murali – Page 5 – Random Ramblings

Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum

Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum! Though, in the West, Rum is generally associated with sailors, In India, it is the soldier and an infantryman at that, who is more attached to this incarnation of Soma Ras. It is not just the contents, even the container serves the infantryman so well. There are some unusual … Continue reading “Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum”

Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!

Though, in the West, Rum is generally associated with sailors, In India, it is the soldier and an infantryman at that, who is more attached to this incarnation of Soma Ras.

It is not just the contents, even the container serves the infantryman so well. There are some unusual applications of this container and here we are talking only about a bottle having a uniformly cylindrical body and narrow neck and is made of glass; fancy shaped ones or PET bottles will not do.

In the field areas, generally in mountains, bunkers are made using available natural resources, ie Rocks, timber and mud. A CGI (Corrugated Galvanized Iron) Sheet is generally fabricated to form the door(fabrication involves putting a few holes in the iron sheet and using some wires to anchor it to a pole on one side or to use as a door handle or a door fastener !) What do we do for windows ? Getting glass panes is out of question. This is where the empty rum bottle comes into picture. Just make a rectangular hole in the wall and fill it up with a neat row of bottles. Sheer simplicity does it; your skylight is ready to brighten up your living space . Should you favour tinted glasses, well, you can try using beer bottles. I wish I had a photograph, but had to do with a simple illustration.

While on a Long Range patrol, the bottle is used just about everywhere. Though there is a whole range of equipment issued by the Ordnance Depot, like Mess tins, 4 men cooking set, 45 men cooking set and so on, what really works is a simple kerosene stove, a tawa (hot plate ?) and patila (a handle less pan) locally purchased. All solid (I wouldn’t say dry , as in army, opposite of dry is fresh and cooking oil comes under dry rations !) rations are carried in bag-packs and liquid or semi solid rations are carried in , you guessed it right, rum bottles. So you have milk, Curd, Cooking Oil, kerosene, and of course rum, all carried in rum bottles.

When you halt for the night, the patrol gets cracking to prepare a meal. You knead some dough , find a flat surface or use steel plate, and start rolling out the chapattis using the good old rum bottle as belan or the rolling pin. For a housewife a rolling pin might become a weapon, but for a soldier, his rum bottle becomes a rolling pin.

After the meal, which is generally cooked before it gets dark, you need a lamp. Fill up a bottle with kerosene, stick a piece of chindi (cloth for cleaning weapons) and you have a nice lamp; not so nice really , but so what ? I have actually read though nights using these lamps.

If that’s the story in a Field area, what happens in the peace station ? Well, you can see manifestations of a soldier’s sense of Good Life, in a Peace station. It is not uncommon to find money plants growing in rum bottles on window sills. And during the company bara khana , some hibiscus flowers or even a bunch bougainvillea flowers placed in rum bottles pass for flower arrangement.

Even in Officers messes, a rum bottle had its use. In the earlier days, cash strapped as we generally were, the mess secretary took pains to ensure that the empty bottles were sold at a good price to augment the income for the officers mess.

God knows how a soldier could have lived and fought without the Gift of Rum bottles with or without the original contents.

Shelf Life of anything

These days I am wary of the word ‘latest’ as I am only too aware that ‘latest’ is, more often than not , not the greatest . I am not against technology or progress, but then most of the latest gadgets, software, fashions, movies etc are just aimed to fill the coffers of … Continue reading “Shelf Life of anything”

These days I am wary of the word ‘latest’ as I am only too aware that ‘latest’ is, more often than not , not the greatest .

I am not against technology or progress, but then most of the latest gadgets, software, fashions, movies etc are just aimed to fill the coffers of the producers from the pockets of ever obliging consumers. If there is a tremendous rage for profits on the part of producers, so is the rage for consuming among the general public. So the consumer and the producer are merrily plodding along supporting each other even while leaning on each other like two big drunkards. Obviously , even they would not know Where they are heading for.

So we have new launches for auto-mobiles, electronic gadgets every month, Windows version every two years, and a Bollywood flick every week. Is a movie or a car model , a perishable commodity ? Microsoft has to come up with its latest version of Windows not just to boost its bottom-line, but also to help the hardware manufacturers as the ‘latest’ software needs the ‘latest’ hardware’ . Had Microsoft been producing auto-mobiles, we would have been upgrading our roads and bridges every two years.

If that is the state of consumer goods, so is the case of skills in every field. In the field of Sports, I grew up watching, or hearing about, the famous Vishy square cut, the shot the great cricketer kept working on to perfection from his first match till the day he finally hung up his boots. Today a cricketer has to reinvent himself at every stage as even cricketing strokes get obsolete ! A good teacher is struggling to come to terms with the ever changing demands of parents , School System , the examination system, Technology and the whole environment of education and employment. So we have the Kota type coaching classes clearly scoring over teachers with decades of experience and may be even a Presidents Award. We need the latest method of coaching in tune with the latest system of examination and evaluation. Is education also a perishable commodity ?

A whatsapp / facebook message is drowned by a barrage of other messages in minutes. There is a ‘breaking news’ every ten minutes. News of a Nobel prize or an Olympic gold medal may be pushed into oblivion if there were to be a wardrobe malfunctioning concerning the latest cutest model in the same hour. The old adage that “This too shall pass ” has never been more real.

Housing, Food, Apparels ,Gadgets, Entertainment, Job Skills and even Relationships today, come with a clear and present danger of Obsolescence . The Expiry date or ‘a shortening shelf life’ is the ultimate reality.

Is there anything at all which is bucking the trend, where the shelf life is actually increasing ? Ironically, all I can think of is ‘Milk’, the most perishable commodity of yester years has increased its shelf life from 6-8 hours to 6-8 days and actually 6-8 months in a tetrapak .

What’s in a name ?

Shakespeare said “What’s in a name ? A Rose by any name will smell as sweet” . Well, I say, there is everything in a name. What would Edvige Antonia Albina Màino have been had she not changed her name to Sonia Gandhi ? Try as you might it is extremely difficult … Continue reading “What’s in a name ?”

Shakespeare said “What’s in a name ? A Rose by any name will smell as sweet” .

Well, I say, there is everything in a name. What would Edvige Antonia Albina Màino have been had she not changed her name to Sonia Gandhi ?

Try as you might it is extremely difficult to explain to a north Indian that, South of Vindhyas, a name just consisted of two parts, one was your name and the other was one or a group of letters which was simply called initials, ie the full name was not used anywhere. Well the documentation calls for a full name. So a Punjabi ends up calling someone, Gangaikondan or hardanahalli, thinking he is on a ‘first name basis’ ; first name comes first isn’t it ? Not always. I had a class mate VAB Raghunathan and what his initials meant we never knew, and one day we learnt that he also was not aware.

That was when the odd teacher we had from Punjab, had set about the task of educating himself on the naming conventions in the South. After asking all the boys as to what their initials meant, he thought he had got a grip over name, patronym village-nym, family name caste name and so on. Too bad that just then, he got bowled by the system followed by Chettiyaars who usually took the first two letters (instead of one) of their father’s name as initials; A child of Annamalai becomes AN Somename. That was the last straw. He left it as a bad joke and said with a big relief ‘my initials are ASR , and thank God, it is all my name ‘Amrit Surya Ram’

When I joined NDA, I became aware that I too had a difficult name to remember.. ” Subramanian Muralidharan’ . Every problem carries with it an opportunity. At NDA you had the sergeants at every 100 yards looking for law-breakers; that is , cadets who have a speck of dirt in their hankies or cadets running too slowly or may be cadets trying to run too fast when yelled at to stop ! The defaulters had to hand over their identity slips or I-slips as it was called, to the sergeants and then keep reporting to them to retrieve the I-slip.

This is where my name came to my rescue. As a lost case, I was generally on the wrong side of Academy-law. I had two sets of I-slips. For every one of S Muralidharan there were two of M Subramanian. While I was known in my squadron by the former name the latter one functioned as the decoy for other squadron types. It all worked very well till the better part of the second term; A sergeant looking for an elusive M.Subramanian in my squadron would lose interest after some days.

One fine day just as S Muralidharan was reporting to one sergeant, another swooped on him from no where ,’So, Subramaniam, got you at last.” I didn’t have to try too hard to give a lost look. There ensued some animated discussion between my tormentors , on my real identity and in the process anger gradually led to sheer amusement so much so that I ceased to be a defaulter and found myself explaining with an air of authority on the naming oddities in the South.

Thirukkural

Thiruvalluvar Statue and the adjacent Vivekananda Rock Memorial at sunrise. Original uploader was Infocaster at en.wikipedia – Transferred from en.wikipedia; transferred to Commons by User:BishkekRocks using CommonsHelper. I have always been fascinated by Thirukkuralfor it is sheer breath and depth. Every time you study the couplets you get a new insight into a whole … Continue reading “Thirukkural”

Thiruvalluvar Statue and the adjacent Vivekananda Rock Memorial at sunrise.

Original uploader was Infocaster at en.wikipedia – Transferred from en.wikipedia; transferred to Commons by User:BishkekRocks using CommonsHelper.

I have always been fascinated by Thirukkuralfor it is sheer breath and depth. Every time you study the couplets you get a new insight into a whole range of subjects and issues.

Once, in a casual discussion with some of my North Indian friends I happened to mention the book . The topic of discussion was Indian contribution to Civilization. Just as I was preparing to build a case for arguing that this was the greatest contribution to the world by India, I noticed the blank faces and raised eyebrows all around. I kept going nonchalantly, till a guy blurted out ,“ Thirukkural ? What the hell is it ?” Since then I generally kept my thoughts to myself on this great work, particularly when in the company of friends from north of the Vindhyas.

Of late I have noted some quotes and mis-quotes on the social media and for whatever reason people seem to be showing some interest in talking about it , if not studying it or following the teachings. So, I venture to write a brief note on what it is all about. It would be preposterous to say , it is a critique or a review of the work ,may be just a glimpse of one view of a huge mountain as seen from a particular spot; just a primer for my North Indian friends

Basically, it is composed of couplets like the dohas of Kabir das or Rahim. What is remarkable is that these verses are so well organized to cover every aspect of human endeavour over centuries. It pans across time and space to continue to be as relevant today in this ‘Whatsapp Age’ as it was 2000 years before in an agrarian society. The book covers Ethics and value system in a society as much as an individual’s quest for fulfilment in terms of peace , prosperity fame and love. If Valluvar’s advice to a king during war places him at par with SunTzu , his verses on ethics and love reminds you of Lao-Tzu and Vatsyayana. Unlike Vatsyayana who covers the physical aspects of Love in detail, Valluvar focuses more on the psychological aspects.

Keeping in line with the concept of Dharma (Duty or Righteousness), Artha (Wealth) and kama (Pleasure) , it is broadly divided into ‘arathuppal’, ‘porutpal’ and ‘Kaamathupal’ Then there are chapters under each part and each chapter is divided into sections . Each section has 10 verses . Thus the book of 1330 verses covers 133 sections. The importance of an aspect to life may be gauged by the number of verses on a particular aspect. For eg the importance of ‘company one keeps’ can be seen from the 50 verses under various heads viz 79 – 83. The 133 subjects covered are tabulated below. (Courtesy : http://www.gokulnath.com)

	Tamil	English	Transliteration	Kurals
1	கடவுள் வாழ்த்து	The Praise of God	Katavul Vaazhththu	Kurals
2	வான்சிறப்பு	The Blessing of Rain	Vaansirappu	Kurals
3	நீத்தார் பெருமை	The Greatness of Ascetics	Neeththaar Perumai	Kurals
4	அறன் வலியுறுத்தல்	Assertion of the Strength of Virtue	Aran Valiyuruththal	Kurals
5	இல்வாழ்க்கை	Domestic Life	Ilvaazhkkai	Kurals
6	வாழ்க்கைத் துணைநலம்	The Worth of a Wife	Vaazhkkaith Thunainalam	Kurals
7	மக்கட்பேறு	The Wealth of Children	Pudhalvaraip Perudhal	Kurals
8	அன்புடைமை	The Possession of Love	Anputaimai	Kurals
9	விருந்தோம்பல்	Hospitality	Virundhompal	Kurals
10	இனியவை கூறல்	The Utterance of Pleasant Words	Iniyavaikooral	Kurals
11	செய்ந்நன்றியறிதல்	Gratitude	Seynnandri Aridhal	Kurals
12	நடுவு நிலைமை	Impartiality	Natuvu Nilaimai	Kurals
13	அடக்கம் உடைமை	The Possession of Self-restraint	Atakkamutaimai	Kurals
14	ஒழுக்கம் உடைமை	The Possession of Decorum	Ozhukkamutaimai	Kurals
15	பிறனில் விழையாமை	Not coveting another’s Wife	Piranil Vizhaiyaamai	Kurals
16	பொறையுடைமை	The Possession of Patience, Forbearance	Poraiyutaimai	Kurals
17	அழுக்காறாமை	Not Envying	Azhukkaaraamai	Kurals
18	வெஃகாமை	Not Coveting	Veqkaamai	Kurals
19	புறங்கூறாமை	Not Backbiting	Purangooraamai	Kurals
20	பயனில சொல்லாமை	Against Vain Speaking	Payanila Sollaamai	Kurals
21	தீவினையச்சம்	Dread of Evil Deeds	Theevinaiyachcham	Kurals
22	ஒப்புரவறிதல்	Duty to Society	Oppuravaridhal	Kurals
23	ஈ.கை	Giving	Eekai	Kurals
24	புகழ்	Renown	Pukazh	Kurals
25	அருளுடைமை	Compassion	Arulutaimai	Kurals
26	புலால் மறுத்தல்	Abstinence from Flesh	Pulaanmaruththal	Kurals
27	தவம்	Penance	Thavam	Kurals
28	கூடா ஒழுக்கம்	Imposture	Kootaavozhukkam	Kurals
29	கள்ளாமை	The Absence of Fraud	Kallaamai	Kurals
30	வாய்மை	Veracity	Vaaimai	Kurals
31	வெகுளாமை	Restraining Anger	Vekulaamai	Kurals
32	இன்னா செய்யாமை	Not doing Evil	Innaaseyyaamai	Kurals
33	கொல்லாமை	Not killing	Kollaamai	Kurals
34	நிலையாமை	Instability	Nilaiyaamai	Kurals
35	துறவு	Renunciation	Thuravu	Kurals
36	மெய்யுணர்தல்	Truth-Conciousness	Meyyunardhal	Kurals
37	அவா அறுத்தல்	Curbing of Desire	Avaavaruththal	Kurals
38	ஊழ்	Fate	Oozh	Kurals
39	இறைமாட்சி	The Greatness of a King	Iraimaatchi	Kurals
40	கல்வி	Learning	Kalvi	Kurals
41	கல்லாமை	Ignorance	Kallaamai	Kurals
42	கேள்வி	Hearing	Kelvi	Kurals
43	அறிவுடைமை	The Possession of Knowledge	Arivutaimai	Kurals
44	குற்றங்கடிதல்	The Correction of Faults	Kutrangatidhal	Kurals
45	பெரியாரைத் துணைக்கோடல்	Seeking the Aid of Great Men	Periyaaraith Thunaikkotal	Kurals
46	சிற்றினம் சேராமை	Avoiding mean Associations	Sitrinanjeraamai	Kurals
47	தெரிந்து செயல்வகை	Acting after due Consideration	Therindhuseyalvakai	Kurals
48	வலியறிதல்	The Knowledge of Power	Valiyaridhal	Kurals
49	காலமறிதல்	Knowing the fitting Time	Kaalamaridhal	Kurals
50	இடனறிதல்	Knowing the Place	Itanaridhal	Kurals
51	தெரிந்து தெளிதல்	Selection and Confidence	Therindhudhelidhal	Kurals
52	தெரிந்து வினையாடல்	Selection and Employment	Therindhuvinaiyaatal	Kurals
53	சுற்றந் தழால்	Cherishing Kinsmen	Sutrandhazhaal	Kurals
54	பொச்சாவாமை	Unforgetfulness	Pochchaavaamai	Kurals
55	செங்கோன்மை	The Right Sceptre	Sengonmai	Kurals
56	கொடுங்கோன்மை	The Cruel Sceptre	Kotungonmai	Kurals
57	வெருவந்த செய்யாமை	Absence of Terrorism	Veruvandhaseyyaamai	Kurals
58	கண்ணோட்டம்	Benignity	Kannottam	Kurals
59	ஒற்றாடல்	Detectives	Otraatal	Kurals
60	ஊக்கம் உடைமை	Energy	Ookkamutaimai	Kurals
61	மடி இன்மை	Unsluggishness	Matiyinmai	Kurals
62	ஆள்வினை உடைமை	Manly Effort	Aalvinaiyutaimai	Kurals
63	இடுக்கண் அழியாமை	Hopefulness in Trouble	Itukkan Azhiyaamai	Kurals
64	அமைச்சு	The Office of Minister of state	Amaichchu	Kurals
65	சொல்வன்மை	Power of Speech	Solvanmai	Kurals
66	வினைத் தூய்மை	Purity in Action	Vinaiththooimai	Kurals
67	வினைத்திட்பம்	Power in Action	Vinaiththitpam	Kurals
68	வினை செயல்வகை	Modes of Action	Vinaiseyalvakai	Kurals
69	தூது	The Envoy	Thoodhu	Kurals
70	மன்னரைச் சேர்ந்து ஒழுகல்	Conduct in the Presence of the King	Mannaraich Cherndhozhudhal	Kurals
71	குறிப்பறிதல்	The Knowledge of Indications	Kuripparidhal	Kurals
72	அவை அறிதல்	The Knowledge of the Council Chamber	Avaiyaridhal	Kurals
73	அவை அஞ்சாமை	Not to dread the Council	Avaiyanjaamai	Kurals
74	நாடு	The Land	Naatu	Kurals
75	அரண்	The Fortification	Aran	Kurals
76	பொருள் செயல்வகை	Way of Accumulating Wealth	Porulseyalvakai	Kurals
77	படை மாட்சி	The Excellence of an Army	Pataimaatchi	Kurals
78	படைச் செருக்கு	Military Spirit	Pataichcherukku	Kurals
79	நட்பு	Friendship	Natpu	Kurals
80	நட்பாராய்தல்	Investigation in forming Friendships	Natpaaraaidhal	Kurals
81	பழைமை	Familiarity	Pazhaimai	Kurals
82	தீ நட்பு	Evil Friendship	Thee Natpu	Kurals
83	கூடா நட்பு	Unreal Friendship	Kootaanatpu	Kurals
84	பேதைமை	Folly	Pedhaimai	Kurals
85	புல்லறிவாண்மை	Ignorance	Pullarivaanmai	Kurals
86	இகல்	Hostility	Ikal	Kurals
87	பகை மாட்சி	The Might of Hatred	Pakaimaatchi	Kurals
88	பகைத்திறம் தெரிதல்	Knowing the Quality of Hate	Pakaiththirandheridhal	Kurals
89	உட்பகை	Enmity within	Utpakai	Kurals
90	பெரியாரைப் பிழையாமை	Not Offending the Great	Periyaaraip Pizhaiyaamai	Kurals
91	பெண்வழிச் சேறல்	Being led by Women	Penvazhichcheral	Kurals
92	வரைவின் மகளிர்	Wanton Women	Varaivinmakalir	Kurals
93	கள்ளுண்ணாமை	Not Drinking Palm-Wine	Kallunnaamai	Kurals
94	சூது	Gambling	Soodhu	Kurals
95	மருந்து	Medicine	Marundhu	Kurals
96	குடிமை	Nobility	Kutimai	Kurals
97	மானம்	Honour	Maanam	Kurals
98	பெருமை	Greatness	Perumai	Kurals
99	சான்றாண்மை	Perfectness	Saandraanmai	Kurals
100	பண்புடைமை	Courtesy	Panputaimai	Kurals
101	நன்றியில் செல்வம்	Wealth without Benefaction	Nandriyilselvam	Kurals
102	நாணுடைமை	Shame	Naanutaimai	Kurals
103	குடிசெயல் வகை	The Way of Maintaining the Family	Kutiseyalvakai	Kurals
104	உழவு	Farming	Uzhavu	Kurals
105	நல்குரவு	Poverty	Nalkuravu	Kurals
106	இரவு	Mendicancy	Iravu	Kurals
107	இரவச்சம்	The Dread of Mendicancy	Iravachcham	Kurals
108	கயமை	Baseness	Kayamai	Kurals
109	தகை அணங்குறுத்தல்	The Pre-marital love	Thakaiyananguruththal	Kurals
110	குறிப்பறிதல்	Recognition of the Signs	Kuripparidhal	Kurals
111	புணர்ச்சி மகிழ்தல்	Rejoicing in the Embrace	Punarchchimakizhdhal	Kurals
112	நலம் புனைந்து உரைத்தல்	The Praise of her Beauty	Nalampunaindhuraiththal	Kurals
113	காதற் சிறப்புரைத்தல்	Declaration of Love’s special Excellence	Kaadharsirappuraiththal	Kurals
114	நாணுத் துறவுரைத்தல்	The Abandonment of Reserve	Naanuththuravuraiththal	Kurals
115	அலர் அறிவுறுத்தல்	The Announcement of the Rumour	Alararivuruththal	Kurals
116	பிரிவு ஆற்றாமை	Separation unendurable	Pirivaatraamai	Kurals
117	படர்மெலிந் திரங்கல்	Complainings	Patarmelindhirangal	Kurals
118	கண் விதுப்பழிதல்	Eyes consumed with Grief	Kanvidhuppazhidhal	Kurals
119	பசப்புறு பருவரல்	The Pallid Hue	Pasapparuparuvaral	Kurals
120	தனிப்படர் மிகுதி	The Solitary Anguish	Thanippatarmikudhi	Kurals
121	நினைந்தவர் புலம்பல்	Sad Memories	Ninaindhavarpulampal	Kurals
122	கனவுநிலை உரைத்தல்	The Visions of the Night	Kanavunilaiyuraiththal	Kurals
123	பொழுதுகண்டு இரங்கல்	Lamentations at Eventide	Pozhudhukantirangal	Kurals
124	உறுப்புநலன் அழிதல்	Wasting Away	Uruppunalanazhidhal	Kurals
125	நெஞ்சொடு கிளத்தல்	Soliloquy	Nenjotukilaththal	Kurals
126	நிறையழிதல்	Reserve Overcome	Niraiyazhidhal	Kurals
127	அவர்வயின் விதும்பல்	Mutual Desire	Avarvayinvidhumpal	Kurals
128	குறிப்பறிவுறுத்தல்	The Reading of the Signs	Kuripparivuruththal	Kurals
129	புணர்ச்சி விதும்பல்	Desire for Reunion	Punarchchividhumpal	Kurals
130	நெஞ்சொடு புலத்தல்	Expostulation with Oneself	Nenjotupulaththal	Kurals
131	புலவி	Pouting	Pulavi	Kurals
132	புலவி நுணுக்கம்	Feigned Anger	Pulavi Nunukkam	Kurals
133	ஊடலுவகை	The Pleasures of Temporary Variance	Ootaluvakai	Kurals

(Courtesy : http://www.gokulnath.com)

It would neither be feasible nor desirable to cover the whole book , but I would like to quote a few verses on different subjects, to give an idea of the clear, concise, and precise way the verses are composed, even while retaining the poetic form.I suppose a gentle warning is in order here .”the English translation can never capture the original meaning and form”

On Education

Explanation
Learning is the true imperishable riches; all other things are not riches

On Purity of Action

Explanation
Though a person may see his mother starve; let him not act in a way which the wise would treat with contempt.

the kural takes a clear unambiguous stand on the eternal debate between ‘means and ends’

On Friendship

Explanation
(True) friendship hastens to the rescue of the afflicted (as readily) as the hand of one whose garment is loosened (before an assembly)

this kural, defines what a friend means

On Children

Explanation
“The pipe is sweet, the lute is sweet,” say those who have not heard the prattle of their own children

the poet in Valluvar is at his best

On Social Gossip about young lovers (Page 3 ?!)

Explanation
This malady (of lust) is manured by the talk of women and watered by the (harsh) words of my mother

What an insight into the effect on young lovers on gossip by the society and admonition by parents.

The reductionists that we are , the first challenge for anyone coming across a book today, is on how to classify it. (A trivia on Shiva Triology by Amish Tripati; the publishing was delayed since the the publishers couldn’t agree on whether the book would be classified under non-fiction, fiction, religion, mythology or anything else.)

Is Thirukkural , a religious book ? Well, many atheists love it. Is it for ‘self Improvement’ ? May be, but there are many verses on ‘vegetarianism’ , ‘non violence’ , ‘refraining from alcohol’ which may not gel with a mind influenced by the western way of thinking. There is advice on virtues,vices, health, wealth , governance , diplomacy and everything under the sun, which cannot be classified under any school of thinking.

One may not agree with every verse nor is there a need to. It has something for everyone. Every individual is inspired by a different verse, at different point of time in his life. There is something in it for every one , any time. Take what appeals to you , leave out what doesn’t , but make sure you revisit the verses at a later stage in life. Whatever be, learning and dwelling on just 10 – 20 of your favourite verses from the 1330 verses can definitely enrich one’s life to a great extent.

Mentally straight and Dentally crooked !

Whenever. I think of NDA (National Defence Academy), it is always with a mixed feeling. On one hand, it is truly a Cradle for Leadership where an unsure youngster is slowly and surely turned into a confident young man. On the other hand one also gets to see some mindless rituals and extreme sadism which pass for training, particularly when practised on unsuspecting teenagers, ironically by other teenagers. If an alumnus says that he enjoyed his first term there, either he is a consanguineous liar or a die hard masochist.

Be that as it may, every first termer looked forward to an escape route . There were lucky ones who were part of some Squadron sports team and at least for the duration of that sport event , they got a respite from day to day ‘ragada.’ . Everyone needed a break to maintain a semblance of sanity. For my own mental stability , what came to the rescue was my ‘dental instability’. It is this dental escapade that I am writing about.

I had , and still have a really crooked set of teeth. At NDA, at the very first visit to the Hospital for a routine check up,a dental surgeon from Pune happened to be there. This surgeon was absolutely fascinated by my teeth; well formed ,strong but set in two distinct rows. He must have loved cosmetic dental surgery, and couldn’t resist having a shot at putting them all in one line.

He patiently explained to me that he could align all my teeth in a perfect row and that there would be no gaps whatsoever; it would be like a perfect set of pearls ! Of course , he told me, it would require pulling out three good teeth, to make way for the unruly ones. The full import of his proposal did not hit me then, and all I registered was that ‘I would get a chance to get away from the academy and seek refuge in the hospital , at regular intervals.

So the treatment started. At the Academy, the highest priority was accorded to a call from the medical authorities , and the 2” x 4“ chit bearing the date on which I had to report to Command Military Dental Centre , (CMDC for short) was my passport to a well earned break. On the appointed day, I told my course-mates, that I was ‘proceeding to CMDC’ and reported to the Military Hospital after breakfast. From there a bus took us to the military Hospitals at Pune and Kirkee. A first termer could sleep anywhere, any time and I slept in the bus and later in the CMDC waiting room. There were times I got to meet my dentist and there were times , he was too busy to meet me and in either case I got my next date. At least on one occasion, no one noticed me in the Waiting room till it was time to leave and I was simply given a chit for the next date.

The treatment involved , taking x -rays, preparing moulds and all this took a number of visits, unlike the present times. Three months passed and it was soon time for the end of term activities. So one fine day, the dentist realized that my term break would upset his schedule for treatment and he decided to postpone the actual surgery to the next term.

The next term was a different story altogether. I never again went anywhere near the Dental Centre except for a routine check up by the GD (general Duty) dentist, who was not interested in any fancy surgery, and only the smokers among the batch were dished out ‘chits’ for scaling.

So ended my cosmetic surgery , even before it started and into the last year of my service, I still love my crooked set of teeth. The first line of our daily prayer at NDA went like this ‘ Oh God, help us to keep ourselves physically fit, mentally alert and morally straight…. “ My own unsaid prayer went, “ …keep me mentally straight and dentally crooked , so that I may proceed to CMDC, Pune……….

Thus Spake Swami Vivekananda

Here’s a Quote on the internet media to claim that according to Swami Vivekananda , “HInduism preaches beef eating’ (Vol – 3 page 536) ………………You will be astonished if I tell you that, according to the old ceremonials, he is not a good Hindu who does not eat beef………… This is how the entire paragraph … Continue reading “Thus Spake Swami Vivekananda”

Here’s a Quote on the internet media to claim that according to Swami Vivekananda , “HInduism preaches beef eating’ (Vol – 3 page 536)

………………You will be astonished if I tell you that, according to the old ceremonials, he is not a good Hindu who does not eat beef…………

This is how the entire paragraph goes…

You will be astonished if I tell you that, according to the old ceremonials, he is not a good Hindu who does not eat beef. On certain occasions he must sacrifice a bull and eat it. That is disgusting now. However they may differ from each other in India, in that they are all one — they never eat beef. The ancient sacrifices and the ancient gods, they are all gone; modern India belongs to the spiritual part of the Vedas..

Swami Vivekananda spoke on a whole range of subjects to varied class of audience across the continents. He spoke to the common man, academic scholars, religious heads , students , devotees , friends and fellow monks. He spoke his mind, be it in jest or be it in pain. He wrote to his brother-monks and disciples to motivate, coax or chide.

And most of his speeches and epistles have been compiled as the complete works of Swami Vivekananda. I started with the first volume in my teens and read up most of his works over a few years; and I still read. I am always fascinated by the fluidity in his ideas. There is always a firm foundation of conviction in is beliefs, confidence in his ability to think and act, and yet he never took a rigid stance on issues pertaining to day to day living; for example ,he never advocated a ‘right’ language to adapt, a ‘right’ kind of food, ‘right’ way to dress though he gave his opinions freely on any issue.

May be , because of his liberal ideas, and the sheer range of material available of his thoughts, it is possible to quote or mis-quote him in support of any theory. Of late both RSS and anti-RSS groups quote freely from Swami Vivekananda to prove their points. The easiest way to spread the word , today, is to condense the ideas into one picture or one sentence and shoot it into cyber space through whatsapp or facebook. Then you can trust the Whatsapp Wits and Facebook Philosophers to mindlessly forward the matter and the whole world consumes it , till the next big post comes up , may be ‘something about Virat and Anushka’.

The lines in the first paragraph is taken from an address to people in California, in 1890.(It was an American who would be astonished as an Indian would know that vedic Brahmins did eat beef.) The subject for the talk was Buddhism and the Swamiji was highlighting the aspects on how Buddhism had a reforming effect on Hinduism.

In the same volume page 175, in an address to Indians at Madurai, the same subject is elaborated in a different way, as applicable to Indians at that time and space..

…………. But the Smritis speak generally of local circumstances, of duties arising from different environments, and they change in the course of time. This you have always to remember that because a little social custom is going to be changed you are not going to lose your religion, not at all. Remember these customs have already been changed. There was a time in this very India when, without eating beef, no Brahmin could remain a Brahmin; you read in the Vedas how, when a Sannyasin, a king, or agreat man came into a house, the best bullock was killed; how in time it was found that as we were an agricultural race, killing the best bulls meant annihilation of the race. Therefore the practice was stopped, and a voice was raised against the killing of cows. Sometimes we find existing then what we most horrible customs. In course of time other laws had to be made. These in turn will have to go, and other Smritis will come. This is one fact we have to learn that the Vedas being eternal will be one and the same throughout all ages, but the Smritis will have an end. As time rolls on, more and more of the Smritis will go, sages will come, and they will change and direct society into better channels, into duties and into paths which accord with the necessity of the age, and without which it is impossible that society can live. Thus we have to guide our course, avoiding these two dangers; and I hope that every one of us here will have breadth enough, and at the same time faith enough, to understand what that means, which I suppose is the inclusion of everything, and not the exclusion. I want the intensity of the fanatic plus the extensity of the materialist. Deep as the ocean, broad as the infinite skies, that is the sort of heart we want. Let us be as progressive as any nation that ever existed, and at the same time as faithful and conservative towards our traditions as Hindus alone know how to be………….

The import of this speech was to warn fellow hindus aginst dogmatic beliefs and fanaticism based on some ‘smritis’ bound by time and space.

Thathastu.

Genesis of an innovation

What sparks an innovation ? Does it always require a genius ? The other day, I while scrolling through an endless stream of facebook jokes, and I came across this. “ A lady (could have been a gentleman) complained at a computer shop, claiming that the new laptop computer she had bought would not carry … Continue reading “Genesis of an innovation”

What sparks an innovation ? Does it always require a genius ?

The other day, I while scrolling through an endless stream of facebook jokes, and I came across this.

“ A lady (could have been a gentleman) complained at a computer shop, claiming that the new laptop computer she had bought would not carry out even the basic functions. On enquiry she explained that she was not able to copy a file from her old laptop to the new one. When asked how exactly she proceeded to carry out this task, she explained,

“I right clicked on the file icon on the old laptop, unplugged the mouse, carefully took it to the new laptop and plugged it and did a right click paste”

The salesman fainted.

The joke was followed by typical facebook responses ; ‘haha’, ‘LOL’, ‘ROFL’ etc. Amidst all that what caught my attention was the comment “That’s an interesting idea, a mouse with a memory”.

It got me thinking.

People who were very comfortable using the command line interface designed the Graphical User Interface for the not so tech-savvy users to click their way through the digital world. Till today, many Unix/Linux users cannot understand how ‘ten clicks’ can be easier to do than a simple command on the terminal. The aim is to design a ‘user-friendly’ device.

Find out what an user is doing , and make your device work to such behaviour, and you have the ultimate user-friendly device.

Why can’t we have a mouse with a memory? After all we have an internet dongle with memory and storage space of its own? Make it a wireless mouse and it would be a ‘wow’ gadget. Point at a file, do a right –click copy , put it into your pocket and now you are ready to do a right-click paste – transfer to any other PC !

As for the cyber-security police , it would mean a terrible nightmare.

Coming back to the question what sparks an innovation, may be it does not need a spark of genius, even a spark of acute idiocy would do.

MIGRATION TO LINUX

MIGRATION TO LINUX An article originally I wrote for Indian Army.. INTRODUCTION 1. Today, we are in information age and we use many electronic devices to meet our information needs. The core component of any electronic device is its operating system. Though there are many types of devices used for computing, Computers have become synonymous … Continue reading “MIGRATION TO LINUX”

MIGRATION TO LINUX

An article originally I wrote for Indian Army..

INTRODUCTION

1. Today, we are in information age and we use many electronic devices to meet our information needs. The core component of any electronic device is its operating system. Though there are many types of devices used for computing, Computers have become synonymous with PCs and Operating System(OS) has become synonymous with Windows, at least in India. Even IT professionals feel that we have come too far down the road and now it is fait accompli to maintain the status quo ?

2. The question is, can we ever switch to a liberated world of Open Source Software (OSS) or are we condemned forever to a Digital World, controlled and manipulated by a few multinational software giants. OSS in general and Linux in particular offer great opportunities to individuals and organizations alike to make the Digital world far more friendlier, far more creative and definitely lighter on the wallet.

3. The scope of this paper is not restricted to just Army, but to any individual or organization dissatisfied with Propriety Software. Migration to Linux, is nothing but pure liberation. This paper addresses need for the migration, away from all propriety software, be it for exercising the right to choose or for attaining strategic self dependence.

AIM

4. The aim of the service paper is to evaluate the case for individuals and organizations to migrate to Linux from Microsoft Windows to meet all their computing requirements. The paper is divided in three parts as under:-

Part – I . Review of Operating Systems over the past three decades.
Part – II Why we need to migrate to Linux.
Part – III Seven Steps to Software Liberation.

PART – I : REVIEW OF OPERATING SYSTEMS

OVER THE PAST THREE DECADES.

A Historical Overview of Operating Systems

5. Though there are many operating systems, they can be broadly categorized into three basic families viz, Mac family including all shades of iOS , Microsoft family from MS Dos to Windows 10 and the Linux family that would include all flavours of Linux, like Red Hat, Inux Mint OS, Ubuntu and so on.When we come to the hand-held devices like phones and tablets, we have iOS, Android, and Windows as the market leaders. There is definitely a convergence taking place with availability of Ubuntu phones and android laptops.

6. Till the advent of Open Source Software, the IT fraternity was vertically divided into two schools of thought, the Mac way and the PC way. The Mac products believed in tight integration of hardware and software. Quality was of utmost importance and it was propriety all the way, be it the hardware or software or the formats used . Even the styling of icons mattered as the bitterly contested copyright case between Apple and Samsung showed. As for PC was concerned, IBM had freed the hardware part, resulting in mushrooming of IBM clones, while the marketing genius, that young Bill gates proved to be, kept a tight hold over the OS , which ironically he had bought for a pittance. QDOS (Quick and Dirty Operating System) was bought from Tim Patterson, rechristened as MSDOS and loaded on an IBM PC. With a series of outright purchases and repackaging MS Office was born and today we have MS Windows and MS Office dominating the market in India.

7. End of cold war gave a big boost to Internet which led to extensive collaboration over the net. It was not just a software, but an entirely new philosophy was born. Programmers could download source codes for free. They were free to look into other programmers’ codes; they could make modifications and propagate their products as long as they too kept it free. It was called not copyright but copy-left. With that software got liberated from the clutches of multinationals. Today, you can buy a PC without any Software and load your own OS and applications.

Present Environment

8. Most people and organizations today go for a hardware software bundle and in India, most of the additional software is available for free due to non-implementation of laws on Intellectual property rights.

9. Of course there is a small percentage of users who scrupulously use licensed software and an even smaller percentage of users who are aware that there is enough resources available under open source and there is really no need buy any operating system or applications leave alone the compulsion to break any law of the land to procure one. This last category of users, to begin with were hard core geeks, but over a period of time even not so tech savvy users have also joined this fold. There are children who have grown up using open source software and don’t use any other unless forced to do so by their schools. If some users can benefit from OSS, then why not the whole world benefit.

PART – II WHY WE NEED TO MIGRATE TO LINUX.

Why Migrate to Linux

10. Some of the compelling reasons for switching to Linux are as follows:-

Freedom to Use .The software is completely free as in Mukt and completely free as in Muft.

Stability The OS is rock solid and absolutely stable. Of course there are beta versions, on the leading edge, available to all for download; and one needs to ensure that he uses only a stable version.

Choice of Applications. Entire set of productivity applications are available for Linux and there is really no need to go for an OS if only to load a specific application software.

Security Security is better in OSS as the source code is available for any one. So any organization wishing to make their computing environment absolutely secure does not need to look to Redmond for assistance but can do it in their own laboratories. It is in this context that our former President and an eminent scientist Dr APJ Abdul Kalam called up on Indians to use OSS.

Some Myths About Linux

11. There are many myths about Linux which we shall analyze one by one as follows:-

(a) Linux is not user friendly.There is not a single step in installation, configuration and use of the OS that does not have a user friendly, graphical User Interface in Ubuntu, Red Hat, Open Suse or Linux Mint.Of course there are provisions to get anything done through Command line Interface , which is only an added advantage and definitely not a disadvantage. A Class VIII student can comfortably install Ubuntu from an Installation CD or an USB Drive. Of course any child who can handle a mouse or a touch pad can use an Ubuntu machine.

(b) No applications are available for Linux. There are users of the view that it is okay to have Linux as OS, but for running specific applications, one needs Windows. This may have been correct about 10 years back. Today we have open source applications in every area of computing like Office Software, web browsing, IDE for Programming, graphics , video and audio editing, database management systems.

(c) Installation of applications is difficult. Nothing could be far from truth. While Software like MS office, Adobe Photo-shop, need registration and dedicated efforts to get regular updates, anyone using open source software like Ubuntu or Libre office gets regular updates automatically. It is easier as there is no need to guard against piracy issues. The repository system for installation or upgrading of software is akin to the istore of Apple devices or Google Play of Android phones. You just need to pick the applications and click ‘install’.

(d) Version compatibility Issues Ubuntu has the best organized system for storing of libraries. Canonical, the company supporting Ubuntu has dedicated servers to keep track of all the software and the compiler libraries used by these software applications. Ubuntu brings out a version every two years with Long term support. Then there are six monthly update versions of the OS. The security updates is on a daily basis.

Inter OS Interoperability is difficult. A Linux server can easily handle any Windows client, though the converse may not be true.

Lack Of Commercial Support In the past, businesses used the lack of commercial support as the main reason for staying with Windows. Red Hat, Novell and Canonical, the “big three” commercial Linux providers, have put this fear to rest. Each of these companies offers 24x7x365 support for your mission-critical applications and business services.

Lack of .Net Support Businesses that have standardized on Microsoft technology, specifically their .NET web technology, can rely on Linux for support of those same .NET applications. Novell owns and supports the Mono project that maintains .NET compatibility. One of the Mono project’s goals is to provide businesses the ability to make a choice and to resist vendor lock-in. Additionally, the Mono project offers Visual Studio plug-ins so that .NET developers can easily transfer Windows-based .NET applications without changing their familiar development tools. Why would Novell and others put forth the effort to create a .NET environment for Linux? For real .NET application stability, Linux is a better choice than Windows.

Organizations That Have Migrated Or In The Process Of Migrating To Linux

12. If Linux is so good why are people not using it ? The answer is that most computer users are not fully aware of the possibilities. Let us see some informed organizations that migrated from Windows to Linux :-

(a) The White house

(b) US Navy in the US Submarine Fleet

(d) Amazon Inc , USA

(e) City Govt of Munich (Germany)

(f) Kerala State Govt

(g) Tamilnadu State Govt

(h) IBM Inc

(j) Indian Navy

13. You can see the wide diversity in the type of organizations using Linux. The next question is, have any of these organizations reverted back to Windows ? There is no evidence of any such moves. Okay, has any organization that started a business with Linux and migrated to any other operating system. A cursory Google search draws a blank. Then why are more individuals not in Linux world ? At least as for as India is considered, the answer may be :-

(a) In India, very few users buy software, at least not for personal ownership. The day, people who use MS office are forced to pay for the software they use at home, Open office downloads will multiply. (This paper is written using Libre Office Version: 4.3.3.2.)

(b) So many applications are available, mostly pirated, and users have attained a certain degree of proficiency in these applications. There is a reluctance to learn any new applications available in the open source arena. How else can you explain anyone be using Internet Explorer ?

(c) Despite the progress made in the IT field, Internet penetration is very low. In India we have only 15 to 20 PCs per 100 and out of that only – only 1.1 use Internet broadband.Most users still load software through CDs and DVDs, pirated of course. Open source means global collaboration and Internet broadband is a pre- requisite. Any expenditure made by a Govt or any private organization or an individual in broadband connection is money well spent. It is an investment to break the shackle of propriety software and propriety education and will prove a great money saver in years to come.

PART – III SEVEN STEPS TO SOFTWARE LIBERATION.

How To Migrate

14. Here is a suggested model for an individual to switch over to Linux over a period of six months to one year. When individuals embrace Linux, it would be a smooth migration for an organization as IT products work on the principle of ‘Winner takes all’.

(a) Step 1 identify the applications you actually use under windows, leaving out the ones that have been preloaded free of cost by the vendor, but never used.

(b) Step 2 Identify the Linux equivalent of these applications.

(c) Step 3 Download windows versions of these applications. Some of them would be very familiar for example, Mozilla Firefox Browser.

A Table Showing These Applications

Application	Propriety application in Windows	Open Source Applicatin in LInux
Browser	Internet Explorer	Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Chromium, Ubuntu Browser.
Office Suite	MS Office (Word, excel and powerpoint)	Open Office or Libre Office (Writer, calc and Impress)
Email Client	MS Outlook	Evolution or Thunderbird
Graphics	Adobe Photoshop	GIMP
Video Player	Windows Media Player	Amarok, Rhythmbox,Yarock
Video editing	Movie maker	Open Shot Video Editor PiTV
Audio Editing	Adobe Audition	Audocity
Database	Oracle, Sybase	Mysql, Postgresql

(d) Step 4 Keep booting into the widows machine, but get used to open source applications like Mozilla Firefox browser, Libre office, GIMP, Kompozer, VLC Media Player, and so on. In case of any problem a simple search on the net for open source application for windows will give a huge choice of apps. As a rule anything available for Linux will be available for Windows , but not vice versa.

(e) Step 5 Use a bootable Linux CD, Ubuntu preferably, and try the OS, without actually installing. No change is made in the Operating System. This is one feature which is new to Windows users, who are used to formatting and re installation at the drop of a hat. There are also Packages available which can be installed under windows just as another software.

(f) Step 6 Once you get used to the Open Source Applications in windows environment, using the same in the native Linux environment can only be smoother.

(g) Step 7 Boot into Linux and work in Open Source Applications. Let Windows be available in the system , particularly to work on an odd document or graphic received from a colleague or from another organization, which requires a specific Windows application. One day, one finds that neither is there a need to boot into windows nor is it a peasant experience to do so , at times when you are forced to do so,.That is the time delete your windows partition and that would be Software Nirwana.

CONCLUSION

15. The Information age has seen so much development in three decades that has not happened in industrial age for three centuries and agricultural age for over three millenniums. Open Source Software has evolved to become a viable alternative to propriety software. The main reason why users have not switched over to Linux is that they are not aware of the developments that have taken place in the Open Source arena in the past decade. We need to spread that awareness, for the benefit of all users, individuals or organizations.

My E-Bookshelf

I have often wondered as to why is it that we see no icon on the desktop called ‘My Book-Shelf. ’when ‘My computer‘ is so universal. Is it because computers have replaced books ? Can they ever do that? In my own case, the very first computer, I owned was an AT286 Machine, which just … Continue reading “My E-Bookshelf”

I have often wondered as to why is it that we see no icon on the desktop called ‘My Book-Shelf. ’when ‘My computer‘ is so universal. Is it because computers have replaced books ? Can they ever do that?

In my own case, the very first computer, I owned was an AT286 Machine, which just displayed a DOS prompt. Even then, as I recall, I had one folder (called a directory , those days) where I kept such files which was for any kind of reference. Since Windows 3.1 days then I have always had an icon on my computer desktop, which took me to my digital resources like Dictionary, Railway Time table, CDA Hand Book , a few Tamil books etc. Today, I have a Linux Machine with the “Calibre’ meeting all my needs of ‘reading off the screen’, which includes some reference material, some fiction and some news feeds.

While it may be true that we do not need a book shelf in every office or home PC, a E-Bookshelf on every computer is not only necessary, but very much practicable. Today with the rising popularity of open source resources, we have a huge volume of rich contents in the public domain. To manage all these resources we have open source e-book management software applications like Calibre. All you have to do is to download an application, configure it and start surfing the net for resources of your interest. Mind you, not for a moment, am I suggesting piracy. There are any number of projects like Project Gutenberg which are involved in digitizing classical works. There are sites like it-ebooks.info which are giving away good E-books for free and they charge only for the print edition.

Even if one is not interested in classical poetry or for that matter any kind of serious literature, a book shelf is required even if it is purely for resources of utility nature, like CDA Hand Book, Railway Time Table, Dictionary, or may be ‘Golf made Easy’ .

I only wish, a ‘My Book-shelf ‘ Icon becomes a reality, at least in Schools and other Educational Institutions even if it is not as omnipresent as ‘My Computer’.

Booklet printing and The Spirit of Ubuntu

These days we tend to do more screen reading than traditional book reading. While it is okay to read blogs, news-feeds etc off the screen, certain materials like tutorials and how-tos need to be studied leisurely. Taking printout on A4 sheets is ok, but it is still not so convenient. To have a … Continue reading “Booklet printing and The Spirit of Ubuntu”

Taking printout on A4 sheets is ok, but it is still not so convenient. To have a good feel of reading, the material should be of book-size, with ample margin for binding and should be held open with a thumb or thumb and the little finger. I have always been loking for an app which can do booklet printing. The other day I found just that.

You can just right click on a file and generate a booklet in a size of your choice. what’s more , you save a lot of paper.

There are many apps which only a minuscule few may want, and big IT companies don’t care. An open source software enthusiast, who needs such a feature, looks around, to see if it is available. If not available he proceeds to develop one, alone or with other like minded people.

And once a facility is developed, the real fun is in freely sharing it with the whole world. That is the spirit of Ubuntu, a far cry from the software giants who toil hard to produce stuff people don’t need and toil harder to sell it to them at exorbitant prices.