Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Take a bullet, but not a shoe

Ok, so by now, we have seen all this.

I had the question, which was on many people's mind. Where was the secret service? And my answer was the title of this blog. And soon, when i search youtube for the funnies i find that i am not the only one, who thought the same thing. Here is what the funny fellas had to say about it. I sure missed all of this, not being in the US at the time.



What is so cool, i guess is that, very few have really taken offense at this? Including Mr. Bush himself. I mean, what else can he really do. But then again, most of america is so fed up, that they could care less, if one of them actually met the target.

Just shoe it.

Friday, December 05, 2008

Wanted - Reward Money - LeT

This came as after thought, or after a lot of deliberation. I remember seeing an announcement from the FBI (or US Govt) on CNN, for a 25 million USD reward for the capture of Osama Bin Laden. Two days after the whole Mumbai affair was over, the outpouring of the people into the streets of Mumbai, Banglore, Delhi, and almost everywhere else in India, kept me thinking. We could do something different. We need to act, but not necessarily fight a war. Well, this is one way to keep this man running.
Have any of you watched the movie Ransom, starring Mel Gibson. The only unfortunate part is that the GOI and we in India, would like this fellow captured alive. But i think i have submitted a proposal, and it can be tweaked to increase the reward money and also offer tiers of rewards for live apprehension and otherwise.

The only question, i have is:
Has the GOI issued an arrest warrant for this man ?
If not, all this moot. We cannot issue an advertisement if the person is not really wanted in the country for breaking the laws.

Another note: Will you contribute to this reward money ? So we can increase or even offer the 25 crores, if the GOI is not willing to participate ? We must explore legal ways to be able to enforce this whether the Government supports it or not.

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Mumbai wakes up India

I received an sms the evening, after it was all over in Mumbai. It was also broadcasted earlier on NDTV. It read.....
"Where is Raj Thackeray and his brave sena ? 200 NSG commados (all Indians) were sent to fight the terrorists, so that he can sleep peacefully."

As soon as i saw it on NDTV, i couldnt help think of the song that haunts everytime you hear it. It talks about the brave soldiers who give up their lives for our better tomorrow.


While this song was sung for a different war, and at a different time. The words are still very true today.

More....

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

American Elections !!

Today America votes, after almost eight years of torture by a person whose most stupendous ability is to mangle any and every english sentence or phrase he uses. It has been a day that one half of America was waiting holding every breath, so that they could live to see it. A day when the world is hoping that America will finally come to its senses.

Obama or Mccain ?
And more importantly does it matter?
And if does, will Martin Luther King's dream come true ?

Hmm... it still rings in my head.... 'I have a dream...'

Sunday, November 02, 2008

Klueless4

Klueless4 - the 2008 version is out.
Start playing
Well, its been out for sometime, atleast a week, and over a 100 people have already completed and reached the Hall of Fame. I started it again, thanks to the alert from Anoop. Now, if i could only get the time to sit and crack this.

Done. Phew. I was desperately stuck in a few places, this time it took even a day to crack it. It was more because of work pressure, than anything else. :) Thanks Anoop for that clue, i was really stuck there. I was about to give up. It is after you emailed me back, i realized, i had thought of it, but never did it. You know sometimes your mind simply refuses to think outside of the box. It is caught on a track and refuses to dislodge itself. This game, is a good exercise for people for two reasons - lateral thinking, and how to search using yahoo/google/wiki.

Here are my stab at providing you some different thoughts to solve the problem, or how i went about cracking it. Ready ? You can get a klueless here...

Level 0: Start... go ahead do it.

Level 1: Obviously we are all here to play, so whats the point here.

Level 2: If you had played Klueless3 then this is a breeze. If you this is your first attempt, then read the instructions. You will need to do something to move from the past to the present.

Level 3: Read the sentence. Its all in there. It might take a while, if you overlook the first few like i did. Dont be confused. If you are stuck read it again. And do it again. Its really simple.

Level 4: Hmm.. that fella looks familiar. We obviously see these chaps on India News TV all the time. If you are not from India, this might twist your brains (get help outsource this to some indian friend you know). Now back to the clue. Check out those numbers, that's not a clock. If you get the real title of the fella, then read the source code to know who you must pick.
I spent sometime, because i didnt read the source carefully. Why would too many clues point to the same thing? I checked the help blogs, there was not much help. Then i discovered a new meaning to the clue in the source.

Level 5: This is shamefull. Check the source. This page looks different. Something is amiss. If you realize the difference, then follow the money trail. Once there, its simple as a click away.

Level 6: ok.... so to us Desi's, atleast from a two decades ago, DD was Doordharshan. Well, as you can see it is not. What is it ? Its not enough if you find the name, there more to it. Trust Wiki to do the rest for you.

Level 7: This klueless round had a lot of numbers, sequences, series. This is your first and the most simplest. Complete the series. Then take a paper and pencil and sort it out.

Level 8: Simple One again. The first thing that crossed my mind. I would have been thru in a second. But no, i dont listen to advice. There is probably something here, something that's hidden. Well, i started cracking the clue, went about in circles, hit on my first thought a few times, but it didnt seem obvious enough.
After about an hour, i tried my first thought... two attempts.... to get the spelling and answer right. Boom, i dashed to the next level.

Level 9: The picture is a hint. The color is a hint. The sentence is a hint. The title is a hint. (What is this, a repeat of the instructions?. Well, i was just trying to reiterate, people (like me) usually forget, and keep wandering in the dark. ) When you begin to realize that the sentence needs to be tranlated, you figure the answer.
I had to struggle a few times. I kept thinking there was more to it. There isnt. Again about 10 or so minutes later, i tried what i knew and it worked.

Level 10: Fancy Clock. Those numbers mean something. And these stars, well you know them all. Wiki is your guide here. Once you know how they are all related, i dont just mean the people, also the numbers, you have the answer. Well, how do you make it one word? You know just the last statement is a clue. The hollyword stars in a word.
It was a breeze. Two searches, got the relation. One more to confirm. Then to find the missing ones. Then one extra search to get the spelling right. Wiki, you are the real god of Klueless.

Level 11: Mecca. Well to us in India, this is religion. But i am not so sure if this is considered Mecca anymore (atleast to us in India). But it is where a lot of things got started. Ikes that insect is irritating me !!! Wiki again, what? Mecca, oh no. Not Mecca, that you have to figure out yourself. But then, you know the people, who are standing around, watching it all.
Easy one. One search to Wiki. And soon enough the answer is obvious. By the way, i noticed the insect only now.


Level 12: This was not easy. Only because i have seen all these pictures. I just didnt recall the big blot of ink in the middle. Even if i did, i never knew it was related to geometery. And even i figured that by a small fraction of mind, i would never have connected it to the universe. Why is Mandela and Chicken Soup at the bottom of the picutre? Taking about soup, if i was Shakespeare, i would have said 'What's in a soup? It tastes the same, by another name.'
I spent a few minutes, more than a few minutes doing image search. Thats i figured, having dont 3 rounds of klueless already. It was easy after that.

So far so good. All of so much was accomplished in less than 2 hours. With 8 taking almost 50% of it. Level 9, half of the remaining time. And level 12, taking about a fifth of the balance. Hmmm. How many minutes did i say, i took?

More soon... Cause Level 13, was unlucky. I took a weekend to crack this. I searched the blog sites like none other. I found nothing. They were down. There were limited clues. Every one was simply saying the same twisted thing, again and again.

Level 13: Well. This is similar to puzzle and other Ciphers and cryptic messages i worked on in Klueless3. First things first. The writing is very familiar. If you have seen it, you know it. If you havent, then its a doubt. Well start cracking the puzzle. While i was struggling to crack the words and letters, i also found a clue in the klueless blog. It said 'Secret of 52'. I didnt have to search Wiki, i knew what it was. But then how to apply it here. The secret of 52, uses a particular pattern. In this case, the pattern has to be expanded to the fullest extend possible.
For me that was the begining of the problem. The last time i played and used the 'secret of 52', there was another clue which hinted at the application of key to this puzzle. In this case there wasnt any. That was until i got an email from Anoop. The thinking and driving me nuts process lasted for almost a day, till i got help from Anoop.


Level 14: Simple as it can be. There is a description and an image. Use the description and search web images. You will find the same ring. Research the ring and you will get your answer.
It took me two or three searches to find the image. And then it didnt much time after that.

Level 15: Three doors..... more on this soon.
Like the delay in updating the clues now, this level was tricky. It was meant to be, you are now half way there. There are three doors;
Level 15a - Door 1 - This is simple search and you will know the answer. All you have to do is find the missing one. But as soon as you enter the answer, you will hit a dead-end.
Level 15b - Door 2 - This page is very familiar. Where did we see this before ?
Level 15c - Door 3 - This is tricky, but only because you are not thinking simple. The first sentence has a clue hidden in it. Then of course there are the images. Each of the animals are doing something. Except one. What are the doing? And what is special about the one that is not. You can use the sentence clue or the images. The images first and then the sentence, i would say.
As instructed in these levels, you get a user name and password. Where do you enter this ? That is the key.
I had to do levels 1 thru 15, three times before i got the answer. It wasnt very difficult to figure out what to do when i hit the dead-end. When i finally got it, i didnt, but i should kicked myself.

 
Level 16: A chat window, with a message. Decode. How ? If you chat or sms you will know how to write this sentence. When decoded you will find a few words that can stand on their own. The only issue, what are u going to do ?
It wasnt easy. The key was figuring out what u could do?

Level 17: Hang Man. Wrong man for the wrong crime!! When you ease him down and let him stand up, he will give you a clue. You dont have offer any quite prayer, specially if you have lost faith. A simple search is enough to find the real person who should be hung here.

Level 18: Solve the clues - the sentences. When you have solved a few you will know what to do with the numbers. The key though is to find out which way to read the numbers - up, down, cross ?? Well all that means is a few trials. Right. Trust in Yahoo/Google to get your thru the sentence clues.

Level 19: Who let this dog out ? Name the pictures. They will all fall in place. If it doesnt, you have got wrong names associated with the pictures. Try again.
I should have know following the disney cartoon is a wrong way to go. It just was too obvious. Took a while. Then a friend said the right word for the bottom-right corner image. Suddenly the calculation made sense and so did the fish. I havent bothered to find out the rest. :)

Level 20: Simple math. Well, first you need to know what those characters are ? I mean which language. Then what it means. Then some research. When you get the number, you will know how it is associated with the sun.

Level 21: AT SiX PoinT? What is that? Well, thats a code. All that matters in that have been marked up. When you figure it out, you need to go to the URL .... well obviously since there is no place to enter anything. The main thing after that is to count. Everything counts. Add it all up. The sum of it all, is the answer to the next level.

Level 22: i j - Till i hit here, i didnt know that there was a term for it. Well, what do you know ? There is a name and even a more specific one. Well, you may critic this, as being childish. When you find out, that for i & j, this is integral, then you would have learned a thing or two.

Level 23: Stumped. To a desi, there is not new at all. How ever, what is intriquing is this is recent. Another plug, even they didnt sponsor Klueless. Or may be they did. Think of some recent games and you will get the answer.

Level 24: This is tricky. You will need to go on a wild goose chase, and you will finally be rewarded. Start with Napoleon. It will take a lot of words,  if i am to explain what to do next. But just think, that year, something or someone was laid to rest. Wiki, and wiki alone can help you here. A lot of reading and patience will help.

Level 25: Calculator. What is with the LED and the numbers within the numbers? And where is the key ? Well, as they said in the instructions, some times simply staring at the images will not help. Its real easy if you begin to play with the image.

Level 26: Another thoughtful but simple level. Sometimes you just need to give up. The sooner you figure that, the sooner you can rest in peace.

Level 27: How can you change a symbol of love into numbers? This is one way. These numbers like it show is a coordinate on something like an x,y axis. The only problem is that these lines are imaginary. So how do you plot them?

Level 28: First get into the frame of things. As soon as you read - the begining and the end is a simple hint of things to come. Then you have to crack the puzzling statements. They say, history repeat itself. Hmm, i wonder if they meant things happen on the same day again and again. I mean different things. (Ok that was so lame!). When you know the date, the 'mera mahan' things hits you. Search till you find the frame. When you find it, you realize the klueless is serious when they say, 'stick to the original'.

Level 29: What are these images ? I have seen these many times, many times by accident. If you dont, open Word (ya as it was indicated in the previous level), and play with it, till you see something that is similar to this. Then play again, to decode. (Let me tell you this, because i play around with these 'wings', i know a thing or two about these dings). So it was easy to play around with different options, soon i see a formula. The trick now is what to these operands mean? Try the two possibilities for each operand. So with four tries you should be able to cross the level.

Level 30: Finally!!! We have seen this somewhere. Get the original. See the alternate. Now i am see two similar pictures. Similar ? No not exactly, i see things differently. The first two appear soon enough, and then they keep making lesser and lesser mistakes.

Level 31: What another one ? What do i do here ?

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Information Desk


info-desk-p20
Originally uploaded by ck^2
Check out this information desk. I found this, on a trip to Bahamas. That was about 3 years ago. The trip was in december, maybe it was not a peak travel season. I took the photo in the early afternoon, around 3pm. We had a few hours to stroll, before we got back on the cruise ship back to the US.

I guess, it was setup, more like a wishing well. You came up to the desk, and asked your question, only to make up your own response.


Sunday, October 12, 2008

Yeh hum naheen

You never know, what you find when you crawl the www. I found this, a beautiful effort by a group to show as they say it "we are not that" (yeh hum naheen). People all over the world are the same. No one kind, wants to kill an innocent person.



On reading from the website, the foundation was started by Waseem Mohammed, because of his children. He wanted to show that all muslims, specially all Pakistanis are not terrorists or supportive of their causes.

I caught the news, when over 6.2 crores (62 million) people have signed up for this cause. Shows that atleast so many believe. Now if only we could get rid of the politicians, politics, religion, and stupid imaginary lines that run on this earth.

Saturday, October 04, 2008

Speed Painting

I found this, during a random browsing on youtube.



I also found a few other interesting speed-painting and photoshop related youtube clips. Another notable one is the fat to thin. Watch this, and then maybe you will have a different perspective to any and all images you see on the internet.

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Fun while it lasted

It was fun while it lasted. All the 5 days. Well, thats how long it took me to crack the pieces. Now that it is over. I am twiddling thumbs, that is of course when i dont have life's freely granted problems to solve. But the thrill and roller coaster feel of this game, leaves behind a withdrawal symptom. I guess it is because you always have the choice of exiting, when it gets too hard. And you are not going to get a gold medal if you finish it either. Or maybe its because unlike the real life one, you dont neccesarily have to endure pain and torture. 

Now, its been over a week since its all under the bridge. But i am looking for a game of similar breed to go after. Or rather a challenge to add to my already challenged life.

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Klueless3

I had stumbled on to Klueless Version 1, long back, after a long struggle, lasting a few days, i reached the hall of fame. Of course i was not the first. Yeah Right. Well, if my name doesnt figure in that hall of fame, its because there are about atleast 800+ people smarter, faster and who knew about this sooner (if that is any consolation). I thought that was the end of fun run.

Two friends from Yahoo 360 days, tried to recreate this experience, but i think they didnt have the required time at their disposal to take it to beyond a few levels.

Yesterday, while visiting Anoop's blog, i came across Klueless3, that meant there was Klueless2, and yes there were three versions now. Well i have started Klueless3, and i just crossed level 5, this morning. So here is the path so far. The below are some hints, there are more available on Klueless3 help site. But this will only have them as far as i have gotten in the game. So here goes:

Level 0: Yes. There is a level 0. Nothing much to think here. Just follow instruction, and SEE what happens.

Have you read the instructions. If not, this is a good time to do so. Also, another important clue while playing Klueless, keep 1 spare window for Yahoo Search, WikiPedia. Also be ready with the right-click to check out the Page Source.

Level 1: Hey, this image is familiar, i have seen it before. hmm..

Level 2: Instructions. Read again. Follow thru. Its all there in black and white.

Level 3: He played, while .....; Hmmm How do you use a blank CD?

Level 4: Corporate Advertisement ? Logo are designed by Corporates to convey more than what they do at first look. They are meant to point to something.

Level 5: Tricky. It stumped me. But when i got it, it was staring in my face. There is nothing hidden in the image. Everything you want from here is staring in your face and clearly visible. Wikipedia is the key. Give names to what you see and search. Finally you will see the number that has no digits.

Level 6: Think Girl. Obviously she is connected.

Level 7: this is all smokes, so easy .... 20 seconds.... it stares in your face.

Level 8: Dravid is known for it. But whats with the other image ? Once you name the connection, wiki will help.

Level 9: you can try the hard way, that is start from the beginning. Or just work the last sentence, just the last word. You cant overlook the significance of doing this.

Level 10: This is tricky. First check the source code. There is a problem. Now when you see the problem, you can only do one thing with that correction. This correction shows you, yet another clue. All jumbled words. What do they mean? Maybe you should hit the back button and read the clues provided. The title - "World is just a word" and the subtext - "Alternate worlds, beginning together". Thats the key to solve and get the password.
But, if you are game, try secret of 52, it will provide clues required to solve this puzzle. (ps, its in here too !!)

Level 11: You have his initials. That's a start. Once you figure him out. He has done something that is equivalent of K3G, KHNH, K2H2 etc.

Level 12: Ground Zero. Where did we start ? When we started, we didnt bother to do things, we did later. Maybe we should have. Well its not late now. Lets go and dig up things in Ground Zero.

Level 13: This is tough. Actually its not. It just appears so. This is a cipher. Its needs to be decoded. Once it is decoded, you use the message to get the answer required. Now who do you, what this cipher is ? Well, remember, the most recent book on ciphers and clues and hunting for holy grail. Well this is mentioned there. In any case wiki has it in there too. What if you didnt hold the pen, while trying to play with the pig?

Level 14: Amazing. You will simply love this. But i wasted time. Once i found the science of solving the numbers.  I then tried to connect them all together. But the clue said, simply connect. Simply Connect. Without prober vowels and consonants etc. Yes. Once you know where they belong and what they mean, just connect them.

Level 15: Elementary. After 14, this is such a passe. Well, you know who Watson is, and therefore who the other guy is....yada yada yada. Thats it. Nothing much to think about.

Level 16: Ok this might seem difficult. I know her from two movies. But what is this one? Well put all the stuff that we have - title, picture heading, the actress and search. You will hit on something crazy.

Level 16a: This is ridiculous. If you dont know this, then you havent been watching movies or reading. Well maybe you were under a rock. So you know her now - right ? So figure out the movie. And then its cakewalk.

Level 17: Another job, purely for wikipedia. You just have to read the hints provided. This too was rather timid. All you have to do after searching is pick the right name.

Level 18: This could be tricky. But if you enjoy humour, you will know this God. There is enough clues provided in the source, title etc.

Level 19: This was tough. It was actually waste of time spinning in circles. The character porky, the cartoon, the picture and all the lovely things were said. If you only figure out what to say and how to say it. If you are able to voice it correctly, you get the answer.

Level 20: We did something like this. Exactly half way to this point. You know, there were more hidden stuff, and we had to dig them out. Once you get it, then you have the pieces required to put the pzuzle together.

Level 21: Boy is this a wild's goose chase. Well, the image is a big clue. Use the pieces of the puzzle (from the image together - again just type in names for what you see), you will get to the frothy stuff on wiki. Then you got to put the 3 and 3, 7 and 7 together.

Level 22: Extend. Same as 20 and a few levels before. There is more stuff. Once you get it out. You need to simply look for it. Look deep. Its there. Written out clearly for you to see. The problem is getting the stuff. There is no extent to which this will build tension in you.

Level 23: This is easy. Only if you get the key. Like they say. Many times the key is right in front of you, and you look for it at the last place. And then what you find, the key you always wanted. After you decrypt the nice sentence, you must then find the name that fits.

Level 24: Dot. Do.t D.ot. Do they mean something? Of course. Usually we use dots to mean same as before. Same as what before? Well the scheme is the same, you just use it again.

Level 25: Keyboard. Hmm, this one says M is right, but the others are not. What wrong? Do we have a different one?

Level 26: Lets see the picture now. There's a mercedes benz, a door, and a purple sky full of smog, smoke?. And there is  milestone. Then there are all the clues written all over. As it says, they are all dead. Answer this, and you will know the next level.

Level 27: This level needs help. It took a lot of wasted time, working on a outdated wiki page. First crack the code, you will then get a product name, which prompts you for an answer. Now read the same page, but one that was updated on 2nd January 2008, 23:39. In here you will see the meaning of the red and blue bars. You will be scared out of your wits as you start seeing the omens. There is only word that can describe it.



Level 28: One of the easy ones. There is a hint in the source, that is so direct. If you havent heard the story, first search for that, you will get 'it'. Once you get 'it', the X, H and ? will become easy. If you cant find the story then you may fail to see the connection so easily.



Level 29: Easy to get confused. Search every key word you see. Once you search on the right word, then it will work like a charm. There's no magic here, its purely wiki. And not much time, so if  you are wasting time, you may be on the wrong path. You will need to summon all the books. And in each book there is a hidden message. String them together to get the final clue. 


Level 30: Easy again. Dont get fooled. Keep it simple. The answer is right in front of you. All you need is to associate it with the right place. Dont let this torture you too much.



Done... not quite yet.


Level n-1: Circle of life. Punarapi Jananam Punarapi Maranam Punarapi Janani. Where do we go from here ?

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Gold Haul at the Olympics

China scored a perfect 100. They showcased the best Olympics so far, and also scored in the sporting field. They had shown signs of taking over the sporting arena, since the split up of the erstwhile USSR into many smaller nations. In the period of cold war, the US and USSR had a competition about outscoring each other in the medal tally. The USSR lead the way many times, much to the accusation of the US, that it was not all through fair means. Today, China has taken the mantel from the old USSR.


It is important to realize that this sporting establishment that started by only supporting amateurs, today has become the most professionally managed sporting establishment. It requires consistent and long term planning of the state, corporate and willing individuals to put themselves through torture for many years to achieve the success they seek. No wonder, smaller nations, with priority in terms of daily bread etc, are not so appropriately represented in the medal table. Hmmmm!! That sounds like a nice refuge for countries like India to hide under.

Monday, August 11, 2008

I wasn't thinking of making history: Abhinav Bindra

Sure he did. Good that he wasnt thinking about it as he went for his shots. He has created history, by winning Gold in the olympics. The first ever by an Indian. And doing so, has quenched the thirst of a nation of 1 BILLION people.
Hopefully this is a start, and this wont be a flash in the pan. I dont mean more medals here in this olympics, but more medals and winnings in future olympics.

Friday, August 08, 2008

2008 Olympic Games

My prediction for the medal tally
  1. China
  2. US
  3. Russia
And, Germany, South Korea, Australia, Japan sharing the next few positions.
All the best. Rake in the gold.

More on Yahoo 360

Sunday, August 03, 2008

Mallus at their best !

The first time i heard and enjoyed comedy, it was thru' casette tapes, that came from kerala. It included mimicry, sound effects, skits and the most important creativity came thru parody songs. The first one i remember is from a skit on a modified version of Ramayana, where i forget who, but someone asks for a map to find Sita. There starts a song "Mappu tharu" (give me a map), which was a parody of the original malayalam song "Maappu tharu" (forgive me).

Ithu Original Version


Parody Version

Friday, July 25, 2008

God's own Country...

I have watched this song on and off on Asianet. I just assumed the tune and music was classical (ie meaning tuned long back). I found recently that the music was created by none other than ARR. But more than the tune, it is the lyrics by P Bhaskaran, that touch me.

I know there are other songs that describe kerala - devathinte swantham naadu.
But here is something to enjoy.




Shyama Sundara Kera Kedara Bhoomi
Jana jeevitha pala dhaanya sambana bhoomi
Ithu shyama Sundara Kera Kedara Bhoomi....

Manavaarku samatha nalkiya mavalithan bhoomi
Madhura mahitha
Lalitha kalakal
Viriyum malarvaadi
Shyama Sundara Kera Kedara Bhoomi.....

Thaalamela vaadya naadam saahidheyaam pokile geetham
Vividha jaathi Matha vamshaka sahajare polu onnai
Nava yugathin ponprathirukal vilayicheedum bhoomi

Shyama Sundara Kera Kedara Bhoomi

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Nobody Expects the Spanish Inquisition





Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!!
I heard this quote in a movie 'Sliding Doors', used by a character to cheer somebody up. The point is not the joke so presented here by the Monty Python team, which is quite funny by itself and can cheer people out of their wits.
There is also something more profound. Nobody expects the worst to happen. So i guess what happened happened, but you can overcome it.

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Aaoge Jab Tum..... Do Dil Aise Milenge





Aaoge Jab Tum O Saajana
Angana Phool Khilenge
Barsega Saawan, Barsega Saawan Jhoom Jhoomke
Do Dil Aise Milenge
Aaoge Jab Tum O Saajana, Angana Phool Khilenge

Naina Tere Kajraare Hai, Naino Pe Hum Dil Haare Hai
Anjaane Hi Tere Naino Ne Waade Kiye Kayi Saare Hai
Saanson Ki Lay Madham Chalein, Tose Gaye Barasega Saawan
Barsega Saawan Jhoom Jhoomke, Do Dil Aise Milenge
Aaoge Jab Tum Ho Saajana, Angana Phool Khilenge

Chanda Ko Taaku Raaton Ko, Hai Zindagi Tere Haanthon Mein
Palkon Pe Jhilmil Taarein Hain, Aana Bhari Barsaaton Mein
Sapnon Ka Jahaan Hoga Kela Kela Barasega Saawan
Barsega Saawan Jhoom Jhoomke, Do Dil Aise Milenge




Dont know why i found this song so haunting? Actually i do, and i guess that's why i wanted to post it here.

Friday, July 04, 2008

Subtle, but serious

I got this recently from a friend. I have seen a similar one (still searching the web) about Kalpana Chawala and her brother. I dont know who is responsible for the advertisement. I searched the web for this and similar (save the girl child) advertisement, but not much luck.

What is Jawaharlal Nehru's son's name?
The image reads 'What is Jawaharlal Nehru's son's name?'.
The fine print at the bottom reads 'Do not neglect the girl child'.

When i first saw the lines, i was wondering who the brother of Indira Gandhi was, and his name etc. That was for about a second, as i was scrolling to the bottom of the image. I didnt have to read the small print, but it struck me about the same time. Now isnt this a cool advertisement?

Well, i guess it has the same effect as 'smoking is injurious to health', you turn the page and move on. I wonder how it affects the people who think about this, in their desperate efforts to conceive a male child.

Saturday, May 31, 2008

What can I do ?

I have been worrying lately, a little too much i must say about the world, earth, and life for my kids, about a decade or two from now. I do, get a little carried away with these thoughts. and as a result, go to extremes, in my reaction.

While, i might be paranoid, i think there is a real reason to be worried. But that should only goad us to think and act better. There are several things we can do now, to avoid the course the globe is taking today. The answer is clearly in our hands.

Well what can we do? Well !!

Can I change a light bulb ? Can I close a running tap? Can I get on a bus or train ? Can I turn off the TV if 'am on the computer ? Can I turn off the computer if 'am watching TV? Can i eat all that is served on my plate (not waste anything)? Can I turn of the A/C or Heater and enjoy the climate as it is, atleast once in a while ?

If we can do any of these or a hundred other small things, we can help. we can also help by talking about this and letting our friends and family understand these many options. I do some of these. I try to add one more criteria everytime, i stop and think about this.

Just hoping it works.

Sunday, May 04, 2008

To eat or not to eat

Recently Ms. Condoleezza Rice, the Secretary of State of the US, said that people from India and China are responsible for the food crisis.

Well, i, for one, had fully expected this. There are several truths here:
- there is a crisis - food price is up and there is shortage all around
- people in the new developed countries are consuming more, because they can afford it now
- people from the existing western world are feeling the pinch, slowly but steadily
- altho these people are not ready to share or consume any less

For all this, someone is to blame, question tho is who ?

The food consumption is only expected to increase, with the increasing population and one that can afford to buy and eat better and more food. The already developed, who have been leading a good life, is not about to give up their over luxurious life and reduce their consumption any bit. In all these years, when the oil prices have been going up, they havent moved a bit to reduce their oil consumption, so how can one expect something more personal like food habits.

The world is ever shrinking. All of us are being held up to the same standards now. Everyone will have to give up something, or else, we all can get ready for a big food fight. I somehow feel, knowing us humans, the latter is a distinct possibility.

Wednesday, April 09, 2008

New Post on Dharmashatra

This is really lame. But i figured, i was writing in a few places, i would consolidate them in one place and cross-link them, sort them, alphabetize them, present alternate views......

Oh who the hell cares !!!

I just posted a new blog about religion and associated thoughts on my Dharmashatra blogsite. If you have landed here, then go there. There is also a related post on my Yahoo site recently, titled 'Blood Religion'. Altho' the context of writing and the issue is different, i think they ask the same question. Or actually i am asking the same question, 'why fight over religion?'

Saturday, February 23, 2008

Land called Paradise

I picked this up from someone at 360 @ Yahoo. An amazing video. The song is by a Muslim country music singer, Kareem Salama, from Texas.



I watched the video, a couple of times. Truthfully, i havent listened to the lyrics as much as watch the ones that come in the video. I was trying to figure which message i liked best. After a couple of runs, i settled for the last..."i'm human. i'm sorry".

Wednesday, February 20, 2008