It seems some political parties are promising 24-hours water supply to Mumbai. How on earth this is going to be possible is anybody's guess. Even on getting "abundant" rainfall year after year and with the lakes (that supply water to Mumbai) overflowing during the rainy season, no one raises a question as to how there is a water shortage by December. If so, without building additional lakes or catchment areas, it beats me to how there could be 24-hours water supply. Of course, we should also not forget how Mumbai can accomodate more "migrants" while still meeting all these constraints.
Oh! maybe they meant 24-hours water supply to the non-tax-paying, free-housed, underprivileged and the "minority". That's what maybe someone meant by saying the minority has the first claim to the resources of this country. Leeches, get off my back. Enough of plundering Mumbai.
Sunday, December 24, 2006
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Sem 1 results declared...
By the grace of the Supreme Lord and all the other Gods, Goddesses, saints and gurus, I have managed to pass comfortably semester 1 of the MTech programme.
After days of delay in declaring the results for one of the courses (aka subjects), the results for all the courses in Semester 1 have been declared. While the results for the other courses were out more than a week earlier, we had to wait for the results of one of the courses for at least a week. The big relief is that I have passed the semester. I also seemed to have accomplished my goal of "scoring well" early on to avoid hiccups later on. (A CPI of less than 6 at any point in the MTech programme at IITB will almost always result in being kicked out of IITB. That way, no one in an MTech programme at IITB can be a "5-point someone"...people will always be at least a "6-point everyones".)
My strategy of taking "easy" courses early on seemed to work. I can now look forward to taking "dangerous" courses later on without the fear of dipping below the 6-point mark.
After days of delay in declaring the results for one of the courses (aka subjects), the results for all the courses in Semester 1 have been declared. While the results for the other courses were out more than a week earlier, we had to wait for the results of one of the courses for at least a week. The big relief is that I have passed the semester. I also seemed to have accomplished my goal of "scoring well" early on to avoid hiccups later on. (A CPI of less than 6 at any point in the MTech programme at IITB will almost always result in being kicked out of IITB. That way, no one in an MTech programme at IITB can be a "5-point someone"...people will always be at least a "6-point everyones".)
My strategy of taking "easy" courses early on seemed to work. I can now look forward to taking "dangerous" courses later on without the fear of dipping below the 6-point mark.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
End of End Sems
Its been a fast paced period of 4 months...joining in July, the end sems ended yesterday. There's only a small project left to be done in the next few days. There's the vacation to look forward to. Also, time to catch up on all the other stuff. And above all to have fun...that's until the results are declared.
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Happy Diwali 2006
The air is full of smoke and smells of gunpowder; the asthama patients have run away from the city...
As Diwali (the set of festivals that falls on various days) draws to a close, those guys who ran away can return back. It seemed to me that this year the number of fireworks burnt were much lesser compared to the previous years. The High Court order did not seem to be working completely, but maybe it did make a difference. Or perhaps, this year people became wiser and decided to spend their monies on other things.
Around this time of the year, people are much happier probably because they get paid more salary (bonus). Shoppers of all kinds of hues and sizes flocked to the shops and bought all kinds of things. It is almost mandatory for people to buy new clothes - so most shops selling clothes were completely swamped with customers. The shops, in turn, utilized the opportunity to entice customers with "huge discounts". Shops selling snacks and sweets made a roaring business. It is probably also customary in businesses to gift a "gift hamper" containing dry fruits or sweets or whatever to loyal customers / associates.
As is the usual custom, sweets and snacks were exchanged with friends and families. I also got a much needed break (change of routine).
The past few years (and this year too) I've also been utilizing the mini-Diwali break to catch up on things. Its an ideal time to complete (or at least try to complete) unfinished assignments and projects.
As Diwali (the set of festivals that falls on various days) draws to a close, those guys who ran away can return back. It seemed to me that this year the number of fireworks burnt were much lesser compared to the previous years. The High Court order did not seem to be working completely, but maybe it did make a difference. Or perhaps, this year people became wiser and decided to spend their monies on other things.
Around this time of the year, people are much happier probably because they get paid more salary (bonus). Shoppers of all kinds of hues and sizes flocked to the shops and bought all kinds of things. It is almost mandatory for people to buy new clothes - so most shops selling clothes were completely swamped with customers. The shops, in turn, utilized the opportunity to entice customers with "huge discounts". Shops selling snacks and sweets made a roaring business. It is probably also customary in businesses to gift a "gift hamper" containing dry fruits or sweets or whatever to loyal customers / associates.
As is the usual custom, sweets and snacks were exchanged with friends and families. I also got a much needed break (change of routine).
The past few years (and this year too) I've also been utilizing the mini-Diwali break to catch up on things. Its an ideal time to complete (or at least try to complete) unfinished assignments and projects.
Saturday, September 30, 2006
Mid-sems now over
Whoa...what a relief. The mid-sems are over and though I did not fare particularly well in any of the exams, it seems that I might scrape through. Given the fact that the weights attached the mid-sem exam scores vary, I might now have to depend on other forms of evaluation (quizzes, assignments, course projects, etc.).
Of course, my strategy was to get as good scores as possible in the mid-sems. The reason was simple: there are fewer topics during the mid-sems than the end-sems. Again, another strategy was to get "good" grades in the earlier semesters - there is always the danger of not being able to keep the required CPI later.
It seems to me that I am back to my old habits again - faring very nicely compared to others during minor tests and doing badly compared to them during the important exams. Anyways, it should not matter as long as I pass and keep the grades at the minimum required level.
Of course, my strategy was to get as good scores as possible in the mid-sems. The reason was simple: there are fewer topics during the mid-sems than the end-sems. Again, another strategy was to get "good" grades in the earlier semesters - there is always the danger of not being able to keep the required CPI later.
It seems to me that I am back to my old habits again - faring very nicely compared to others during minor tests and doing badly compared to them during the important exams. Anyways, it should not matter as long as I pass and keep the grades at the minimum required level.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
*cha Raja : the carnival ends
This year's Mumbai "carnival" (this is the word used by some journalists - actually that's what it is now) has come to an end. A nightmare for the security forces, luckily no attacks / disasters during the period. While some attributed this to the Lord Himself, others felt that it was a job well done by the security.
As usual, some of the people accompanying the processions seemed to be disinterested in the religious nature of the festival. One could see drunk people dancing and leading the processions.
The naming convention seems to have caught on...most Ganesh pandals now had the "*cha Raja" suffix. For example, "Powaicha Raja", "Ghatkoparcha Raja". Others went a step ahead and had "*cha Maharaja" as the suffix.
One could see numerous hoardings put up by all political parties. In some of these hoardings, numerous pictures of the various local "thugs" were displayed - some of these banners had a very small photo of Ganesha - much of the space was taken up the "thugs" themselves.
I could see many North Indians also keeping Ganesha idols in their homes - this might be the effect of Bollywood and other actors popularizing by walking to Siddhivinayak, etc.
As usual, some of the people accompanying the processions seemed to be disinterested in the religious nature of the festival. One could see drunk people dancing and leading the processions.
The naming convention seems to have caught on...most Ganesh pandals now had the "*cha Raja" suffix. For example, "Powaicha Raja", "Ghatkoparcha Raja". Others went a step ahead and had "*cha Maharaja" as the suffix.
One could see numerous hoardings put up by all political parties. In some of these hoardings, numerous pictures of the various local "thugs" were displayed - some of these banners had a very small photo of Ganesha - much of the space was taken up the "thugs" themselves.
I could see many North Indians also keeping Ganesha idols in their homes - this might be the effect of Bollywood and other actors popularizing by walking to Siddhivinayak, etc.
Sunday, September 03, 2006
Learning to "stay afloat"
A month has elapsed since the courses for MTech have begun. With so much of "load", it is quite difficult to get a break to do anything other than studies. Suprisingly, I haven't had to stay back in the hostel...I am still commuting to / from home. The mid-semester exams are just a few days away and the strategy is to just try and keep "afloat".
Monday, August 14, 2006
Fear, fear everywhere
Security has been stepped up, thousands of police have been deployed, reserved forces have been called out...It seems that the terrorists have instilled fear in the minds of the people.
One wonders if publishing information about how "secure" we have made the important places would help. One of the key things in security, one would imagine, is to not alert the "enemy" at all and simple prepare as quitely as one can. One would think that publishing openly what security measures are in place would cause the enemy to backoff only to attack at a time when it is least
expected.
On the other hand, there is another angle for doing that. There are some guys who when provoked would like to "show off" how they can attack the toughest secuirty rings. That way, we would catch the enemy red-handed. This is the mind-game or pyschology angle.
It doesn't seem that our authorities are so bright as to be doing the second thing. They seem to be doing it to want to show people that they are acting on the threats perceived and doing something about it. Lest something happen and people then blame them for sitting on the "input".
India was never perceived as an "Islam enemy" by its non-neighbors until recently. Two incidents that changed this come to mind: the demolition of the Babri Masjid and the Gujarat riots. It seems plain as water to me that these incidents may have changed India's image in the terrorists' viewpoint. India has now been caught in the middle of the gunfire.
I remember my conversations more than a decade ago with a Bangladeshi Muslim I had met with in the United States. He seemed to have some misunderstanding about how bad Indians treat Muslims. I am sure biased media reports in their country would have played a role in making them believe that India was the "terrorist" country. Of course, at the same time, there were reports of hundreds of Hindus being harassed and burnt in Bangladesh. One could read reports of these on the websites. But I did not hear any outcry or anything of that sort in India.
Why? We've taken down things lying down for too long. That's why.
One wonders if publishing information about how "secure" we have made the important places would help. One of the key things in security, one would imagine, is to not alert the "enemy" at all and simple prepare as quitely as one can. One would think that publishing openly what security measures are in place would cause the enemy to backoff only to attack at a time when it is least
expected.
On the other hand, there is another angle for doing that. There are some guys who when provoked would like to "show off" how they can attack the toughest secuirty rings. That way, we would catch the enemy red-handed. This is the mind-game or pyschology angle.
It doesn't seem that our authorities are so bright as to be doing the second thing. They seem to be doing it to want to show people that they are acting on the threats perceived and doing something about it. Lest something happen and people then blame them for sitting on the "input".
India was never perceived as an "Islam enemy" by its non-neighbors until recently. Two incidents that changed this come to mind: the demolition of the Babri Masjid and the Gujarat riots. It seems plain as water to me that these incidents may have changed India's image in the terrorists' viewpoint. India has now been caught in the middle of the gunfire.
I remember my conversations more than a decade ago with a Bangladeshi Muslim I had met with in the United States. He seemed to have some misunderstanding about how bad Indians treat Muslims. I am sure biased media reports in their country would have played a role in making them believe that India was the "terrorist" country. Of course, at the same time, there were reports of hundreds of Hindus being harassed and burnt in Bangladesh. One could read reports of these on the websites. But I did not hear any outcry or anything of that sort in India.
Why? We've taken down things lying down for too long. That's why.
Thursday, August 03, 2006
Feels like "jail"
The first semester of the MTech course having begun, it seems unlikely to be able to be doing anything else other than studies. We are made to believe that the first semester is a "killer" one. From the experience in the past 2 weeks, it certainly seems to be so.
Let's hope there is some relief in the second semester.
Although I haven't started staying in the hostel room, it is on "stand-by"...so that I can use it at any day or night that I may have to spend there. That means that all things like bucket, mug, table lamp, spare clothes, mattress, etc. are in place.
Let's hope there is some relief in the second semester.
Although I haven't started staying in the hostel room, it is on "stand-by"...so that I can use it at any day or night that I may have to spend there. That means that all things like bucket, mug, table lamp, spare clothes, mattress, etc. are in place.
Sunday, July 23, 2006
The joy of bicycling
I had always considered bicycling to be a pleasure. I used to use a bicycle to commute for the most part of my junior college days. Bicycling was also a favorite past time / exercise for many evenings during those days. Due to an incredible increase in traffic and decrease in traffic manners and tempers, I had to sell off the bicycle.
The joy returned again. The first few days at IITB seemed to be a pleasure bicycling around the campus on the new bicycle. Gone are the days of the past when running from one building to another or to / from the gate was a big tiring and boring task.
The joy, however, got reduced over the week as I took possession of a room in Hostel 6 (yes, I am now a "Hexalite" as the Hostel 6 residents are called).
Away from the main gate, deep into the campus, almost the end of the main road inside the IITB campus, lies Hostel 6. Only 2 hostels exist beyond it - the newer hostels 12 and 13 - that are very close to the Rennaisance Hotel. But, the problem is that the road from the main gate to the hostel (especially from my school to the hostel) is full of ups and downs (slopes). This resulted in quite a stressful activity just going and coming to / from the hostel. Hopefully I will get used to it as the time goes by and it won't be such a big problem. One got the feeling that having a bicycle with gears would have made it much more easier.
Of course, that does not take away the fear of panthers...
gosh, the logo of Hostel 6 has got what looks like a panther on it. Maybe its better to stay in the school than to venture out to go to the hostel beyond 9 p.m.
The joy returned again. The first few days at IITB seemed to be a pleasure bicycling around the campus on the new bicycle. Gone are the days of the past when running from one building to another or to / from the gate was a big tiring and boring task.
The joy, however, got reduced over the week as I took possession of a room in Hostel 6 (yes, I am now a "Hexalite" as the Hostel 6 residents are called).
Away from the main gate, deep into the campus, almost the end of the main road inside the IITB campus, lies Hostel 6. Only 2 hostels exist beyond it - the newer hostels 12 and 13 - that are very close to the Rennaisance Hotel. But, the problem is that the road from the main gate to the hostel (especially from my school to the hostel) is full of ups and downs (slopes). This resulted in quite a stressful activity just going and coming to / from the hostel. Hopefully I will get used to it as the time goes by and it won't be such a big problem. One got the feeling that having a bicycle with gears would have made it much more easier.
Of course, that does not take away the fear of panthers...
gosh, the logo of Hostel 6 has got what looks like a panther on it. Maybe its better to stay in the school than to venture out to go to the hostel beyond 9 p.m.
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
"The bicycle has been bought"
After days of dilly-dallying, I've finally bought (well, almost) an used Avon bicyle from the "Red and White" bicycle shop inside IITB. It will cost me Rs. 1350 better than a new bicycle for about Rs. 2100 or above. This also signals the decision to join the MTech programme at IITB. The orientation programme starts tomorrow. Hopefully, I'll also get a hostel that I can stay at if it gets too late.
I had to spend a lot of energy just deciding whether to join or not. It was quite surprising that my entire family wanted me to join the programme. It seemed evident that my mother was quite sure that my high score at the GATE (examination) was just an accident and could not be obtained again.
Many others at my workplace stood by me and helped me take the decision. A few others felt that I should pursue my MBA and not MTech. Time alone will tell if my decision is right or wrong.
Meanwhile, wish me all the best.
I had to spend a lot of energy just deciding whether to join or not. It was quite surprising that my entire family wanted me to join the programme. It seemed evident that my mother was quite sure that my high score at the GATE (examination) was just an accident and could not be obtained again.
Many others at my workplace stood by me and helped me take the decision. A few others felt that I should pursue my MBA and not MTech. Time alone will tell if my decision is right or wrong.
Meanwhile, wish me all the best.
Sunday, July 16, 2006
Cheats at the photocopier
Today was the second time I saw some cheats at the photocopier's. I was at a typical big photocopier's shop that offers all kinds of printing services, photocopying and also lamination. I was there to laminate all my important documents (one less thing to worry about when the water level in the house rises for whatever reasons). As the lamination was in progress, 2 guys (quite rough from their looks) disembarked from a motorcycle and demanded from one of the boys at the counter to colour photocopy what looked like a laminated government-issued document. Their idea, which they foolishly expressed, was to change the number (id) at the top of the document in the photocopy. The boy at the counter cooly replied that it was not possible for them to do that...if they wanted a photocopy, it would come laminated and no change of id would be permitted. I tried to see what document it was that they wanted to forge. It turned out to be a "Zopadpatti Rahivashi Olakhpatra" (translation: a "Slum Resident Identity Card"). Later, those guys went away a bit disappointed. The boy at the counter said they could not take the risk of forging such documents as it may land them in a jail.
That reminded me of another incident in the month of March 2006. This time I was at a smaller photocopier's shop. It was about 09:00 in the morning and I wanted to get photocopies of some documents. A girl came in and she had a chemistry text book in hand. She wanted to make small (reduction to about 25%) of some important pages. The boy at the counter readily obliged. When the photocopies were given to her, she folded them into small chits. It was then that I realised what purpose she was doing that for. It was the month of March and the 12th standard board examinations were in progress. She wanted to use those chits to hide somewhere so that she could copy from them!
That reminded me of another incident in the month of March 2006. This time I was at a smaller photocopier's shop. It was about 09:00 in the morning and I wanted to get photocopies of some documents. A girl came in and she had a chemistry text book in hand. She wanted to make small (reduction to about 25%) of some important pages. The boy at the counter readily obliged. When the photocopies were given to her, she folded them into small chits. It was then that I realised what purpose she was doing that for. It was the month of March and the 12th standard board examinations were in progress. She wanted to use those chits to hide somewhere so that she could copy from them!
Thursday, July 13, 2006
A close encounter with a WDP4
It was Saturday morning about 09:30 - an off from work. I was at TNA (Thane station) waiting for a fast local to TLA (Titwala). The TLA visit was for praying at the popular Ganesha temple there and also at the Vitthal temple close to the Ganesha temple. An announcement on the station public address system made me aware that the 0103 Mumbai-Madgaon (MAO) Mandovi express was to arrive shortly on platform 7. It would be running quite late since its usual departure from CSTM is at 06:55. Now, being a regular browser of the IRFCA site and also by personal observation, I knew that the train to MAO would be most probably hauled by the mighty 4000 hp WDP4. A few minutes later the train arrived and as I was just a platform away from the train, I realised that I was face to face with the DLW (Varanasi Diesel Loco Works) manufactured SHF (Short Hood Forward) KJM (Krishnarajapuram) WDP4 # 21022. I could not help admire the beauty...it also seemed to be a mighty powerful loco. One could see the huge 6000 litre fuel tank underneath.
The pilot and his assistant were busy with their checks in the cab of the loco...a few minutes later, the cab was empty. I could see that the cab looked much more sophisticated than the WDM2s - also, very cleaner and probably more ergonomic.
The pilots returned and I could see that they had brought with them what looked like something packed in silver foils - either a late morning breakfast or their lunches. They kept these somewhere in the cab. A moment later, the pilot clicked some switches and pulled some levers; the sound that the loco started making gave one a feeling that it was an aircraft ready for lift-off. A short horn and an exchange of the green flag later, the loco started rolling and soon disappeared from sight.
The WDP4 is a loco that can effortlessly haul large trains and the original models were from GM (General Motors), USA. It is also the loco that is being run at 150 kmph in some sections of the Konkan Railway.
The pilot and his assistant were busy with their checks in the cab of the loco...a few minutes later, the cab was empty. I could see that the cab looked much more sophisticated than the WDM2s - also, very cleaner and probably more ergonomic.
The pilots returned and I could see that they had brought with them what looked like something packed in silver foils - either a late morning breakfast or their lunches. They kept these somewhere in the cab. A moment later, the pilot clicked some switches and pulled some levers; the sound that the loco started making gave one a feeling that it was an aircraft ready for lift-off. A short horn and an exchange of the green flag later, the loco started rolling and soon disappeared from sight.
The WDP4 is a loco that can effortlessly haul large trains and the original models were from GM (General Motors), USA. It is also the loco that is being run at 150 kmph in some sections of the Konkan Railway.
The "spirit" will evaporate
Every one outside Mumbai and the media keep harping about the so-called "spirit of Mumbai". Actually, it is a bit sickening to hear that term being used again and again and again. Whenever any calamity strikes Mumbai, the media is quick point out how the "spirit" brings back Mumbai back to normalcy. We had the rains floor us, then the riots in Bhiwandi, then the strike on Sunday and the serial blasts on Tuesday.
If they don't do something about the calamities, the spirit is soon going to evaporate.
The biggest thing is that other people (in Delhi and other places) are making merry at the expense of Mumbai's hapless junta. Someone must teach those thugs a lesson and bring them to their senses.
If they don't do something about the calamities, the spirit is soon going to evaporate.
The biggest thing is that other people (in Delhi and other places) are making merry at the expense of Mumbai's hapless junta. Someone must teach those thugs a lesson and bring them to their senses.
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Die Another Day
Monsoon is here and Mumbai is already feeling jittery about waterlogging at many places. Some idiots (road contractors) raised the height of another road leading to the lane to our apartment complex. The result is that 100 mm of rainfall in a day is now enough to cause waterlogging on the lane on which we reside; to cause alarm bells to ring in our minds and to start the drill - to keep valuables high enough (hopeful that the water won't reach them there) and to start packing and move on the 1st floor (or higher). But, that was not to be...we die another day, not the Tuesday and not the Wednesday that went by.
Luckily, the gods had other plans...and there was still a couple of feet left before the rain water could enter our ground floor apartments. Others I know were not so lucky...several areas and homes were flooded once again.
Luckily, the gods had other plans...and there was still a couple of feet left before the rain water could enter our ground floor apartments. Others I know were not so lucky...several areas and homes were flooded once again.
A new template
I've just put in a new template from one (Powell Street) of the designs over at Blogger Templates. Hopefully, this is more pleasing than the earlier one.
Sunday, June 25, 2006
Funny messages on the IMS...
Somewhere towards the end of 2005, I took a trip to the IMS (Indian Museum Ship) Vikrant (the erstwhile INS Vikrant). It was docked just beside the high profile and heavily guarded still in-use INS Viraat. The rules for photography were very clear...no photography from the outside and no photography on the deck. That meant photographing only the inside. There were still a lot of things to be photographed and I clicked away to glory.
There were some photographs of particular interest. These are from that collection...
There were some photographs of particular interest. These are from that collection...
| Vikrant's bell and shipmaker's board...the year mentioned on the bell is 1961 |  |
| Be a bright spark |  |
| No Is and Us in a team |  |
| No Shortcuts... |  |
Sunday, June 18, 2006
The better natural ice cream
India thinks Natural is the best ice-cream. Versova does not think so. Its true. After the spat the co-owners had and parted their ways, Versova enjoys a much better natural ice cream. L&G, please welcome...Sancha, the natural ice-cream of Versova. Sancha, founded by one of the original co-owners of the original "Natural Ice Cream of the Juhu Scheme", is much better than the original Natural ice-cream. This is located on the J. P. Road - the road parallel to the beach - and on the right side while travelling towards Versova - just after the bend at the 7B garden.
The cups are priced at Rs. 27, whereas shakes are priced at Rs. 60.
The cups are priced at Rs. 27, whereas shakes are priced at Rs. 60.
"Balle Balle"
"Balle Balle Urban Tadka" is what you hear when you call this restaurant almost always booked to capacity - hell, I have seen people waiting outside (for a seat) even at 11 p.m. After recommendations from an acquaintance, I decided I should try it out.
Since I avoid non-veg stuff, half of the items on the menu were off for me. I tried "Sabji Kheema" - nothing non-veg about it - just minced vegetables. Also, the "Chole Te Alu De Biryani". Both were very tasty and not at all oily (unlike at the Udipi restaurants). In fact, the biryani comes packed in a small pot with a cover sealed with "atta". And its quite yummy.
The same owners also own "Pop Tate's" as well as some of the other popular restaurants.
Since I avoid non-veg stuff, half of the items on the menu were off for me. I tried "Sabji Kheema" - nothing non-veg about it - just minced vegetables. Also, the "Chole Te Alu De Biryani". Both were very tasty and not at all oily (unlike at the Udipi restaurants). In fact, the biryani comes packed in a small pot with a cover sealed with "atta". And its quite yummy.
The same owners also own "Pop Tate's" as well as some of the other popular restaurants.
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Idli House
The other day I had the opportunity (rather excuse) to visit this new eatery at B. N. Maheshwari Udyaan (aka King's Circle or L&T circle) near Matunga. This is located almost opposite to the "Anand Bhavan" restaurant and is from the stable of "A. Rama Nayak" (the same flock that runs the Cafe Mysore and other Rama Nayak* eateries in Matunga).
However, the restaurant also sells the accompaniments (chutneys, etc.) as well as filter coffee powder (I think its the same coffee powder they use - aah their secret powder). The coffee powder is Rs. 50 for 250 gms - slightly higher than the Rs. 180 / kg powder from Quality (near Matunga station).
So most of my mornings are now powered by the new found coffee powder (2 cups) - alas, we do not use buffalo milk at home, but the taste is quite close to the one we get in the restaurant.
Update: I could find no review of Idli House on the SigFood site, but here's a detailed review by a Gujju that appeared in Mumbai Mirror.
I found it to be a surprisingly small eatery - only 3 tables. The other point is that you only get idlis - no other snacks. The coffee (filter) is almost similar to the Cafe Mysore's, though I did not think much of the idlis or the sambar (my personal choice is Cafe Mysore's or Anand Bhavan's). Here is scan of the flyer for the restaurant - one can get a good idea of what is in store. 
However, the restaurant also sells the accompaniments (chutneys, etc.) as well as filter coffee powder (I think its the same coffee powder they use - aah their secret powder). The coffee powder is Rs. 50 for 250 gms - slightly higher than the Rs. 180 / kg powder from Quality (near Matunga station).
So most of my mornings are now powered by the new found coffee powder (2 cups) - alas, we do not use buffalo milk at home, but the taste is quite close to the one we get in the restaurant.
Update: I could find no review of Idli House on the SigFood site, but here's a detailed review by a Gujju that appeared in Mumbai Mirror.
Sunday, June 04, 2006
What a thriller...
Our media has found a brand new subject to focus on these days. With Rahul Mahajan's case becoming more complicated, it seems to have all the trappings of a super thriller. Of course, it won't be long before it fades out of the media, but in the meantime, the readers can thrive on the daily dose of mystery from the newspapers.
It won't be long before someone takes up to make a film on the subject...its sure to be a hit, if directed properly. It seems that the story has all the ingredients as in a Agatha Christie, Conan Doyle or a Poe story.
Many would know that Christie's Poirot was said to have been influenced by Doyle's Holmes, but few would know that Holmes itself was influenced from Poe's Dupin. Dupin was a strange character and there seem to be only 3 stories by Poe that involved Dupin. Such was the problem-solving skill of Dupin that he could simply read various newspapers reports and solve mysteries. Personally, though I have read all the stories of Holmes, Dupin remains a favorite maybe because of Poe's language or simply because Dupin was one of the first detective characters.
Quite like this current-day mystery, Poe himself was a drug addict whose cause of death remained uncertain ( alcohol, drugs, rabid cat bites, etc.).
It won't be long before someone takes up to make a film on the subject...its sure to be a hit, if directed properly. It seems that the story has all the ingredients as in a Agatha Christie, Conan Doyle or a Poe story.
Many would know that Christie's Poirot was said to have been influenced by Doyle's Holmes, but few would know that Holmes itself was influenced from Poe's Dupin. Dupin was a strange character and there seem to be only 3 stories by Poe that involved Dupin. Such was the problem-solving skill of Dupin that he could simply read various newspapers reports and solve mysteries. Personally, though I have read all the stories of Holmes, Dupin remains a favorite maybe because of Poe's language or simply because Dupin was one of the first detective characters.
Quite like this current-day mystery, Poe himself was a drug addict whose cause of death remained uncertain ( alcohol, drugs, rabid cat bites, etc.).
Back from LNL
I am back after a refreshing break (holiday) at LNL (Lonavala). It was raining in LNL so there was not much of a sight-seeing done (most of LNL has anyways been already seen)...just lazing around and doing nothing...not even thinking of work. Rainy season (or just there after) is the best season to visit LNL and because of the rains, LNL wore a fresh green and unpolluted look. The clouds (and mist) had engulfed KAD (Khandala)...even in the afternoon, traveling on the roads of KAD was proving to be quite difficult due to poor visibility beyond a few metres. Its always been like that and this time too it was not different.
A trip to LNL would not have been complete without a visit to the railway station. So, there we were at the LNL station checking out how delayed the trains were to / from Mumbai (since TV channels were busy broadcasting all day how life in Mumbai was paralysed from the first rains of the season). It was quite interesting to note that most trains were hauled by KYN WCGs...only CR knows what happened to the KYN WCAMs, although I did spot one train with a KYN WCAM3. All trains coming into LNL on their way to PUNE had at least 2 or 3 WCG bankers (pushing the trains from behind up the ghats). These were detached at LNL and sent back (light) to KJT (Karjat) from where they were attached in the first place.
Of course, LNL and chikki go hand-in-hand. It is not clear to me how LNL got itself entangled into this chikki business...neither peanut plantations nor jaggery or sugarcane grow anywhere near LNL. Still, chikkis had to be bought and one had to choose from Maganlal, Rupam, Navratna, and many others.
We decided it would be better if we returned by road (instead of the 1008) since trains were reportedly being halted at CLA because of waterlogging. While returning, at SNPD (Sanpada), we had a flat tyre and apart from that, there were no major incidents. It was clear that the new expressway was making travel faster...much faster. For example, it took us only 0.5 hour from LNL to Khopoli and another 20 minutes later, we were at Panvel. So, in about an hour's time we had reached Vashi from LNL...that is a real improvement over the past, when journeys through the ghats were cumbersome and slow (not to mention the traffic jams because of broken axles of trucks and other heavy vehicles).
And, while at LNL, we stayed at Swiss Resorts. It is supposed to part of the chain that owns the famous Rajdhani group of restaurants. Though the rooms were comparatively cleaner, the food was quite standard and nothing great about it. One gets a feeling that maybe the hotel may be on its wane now...
Apart from that, nothing much in LNL...now that its started to rain, more Mumbaikars will head to their favorite monsoon weekend location...LNL.
A trip to LNL would not have been complete without a visit to the railway station. So, there we were at the LNL station checking out how delayed the trains were to / from Mumbai (since TV channels were busy broadcasting all day how life in Mumbai was paralysed from the first rains of the season). It was quite interesting to note that most trains were hauled by KYN WCGs...only CR knows what happened to the KYN WCAMs, although I did spot one train with a KYN WCAM3. All trains coming into LNL on their way to PUNE had at least 2 or 3 WCG bankers (pushing the trains from behind up the ghats). These were detached at LNL and sent back (light) to KJT (Karjat) from where they were attached in the first place.
Of course, LNL and chikki go hand-in-hand. It is not clear to me how LNL got itself entangled into this chikki business...neither peanut plantations nor jaggery or sugarcane grow anywhere near LNL. Still, chikkis had to be bought and one had to choose from Maganlal, Rupam, Navratna, and many others.
We decided it would be better if we returned by road (instead of the 1008) since trains were reportedly being halted at CLA because of waterlogging. While returning, at SNPD (Sanpada), we had a flat tyre and apart from that, there were no major incidents. It was clear that the new expressway was making travel faster...much faster. For example, it took us only 0.5 hour from LNL to Khopoli and another 20 minutes later, we were at Panvel. So, in about an hour's time we had reached Vashi from LNL...that is a real improvement over the past, when journeys through the ghats were cumbersome and slow (not to mention the traffic jams because of broken axles of trucks and other heavy vehicles).
And, while at LNL, we stayed at Swiss Resorts. It is supposed to part of the chain that owns the famous Rajdhani group of restaurants. Though the rooms were comparatively cleaner, the food was quite standard and nothing great about it. One gets a feeling that maybe the hotel may be on its wane now...
Apart from that, nothing much in LNL...now that its started to rain, more Mumbaikars will head to their favorite monsoon weekend location...LNL.
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Off to LNL
Looks like the trip to UBL (Hubli) will have to wait. I am proceeding today for a short holiday to LNL (Lonavala). While going, I'll be going by the Cool Cab service (from DDR) and while returning, it would be through the 1008 Deccan Express.
I'll be staying at some hotel that I've never stayed before...hopefully, it is good. Reviews after I get back to Mumbai.
I'll be staying at some hotel that I've never stayed before...hopefully, it is good. Reviews after I get back to Mumbai.
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
Reserved for life
Oh this is getting too much to just sit quiet and not enjoy. The current HRD minister is trying to create more chaos than the previous one. While the previous one succumbed to people's pressure, this one is in a tight spot...only the Supreme can intervene now.
Some chaps (those retired guys get pension as well as money for doling out such crap reports) in some "Commission" came out with some report that recommended some such reservation based on the "caste" that one is born into. Whereas multitudes of people thought we were moving away from the "caste system", it seems these guys want to re-introduce it.
So, it seems, upto 50% seats would be reserved for the "lower castes" (SC, ST, OBC and any other minorities) in education (also professional courses). Someone is also recommending that these reservations be carried over to the jobs in the private sector. While the private sector (especially the IT industry which is supposed to be "knowledge-intensive" - doing VB is supposedly "knowledge-intensive") is crying hoarse that this would adversely impact their competitiveness, I propose that the reservations should be for life:
Some chaps (those retired guys get pension as well as money for doling out such crap reports) in some "Commission" came out with some report that recommended some such reservation based on the "caste" that one is born into. Whereas multitudes of people thought we were moving away from the "caste system", it seems these guys want to re-introduce it.
So, it seems, upto 50% seats would be reserved for the "lower castes" (SC, ST, OBC and any other minorities) in education (also professional courses). Someone is also recommending that these reservations be carried over to the jobs in the private sector. While the private sector (especially the IT industry which is supposed to be "knowledge-intensive" - doing VB is supposedly "knowledge-intensive") is crying hoarse that this would adversely impact their competitiveness, I propose that the reservations should be for life:
- Naturally, if people have landed a job not based on merit and competition, they would find the going to be tough indeed - that might work in a governmental setup, but in a private sector, these guys would most likely be sidelined (because many of them may not perform to the same level). As a result, I propose that promotions should also be reserved.
- Taking it further, everything should have reservations - power supply, rations, seats in buses (already some seats are reserved - no harm in reserving more seats - as it is, we commute by standing)
- Very logically, this is going to anger the majority (who should by then be the minority). As a result, one may try to append to their qualifications the "category" to indicate that they are from the general category. For example, Mr. A. B. C., B.E. (General).
Look at us, we don'’t have to work hard at all. Our post graduation seats are assured no matter how badly we fare in our exams
There's also the part where the teachers have allegedly threatened the anti-reservation students with "dire consequences" and "appropriate marks" in the examinations.
Knuth tidbits
A few posts ago (this one) I had dropped a reference to Donald Knuth and what he considers as the work of his lifetime, "The Art of Computer Programming", a planned 6-volume series of books on algorithms and related applications. He has been able to complete 4 of those 6 volumes, so 2 more volumes remain to be done.
I was surprised to learn from many of the readers of this blog that they did not know who Knuth is and that they had never heard of him. After a quick confirmation with my (ex)classmate, we concluded that it was indeed very surprising that today's "youngsters" haven't heard of him - during "our" days (13 years ago), there was hardly anyone using the Internet in India - and when the Internet usage is so prevalent now, this should not have been the case. I guess "youngsters" these days are busy browsing other things. (Ah I get it...its the "generation gap"...for us, Knuth, Kernighan, Ritchie and Stroustrup were god...for the current generation, it must be Johny Abraham, Rakhey Sawant, and *Khan...I can see wallpapers of these people on youngster's desktops...that's true).
Anyways, I thought I'll put together some tidbits about Knuth from the various sources now available on the Internet.
I was surprised to learn from many of the readers of this blog that they did not know who Knuth is and that they had never heard of him. After a quick confirmation with my (ex)classmate, we concluded that it was indeed very surprising that today's "youngsters" haven't heard of him - during "our" days (13 years ago), there was hardly anyone using the Internet in India - and when the Internet usage is so prevalent now, this should not have been the case. I guess "youngsters" these days are busy browsing other things. (Ah I get it...its the "generation gap"...for us, Knuth, Kernighan, Ritchie and Stroustrup were god...for the current generation, it must be Johny Abraham, Rakhey Sawant, and *Khan...I can see wallpapers of these people on youngster's desktops...that's true).
Anyways, I thought I'll put together some tidbits about Knuth from the various sources now available on the Internet.
- Knuth is a computer scientist (yes, that's a new word for a "discrete" mathematics person) and now a "Professor Emeritus" at the Stanford University.
- He did his B.S. (in mathematics) with "summa cum laude" (the highest honors) from the Case Institute of Technology
- His work was found to be so wonderful that by a special vote of faculty, the institute decided to confer the M.S. on him simultaneously along with the B.S.
- He later went on the write 3 volumes of "The Art of Computer Programming" series. These books (in 1999) were named among the best twelve physical-science monographs by the American Scientist in the same league as "Dirac on quantum mechanics, Einstein on relativity, and Einstein's collected papers".
- On the comment's to these books, Bill Gates had announced that if one truly read the books completely and understood them, then the reader should him a resume (to be entitled for a job at Microsoft).
- Knuth has a peculiar style of rewarding readers who point out mistakes in his books: he offers them a reward of $2.56 per mistake found. The 2.56 figure is because 256 pennies make a hexadecimal dollar.
- Version numbers of his TeX software approach the number π, that is versions increment in the style 3, 3.1, 3.14 and so on. Version numbers of Metafont (another system developed by him) approach the number mathematical constant e similarly.
- He has stopped using email since 1990; he claims it helps him to concentrate better. In his own words,
"Email is a wonderful thing for people whose role in life is to be on top of things. But not for me; my role is to be on the bottom of things."
- Besides all this, he is an accomplished Pipe Organ player; he has a custom-built pipe organ in his home (with some pipes of the organ being more than 8 feet tall).
Saturday, May 06, 2006
Masters of Rhythm
When it comes to rhythm, few can match the caliber (and *sound* understanding) of the complexities of rhythm music than Indian classical musicians. (The one that comes a close second would be the African rhythm players.)
Everyone (every "commoner") acknowledges the mastery of Ustad Zakir Hussain (and his late father, the great Ustad Alla Rakha). But, few know that Pandit Shivkumar Sharma was a tabla player prior to taking up santoor as the chief instrument. Because of his background, Sharma can play very complex structures - very few Indian instrumental musicians and singers understand the rhythm aspect - their forte is tone and tune. It is well know that Sharma and Hussain play "nested talas" - that is, a tala within a tala (e.g., a 7-beat tala within a 10-beat tala framework).
That was until I read about Palghat Mani Iyer (now late). Palghat (Palakkad) Mani Iyer had such a mastery of the mridangam (South Indian drum) that it seems he would choose the artiste whom he would accompany, rather than the other way around. Such was his mastery that he could play separate talas simultaneously one with each hand (as mentioned toward the end of this this article). Now that is something...
Truly, masters of rhythm.
Everyone (every "commoner") acknowledges the mastery of Ustad Zakir Hussain (and his late father, the great Ustad Alla Rakha). But, few know that Pandit Shivkumar Sharma was a tabla player prior to taking up santoor as the chief instrument. Because of his background, Sharma can play very complex structures - very few Indian instrumental musicians and singers understand the rhythm aspect - their forte is tone and tune. It is well know that Sharma and Hussain play "nested talas" - that is, a tala within a tala (e.g., a 7-beat tala within a 10-beat tala framework).
That was until I read about Palghat Mani Iyer (now late). Palghat (Palakkad) Mani Iyer had such a mastery of the mridangam (South Indian drum) that it seems he would choose the artiste whom he would accompany, rather than the other way around. Such was his mastery that he could play separate talas simultaneously one with each hand (as mentioned toward the end of this this article). Now that is something...
Truly, masters of rhythm.
End-sem exams over
The end-sem exams for this semester are now over. I can now move over to other things that I've been long postponing...like reading some books, learning some (computer) languages like TeX, visiting the UBL (Hubli) diesel loco shed (he, he...UBL has a stock of WDP4s - this is the currently the fastest running loco in India). Or buying that bicycle...:)
Many posts are languishing in the "draft" stage on this blog...maybe I'll find the time and interest to post some of them too.
Many posts are languishing in the "draft" stage on this blog...maybe I'll find the time and interest to post some of them too.
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Time to buy a bicycle? Time to celebrate?
The news comes in a year late, but better late than never. After last year's attempt at admissions to the M.Tech. programme at IITB, I had applied again this year...and it seems (from the website) that I have been offered a "direct admission" (that is, without further written tests and interviews) to the M.Tech. programme. Maybe the guys had some pity on me (eh...in one of the part-time diploma courses (subjects), we had the same paper as the M.Tech. guys and I was the topper among all students).
That should put me into celeberation mode, but it also puts me in a big dilemma. I had always put off for later thinking about whether I should get into this or not - the logic was simple - let me first get the admission and then I could decide. No point in thinking about the chickens until the eggs hatched. There is also the question as to what happens to the diploma course that I had enrolled for in the same institute.
Unfortunately, there is not much of a time to do the thinking as the fees (the ones that confirm the admission) need to be paid by May 3rd. With end semester examinations looming on both sides of May 3, it is unlikely that I will find time to think about this.
The plan then, is to confirm the admissions and then pull out, if need be. And if I do end up joining, then it would be the right time to buy a bicycle (as "motorized vehicles are not allowed on the campus except for emergency purposes").
Just to make it clear: the admission that I am supposed to have got is in the KReSIT (School of IT) and not the CSE department. I know CS is different from IT (ya, ya...we always thought that IT was for the intellectually less capable guys who didn't get into CS). On the other hand, after working for so long in the industry, plain CS no longer seems that attractive to me the way it used to be (I've still not been able to read "The Art of Computer Programming" by Don Knuth).
That should put me into celeberation mode, but it also puts me in a big dilemma. I had always put off for later thinking about whether I should get into this or not - the logic was simple - let me first get the admission and then I could decide. No point in thinking about the chickens until the eggs hatched. There is also the question as to what happens to the diploma course that I had enrolled for in the same institute.
Unfortunately, there is not much of a time to do the thinking as the fees (the ones that confirm the admission) need to be paid by May 3rd. With end semester examinations looming on both sides of May 3, it is unlikely that I will find time to think about this.
The plan then, is to confirm the admissions and then pull out, if need be. And if I do end up joining, then it would be the right time to buy a bicycle (as "motorized vehicles are not allowed on the campus except for emergency purposes").
Just to make it clear: the admission that I am supposed to have got is in the KReSIT (School of IT) and not the CSE department. I know CS is different from IT (ya, ya...we always thought that IT was for the intellectually less capable guys who didn't get into CS). On the other hand, after working for so long in the industry, plain CS no longer seems that attractive to me the way it used to be (I've still not been able to read "The Art of Computer Programming" by Don Knuth).
Sunday, April 23, 2006
The annual ritual is now over
Mumbai's annual ritual for inconveniencing commuters is now over. The annual B.E.S.T. strike has been called off by the union. Life (and traffic) can now go back to normal. Over the last decade, I cannot recall a single year without B.E.S.T.'s strike.
This year was no different...private bus operators and autorickshaws and taxis made a quick buck overcharging commuters wherever possible. I travelled by one such private bus paying Rs. 10 for a journey that would cost Rs. 4 by the B.E.S.T. bus.
For maximum effect, these strikes are typically organized during important days of the year (for example, during S.S.C. examinations or during Diwali, etc). So, this year it was a surprise that it was held in the month of April when most school and college students had finished their examinations. Maybe dear Sharad Rao's (union leader's) children are in S.S.C. or H.S.C. this year...or maybe his children go to school / college by car. I remember when there was a strike by B.M.C. (again led by Sharad Rao) a newspaper had reported how his apartment in Goregaon still had water supply 24 hours a day, while all the other areas in Mumbai had to suffer.
Like some of the other years, this year's strike was also declared as "illegal" (since public transport is regarded as an "essential service"). However, no action would dare to be taken against the striking workers...Sharad Rao had threatened to "shut down" the city if any action was taken against them. Hmmmm...there could be a law violation there...how long before Mumbaikars shut that guy up.
This year was no different...private bus operators and autorickshaws and taxis made a quick buck overcharging commuters wherever possible. I travelled by one such private bus paying Rs. 10 for a journey that would cost Rs. 4 by the B.E.S.T. bus.
For maximum effect, these strikes are typically organized during important days of the year (for example, during S.S.C. examinations or during Diwali, etc). So, this year it was a surprise that it was held in the month of April when most school and college students had finished their examinations. Maybe dear Sharad Rao's (union leader's) children are in S.S.C. or H.S.C. this year...or maybe his children go to school / college by car. I remember when there was a strike by B.M.C. (again led by Sharad Rao) a newspaper had reported how his apartment in Goregaon still had water supply 24 hours a day, while all the other areas in Mumbai had to suffer.
Like some of the other years, this year's strike was also declared as "illegal" (since public transport is regarded as an "essential service"). However, no action would dare to be taken against the striking workers...Sharad Rao had threatened to "shut down" the city if any action was taken against them. Hmmmm...there could be a law violation there...how long before Mumbaikars shut that guy up.
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Bharat III
Its been quite a while since our B.E.S.T. undertaking introduced the new Ashok Leyland-made "Bharat III" buses into their fleet, but its only a few weeks back that I got an opportunity to travel in them. I observed the following things:
- The first thing that one sees (as one is boarding the bus) is the huge springs at the rear of the bus. Though the height of the seats above the rear wheels have been increased, the ride itself seems to be quite smooth. One can actually feel the bus riding over Mumbai potholes and other such obstacles quite nicely.
- The noise of the engine is reduced drastically (and the engine seems to purring rather than roaring). This might be due to some heavy-duty sound mufflers placed over the engine (near the driver's seat).
- The windows can be half-closed (as in the train coaches)...there is a simple "latch-and-hole" mechanism to keep the window either fully open or half-closed. But one needs to see how long these "fragile" latches would last.
- One of the most annoying things about the old buses seems to have been fixed. The horizontal rod (bar) used by standing commuters seemed to end much before the first seat. As a result, I used to sometimes be without support in the tossing and rolling bus until I travelled down the aisle a bit further to the driver's seat - this is a very dangerous situation to be in since one might actually be thrown off if the driver brakes suddenly. This rod has now been extended right to the place where the stairs for alighting start.
- One of the peculiarities of the bus seems to be the use of a "turbocharger". There are clear instructions to the driver (in Marathi, of course) to idle the engine for 3 minutes after start and before turning off the engine. The reason given is because "the turbo charger revolves at 100,000 rpm".
- Another one is the horn of the bus; the sound from the horn (unfortunately) resembles the horn of a small vehicle like a motorbike. As one can imagine, this would convey a false sense of feeling to vehicles on the road as the beast (devil - its red and it kills people) approaches them from behind.
- The split-mirrors are another source of complaint by the drivers themselves. The split mirrors, it seems, confuses them as mentioned in this article.
- A power-steering has also been added, but given the way the bus swerves sometimes, one gets a feeling that the drivers are yet to get used to it (the drivers are made to drive different types of vehicles on different days).
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Free, at last...but only temporarily
Killer deadlines had kept me busy the whole of last week and Monday. I finally managed to beat the deadline (all courses, all deadlines). After frantically churning out code, I guess I may have barely escaped RSI (Repetitive Stress Injury) resulting from strenuous typing at the keyboard and long hours on the chair.
With end-sem exams coming up, however, this less loaded schedule is only temporary. I will have to hit the books again soon.
With end-sem exams coming up, however, this less loaded schedule is only temporary. I will have to hit the books again soon.
Thursday, April 13, 2006
Busy, busy, busy...
The Paris trip (and its preparation and subsequent associated workload) has been a real sap on my resources and time...enough to cause a backlog on the academic front. This week and the next week is going to be a race against time what with all the project and assignment deadlines.
No more posts until then...
No more posts until then...
Sunday, April 09, 2006
The Emperor makes its run
"Shahenshah" chugged down the Western Railway line as planned.
I had decided that Andheri would be a nice place to catch it in action. Accordingly I had done most of my preparations...charging the batteries of the digital camera, ensuring space for the pictures to be taken, etc. Unfortunately, some work that cropped up at the last moment ensured that I had to rush to Andheri station. There were huge queues (I thought I needed a platform ticket) at the ticket vending windows. Every ticket counter I visited was full of long snaking queues. I decided to act wise in the interest of time and simply used a coupon in the CVM (Coupon Validating Machine). I do not know if a coupon can be used as a platform ticket...but I thought what the hell.
With great enthusiasm I rushed to the platform number 1. There were a lot of announcements being made related to change in the platforms for the regular local trains. I saw a couple of guys enter the Station Superintendent's office...they seemed to have a compact camera with them...I followed them and the guys in the office told us that the Heritage train would be passing through platform 4. I rushed to platform 4 to find a hell lot of people out openly with video cameras and other photography and videography equipment. Accompanying kids were also their parents.
I debated mentally what would be a good position to be at to take a good photograph. I decided to go to the very southern end of the platform since that is where the train would be seen first and there would be very little obstructions.
The time was about 11:20 a.m. by then. I suddenly realized that in all the haste I had forgotten to load a film in the SLR camera...I had thought I would buy it from some stall near the station. Unfortunately, it was a catch-22 situation...I wanted to go and get the film, but then the guys at the Station Superintendent's office had stated that it would be there in about 5 minutes. I thought of asking some guys with cameras if they could "sell" me an extra film roll they had. Then, I dropped the idea.
The crowd was growing restless every passing moment. Suddenly, at about 11:45 a.m., one could hear the Railway Police being very active and trying to keep a check on the people's movements (warning them not to go very close to the edge of the platform, etc.).
I could spot the loco coming in through the SLR camera lens (I was using the lens as a binocular). The loco was whistling (just for fun) and there was a lot of steam as it passed by. However,
there was no "clagging" (no black thing coming out of its chimney). As it went by, passersby waved at the people in the train. Every coach had an attendant that was dressed in superb uniform...
As it passed by, some people ran along on the platform hoping it would stop...it didn't. Tired but happy spectators then started making their way back out of the platform. Within 2 minutes, there was a diesel loco (a Ratlam WDM3A #18707) with a most stunning livery on the same line. I guess this loco would be pulling the Heritage rake back to Mumbai Central.
I had decided that Andheri would be a nice place to catch it in action. Accordingly I had done most of my preparations...charging the batteries of the digital camera, ensuring space for the pictures to be taken, etc. Unfortunately, some work that cropped up at the last moment ensured that I had to rush to Andheri station. There were huge queues (I thought I needed a platform ticket) at the ticket vending windows. Every ticket counter I visited was full of long snaking queues. I decided to act wise in the interest of time and simply used a coupon in the CVM (Coupon Validating Machine). I do not know if a coupon can be used as a platform ticket...but I thought what the hell.
With great enthusiasm I rushed to the platform number 1. There were a lot of announcements being made related to change in the platforms for the regular local trains. I saw a couple of guys enter the Station Superintendent's office...they seemed to have a compact camera with them...I followed them and the guys in the office told us that the Heritage train would be passing through platform 4. I rushed to platform 4 to find a hell lot of people out openly with video cameras and other photography and videography equipment. Accompanying kids were also their parents.
I debated mentally what would be a good position to be at to take a good photograph. I decided to go to the very southern end of the platform since that is where the train would be seen first and there would be very little obstructions.
The time was about 11:20 a.m. by then. I suddenly realized that in all the haste I had forgotten to load a film in the SLR camera...I had thought I would buy it from some stall near the station. Unfortunately, it was a catch-22 situation...I wanted to go and get the film, but then the guys at the Station Superintendent's office had stated that it would be there in about 5 minutes. I thought of asking some guys with cameras if they could "sell" me an extra film roll they had. Then, I dropped the idea.
The crowd was growing restless every passing moment. Suddenly, at about 11:45 a.m., one could hear the Railway Police being very active and trying to keep a check on the people's movements (warning them not to go very close to the edge of the platform, etc.).
I could spot the loco coming in through the SLR camera lens (I was using the lens as a binocular). The loco was whistling (just for fun) and there was a lot of steam as it passed by. However,
there was no "clagging" (no black thing coming out of its chimney). As it went by, passersby waved at the people in the train. Every coach had an attendant that was dressed in superb uniform...As it passed by, some people ran along on the platform hoping it would stop...it didn't. Tired but happy spectators then started making their way back out of the platform. Within 2 minutes, there was a diesel loco (a Ratlam WDM3A #18707) with a most stunning livery on the same line. I guess this loco would be pulling the Heritage rake back to Mumbai Central.
I contemplated if I should go to Borivali and try photographing the stationary thing there. I dropped the plan partly because of the long queues...and returne
d back home.
d back home.Saturday, April 08, 2006
The return of the Emperor
"The Emperor" is going to run down the "ramp". No, this is not about the useless fashion shows being held in New Delhi.
"The Emperor" is the "Shehanshah" (pics here)...a mighty old (1947 USA-built) steam locomotive that will be participating in tomorrow's heritage run organized by Western Railway to celebrate its 51st railway week. The loco will travel in style all the way from Mumbai Central at 11 a.m. to Borivali. I hope to capture it from some station en route to Borivali both on the film SLR as well as my digital camera. Obviously, railfans would be out with all kinds of equipment to capture its run. I won't be surprised to find some nuts running along to get a view of the loco.
Of course, there would be a lot of waste of water and coal for no apparent gain...but then it might be the last time one sees such things working.
Note in the above pictures (especially this one) that the shed has been painted as "Bandra". I think that is a temporary paint, since the loco was reported in some newspapers as belonging to Rewari in Madhya Pradesh.
Other pictures are to be found on the IRFCA site. See this link.
"The Emperor" is the "Shehanshah" (pics here)...a mighty old (1947 USA-built) steam locomotive that will be participating in tomorrow's heritage run organized by Western Railway to celebrate its 51st railway week. The loco will travel in style all the way from Mumbai Central at 11 a.m. to Borivali. I hope to capture it from some station en route to Borivali both on the film SLR as well as my digital camera. Obviously, railfans would be out with all kinds of equipment to capture its run. I won't be surprised to find some nuts running along to get a view of the loco.
Of course, there would be a lot of waste of water and coal for no apparent gain...but then it might be the last time one sees such things working.
Note in the above pictures (especially this one) that the shed has been painted as "Bandra". I think that is a temporary paint, since the loco was reported in some newspapers as belonging to Rewari in Madhya Pradesh.
Other pictures are to be found on the IRFCA site. See this link.
Sunday, April 02, 2006
The hypocrisy of science
The recent bird-flu outbreak revealed once again the boundaries (and the hypocrisy) of the so-called scientific knowledge. Hundreds of birds had to be culled for fear that the disease may spread. But the point of this post is not that the birds were diseased or that one should give up eating meat. The point of this post is to show how the so-called scientific community makes clever use of words in trying to fool people.
But, first I must give you the background:
Obviously, because India is filled with so many illiterate and fearful people, and because people have a choice of eating pure vegetarian food here, as soon as the news of the bird flu spread, many people simply gave up eating chicken for a few months. Some still haven't started eating it. This bird flu thing is not supposed to infect human beings, but no one wanted to take a chance. This caused a big problem for the poultry business...one must understand that this is a very big industry in India. Some farm owners had to sell chicken at Re. 1 a kg. That was an incredible hit they were taking. Naturally, they went into top gear trying to alleviate the fear from the people's minds. I do not know if they succeeded completely or not.
Now, the real point of the post:
One fine day the newspapers were filled with how safe it is for people to eat chicken, etc. But, sample the words used in the news articles:
The second thing is that there is NO SCIENTIFIC PROOF for all these statements. The funny part is that no one is bothering to ask these people either. These are just some observations made on SOME of the samples in a laboratory environment.
Generally, medical science is always like that...if it is seen in all the samples in a laboratory, then it is true for the entire universe. Note again there is no proof...as in a mathematical sense or as it is for physical phenomena.
Yet, of course, these same people will ask for proof when ancient Indian wisdom is talked about. That is the hypocrisy.
But, first I must give you the background:
Obviously, because India is filled with so many illiterate and fearful people, and because people have a choice of eating pure vegetarian food here, as soon as the news of the bird flu spread, many people simply gave up eating chicken for a few months. Some still haven't started eating it. This bird flu thing is not supposed to infect human beings, but no one wanted to take a chance. This caused a big problem for the poultry business...one must understand that this is a very big industry in India. Some farm owners had to sell chicken at Re. 1 a kg. That was an incredible hit they were taking. Naturally, they went into top gear trying to alleviate the fear from the people's minds. I do not know if they succeeded completely or not.
Now, the real point of the post:
One fine day the newspapers were filled with how safe it is for people to eat chicken, etc. But, sample the words used in the news articles:
- There is no known case of bird flu infecting human beings - only stray cases have been reported so far. Only 100 people have been reported to have died of this in other parts of the world. And, these were people who were in direct contact with the infected birds.
- The bird flu virus has not yet mutated to start infecting human beings.
- It has been found that the bird flu virus does not survive above 70 degrees Celcius...so chicken that is cooked well should be fine.
The second thing is that there is NO SCIENTIFIC PROOF for all these statements. The funny part is that no one is bothering to ask these people either. These are just some observations made on SOME of the samples in a laboratory environment.
Generally, medical science is always like that...if it is seen in all the samples in a laboratory, then it is true for the entire universe. Note again there is no proof...as in a mathematical sense or as it is for physical phenomena.
Yet, of course, these same people will ask for proof when ancient Indian wisdom is talked about. That is the hypocrisy.
News or a movie?
On one of the very rare occassions when I watched televison these days, I happened to watch a popular news channel (Aaj Tak). There are now about tens of such channels in various languages and regional variations. What I could fail to understand is why they were using background music (like in the movies) when they were showing some news clippings. In the movies, such music is woven into the sound track to create the pshycological effect to convey the desired effect. For example, for building up suspense, movies would use a different music than for conveying happiness or sorrow.
While watching the channel, some such similar music was being played in the background. Gone are the days when we were told that news is to be conveyed to the people "as is", without any hint of emotion or any addition / modification. In fact, in those days, news readers were told not to exhibit any emotion for any kind of news. Doordarshan news readers were quite expert at these things.
While watching the channel, some such similar music was being played in the background. Gone are the days when we were told that news is to be conveyed to the people "as is", without any hint of emotion or any addition / modification. In fact, in those days, news readers were told not to exhibit any emotion for any kind of news. Doordarshan news readers were quite expert at these things.
Sunday, March 26, 2006
Recent acquisitions
I recently purchased a laptop (Compaq Presario B1803) and a Mobiblu 1GB MP3 player. The laptop has since become quite indispensable (especially for doing assignments related to the post graduate courses). The MP3 player is also unique because of its cube-like shape and its size. Both were purchased from India. While I paid close to Rs. 75K for the laptop, I had to shell out about Rs. 7K for the MP3 player.
Another of the recent buys was an apartment in a building that is under construction in the far-flung suburbs of Mumbai (actually, in Airoli in Navi Mumbai). This is supposed to be ready for occupation sometime in March 2007.
Over the weekend, I was at Dadar (West) hunting for some "Abhang" books for a co-worker of mine. (The co-worker has initiated a "weekly prayer meeting" every Thrusday and needed some copies of the Abhang book to be able for the people to sing from the book.). I was quite disappointed at the fact that I wasn't able to find the book that I had bought a few months back from Titwala. That disappointment was even more due to the fact that the book publishers were from Parel, just some distance away from Dadar.
Until some years ago, Dadar was "the" market place where one could get most of such "Maharashtrian" things. There is still the same kind of feeling one gets these days, but its much reduced. One of the comments in the caustic monologue in "Mee anu Maza Shatrupaksh" (me and my enemies) by P. L. Deshpande (a.k.a. Pu La) was (to translate to English): "On Ranade Road in Dadar, Mumbai and Laxmi Road, Pune there is nothing that one cannot get that is available in the other parts of the world". Although this was a bit of an exaggeration (it was more of humor), one could still imagine the market place that was Dadar.
Another of the recent buys was an apartment in a building that is under construction in the far-flung suburbs of Mumbai (actually, in Airoli in Navi Mumbai). This is supposed to be ready for occupation sometime in March 2007.
Over the weekend, I was at Dadar (West) hunting for some "Abhang" books for a co-worker of mine. (The co-worker has initiated a "weekly prayer meeting" every Thrusday and needed some copies of the Abhang book to be able for the people to sing from the book.). I was quite disappointed at the fact that I wasn't able to find the book that I had bought a few months back from Titwala. That disappointment was even more due to the fact that the book publishers were from Parel, just some distance away from Dadar.
Until some years ago, Dadar was "the" market place where one could get most of such "Maharashtrian" things. There is still the same kind of feeling one gets these days, but its much reduced. One of the comments in the caustic monologue in "Mee anu Maza Shatrupaksh" (me and my enemies) by P. L. Deshpande (a.k.a. Pu La) was (to translate to English): "On Ranade Road in Dadar, Mumbai and Laxmi Road, Pune there is nothing that one cannot get that is available in the other parts of the world". Although this was a bit of an exaggeration (it was more of humor), one could still imagine the market place that was Dadar.
Sunday, March 19, 2006
The mysterious RVJ
This one must stump the staunchest Mumbaikars or other people who know Mumbai well. Where is the station whose code is RVJ? Or have you heard of a station called "Raoli Junction"?
The closest that I'd heard is a place called "Raoli" (which is supposed to be some place near Antop Hill and GTB Nagar). Now, the thing is that all signal posts in an around VDLR (Wadala Road) are controlled through this RVJ. Maybe it is some station on the private Mumbai port trust railway line. Maybe...maybe not.
The closest that I'd heard is a place called "Raoli" (which is supposed to be some place near Antop Hill and GTB Nagar). Now, the thing is that all signal posts in an around VDLR (Wadala Road) are controlled through this RVJ. Maybe it is some station on the private Mumbai port trust railway line. Maybe...maybe not.
A day in court
If you ever wondered how the proceedings went on in a "real" court, take a look at this real-life incident on rediff. Dilip D'Souza goes on to describe how he was a witness to an accident and a day in the court being a witness.
The part where he is asked to memorize things by the lawyer seems quite funny and indicates how these legal things work. You have to be sure about all the details even though it was about 5 years after the actual accident that he was attending the court.
The part where he is asked to memorize things by the lawyer seems quite funny and indicates how these legal things work. You have to be sure about all the details even though it was about 5 years after the actual accident that he was attending the court.
Back from Paris
After a series of Bon jour and Merci, I finally reached India just after the 0 hour on Saturday morning. It could've been one of the flawless and no nonsensical trips had it not been for a silly error on the part of the person booking the ticket. Some guy had me booked for the 12th of April, instead of the 17th of March.
I had reserved the 16th evening for some sight seeing and shopping (things for others). Instead, when I took a look at the ticket (for seeking confirmation from the airline), I realised that it was for the 12th of April. These e-tickets can be so damn confusing what with no alignment in the columns of data. (There were 3 dates for the same flight: 17th March, 12th April and 14th April. The "real" flight date was 12th April). As a result of the panic-inducing-like situation, I had to spend time trying to call up people and try to hunt on the Internet for a clue as to when the "real" booking was.
I had a class on Saturday afternoon and Eiffel was no major reason to miss it. That was the reason why I wanted to take the flight on Friday itself. The end result was that it was so late that we just ended up going to an Indian restaurant called "Palais De Vandan". No Eiffel, no Mona Lisa, no museums, no other sight seeing.
I had to get up at 3 a.m. in the wee hours of Friday morning to get across the call to get our guys to change the date. That's how the trip went. Maybe next time there is enough time.
On the other hand, I had breakfast on most mornings at the "Maison Internationale" restaurant (a variety of croissants, cafe au lait and orange jus). Dinner on all 3 nights were eaten out - 2 at Indian restaurants and 1 at Pizza Hut. Lunch on all 3 days was at the workplace - and it was with a lot of variety (including something for the veggies).
Since there was no hotel accomodation available near the workplace, I had to put up at the Maison de l'Inde. That is some sort of a hostel for Indian students at the "Cite Universitaire". Looking back, it was quite an okay place (for the price).
I had reserved the 16th evening for some sight seeing and shopping (things for others). Instead, when I took a look at the ticket (for seeking confirmation from the airline), I realised that it was for the 12th of April. These e-tickets can be so damn confusing what with no alignment in the columns of data. (There were 3 dates for the same flight: 17th March, 12th April and 14th April. The "real" flight date was 12th April). As a result of the panic-inducing-like situation, I had to spend time trying to call up people and try to hunt on the Internet for a clue as to when the "real" booking was.
I had a class on Saturday afternoon and Eiffel was no major reason to miss it. That was the reason why I wanted to take the flight on Friday itself. The end result was that it was so late that we just ended up going to an Indian restaurant called "Palais De Vandan". No Eiffel, no Mona Lisa, no museums, no other sight seeing.
I had to get up at 3 a.m. in the wee hours of Friday morning to get across the call to get our guys to change the date. That's how the trip went. Maybe next time there is enough time.
On the other hand, I had breakfast on most mornings at the "Maison Internationale" restaurant (a variety of croissants, cafe au lait and orange jus). Dinner on all 3 nights were eaten out - 2 at Indian restaurants and 1 at Pizza Hut. Lunch on all 3 days was at the workplace - and it was with a lot of variety (including something for the veggies).
Since there was no hotel accomodation available near the workplace, I had to put up at the Maison de l'Inde. That is some sort of a hostel for Indian students at the "Cite Universitaire". Looking back, it was quite an okay place (for the price).
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
3 nigths in Paris
Starting from yesterday, I'll be spending 3 nights in Paris (on a "business" trip). So, this post is from Paris. Because of unavailability of rooms in hotels close to the workplace, I am staying in a hostel ("Cite Universitaire"). The hostel has Wi-Fi in the campus...so this post is over the Wi-Fi.
I travel by the RER Line B (which is like a "local train") to some place and then take a bus to commute to the workplace.
I travel by the RER Line B (which is like a "local train") to some place and then take a bus to commute to the workplace.
Sunday, March 05, 2006
M.S.D.
No, not Mahendra Singh Dhoni and nor is it a new hallucination drug like Lysergic acid Diethylamide (LSD).
MuthuSwamy Dikshitar, one of the trinity of the Carnatic composers (along with Thyagaraja and Shyama Sastry), was one of the most brilliant composers (music as well as lyrics). One of his most famous and widely-rendered composition is the famous "Vaathapi Ganapatim".
MuthuSwamy Dikshitar, one of the trinity of the Carnatic composers (along with Thyagaraja and Shyama Sastry), was one of the most brilliant composers (music as well as lyrics). One of his most famous and widely-rendered composition is the famous "Vaathapi Ganapatim".
Sunday, February 26, 2006
Rationing the electricity usage
Come summer, the "load" (demand) on the electricity usage in the city of Mumbai increases greatly. Over the years (due to the increasing urban population and maybe due to the lack of setting up of newer power generation plants), the demand outstripped supply completely. Multiple areas (mostly suburbs and Thane district) have to bear the brunt of the "load shedding". In some places, there is no power supply for more than 8 hours.
While Mumbai was largely unaffected, it might not get spared this year. As mentioned in this article, the MERC is deciding to "ration" the electricity usage. Anyone who uses more than 300 units in a month has to pay a heavy fine. Now that makes a bit of sense...in the short term, its a very good solution. Unless, people realise the situation, they are going to "use" electricity like anything. The BEST that supplies electicity to the southern parts of the city plans to implement the above scheme. It is fairly obvious that its meant to curb the usage of air-conditoners. In some homes as mentioned in this article, there are upto 3 air-conditoners installed. An air-condtioner is known to consume in 40 minutes as much power as a ceiling fan can in 24 hours.
It remains to be seen whether the fine will actually be implemented and if it is, then how effective it would be. Mumbai has got a fairly large population of people who can pay any amount (fine or no fine) for whatever they want. But, it might make some upper middle-class people sit up and take notice and work out ways to "save" electricity.
I feel this is a good short-term measure. Also, it should give a boost for research into alternative sources of energy. For example, hand wound mobile phone chargers as well as solar-powered phone chargers have made an appearance in foreign markets. However, they are a bit expensive and the hand-wound ones need a lot of winding to be useful on a daily basis. Maybe if we could reduce the cost and improve the performance of these, it would help save some electricity.
This article claims that a certain 7-storeyed "bungalow" in Juhu has been running on hybrid power (solar and wind) to reduce its dependency on the electric supply. Interestingly, the article mentions that this was the only bungalow that had power during the 26th July deluge.
Time for the appropriate engineers and scientists to start thinking and developing these things at an affordable price so that its usage becomes more common place. Instead of spending time worrying about some stupid payroll application, maybe they could concentrate in their own fields for a while and help India out of a difficult crisis.
While Mumbai was largely unaffected, it might not get spared this year. As mentioned in this article, the MERC is deciding to "ration" the electricity usage. Anyone who uses more than 300 units in a month has to pay a heavy fine. Now that makes a bit of sense...in the short term, its a very good solution. Unless, people realise the situation, they are going to "use" electricity like anything. The BEST that supplies electicity to the southern parts of the city plans to implement the above scheme. It is fairly obvious that its meant to curb the usage of air-conditoners. In some homes as mentioned in this article, there are upto 3 air-conditoners installed. An air-condtioner is known to consume in 40 minutes as much power as a ceiling fan can in 24 hours.
It remains to be seen whether the fine will actually be implemented and if it is, then how effective it would be. Mumbai has got a fairly large population of people who can pay any amount (fine or no fine) for whatever they want. But, it might make some upper middle-class people sit up and take notice and work out ways to "save" electricity.
I feel this is a good short-term measure. Also, it should give a boost for research into alternative sources of energy. For example, hand wound mobile phone chargers as well as solar-powered phone chargers have made an appearance in foreign markets. However, they are a bit expensive and the hand-wound ones need a lot of winding to be useful on a daily basis. Maybe if we could reduce the cost and improve the performance of these, it would help save some electricity.
This article claims that a certain 7-storeyed "bungalow" in Juhu has been running on hybrid power (solar and wind) to reduce its dependency on the electric supply. Interestingly, the article mentions that this was the only bungalow that had power during the 26th July deluge.
Time for the appropriate engineers and scientists to start thinking and developing these things at an affordable price so that its usage becomes more common place. Instead of spending time worrying about some stupid payroll application, maybe they could concentrate in their own fields for a while and help India out of a difficult crisis.
Sunday, February 12, 2006
H. A. J. C.
HAJC is "Haji Ali Juice Centre". Ever since I recollect, I've seen this small shop just outside the way to the Haji Ali dargah. It specializes in fruit juices and milkshakes. It is run by Malayalee muslims (the same guys who also run the Cafe Noorani across the road). Though it may have begun as a "Juice Centre", it also serves some popular "fast food" snacks such as pizzas (grated cheese on top), sandwiches and burgers.
The place is fairly small and has about 8 very small tables. Most people prefer to stand outside and eat or drink. The place is almost always packed to capacity in the evenings where the people who come to visit the dargah and / or the Mahalaxmi temple drop in to have a snack and / or to quench their thirst.
The juices range from Rs. 20 (for plain lemon juice) to about Rs. 400 (for the imported pomegranate aka "Kabuli Anar").
Apart from the juices, the stall also has milkshakes and "fruit cream" (diced fruits in cream). The guy also gets orders from the "Gelf" and the "middil yeast". All items are also available as "parcel". The packing of this "fruit cream" is done very meticulously in thermocol boxes with dry ice to keep the thing cool.
I have seen the traffic police at the Haji Ali circle have tea at this stall, so I guess they might be making tea too.
It is supposed to be open until late hours in the night...maybe the shop "takes good care" of the cops.
The place is fairly small and has about 8 very small tables. Most people prefer to stand outside and eat or drink. The place is almost always packed to capacity in the evenings where the people who come to visit the dargah and / or the Mahalaxmi temple drop in to have a snack and / or to quench their thirst.
The juices range from Rs. 20 (for plain lemon juice) to about Rs. 400 (for the imported pomegranate aka "Kabuli Anar").
Apart from the juices, the stall also has milkshakes and "fruit cream" (diced fruits in cream). The guy also gets orders from the "Gelf" and the "middil yeast". All items are also available as "parcel". The packing of this "fruit cream" is done very meticulously in thermocol boxes with dry ice to keep the thing cool.
I have seen the traffic police at the Haji Ali circle have tea at this stall, so I guess they might be making tea too.
It is supposed to be open until late hours in the night...maybe the shop "takes good care" of the cops.
The Great GATE Grate
GATE 2006 was a nightmare for me. I had decided to take the exam again (after GATE 2005) in a bid to improve my score. Since the GATE scores are valid for a period of 2 years, the GATE 2005 score is still valid, but I thought I would try my luck again.
The prepraration to the exam was much below expectations (since I was busy with office work even on days that I had taken "leave" on). The exam itself was held today (12th Feb 2006) from 09:30 to 12:30. And, my performance is much below what I might have expected to be. However, not all is lost. GATE is a relative performance exam - it all depends on how poorly others fare. So, there is still hope.
Results will be out in a month...and if you do not hear about it on this site, you know that others have fared better.
The prepraration to the exam was much below expectations (since I was busy with office work even on days that I had taken "leave" on). The exam itself was held today (12th Feb 2006) from 09:30 to 12:30. And, my performance is much below what I might have expected to be. However, not all is lost. GATE is a relative performance exam - it all depends on how poorly others fare. So, there is still hope.
Results will be out in a month...and if you do not hear about it on this site, you know that others have fared better.
W/L
One of the favorite lines we often come across in English stories is this "The quiet of the valley was broken by the sharp toot of the train passing by". Most previous visits to Lonavala I could understand what the authors meant.
If one has ever stayed in Lonavala, one can hear numerous trains blowing their horns as they pass by. With small hillocks on either side of the tracks, the sound of the horn echoes throughout Lonavala and is clearly audible even in the day time (even across the busy highways).
On the last visit, the reason for this got cleared up. It so happened that a few of us (co-workers) had to stay in Lonavala to attend some sort of training programme. Since one of them was quite enthusiastic about morning walks, I would go along with the guy (it was rainy season and we had to wear some jacket to cover ourselves). On one of the days we wandered off and on our way back happened to cross the railway tracks. Right in front, there stood the board with the bold letters "W/L". Anyone (connected with the railways) knows what that means. "W/L" is an instruction to the loco pilot (drivers are called pilots in Indian Railway terminology) to "Whistle / Level crossing ahead".
That was the reason for all the trains going through Lonavala blowing their horns like mad. Since there is also a "blind curve" that leads into the railway level crossing, it is all the more important for the pilot to blow their horns. (Its a bit like the blind curve that leads into Grant Road station on the suburban local lines in Mumbai - one of the reason of multitudes of people being run over by trains near Grant Road).
This "W/L" also comes in a Hindi variant. It is pronounced "See / Pha" and is written in the Devnagiri script ("Seethi Bajao / Phatak aa raha hai").
If one has ever stayed in Lonavala, one can hear numerous trains blowing their horns as they pass by. With small hillocks on either side of the tracks, the sound of the horn echoes throughout Lonavala and is clearly audible even in the day time (even across the busy highways).
That was the reason for all the trains going through Lonavala blowing their horns like mad. Since there is also a "blind curve" that leads into the railway level crossing, it is all the more important for the pilot to blow their horns. (Its a bit like the blind curve that leads into Grant Road station on the suburban local lines in Mumbai - one of the reason of multitudes of people being run over by trains near Grant Road).
This "W/L" also comes in a Hindi variant. It is pronounced "See / Pha" and is written in the Devnagiri script ("Seethi Bajao / Phatak aa raha hai").
Sunday, January 29, 2006
RIP : Supriya
Although a bit late, this one is in memory of Supriya, the only tigress of the Byculla zoo that died end of December 2005. As can be seen from the reports (and here), she died of kidney failure.
As far as I could see during my visits to the zoo, she was very popular among all age groups of visitors. Indeed, she was aptly named "Supriya" (meaning the most beloved). She had a fairly large enclosure by Byculla-zoo standards and the enclosure had a couple of "small caves" and a water pond where she would laze about in the hot summer months.
Here is a photograph of Supriya that I had shot sometime in April 2005. Now only if I had that SLR instead of the stupid compact digital camera...
Vesave Koli Food Festival 2006
As part of the Mumbai Festival 2006, several events were held in various parts of the city. One among them was the "Vesave Koli Food Festival" at Versova. This "sub-festival" was held on January 20th to January 22nd. I decided to visit it on the last day. The timings were 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Being a Sunday, I expected some crowd, but as the time passed by, the crowd only increased multi-fold much beyond my expectations. I reached the Versova bus stop at about 6:45 p.m. and decided to walk the rest of the way. It took me some time (and the guidance of a native co-worker, whom I happened to meet by chance in the "village") to find the way to the actual place.
Versova (or Vesave as it is called by the natives) was a "real village" till some time ago. As time progressed by, the local fisherfolk have lost quite a bit of their business because of various reasons. Lack of carrying on the tradition by the new generation is also one of them. (I guess the reasoning is as follows: why would someone sweat it out on the rough seas, when one could be comfortable in a call-center office? Heh?). One could now see three to four-storeyed buildings where small houses once stood. Proliferation of other communities (noticably from the North of India) could also be seen.
But, the seniors are still around. One can see them wearing their tradtional attire (a lungi that forms a triangle near the ankles). Their skin tanned from the hot and UV-filled rays of the sun and those reflected off the water. These seniors, I guess, still go in to get the "catch". Typically, it is a night duty, since that is the time when the catch is more. These boats typically come in ashore at 5 a.m. or so.
Coming back to the festival, the Kolis (as the local fisherfolk are called), must have had it quite good. They were all smiles and why not. Looking at the crowd eating up everything they had to offer, they must've made quite a much-deserved fortune.
Being a Sunday, I expected some crowd, but as the time passed by, the crowd only increased multi-fold much beyond my expectations. I reached the Versova bus stop at about 6:45 p.m. and decided to walk the rest of the way. It took me some time (and the guidance of a native co-worker, whom I happened to meet by chance in the "village") to find the way to the actual place.
| Several stalls were put up where the local fishermen could cook and display their food items. (See the local church in the background. A temple was also present on the grounds, but I could not photograph it.) |  |
| The decoration was quite interesting with real boats, fish, nets and oars thrown in. |  |  |
| A stage had been decorated where dance performances by the local fisherfolk were to be held. |  |
Versova (or Vesave as it is called by the natives) was a "real village" till some time ago. As time progressed by, the local fisherfolk have lost quite a bit of their business because of various reasons. Lack of carrying on the tradition by the new generation is also one of them. (I guess the reasoning is as follows: why would someone sweat it out on the rough seas, when one could be comfortable in a call-center office? Heh?). One could now see three to four-storeyed buildings where small houses once stood. Proliferation of other communities (noticably from the North of India) could also be seen.
But, the seniors are still around. One can see them wearing their tradtional attire (a lungi that forms a triangle near the ankles). Their skin tanned from the hot and UV-filled rays of the sun and those reflected off the water. These seniors, I guess, still go in to get the "catch". Typically, it is a night duty, since that is the time when the catch is more. These boats typically come in ashore at 5 a.m. or so.
Coming back to the festival, the Kolis (as the local fisherfolk are called), must have had it quite good. They were all smiles and why not. Looking at the crowd eating up everything they had to offer, they must've made quite a much-deserved fortune.
Sunday, January 22, 2006
Dr. Amar Bose @ Techfest
This year's Techfest at IITB featured a lecture series that included (among other luminaries) a lecture by Dr. Amar Bose. The lecture was held on Saturday 21st January at 08:00 a.m. Indian time.
Since I was keen to attend this lecture, I had to rush to attend the lecture. Nevertheless, I reached 10 minutes ahead of 08:00 a.m. and took my seat. It was only then that I realized that the lecture was not a "live" one, but a kind of "video conference" with Bose being seated in the U.S.A.
The lecture began on schedule and except for a discontinuation ("line drop") after half-an-hour into the lecture, it proceeded quite smoothly and went on for about 1hr and 45 minutes.
Dr. Bose began with a question to the co-ordinator (on the IITB side) as to what he must talk about. Finally, after asking about the composition of the audience, he said he would speak first about education (since the audience mostly comprised off under grad and post grad students).
Some key points from the lecture:
Since I was keen to attend this lecture, I had to rush to attend the lecture. Nevertheless, I reached 10 minutes ahead of 08:00 a.m. and took my seat. It was only then that I realized that the lecture was not a "live" one, but a kind of "video conference" with Bose being seated in the U.S.A.
The lecture began on schedule and except for a discontinuation ("line drop") after half-an-hour into the lecture, it proceeded quite smoothly and went on for about 1hr and 45 minutes.
Dr. Bose began with a question to the co-ordinator (on the IITB side) as to what he must talk about. Finally, after asking about the composition of the audience, he said he would speak first about education (since the audience mostly comprised off under grad and post grad students).
Some key points from the lecture:
- Dr. Bose was primarily a professor and mathematics seemed to be his core, but he got interested into acoustics because of a shoddy music system that he had obtained.
- He stressed that quality education was very important. Also important is the way in which education is being imparted.
- He pointed out that some of his research took place over a span of 25 years. In response to a question as to whether such long-term research made sense in today's past-paced world, he said that such research woud not be possible in a public company (because of the pressure of the stake holders). This was one reason for making Bose Corporation a private company.
- One of the reasons why he formed a separate company instead of continuing research at MIT, where he claimed to have a lot of freedom, was because of the lack of time and lack of long term people. Most people (students) in a university stay for a period of 2 to 4 years and hence, continuity of these people in the research project could not be guaranteed.
- He emphasized that Bose Corp does research only in areas that would result in a technology that common people (laymen) could understand being superior without getting into the technical details. As per his example, the new shock absorber technology from Bose Corp would make even one's mom feel that the car ride in such a car is much superior.
- Parents shape their children's character and influence them more than they think.
- According to Dr. Bose, one should work in a company where one feels like going to every day and not for the money. (Never choose a company by the money they offer!).
- He disappointed a few people in the audience when he stated that he was a core techie with no business skills or interest. He even went on to say that the salaries of everyone (including himself) at Bose Corp. are decided by a third-party (outside agency) purely based on that person's achievements in the past year.
- In response to a question on his biggest blunder, he said that he would rate the design and manufacture of a few pieces of a "spherical" loudspeaker that would occupy the corners of a room. The design of the technology was as per the acoustic theory, but when it came to selling these pieces, they realized that very few American homes had corners free of furniture. That meant that the speakers would have to be kept elsewhere and that was not what the speakers were designed for.
- Dr. Bose came close to talking about spirituality when he recalled an incident where he talked to a swami from the Ramakrishna mission. It seemed that he and his family had known the swami for some time and when Dr. Bose visited India, he made it a point to visit the swami. It was then that he asked the swami about the difference in the spiritual and academic sessions. According to Dr. Bose, academics and scientific research relied heavily on proofs, whereas the swami could not offer any proofs of the spiritual theories.
The swami asked him to recall any of his "discoveries" and patented technologies and asked him whether those came about by methodological proofs or was it just a flash in the mind. Indeed, Dr. Bose admitted that all of his patents came about without proofs. It was only later that he worked backward to prove the theory.
His key point was that irrational thoughts are usually at the forefront in leading to newer discoveries and ideas.
Monday, January 16, 2006
Pandharpur calling
Pandharpur beckons.
I feel I must visit it once, if only to see what inspired the saints to write so many beautiful songs (abhangs) about it. Something magical...something inspirational...definitely something too important to miss out.
When the time comes, I will go there. But, right now, I'm just trying to find out enough to plan a trip. I am being told that it is not the best of places to stay in (?). Its just a small village and (maybe) not yet commercialized. But, then it has always been said that Lord Vitthala was the "poor man's God". I am being told that this is one of the few places where ALL people could actually touch the Lord's feet. If poverty is judged by spiritual wealth, then definitely all of our types are below the poverty line.
Onto Solapur, by God's grace, we shall soon see what is special about this.
I feel I must visit it once, if only to see what inspired the saints to write so many beautiful songs (abhangs) about it. Something magical...something inspirational...definitely something too important to miss out.
When the time comes, I will go there. But, right now, I'm just trying to find out enough to plan a trip. I am being told that it is not the best of places to stay in (?). Its just a small village and (maybe) not yet commercialized. But, then it has always been said that Lord Vitthala was the "poor man's God". I am being told that this is one of the few places where ALL people could actually touch the Lord's feet. If poverty is judged by spiritual wealth, then definitely all of our types are below the poverty line.
Onto Solapur, by God's grace, we shall soon see what is special about this.
Sunday, January 15, 2006
Stinging the stingers
Conducting sting operations is in vogue. Over the past few years, media (television in particular) have resorted to these to "expose" the alleged misdoings of some of the important people. Some people claim that the media is doing this to get audience attention. With so much competition, there might be some truth in it.
So how about "stinging the stingers"?
I was told about a few people connected with the media who were using their "clout" to run small illegal businesses. Also, some guys told me that during the July 2005 deluge, television news channels were asking a group of school-going kids to walk through the knee-deep water. This, inspite of the fact that they had other drier roads to travel on. It was just to film them and ask them how they felt walking through the water and other crap that these channels usually dish out. (Aap ko kya laga paani se chalne mein? Maaza aa raha tha ya darr lag raha tha? Thanda paani tha ke garam? )
Time to sting the stingers, I say.
So how about "stinging the stingers"?
I was told about a few people connected with the media who were using their "clout" to run small illegal businesses. Also, some guys told me that during the July 2005 deluge, television news channels were asking a group of school-going kids to walk through the knee-deep water. This, inspite of the fact that they had other drier roads to travel on. It was just to film them and ask them how they felt walking through the water and other crap that these channels usually dish out. (Aap ko kya laga paani se chalne mein? Maaza aa raha tha ya darr lag raha tha? Thanda paani tha ke garam? )
Time to sting the stingers, I say.
Friday, January 13, 2006
Confusion over Lord Ganesha's Shloka
I have not studied this matter in depth but these are some lingering thoughts in my mind that I should find out more about. Given that Lord Ganesha is Mumbai's "favorite" God and that half of Bollywood and even "telewood" go to the Siddhivinayak temple, I thought it might be time to pose this question.
I've heard at least 2 versions of the famous Lord Ganesha's shloka. Mind you, this is the same "mantra" that is recited at the beginning of every auspicious ceremony. The 2 versions differ by only a single word, but the change seems significant to me.
Here are the 2 versions, side by side:
These are 2 separate versions that I've heard or read. The difference is a single word. In one version, it is "Sarva", while in the other it is "Shubh". "Sarva" means all, while "Shubh" means auspicious.
Thus, the first mantra is probably meant for all tasks (auspicious or otherwise), whereas the second one seems to seek blessings before beginning an auspicous task.
I wonder which one is the original one and whether both mean the same. If you have to start a not-so-legal task, you now know which one to use.
I've heard at least 2 versions of the famous Lord Ganesha's shloka. Mind you, this is the same "mantra" that is recited at the beginning of every auspicious ceremony. The 2 versions differ by only a single word, but the change seems significant to me.
Here are the 2 versions, side by side:
| Vakratunda mahakaya Koti soorya samaprabha Nirvighnam kurume deva Sarva karyeshu sarvada | Vakratunda mahakaya Koti soorya samaprabha Nirvighnam kurume deva Shubh karyeshu sarvada |
Thus, the first mantra is probably meant for all tasks (auspicious or otherwise), whereas the second one seems to seek blessings before beginning an auspicous task.
I wonder which one is the original one and whether both mean the same. If you have to start a not-so-legal task, you now know which one to use.
Thursday, January 05, 2006
Indian Mathematicians
I came across an article that outlines the contributions made to mathematics by Indian mathematicians. One of the things that caught my attention was a contribution by a mathematician called Kaprekar.
"Kaprekar Constant" is 6174 and works as follows:
"Kaprekar Constant" is 6174 and works as follows:
Take any four digit number in which all digits are not alike. Arrange its digits in descending order and subtract from it the number formed by arranging the digits in ascending order. If this process is repeated with reminders, ultimately number 6174 is obtained, which then generates itself.
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
Safety of Volvo buses
In the recent accident involving a Volvo bus, as many as 30 passengers were charred to death. It seems (from reading various reports) that the passengers who were occupying the front seats managed to escape death; those passengers who fled to the back of the bus were trapped in what became a "burning coffin".
It was also mentioned later that the emergency exit of the bus was jammed and therefore the people were trapped. (This jamming of the locking system had also happened earlier in the July 2005 deluge when some people died due to suffocation in their cars).
Volvo claims to have a high safety record and I was told by some people in the US of A that Volvo cars also get a better insurance rate there because the cars are very safe. When Volvo entered the Indian market, they also claimed that all the other Indian "buses" were in fact "trucks". Their contention was that the Indian "buses" were built on the same chasis as that meant for the trucks. So, the comfort level would be higher in a Volvo (which claimed to have a different chasis for the buses than the trucks).
Having experienced a Volvo ride myself, I thought the journey was quite comfortable. It also seemed to me that even the driver comfort had been thought of. The panels (dashboard) seemed to be designed quite well, the driver seemed to enjoy the power steering. The height and position of the driver seat seemed to offer the guy quite a nice view of the road. The driver also had the pleasure of enjoying driving in air-condioned comfort. The seats for the assistant ("cleaner") were thoughtfully foldable.
The Volvo bus is a rear-engine vehicle (probably to reduce the noise inside the bus). But, maybe that's the problem too. Indians are mostly accustomed to finding the emergency exit at the back of the bus. Since Volvo buses have rear-engines, I guess that's the reason they do not have an emergency exit at the back of the bus. Yes, that's true. Take a look at a Volvo bus the next time and compare it to a BEST bus.
I do not know if the Volvo bus has any emergency exit. The emergency exit does not seem to be located at the "usual" place. Maybe that's why the people got trapped - they thought the bus had to have an exit at the back. Maybe its time to do what is done in an aircraft flight - tell people about the various emergency exits at the start of the journey.
It was also mentioned later that the emergency exit of the bus was jammed and therefore the people were trapped. (This jamming of the locking system had also happened earlier in the July 2005 deluge when some people died due to suffocation in their cars).
Volvo claims to have a high safety record and I was told by some people in the US of A that Volvo cars also get a better insurance rate there because the cars are very safe. When Volvo entered the Indian market, they also claimed that all the other Indian "buses" were in fact "trucks". Their contention was that the Indian "buses" were built on the same chasis as that meant for the trucks. So, the comfort level would be higher in a Volvo (which claimed to have a different chasis for the buses than the trucks).
Having experienced a Volvo ride myself, I thought the journey was quite comfortable. It also seemed to me that even the driver comfort had been thought of. The panels (dashboard) seemed to be designed quite well, the driver seemed to enjoy the power steering. The height and position of the driver seat seemed to offer the guy quite a nice view of the road. The driver also had the pleasure of enjoying driving in air-condioned comfort. The seats for the assistant ("cleaner") were thoughtfully foldable.
The Volvo bus is a rear-engine vehicle (probably to reduce the noise inside the bus). But, maybe that's the problem too. Indians are mostly accustomed to finding the emergency exit at the back of the bus. Since Volvo buses have rear-engines, I guess that's the reason they do not have an emergency exit at the back of the bus. Yes, that's true. Take a look at a Volvo bus the next time and compare it to a BEST bus.
I do not know if the Volvo bus has any emergency exit. The emergency exit does not seem to be located at the "usual" place. Maybe that's why the people got trapped - they thought the bus had to have an exit at the back. Maybe its time to do what is done in an aircraft flight - tell people about the various emergency exits at the start of the journey.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)