My Engineering days – The end ...

Final year is always the best and mine was no different. We had ensured Sudi became Departmental Secretary. And we had Manohar from IP who became General Secretary. We had our team in place and thus had the task of managing the college annual fest called Jnana Cauvery. Some 20 events spread over 3 days and participants from different engineering colleges and a mega cultural evening. I headed the Event Management Committee and things went pretty smooth mainly because we had a very good team. We had many off stage activities which included Rose King, Rose Queen, Bidding for the first rose, Dedicating songs to friends and loved ones all day.. I was also the Quiz master for the event. It was all fun. And guess what all the organizing committee members did a Fashion Show and I was part of it. It came out really well. On Friday 25th Sep 2009 I joined my IS students in the Fashion show and it reminded me of my good old days. Am glad I am with my students and it provides an opportunity to be still part of such events.

And then the final year trip. This time it was a 6 day trip to Goa, Gokarna, Yaana, Jog falls. Along with Sudi we booked a luxury bus from Mysore. 38 were on board which included 15 girls. And we were off to Goa. First 2 days at Goa. Churches and beaches… Then to Gokarna. Next Yaana.. Yaana is a stunning place and we had to walk a lot then. We reached at around 2 and I can never forget the lunch we had while coming down at 5.. All were hungry and we had ordered food at a local house and they served rice and Sambaar and it was tasty as well (partly because all were hungry like anything :-) )

Then off to Jog falls after halting at Sirsi. We got down and it took 2 hours to go near the falls by walk. Had a great time and then trekked back, had lunch at Hotel and then left for Mandya at around 4. Reached next day early morning at 4 AM.
It was a great experience in organizing the trip and we really had a time of our life. A special thanks to Shivaprasad whose handy camera came in handy and it brings back those good old days when I watch the CD of our trip.

Two good things happened related to academics. Did a paper presentation based on our 6th sem Project called Language interface ( translation from Dravidian languages to English and vice versa) along with Avinash and my first presentation fetched the first prize. We modified the paper and it was selected for poster presentation Symposium on Translation support systems held at IIT Kanpur. Along with Avinash and with support from Murali Sir and Suresh Sir went to Kanpur. It was a great experience. Also toured Agra and Delhi while returning.

Final year engineering.. Suddenly started thinking what next.. In a years time we will be passing out. Will I be a software engineer (the default option ) or will I pursue some higher studies or will I do something unconventional.

Read an article in a news paper about the District Commissioner of Trivandrum who was made the victim by politicians in a fraud case and was suspended. But he fought back and was reinstated as DC of Trivandrum. The amount of good work he had done and his simplicity and honesty moved me. Then I started collecting information on how to become a DC. We did not have something called as career counseling and getting information on anything was indeed a tough ask then. Then decided that I will become an IAS officer and had to clear Indian civil service (ICS) exam for this. The main driving factor was the zeal to do something for the common man.

Finished 7th and 8th semester. 8th sem I was the second topper with 93 % and had an overall aggregate of 78 %. It was a great achievement considering the amount of time I spent on studies :-)

I told my parents that I want to become an IAS officer. Becoming a Software engineer was the order of the day and they were not very happy with my decision. Told them that I would sit at home for an year and prepare for exams and requested dad to get me IAS books worth 9000Rs. It was a tough one for my dad. They expected me to get into a job and start earning but my idea stunned them. But my dad agreed and gave 9000Rs for the same.

From a parents perspective they were right. Dad had taken a loan for Hero Puch, Computer totaling 55000Rs and it was natural for them to expect me to start earning. Sister had also joined degree course in Mysore and she used to travel daily. Dad had taken a loan for TVS XL Super for her in II PUC..

I was under confusion. Whether to join industry as per parents wishes or to pursue my dreams. It was a tough choice and I couldn’t decide on it.

It was in 2002. 2001 was the Y2K and dot com bubble and IT industry had taken a severe beating. Companies had stopped recruitment. Things were slowly beginning to pick up as its happening now. No campus interviews. After the completion, attended one at NIE, Mysore. It was a combined interview for students of SJCE, NIE and PESCE Mandya. Honeywell had come. Didn’t clear the aptitude round.

Then took Infosys test. Was not at all sure whether I really wanted to become a Software Engineer or an IAS officer. Failed to get into Infosys.

Time had come to decide. I took a firm stand that I won’t get into industry and would rather pursue IAS goal. Told my parents about this. They agreed reluctantly. Never took any further tests. Friends started getting jobs and my parents had a worried look on their face. Doubts were creeping about my decision – whether I have let my parents down. Then came the opportunity at Nitte. I felt I could pursue my dreams parallel by joining teaching profession. They had called for Lecturer post in October. Attended interview on Oct 16th 2002 , was selected and joined as a lecturer on Oct 23rd.

I put my whole hearted effort for IAS exams. I had taken Psychology and Public Administration as optional. Worked really hard. Took the exam and was pretty confident of clearing it but was shocked to see the result. I couldn’t make it. Had put 3 years of preparation for the same and was feeling very low after the results. It hadn’t sunk in. Took almost 3 months to get back to normal state and then decided that I will continue in teaching profession. Decided to pursue my Ph.D

Looking back at how things panned out though am disappointed that I did not make it into IAS, I have no regrets. I did my best. Learnt a lot in preparing for the exams. Took up an unknown subject Psychology and mastered it. In fact can handle a subject for UG Psychology students. :-)

Am in this teaching profession, very passionate about what am doing and am enjoying it to the hilt. Still see a student in myself. Love interacting with students and enjoy making efforts to improve the delivery process.

To sum it up: Enjoy your college life. Get involved in many activities. Just being good in academics won’t do any good. Always put your best effort and leave the rest to destiny. I never thought that I would come and settle in Udupi. But whatever role we end up playing do justice to it. And don’t blame destiny or fate if things don’t go your way. Accept it and move on. What you should worry is lack of effort. Whatever you learn everything will come in handy one time or the other. So keep reading books, get involved with extra-curricular activities, be aware of the current happenings across the world and enjoy your life.

FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS WITH PASSION....

Friends with this I conclude my write-ups on engineering days. Hope you had a good time reading it.

My Engineering days Part IV

I will write some general stuff this time around.

Being a localite morning breakfast was at home but lunch was at Canteen. We didn’t have so much options at Canteen either. During the tea break a mandatory one piece tea plus some Bajji or Bonda or Pakoda. One piece tea = 1 Re. Afternoon some rice item. (5 Rs). That’s it at college.

But evenings it was a different story. Gobi Manchuri had become the toast of the town and you had so many stalls which offered Gobi Manchuri, Fried Rice, Noodles. It had become a craze then. And we all used to have something or other on a sharing basis. “5 Half Gobi “ kodi :-) would be the order. And then we had our old traditional Masala Puri and Pani Puri at a different stall . And who can forget Samosa Chat. It was my favorite.

Hotel Guruprasad. The benne dosa at Guruprasad is too delicious and till date I haven’t come across any hotel which made it better. Every time I go to Mandya now visiting that Hotel and having the same is a must. Just can’t forget that..

And then occasionally there was Apurva Darshini. Typical Banglore fast food eating joint. It was good.

I am sure lot many would like to know how things went personally. Did I have any girl friend? Or did I like someone?

Well you will be disappointed to hear this. I had none. Frankly speaking I was too preoccupied with Cricket, outing with friends, family outings and this didn’t get priority whatsoever. I have no regrets regarding this.

Let me advise something on this. Friends don’t get into this love stuff during engineering. Its my sincere request. I have seen many of them falling into this and guess what the success rate is abysmally low and you will end up spending more time with your girl friend than with your friends. And trust me spending time with friends(not girl friend) is something which you cannot afford to miss. I have seen many during my days and even now that your major responsibility will end up becoming taking care of your love and ensuring she is happy all the time. And ensuring that a girl is happy is one hell of a task :-):-) Girls don’t take this too seriously. It’s a general observation. I hope nobody complains to Ministry of women development and lodge a complaint against me :-) One good thing is our previous minister Mrs. Renuka Chaudry is no more a minister :-) Just make everyone as your friend. Have a nice friendly relationship with one and all. Thats it.. Let "No love" be your mantra :-) :-)

Take care.. Rest in my next… Next two weeks will be very hectic. Have a National Conference coming up and then IGNITE. Being a Coordinator for both will ensure no blogging for next two weeks. :-)

My Engineering days Part III

It is pretty difficult to recollect everything which happened a decade ago but am doing my best to uncover everything.

One subject which I didn’t find that interesting was Microprocessor. And there was this Elevator lab program. I remember trying to uncover what exactly the logic. It was one hell of a task. I didn’t have the basics right and it complicated the matters. Somehow managed to prepare for it and fortunately I didn’t get it in the lab exam :-) :-)

Two unfortunate incidents happened related to my health in second year. One was a minor accident with my Hero Puch. Had minor injuries to knee which resulted in a week’s rest. Chassis of Hero Puch was completely damaged and had to be replaced. Fortunately vehicle insurance came in handy. :-)

Then had a minor surgery on my back. Something called Pilonidal Sinus. Had to be operated. Was in a hospital for week and then rest at home for 15 days. Result I couldn’t play cricket for the next 6 months. I was just confined to watching. Our department did exceptionally well in the inter department tournament and we reached finals but lost the finals. Sudi, Mahendra, Aruna, Umesha, Vachan, Ballari alias Praveen, Apporva, Shakeeb all played very well. I played the role of a coach:-)

Enter 5th semester and the beginning of mini projects. We had 3 mini projects every semester starting with 5th and it was hard work all the way. And the name which instantly comes into mind is Avinash. He was my partner in all the mini projects and we had a great time together. Editor in Linux, Computer graphics project, Visual Basic project, Network project, Java project. I remember doing the Visual basic project on Language translation and sitting together entire night fine tuning the logic to ensure translation from Kannada to English and vice versa succeeds. He undoubtedly worked more than me and was exceptionally good at coding. Thanks a lot Avinash.

Securing distinction was becoming a formality and it continued in 5th and 6th semester.

One subject which was made interesting was Multimedia Computing. It was handled by Murali Sir and he created an interest in that subject. The first thing he used to do was to test what we have understood by throwing very basic questions and we were all on our toes hoping the question is not addressed to us :-) In a way it ensured that we were in regular touch with the subject and his way of presentation was pretty good.

Who can forget the Operations Research(OR) subject. It was an elective and we all took it. The syllabus was ready and we found it interesting as it was problems all the way. Later for some reason syllabus was changed to a large extent and we started following it. We all Sudi, Umesha, Jaya, Aruna, Naagu, Avinash and myself were at Mahendra’s house doing night outs to prepare for OR. It was real fun. Avinash, Mahendra and Naagu used to understand and then teach us. Till then we were all discussing needless things and having fun.:-) But we worked hard to ensure we learnt everything. And on the exam day we were all confident of doing well. Then came the Question paper. We were in for the shock of our engineering career. The question paper was set entirely based on the first syllabus which was sent and the revised syllabus was not taken into consideration. Oh God we were all looking clueless and in the exam hall everyone’s face was full of smiles.:-) Reason nobody knew anything more than 40 or 50 marks and we were all sailing in the same boat :-) Then we wrote a letter to VTU through our college complaining. I had written precisely for 40 marks and it included a 20 marks problem. I had got it right. And when the results came almost all had cleared the paper and I had got 36 :-) In our group Umesha I guess had 80+ and we were all shocked on hearing this :-) He was also shocked :-)

As usual few trips were there and i will discuss about this in my next. Take care...

My Engineering days.... Part 2

Why Hero Puch? Because of Shah Rukh Khan, the superstar.... He was the brand ambassador for Hero Puch and the featured ad was based on his Duplicate film. You can attribute my decision to the power of advertising :-)

Getting into CS department was like homecoming. Had lots of PU friends.

The way i went to college changed. Sudi was now my classmate and he had a Yamaha RX 125. So we used to use our two wheeler alternatively. That did save a lot of Petrol :-)

One thing which both of us did throughout our engineering was we hardly appeared for the first internals ( I guess only 2 or 3 times we might have written). We just didn't take the first internals seriously. I would say we were pretty confident of making up in the next two. And we did precisely that and we always had 20+ at the end of the semester.

How did the classes go? Class vs Cricket. Cricket got priority. It was like Eat cricket, sleep cricket, drink cricket. Even in class the thoughts were about cricket. We played hell lot of matches. Sudi, Mahendra, Umesha, Aruna... But i always ensured i had attendance of 75 %. Never had a shortage. It was like miss one class per week to play a match :-). Took studies very casually. Was not all that attentive in the class. Studied only during the second and third internals. But when i did study it was comprehensive.

WE had one bad habit in class. I along with Sudi, Aruna, Umesh occasionally used to play a game called Cow Bull Word finder game. Name sounds funny :-) It was one to one. Say i used to have a 4 letter word and the other person also had one. The task was to find out the word the other person through a series of iterations. It was great fun. There was absolutely no verbal communication. Just writing in the note book and finding the word. It didn't happen regularly. Once in a while if the class was too boring we played it.

Coming to labs.. Again hardly serious. Just go to lab. Type a program. Get the output and thats it. Never bothered whats the logic, how it works.. This was the schedule during the term days..

Once the semester exams were announced it was time to work. Work very hard. Our saviour was Nagaraju alias Naagu. Just a week prior to the lab exams we (sudi, aruna, umesha, mahendra) all used to go to his house. He used to teach us the logic and the programs. He used to scratch his head to simplify the logic for the program. In the mean time we were busy watching movies or listening to songs in his computer. :-) :-) And when he was ready we used to listen to his explanation with avid interest because the lab exam was at stake. Thanks Naagu for all the help.

After understanding the programs it was time to test it out. And i used to type it in my computer. Execute it. After getting the output i was over the moon as if i had written the logic. :-)

Forgot this computer purchase. After getting Hero Puch in 3rd semester. It was now the turn of Computer the next semester. Made a request to dad. Projected as if if i don't get the Computer it would be impossible to get good marks. Again dad relented. One more loan. This time cost twice of the Hero Puch (Rs 36000. ) But in a semester used it only for 5 to 6 days for actual programming and rest of the time it was games, movies. Get the latest Hindi movie and watch it. 20 Rs per CD and the CD was shared by 3 to 4. :-)

The actual lab exams. Getting output was the one and only priority. 3rd sem Data Structures got a linked list program and i was not getting the proper output. With 15 minutes remaining made a small change and it worked. It was about pointers. Just did it without any logic and it worked. When i remember that mistake now i realise how easy it is. :-)

Theory exams.. Used to sleep evening. Get up at 9 or 10 PM. Have dinner and study till early morning was the routine. Had this knack of predicting questions and it worked most of the times. It used to be an instinctive guess and the question would appear in the exam bringing a smile.

Third sem again barely managed to get distinction.

Fourth semester had interesting subjects. Graph theory, ADA and FAFL were the favorites. Got 99 in Graph theory. I wasn't surprised as the paper was easy and i knew it has to be 96+. Guess what, got 80.5 % and was the second topper. I was no where in the toppers list in third semester. I was surprised with the result. Never expected this. I still remember paying 10 Rs at a internet parlour near our college to see the result.

Second year ended great. I was still under a state of shock that i could score so much. Never realised i had so much potential. It gave a lot of confidence and it had a positive impact on my personality.

Moral: In a way its not fair to advice because i didn't follow it. But i believe we all make mistakes and its all about realization. Nowadays everyone has a Computer. Use it judiciously. Am not saying don play games or watch movies. Do that but also give equal weightage to its basic purpose. Keep a target. Learn one program per day. It won't take more than 15 minutes. It will surely help you in the long run. Or say read an article about latest technology.Spare at least 15 minutes. It will really come in handy.

Trust me nothing is impossible. Effort is all that matters. Don't limit your imagination.

And for gods sake don't be just studious. It doesn't help you in any way. It might be sports or cultural events or organizing something or being part of a team, it really helps in shaping one's personality.

Rest in my next....

My Engineering days.... Part 1

I will be sharing how i spent my days during engineering. It might run into a few parts.(Because i have a pretty hectic schedule ahead in the coming weeks and Blogging is one way of relaxing :-)) Here comes the first part. It all happened b/w 1998-2002..

Got a free seat in E & C at PES College of Engineering, Mandya (my home town). The college life was about to begin. Was using a old bicycle (1960 Hercules)of my grand father for first and second PUC. Continued with the same for the first semester. Then as it normally happens with all youngsters entering college, started to get a feeling that why am i riding an old cycle. Started putting pressure on dad for a new gear bicycle with the reason that the college was 5 kms away from home :-) (But the fact was i used the old cycle for my PU and the Government PU college was hardly a km short to engineering college :-))

First sem results were out and had got distinction. Dad relented to my sustained pressure (the distinction came in handy) and i had a gear bicycle (Rs 2700) at the start of 2nd semester. Didn't even care whether dad had enough money to purchase.

So 2nd semester began with a new bicycle with gears. Was feeling on top of the world. Used it for a month. Then the distance to college got halved. No no college didn't shift..... :-) I used to park my cycle at friend's place (Praveen alias Shahrukh) and then went to college in his Splendor Bike.

Was not at all a studious guy. Somehow again managed to get exact distinction in the second semester. I remember using only a single sheet for Graphics semester exam because there were rumours that if we write everything in a single drawing sheet we will get some grace marks. If i find the guy who started it will thrash him. After writing whatever i knew in a single sheet the drawing sheet looked clumsy :-) :-) Fortunately barely managed to clear the graphics paper.


Strength of Materials was my favorite subject and it was handled by Dr. Eshwar Prasad. He was amazing. Loved that subject like anything. Graphics was the one i hated. Didn't understand concepts of projections.. It was too confusing. You come out with the solution and then suddenly you realise that the initial assumption was wrong. Then redo it all over again.

Along with Shahrukh organized one day picnic to Madikeri. It was a great experience and it served as a platform to showcase my organizational ability.

And 3rd semester entered into E & C department. Was wondering what on earth am i studying. No subject was interesting and circuits, formulas, ... Oh God.. Where was I... Then they called for change of branch option. 7 had got detained in Computer Science. So in effect there were 7 vacancies. I applied for change of branch and the merit list was out and i stood 6th. :-) Got the change to Computer Science. Was feeling great and also relieved that i need not study any circuit stuff :-) Was happy but missed Shahrukh. He continued in E & C. (Shahrukh alias Praveen is now in Oracle.. )

I entered Computer Science department. The branch where my best friend Sudi was there. He was my neighbour and we were classmates from LKG to tenth. We had an amazing relationship and I was happy to join him again as a classmate...

In between all this the youth mania caught up again :-) and started asking dad to get a two wheeler for me. . The gear cycle happiness quotient was on a decline and needed a change :-) Dad relented again and i was a proud owner of Hero Puch (The results and the change of branch thing helped. Rs 18000. Dad had taken loan from Bank to finance. ). He thought me to ride a Bajaj two wheeler (it was his friend's). Dad had a Hero Majestic (1985 make, moped) and i knew to ride it. After a week's training i was ready to ride Hero Puch. Trust me guys riding a Hero Puch is not easy. Putting first gear and releasing the clutch is a very tough ask initially. I learnt it the hard way. But once you learn it then its an easy job to ride.


Just to Summarise everything... I got carried away with this youth mania.. I realised it later that a gear cycle is as good as a gearless cycle and the interest on something is sustained only for a while. My dad gave my gear cycle to a distant relative freely.

Moral : Its natural to crave for many things (bikes, latest mobile handsets, costly branded dresses, etc..) when you enter college but think twice before pressurizing your parents relentlessly. They will have their own constraints and see things from a utility perspective. (I agree i didn't follow this but have realised its importance )

Still tonnes to write... But rest will be in my next part.... Take care...

Swine Flu

Swine Flu has become the most talked about thing in India.. The number of infected is increasing daily and till date 7 deaths have been reported in India and around 800 confirmed cases.

Its obvious that the Swine Flu is going to spread and many more are likely to be affected. The key here is early detection of the Flu. It becomes life threatening if its detected late in a person who is suffering from chronic ailments. But i feel there is no need to press the panic button but rather focus on creating awareness in people on how to deal with this. I hope the facts gathered here from different sources will do that task.

What is swine flu?

Swine Influenza (swine flu) is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by Type A influenza viruses that causes regular outbreaks in pigs. Swine flu viruses have been reported to spread from person-to-person, but in the past, this transmission was limited and not sustained beyond three people.

Is the current swine flu virus contagious?

Various international agencies (US Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, World Health Organization) have determined that this swine influenza A (H1N1) virus is contagious and is spreading from human to human. WHO has escalated the world Pandemic Phase from Phase 3 to Phase 6 (in a 6-scale Phase), indicating that a worldwide pandemic due to swine flu H1N1.

What are the signs and symptoms of swine flu in people?

The symptoms of swine flu in people are similar to the symptoms of regular human flu and include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people have reported diarrhea and vomiting associated with swine flu. In the past, severe illness (pneumonia and respiratory failure) and deaths have been reported with swine flu infection in people. Like seasonal flu, swine flu may cause a worsening of underlying chronic medical conditions.

How does swine flu spread? 

Spread of this swine influenza A (H1N1) virus is thought to be happening in the same way that seasonal flu spreads. Flu viruses are spread mainly from person to person through coughing or sneezing of people with influenza. Sometimes people may become infected by touching something with live flu viruses on it and then touching their mouth or nose.

How are human infections with swine influenza diagnosed?

To diagnose swine influenza A infection, a respiratory specimen would generally need to be collected within the first 4 to 5 days of illness (when an infected person is most likely to be shedding virus). However, some persons, especially children, may shed virus for 10 days or longer. Identification as a swine flu influenza A virus requires sending the specimen to a hospital laboratory for testing.

How can someone with the flu infect someone else?

Infected people may be able to infect others beginning 1 day before symptoms develop and up to 7 or more days after becoming sick. That means that you may be able to pass on the flu to someone else before you know you are sick, as well as while you are sick.

How long can an infected person spread swine flu to others?

People with swine influenza virus infection should be considered potentially contagious as long as they are symptomatic and possible for up to 7 days following illness onset. Children, especially younger children, might potentially be contagious for longer periods.

Is there a vaccine for Pandemic Flu?

Because the virus is new, there will be no vaccine ready to protect against pandemic flu. Vaccine against Swine Flu virus H1N1 needs at least 6-12 months to be produced.

Are there medicines to treat swine flu?

Yes. The US CDC recommends the use of oseltamivir (Tamiflu®) or zanamivir (Relenza®) for the treatment and/or prevention of infection with these swine influenza viruses.

What surfaces are most likely to be sources of contamination?

The virus can be spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with the virus and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth. Droplets from a cough or sneeze of an infected person move through the air. The virus can then be spread when a person touches respiratory droplets from another person on a surface like a desk, doorknob, child’s toy or phone handset and then touches their own eyes, mouth or nose before washing their hands.

What can I do to protect myself from getting sick?

Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. The virus can spread this way.
Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
If you get sick with influenza, stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.

What is the best way to keep from spreading the virus through coughing or sneezing?

If you are sick, limit your contact with other people as much as possible. Do not go to work or school if ill.
Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. It may prevent those around you from getting sick. Put your used tissue in the waste basket.
Cover your cough or sneeze if you do not have a tissue. Then, clean your hands, and do so every time you cough or sneeze.

In children emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention include:

Fast breathing or trouble breathing
Bluish skin color
Not drinking enough fluids
Not waking up or not interacting
Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held
Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough
Fever with a rash

In adults, emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention include: 

Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
Sudden dizziness
Confusion
Severe or persistent vomiting

Deep Joshi - Winner of Ramon Magsaysay award

One of the very few awards which i avidly look forward to is the Ramon Magsaysay award which is considered Asia’s equivalent of the Nobel Prize. They select deserving candidate who have made significant contribution to the society. Indian social activist Deep Joshi, who has done pioneering work for “development of rural communities,” was named along with five others for the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award for 2009. I thought of writing a few words about Deep Joshi.


Joshi was raised in a remote village in Uttarakhand in the Himalayas, did his degree from the National Institute of Technology in Allahabad, a master's degree in engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a management degree from MIT's Sloan School. Joshi worked for Ford foundation as program officer and with his experience concluded that if only more people equipped with both knowledge and empathy decided to work in the villages, India's rural society would be transformed.

This idea led him in 1983 to form, together with some colleagues, Professional Assistance for Development Action (PRADAN). A non-profit organization, PRADAN recruits university-educated youth from campuses across the country and grooms them to do grassroots work through a rigorous year-long apprenticeship which combines formal training and guided practice in the field. "Professionalizing" development work is PRADAN's mission by enabling poor rural families to live a life of dignity.

Living and working directly with India's poorest communities, PRADAN staff empower village groups with technical, project implementation, and networking skills that increase both their income-generating capabilities and their actual family income. Its staff, combining their professional expertise with local knowledge, also train villagers as para-veterinarians, accountants, and technicians who support their fellow-villagers in building and sustaining collective livelihood projects.

In its twin programs of training development professionals and reducing rural poverty, PRADAN has produced impressive results. PRADAN professionals, divided into 27 teams, work with over 112,900 families in 3,044 villages across seven of the poorest states in the country. A majority of the families that PRADAN works with belong to the Schedule Tribes and Schedule Castes. Over a thousand graduates have joined its apprenticeship program. More than three hundred professionals comprise its staff, most of them working in field-based teams across the country.

Why would engineers and management professionals, with degrees from universities like Harvard and MIT, choose to apply their brainpower to a small village irrigation project? Joshi desires to show that for people with the finest education, there are few intellectual challenges more worthy than addressing rural poverty. He says: "Development work is considered intellectually inferior to high science, industry, or diplomacy. We want to prove it is both a challenging and a noble choice."

Twenty six percent of India's population, or roughly thirty crore people, still live below the global poverty line. Getting all of them to lead life with dignity is going to be a massive challenge for all of us. This is where people like Deep Joshi are making a significant contribution.

Hats off to Deep Joshi, an MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) post graduate for his transformative work on rural development.

The way our government works..... Mr. Nandan put on bench :-) :-)

I will summarize an article written by Arun Shourie, a former Union minister in the NDA government in his book Governance and the sclerosis that has set in. It points towards how our government bureaucracy works....

In 1999 Jan a bureaucrat in Ministry of Steel had signed in a file. That file went to another officer. He thought something unusual. One has signed in Red and the other in Blue. Is this permissible? What kind of ink color can be used? So he drafted a letter to Administrative reforms and public grievances department posing a question can any other ink be used. The concerned department called a meeting which proved inconclusive and since it was a matter related with the ink the question was posed to department of Printing press. May 99, they met and after a months deliberation they sent it to department of Ministerial staff and training. This process of consulting various departments continued and finally on Aug 5th, 2000, after deliberating the same matter for a period of one and a half years they decided something which hardly matters: based on the cadre the color of ink can be used flexibly. :-) :-) This is a real story which transpired in the government machinery.

Back to 2009...

After our Nandan Nilekani took over as chairman of Unique Identification authority of India, a fun story is circulating in the net. Its an imaginary diary written by Nandan on his first day at the parliament. It goes as follows...

The House was in pin drop silence. I was brimming with anticipation and excitement. Manmohan had informed me that my introduction was one of the important points of the agenda. I hoped that I will be able to make my speech properly. After so many interviews and conferences, I was nervous today.

After the Speaker indicated that the proceedings of the House could begin, Manmohan formally introduced me to the entire House. He mentioned that as the head of the Unique Identification Authority of India, I was responsible to ensure that each and every Indian had a digital smart card as a proof of his existence.

Manmohan spoke about why I was selected and also some references to the various projects executed by me in Infosys were mentioned. The House listened with rapt attention. I was asked to say a few words and I did exactly the same.

I thanked the Government of India for having given me this opportunity and I assured the House that I would strive to successfully deliver this project. The Speaker then formally inducted me into the House. After the lunch break, it was the moment for me. It’s time to give a presentation on the identity project.

I suddenly found that my laptop did not have any reserve power. I went to Manmohan and apprised him of the situation. I was sweating. He calmly replied that this would not be a cause of concern. I was flummoxed!

The Speaker asked me to explain to the House on what were my plans for the Unique Identity Project. I replied that I have a plan and I have presentation to make for which I need a power socket, a projector and a screen. I had no idea what was going to happen after this.

The next couple of minutes were a complete jolt for me. I was completely in a tizzy. Let me just summarize what happened. A Joint Cabinet Secretary Committee was set up to judge the feasibility of my request.

The Under Secretaries for the Ministries of Power, IT and Broadcasting will prepare a Viability Report after scrutinizing National Security threats to my request. This was because the power socket comes under Power Ministry, laptop comes under IT and projector comes under Broadcasting.

I have also been told to reconsider my timelines of 30-60-90 days and start thinking in terms of years. Probably, they are right. I did not have the foresight in this matter.

The summary of the issue is that I need to come up with a more inclusive, democratic, comprehensive long term plan for this project to be executed over the next five years. I have also been given a presentation slot 6 months from now (by which the issues related to the power cord etc will also be resolved).

I am filled with mixed reactions. I was planning for a quick resolution; the management wants a strategic solution. I come out of the House and text Murthy.

You won’t believe it but these guys work just like us. I am on a NATIONAL BENCH for the next three months!!!!!!

Use caution when pressing Ctrl+C

These days we are very dependent on Internet for anything and everything. The amount of transactions we make through internet using credit and debit card is increasing. Everyday we discover new kinds of online frauds which predominantly employ techniques to steal the credit or debit card information. I read an article from times of India newspaper on this and thought of posting it so that we can all be cautious while making transactions online. The article begins.....

Everytime you do a harmless keyboard shortcut Ctrl+C in your computer, the text you copy online may be stolen on the web. This copied data is accessible on the internet when you visit websites that use a combination of javascript and ASP or any server side language like JSP, PHP, from which the data that you copy can be transferred to another server.

Most websites are javascript enabled. Not convinced? Try copying some text and just visit sourcecodesworld.com/special/clipboard.asp, a website that provides free source codes and projects. You necessarily need not even press the ‘paste’ button. The ‘paste’ happens automatically. The website just provides an example of what could potentially happen to you, especially if you have copied your credit card details, bank details or any other sensitive information.

“This is one of the main reasons that credit card companies and banks ask you not to copy, paste your card and bank details. Everytime you copy some information, it gets stored in your computer clipboard. In case, you end up visiting a malicious website or a phished site, your information can be easily stolen. This information can be read in a hidden manner, that you will not be aware of it being seen by someone else. So, anyone who wants to steal your info can do so easily and store it in his backup for future reference and use it at a later date,” G Anbarasan, an IT expert told The Times of India.

Sourcecodesworld.com says this hacking can be done by a simple source code. This happens especially if you are using Internet Explorer. One of the ways it can be avoided is to use a better browser, Anbarasan says. Internet Explorer, one of the most famous browsers has had many technical glitches over the years.

But for those who are dependent on using Internet Explorer, Sourcecodesworld.com says this problem can be rectified by the following action: Under the tools tab, click Internet options, go to custom level and in the security settings there, select ‘disable’ for the option ‘Allow paste operation via script’.

Online PS to PDF converter

I really had a hard time to know how to open a .ps file and convert it to pdf format so that i can use it.

Finally found an online converter which converts .ps to .pdf file. Its very good. You can also install the GPL Ghostscript 8.64 software to do this conversion as well.. Visit the site http://www.ps2pdf.com to know more about this...

To All Married Couples and Singles Who Intend To Get Married

This is an internet forward. Many might have already read it but i thought of having it in my blog. I am not sure whether its a fictional one or a real story. But reading it definitely makes sense in todays fast paced world. It goes as follows... Do not substitute I with my name though :-) :-)

When I got home that night as my wife served dinner, I held her hand and said, I've got something to tell you. She sat down and ate quietly. Again I observed the hurt in her eyes. Suddenly I didn't know how to open my mouth. But I had to let her know what I was thinking. I want a divorce. I raised the topic calmly. She didn't seem to be annoyed by my words, instead she asked me softly, why? I avoided her question. This made her angry. She threw away the chopsticks and shouted at me, you are not a man! That night, we didn't talk to each other. She was weeping. I knew she wanted to find out what had happened to our marriage. But I could hardly give her a satisfactory answer; I had lost my heart to a lovely girl called Dew. I didn't love her anymore. I just pitied her! With a deep sense of guilt, I drafted a divorce agreement which stated that she could own our house, 30% shares of my company and the car. She glanced at it and then tore it into pieces. The woman who had spent ten years of her life with me had become a stranger. I felt sorry for her wasted time, res ources and energy but I could not take back what I had said for I loved Dew so dearly.


Finally she cried loudly in front of me, which was what I had expected to see. To me her cry was actually a kind of release. The idea of divorce which had obsessed me for several weeks seemed to be firmer and clearer now. The next day, I came back home very late and found her writing something at the table. I didn't have supper but went straight to sleep and fell asleep very fast because I was tired after an eventful day with Dew. When I woke up, she was still there at the table writing. I just did not care so I turned over and was asleep again. In the morning she presented her divorce conditions: she didn't want anything from me , but needed a month's notice before the divorce. She requested that in that one month we both struggle to live as normal a life as possible. Her reasons were simple: our son had his exams in a months time and she didn't want to disrupt him with our broken marriage. This was agreeable to me. But she had something more, she asked me to recall how I had carried her into out bridal room on our wedding day. She requested that everyday for the month's duration I carry her out of our bedroom to the front door ever morning. I thought she was going crazy. Just to make our last days together bearable I accepted her odd request. I told Dew about my wife’s divorce conditions. She laughed loudly and thought it was absurd. No matter what tricks she applies, she has to face the divorce, she said scornfully. My wife and I hadn't had any body contact since my divorce intention was explicitly expressed. So when I carried her out on the first day, we both appeared clumsy. Our son clapped beh ind us, daddy is holding mummy in his arms. His words brought me a sense of pain. From the bedroom to the sitting room, then to the door, I walked over ten meters with her in my arms.


She closed her eyes and said softly; don't tell our son about the divorce. I nodded, feeling somewhat upset. I put her down outside the door. She went to wait for the bus to work. I drove alone to the office. On the second day, both of us acted much more easily. She leaned on my chest.. I could smell the fragrance of her blouse. I realized that I hadn't looked at this woman carefully for a long time. I realized she was not young any more. There were fine wrinkles on her face, her hair was graying! Our marriage had taken its toll on her. For a minute I wondered what I had done to her. On the fourth day, when I lifted her up, I felt a sense of intimacy returning. This was the woman who had given ten years of her life to me. On the fifth and sixth day, I realized that our sense of intimacy was growing again. I didn't tell Dew about this. It became easier to carry her as the month slipped by. Perhaps the everyday workout made me stronger. She was choosing what to wear one morning . She tried on quite a few dresses but could not find a suitable one. Then she sighed, all my dresses have grown bigger. I suddenly realized that she had grown so thin, that was the reason why I could carry her more easily. Suddenly it hit me; she had buried so much pain and bitterness in her heart. Subconsciously I reached out and touched her head. Our son came in at the moment and said, Dad, it's time to carry mum out. To him, seeing his father carrying his mother out had become an essential part of his life. My wife gestured to our son to come closer and hugged him tightly. I turned my face away because I was afraid I might change my mind at this last minute. I then held her in my arms, walking from the bedroom, through the sitting room, to the hallway. Her hand surrounded my neck softly and naturally. I held her body tightly; it was just like our wedding day. But her much lighter weight made me sad. On the last day, when I held her in my arms I could hardly move a step. Our son had gone to school.



I held her tightly and said, I hadn't noticed that our life lacked intimacy. I drove to office... jumped out of the car swiftly without locking the door. I was afraid any delay would make me change my mind... I walked upstairs. Dew opened the door and I said to her, Sorry, Dew, I do not want the divorce anymore. She looked at me, astonished. Then touch ed my forehead. Do you have a fever? She said. I moved her hand off my head. Sorry, Dew, I said, I won't divorce. My marriage life was boring probably because she and I didn't value the details of our lives, not because we didn't love each other any more. Now I realize that since I carried her into my home on our wedding day I am supposed to hold her until death does us apart. Dew seemed to suddenly wake up. She gave me a loud slap and then slammed the door and burst into tears. I walked downstairs and drove away. At the floral shop on the way, I ordered a bouquet of flowers for my wife. The salesgirl asked me what to write on the card. I smiled and wrote: 'I'll carry you out every morning until death do us apart.


The small details of our lives are what really matter in a relationship. It is not the mansion, the car, the property, the bank balance that matters. These create an environment conducive for happiness but cannot give happiness in themselves. So find time to be your spouse's friend and do those little things for each other that build intimacy. Do have a real happy marriage!

Subhashini Mistry – The unsung star

I read an article by Vishveshvara Bhat in Vijaya Karnataka newspaper few days back. He spoke about Subhashini Mistry – a woman who dreamt of something in an unfortunate situation and realized it after a struggle of more than 30 plus years.

I always believe that rather than reading plenty of self help books which talk about general things with isolated examples it’s better to read about people who have realized their dreams against all odds and then discover what qualities these people possessed for being what they are today.

One such unsung star is Subhashini Mistry. The story of hers was uncovered by Mahesh Bhat – an international photographer from Karnataka (Not film director) in his book UNSUNG. The book also contains stories of many other such unsung heroes who truly inspire you to pursue dreams.

Subhashini was born in a very poor family of a farmer in Bengal. She was one among 14 kids. In a short span of time she lost 7 of her siblings because of severe drought. She was married at the age of 12 to a coolie named Saadan. By the time she reached 20 she had 4 kids. Horror struck her at this age. Her husband fell ill and was admitted to a government hospital in Kolkata. The conditions in the government hospital ensured that Saadan was not treated properly and she had hardly any money to bribe doctors to treat him. Saadan died and Subhashini was left with 4 kids and for the first time exposed to the outer world.

Her husband’s death made her take a vow – of building a hospital for the poor: a hospital where poor are treated as humans and to see one of her son as a doctor.
She started working as a housemaid and did all kinds of work to nurture this dream.

She sent her first son Ajay to an orphanage to ensure he studied. Other kids were not interested in studies and she made her to work along with her. Evenings she started selling vegetables in a cart. Realizing that this fetched her more money she decided to set up a vegetable shop in Kolkata. She made a profit of 500 Rs per month and this money went into savings account and some part to Ajay for his studies.
In 1992, at her husband’s native village Hanspukur she purchased a land of one acre for 10000Rs. She wanted to build a hospital there and that drove her from Kolkata. People from the village contributed 926Rs for the cause. She built up a shed for hospital. She went out searching for doctors who could come at least for a few hours on any day or at least once in a month. Dr Raghupathi Chaterjee came forward and others followed him. It was named Humanity hospital.

But her plans were big - to build a sophisticated hospital for the poor. Her son Ajay finished his MBBS from Kolkata medical college and joined hands with her mother. She approached local MP Malini Bhattacharya. After initial reluctance the MP supported her cause. Foundation stone was laid. In two years the hospital was ready and was inaugurated by the Governor.

The hospital is now spread over 3 acres with latest equipments and qualified doctors. Major surgeries are done for less than 5000Rs and minor ailments for not more than 10Rs. Her son Ajay (098830-62354) is taking care of the administration.
Even now Subhashini sells vegetables. Her elder daughter and second son assist her in this. Her second daughter is working as a nurse in the same hospital.

The life story of Subhashini is an inspiring one for anyone. A woman has worked her way from severe poverty, overcoming adversity after her husband’s death and realizing the dream which she had set long back with perseverance and determination. Hats off to the unsung star – Subhashini Mistry

Football... A passionate game

Long back i had scribbled my thoughts on Cricket... Today will shed light on my passionate game.. FOOTBALL...

Played the role of a striker since school days.. But the passion picked up during my engineering after the exposure to English premier league.. Followed the league closely and the World Cup Football was an icing on the cake. We watched the finals between France and Brazil and Zidane's stunning performance made France lift the title effortlessly. We had kept the TV outside our house and 6 families, the old the young all sat to watch this finale midnight and celebrated the victory of our favorite France by bursting fire crackers.

Became a passionate supporter of Newcastle united football club. Watching Shearer was a pleasure and during the early part of this decade we were amongst the top 5 in EPl and regularly played Champions League and UEFA cup. But things started falling apart few years back with the exit of Sir Bobby Robson. Too many coaches and now the club is relegated this season and it will take a herculean effort to get back on track.

Used to play football regularly during my engineering days. I along with Karthi alias chendu as strikers posed great threat to our opposition though they may not agree completely. :-) :-) Our opposition led by Sudi were a good team. Sudi was an excellent dribbler and would run away towards the goal beating players but lacked support at the front :-) Mahendra hated to loose the game. Venki, Biliya, Vachan, Sharath, Bharath, Patel, Nagesh, Sudhanva, Gary, Sandy,and many more played the game passionately. There were many days where we went on playing till 8 PM to decide the winner.. There used to be many controversies but at the end of the day we all took it in the right spirit and post match discussions on many issues other than football was keenly awaited. Injuries were many but the game continued. Elders in the locality used to watch our game and any controversy their words were taken as final.


For most of us Argentine was the favorite team but they never managed to win the World cup since 1990s. We all dream of Argentine lifting the coveted World Cup one day and i feel the day is not far. Argentine are gelling well under the legend Diego Maradona and we have Messi and a bunch of good players.


I really miss those golden days of playing football. But the passion for the game continues and will never die.

Zoozoo: The new brand 'endorser' for Vodafone

IPL 2.0 is going great... more competitive than the previous edition...... But one thing which i eagerly wait during the telecast is the latest ad from Vodafone which does not feature any celebrities but characters called Zoozoos...:-) Creativity at its best... And my favorite one is GET STOCK ALERTS... It just made me burst into laughter considering the way worldwide stock markets are at present...... Read to find more about this sensational ad....

No, they aren’t animated characters. They are human beings who were made to wear body suits. “The design of the characters is such that one gets fooled into thinking it is animation,” shrugs Rao, which was indeed the very illusion that had to be created. “In a sense, it is ‘live’ animation!” he quips, referring to the fact that it was all shot live.


Prakash Varma, ad filmmaker, Nirvana Films, has directed the commercials, and reveals that the Zoozoos were a big challenge to create. The practical aspects of how they will move, talk, gesticulate and emote were very important. Essentially, costume design and artwork were crucial elements.

“It took me three weeks of pre-production to understand how it will work,” says Varma. There were two fabrics that were considered for the body suits, and one was rejected for it had too many wrinkles and was shiny. The wrinkles would have shown when the characters moved, thereby shattering the illusion of animation. “So we chose the more practical, thicker fabric,” Varma explains.

The production team divided the outfit into two parts: the body and the head. The body part of the outfit was stuffed with foam in some places, while the head was attached separately. To make it look bigger than a human head, a harder material called Perspex was used, which in turn was stuffed with foam (with scope for ventilation).

If one wishes to understand the size of this head, here’s a fact: a human head would typically reach up to the mouth level of this giant Zoozoo head. “We kept the hands and legs thin, which is why we cast women – and occasionally children – wearing the costumes,” says Varma. The thin limbs, contrasted with big bellies and a bulbous head, all add to the illusion that these creatures are ‘smaller’ than humans. Sets were created to suit the size of the Zoozoos.

Cinematically, this ‘size’ was a trick: the creatures look smaller than they actually are on screen, to portray a different world of sorts. For this, the speed of shooting was altered: Nirvana shot it in a high-speed format to make them look the size that they do.

Furthermore, simple sets/backdrops were created and spray painted with neutral Greys – a colour of choice so that attention isn’t diverted from the main characters. For a supposedly ‘outdoor’ shot, even the shadow of a Zoozoo was kept ‘live’ and not done in post production: it was painted in a darker shade of grey on the ground. An even lighting was maintained throughout.

There was virtually no post production work done.

The films were shot by Nirvana in Cape Town, South Africa, with the help of a local production house there, called Platypus.

Bihar.... The reality... Too many entrance tests to get into professional courses...

Ranchi.. Its a big city... Our medical student's father took us for a city ride.. Visited Rock garden and Rajendra institute of medical sciences.. Its a government college with a hospital.. Hospital is huge.. Though its a government hospital its wel maintained. They have a AC nephrology and Orthopaedics unit. Imagine a government hospital for common people with AC rooms.. But roads are narrow.. We had typical Bihari lunch in his place and it was delicious. Their hospitality was very good...

We left Ranchi for Patna and reached at 8 PM.. I had heard lots of stories about Bihar and its image and now time had arrived to ascertain the facts...

Everyone here admits outrightly that Bihar is progressing well under Nitesh Rule.. 15 years of Lalu Rule had put the entire state in shambles and locals say it will take atleast 10 years to clean up this mess and Nitish Kumar has begun the task in right earnest. We could see lot of flyovers under construction and road work. Nobody knew what development was during Lalus rule but now they realise that Lalu took them for a ride. But will this translate into votes for Nitish who is focussing his campaign on the development agenda. Bihar politics is highly polarised on the basis of caste and i get a feeling this will play a majo role than the development. If Nitish Kumar happens to sweep the Loksabha elections then it would be the real victory for Indian Democracy and for the people of the state... Verdict will be out on the counting day..

At the educaiton fair: We had vrey good number of enquiries for many courses from our trust. There are very few medical and engineering colleges in Bihar and Jharkand and hence lot of students move out of their state to pursue professional courses. Invariable students take a break for an year after +2 (II PUC) to prepare for entrance exams. We found many students who had dropped two years to prepare for entrance exams. Is very strange. In Karnataka, everyone prepares simultaneously for II PU and entrance exam and get into professional courses immediately. But in Bihar around 80 % drop a year to prepare for entrance exams.

Regarding entrance exams: My god, there are too many entrance exams.. AIEEE, State entrance, Maharashtra entrance, Bengal entrance, Jharkand entrance, COMEDK entrance, deemed universities like Manipal entrance, VIT entrance, SRM entrance, Kalinga and the list is endless.. Students find it difficult to to identify which entrance to take. Too many considerations. Getting a train ticket to Bangalore to write COMEDK is also a consideration. Centre has to do something for this. There is a proposal to conduct a common entrance for all deemed universities next year and effort should be put in to ensure this happens. So many applications to fill in, so many centres. Its a huge burden for students, parents and also universities.

A single entrance exam will go a long way in resolving this problem.

The journey begins... Mumbai, Ranchi, Patna and Kolkata..

I love traveling and visiting places. I do feel that you learn a lot by travelling. It gives an exposure to the world when u interact with all kinds of people which helps u in understanding others in a much better way...

Right now i am in Ranchi attending an educational exhibition as representative from Nitte education trust. I am accompanied by the registrar of NET Dr Rajashekar Sir.

We are done with our work in Ranchi and will be heading towards Patna today evening. Two days we have work in Patna and then we move to Kolkata ( City of Joy). Have two days break at Kolkata before the exhibition begins and then we will be leaving on 21 st to Managalore via Mumbai. Will reach Mangalore by 21st 8 PM...

Let me begin with Mumbai. We stayed in Mumbai overnight en route to Ranchi.. Rajashekar Sir had stayed in Mumbai in 1990s for a period of 8 years. He gave a perfect picture of Mumbai and its cosmopolitan nature.. We were staying near the airport (Santa Cruz). Went by Mumbai metro to Churchgate.. Got a glimpse of life by seeing people at Metro.. Metro is the lifeline of Mumbai.. Everybody commutes to their work places by metro.. The city is so fast paced.. U can see people walking at a brisk pace in Metro stations... Everybody is in their own world... Saw a guy reading bhagawadgita aloud in train, a group singing bhajan, headphones plugged in were tuned to FM...

We got down at Churchgate and had Vada Pav... i guess the bread and butter of Mumbai... It was good.. Then we headed towards marine drive.. took a long walk.. Sir showed some landmark places... Sittng and enjoying the sea breeze is a real pressure after a tired days work... Its jus amazing... Family, friends, couples, teenagers, skaters... Its a stunning view...

On our way back sir asked me to have Dukes lime soda... the local flavor of Mumbai and it tested great...

Earlier we had Idli at a Udupi restaurant.. It was far better than what we get in our place though we are in Udupi...We reached Vila parle at 1030.. Went to
a Gujarati restaurant.. Had dinner.. Then on our way back had different flavors of Kulfi from a UP wala... It was too good.. especially the mango flavor.. Then we reached Hotel at around 1130 and slept.. The city is truly cosmolitan...

Morning we boarded flight to Ranchi via Delhi... Around 3 hours jouney with a stop over at delhi for 45 minutes...

Ranchi... The capital of Jharkand.. The state is under President's rule.. A state where an independent candidate became a Chief Minister.. A state which reflects aayarams and gayarams of politics.. Morning u are supporting one party and overnight it changes.. Anybody can dream of becoming a Chief Minister.:-)

Food... We explored all kinds of items and being a veggie is indeed a limitation sometimes :-) :-) The city doesnt sound like a capital city to be frank.. One reason locals say for this is its creation.. It was carved out of Bihar in 1998 and for me it sounds absurd that even after 11 years the city is like this.. Speaks about politicians of Jharkand..

Cycle Rickshaw ride was good.. U have autos and tempo (extended autos) ... Ranchi is famous for its largest mental hospital in India.. Its a 600 bed hospital...

Today one of the parent of a medical student at Deralakatte will take us for a round.. He is a doctor at Ranchi... Looking forward to this visit...

Rest in my next...

Little Abhilasha lives on

Abhilasha... She fought for her life for 16 months.. Could not survive... But gave life to 4 patients...

Abhilasha, 16 months and two weeks old, has become India’s youngest cadaver (The dead body of a human being) organ donor after her parents decided to donate her kidney and eyes. The child died in February and her eyes and kidneys have been transplanted.

Abhilasha was diagnosed with biliary artesia and was in need of a liver transplant. But that could not be performed because of her underlying neurological condition.

Abhilasha’s mother Vineeta said: “We decided to donate Abhilasha’s organs because we felt and understood the need and importance of an organ which Abhilasha could never receive. Today I feel proud that my daughter’s contribution has given a new life to others. Through this service we have kept our daughter’s soul alive forever.”

There is an acute shortage of donors. Ever since the Human Organ Transplant Act was passed in 1994 in the country, making it possible to receive transplants from brain dead donors, there has been little progress in the country's cadaver programme. Despite improved technology like ventilators and emergency measures to preserve crucial body organs since 2004, there have been just 1,000 cadaver donations in India. While in the US in just last year, there have been 22,000 cadaver donations.

Lets pay tribute to parents for taking a courageous decision. Abhilasha is unique. Her case shows how awareness can help transform lives. She has shown the way...

We are not going to take anything when we die. We can at least give life to someone who is desperate. I know pledging organs is still a taboo in India but Abhilasha's parents have shown the way.

How to pledge organs.. Go to a near by reputed hospital. Fill in a form. You can pledge your organs. You can inform any of your relatives or friends about this. Hospital needs to be informed after death. They will do the rest. I have decided to pledge my organs. You too consider and lets spread awareness on this.

Hong Kong Diary part one

Hong Kong was my first trip abroad and was a memorable one..

Left Bangalore by Jet Airways on 16th MArch. Flight was scheduled at 2030 but got delayed and left at 2140. Reached Mumbai at 2330. Connecting flight to Hong Kong was at 0030 hrs. It got delayed at the immigration counter as an Mumbai immigration official refused to accord priority when a Jet oficial requested him to do so as i had a flight at 0030 hrs. He deliberately made me wait for ten minutes and when an VIP arrived with hs wife he was straight away entertained and got clearance.... Indeed it is India and we are a democratic country... Anyways i made it to the flight at 0035 hrs and was the last person to board the flight.

The view of Mumbai from the flight was stunning. The lights on the streets and buildings added color to the night. No wonder its called a dream city.

The journey was pleasurable and the food served during the journey was good. It had an inflight entertainment program with screens embedded into seats and there were lots of movies (hollywood, bollywood, regional ) to choose and i watched Das Vidhaniya.. It was really good and the trust of the movie was to enjoy life the way you want to and i am completely in sync with the theme... Reached Hong Kong at 830 AM local time. Hong Kong is two and a half hours ahead in time from IST.

Hong Kong International Airport is amazing. Its so huge. I thought Bangalore was prety big but Hong Kong its huge.. Hong Kong airport has been voted as the best managed airport in the world in a survey and i could see the reason. The immigration clearance was smooth. The guy asked a few questions about where i am working and why i have come. Stamped the free 14 day Visa on my passport and i was done with the process.It took 2 minutes.

Had already booked the hotel near the conference venue and took the bus to hotel and reached at around 11 AM...

Return journey from Hong Kong to Mumbai was good and on time.This time watched Dostana. It was an average kind of stuff. Reached Mumbai at 2300 hrs on 20th March and was supposed to board flight at 0315 hrs to Bangalore. But to my surprise they told me that the flight is cancelled and i need to catch the next flight at 0640 hrs. So had to wait from 0000 hrs to 0600 hrs at Mumbai Chatrapathi Shivaji Airport.

Tips for those who travel by air:

Carry only the necessary items in your carry bag. This should include passport and air tickets. If you are carrying a laptop keep it with you. Baggage can carry a maximum weight of 19 kg and ask for a direct check in to destination if you are making a transit at some place. You can then colect the baggage at the destination. During security check in they will ask you to keep all electronic gadets separately and then do the screening. The security screening takes time but its worth the pain as they all do it for our safety. So have patience... :-)

Its 21 st March, 0500 hrs now and i am scribbling this blog from Mumbai airport. But the problem is i cannot post it as the WiFi connection is not working here in Mumbai airport where as at Hong Kong it did. Will go home and post this blog. Will be leaving for Udupi tonight from Bangalore.

Do not conclude that i have started criticising India after my trip to Hong Kong. There is nothing wrong in being appreciative about the system in a different country as long it is good. That becomes the benchmark for us to achieve.

I will talk about the conference and the places i visited in HOng Kong in my next blog.

An excellent article to understand the cause for current economic crisis

This is an excellent article which was forwarded by my friend Sudi on the current economic crisis... It highlights how the crisis started and where its heading in a different way..... It goes like this...........

Heidi is the proprietor of a bar in Berlin.

In order to increase sales, she decides to allow her loyal customers - most of whom are unemployed alcoholics - to drink now but pay later.

She keeps track of the drinks consumed on a ledger (thereby granting the customers loans).


Word gets around and as a result increasing numbers of customers flood into Heidi's bar.
Taking advantage of her customers' freedom from immediate payment constraints, Heidi increases her prices for wine and beer, the most-consumed beverages.

Her sales volume increases massively.

A young and dynamic customer service consultant at the local bank recognizes these customer debts as valuable future assets and increases Heidi's borrowing limit.

He sees no reason for undue concern since he has the debts of the alcoholics as collateral.

At the bank's corporate headquarters, expert bankers transform these customer assets into DRINKBONDS, ALKBONDS and PUKEBONDS.

These securities are then traded on markets worldwide. No one really understands what these abbreviations mean and how the securities are guaranteed. Nevertheless, as their prices continuously climb, the securities become top-selling items.

One day, although the prices are still climbing, a risk manager (subsequently of course fired due his negativity) of the bank decides that slowly the time has come to demand payment of the debts incurred by the drinkers at Heidi's bar.

However they cannot pay back the debts.

Heidi cannot fulfill her loan obligations and claims bankruptcy.

DRINKBOND and ALKBOND drop in price by 95%.

PUKEBOND performs better, stabilizing in price after dropping by 80%.

The suppliers of Heidi's bar, having granted her generous payment due dates and having invested in the securities are faced with a new situation.

Her wine supplier claims bankruptcy, her beer supplier is taken over by a competitor.

The bank is saved by the Government following dramatic round-the-clock consultations by leaders from the governing political parties.

The funds required for this purpose are obtained by a tax levied on the non-drinkers.

Finally an explanation we can all understand ……..

Growth to Recession --> Globalization to Protectionism –>Tax breaks to Stimulus packages and Bailouts

“Polite Indian voices answered when we rang our banks. Spanish firms owned our airports, the Germans bought our water, Dubai controlled our ports. Our homes were flooded with cheap imported clothes, toys and electronic appliances from China. And, anyway, we were like an orchestra being conducted by an invisible hand” wrote Times columnist Janice Turner.

But now that music has stopped , the orchestra is coming apart. Suddenly Protectionism is the buzz word replacing Globalization.

Italy has threatened to retaliate against British workers if the Italian company in Britain is forced to sack its Italian and Portuguese staff.

Barrack Obama’s Buy American plan makes it mandatory for US companies taking bail out plans to purchase all goods and services from domestic supply has triggered a shock with the supporters of Globalization... Banking firms which have been bailed out have been asked not to issue H1B visas – a majority of H1B visa holders are Indians working in IT industry.

The debate has started… The debate is no longer about the merits of free markets and globalization but how to stop them from causing further havoc. The mood is now about protecting national interests and rights of local workers, farmers etc. A diplomatic row is simmering between US and Europe over the Buy American plan.

Paul Krugman, noted economist in his column on New York times Who will stop the pain? quotes from the minutes of a meeting of US Fed officials - “All participants anticipated that unemployment would remain substantially above its longer-run sustainable rate at the end of 2011, even absent further economic shocks; a few indicated that more than five to six years would be needed for the economy to converge to a longer-run path characterized by sustainable rates of output growth and unemployment and by an appropriate rate of inflation.”

Every day you hear governments bailing out one industry after another and recession in Europe is spreading. Anti government street demonstrations, sparked by mounting job losses and fear of an uncertain future has erupted across Europe in the face of a deepening economic crisis. The anger has been fuelled by by the perception that governments are too busy bailing out banks and big businesses and not bother about the common man. Its a tough call for governments as well.

This morning got a call from a friend working as a techie and he painted a gloomy picture about the impact of recession on IT industry in India. He predicts darker days ahead for the Indian IT companies and this might go on till the end of 2010.

What lies ahead for Indian IT industry… IT bubble bust in 2001 was largely attributed to dot com bubble and it was specific with IT sector. But todays depression has not spared any sectors. Its pervasive..

Well i advice passing graduates not to waste time and do a PG or Masters abroad so that when the industry picks up they are qualified to take up the opportunity. But there will be cut throat competition and the survival of the fittest will hold good in future...

If Indian IT industry starts laying off in a large scale i do predict a sub prime crisis (people defaulting on housing loans because of layoffs) in India and banks would be the first victim. One of my colleague predict that Banks will face pressure if students who do not get jobs and who have taken educational loans start defaulting. Though its too early to conclude this, things certainly look gloomy.

Looks like the mother of all depression is round the corner..