Religion has no religion

Aamir Khan's PK could not have come at a more appropriate time. Religious Conversions, forced and voluntary, are the talk of the town in India. Many Ghara Waapasee programs are being organized in several parts of the country. There are critics and supporters alike for these events. Religion has once again become something that creates division rather than removing it. And Aamir tells us that he doesn't know how to select the most appropriate religion for himself. And I fully support him. Imagine yourself being an alien landing in India and discovering that you cannot get any thing done without belonging to a religion. PK brought forth this dilemma in very entertaining way.

I wonder whether religion created us or we created the religion. The concept of religion has gone all wrong. Yes, I am not any authority to define religions and none of you need to agree to that. Yet, I see a strong need to put forth my idea. When PK learns that GOD in different religion has different fashion, people following different religion have different fashion, some GOD drinks wine and some abhors it, women in some religions wear white on finding a husband and some wear it on losing the husband, and the list goes on. What a complex phenomenon. Is this really what religion means? Complexity, untouchability, non-tolerance, murder and hatred?

If you do a certain thing, why do you do that? Either you believe it to be useful for you or somebody or you believe it to be convenient and comfortable to do. You will seldom do something which does not qualify as above. So, if your religion promotes something untoward like murder, will you do it? Not until you really want to kill somebody. And if you have decided to pull the trigger, will you not do it because your religion does not allow that? So, my dear friends, it all boils down to interpretation, convenience and belief.

Managers of GOD!!! I liked that term very much and PK certainly makes a mark there. It it their interpretation that we often blindly follow and the result is prolonged oppression and failure of objective. They continue to make wrong phone calls to GOD and give us misleading directions. They enforce on us, in the name of the religion, what they see best for themselves. And we writhe in pain with the long-term consequences of these corrupted preachings.

Religion for me is a time-tested, cordial, natural pattern of life. If you are looking for day-to-day or futuristic solutions to real-life problems, most often than not your chosen religion should help you get it. You must make your own choice of following a religion. I see no point in deciding it for you at your birth. When you are a grown-up, your religion should also grow up if you think so. And, follow your religion without contradicting or demeaning any other religion.

In today's world, religion has turned out to be the most dangerous scourge crippling our planet. What is supposed to be the preserver and comforter of life in any form is fast turning into its deadliest enemy. Banish any single religion and absorb good things from all sources and then declare that to be your own religion. Hate and anger are the worst qualities of human character and your religion must not contribute towards propelling them.

My Father and Shree Chakravarti Rajagopalachari -- Brothers not on Blood but Actions

It took me a chance reading this morning to find out that my father shares his birthday with Shree Chakravarti Rajagopalachari, popularly called Rajaji. A very nice feeling indeed. The purist will remind me that a king and a beggar may be born on the same day but their life is often as apart in relationship as day and night. Yet for me the signs are really soothing. Rajaji was the last Governer-General of India and also the last highly powerful, highly learned human being from the pre-1947 India who was unbelievably humble. My father has no such prominence or clout but he is a man of equally unflinching truth, devotion, hard work, determination, faithfulness and vision. If ever the glory and might of a father gains from the actions of his son, then I do not want to fail him.

Rajaji lost his entire family, wife, 3 daughters, one as young as 3, and 2 sons-in-law. K.P. Kesava Menon, Chief Editor of Mathrubhumi observed, "Sri Rajagopalachari is rarely moved by emotion". If you read his poem, Kurai Onrum Illai, in Tamil, or listen to its very touching rendition by MS Subbulakhsmi jee, you can get the lasting impression for yourself. The poem remembers Lord Krishna and reiterates that he has no regrets about losing his family. God has rightfully taken away what he bestowed on him. What a purity and simplicity of thoughts!!!

My father has been asked several times to come out for help in the middle of the night or at the busy business hours of the day. These were close relatives, dear friends and strangers alike. And he never declined. Many a times these visits resulted in losses - personal, financial and emotional. He never pushed anybody beyond a limit to recover the damages. His face always wore a smile, his hands always greeted in respect and his actions always desired to do something good for them. I have never seen or heard him complaining about pain, suffering or betrayal to the Almighty. He simply sits in meditation as if to reiterate the fact that it is all his to take away.

Rajaji was a prolific writer. He had written on varied subjects and his writings reveal depth and scholarship. His important and valuable publications include : Ramayana, Mahabharata, Upanishads and Bhaja Govindam in English language. Mahabharata and Ramayana are published in many editions and translated into many Indian and foreign languages. Rajaji was awarded by the Sahitya Akademi for his Tamil book on Ramayana which went on to be translated in several other languages. Originally published in 1951, it remains one of the most authoritative explanation of morals and ideas behind Karma & Dharma.

My father is a very special scholar in his own right. He has deep understanding of Updanishads, Vedas, Ramayana, Gita, Mahabaharat and other Hindu scriptures. He translates texts from these sacred books into simple Hindi regularly, explaining in lucid terms the good and bad of each hymn/sermon. He also visits online and offline forums, gatherings and conferences and commands learned audience. He had traveled across the world under the umbrella of various organizations spreading the good preachings of Sanaatana Dharma. My exposure to good learning began as early as 4 when I learnt and recited Gayatri Mantra by heart. And to this date all good moral and cultural traits that I possess are 100% the meaningful and example-based teaching of my father.

Another inspiring similarity between my two legends is there love and efforts for Hindi. Rajaji had a strong belief in the usefulness of Hindi for the all Indians.

I consider the importance of Hindi for the South Indians because there is no getting away from it. If there is any Indian language which can replace English throughout the length and breadth of country, it is Hindi. A majority of people understand it.

He was the first politician to introduce Hindi in Tamilnadu schools in 1952 in the capacity of Chief Minister of Madras. My father was there in Chennai during the massive anti-Hindi unrest in 1967. He talked to people, made them understand the all round benefits of learning Hindi. He also categorically proved that the entire business in Madras could be conducted in Hindi if the local party stands to gain from the trade. The protests were purely political in nature. My father has been a hard-working part-time journalist for more than 30 years and his contribution in advancing quality and adoption of Hindi via Hindi journalism is well-known in Media fraternity.

I know some of you will accuse me of bragging. I assure all my readers that this is a very true comparison, done with the intention of celebrating the most commonly shared qualities among people we can admire. The most lasting influences come from folks who are closest to us. This piece is my worship to my father who is the most simple and yet powerful motivation I can get free of cost. Rajaji must have inspired my father and other in his generation and idiots like me will do themselves a world of good if we can identify and absorb such brilliant, common human values.

Captchas!!! Annoying Web Soldiers

How many times have you failed to login urgently to a website? IRCTC users, you folks must have a history of login troubles when something like whole world seems to depend on it. Apart from typo and memory errors for credentials, we often get stuck with CAPTCHAS. A quick round of Googling will tell you that, "A CAPTCHA is a program that protects websites against bots by generating and grading tests that humans can pass but current computer programs cannot.". But why in the world do we need to prove that we are humans?

The current state of Web Technology does not have any better ways than Captchas to avoid unintended usage of any of our accounts online. So, captchas are here and there everywhere. The more the algorithms behind them advance, the more cryptic and unintelligible they become to view and type. I regard myself as having very sharp eyes and yet when it comes to reading these captcha options, I regularly find it difficult to decipher the strings without taking at least a couple of attempts. And time-critical activities where login is delayed because of these visually heavy strings. Some sites do give an option for Audio options where the captcha strings can be heard but the Accessibility-reliant users may still find it hard to crack.

Thankfully, Google has devised a better algorithm that replaces the distorted text with a new experience where user simply need to tick a check-box to announce that they are not a bot. For the time being, websites have the option to stick with the old experience or move over to the new API. For users, that switch probably can’t come fast enough, so chances are most sites that are under active development will switch over pretty soon. The new API is given the name reCaptcha.

So why is Google making this switch? It turns out that the old-style CAPTCHAs weren’t all that good at keeping robots out anyway. With today’s technology, bots could solve CAPTCHAs with 99.8 percent accuracy. That makes them pretty much useless — except for one thing: reCAPTCHA was born of the idea that CAPTCHAs could be used to a) prove that somebody was human and b) help scan books. That’s because the old reCAPTCHA presented users with two words: one known one and one that OCR software had issues with. For the most part, it didn’t matter what you typed in for the second word, but once enough users typed in the same word, chances are that this was indeed the correct word. Over the last few years, Google also started using reCAPTCHA to transcribe house numbers from Street View.

Given that this new version hasn’t launched yet, it isn’t quite clear what impact it’ll have, but chances are far fewer users will see these prompts and hence Google will transcribe fewer words and numbers. The classic reCAPTCHA prompt will now only appear when Google’s algorithms aren’t quite sure that you are indeed human.

What this new API allows, however, is a far more flexible CAPTCHA experience. As Google announced today, for example, mobile users may soon see an image classification puzzle where they are asked to click on an image similar to the supplied one. This will help Google with its computer vision projects — something the company is probably far more interested in these days than basic OCR.

The new reCAPTCHA is already live on a couple of sites, including Snapchat, WordPress and Humble Bundle.

Blunders!!! Why did you do it, Anand?

This guy is just 23 and 10 days short of his 25th birthday, he has retained his World Chess Championship crown won last year in Chennai. He is one of the most unkempt prodigy wearing a suit, he smiles like a child of age 7, sits on the board with a forlorn look, walks a bit awkwardly, loiters around the game arena more than I taking toilet breaks at office and still he managed to very serenely deflate one of the most gifted Chess players of all times two years in a row.

Yes, Magnus Carlsen is the World Chess Champion once again. Last Sunday, Vishwanathan Anand perhaps played more foolishly than a novice like me to hand over the title in a platter. Once critic had the following to say.

Our tiger has grown old. He’s grown old… There’s not the same force as before. His teeth have been ground down, the leap is gone.

I am sad that he lost. I'm devastated that he lost from a position of considerable strength. On the official twitter account for the match, the mood turned so bad after the blunder around moves 24-30 that the rate of messages dropped by 80%. I want to ask Anand, Why? Why in the world he played so terribly. I was watching the game live and I was in a better position to force a win. Not only in the last game but also during the rest of the match, he was lining up one blooper after the other. All the talk of preparation before and during the match seemed so bogus. For me, he just walked out of a bar straight into the match. The 3rd game that he won was due to a rare sudden death of coolness of Magnus's chess. Otherwise, "... Kasparov's generation has left Olympus. Now the young will rule and fight there."

The era of Magnus began last year and has cemented its place in the folklore of Chess. He is the undisputed End Game champion. He has a remarkable acumen of putting things in right place in the final part of any game. His use of Rook is so strong that only a few have ever defeated him when it goes down to the wire. He hardly utters a word or emotion and still has extreme patience and concentration.

Somebody asked Vishy in the post-match press conference that he should be thinking of retirement now. He bluntly said, "No". I don't know what the hell is he thinking but at the current rate, he can play Magnus year after year for the summit clash and continue to come out as the second best player. He is past his prime, must take a break if not retirement and improve his mental calculation. Studying his games with Magnus will do him a world of good as well. How to avoid unnecessary exchanges is what he must learn. Also, his speed has gown down drastically. Magnus was lightning fast and the only game he lost saw him come under real time pressure.

Anand, I hate you for losing so abjectly. Roar again for all your fans. Or be human enough to hang your boots.

I am an Auto Driver

I am an Auto Driver,

Your joy and sorrow rider,

I am an Auto Driver.

You ask me to come during day,

I scornfully often tell you NAY,

You ask me to help at night,

I torment you with extra fare fight.

Your joy and sorrow rider,

I am an Auto Driver.

My actions are those which all will disapprove,

Seldom do I show signs that I will improve,

Police gives rebuke and media does shout,

I stick to my stand without any doubt.

Your joy and sorrow rider,

I am an Auto Driver.

When tussle of yours and mine stops,

There come things which I am not on top,

Rising BP and bulging tummy,

Very often I cry calling, "Mummy, Mummy".

Your joy and sorrow rider,

I am an Auto Driver.

All the pollution and dirt around,

Everyday myself they embrace and surround,

All the day's money I want in few rides,

Unaware that my death is taking fast strides.

Your joy and sorrow rider,

I am an Auto Driver.

Next time when I make you sulk,

Bring me medicines and money in bulk,

All that I ever gain comes with a lot of pains,

Let me pass away under your forgiveness's rains.

Your joy and sorrow rider,

I am an Auto Driver.

 

Significance of Diplomacy

When the five Tamilnadu fishermen landed in New Delhi, Indian Diplomacy gained some more momentum after the successful return of the nurses from Iraq. They were sentenced to death on charges of drug trafficking. Kudos to Sri Lanka for bypassing its own laws for the sake of foreign nationals. Diplomatic efforts from Indian Government in recent times have yielded satisfactory results. In principle, Diplomacy is another name for "Official Bartering". And as long as the barter brings good to the common, unerring folks on either side, it is always welcome.

At the same time, the manner in which we lost Sarabjit Singh in Pakistan hurts in more ways than one. He was fatally attacked inside the Kot Lakhpat (or Central Jail) Jail in Lahore by other inmates. Several years of appeal by governments of two different Prime Ministers could not secure his release. The case of Italian marines, who allegedly killed fishermen in Kerala waters, also presents a bad picture of our efforts. In both these cases, the eagerness required to pursue the most logical, legal and diplomatic, path was squarely found missing.

The endeavours of Diplomacy are equally important at home and away. If Indian fishermen are violating any Sri Lankan law, they must be clearly educated about it. In case of spies and agents wandering the target countries, most advanced legal and decoy trainings should be given. People looking for work in war-prone countries must be made aware of other possible employment avenues and if they still go ahead with the original assignment, how to guess a problem and take steps to mitigate it. Full report on the laws of that country must be handed over to whoever is travelling there. This would ensure that though New Delhi does all it should to protect its citizens, it does not go too far into interfering with legal system of other countries.

Bio-Toilet – A Step towards Swaccha Bhaarata

I came across a very valuable piece of work that has all the potential to give a big fillip to the Swachha Bhaarata Abhiyaana. It is called a Bio-Toilet or more technically, Biodigester. Biodigester technology has been developed for resolving the problems of un-decomposed human waste. The innovation degrades and converts the human waste into usable water and gasses in an eco-friendly manner. The generated gas can be utilized for energy/cooking and water for irrigation purposes.

It is already in big use by Indian Railways.

 

The process involves the bacteria which feed upon the fecal matter inside the tank, through anaerobic process which finally degrades the matter and releases methane gas that can be used for cooking, along with the treated water. The Biodigester tank can be manufactured and customized as per the requirement. The salient features include the following.

• No bad smell in toilets from the tanks
• Fecal matter in the tank not visible
• No infestation of cockroaches & flies
• No clogging of digester
• Effluent is free from off odour and solid waste
• Reduction in pathogens by 99%
• Reduction in organic matter by 90%
• No maintenance required
• No requirement of adding bacteria/enzyme
• No need of removal of solid waste
• Use of phenyl is permitted upto 84 ppm

DRDO [Defense Research and Development Organization] and FICCI [Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry], the two pioneering bodies in their respective areas of work, have come together for a very ingenious, productive, commercially and socially useful cause. They have created a programme called Accelerated Technology Assessment and Commercialization [ATAC]. programme aims to create a commercial pathway to deliver technologies developed by DRDO for appropriate commercial markets for use in civilian products and services. This programme is first of its kind to be undertaken by DRDO in association with FICCI to actively spin out several of DRDO's technologies for appropriate commercial markets both nationally and internationally. In the very first year of operation of the programme as many as 26 DRDO labs across India are participating and over 200 technologies are being assessed under this programme by FICCI. The technologies that are currently assessed are from sectors as diverse as electronics, robotics, advanced computing and simulation, Avionics, optronics, precision engineering, special materials, engineering systems, instrumentation, acoustic technologies, life sciences, disaster management technologies, information systems, etc.

Manjunath Shamugam -- A Voice that shall not fade

It is one thing to talk about an issue and another to do something about it. Lip service is the order of the day in our society. All the current talk of standing against corruption sounds too glitzy to be true. Only a select few choose and dare to be the crusaders we badly need. When we get such luminaries of morality and action, we should do whatever we can to start understanding and following them. One such noble human being was Manjunath Shanmugam.

Manjunath Shanmugam was born on February 23rd, 1978. He was the oldest of three siblings and is survived by his parents, a younger brother and sister. His father works retired from BEML in Kolar Gold Fields, a township about 100 km from Bangalore. After finishing his engineering from SJCE Mysore, Manjunath completed his MBA from I.I.M. Lucknow, and graduated in 2003. He joined IOCL during campus placements, and was the first sales officer to manage the Lakhimpur Khiri region of UP – a known hotbed of petroleum adulteration. Manjunath was a terrific singer, full of verve and heart, part of the campus band – ‘3.4’. He was popular for his sincerity, honesty and friendliness. He was murdered on 19th November, 2005 while on duty with IOCL.

This gruesome murder, coming just two years after the assassination of the IES officer Satyendra Dubey, sent a shock wave across his contemporaries. Some of his alumni friends came forward and formed a trust named Manjunath Shanmugam Trust. The trust played a pivotal role in pursuing his murder trial and making sure that the culprits got their dues. It was established on 23 February, 2006. It is an international corporate initiative with an objective of improving governance in Indian public life. It runs a RTI helpline [080-666-00-999] which disseminates information about RTI Act across India.

You must be feeling very sympathetic about Manjunath right now. How good he was, a real brave-heart, one to be admired and followed, and many more such emotions would be niggling you. If you have taken any consideration/oath/pledge towards doing something on the lines of Manjunath, I pray to Almighty that you stick to it for the rest of your life.

Fallacy of November 14

November 14 has to be a very hectic day in India. More so for the kids. Chaachaa Nehru would almost always keep them engaged with one event in his memory or the other. For the elders, it is the World Diabetes Day that causes much of the stir. All through the day the fear of being Diabetic or becoming one consumes the human soul. Most of the day goes in planning to fight this beast or simply wondering what this almighty power means. As for me, it is even more scary. My manager was born on this day which means one full day goes in being nice and cordial with your sworn enemy. What a tyranny!

Any TV channel that you tune into on this day diagnoses you with symptoms or existence of Diabetes. They will make you believe in no certain terms that it is the biggest risk for your life. Alas! You may choose to ignore them but they are only dramatizing a fact. There can be no two opinions about the threat of Diabetes. It is serious, very serious killer. The media, both online and offline, is replete with information about the cause and remedies of this giant, silent assassin. All I can say as a polite advice is to EXERCISE, most useful on empty stomach. The global scorecard for the efforts of tackling Diabetes can be read here.

There cannot be a better disservice to Chaachaa Nehru than what we are doing in his 125th Birth Anniversary year. Congress sets up a function, does not invite anybody from NDA. NDA sets up a government function and does not invite Manmohan Singh. Both the events do not do anything more than the lip service. And I frankly believe that there is noting new and relevant in Chaachaa Nehru's legacy that is worth bothering about in the current age. Once in a while we do need ammunition to blame him for all the major failures in the country. To help garner that material, some of the most private documents belonging to him have been released by the Gandhi family to be put in the public domain. One just needs to obtain permission from the PMO on a case-to-case basis.

The weather improved ever so slightly in Bangalore to allow for some of the Children's Day events to go through. What should we really do for kids on this day? Dance, Music, Sweets? Aren't all these available on any other day? Wouldn't it be nice to put them in a session which teaches about brotherhood/sisterhood above anything else? Being able to live with non-conducive opinion is so so very difficult these days. Teaching this by example would definitely be a much more meaningful Children's Day.

Nevertheless, it won't come again till one full year passes. So, cherish the memories of what you did and what you failed to do.

Horror in Schools

If there was one place in the society where we safely assume our children to be safe and sound, it was school. That myth stands shattered now. Rape, caning, other forms of verbal and physical abuse, isolation and what not! Everything we tell our kids to be bad and not to be done is happening within the hallowed walls of the Temples of Learning. You must be abreast with most of the recent news about such incidents from across the country. It is a situation where shame and guilt have become too weak a word to describe it.

I may not have written anything about this as it is just too painful to even think of such gory facts. A senior colleague of mine raised this very issue this afternoon with the management at the school where her 2.5 years old daughter goes for day care. He had complained to the management about two senior teachers, one of them a lady, beating kids and not giving them food as a form of punishment. Children at any age should not be physically tortured let alone the toddlers. He kept part-requesting, part-arguing, part-shouting at the school manager over the phone for more than an hour. And finally, he had to disconnect saying that he will pull out his daughter from there on next Monday. He was dead certain that he cannot allow his ward to go to a school where teachers behave like heads of rowdy gang.

There are several reasons to laud the courage of my colleague. I am so happy that the poor little child should not suffer any more nightmare at school. But, how many of us actually take that stand? The answer should be "few and far between". The cases do get reported and some action does ensue - be it Bangalore, Kolkata, Jaipur, Delhi and many others in that long list. Wherever things have come to light, some steps have been taken. All of them should be taken to the conclusion where the guilty is punished and a system is put in place to prevent such wrongdoings in future.

Can any form of punishment to the guilty teachers, non-teaching staff or anybody else who is directly or indirectly involved in the crime, bring back the what is lost? Can it erase the trauma and that too from the tender minds and hearts of kids? Our society has long gone past the stage where any kind of penalization deters anybody. We are into a phase where morals are suited for text decoration and nobody should expect anybody to be following them, neither in action nor in spirit. What should we do then?

Crimes against children have to be the worst after murder. The kids are shaped and morphed into what they should most likely grow up as adults by the learning and environment they get during the childhood. These perpetrators destroy that very foundation. Securing our children outside the house may not be completely under our control - be it school, market or any other public place. We must then maintain a very strict, regular vigil on what our wards are doing and what people in and around them are doing. Report any suspicious action immediately. Follow up with higher authorities if there is no redressal. Inform the police and other relevant public authorities if things are still unclear.

I understand and acknowledge that taking out a kid from the school in the middle of a session may not be an easy decision to make since that academic year will most likely be lost. In such a case, we should always keep some other school management in our good books so that the child can be accommodated there in case of any eventuality. It is quite possible that the transfer of school may not work out at all. That is fine. Education lost can be regained with sustained hard-work but mental or physical stigma at childhood are seldom erasable.

Guys, please stand up against the ugly beasts of Horror at Schools in particular and any other crime against kids in general. Educate your near and dear ones, take prompt action and be ready to help.

Jiyo Parsi, Jiyo!

Borrowing a definition from Encyclopaedia Britannica, Parsi, also spelled as Parsee, is a member of group of followers of Iranian prophet Zoroaster. The Parsis, whose name means “Persians,” are descended from Persian Zoroastrians who emigrated to India to avoid religious persecution by the Muslims. They live chiefly in Bombay and in a few towns and villages mostly to the north of Bombay, but also at Karachi (Pakistan) and Bangalore (Karnataka, India). Although they are not, strictly speaking, a caste, since they are not Hindus, they form a well-defined community.

These loves their machines – cars, motorcycles, scooters. They take care of them like family and ensure that these possessions are safely and proudly inherited by the progenies. Alas! That is where the problem is. Take a look at the pictures below.

What do all these snaps tell us? Simple, the population of the Parsis, a notified minority community under National Commission of Minorities Act, 1992, is fast dwindling. It has declined from 1,14,000 in 1941 to 69,001 in 2001. These guys just don't want to be hitched. The average age at marriage among Parsi women is 27 years and in men about 31 years. More than 30% of Parsis never get married. The problem is might serious, believe me. Or else, why would Government of India do something about this?

Yes, you heard it correctly. There is a demand from the Parsis for Government intervention to arrest this trend. The Government has launched a campaign called Jiyo Parsi. The scheme is being assisted by Parzor Foundation, Bombay Parsi Panchayat and Federation of Parsi Zoroastrian Anjumans of India.

Parsi married couples who seek assistance would undergo treatment cycles of Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) as prescribed by the concerned doctor which includes In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF) and Intra Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) as medical remedies when required, subject to maximum cost of Rs. 5 Lakhs or as per actual, whichever is less.

If you know any Parsi in need of Jiyo initiative, please coerce them to get the help they need via a reliable, official program.