Yoohoo...

I will join office again tomorrow after a break of 3 months. Really excited about it :-) .

NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS

happy anniversary

Dear Viswam babai and Padma Pinni, Happy Anniversary and many happy returns!

Fusion music...

I recently found this artist's albums in youtube while I was searching for
carnatic, fusion type music. He is Sri V.S. Narasimhan. He is very well known for his violin work for the album 'How to name it' and 'Nothing but winds' by Illayaraja.
His recent albums are of fusion nature(Carnatic Classical and Western classicals).

I recently listened to his latest album called 'Raga Saga'. The blend of Carnatic and Western classical is just divine. Being an ardent carntic music lover, I was able to truly enjoy and appreciate fusion music. Primary instruments being used are viola, violin, and few other Western instruments.

Worth a try listening...

Few youtube links:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcpVyvn5vKk&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hND-f9zKGbE&feature=related

More on music later...

Anaconda: Terror on Pookot Lake

For the 1st time on TV, presenting the preview of Anaconda-III! On a sleepy afternoon in Wayanad, Kerala, a pedal boat with Poonam was drifting along on Pookot Lake...when suddenly, a water snake attacked! As luck would have it, the paparazzi were around to record these startling reactions. Enough said..just watch the exclusive video! (And don't forget to turn on the speakers for the thrilling sound effects!)

poll

yeah i know! U can vote multiple times.
but it was a wake up call and nothing more.
did it nt stir many people.
BUT ALAS! THE RESPONSE IS STILL POOR!
krups! the ayes are SSV 3 times and Sudha once i b'lieve. and one no each too--- and Poonam too has cast a double vote according to her confession.
So that is that.

My new kindle

I just got a Kindle today, an early New Year gift :-) It's definitely easier than carrying multiple books around and is comfortable enough for reading. Standby for a detailed review.

Matahari in action!!!!

Neighbors are asking when is the last fight???????

Avatar

Went and saw the movie in IMAX 3D. Loved the technical effects. The 3-d came a long way in capturing movements etc, but emotion is still missing, especially in the eyes.

Story interpreted in multiple ways, following the latest preachy trends of ......you know whats!!!!!

Giovanni Ribisi - George W. Bush or Original Settlers
Omaticaya - Iraquis or Native Americans
Pandora - Iraq or America
Unobtainium - Oil or Land

Greedy invaders vs. good local people!!

Well deserved compliments

here it goes....

We were invited to a lunch party with some common friends who were visiting the area, and we invited a majority of that set for dinner for the same day.

Our original menu was kobbari annam, raita, roti and paneer butter masala, mainly because of a combination of easy to make and what my cook can cook. But when went to lunch we found the exact same menu, which forced us to do a last minute menu change. Amma rose to the occasion magnificently. With me being the helper, the work including prep, cook, clean and plate( as in serving presentation) was done in barely an hour. The final menu ended up as follows

1) Vankaya Kura - originally scheduled and already done
2) Mentikoora pappu
3) Kobbari perugu pachadi
4) Kandi pachadi
5) Pachi pulusu
6) Chintakai pachadi - "refreshed with popu"
7) Sambar
8) Appadams & vadiyams
9) Genusugadda sambar - "refreshed with popu and sambar podi"
10) Perugu
11) Avakaya - already made
12) Payasam - already made

I cooked 9 cups of rice for 11 people and ended up running out of rice. So sudha and I hung back while rice was still being cooked and ate in the end. Perugu pachadi and chintakaya were wiped out.

Big Big Kudos to amma.

On the same vein, we went to a potluck dinner tonight, where amma made her easy-peasy pulao that became a sensational hit. Once again, I underestimated the taste of the food, and unfortunately no one was able to get a second helping, and a few did not even get a first helping.

This is the third time in recent memory where I have run out of food when having people over. Either the food is tasting too good or I am skimping too much. I prefer to think it is the former..........

Story of Stuff

Yesterday we visited Sairam Bava (Ma's eldest brother's son)- we were discussing with him things on sustainability and other green stuff and he showed us this video in the same context.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLBE5QAYXp8

This video answered lot of questions- biggest of all - growing unhappiness in people in todays world even when they have best of the stuff/luxuries for a common man which 100 years back even a "Raja" could not afford.

paa

me and sudha had private show of PAA screened for us.ha ha for that show he sold only TWO tickets

What happened to the recent comments widget?

Not Enough but it did create a stir even if I say so.

I anticipated this response. But not enough by my standards.

Gopal did come out. But otherwise the responders are the usual writers-posters.

I do agree with SRN and SVK.
It is an inspiration to many. Padma was telling me 2 days back that she reads it once a week and gets updated. So on and so forth.

21 authors and 26 votes!!!! who are the extra five? or was there false voting?
Who are the 4 ayes?

I. But the art of communication, in the present world, is the need of the hour and especially for the kids.
In the present job market, you should speak out and have your opinions which you should be able to justify.

You should have knowledge beyond your text books. Current themes and topics should interest you--anything from movies to politics to global warming. ANY thing, anything at all. We are a family known to argue about nothing. And yet , we disagree only to agree finally.

This blog is where you should express yourself, get corrected, correct the correctors and win or lose your arguments.
We the elderers guided the kids through the walking-running stages, saw them thru school and are seeing them thru college.

we want to see them become vocal, expressive and may be a little opinionated.
Too much to expect? I donot think so!!!

II. Poonam the artist has done really well. Sudha too can do it.
All the kids can do some posting. So can the silent (majority) adults.
If I am interested only in getting applauded, yes! this is the place. Let this not become a wahwah meeting of shayarees or the Subhakankshalu blog.
It reminds me a little of the marriage of camels.:)

III. Those who stand and serve are also fighting ( W. Churchill) Is that what Krupakar says? But it will be more fun and lively if everyone posts once a month at least. Why should they stand and cheer.they too can join the fun.
"come on in! the water is fine" is the usual Seaside invite. That is what I am saying.
Let orkut or twitter or facebook interest the interested. There need be no clash. All of us have our private circle and family circle.

IV. YES it IS titled happenings but anything is a happening because it happened.
If i got a grade A it is a happening. if there was a funny incident in the class, office, bus or train or in the airport that too is a happening. we go home and talk to the immediate family or "friends circle". Spread it a bit more and spread more cheer. No need to be diffident or shy.

A happy new year to all of you in advance. (This is not the purpose of this blog)

to be or not be

well!!!!!!
i can support krupakar citing some incidents.my colleague sakuntala told me that she was told by her daughter in us that she saw madhavs photos in our blog when he visited kavali in feb. rangarao my friend was in denver and wanted to greet on my bday.he confirmed date of birth by seeing the blog.kuppamma told me that she was inspired to hold a feast after seeing "kartheeka vanabhojanam"s photos. santhi and her husband pavan are visiting hawai now.mrudula told me many of her friends follow this blog.
do i need to say more?

stop it!

స్వీట్ హోం నవలలో విమల" స్త్రీ కి విద్య అవసరమా కాదా" అన్న టాపిక్ కి స్పందన గుర్తుకొస్తున్నది .
స్త్రీ కి గాలి అవసరమా ,తిండి బట్ట అవసరమా అని ప్రారంభిస్తుంది .
should we stop breathing?
should our hearts stop beating?
i implore everybody of singampalli clan to actively participate.(particularly me and my daughters )
my heartfelt appeal to mitigate first and then vanquish the genuine heartburn of whoever started the poll .

In defense

Saw the poll on the sidebar...I think there is no need to close the blog. Given that everyone is spread around the world, what we have now is still better than the total silence that would replace it.

And in defense of Singampalli kids, participation need not be in terms of writing something...I contend that a follower of the blog is as much a participant. I am part of a couple of a mailing lists, Twitter too, where I am totally passive, but still consider myself an avid participant.

I think the kids (Swathi and all kids after that) are currently leading busy lives and are preoccupied with the usual 'giant' problems of those times :-) They will probably come around to blogging in a few years when Orkut and Facebook are passe'. Of course, all the adults can certainly do more blogging if they choose to.

And for me, this is like the hole in the ground from the 'Rajugaari Chevulu Gaadida Chevulu' story...like the barber, I would not have an outlet to blurt out my thoughts...

And finally, there are a lot of avid followers of the blog beyond the Singampallis, who would probably be disappointed if this shuts down. Suren's wife (Bindu) was just telling me and Poonam that this blog was a big source of time-pass for her when in the UK. I know 3 others who follow it more or less regularly!

Our school in the news

Pratibha Patil is visiting Sri Venkateswara Children's School, apparently! Is this the same thatched roof , one floor school we used to attend and got our heads banged by Pushpaveni Miss?

http://beta.thehindu.com/news/national/article67127.ece

My Website

my website

Do MOMs make you lazy?

Since amma got here, I have been notably absent from the blog. With amma taking care of stuff ( i.e aditya, house, food and everything etc...) one would think that I would pursue "other" activities such as contributing to the blog. However, I have discovered that the presence of amma seems to resurrect a level of laziness that lies dormant and turn me into a veritable sloth.

Pourquoi? Je ne sais pas. C'est la vie.

Wonder what the effect on Aditya would be?????

Happy Birthday!!

Dear Ma & Mama, Many many happy returns of the day from all of us!! :)

retirement

i retired from service on 30-11-09.there was function arranged by staff and students of maths dept.it was a unique touching experience.actually u can see one snap of durga completely brokendown.
thanks for all those who wished on that day.
here is the link
http://picasaweb.google.com/ranganadhams/Retirement#

And of course...

I knew Laurie Baker was a 'Gandhian' architect by reputation. But from his website I came to know that he was acquainted with and interacted with Gandhi a few times. But this excerpt from his website is revealing.

Here, as an aside, I would like to mention that I believe that Gandhiji is the only leader in our country who has talked consistently with common-sense about the building needs of our country. What he said many years ago is even more pertinent now. One of the things he said that impressed me and has influenced my thinking more than anything else was that the ideal houses in the ideal village will be built materials which arc all found within a five-mile radius of the house. What clearer explanation is there of what appropriate building technology mea than this advice by Gandhiji. I confess that as a young architect, born, brought up, educated and qualified in the West, I thought at first Gandhiji' ideal was a bit 'far-fetched' and I used to argue to myself that of course h probably did not intend us to take this ideal too literally. But now, in my seventies and with forty years of building behind me, have come to the conclusion that he was right, literally word for word, and that he did not mean that there could be exceptions. If only I had not been so proud and sure of my learning and my training as an architect, I could have seen clearly wonderful examples of Gandhiji's wisdom all round m throughout the entire period I lived in the Pithoragarh district.

So all the fancy terms of sustainability and organic materials that are now in vogue were voiced a century ago by Gandhi! I think I will never cease to be amazed at the wisdom and all-pervasive influence of Gandhi.

Laurie Baker

Since we are now in the process of building a house, that too an unconventional albeit traditional house, I have been reading about architecture in India. I was recommended Laurie Baker's website as a good source for this. Laurie Baker, as I am sure everyone is aware, is an Englishman who settled in India and has been a pioneer for low cost housing in India (primarily Kerala). The website link is:http://lauriebaker.net/site/info/photos-and-videos.html. There are some pictures of the houses he has designed, and all of them look wonderful. They remind me of the Kavali house, specially in the times when we were children, and there were huge open spaces at the back and side of the house, populated only by cattle, us kids and trees.

On that website, I found an interesting article (http://lauriebaker.net/work/work/alternative-building-materials-timeless-mud.html) about the use of mud as a construction material (he has another article about Lime as well). Some excerpts:

Before we came along with our high technologies and our science, people over thousands of years were doing what we are now pleased to call research and development. Anywhere you go in India, any village, any rural area (and remember, there is still over 80 per cent of the population in rural areas and their needs are 80 per cent of the needs of the nation), there is this, `rural' design that is steadily going on, and this research is not something that was thought out suddenly. They did not have research institutes. It was a system of trial and error — an empirical form of development. People have used what is actually underneath them and around them: the earth, the things that they can pull out of the earth and so on. They used simple materials to protect themselves from the rain, sun, animals, insects and other human beings. They had very primitive forms of transport, and there was never any thought of importing materials, all of which has resulted in this very distinctive architecture. I insist on calling these 'rural indigenous designs' for building. I think they're very fine examples of pure architecture because they use materials honestly and straightforwardly in an enormous variety of ways, and find solutions to all the problems we human beings have, living in a somewhat hostile world.

{another section of the article}

I have to think twice when I have to build a house — an ordinary 2,000 ft for middle class/upper middle class persons, because I'm responsible for the death of four large trees! In Kerala, all bricks are burnt by wood; we don't get coal. It's too far away and transport is too difficult, so I have had to lay off wood. What are my alternatives to things that bricks normally do? One of them is stone, another of them is mud. The biggest problem that I have in using mud is not with the mud itself, (I have done two-storeyed buildings with quite heavy roof structures and so on, and intermediate floor structures with mud) but it is the client: "We don't want mud", or "Mud? You mean to say I should build my house with mud?"; "But you do understand, don't you, that in my position...." This is the usual reaction of so many of our clients and we just give in and say, "Yes, all right, if you don't want mud, we'll have brick." We don't tell a client that he is going to destroy four full-grown trees to have his bricks. Are we using our knowledge and our position and our professional status to suggest these things and even insist on them with a private client, and these private clients are probably only 0.01 per cent of the population?

There are other compelling arguments in that article why houses (specially for the poor) can be built at a low monetary and energy cost, just using timeless techniques from India. Made me thank my stars we had the good judgement to choose the house we are now building is to be made precisely of that material: MUD. They are compressed mud bricks, not fire burnt bricks. Here is the link to the architect who is building our house (http://www.biome-solutions.com/). My question is: Why are not more people doing this?

Bhramaramba Avva

Dhulipalla Bhramaramba was my father’s paternal aunt. She was fair, beautiful, well read and highly intelligent. She was called “gouramma” (gora=fair) by the servants who could not pronounce her name.

She was married to dhulipalla sundara ramiah, who was her maternal uncle. He was no match to her in any way. It seems after the marriage he was found jumping with joy saying “where will she go now. She is mine”. She has never gone to attagari illu; instead he came and lived here. She was called by every body singampalli bhramaramba and not dhulipalla.

He used to borrow money, buy registration stamps and sell them on credit. The buyers never returned money and this resulted in bad debts. After his death she collected some of the debts ruthlessly going to villages, confiscating even a cow or crow. That made her very hard boiled .Still most of property was lost, and that is how the house next to viswams house was sold away. She was child less and bequeathed her remaing properties to my mother. They were like mother and daughter with well defined boundaries in house management.
My father was only 13when grand father died. Grand mother rangamma (after whom I was named) was very innocent and not worldly. So the burden of managing properties, educating, marrying and settling the young boy fell on her shoulders, which she did with great efficiency. They put up family in Nellore and then at Madras for his higher education (at that time the house was rented for 4or 5 years).In fact we can say that she was the pillar on which the prosperity of singampalli family rested.
She was embodiment of vyangam, terror of the street. Our friends were terrified to come to our house. The” durvasa” my father was like a pilli in front of her. Many a times we were saved from his beatings by her intervention.
There is much to be told about her and friends as remarked by gopal, but may be in a later post.
You now know from where the strong genes of all singampalli girls come!!!!!!!!!

Hats off to you Attah

Attah remember Krups had called you the other day to ask about how to engage kids in the school, for the same class sometimes Krups is not there and I go to teach those kids. Being a short tempered person it is so difficult for me to manage them :), I really admire you for being patient with kids and also you must be a fantastic teacher as kids love you.

One more thing I have realized that as we are adults now and we work in offices, we are hardly in touch with kids so it is difficult to relate with them and with their psyche. Like after sometime kids start losing concentration, all of them would want to go to the toilet, suddenly they will start talking...phew... :)

I didn't have much agenda on this post just wanted to share my experience with you. :)

Where?

Where have all the bloggers gone?

Leaving me here alone to fret and moan

Why, on this once lively forum

Have you'll imposed this stony moratorium?

Where is the sprightly founder

Once prolific, her words now a one-day wonder

Where's the roar of the man-lion of the clan

Without his witticisms (and pithy aphorisms), this stage is ever so wan

You, for whom Dickens is breakfast and Hardy a repast so light

Quo vadis O lady doctor erudite?

And why is the teacher of vast studies English & Social

Being to silence so partial?

With bated breath wait Byron, Shelly & Voltaire

For the eloquence of the man from Waltair

The teller of tales, vendor of nostalgia

We clamor for more, away throw Algebra

And while we wait for the stalwarts

To answer my plea of sorts

D Pinni, Sasi, V Babai, kids and others, fill this hollow vacuum

I exhort you, with your pleasing hum!

Water Color paintings by me

Vase of Poinsettia

Hibiscus

Country Side

Green Apple

picasa link

here is the link
http://picasaweb.google.co.in/ranganadhams/KarthikaVanabhojanalu#

Long Bike Ride

This Sunday past, I took my longest cycling ride ever. I started from home at 530 AM and reached home at 12 Noon, having covered 83 KM on the cycle in the interim. It was a scenic ride through villages and pristine nature outside Bangalore. In that sense, cycling is very similar to paragliding that I used to do in Mumbai- in both cases, I am in a machine that doesn't intrude between me and the environment...no mechanized noises, no smoke...just the sound of air rushing past me.

The route was interesting also from the challenges offered: mostly undulating, with a 15 KM steep stretch on the way back that convinced me that Bangalore is a hill station! Some parts were too steep to pedal, so I had to get down and walk. I have a new found respect for the athletes who participate in the Tour De France, a 3500 KM, 21 day bike race that has a quite a bit of Alpine climbing as part of it.

Took 5 hours of biking time, which translates to an average of 16 Kmph, which isnt too bad. I am now looking forward to my next such ride, whenever that is.

karthika vanabhojanalu

i could not up load all pictures. request sasi to put them in picasa

GUGGILLA SUBBAMMA

GUGGILLA SUBBAMMA

In our child hood there used to be an old widow in front of our house (where cars are kept now).she used to sell idlis, pulibangarams. There was great demand for them .People used to wait till idly vaya (bunch) is cooked and eat hot relishing idlis.When we go to her she deliberately used to ignore us, or scold us saying “cant u wait.” We used to wait patiently, till our turn come. There was one drillmaster who used eat many and many (.no body can eat one). The credit went on piling and finally he has to give away the site and thatched house in which she was living to her as payment of debt.
In the afternoon it’s a different story. She used to sell guggillu and they were not in demand as idlies. She used to come to every house selling .when she comes to our house she used to say” rangadi cheyi manchidi, narasimhudi cheyi manchidi. Meeru boni cheyandi”. We used to chide her saying “u don’t look at us in the morning, now u want our boni .go away”. “Sare lera “she used to say.
She led her life independently and happily. I don’t who her relatives are. She bequeathed her property to Kalidasu Ramachandriah who was a puaranic. He was a Sanskrit scholar and made his life by giving discourses on Ramayana. She thought by giving danam to a satbrahmadu like him she will go to heaven.

Kalidau ramachandriahs life is another story. He made his living by purachana pravachanam only. His fans constructed a big house in Vijayawada for him.

They say” ramayananni nammina vadu chedipodu.”

ఆహ్వానం

My daughters say i'm only posting poetry and it may be monotonous.
If atleast one of the family members enquire, that is the license for me to post,they say.
Thank you anonymous {krupakar}. You are responsible for the coming multi-lingual onslaught.

పుష్కరాలు పుష్కలంగా ప్రతివారం వస్తుంటే
కృష్ణ గోదావరి నిష్కల్మషంగ ఉండవుగా !

మధుమాసం దరహాసం
మనకోసం ఆనునిమిషం
అదేపనిగ పూస్తుంటే
ప్రతిరోజూ వికసిస్తే
జనం మోజు నశిస్తే ?

ఆత్మబంధు ఆతిధ్యం
నిరంతరం ఆశిస్తే
తరచు తరచు తరచి తరచి
కుశలప్రశ్న అడిగేస్తే
విసుగెయ్యద కనిపిస్తే

ఎంటియారు ఏయన్నారు
దిలిప్కుమారు అమితాబు
పొందిరిగా మన కితాబు
పొందికగా నటియించక
ప్రతి పాత్రా ధరిస్తే
తప్పదుగా అవమానం
ఔచిత్యం మరువకుంటే
కీర్తికాయం శతమానం

హరివిల్లు తొలిజల్లు
అరుదైతే ఒళ్లుజల్లు
వేళాపాళా చూసి
బొండుమల్లి పరిమళాలు
అపుడపుడు వెదజల్లు
మధురంగా ఎదగిల్లు

పిలిస్తేనె పలకాలి
స్మరిస్తేనె కలవాలి
తేనె జాలు వారాలి

విరజాజులు విచ్చాలి

పిలువని పేరంటం
అలుపెరుగని పోరాటం
ఆపటమే తెలియకుంటే
తప్పదులే ఆటంకం

నలుగురికి నచ్చాలి
పదిమంది మెచ్చాలి
నడవడికలో ఒడిదుడుకులు
అదుపులోన ఉంచాలి

ఆబాలగోపాలుని మురళిరవము
ఈగోలగోపాలుని కవితాగానము
అస్తమానం విస్తరిస్తె
అనునిత్యం వినిపిస్తే
తినగతినగ తీపి చేదు
వినగవినగ స్ఫూర్తి రాదు

వేమన్న పలికిందల్లా నినాదం
విస్సన్న చెప్పిందల్లా వేదం
ఇది మాత్రం గోపన్న పిడివాదం

కానీ

సింగంపల్లి హాప్పెనిన్గ్సు
రంగవల్లి పెయిన్టింగ్సు
ప్రోగ్రెషనే కాని డిక్లరేషనే లేని
అనెన్డింగు హ్యాపీ ఇన్నింగ్సు

Gopal Babai, long silence...any recent creative outputs?

Chekhov Ki Duniya

Poonam and I saw this play yesterday, which is apparently an adaptation of an English play, "The Good Doctor". It is 6 stories by Chekhov which have been dramatized into a series of 6 sketches. This is the first time I actually enjoyed myself when watching professional theater- usually they are too high-brow and a drag. The main reason of enjoyment was the stories were all very good, with excellent insights into human nature. You feel like reading Chekov once you see this play.

For instance, there is a story about a young clerk who accidentally sneezes on a very high official while at the theater. Although the General doesn't pay much attention to it, the clerk becomes obsessed with the incident. He first petitions the busy General repeatedly for an apology and then becomes angry at the General for not finding this incident of any consequence ("he is insulting me by deliberately ignoring me"). Finally, through these antics, he succeeds in actually angering the General. Reminded me of the Panchatantra story about the Elephant and the Ant, where the ant goes through a whole range of interactions and emotions at the Elephant but the Elephant is not even aware of its existence.

Poonam found one of the stories disturbing. It is about a man who earns money from people by allowing them to see him 'drowning' in the sea- and the authenticity of the entertainment is guaranteed , as he doesn't know how to swim. So will he escape this time as well? Although written so many years ago, the story is still very topical, since this is the exact premise of reality television: pay money to see other peoples troubles/emotions on display- the more real, the higher the ratings.

The translation was also very good, with nice idiomatic Hindi. The situational/physical comedy was good, but the emoting and dialogue delivery was OK. Pretty good overall. On to more Chekhov!

HAPPY BIRTH DAY.

HAPPY BIRTH DAY RANGANADHAM (PEDANANNA)
HAPPY BIRTH DAY MANASA
GOPAL AND FAMILY.

Hot, Flat, Crowded

Just finished this book by Thomas Friedman, a columnist for the NY Times. Although 'global warming', 'Go Green' are buzz words nowadays, this book gives a chilling account of the extent to which the environment is being damaged by runaway consumerism. However, the book is not fatalistic and presents solutions as well. The book is a must read for every city dweller in India and the US.

The basic premise: As traditional international barriers of trade and business are leveled ("World has become flat"), people in developing countries (India, China, Brazil etc), with their higher incomes, have begun to pick up the US addiction of consumerism, like ducks take to water. The combination of increasing population ("crowded") with increasing US-style consumerism have resulted in unmanageable demands of energy. The exploitation of nature to obtain this energy, combined with the pollutants thrown up in every step of the process are producing irreversible changes in our ecology ("hot").

While the book has many insights, the most telling message is that it is time for action now. Climate change has definitely become the Elephant in the room that everyone refuses to notice. The way to do this:

1. Change personal lifestyles to become carbon neutral or carbon negative. This means avoiding plastic, switching to sustainable and renewable energy sources and reducing ones energy footprint

2. Engage with your community to prevent the local ecology from being destroyed and to maintain species diversity. In the author's words, we need a million Noahs now, each building small arks to help the plant and animal kingdoms to survive the coming storm

3. Work with the government to change the systems of energy creation and consumption through legislation and planning. For instance a tax concession for reducing your carbon footprint can be a powerful incentive for everyone to switch to solar energy.

Open Question to Singampalli Kids: One of the things that the author points out: that every generation has a crisis to act upon, the opportunity to show leadership in mitigating that crisis. And future generations will judge the current one on how fast\slowly, how effectively they reacted to that crisis. For example, every youth in the US who voted for Obama would have looked at thier parents and said: "What the heck were you doing acting so slow on an obvious wrong such as racial discrimination or segregation?"

This is your/our crisis, the response to which we will be measured a few years later. So, at the risk of sounding melodramatic, my question to you: Can you break your traditional blog silence and tell me what you feel about this. Do you find something wrong with the way the world is changing? Do you find it disturbing that the Chinese River Dolphin that teemed in the thousands in China's rivers just a few years ago is completely extinct now? That respiratory diseases are alarmingly high among children nowadays? That it takes 10 minutes for an elderly man to cross the street in Bangalore/Hyderabad, during which he has to endure a cacophony of noise and smoke? That garbage is being dumped in villages outside the Indian cities as the Municipalities can't seem to deal with the volumes of waste? Is it OK for us in India to pick up on tissues to wipe our hands after a hand-wash given that we used to carry a hankie just a few years ago for just the same purpose?

What do you kids think about all this? What do you think has to be done? What do you advise us to do?

Speak up! (Other family members can state their opinions too...)

Good One

see this--
Interesting blog

HAPPY BIRTH DAY

BELATED BIRTHDAY GREETINGS PADMA.. HAPPY BIRTH DAY.
HAPPY BIRTH DAY DURGA VADINA.
GOPAL AND FAMILY.

An interesting blog

please see this blog recommended by sarada
interesting blog

An interesting blog.

You may take a look at some of the posts and enjoy.
http://manishi-manasulomaata.blogspot.com

Deepavali Subhaakaankshalu!

to All...

What is a "Swarna Peetambaram?"

Doesn't Peeta mean Silk? What is "Gold Silk"?

http://www.andhrajyothy.com/latestmainshow.asp?qry=/2009/oct/16new8

cyclothan

we watched the live for an hour on tv18,and yet to recive kripakars comments;and next what are the interesting happenings at boston,what was the paper

congrats mrudula

Finally

The SPL ends, and I won by 4 games. Well played, Poonam! You were the better player for the most part- I won several games only narrowly and probably because I played so defensively. You were Sehwag while I was Dravid...I won, but you must have had more fun!

Cyclothon: what is a good time?

Participating in a 'cyclothon' this Sunday in Bangalore. It is a cycling competition- I am in the 36KM Amateur category race. You can probably see the coverage on CNN-IBN that day. Race starts at 700AM supposedly. It is a very up and down road, so will be tough. So if anyone can suggest a good time target to shoot for...please post a comment. I am thinking 1Hr 15M should be satisfying.

http://bsaherculescyclothon.in.com/

In Boston for 3 Days

Enjoying beautiful fall colors but missing IS and Adi.

Just 4

Just 4 more games to go to inflict a crushing defeat on my opponent. Har Har Har!

Couple of rare photos

of Gandhi with children

Obama about Gandhi on his 140th birthday

US has its roots in India of Mahatma Gandhi: Obama

Washington: As the world celebrates International Day of non-violence, US President Barack Obama on Thursday said America has its "roots in the India of Mahatma Gandhi."

"His teachings and ideals, shared with Martin Luther King Jr. on his 1959 pilgrimage to India, transformed American society through our civil rights movement," Obama said on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. Americans owe enormous gratitude to Gandhi, he said.

"The America of today has its roots in the India of Mahatma Gandhi and the nonviolent social action movement for Indian independence which he led," Obama said in a statement.

On behalf of the American people, Obama said he wants to express appreciation for the life and lessons of Mahatma Gandhi on the anniversary of his birth. "This is an important moment to reflect on his message of non-violence, which continues to inspire people and political movements across the globe," he said.

For the rest of the article go to:

http://news.in.msn.com/international/article.aspx?cp-documentid=3265235

Your's Truly in the Economist

My picture made it as part of the Economist article series on B-schools.

http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13888687

Allergies please, not flu

A small story that I hope will be featured in 'Tell Tales', a story forum in my division in Infosys

When I found out that I have to travel on official business to Mumbai last week, I was obviously nervous about that dreaded scourge, Swine Flu. But my nervousness was less about picking up a new ailment and more about an existing problem.

You see, my nose is not very travel friendly. Cursed with extreme sensitiveness, it acts as a sophisticated barometer-cum-thermometer. At the slightest change in pressure or temperature, I start off on a sneezing marathon, much to the irritation of my near and dear. My nose starts leaking like a tap and turns a beautiful orange-red color.

The problem was so acute that back in college, on dull afternoons, the common pastime for my half-witted hostel mates was to rush upon me unawares and tweak my nose hard. The resultant orchestra of sneezes was in some inexplicable way a big source of enjoyment for my juvenile friends.

Anyway, I was apprehensive about the prospect of sneezing away in a plane full of tightly packed passengers (please note, I am carefully avoiding the C___ word, no one can say I am Mr. Tharoor. I keep my beak clean when I twitter!).

Still, I hoped for the best and practiced deep breathing exercises, as I waited to embark (This prompted my wife to ask me why I was panting like a madman, but I didn’t care!). The first obstacle was those freezing coffins that airlines used as transit buses. For some obscure reason, the temperature in the bus is always at the lowest possible and the fan at the maximum, creating the effect of a gale in the Arctic. My nose perked up and twitched but mercifully stayed under control. Alas, not for too long, though.

As I came up to the smiling air hostess on the stairs, the first sneeze bubbled up and exploded. The welcome smile faltered, but stayed in place. They sure train their staff well! I sat in my seat and practiced some more deep breathing, but to no avail. The vagaries in temperature that my nose was subjected to were too much. As a last ditch attempt, I tried holding back several sneezes. You know how it is, you keep your mouth tightly shut, your eyes bulge and water and you feel like your head will explode as you make a ‘meow’ instead of a roar. But even the most polite man cannot do that for long, and out came the parade of sneezes in their full glory.

If looks can kill, I would have been a dead man. I collected glares from every direction and my weak smiles were coldly rebuffed. My co-passenger’s face was a mask of rage, although he probably was wishing it was a Swine-flu mask instead. I even saw him look contemplatively at the oxygen mask that the air-hostess held up during her safety demo. I tried consuming various things to see if I could stop the onslaught, but all I did was stuff myself.

After an interminable period (the plane of course had to hang around in Mumbai air space till it was late by half hour), the flight landed and I breathed the muggy air of Mumbai with relief as I emerged from the plane. What an ordeal!

So what is the moral of the story? Next time I travel, I will carry a placard saying ‘allergies please, not flu!’. Otherwise, I am open to suggestions!

HBD Sudha akka

Many more happy returns of the day. swathi and amma

Happy Dasara!

To all in the Singampalli Family. Gauri Pinni, please post photos of the koluvu (and others too, if they have done it). I am at Pune, at Neeraj's place, with the Tripathis. My mother-in-law asked me about how we celebrate Dasara and I could give only a partly complete answer (Ayudha Puja, Bommala Koluvu). Can anyone supply the rest? What special sweets do we make? What are the other traditions we follow?

The Reading Bug

Looks like Aditya inherited the Singampalli book reading gene. He reads books at the table, in the car, in the bath room, in bed and every place imaginable. I am amazed at his ability to understand and apply the concepts, at 5 years of age. Amara Chitra Katha books are his favorites and he reads Jataka Tales a lot, in which there is a story about an Ant and a Rogue Elephant. So one day, apparently, a bigger kid in school makes fun of Adi, saying "you are small". So, Adi goes, "You know, mighty brawn is no match for a nimble brain", repating the moral from the story, which I am sure went wayyyyyyyyyy over the other kid's head :-)

The only trouble now is he keeps asking me meaning of words, like "abode" and "propiate" and "hermitage" and "celibate". I need to teach him how to use a dictionary and I am home free!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Disney World Trip

We were on a 6-day trip to Walt Disney World in Orlando for Aditya's 5th birthday. It was a fun and relaxed trip. This was an off-season which meant minimal crowds, small lines and repeat rides. First day, we went to Epcot, where we went on Soarin', which is motion simulator glider over California and Turtle Talk with Crush, where Crush from Finding Nemo "interacts" with kids, answering their questions. Of course, Aditya was jumping up and down in his seat, wanting to ask a question, but unfortnately he did not get picked twice. So the lady manning the station sees if "she can get Crush to come back for just a minute", so Aditya and I enjoy exclusive face time with Crush when all other kids left. After that, it was in general, ride after ride, line after line, and a few photos with the "characters". Later we went to Magic Kingdom and watched fireworks over Cinderella's castle, went to Animal Kingdon and rode the scary "Dinosaur" ride, which did not apparently scare Adi, because "Disnosaurs are his friends". We bought a few Dinosaur toys and a gift that combined all his favorites: a BOOK about DINOSAUR WARS. He kept reading that book through out the vacation, spouting off Dinosaur facts to everyone he meets. We also watched a few lives shows, the Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Mickey Mouse clubhouse etc and rode a few more rides, bought a few more toys and books and came back after an exhausting but fun vacation. Oh, by the way, we traveled via AirTran, which allows passengers into the cockpit, I think the only one now, after 9/11. So we got to visit the cockpit and Aditya got pilot's wings. Here are some pics of our trip.

Lost for sure

Finished reading the 'The Lost Symbol' , latest novel from Dan Brown over the last weekend. Krupa, if you are thinking of buying it, don't bother. Better rent it like I did. It is still worth reading for the trivia and you will be all set for a few hours/days of surfing Wikipedia after finishing the book.

Robert Langdon, Harvard Prof from the Da Vinci Code is after something called the 'ancient mysteries', which remains a mystery even after you finish with the book. The book is set in Washington DC and is the usual treasure hunt and random collection of puzzles, codes and factoids. This time it goes a bit beyond Christianity and rambles about Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita also. The only interesting bits were some of the trivia:

1. George Washington seemed to be deified to weird levels in America. He has been painted into a Sistine Chapel-type roof fresco in the Capitol building in DC. In that picture, he is being initiated as a God by other Gods- the painting is called the Apotheosis of GW. Talk about a desperate need for heroes!

2. Newton seems to be a mason with a vengeance. Apparently, the highest level in the hierarchy of masons is the 33rd level. 33 is a very important number for the masons. For instance, the masonic temple in DC (pic below) has 33 outer pillars each of which are 33 feet high. Newton devised a temperature scale in which the boiling temperature of water is set to 33 Degrees!

There are other interesting facts too...worth reading for that. But the plot is as flat as a masonic ritual table!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ADITYA

wishing you MANY MANY HAPPY returns of this day......

Ooty Pics

Poonam's elder brother & family (Neeraj, Gauri, Lavanya) and younger brother (Vimal) were here recently and we all went to Ooty. It was an enjoyable trip. Here are some photos.

Suggestions?

On how I can clean my laptop keyboard, which has a whole sea of dust and particles under the keys. Spirit soaked earbuds help to some extent and I also used a tooth pick to root out some more dust. But there is too much of that stuff underneath there, and 'How To's on the web point to off-the-shelf products which I am not inclined to buy.

Off to Disney World in Florida for a week

Will probably feel like a month !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Scientfic Method

On a lighter note, another reason I was absent has also been Aditya starting "school". He started Kindergarten on August 24th, and we were still getting used to the "packing the lunch box" etc procedures.

This is a private school that kind of goes a bit overboard in teaching, but unfortunately, the public school in our town being awwwwwwwwwwwful, I don't have much choice.

Anyways, here is a sampling of what is being taught in the "science" class, as repeated by Aditya.

The steps of scientific method:
1) Purpose
2) Research
3) Hypothesis
4) Experiment
5) Analysis
6) Conclusion

And mind you, they are in Kindergarten :-O

Genetically Modified

With Normal Borlaug fresh in our minds, I thought to spend a little time bringing the eternal telephone discussions between me and nanna about genetic modifications to the blog.

Norman Borlaug was given Padma Vibhushan and Noble Peace Prize for bringing the genetically modified high yield wheat to developing nations like India, Pakistan and Mexico, contributing a large part to India's self sustenance in food. But critics argue that such grains alter the balance of nature and reap large profits to companies like Monsanto.

People argue it is a slippery slope from BT corn and BT cotton to BT kids or Designer kids. But couldn't we make the same argument on all the diseases being cured.

I believe in scientific progress and believe that science benefitted the human kind more than it harmed.

Any thoughts?

I am back!!!

After a hiatus that was mainly due to laziness, I am now back, although on a sad note. RIP Norman Borlaug.

Sometime back, I mentioned the above question to Krupa and seenu as coming from Microsoft. They said they were not aware of any such thing and may be it was associated with some product of MS.
I think I saw it while installing Win 98 or some such thing.
Here is what some research into that thing has thrown up.

For the history, see this link
The MS Ad Campaign

For the humorous aspect of that ad see this link
howzzat
Enjoy it.

The Gandhi effect

Today there was an article in the Hindu about Obama (http://www.hindu.com/2009/09/10/stories/2009091057612400.htm). A child asked Obama about whom would he like to dine with the most, of all people dead or alive. His answer was Gandhi (he quipped saying that he wouldnt have had much of a meal, as Gandhi didnt eat that much). He acknowledged that Gandhi was the inspiration for MLK Jr. He said he was interested in a person's ability to change the world with the power of personality and ethics.

It is uncanny how even so many years later, positive change and its agents in this world is fundamentally influenced by Gandhiji. In fact, on reflection, I think all positive changes in modern history can probably attributed to him. A veritable superman!

HI KUPPAIAH

Happy Birthday

Looks familiar?

Continuing the nostalgia, here's a chance for everyone to go back to thier childhood....this is a page from the Chandamama of April 1959! You can download this and other editions from 1947 (the 1st ever Telugu Chandamama) till 1980. The link: http://www.chandamama.com/archive/storyArchive.php

Download while the link lasts and Enjoy Maadi.

Summer Vacations

Tirupathi was a small town those days. We used to roam the streets without fear.
The house was a big, single story building. The roof was of wooden planks that were topped with mud. It used to become dry and grass grew on it after rains. (A veritable rooftop Lawn) In summer it used to be cool and in winter it was warm.
The rear half of the house (kitchen, store room, bath room, well, and latrine) was higher by about 6 feet. We had to climb these (fairly wide steps) to go to the kitchen etc.
Did I mention my favorite hiding place? It was a wooden loft in the kitchen (with a wooden ladder too). Goodies like tamarind were stored there and we used to enjoy a ball of tamarind with salt and jeelakarra.
The well was a means of communicating with Bali Chakravarthi. To draw a bucket of water it used to take 3 mts. And the music it made!! (some folks call it irritating!!!)
There was a municipal water tap in the bathroom. Water was supplied for 3 hrs a day and there used to be a mad scramble in the bath room. The thotti was huge ( 8'X4') and it was never filled.
(refer 7th class maths--if it takes a tap to fill the tub in 3 hours and with 20 kids in 4 batches, each batch emptying it in 30 mts, how soon will the tub be full?) About 6 or 7 boys at a time will take a community bath ( you soap my back, I'll soap yours) There used to be yells and songs--no appreciable difference between the 2. The GURRLS of course used to bathe singly. The door was never bolted from the inside --(some were not high enough to reach it and those who could, did not, as it used to jam on occasion locking kids inside and causing panic.) So how was privacy to be ensured? A set of female clothes hanging on the door warned everybody not to come into the corridor itself. There was enough Pachi (slime) there to cause at least 2 tumbles a day.
A special mention of the latrine--it was the scavenger type (Younger generation can get an explanation from their parents) YECH!
One could see and smell several deposits made by others earlier. We boys used to visit Lake Ramachandra (Ramachandrudi Gunta) for our needs.

All in all a jolly house with merry kids and full of funny and joyous memories.
Alas!Alack! all such houses (I DONOT mean the brick and mortar structures) are a thing of the past.
I am happy, that at Kavali at least, we had several such good years together.

Done with GRE

Thanks for the wishes....My GRE score is 1330.I scored a 800 in quant(maths) and 530 in verbal(english).[Do comment on the scores]
The first part of giving the gre exam was one big thing and i managed to finish it..I have absolutely no idea about the second part of applying for the universities.So, this is a request to everyone in the family...please do a bit of research work and suggest a few universities...also i have no idea how to proceed from now on..please give me a step by step procedure of what i have to do.
I'll be taking my TOEFL in September.
Special request to krupakka, sudha vadina and vidya akka.....

Happy Birthday Amma

HAI EVERYONE THIS IS SWATHI

i am at kvl with my frnd sathvika.

Best of luck Mruduls

HBD Krupa

Many Happy Returns of The Day

Vighneswara Pooja

well folks, here is a small offering for Vinayaka Chavithi. I should have colored the text and its background but by then I was getting lazy. so, left it like that.
As my son repeatedly tells me, I have borrowed the images (3) and one sound file from somebodies' pages (the pages are--
for the images
http://my.opera.com/magic_mania/albums/showpic.dml?album=32778&picture=357057
http://www.hindunet.org/day_as_hindu/images/1606616.gif
and for the sound
http://www.tradebit.com/usr/soundjay/pub/9003/handbell-preview-1-2.mp3)
I had to do a bit of editing for the sound file and one of the images.
So there, I have acknowledged the authors!
If only God had given me the talent, I would have drawn those things! But Kya Karen, Things ARE not so. Enjoy.
Ganesha Pooja

congratulations gouramma

the poem is very good and the vruththam is resonating.i think it is thristup in chandas.it is like the native poornam boore

Krishna Krishna!

Here is a poem for Sasi and the rest of the clan. Little belated, as the release was scheduled for Krishnashtami but due to pressure of no work, it was delayed.

కృష్ణనామం కృష్ణకాయం కృష్ణలోహితవర్ణినే
కృష్ణభాతృం కృష్ణస్యాలం కృష్ణకావ్యకధాపతే
కృష్ణవర్తననిధనశూరం కృష్ణఫణిశిరమర్దనే
కృష్ణసారక వంశీ హస్తే కృష్ణశారకనేత్రినే

కృష్ణం వందే జగద్గురుం .

As you can see there are 10 krishnas in my poem. They have different meanings--mostly.
here goes--------------------
1. evident-named krishna
2. Iron bodied
3.Black and Metallic(iron) hued (coloured) bodied krushna= iron
4. Brother of Droupadi ( krushna = droupadi)
5. Brother-in-law of Arjuna (Syala or Syalaka = Brother in law साला) krushna = arjuna)
6. hero of bhagavatham ( krushna kavyam) or hero of Vyasa's ( krushna Dwaipayana's) book
7. the fighter who kills people with bad behaviour(krishnavathanas)--nidhana is killing
8. dancer who danced on the hood of a black snake ( Kaleeya)
9. one who has a black bamboo flute in hand (sarakam = bamboo)
10. one having the eyes of a black deer ( saraka= jinka / deer)

Recession the SWINE way

There used to be a big herd of pigs in front of our house under the neem tree.Now only a couple just VISITING.The reason-----food prices are so high no family is throwing away a single METHUKU(cooked grain of rice)

HBD GOURAMMA

Many happy returns of the day.

HBD KRUPA AND GOURAMMA

Many many happy returns of the day.

HBD Viswam which falls on 14th and Krishnastami, both on the same day.

Many more happy returns of the day.

Quo vadis, Krupa?

Wither Goest thou, Krupa? No word from you for quite some time.

Anonymous Post.

Got it. He is typing the title also in the message window. No title, so no name for the poster.

?????

test

re రాగి చెంబులో చేప పిల్ల

What is SRN doing differently, that he is able to post anonymously?

రాగి చెంబులో చేప పిల్ల

BMKs composition reminded me about అమరావతి కధలు ,one of good books i have read. There is a story with above title in that book.The story is about subbamma who is very particular and foolish about madi.
Here i think author satyam sankaramanchi borrowed heavily from the the charecters acharapu annamma and chadastapu chelamamma of veeresalingam panthulu which were favourites in our family . My father used to refer to the prahasanam always. i should say that he is who intiated us into rational thinking at an early age. I will come to the aspect of singampalli family background in shaping charecters of its members some time later( may be in response to kuppis "words,words, words").

well !!!coming back to the story , she takes hundred baths per day for reasons like seeing an untochable, doubt about having touching some annam methuku and so on.it will be 12pm by the time she finishes her baths in river krishna , come home and start cooking . Her husband is the silent sufferer.One dayshe finished her lunch and drank some water. she is shocked to see a chepa pilla (small fish)in that ragi chembu.Her madi is gone she laments.But her husband says there are so many fish in krishna river in which you are taking holy bath and bringing water for cooking and offering nivedana to god. Dont you have maila inside your body?
Then she understads then that she "ఎవర్నిఅంటకుండా ముత్యపు చిప్పలోముత్యం లాగా బతకాలి అనుకొన్నది.నీళ్ళల్లోచేపలాగా బతకాలి అని తెలిసింది కాదు.
end of story!!!!

yengili ఎంగిలి

All of you are familiar with the story of Sabari.
But is anything in this world fresh and not yengili?

When MBMK (BalaMuraliKrishna) visited Kavali, we had the fortune to be his hosts for Lunch and I cooked everything with my own hands.
When he sat down to lunch, he said "Amma give me whatever you cooked. I am sure it is all tasty. You know I am fond of food." ( BhojanaPriyudini)
I told him" Sir! today I cooked everything with my own hands. I dared not taste it since I can not offer you yengili food. So you have to bear with my cooking and eat it even if it is not tasty."
He smiled and sang one line--
ఏమి సేతురా లింగా ఏమి సేతురా ? గంగ ఉదకము తెచ్చి నీకు లింగ పూజను చేదమంటే గంగ లోని చేప కప్పలు మా ఎంగిలంటున్నాయి.
Then he had lunch and went away for the function.
Yesterday, on TV, we watched a program in which he was the guest being interviewed. He sang the full song.(It is his own composition by the way). Here it is---
లక్ష యావుల పాలు తెచ్చి అభిషేకము చేదమంటే పాలు తాగే లేగ దూడలు మా ఎంగిలంటున్నాయి
తుమ్మి పూవులు కోసుకొచ్చి తుష్టిగా పూజ చేదమంటే కొమ్మ కొమ్మన తుమ్మెదాలు మా ఎంగిలంటున్నాయి
పండ్లు ఫలములు ఏరి తెచ్చి ఫలాహారము పెడదామంటే చక్క చక్కని రామచిలకలు మా ఎంగిలంటున్నాయి
ఏమి చేతురా ---
So there is nothing YOU can touch first and give the lord. So shed ego (అహం ) and be humble.

HA SGK VIJAYA

Heading says it all.

belated greetings

happy marriage day&wish you many more of the same

Follower

Did anyone notice that the dashboard lists a follower for the first time?
And guess who it is?
The most organised man in the group --MADHAV.
Come on folks --show some interest.

Words, Words, Words

Sorry about the long post. Since Babai complained about lack of activity, I am overcompensating :-)

Hind Swaraj and other writings, a Cambridge Press publication, is an excellent read not just for Gandhiji's pithy dissertation on non-violence, but also for the 60 page editorial introduction that prefaces it. If Hind Swaraj is the sumptuous main course, Anthony Parel’s editorial makes an excellent appetizer and some mellow desserts follow in the form of letters, speeches of Gandhi that relate to this work.

The editorial plays an important role in the book. Gandhi's insights are classic and powerful- but the grime of age can cake the original gilt of the grandest golden towers. It was up to Parel to lovingly polish this masterpiece and frame it in the original context in which it was written. And just as an aficionado revels in finding new nuances in his favorite work, Parel doesn’t tire from discovering new insights in this tour de force.

One such facet he examines is the literary influences that helped form Gandhi's strong opinions on Swaraj. He puts forth in great detail how profound an effect some books had on the Mahatma’s thinking. The preface of the HS mentions that Gandhi had ‘read much’ and ‘pondered much’. As per his own autobiography, Gandhi showed ‘unflagging interest’ in his legal studies, which gave a jurisprudential touch to his activism. Plato’s Apology had ‘the qualities of an elixir’ and formed his thought about morality in society. The Kingdom of God is within you ‘overwhelmed him’ with its missive of non-violence. Unto This Last put ‘a magic spell’ over him with its message of dignity of labor and produced an almost instantaneous change in his behavior. The Bible, the Quran, the Buddha and the Gita all left their indelible mark on him. And so on.

Do books really influence who we are? Are our thoughts, values and actions an amalgamation of our reading or are they merely atavistic responses in a Darwinian world?

In the case of Gandhi, reading evidently had a profound influence. A student of history will also recognize the power of the written word on the mass. Humble Parisians shouted Liberte’, Egalite', Fraternite' as they pulled down the gates of the Bastille. Governments collapsed as Marx & Engels rewrote a new world order with their pens. The question then is about the influence of literature on the ordinary individual, when he is away from the surge of the mass. What subtle drifts in the stream of consciousness are wrought by the gentle pressure of words?

For this worthy topic of enquiry, I found myself a suitable subject for two reasons: I am an average Joe, and I have read a bit. Having decided the topic and the subject, all that was left was to determine the research methodology. The difficulty was in determining the right books- how to sift through the detritus of a 30 year old memory and identify those few that left their mark.

Despite the entertainment they provided, I had to eliminate the Asimovs, the Archers, the Forsyths and the like- the books that form the common minimum of any lending library or street side vendors anywhere. More reluctantly, classical heavyweights had also to be rested. Hence, no Mr. Micawber, no Dr. Jekyll (or Mr. Hyde) and no Long John were to adorn this list. There was to be no Poirot (doubtless complaining about my lack of the leetle grey cells), and about Mrs. O'Hara- well, I didn't really give a damn! This was to be no top 10 list, as is evident from the final selection.

As we launch into the list, a disclaimer: any virtue I may seem to be granting myself is strictly a compliment to that book and not a self-congratulatory pat on my back.

Comics: Indrajal, Disney, Dalton and Amar Chitra Kathas fired the imagination and rapidly expanded my knowledge of the world. Xanadu, Denkali, Duckburg are important landmarks on my mental atlas till today. Thanks to them, the world became a lively and interesting place for me.

Chandamamas: If comics was the telescope to look at distant worlds, Chandamamas allowed me to turn the lens inwards towards rural India. The simplicity and beauty of the India painted in those pages is a world inaccessible to the children of today.

Enid Blytons: A couple of seasons ago, I clocked 800 KMs on my bicycle between home and office. I attribute this and other eccentricities such as gliding to a staple diet of Enid Blytons. They gave me a juvenile enthusiasm for adventure and the outdoors that I still retain.

Sherlock Holmes: Here's finally a classical heavyweight! The Hound of Baskerville was probably the first real thriller I read. Besides the sheer enjoyment he provided, Sherlock taught the value of perfection- and how a certain astringency and asceticism adds piquancy to such perfection.

Books by Y Perelman (and other Russian books written for children): Like the Chandamamas, the valuable literature of the Russians is no longer accessible to children today. What a loss that is! Y Perelman demystified science and math and made them magical.

Giants of Science: if Perelman educated me on basic science, this book introduced me to Davy, Faraday, Curie, Priestly and numerous other scientific geniuses. Between these two books, I have learnt more about science than the rest of the books I read- and they were very absorbing books too. This too, is an extinct species.

Les Miserable’s, A Christmas Carol, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, To Kill a mocking bird: More classics! These books moved me profoundly and taught me the importance of mercy and altruism and how rate these qualities are. Les Miserable’s, with its powerful chapter on the Priest and the Candlesticks made a lasting impression.

Wodehouse: His books singlehandedly improved my vocabulary a hundred-fold and gifted me a sense of humor. More importantly, they taught me the value of farce, concepts such as Nobles’ Oblige, chivalry, and about the ultimate sin of the Wodehouse-ian world: to take oneself too seriously. I owe Wodehouse my first guffaw- a hard, stomach pain inducing, rolling on the bed, tears in the eyes laugh. For that and several such, I am grateful to him.

Plato’s Apology: A work common to Gandhi’s own hit list! But this wonderful work gives a simple message: the only wise are those who at least recognize their foolishness. I can’t help but wonder if Wodehouse himself was not a fan of this work- how else would one explain that the worst sin in his world was to be an insufferable know-it-all?

Books by Srila Prabhupada: These powerful books are treasure houses of information about the Hindu religion and helped reaffirm my faith. For the first time, I understood the highly logical structure of the Hindu world view and am relatively more devout.

The Hindu, Amartya Sen: Besides the enjoyment this newspaper’s high quality prose gives me, it gradually awakened my social conscience. Now, as I lounge passively on my bed, perhaps I sometimes shift uncomfortably as I feel the pinpricks of my civic dereliction. Day on day, brick by brick, it laid the foundation of my aspirations of being a social, environment-conscious, patriotic Indian. The Argumentative Indian cemented this foundation and made me stridently anti-communal and pro-secular.

All books about (and by) Gandhi, Nehru, Rajagopalachari and others: It was like reading comics again: the superhuman exploits of that generation left me awed. Being intellectual giants, their sacrifices were given in cold blood and full objectivity, which requires that extra measure of courage compared to a hot-blooded rush. These people are utterly unique in human history and it is sad that they are not lionized more. They gave me renewed pride and hope in our country and leave me obligated to think of doing something for society as well.

What then is the conclusion of this overlong thesis? Books seem to have definitely touched me- and a millpond with the mud astir is surely better than a stagnant swamp. Perhaps this is the case with most people- I invite you to reflect on your own list to prove it to yourself.

It seems appropriate to end this dissertation with a quote from the man who started me on this path:

You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them. – M Gandhi.

HA SSVGSK

Best wishes on your First Anniversary.

A good whodunit after a long time

I just finished reading 'A nice quiet holiday', a debue novel by Aditya Sudarshan. It meets all the important criteria of a good whodunit:

1. An eccentric but brilliant crime solver and his Watson, both very likeable

2. An intelligent plot that keeps you guessing at each turn

3. A good atmosphere with a nice mix of humor and melancholy

It features Delhi sessions count judge Shinde as the crime solver and Anant, his clerking lawyer, as his Watson. The amiable judge is full of pithy aphorims and neat insights into human nature, usually ill-timed, much to the irritation of his excitable ward.

To quote him contrasting his method of detection from that of the police:

"Some might call it psychology, but I would avoid that term, because the essence of the method is that it is not specialist. You need no expertise in either the art of forensics or the art of browbeating- just a healthy, commonsensical, layman's ability to think. Properly speaking, it ought to be called the method of the judge, for the judge is the quintessential man on the street. But at any rate, it is a very different method from that of a policeman's. It involves, you see, the ability to make a friend- to have a friend. It involves sympathy."

The author has a background of law, which helps with authenticity. All in all, a very good read and I will be looking forward to the next few adventures of Judge Shinde.

Congrats ra Summi

FCD!

HBD Gopal

Sravana Pournami nee puttina roju kada? Emi chesthunnaru?

h.b.d.gopal

many happy returns of the day gopal on sravana purnima

summi passed first year

sumana passed first year with 70.5%.

Sravana Pournami

Hi Gopal! Yellunde Sravana Pournami.

Why no posts?

Come on guys and gals. Say something.

summer adults

one summer Bhargavi and myself were so much deeply engrossed in our gossiping that at 4.00 clock in the evening we were startled to realise that the top 4 kids were not given food since morning and the tail spark is that THEY did not feel hungry too .
IMAGINE BHARGAVI FORGETTING KIDS!!!