why i cried on the flight...

returning back frm Tokyo on a spanking new Singapore Airlines Airbus A380...bigger entertainment screens and a not so cold cabin (or maybe the wine warmed me up!)...it was a great travel.

Had been planning to watch Agora (a movie on the 4th century lady philosopher/scientist Hypatia)..and here it was on the menu!

the movie is ok..as a film its not all that great...but the movie somehow managed to bring all the pain of history out..how religions had been twisted by people for power....and how religion had killed science over and over and over again...

The movie shows Hypatia making the mental leap of explaining the difference in Sun's size by using elliptical orbit(instead of circular) for the Earth in the heliocentric model. Before she has a chance to discuss it..she is killed by fanatic Christians...you can see her looking at the elliptical opening in the ceiling as life goes out of her...and that just broke the dam....

As a history and science student - it touched two raw nerves..at how mankind has regressed over the last two centuries, and religion has taken over people's lives.

Is there hope for mankind while we still let people manipulate us with religion?

Melaka Calling!

I managed to atlast steal some time and take a peek at Melaka (aka Malacca) in Malaysia! I was interested because its a historical port and changed hands so many times over the last few centuries!

Melaka did not disappoint! Its a great little town that you can just walk around and soak in..dont miss the river cruise and Jonker Walk night market. The food is great (try the grilled and skewered potato with pepper!) and cool down with Baba Chendol (@Jonker 88)...or simply have a full chettinad meal on banana leaves on Indian Street!

Transport from Singapore is easy (i liked Luxury's coaches and service), immigration and customs was fast..all in all..a great weekend!

Oh yes...if you like Kites as i do, you can get some good ones in a shop on Jalan Banga Raya!

Kite Festival in Singapore

Spent a good saturday evening at the Kite Festival (thank you NTUC!) on Marina Bay!

Good weather, beer and Kites make a 'heady-n-high' combination!

on the mumbai-shanghai connection!

i don't exactly know why the erstwhile CM of Maharashtra picked Shanghai as the aspiration for Mumbai, but all i can say is - fat chance!

I was in Shanghai a month ago and in Mumbai a week ago, and i got a first hand, stark, reality-bites moment in Mumbai....it seems to be actually sliding back into an ugly, dark, impersonal metropolis.

and i hate that!

The citizens of Mumbai have let the city down...the 'chalta hai' attitude has reduced mumbai to a 'kuch nahi chalta' situation. No point blaming the BMC or the politicians - we elect them, and so we deserve 'em.

Unless we citizens take it upon themselves to fix the city, things will only get worse - there will be perennial digging, pollution, flooding and crazy housing prices for badly built, sad looking apartments.

Long time coming

Had a lot to say, but never did get around to typing it up!

so many things happened since the last time i wrote...26/11, the year changed, changed my role at work, probably will change my location...

But what really is causing me to lose sleep is the horrible spectre of Mayawati as PM....

will this be the straw that breaks India's back..?

I cannot imagine her having one single intelligent conversation with a finance minister, leave alone foreign minister.....truly, what is India coming to?

The other nightmare brewing is the gradual submission of Pak to the Taliban...it reminds me of the years just before WW II, when most countries were trying to appease Hitler, and look what that policy did to the world...history does repeat itself!

on the lighter side, I'm amazed at the way a section of the people/press is projecting Slumdog millionaire as some sort of triumph for India/Bollywood!! 

First of all,i didnt think it was an exceptional movie at all - I felt i was watching an episode of KBC, while switching to a movie channel during commercial breaks!

The songs are nowhere close to AR Rehman's best - i think they pale in comparison to what he has done in Dil Se or Jodha Akbar...

Secondly, i do not the think the extent of squalor in the movie was in any way related to the story -  i think it was merely for shock value (it did work though).

lastly, they even got an answer wrong in the quiz..

Sure there were some indian actors and other indian contributors to the movie, but to take pride in its oscar victory is taking things a little too far.....

switching to books, am reading Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers....very well researched book on why some people are more successful than others...not your typical success story...has a very very different take on what goes in to making someone successful!

Mental Roadblocks....

I'm currently without a driver, so driving myself to office everyday...
To say that the experience is harrowing is insulting every self-respecting Indian -its something much worse than that.
The roads are either dug up or are potholed. There are stretches of oasis - but they're over so quickly, they're more like mirages..
clutch-brake-clutch - we're going to invent a new "Ankle Braked on Clutch Syndrome" - a carpel-syndrome brother for the legs...
Add to that idiotic traffic lights/cops which give more time to tertiary feeds than the highway, illegal parking, double parking and some creative road building, and you have me travelling at an average speed of 20Kms/hr.
Of course, I cannot leave aside the stupid overbridge/flyover constructions. They're extremely fast at digging up the road, or cordoning off some part, but after that you rarely seen anyone working! There's one juntion on my route which is cordoned off and I lose 20mins just at that one junction. First of all, i'm not sure why a flyover was required there. So i think they're trying to create a need for the flyover by creating a bottleneck there, so when the flyover is ready, all us motorists will heave a sigh of relief and praise the administration..(conspiracy theory no.1)
I think they're really looking for gold all across the city - which explains the frenetic digging but no repair (maybe they want to come back and do a follow-up dig? ) .(conspiracy theory no.2).
Of course, it does give me a lot of time to think and reflect on life, physics, polynomial equations, the expanding Universe, and my credit card bill, but hey - i'd trade a fast ride any day!!

Back to 160 B.C!

I've been off work for the last week...taking a much needed break.

Had the amazing experience of visiting the Karla Caves.

Now, these are rock-cut caves over 2000 years old, and would you believe it, some of the woodwork (thats at the top) there is still intact! Looking at some of the ancient inscriptions gave me goose bumps!

The picture is of the main prayer-hall (these are Buddhist caves)

i'm a history freak - and it was super to be touching rock that was shaped so long ago.....

Most of the carvings are of couples in standing poses, and absolutely beautiful.

The entrance is grand, horse-shoe shaped...

there is also a temple right outside the main entrance, which has a steady stream of pilgrims. The caves seem to be an incidental attraction for them :-(

i dont know how the ASI allowed a temple to be built smack in front of the main cave's entrance.

The experience encouraged me to climb up to the Bhaja Caves right across Karla caves the next day. the climb is steeper but shorter here, and the caves are also on a smaller scale.

But boy, what took my breath away was not the climb! near the caves, , I just looked up, and in the distance I saw the walls of a fort high up on a mountain, looking very majestic, strong, and invincible...!

Looked a little to the right, and saw another fort..! this one just as lovely.

turned out these were the Visapur and Lohagad forts.

Lohagad is a 11km climb, and Visapur is even higher - have kept those for next time!!

the holiday was great because of these sights, but it also depressed me to see the neglect at such historical sights, and the general decay in Lonavala..the unbridled construction, the complete lack of concern shown by the visitors as well as local authorities towards atleast keeping things clean...it was shameful!

oh well..i dont know when we will learn to respect our ancient treasures...

next stop is ajanta/ellora..