Handicapped by Technology

Over the weekend as I was trying to ward off the residual remnants of sleep and was making an attempt to salvage whatever was left of the weekend I heard the pleasing splatter of rain!

In the part of world where I stay the earth has been smouldering at 40 degree Celsius and any whiff of rain is a welcome relief. What I did next, sent me down the lane of self-assessment or discovery. What was I doing ? Now dont let your horses of imagination run wild. I was not doing indulging in anything spooky or something which might make the reader raise their eyebrows.

What is your first instinct when you hear the pit-pat of rain drops ? Yes right you run to window to check? That's the normal human reaction or reflex action . But what did I do - I was frantically trying to fish out my phone from the jumble of quilt and pillows?What for -to check the app for weather - if its raining in my city?

 SWAP SWAP 

Such dependence on Technology that too  me - what happened to running to the window to catch glimpse of the downpour? I then went on a path of self discovery. I realized there was a time when I remembered all the important numbers by heart, that is now delegated to the List called "important contacts ", "family" , etc ,etc ( some lists have cheesy names)

At that point in time a famous line by "Billy Cox" - the motivational speaker, trainer, mentor ,etc. started haunting me. It goes as below 

  

Come to think of it - technology is no doubt helping us but overuse / over-dependence is depleting our natural skills of memory and fast thinking -perhaps.

No I am not a Nay Sayer , I love technology and the wonders it does , but as advent of calculators has made us let go of our swift manual calculation acumen , I fear certain aspects of technology may lead to blunting of some of our skills. We should try and make an effort to reduce our over-dependence on technology such that our human thinking skills dont become rudimentary.

As a famous American historian has rightly said - 

 Technology is so much fun but we can drown in our Technology.

 The fog of Information can drive out knowledge.

I am signing off today hoping that I and others too would use technology judiciously and not in way that it undermines our natural reflexes and mental prowess.

A tale of two love stories

Today morning while sipping my morning concoction- news of two love stories caught my imagination. Both from different parts of the world. One was a testimony of “Triumph of personal freedom” while the other showed how executing one’s “right to freedom” may have a violent end.

One of the stories was from my beloved country while the other was from “Japan”. How badly I wanted the “Triumph of personal Freedom” story to be from my country (Though my country and its constitution ensures sweeping freedom to all its citizens so much so that there are people who can openly abuse the country and get away too- that’s another point of debate , lets drop it today!)

The story of princess Mako giving up her “royal status” to marry a commoner (as they call it) is heartening as it has the blessing of the Emperor, though one hopes she could have retained her royal status too. (I have a little bias towards Japan as people there are very gentle in their behavior ,peaceful and very proud citizens.Japan is a patriarchal society and surely they can improve a lot w.r.t. gender equality which I can talk about in another post.)

In contrast of the above story is the story below where a son-in-law is allegedly killed by his father-in-law. Obviously the alleged murderer is no king or emperor but has the audacity of sniffing out life from a human being. 

What caused him to do it:-

1. Failure to have control on his offspring’s life
2.  Just ego
3.  Lack of respect for human life
4.  Lack of compassion
5. Lack of respect for rule of law

It’s necessary to remind people that “right to life and right to freedom” are supreme and no nation can call itself modern if its citizens don’t recognize its importance. Also what surprises me is lack of outrage from the masses and general public. This incident should shock us and draw sweeping outrage and criticism from all quarters – aren’t we a secular, socialist country, etc, etc. or are they just words in the constitution. While "banning beef" stirs so much political noise why this incident is met with measured silence. Is human life is of lesser value.

I think an emperor should have have had much more at stake that the "nobody" who killed this son-in-law mercilessly and he doesn't realize he has scarred his own offspring for life- but I think those are all secondary to the alleged murderer.

I sign off with the hope that modern India showcases stories of personal liberty and its respect by fellow citizens and stories like these become a distant obscure memory

Barbarism of Crime – something endemically wrong with our society

Crime is a global phenomenon – its omnipotent and happens in varying degrees through-out the world. When one analyses crime in India and the barbarism involved in crimes against women one realizes there is something endemically wrong with our society. What can that be?

1. A dis-passionate society which is continuously running in pursuit of material achievements
2. A glaring divide between privileged and deprived citizens
3. The blatant eulogizing of material achievements
4. Lack of moral compass w.r.t. right and wrong
5. Survival and self-reliance are only priorities we learn as we grow up
6. An unequal education system where the rich will be spared as they take refuge in the private education system but the poor are left to mercy of government run schooling which varies in its quality from state to state.
   While states like Maharashtra and Gujarat have good public education system in other states its on the mercy of the people in charge.
7. Family and school are two places which infuse moral foundation in a human being if these are defunct then it all boils down to the individual. We Indians have to on a war footing ensure good basic schooling for all and a community structure which infuses the basic fabric of amiable human nature in one and all.
8. We don’t have time – I hear this from me and others as we go through the motions of life – this reminds me of a line in hindi -  “ Agar Hum waqt ko tavajoo nahi denge to ek din waqt hame chusi hui narangi ki tarah fek dega” – “If we don’t give value to time then one day time will discard us like a chewed waste” – similarly if we don’t realize today that we need to invest in a healthy society we will live to see and bear the unhealthy consequences.
9. We have to let go of the hypocrisy and provide healthy source of information to the society at large – people getting answers about their questions through movies and other non-educational sources is dangerous and detrimental to the growth of a healthy outlook.
10. 1.      We need to invest in society as a society – everything can’t be left to the government. Government can’t tell us be honorable in behavior to:-   

a.      Fellow females / males

b.      Foreign citizens

c.       Help foreign citizen

d.      Don’t fleece foreigners

e.      Keep the roads clean

      We need to salvage ourselves  from the mess or the hole we have dug ourselves into.

Nihon no yasai ga suki- Vegetables Japanese folks like

During my brief stay in Japan making jaunts to the "Super Market" and the local markets was something I loved ,though I was handicapped by not being fully aware of Japanese language. It never deterred me ,I used technology , sign language and limited stock of Japanese words to navigate my way through.
These trips helped me understand Japanese food habits and other facets of Japanese life-style. "Niku" or meat has a prominent place in Japanese food but I discovered gradually that Japanese love their vegetables or "yasai" too.
My trips to the local veggie market not only helped me buy relatively economical produce but I got valuable insight into the popular preferences of the Japanese taste buds.
I discovered "Hakusai"  or the chinese cabbage.
It is a relatively new vegetable introduced in Japan from China in the twentieth century  and now its one of the most consumed vegetables in Japan in winters. It forms an important ingredient of the popular Japanese winter comfort food -the "Hot Pot".I used hakusai in preparing soups,salads, stir fry , noodles and pasta. The next vegetable which was very popular was the "sweet potato". I found that in most Japanese fairs and handicraft bazaars the cups of fried sweet potato chips was a big hit. Thejapanese love their sweet potato both baked and fried. One should surely try the piping hot cup of fried sweet potato finger chips.

The poor man's meat or also called mushroom is the next "yasai" which I will dwell on.

Mushrooms in Japan have such an extensive variety. Though "Shitake" is the most revered of them all. The other varieties found in Japan are

• Maitake
• Bunashimeji
• Enoki
• Eringi

But among them Maitake,Bunashimeji and Enoki are easily found off the shelves of most super-markets or local vegetable shops.

Enoki

Bunashimeji

Shiitake

Maitake

Japan is a heaven for mushroom lovers as the variety is extensive and quality is exemplary. I started writing this blog to neutralize the drudgery of going through the technical documents of my next project , but it seems I have replenished my energy and its time to go back to vetting those documents , till I write my next one. 

Sugoi Japan - Images of Japan

A country which should be in every person’s itinerary is “Japan”. You might have heard about its ubiquitous vending machines, or state of art toilets and their Manga, but my images includes some other facets of Japan and Japanese lifestyle. As I used to walk down from the railway station to work I used to take my time to absorb what I saw around. The Japanese mothers riding the “Mamachari” bicycle and taking their kids to nursery or kindergarten, is an image which I recollect fondly. Japan should showcase the “Mamachari Bike” world-wide and they would be surprised by the response it gets!

The typical and smart school uniforms of school going kids was the next thing which captured my imagination.

The most striking feature of the school going kid’s attire is the hat. Also you will be surprised to see Japanese kids commuting alone in the metro from school to home and vice –versa. Perhaps the low crime rates and the Japanese culture is responsible for this phenomenon. It seems if a kids gets lost in Japan it will not be a problem to ask a stranger for directions as Japanese folks are very helpful by nature. The Japanese school bag – also called randoseru- also is pretty striking and very characteristic part of Japanese culture. It is said Grade schoolers across Japan carry leather backpacks or “randoseru” (ランドセル). Randoseru, which comes from the Dutch word “ransel” or “backpack”.

This is probably the first in the series of blogs I will write on Japan. Its an asian country which is very both modern and traditional at the same time . Its modernity is showcased in its ultra-modern infrastructure . The traditional aspect is showcased in the customs of the Japanese society, its handicrafts, customs and array of gardens and shrines. 

Shastri should have bowed out Gracefully

Public show of emotion always makes you look to be on the wrong side irrespective of facts!!

How would you feel if you bake the perfect cake and almost did the perfect icing and then  tragedy strikes and your perfect creation is not so perfect anymore! Heartache!!
I think that is the feeling Ravi Shatri must be going through in the hind sight !
A bull in a China shop is never a good sight!
Though a Bengali will always side with "Dada" irrespective of any reason! He is larger than any Icon West Bengal has ever had - he is Rajnikant of West Bengal - no questions asked !! There is a show on Zee Bangla called - DADAGIRI  ( roughly translates to attitude is everything or who is the boss) which is modeled around him such is his popularity. Again popularity many can achieve but winning love of the masses is a difficult task and he has achieved that , I may dare to say only bypassed by Netaji or Tagore!!

But coming back to Ravi Shastri whose hugely famous victory lap in Melbourne stadium in the Audi he won after becoming "Man of the Series" post India's victory in the 1985 Benson Hedges World Cricket Championship is a red lettered day for Indian cricket. Many of us got initiated to cricket on that day or in that series, but little did I know he had won an Audi all I knew we won and it was some big car which Shastri won!!

After achieving such greatness - Shastri should have bowed out with grace and not like a child kicking , fretting and fuming in public!
If any thing seems to be snowballing into a public show of emotion

its best dropped and damages cut or minimized !

My craze for cricket has ebbed since IPL and match-fixing fiasco,I am not a big cricket fan anymore, but I hope now that the famous five of the Indian cricket are at the helm - they may finally cleanse the game of the abnormalities it was picked up on its journey so far!!

Dhanteras - Did you know lord Yama is worshipped on this day!!!

There are many stories which are prevelant about Dhanteras.

One famous story is about Lord Dhanvantari and his service to mankind. Lord Dhanvantari, who is considered to be the physician of Gods and an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, came out of the ocean that was churned by the Gods and the demons on the day of Dhanteras. Lord Dhanvantari appeared with Ayurvedic for the welfare of the mankind. It was because of this reason that the Dhanteras was celebrated in his honor. 

Another interesting story famous about Dhanteras is related to the son of King Hima and his intelligent wife. It was predicted about King Hima that he would die on the fourth day of his marriage and the reason behind his death would be snakebite. When his wife came to know about such a prediction she decided not to let her husband die and for this she made a plan. On the fourth day of their marriage she collected all the jewelery and wealth at the entrance of her husband's boudoir and lighted lamps all around the place and started telling stories and singing songs one after another in order to not let her husband sleep. 

In the mid night Lord Yama, the God of death arrived there in guise of a snake. The bright lights of the lamps lit by the wife of the king's son blinded his eyes and he could not enter their chamber. Therefore, Lord Yama found a place to stay comfortable on top of the heap of the jewelry and wealth and kept sitting there for the whole night waiting to get a chance to bite the king's son but as the wife of the king's son kept telling stories and singing songs for the whole night therefore he could not get any chance and in the morning he left the place quietly. Thus, the wife saved her husband's life from the cruel clutches of death. Since then the day of dhanteras is also known as the day of 'Yamadeepdaan' and it has become a tradition to light a diya on dhanteras and to keep it burning throughout the night in reverential adoration of Lord Yama, the God of death.

Durga - The Slayer Of Mahishasura

Mahalaya is the auspicious occasion for the whole Bengali community and the people of Bengal as it marks the advent of Goddess Durga on earth, the goddess of supreme power, to annihilate all evils. It is the period when Pitri Paksha (Shola Shraddha or food offering) ends giving way to Devi Paksha (Goddess Period). Mahalaya is thus a kind of invocation or invitation to the mother goddess so that She descend on earth and help the mortals lead an evil-free life.

There are several stories / anecdotes associated with Maa Durga or each festival India has , here’s one which tells why is the goddess also called Mahisasur Mardini.

Goddess Durga is also called Mahisasur Mardini, as she annihilated the notorious deamon Mahisa.

This is how the story goes ....

nce upon a time there lived a demon (Asura) named Mahisha. He found great happiness in hurting people. Once, he decided to pray to lord Brahma, who he thought would give him a boon, which would make him invincible. 

Mahisha performed severe penances praying and fasting for months as he stood on one foot. The three worlds trembled under the strength of his penances and a pleased lord Brahma came to give him a boon. Mahisha asked for immortality, which the lord said he could not have as every creature that was born had to die. Mahisha decided that he would ask for a boon that would make him as good as immortal. He asked that no man should be able to kill and, if he had to die it should be only at the hands of only a woman. He was sure that no woman could ever fight against him however strong she may be.

Now that Mahisha was invincible, he and the other asuras went about hurting and killing everyone on earth and then went on to the heavens to fight the Gods. Even Indra's thunderbolt could not withstand the asura attack. Mahisha drove out the Gods and took over Indra's throne. Mahishasura started harassing all pious people who continued praying to Vishnu or Shiva. The Gods and people were depressed and decided to ask lord Shiva for help. Lord Shiva, Vishnu, and Brahma concentrated hard and used their radiant energies, which were joined by the energies from Indra, and the other Gods. This godly energy took the form of a divine lady with thousand arms. In each arm she carried a weapon belonging to all Gods. This was Durga Devi. 

She mounted a fiery lion and roared. It was a roar that shook mountains and created huge waves in the seas. Even Mahisha was worried for a second, but his vanity took over when he saw that the terrible form was that of a woman. Durga created a large army from her breath to fight Mahisha's army and then fought with Mahisha who came in the form of a Buffalo. As he struggled to set himself from the Buffalo form she killed him with her sword delivering the earth and heavens of the Burden called Mahishasura. 

Onion and Garlic folklore!

There was a time when one wept as one used to chop onions , but times have changed drastically now-a-days one is teary when one thinks of buying oinions.Yes - the onion has suddenly turned wicked . This made me wonder there may be many fables and folk-lores about onions too.

Wicked Onion

Look what I stumbled upon - an Indonesian folklore about Onions and Garlic. In Indonesia, "garlic" is called white onion and onion is commonly referred to as red onion. By color association, garlic is seen as "good" and onion, as the "bad" one. This is how the local folklore goes:-

Once there lived a small family of father, mother and a daughter - named Garlic,
They lived in a sleepy village in Indonesia.The father was a trader and mother a homemaker. The three lived very happily, but one day the mother fell sick suddenly and died . The demise of the mother made "garlic" and her father very sad. In the same village there live a widow. The widow had a daughter named "Red Onion",Both mother and daughter used to come to Garlic's house and help her with cooking and other daily chores.After some time Garlic's father thought of marrying "Red Onion"'s mother presuming- that it would give little "garlic" a mother's care and much needed company.

Little did the trader realized what fate had in store for him and her daughter "garlic"! Soon after marriage "Red Onion"'s mother started treating "Garlic" badly.She would make little garlic wash utensils and clean clothes at the river bank. Garlic never used to complain and bore everything with silence. One day garlic's father too fell sick and expired in some time. Garlic was overwhelmed with grief.
After garlic's father's demise her stepmother started treating her more cruely. She would make her toil from dawn to dusk. Little garlic had to clean , wash and cook.

Little garlic had to toil very hard but she maintained her composure and never complained. One day as she had gone to the river to wash clothes.Suddenly one of her step-moyher's dress was washed away in the river current. Little garlic tried her best but could not find it. 

`

When Garlic came home with the washed clothes, her step-mother became furious at not finding her red dress. She thundered at little garlic "Go find my dress. Dont come home without the dress?".

Poor garlic started following the path running parallel to the river to find the dress. On her way she met a shepherd. Garlic asked the shepherd -have you seen a red dress? 

 The shepherd replied I have seen one in an old lady's garden by the river. Hearing this garlic went down the river to the old lady's home. On reaching there she saw the red dress hanging on the cloth drying wires in her garden. She knocked on her door and requested her to give her the "red dress". The old lady said she will give her the red dress on one condition - garlic had to stay with her for one week. Garlic agreed.

She lived with the old lady for one week and helped her in her daily chores. When one week was over the old lady gave her the red dress and also asked her to choose from the pumpkins in her kitchen garden as a parting gift. Garlic took a small one and bid the old lady good-bye. On reaching home she gave the "red dress" to her step-mother and also the pumpkin. As they sliced it open it was full of precious gold and jewels. Now the step mother became greedy and asked garlic how she got such the pumpkin? Garlic told her the entire tale.

Now the step-mother wanted more jewels , she sent her daughter "red onion" to the old lady's house. The old lady asked "Red Onion" to stay with her for a week.Onion stayed for one week but never helped the old lady with her work, she just lazed away her time. After one week as she was about to leave she asked the old lady -wont you give me a parting gift? The old lady asked her to pick a pumpkin from her garden as a parting gift. "Red Onion" took the largest one. With great difficulty she reached home. As she arrived her mother lost no time in slicing it open. She thought jewels will fall out but alas! Out came venomous snakes and insects and killed the wicked step-mother and her daughter "red onion". Garlic was thus freed of her tormenting step mother and sister.

Ganesha's wise devotee

Om Ganapatai Namo!!

Lord Ganesha is well known for his wit and wisdom, but this folklore is about his smart and wise devotee, an old lady. There used to live ages ago an old lady in the village of Timarpur, a sleepy village on the banks of Tista river.

The lady resided in her small house with her son and daughter-in-law.

She was an ardent follower of lord Ganesha and prayed daily without fail.

The lord was so moved by her devotion that he used to appear before her everyday and granted her a wish. The lady used to say that she couldn't decide what to ask for. This routine continued for many days.

At last the old lady thought of consulting her son and daughter-in-law. The son asked her to ask the lord for wealth. The daughter-in-law asked her to ask the lord for a grandson. 

The lady wondered my son and daughter-in-law are suggesting what they think is important, let me consult my neighbour. Her neighbour advised her to ask for good sight. Now lady thought that all the three sugestions were valid for her family as a whole and started thinking of a way to get everyone's wish fulfilled.

The next day as the Lord again appreared and asked the old lady to make a wish. The old lady bowed to the lord and wished-" Lord please bless me such that I can see my grandson drinking milk from a golden bowl"

The lord smiled the witty old lady had asked for everything in her wish smarty. He granted the wish and blessed the old lady.