24 Apr 2011  · comment

Every Day Should Be an Earth Day!

12 Apr 2011  · comment

Hunger strike against corruption is over. Time for some introspection?

To be honest I seriously considered going to Jantar Mantar, perhaps even participate in the fast. But I couldn’t. I kept following the event closely but I could not participate. Not because I want more corruption, of course not. For some strange reason the ‘topi’ sitting on the head of Anna Hazare reminded me of the real Gandhi and the story about the kid who eats too much sugar. For the benefit of those who may not be familiar, the story goes like this: A woman brings her son to Gandhi and asks him to talk to her child to stop eating too much sugar because it is not good for his health. Gandhi asks the lady to return in two weeks. When she comes back he just asks the child to stop eating sugar. Apparently he did not give this advice to the kid earlier because he himself was eating too much sugar.

11 Apr 2011  · comment

The curious case of hunger strikes…

What inference can you draw form the following two facts: When Irom Sharmila sits on a hunger strike in Manipur she gets arrested for ‘attempt to commit suicide’ and is force fed (nasogastric intubation) through a tube in her nose, it gets little media attention. She has been on hunger strike for years now but most people don’t know who she is or what she is protesting about. A token ‘economic hunger strike’ conducted mainly through Facebook, where people pledge to not ‘eat/drink outside’ (can’t go to KFC, but it may be ok to deep-fry your chicken at home), makes it to the cover page of at least one major national newspaper.

06 Apr 2011  · comment

Cricket: The Collateral damage?

While ‘India’ was busy cheering its cricketers to win the world cup for the nation, some couple of hundred people, who had probably laboured through the day, hauling stuff in a under-construction swank high-rise, were sleeping in their shanties in sector 61 in Gurgaon. It was close to mid-night, when India won the epic battle. Urban Gurgaon broke into a rapturous celebration with full-fledged fireworks and these people slept through it

17 Mar 2011  · media

Is this the future of digital magazines?

Is this the future of digital magazines? If the real experience turns out to be even close to how it shows up on the video, I’d want one. That is, I’d want to use this technology to produce one. More info at Digital Magazines: Bonnier Mag+ Prototype | Bonnier AB.

16 Mar 2011  · comment

Are the Olympics a waste of money?

The Economist deserves credit for a very interesting poster campaign ‘Hosting the Olympics is a waste of money’. A careful reader of news might tell you that the governments can spend their time and money on better things. That these sports extravaganzas are not at all about sports, and do not really benefit the sports persons. Even more so in the Third World. Not so long ago there was some debate about the usefulness of the Commonwealth Games held in New Delhi, but it died a natural death. Much ink was spilled about corruption, but once again nothing came of it. Well, not yet, at least. Things are back to normal, and I am convinced that India will soon start bidding for another one of those mega events. While public memory is short, personal interests stand tall.

05 Jan 2011  · comment

'God will not allow man to destroy the earth?' Really?

If you thought Lalu Prasad Yadav was funny, you should meet John Shimkus (new chair of the Subcommittee on Environment and Economy) of the US. Lalu pales… Shimkus is on record for dismissing the existence of global warming by citing biblical scripture that says God would not allow the earth to be destroyed. Specifically: “And He will send His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.” The earth will end only when God declares its time to be over. Man will not destroy this earth. This earth will not be destroyed by a flood.

03 Jan 2011  · multi-media

First attempt at ceramics

These are my first pieces of ceramic that came out of the kiln. Of course they are far from perfect but the first pieces are special…

02 Jan 2011  · cycling

Gurgaon critical mass cycling — a new beginning

After the excesses of the new-year partying, you’d expect that on a cold and windy Sunday morning people might want to stay tucked in a little bit longer. Perhaps spend a lazy Sunday morning at home. The last thing you’d expect is a large turn out for a ‘critical mass’ cycling event, on a biting early January morning. ‘Critical Mass’ is a cycling event organised in many cities across the world to draw attention to the fact that cycling is a good way to travel and that cyclist have an equal right to the road. In most cities, the event is organised to coincide with the peak office traffic on a Friday evening – typically the last Friday of the month. We in Gurgaon have had a couple of successful Friday events but have not managed to sustain the momentum. The conjecture is that most working people can not get away from work in time to participate in the event.

24 Dec 2010  · comment

Doodling in Math Class?

I wish I had taken advance math in school/college. Can’t say what would have happened to my math skills, but I am sure my doodling would have improved. See what Vi Hart, a self-claimed recreational mathemusician is up to – doodling in the math class. Visit her site