Monday, August 14, 2006

a few of my latest pictures





This is me at the golf course. I play at a handicap of 14. I used to play to 6 in my younger days.

But I am trying to improve my handicap these days. Am on 7 days of leave and spend atleast 4 hours on the course every day.

I met this guy on the course who gave me a few tips on my stance and my grip that really helped. He seemed to say that he has seen very few people like me with a near perfect swing. But I need to change my golf set. Now thats a problem because a new set would cost me at least INR 120, 000 or USD 2800. Thats bloody expensive for me right now. I have other priorities that take precedence.

this picture says 10, 000 words


This picture says it all. Three close friends.
One I have known for 10 years, the other for 8 years.

tell me what you see in this picture.

such is the irony of my country

India and its development story presents a perplexing picture on the eve of its 60th Independence anniversary. The latest headlines over the last few days indicate the complex challenges India is trying to deal with today. Here are a few news snippets while present the true picture.
  • The inability of our government to protect the citizens of this country against terror attacks. Delhi, Calcutta and Mumbai at the highest state of terror alert. The international terror outfit Al-Queda has established a base in India as per latest Indian intelligence reports
  • Most states in India reeling under floods specifically the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh. Damages to industry, agriculture and services estimated at INR 25, 000 Crores
  • The Deputy-Chairman of the Planning Commission, Mr. Montek Singh Ahaluwalia says that India is poised to grow at 8.5% in the 11th five year plan
  • One report says that there are 5.2 billion cases of HIV in India and the implementation of the anti - HIV program has been a failure
  • The India stock market has crossed 11, 000 points and is estimated to hit 16, 000 by the end of FY 2008

The government needs to put in place a wholesome national development agenda that simultaneously addresses all of these concerns.Need I say more...

amazing facts about India




The name `India’ is derived from the River Indus, the valleys around which were the home of the early settlers.

  • The number system was invented by India. Aryabhatta was the scientist who invented the digit zero.
  • India is the world's largest, oldest, continuous civilization
  • India never invaded any country in her last 10000 years of history.
  • India is the world's largest democracy
  • India exports software to 90 countries?
  • USA based IEEE has proved what has been a century old suspicion in the world scientific community that the pioneer of wireless communication was Prof. Jagdish Bose and not Marconi
  • Sanskrit is considered as the mother of all higher languages. This is because it is the most precise, and therefore suitable language for computer software. ( a report in Forbes magazine, July 1987 ).
  • Grammar constitutes one of India's greatest contributions to Western philology. Panini, the Sanskrit grammarian, who lived between 750 and 500 BC, was the first to compose formal grammar through his Astadhyai.
  • Chess was invented in India.
  • Algebra, Trigonometry and Calculus are studies which originated in India.
  • The' place value system' and the 'decimal system' were developed in 100 BC in India.
  • The first six Mogul Emperor's of India ruled in an unbroken succession from father to son for two hundred years, from 1526 to 1707.
  • The World's First Granite Temple is the Brihadeswara temple at Tanjavur in Tamil Nadu. The shikhara is made from a single ' 80-tonne ' piece of granite. Also, this magnificient temple was built in just five years, (between 1004 AD and 1009 AD) during the reign of Rajaraja Chola
  • India is.......the Largest democracy in the world, the 6th largest country in the world AND one of the most ancient and living civilizations (at least 10, 000 years old).
  • The game of snakes & ladders was created by the 13th century poet saint Gyandev. It was originally called 'Mokshapat.' The ladders in the game represented virtues and the snakes indicated vices. The game was played with cowrie shells and dices. Later through time, the game underwent several modifications but the meaning is the same i.e good deeds take us to heaven and evil to a cycle of re-births.
  • The world's highest cricket ground is in Chail, Himachal Pradesh. Built in 1893 after levelling a hilltop, this cricket pitch is 2444 meters above sea level.
  • India has the most post offices in the world !
  • The largest employer in the world is the Indian railway system, employing over a million people !.
  • The World's first university was established in Takshila in 700 BC. More than 10,500 students from all over the world studied more than 60 subjects. The University of Nalanda built in the 4th century was one of the greatest achievements of ancient India in the field of education.
  • Ayurveda is the earliest school of medicine known to mankind. The father of medicine, Charaka, consolidated Ayurveda 2500 years ago.
  • Although modern images & descriptions of India often show poverty, India was one of the richest countries till the time of British in the early 17th Century. Christopher Columbus was attracted by India's wealth and was looking for route to India when he discovered America by mistake.
  • The art of Navigation & Navigating was born in the river Sindh 6000 over years ago. The very word 'Navigation' is derived from the Sanskrit word NAVGATIH. The word navy is also derived from the Sanskrit word 'Nou'.
  • Bhaskaracharya rightly calculated the time taken by the earth to orbit the sun hundreds of years before the astronomer Smart. His calculations was - Time taken by earth to orbit the sun: ( 5th century ) 365.258756484 days.
  • The value of "pi" was first calculated by the Indian Mathematician Budhayana, and he explained the concept of what is known as the Pythagorean Theorem. He discovered this in the 6th century, which was long before the European mathematicians.
  • Algebra, trigonometry and calculus also orignated from India. Quadratic equations were used by Sridharacharya in the 11th century. The largest numbers the Greeks and the Romans used were 106 whereas Hindus used numbers as big as 10*53 ( i.e 10 to the power of 53 ) with specific names as early as 5000 B.C. during the Vedic period. Even today, the largest used number is Tera: 10*12( 10 to the power of 12 ).
  • Until 1896, India was the only source for diamonds to the world. ( Source . Gemological Institute of America )
  • The Baily Bridge is the highest bridge in the world. It is located in the Ladakh valley between the Dras and Suru rivers in the Himalayan mountains. It was built by the Indian Army in August 1982.
  • Sushruta is regarded as the father of surgery. Over 2600 years ago Sushrata & his team conducted complicated surgeries like cataract, artificial limbs, cesareans, fractures, urinary stones and also plastic surgery and brain surgeries.
  • Usage of anesthesia was well known in ancient India medicine. Detailed knowledge of anatomy, embryology, digestion, metabolism, physiology, etiology, genetics and immunity is also found in many ancient Indian texts.

    article courtesy & link to http://www.indianchild.com/

why?

Why did god send me to this earth?
Why was I born? Why was I born a man?
Why was I born into this particular family?
Why was I born an Indian?

Did God really have a plan/ game in mind for me?
Did he expect me to do something distinct/ unique on this planet?

Why am I the ways I am?
Why is there so much anger and resentfulness in me?
Why do I hurt so much?
Why am I so unhappy when I seem to possess all the happiness tools?

Why is there so much wrong with me?
Why would god make me so imperfect?

When and how will I find the meaning of my life?
When will I find peace and happiness?
When will I find myself and come to terms with 'me'
When.....when...when

I just hope its not too late by then..........