs in most IITs. …

A little known fact is that more than 80 per cent IITians live and work in India…. Detailed scientific studies of the graduates from IITs Bombay and Madras show that about 35 to 40 per cent of them proceed abroad for higher studies, and about a quarter return to work in India… This means that at most only a quarter of our graduates settle abroad… The pattern is roughly similar for all IITs… Now, graduates are less than half the total strength, and only a quarter of them are settling abroad… Therefore, the total number of students settling abroad may be less than a fifth of the total production. The rest work in INDIA only, unlike media projections which suggest 70% goin abroad…

The power of True Numbers….Convinced ??

Well.. with so many people callin for a font size increase.. here it will be on all my posts here above… I cannot find any supporting feature in wordpress for that.. unless of course I buy some of their packages…. so I end up writin in Word and copy pastin with bigger font sizes…

Cheers…

idea stolen from :  http://priyeshsharma.blogspot.com/

Premier institute will make it compulsory for students to undertake internship in in a bid to expose them to local conditions, reverse brain drain

In an bid to contain ‘brain drain’ and meet the needs of Indian industry, IIT-B will make it mandatory for B Tech (4-year course) and dual degree programme (5-year course) students to enroll for internship in Indian companies or research institutions. The internship is part of the course curriculum.

Hmm… a very basic question : does an internship for 3 months really change your outlook so much you feel like goin abroad after ur BTech… another question : Is doin a PhD abroad and then comin back to India an example of Brain Drain or is it a matter of manpower enhancement for India… yet another ques : How many students really end up gettin jobs abroad once they pass out of IIT… for those studyin in IITs.. you know there are harldly… for those who are not.. you know the situation now..

An internal report by IIT-B says over 60 per cent of the students undertake internship in foreign companies or universities hoping the experience will come handy while seeking admission for post-graduate programmes abroad or getting jobs in foreign companies.Academics feel this is one of the reasons for losing its talented youths to other countries.

60% !! I thought the figure might actually be just 6%… these are overtly exaggerated numbers… it will be interestin case in RTI to find where it got exaggerated… I think with the kind of articles Mumbai Mirror is puttin up these days, I can safely assume its the reporter himself…  for everyone around… trust me.. the figure is much much lower than what is being stated…

Arguments.. hmm… most internees end up in Europe… some in Australia and Canada.. scarecely in US and other places… however..  the favorite destination for PG programmes or anythin for that matter is the US… I dont see what usefulness this experience carries… if at all.. its just widens the perspective of the students in the field of research.. so they are better equipped in their curriculum in IITs… its what happened to Shaun Marsh in IPL..  I dont see how it harmed the Australian Cricket in any way…

The bigger deal : IITians tend to go abroad only because of lack of proper infrastructure in India… they are a hard workin lot (yupp.. it might be a case of self appraisal here) … and they will obviously reject workin in Indian companies which mostly dont pay much… and have a terrible work culture.. When big companies like TATA, ONGC and some IT giants have not been able to sustain IITians for long… how is it expected that other companies improve the scene… A 3 month intern in any part of the world will not bring about any change at all here.. its fruitless.. the purpose looks only worth some nonsense talk among old 70 year olds… there is no sense at all…

But with the Indian economy looking up and local companies complaining of a talent crunch, it was time to stop the ‘brain drain’.

Ashok Misra, director, IIT-Bombay, says, “Students will have to undertake internship in if they want their course credits.

Instead of foreign universities, they will now get to join Indian institutes such as Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Saket Narayan(BARC), Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore.

“This move should help both the students as well as the country. We took this decision to retain the engineering talent of the country. Students get attracted to foreign companies and fail to update themselves on the developments in industries in . It is very shocking for us that students are unaware about what’s happening in Indian companies.

We want our students to experience the excitement of engineering companies and research institutes in and have a glimpse of the developments here. At the same time, we want our industry to interact with our exciting and highly talented students.”

Well.. i wont argue here.. this is not even worth it.. With due respects to the IIT administration for blessin their ideas on the only bright thing in ‘India Shining’… Consider the Metallurgical Engineering and Materials Science Department of IIT Bombay… with just 90 students at present (this is before reservations and other crap)… lets consider some companies who will be interested in actually takin students for interns.. not just showin interest in front of reporters… Tata Steel… well.. they take 3 guys… Jindal, ESSAR.. another dozen… ITC.. 2-3 more… some other big names.. another dozen… that totals to around 30 guys in big companies… what about the rest 60… they work in road side enterprises… in companies which cant affort to have internship programs… in companies which makes them enter accounts on to excel files for 3 months… in companies which are useless but assure them of a certificate… what useful is this experience.. what good does it do to the country… Unless you go out to see what the developed nations are doin.. you really cant progress… lets face it.. Indian companies are dull, dumb and slow.. the scene might be changin.. but then.. if 60 out of 90 students are to be wasted like this… there is no point callin them the cream of the nation… wonder which base they are gonna strenghten this policy on.. ??

Industrial Internships are anyways very rare and difficult to get… There was no point in bannin it and creatin such a big issue… and it definitely wasnt worth the big issue… A look at the comments on Mumbai Mirror online and its shameful… Nobody understands what this talk is about.. everybody draws out their own conclusions… there is criticism all around…

I would suggest Mumbai Mirror to look for other things to make fun of… I think there will be a point when Journalism will the most hated aspect of the country..  I hope they dont face a ban soon… !!

.. and as far as IITs are considered.. well.. with so much being done to dismantle them forever.. this is just a small.. minor move….

I have been a tea-drinker all my life… In my family, tea forms an essential part of every person’s life…On any average day, the tea aroma starts blessin our house early mornin courtesy my dad… and we are talkin as early as 4 am in the mornin.. its mom’s first round around 6… and I think only one round doesnt work… Another one for breakfast at usual time…My bad riddance to bed is usually an hour later… and the kettle is at work again…if its a day to work… tea cups conitinue to dingle around us till lunch…its the last cup for quite a while for the next round is usually post the afty nap… another round in the evenin more or less concludes the day… Tea-drinking is thus an institution here…

I think more than the taste.. its the ability of tea to freshen you up… remove that marginal headache… and warm you up before an important gully cricket match… which makes it perhaps the most popular drink around… Most research shows its not really threatenin to life… not as much as coffee or coke…

Another aspect where tea rules over other soft drinks is the variety of tastes it can offer… every person in this world can make a uniquely tastin cup of tea… thats a humongous variety we are talkin about… Tea at home.. which is mostly milk considerin mother’s affection… tea at stalls.. half milk half water too much sugar.. sometimes too much tea as well… tea in the IIT mess.. some drops of milk..  some molecules of tea.. and some grains of sugar… tea in CCD.. nice cups.. !!  its not the Coke which tastes the same wherever you go… therez always somethin new your taste buds are anticipatin while someone hands you a cup…

Undoubtedly..tea is invented for a quiet company…a thoughtful one…just as wine is invented for a noisy party… the nonsense one…There is somethin in the nature of tea that leads us into a world of quiet contemplation of life… thats maybe also because we prefer drinkin tea to wine everytime we say bad riddance to bed….

The Chinese are no doubt the masters in tea cultivation and tea makin… it appears that for them.. tea is a kind of religious and spiritual drink… Here is what the chinese say :

Proper moments for drinking tea:
When one’s heart and hands are idle.
Tired after reading poetry.
When one’s thoughts are disturbed.
Listening to songs and ditties.
When a song is completed.
Shut up at one’s home on a holiday.
Playing the ch’in and looking over paintings
Engaged in conversation deep at night.
Before a bright window and a clean desk.
With charming friends and slender concubines.
Returning from a visit with friends.
When the day is clear and the breeze is mild.
On a day of light showers.
In a painted boat near a small wooden bridge.
In a forest with tall bamboos.
In a pavilion overlooking lotus flowers on a summer day.
Having lighted incense in a small studio.
After a feast is over and the guests are gone.
When children are at school.
In a quiet, secluded temple.
Near famous springs and quaint rocks.

Reading this ancient list… I am reminded perhaps of our need to reconnect with friends… with art… with nature and to relax… How long is it since you read a poem… looked at paintings… drank tea in a forest for example ??  Not to mention the charmin friend(s)…though it must be conceded our lifestyles dont allow us these luxuries anymore…

Moments when one would should stop drinking tea:
At work.
Watching a play.
Opening letters.
During big rain and snow.
At a long wine feast and a big party.
Going through documents.
On busy days.
Generally conditions contrary to those enumerated in the above section.

Perhaps in these activities… our attention is distracted or engaged on a task… therefore we cannot fully appreciate our tea… Better to keep it for later… when we have some leisure to appreciate it… the aroma.. the taste… sip by sip…the sound when the cup strikes the saucer… and let it become part of our personal ‘relaxation ceremony ’…

Each cup of tea represents an imaginary voyage.

~Catherine Douzel

So everyone waits… till Afzal himself escapes from prison (or allowed to escape as is normally the case).. another fine episode of  prison break to be streamed all day long in half the channels broadcasted over television…till another Kandhahar to take place… till someone hits on the bright idea of  tradin him for Sarabit’s release…till Afzal’s supporters create a public opinion for abolition of capital punishment citing the European practices…                                                                   

SO much for the UPA government…

A sermon by Rev. Jim Sanderson of the Jenkins Unitarian Universalist Fellowship

on 1998 October 11

Buddhists and Christians have sometimes, in a search for common ground, pointed out some intriguing parallels between the “life stories” of Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, and Siddartha Gautama, the Buddha. Jesus’ mother Mary was visited by a divine being, Gabriel, who told her how she, a virgin, would conceive and give birth to the divine Son of God. Maya, Gautama’s mother, had a dream vision in which a white elephant approached her and entered into her to emerge nine months later as the future enlightened one. The white elephant was a symbol of holiness. Jesus was born in a poor setting but his birth was attended by angels and kings. Buddha came into the world in a sacred garden. He emerged from his mother’s side. His birth was attended by goddesses. His mother was herself a queen so the royalty angle was there too. Jesus was hailed by Simeon, an elderly devout man as the future savior when he was taken to the temple for circumcision. Similarly an elderly holy man came to visit the newborn prince Siddartha and burst into tears on meeting the boy.

He wept because Siddartha would grow up to end suffering in the world. Both Jesus and Siddartha deserted their families to seek their truths. Both spent time in the wilderness. Both had teachers who they followed for a while and who eventually came to follow them. Both were tempted by evil supernatural beings. Even some sayings of each bear similarities. These are interesting of themselves. Perhaps the stories are similar because one story influenced the other? More likely they are similar because they grow out of similar needs and questions. Perhaps as Joseph Campbell would point out they reflect the common mythic threads that run through the human unconscious.

Could the teaching of the Buddha have touched the life of Jesus? Actually yes, they could have, which is not the same as saying that they did. Jesus lived about five hundred years after Gautama and in an area thousands of miles removed. Jesus lived in a very different culture from Gautama and was of a different social standing. Yet he shared, it would seem, a thirst for truth with Gautama. Moreover, despite our image of Jesus as a poor man, that was not necessarily the case. In his time and place the term “carpenter” could refer to any skilled artisan including some fairly well compensated ones. Further we are given to understand from the Gospels that Mary was related to the temple priesthood Jesus could thus have grown up in an intellectually enriched atmosphere, one in which the deep questions were seriously explored. Far from being a simple peasant Jesus may well have been a well-educated theologically bent young man. What however does this have to do with Buddhism?

Well, the ancient world was not quite as benighted or as fragmented as we sometimes think. Ideas have a way of spreading out. Remember that Jesus’ Israel was part, albeit reluctantly, of the great Roman Empire. The Empire maintained trading and cultural relations with the East and in particular India. India had been the goal of Alexander the Great’s last aborted campaign. Cleopatra may have considered fleeing to India after Actiun. In short, India was far from an unknown place in Jesus’ world. Some two and a half centuries before Jesus, a remarkable Emperor reigned in India. His name was Ashoka and he converted to Buddhism. Ashoka sent out missionaries to carry the Buddha’s message far and wide. We know some of those missionaries made it as far west as Syria.

There is also a tradition that holds that Jesus traveled to the East in the years not discussed in the Bible. There are local traditions of Jesus’ presence in Afghanistan, Iran, and even Pakistan and India. However there is no way to know when these traditions arose. Some stories go so far as to claim that Jesus survived crucifixion and returned to the East, dying in Kashmir many years later. However, all of these stories are based on little or no real evidence. We simply do not know what Jesus was doing before his ministry, nor is there any reason why we should expect there to be any records of those years.

The intriguing thing, however, is to realize the possibilities inherent in a much wider ancient world than we generally consider.

There are other points of similarity, of course. Jesus emphasized non-violence, turning the other cheek as did Gautama. Jesus lived simply as did Gautama. Jesus taught through parables as did Gautama. Jesus emphasized the need to be active in the world but to also be not of the world. Gautama taught the need for non-attachment.

But does all or any of this make Jesus a Buddhist? Of course not. It does point to similar spiritual needs among humans. However, there is far from enough historical evidence to be too very sure of the actual teachings of either man. there also seems no need for a strong Buddhist influence at work on Jesus. He does not do or say anything that is not understandable for a Jew. Most of all though there is the fact that the central teachings of Buddhism and Jesus are not in accord. Buddhism teaches that all apparent reality is transient and conditional; that nothing exists in and of itself. All is dependent in all. Nirvanah is the ultimate realization of the non-permanence, non-duality, and indeed non- existence of reality. It can not be described or even thought of. It can be grasped by the truly enlightened. Strongly allied with this is the concept of atatman, or “non-soul”. No being has a soul; there is no unconditional eternal cause to any of us or any thing or to the universe itself.

Jesus on the other hand taught the Kingdom of God. This is also a difficult concept to grab rationally. In essence it teaches the dependence of all things in the Creator Father God and the emergence of that God’s rule here on Earth. Jesus saw himself as an agent of the coming of this Kingdom. It does violence I feel to both concepts to try to identify The Kingdom with Nirvanah. Not that it stops people. The Kingdom centers on a personal deity; one whose being is the source and cause of all and to whom all is owed. Nirvanah is impersonal. Buddhism posits no non-created creator. In Buddhism divinities too are conditional beings, also transitory. Buddhists see no real need to talk much about God. For Jesus, God the Father was the only thing worth talking about. True happiness was in relationship with this God who he called “Abla”, meaning “Daddy”. Buddhism and Jesus may have points of agreement but here in their fundamental assumptions there could hardly be more difference.

What intrigues me is the time and energy people have spent trying to show otherwise. Just why would they want to do that? There has long been a movement to show that fundamentally all the world’s religions are the same, that at heart they all teach the same lessons. Unitarian-Universalists have played no small part in all this. Recognizing the imperative of religion as both a motivating and dividing force in human history it has been a dream to harness that power in the cause of unity. To show that fundamentally our religions are all the same would go a long way to showing that fundamentally we are all the same. However it just does not work out that, does it?

It should come as no real surprise that there are points of similarity between faiths. All faiths seek to address the human condition, our awareness of our existence and of our mortality. So some insights will be shared. However it seems to me to require a selective blindness not to see the fundamental differences that also exist. Buddhism and Confucianism posit no Creator God. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam insist upon one. Hinduism has no central theology. Taoism believes in a central force that is impersonal in nature. Christianity insists on one true path through Jesus to God. Judaism claims a special relationship to the Universal God. Native American religions are closely tied to the physical world; Islam and Christianity seek to transcend that world. Islam and Christianity have sealed revelations – sacred texts that are eternally true. Shinto sees a continuous revelation in the flow of life. There is no way I can see to make all of these, and so many other faiths, at heart the same.

Nor is it necessarily a good aim to have. We do have similar needs and questions but we also have different responses. Different faiths point in different directions, cause us to explore different roads and different aspects. Because faiths differ they can dialog with me and others, revealing different insights. There is after all no point in talking to someone who agrees with you all the time. We learn nothing that way.

We also fail to see others as they truly are if we concentrate only on discovering our likeness. We can not understand another culture, country, or faith if we seek out only what we share. Down that road lies dangerous assumptions. Failing to appreciate differences leads us to assume we can act towards others as we would to “one of our own”. We fail to see that we could cause offense or miss a key treasure because we looked past difference to sameness.

So Jesus might have been exposed to Buddhist ideas, It could be that some of Gautama’s ideas were vaguely in the air of first century Palestine. Sort of a part of the marketplace of ideas, probably with the source long forgotten.

Yet it is to Jesus’ ideas and life that Buddhists point when connecting the two traditions. On learning of Jesus and his life, many Buddhist monks and thinkers have identified him as a boddhisatva. In Buddhism a boddisatva is one who has achieved enlightenment but puts off leaving the plane of illusions, puts off entering into Nirvanah in order to help fellow beings. For Buddhists this is the greatest form of compassion and they see in Jesus’ life and death an act of compassion. Like the compassion Gautama taught, Jesus’ is non-attached. That is, it is directed towards all beings, not just those close to one. This is the Buddhist interpretation of the story of Jesus turning away from his family, much as Gautama had done.

Now as a UU I do make certain faith assumptions. I do assume the equal worth of all humans, that as humans we share a fundamental biological unity. However I also value the many ways we express that humanness. Just as it would be boring to live in a world where everyone agreed with my politics so it would be a very dull world if we all shared the same religious assumptions. It is the subtle interaction of our differences that leads us to growth.

Jesus was Jesus; he was not a Buddhist or a Hindu or anything else. He showed a common humanity with Gautama. But found his own expression of it. Both have inspired evolving traditions. It should be noted that each of those traditions have evolved many differing manifestations. Those who see a Buddhist in Jesus seek to find unity, to humanize traditions. Unity however for us humans can only come from an acceptance of, even a celebration of, differences as well as similarities. We are one but we are also each unique. We celebrate each vision, each dreamer.

Back to less taxin reads… the movie is impressive…Its one of the best, and most thought provoking movies in quite sometime… probably since Children of Men…

The movie really only has one setting… so probably the cheapest one ever made… just a wonderfully laid out living room… 3 vehicles.. some dummy luggages… thats it… a strong point which proves that at the end of the day, its the script which decided all… and boy this movie beats its contemporaries so well…

The movie opens with John (a college professor) packing up his belongings to move to some other place…as he supposedly does every 10 years… A number of his friends and students who are masters of a variety of subjects… stop by to see him off… None of them knowin why he is leavin.. and for where…

They then begin to discuss the possibility of a man from the stone age… a cave man… living to the present day… What would he be like? Would it be possible? Each of the specialist professors in different field brought their thoughts and ideas together to the discussion…

John strongly claims he is a 14,000 year old caveman… The beauty here is that there is no way for him to prove it’s true… and there is no way for his friends to prove otherwise… Much of the movie revolves around this thought provokin discussion… an interestin story… and beautifully orchestrated dialogues… Tempers and feelings flare up as they reach sensitive issues of religion and divine existence…

The ending has a strong climax which gave the movie the much deserved magic… I suggest you go and check it out for yourself…

Its one movie thats gonna stay etched to you.. for a long time…

Keep visitin this space for more…..

life’s cool !

cheers !!!

Maggie.

The place rocks.. and happens to be enroute Maddu mess as well… !! A night out followed by an admiration of nature’s own… followed by Uthappa… sounds good… !

“Actually, I have not spent a single minute on my image and that can also be a reason. I am busy with my work. I am committed to Gujarat. I am dedicated to Gujarat. I never talk about my image. I never spent a single minute for my image and therefore confusions may be there”

Thats Modi in an interview recently…

No doubt, he is a demagogue, who let Gujarat burn and let innocent people get killed. But one can’t ignore the fact that today Gujarat is flourishing… It stands among the states that contribute the most to the national GDP (nearly INR 10,000 million)… It is one of the most attractive destinations for foreign investment in India and it is on Kerala’s path of providin education to everybody in the state… If one says that it is all due to the resilient people of Gujarat who are makin all this possible, then one can’t blame him for any mishap in the state…

The Rajeev Gandhi foundation has declared Gujarat to be the best-administered state in India… India Today, on two separate occasions, declared him the most efficient Chief Minister around…Not that these laurels come for free… or without reason… These things became possible only because he has been successful in givin clean, effective and progressive governance over last five years… Outside Gujarat, most people like to hate Modi… but there is a definitive change of views once their eyes themselves amaze to the powerful infrastructure… Gujarat shinin…

I believe that in a democratic and dynamic country, masses have the last word and masses always override media and other speculations… The truth will finally dawn on the people… It’s the people of Gujarat who will decide the fate of this man..

Finally, I don’t think many news channels have shown Gujarat and Modi in a positive manner… For Modi to gain power nationwide, thats somethin he needs to work on… For the rest.. he is the best CM…

… and if an evidence is needed.. here is some :

Modi dares Congress to file case of sedition against him
16 Jun 2008, 1421 hrs IST,PTI

SURAT: A week after daring the Centre to remove Gujarat from the list of centrally-assisted states, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has hit out at the Congress again.

“I invite the whole Congress regime, please do not waste a single day, book me for sedition today and hang me. Let me see how they can,” he said while addressing a public function here on Sunday.

“But how can they? They have not been able to hang Afzal Guru,” he added referring to the man convicted for terror attack on Parliament in 2001.

Modi has been playing political rhetoric again in recent days. At a function in Vadodara last week, he said Gujarat gives Rs 40,000 crore as taxes to the Centre and receives only 2.5 per cent of it in return.

He asked the government to stop collecting taxes from Gujarat and also stop aid to the state. The Congress questioned Modi’s remarks and said they were “nothing less than an assault on the idea of India.”

During recent Gujarat elections, Modi’s controversial statements reaped rich dividends for him. He had taken on Congress chief Sonia Gandhi for calling him a ‘maut ka saudagar (merchant of death).’

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) looks at itself at the only party strong enough to deal with terror and is not leaving any opportunity to hit out at the Congress.

Modi has kick-started the BJP’s new campaign before general elections due next year. And he is looking ahead to a larger role in national politics.

Drink beer. Don’t Drive…

Cheers…

The IPL cricket tournament has been interestin for a couple of reasons: It showed how innovation in services can be appealin to consumers and it showed how competition and globalisation can bring improvements… There are also lessons the IPL can learn from successful sports franchises elsewhere… for instance… the EPL…

The innovation is the most strikin aspect… By re-packagin the sedate game of cricket to somethin with non-stop action… and by reducin the time investment that spectators need to put in for the event… the IPL administrators have modernised it in quite a big way… It has also converted attendin the 20-20 game into a family event like going to the movies, or a picnic,  whether you watch the action and the girls at home or in the stadium…

This has especially  appealed to women particularly housewives… for the three hours required is somethin a busy housewife can afford to spare… as compared to having to spend all day watchin the game… Besides, fast-movin games have instinctive appeal… which is why soccer finds such a ready audience everywhere…

All of this has been described in the insightful book Blue Ocean Strategy (IITB liby ! ) as an example of creating a new and uncontested playin field, creatin an arena where the competition simply cannot compete… therez nothin to compete against… Unique and Sellin… worst than monopoly as far as profit makin is concerned… Consider this : SRK made 15 crores in the first edition itself… it will take a person of his stature 5 great movies annualy to match this revenue… the figure might become 25 in the second edition… Will he be actin anymore… or he’d rather just tell everyone in the country except Ganguly about the best Talc, best clothings, best soaps, best toothpastes, best Utensil Detergent, maybe even best Phenyls… and preach Ganguly about the importance of his Muslim Bro Shoaib Akhtar…

nyway, the IPL has to some extent re-branded cricket and reached a new customer base… which may be indifferent to the game… but has discovered the pleasures of the stadium or social experience with family and friends… also, there have been complaints that Indian professional cricket being a cozy little world… zealously guarded by a few… with hardly any opportunities for others to break in… Indeed, it appears as though the hitherto excluded have managed to excel in the IPL version of the game… as it was not necessarily the established stars who delivered the big performances…

A cursory glance shows that many standouts were unheard-of Indian or foreign players… This is good for the game… but we must spare a tear for the owners who shelled out mega-bucks for under-achieving big-name stars… It is especially good for the unheralded players who enjoyed limelight of international audience… This should provide a steady stream of hungry, newly-discovered players who can revitalise national teams…

All of this is poetic justice… and an indication yet again that money talks… The money in cricket is all in India… which is unfortunate because all the money is for cricket and nothin else…

But there are a number of other improvements that can be thought of… One is the salary cap… Each team is allowed a certain aggregate amount that it can use to pay its players… but that upper limit may not be exceeded… This will prevent rich franchise owners from cornering the market… Secondly, there is a draft, whereby all the new players coming into the game come from a central pool…

All said and done… I am surely awaitin the next edition of IPL..