A CONSTANT ANALYSIS

South Asia Earthquake - please donate generously

2005-10-08T16:25:00.000-04:00

Yet another tragedy to hit my part of the world. Not even a year to Tsunami!!!! Somehow a feeling of deja vu. I am speechless. All I can say is that please please donate generously with your time, money and other resources. See this blog for more details on how to help. Thank you.

The pause that refreshes

2005-10-03T15:53:00.000-04:00

I am back!!! Not that I had gone somewhere far away (in fact, am always within 3 feet of my laptop:-) Hope to have regular updates from now on.

In the meantime, please check out this blog on economic issues in India - www.indianeconomy.org

Goodbye dear city

2004-12-21T21:52:00.000-05:00

Its with a heavy heart that I wish you goodbye. I hated you when I first moved here, never ceasing to compare you with the one I had left behind. But you grew on me. You will always have a special place in my heart. Its time to go now:-(

Arundhati Roy - the lady for wrong things?

2004-11-19T21:46:00.000-05:00

I seriously fail to understand this woman. What does she mean by this? Not that I support the Iraq war. But the killing of innocent civilians by these so called forces of Iraqi resistance should stop.

Ms Roy is still basking in the glory of her award-winning book and deriving unecessary mileage from it. I don't understand her stance on Narmada and all the other things she stands for. Maybe there is something wrong with me, but I hope I am not alone.

P.S.: Came via Shanti's blog.

Happy Diwali

2004-11-12T08:00:00.000-05:00

Today is Diwali, perhaps the best known festival in India. No matter what religion you practise or which part of the country you come from, Diwali has some kind significance for all.

In Jainism, on this day, Lord Mahavira attained salvation or nirvana. Also for Jains, the New Year is the day after Diwali. In north India, Diwali celebrates Lord Rama's triumphant return to Ayodhya and his coronation as king. In Gujarat, the festival honors Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and in West Bengal, it is associated with the goddess Kali.

May this "festival of lights", brighten your lives. Here's wishing you all a HAPPY DIWALI.

Wail from the valley

2004-11-10T21:00:00.000-05:00

While you used undue force on us
Paradise burned
And we lost our land and beauty
The only thing we managed to salvage
was our glorious culture and history

It is the promise of tomorrow
That keeps us going
Some day we will live without fear
In our own land and country

Anjum Nair

2004-11-04T20:10:00.000-05:00

"The only fight we lose is the fight we abandon. What's abandon? :-)"- Anjum Nair

I know a lot of my posts are belated but I always wanted to write about him. He passed away a few months ago after a year-long battle with cancer. I didn't know him at all but somehow his death hurts. Also read about his extraordinary wife, Patsy Nair. I think Chindu & Bijoy say it all.

The gift of life

2004-10-29T19:24:00.000-04:00

Something I wanted to write about ever since I read it on Anita's blog. Dilip D'Souza adopted a baby girl a few days ago (you can read the full post here).

The case for adoption. I think we Indians are still not comfortable with the idea of adoption. I know that I am generalizing here but thats the truth. It is thought of only as the last resort. Having been in the US since the past 5 years, I think that there are certain things that we (atleast I have) should learn (or build a positive attitude towards) from the west. Its quiet natural to adopt a child (one or more) here in spite of already having children or being perfectly capable and healthy to bear one. I know it takes a lot of strength of character to do this but its possible. We are perfectly capable of raising an adopted child as one of our own. And who better to do this than someone who is well-educated and has the monetary capacity to give the best to the child.

Dilip, congrats again and hats off. You and your wife have given a new life to the baby and in turn she will also enrich yours. I hope to tread on the same path some day.

Chinar

2004-10-29T19:00:00.000-04:00

The chinar confronts the sunset
with its own dusk.
You can hear the drip of crinkled leaf
Isn't this what they call dry rain,
this slow, twisting dead-moth descent
from the sapless branch?
In the eye of the lake
and the running eye of Jhelum
it holds you, this bonfire death
that slowly drips fire,
these smouldering rusts
without the clank of metal.
A wind alights on the tree
and the eye cannot follow
each bronze-scale severed
from the mail of the dying giant,
each clenched child-fist of a leaf,
the largesse of it
the aching drift of it
the flame and the fall of it.

Found it here

The Joy at Arrival

2004-10-27T09:55:00.000-04:00

Is there any word that can capture the powerful feelings one experiences? There is something so enigmatic about the arrival. One of his unsolved mysteries. Someone very close to us just welcomed a tiny little being into this world. Oceans apart if my feelings are so powerful, I am just trying to visualize what her parents might be going through. In one instance their life has made a roller-coaster change. Welcome home baby.

To my sisters

2004-10-23T01:05:00.000-04:00

Reflections of my every emotion - be it love, joy, laughter, grief or anxiety. My 100% foolproof support network from which I derive constant strength; sounding board for problems and a treasure-trove of solutions; an ever-ready shoulder to cry on; an anchor to my sometimes wayward life. They've always always been there for me. Just hearing their voices lifts my dreary spirits and forces me to get up and move on. The distance of two continents between us has only brought us closer. Sometimes I used to wonder what I would do or be without them for they are the two other halves that complete me. Here's to you sis.

Africa: The Dark Continent

2004-10-22T22:15:00.000-04:00

Human memory is historically short and we almost always never learn from our failures. Just ten years ago in Rwanda, we watched from the sidelines as the genocide unfolded in which nearly 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed. Fast forward 10 years and now the same events are being replayed in Sudan's Darfur region. The government-backed arab militia, called janjaweed has been involved in merciless killing, raping and looting of the black since the past 18 months.

So, what do you make of all this? Firstly, I think the US and other allies of the Iraq war should have directed all their efforts and resources to Sudan where the government and the arab militia is ten times worst than Saddam Hussein. Strength answers strength and diplomatic efforts are not going to work. Secondly, for me, the situation in Sudan justifies the reason for giving the Nobel peace prize to an environmentalist as the underlying causes for the conflict in Sudan is the rivalry between the black farmers and the arab nomads over land, water and other resources. Thirdly, peace and stability have been mere illusions in Africa although every country is independent. Its populace, from new-borns to the old, is being killed by ethnic conflicts, famine or HIV/AIDs. We need to focus more on Africa and double our efforts to attain peace, political stability, economic growth and curb the AIDs epidemic. Why should it still be in the dark?

India's famous Bond - Ruskin Bond

2004-10-20T19:17:00.000-04:00

I love his novels. A master story-teller, it is so easy to visualize the morning mist sitting on hilltops and breathe the crisp morning air, and that dirt road where he took his daily walks and ofcourse Landour Bazaar. My favorite poem from his novel "Delhi is not far".

LONE FOX DANCING
As I walked home last night
I saw a lone fox dancing
In the cold moonlight.
I stood and watched.
Then Took the low road, knowing
The night was his by right.
Sometimes, when words ring true,
I'm like a lone fox dancing
In the morning dew.

An Ode to Love

2004-10-20T01:45:00.000-04:00

Love is a many splendoured thing,
It's the april rose that only grows
In the early spring.
Love is nature's way of giving
A reason to be living,
The golden crown that makes a man a king.

Once on a high and windy hill,
In the morning mist, two lovers kissed
And the world stood still.
Then your fingers touched my silent heart
And taught it how to sing,
Yes, true love's a many splendoured thing.

Just felt like writing these old lyrics...

The Kashmiri Pandits - "unwept, unhonored and unsung" victims of terror

2004-10-20T01:36:00.000-04:00

Kashmiri Pandits, the original inhabitants of the valley of Kashmir have a recorded history of over 5,000 years. Considered to be the descendants of rishis and seers, they have made tremendous contributions in such diverse fields as religion, history, philosophy, sanskrit literature, music, medicine and aesthetics. Natives of Kashmir, in true Kashmiri tradition or kashmiriyat, they welcomed all visitors with open arms and permitted them to practise their faith with full freedom. Little did they know that one day they were going to be driven away from their homeland by the new settlers.

Innocent victims of ethnic cleansing, Kashmiri Pandits have been relentlessly persecuted by invaders right from the 14th century until now. Click here to read more about the SEVEN exoduses of Kashmiri Pandits. Victims of Islamic fundamentalism, they have not only been forced out of their ancestral lands but are also living as refugees, in abysmal conditions, in their own country. We definitely don't expect the Pakistanis or Kashmiri separatists to be worried about their plight. So, who should be shouldering this responsibility? Ofcourse, the Indian government, who till now has done NOTHING to ensure that the Kashmiri Pandits live with dignity in their own country. Check out this article and to know more about the Pandits, please visit this website.

One land, three faiths and perennial conflict - O Jerusalem!

2004-10-19T18:54:00.000-04:00

Called Yerushalayim in Hebrew and Bayt al-Muqaddas in Arabic, it is the spiritual stronghold of three great religions - Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Despite a belief in a single Lord - Yahweh, God, Allah; a common ancient patriarch in Abraham and an intertwined history; their problems seem eternal.

This holy land has the world's highest diversity of religious belief per square meter, but there is actually very little evidence of tolerance. Read about the Paradox of Jerusalem in this interesting article in NY Times.

Ernesto "Che" Guevara

2004-10-18T17:15:00.000-04:00

I recently saw the movie "The Motorcycle Diaries" which I highly recommend. It is a true story based on the life of Ernesto "Che" Guevara, a communist revolutionary whose actions influenced the history of several nations. In a personal odyssey across the heart of South America on a motorcycle with his friend Alberto Granado in 1951-52, he witnesses the sufferings and dire poverty of the indigenous people and villagers, which ultimately ignites the revolutionary in him. He was shot dead by the Barrientos troops on October 9, 1967 near Higueras in Bolivia. He was only 39 years old.

Kashmir - a mysterious connection

2004-10-17T01:18:00.000-04:00

Ever since I can remember, just the mention of the word Kashmir would have an unusual effect on me. A magical feeling of being transported to someplace higher with images of snow-capped mountains, lush green valleys, pristine springs, shikaras on dal lake and the color of chinar trees in autumn passing by. More importantly, it seemed to tug at my heart's strings and I felt connected to this beautiful place. A baffling situation - to feel so drawn to a place which I have never visited before in my life. I have spent many hours trying to decipher this strange attraction which sometimes seemed to me as esoteric as the blend of mysterious Islamic Sufism and Kashmiri Shaivism.

Coming back to reality, it is disheartening to note that the Kashmir issue for Pakistan seems to center around only the valley of Kashmir and Kashmiri Muslims. Not that India has ever brought up the issue of the plight of Kashmiri Hindus in the valley and elsewhere. We know so little about this miniscule community. Of the various victims of ethnic cleansing in the world, Kashmiri Pandits have been persecuted by aggressionists for several centuries now. I intend to write much more about this and my future posts will definitely shed more light on this neglected community. For now, farewell.

Iraq rebuilding - Mission impossible?

2004-10-16T23:15:00.000-04:00

First war and then peace - do you honestly think this is possible? Everyday we keep hearing about deep unrest and more chaos between different factions and the US forces in various parts of the country. Its like the forbidden Pandora's box which should have not been opened. Not that I think that Saddam is a good man. Since the decision for going to war was intractable, the war plan should have been well thought of with a viable exit strategy. Its fairly obvious that all rebuilding efforts will be in vain unless there is some calm and peace in the country. A report in LA times (subscription reqd) states that of the $1 billion given to international agencies by 14 countries for emergency needs, only 5% of the money has been spent as violence was hindering development efforts.

I am really getting tired about Bush's rhetoric on his rationale for going to war and the constant brouhaha. When will we be able to watch TV or listen to the radio without Iraq popping up every two minutes. Not for a long time, I guess.

Expectations - a human dilemma...

2004-10-15T19:35:00.000-04:00

Can you imagine going on without them? I used to believe that human relationships are defined by mutual expectations. For us, mere mortals, aren't they a natural extension of our being. Isn't it almost natural to expect things from one's family and friends? Discontent and unhappiness surface when there is a gross mismatch between what we expect from others and what we finally get. No matter how many times we get spurned, we still cannot live without them.

I have always found it difficult to define that fine line between expecting and not expecting. Differences in perception will always cause a fissure. As I finally learnt, its sublime bliss to not expect at all for one will never get disappointed. Believe me, its true.

Happy Birthday, Mr. President

2004-10-15T10:26:00.000-04:00

Dreams float on an impatient wind. A wind that wants to create a new order... -- A P J Abdul Kalam

Today he completes 73 orbits around the sun. We Indians could not have asked for a better first citizen. Check out his website and some of his poems - it speaks volumes about the kind of man he is and his grand vision for India.

I also read his autobiography, "Wings of Fire", which I would recommend every Indian to read. His journey from humble beginnings in Rameswaram to father of India's missile program and finally his ascent to Presidency fills one with hope and belief that no matter how difficult the path is, dreams can be fulfilled.

We have read a lot about his vision and the path India should adopt for becoming a true superpower. A friend actually had the chance to discuss the same with him. When asked what advice he would give to young people working in development - the response he got was in the form of a powerpoint presentation on PURA - providing urban amenities in rural areas. For India to become a developed nation, we need to focus on the rural areas, where majority of its population resides. This aptly reflects his commitment towards his country by taking every chance to spread this message amongst its people.

Gross National Happiness (GNH) - Development community take note

2004-10-13T22:11:00.000-04:00

Reports the Wall Street Journal, "A few years ago, Bhutan's government threw out the usual indicators measuring progress, instead using an innovative model - called "gross national happiness" - that now has researchers and think tanks around the world taking note. Bhutan's concept embraces everything from protecting natural resources to promoting a strong national culture and ensuring democratic governance - with the goal of creating a foundation of happiness for citizens."

This sure is welcome news for someone working in the field of development policy. We do know that the goal of public policy is not to simply maximize measured GDP but ensure holistic development. Bhutan's plan for happiness, called the Four Pillars of Happiness, rests on sustainable economic development, conservation of the environment, the promotion of national culture and good governance. The same article cites a survey by World Values and ranks Puerto Rico # 1 in terms of "happiness" and "life satisfaction" followed by Mexico and Denmark.

Mid-East crisis: the saga continues...

2004-10-11T01:43:00.000-04:00

"One of the major winners of America's war on terrorism has been nuclear-bound, terrorism-supporting Iran, and it is giving the Israelis nightmares." reports the New York Times (Oct 11, print edition).

As Churchill rightly said, "War is a catalouge of blunders." Almost every attempt at solving the Mid-East puzzle (for personal or other reasons) has resulted in a greater confusion with drastic changes in the power equation. The fall of Iraq on its west and Afghanistan on its East has placed Iran in a formidable position and further stoked its nuclear ambitions. The rise of a powerful nuclear Iran will force Israel to stock up its arsenal with more sophisticated weapons and also pressurize other Arab countries to develop nuclear capability. Such dynamics, without doubt, will radically change the face of the region with spill-over effects on the rest of the world.

A larger qs; why haven't we learnt from our past mistakes? A war is an effort in vain. As I read somewhere, "Wars are often the cause of further wars because they fuel deep hatreds, create situations of injustice and trample upon people's dignity and rights. Wars generally do not resolve the problems for which they are fought, and, therefore, in addition to causing horrendous damage, they prove ultimately futile. War is a defeat for humanity."

DC Cherry Blossom Run

2004-04-04T23:54:00.000-04:00

Today I ran the 5k FUN RUN, part of the DC 10 mile Cherry Blossom run. The weather was miserable but overall it felt great to be a part of the event. A huge crowd showed up inspite of bad weather.

I also ran the 7k DREAM RUN in Mumbai - part of the Mumbai International Marathon on February 15th.