Pray for peace in Korea

After 60 years of absence of war (I will not call it 'peace'), the two Koreas have once again erupted into a violent escalation of conflict that could lead to war.

On this dangerous situation, I urge all people to pray for peace. The last thing the world needs is another useless, senseless, bloody war.

Let us hope that the situation cools down without escalating into a full blown war.

President John F. Kennedy - his legacy intact 47 years after his assassination

President John F. Kennedy

November 22, 1963 - 47 years ago today, was the day that President John Fitzgerald Kennedy fell prey to the bullets of an assassin or possibly assassins in Dallas, Texas.

Several books, articles and movies (most famous being 'JFK' by Oliver Stone) have depicted this event in detail. All kinds of theories abound about where the assassin fired from and killed the beloved president. But now the more important thing to talk about, in my mind, is not who killed him, why and from where because the fact is that JFK died on that Friday afternoon in Dallas. What is important is to look at the things he said during his two years, ten months and two days as president of the United States.

President Kennedy talked about and worked towards creating a peaceful planet and his presence in the Oval Office during the thirteen crucial days in October 1962 during the Cuban Missile Crisis could possibly be the reason why civilization still exists today. His handling of the situation most certainly prevented a nuclear holocaust in 1962.

Kennedy also talked about going to the moon, exploring the stars, conquering the deserts and the oceans.  His speeches even now resonate with the deep desire burning inside hearts to live with a purpose, to do something special for humanity and to serve our nations to the best of our ability. Many of JFK quotations are famous and many of these are from his inaugural address on January 20, 1961, but the passages below are the last few paragraphs of that speech and I would like to quote them:

"Now the trumpet summons us again—not as a call to bear arms, though arms we need; not as a call to battle, though embattled we are—but a call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle, year in and year out, "rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation"—a struggle against the common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself.
Can we forge against these enemies a grand and global alliance, North and South, East and West, that can assure a more fruitful life for all mankind? Will you join in that historic effort?
In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility—I welcome it. I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation. The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it—and the glow from that fire can truly light the world.
And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.
My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.
Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us the same high standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of you. With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God's work must truly be our own." In particular, I like the last sentence "asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God's work must truly be our own." So, today being the 47th anniversary of the day he passed on from this Earth, let us look at the things that matter. What kind of a world do we live in today? What kind of a world do we want to live in? And what can each and every one of us do to play our roles in achieving that goal?

Comments on President Barack H. Obama's address to the Indian Parliament on November 8, 2010

President Barack H. Obama

I think it takes a lot of courage and humility for a President of the USA to say that he is there as president because of Mahatma Gandhi. It was also very nice that he mentioned Dr. Ambedkar and also spoke about that India is not just an emerging power, but a power that has emerged. However, we also need to hear what he said about India being a bit docile in the international forums (this was in reference to Burma). We need to understand as Indians that if we are truly a "global power" we need to start acting like a global power and not restrict our critical foreign policy statements to Pakistan.

Documentary on Barack Obama's rise to power

Happy Diwali everyone!

President Barack Obama

Since today is Diwali, I was at home relaxing in the afternoon when I decided to watch an HBO documentary about Barack Obama called, 'By The People: The Election of Barack Obama'. (link here)

This was a very well made documentary and basically is about the people involved in Obama's campaign in his dramatic rise to prominence between 2004-2008. Anybody who doubts their own capability or thinks that because of their colour, religion, gender, etc. they cannot succeed, must watch this documentary.

It portrays the indomitable spirit of a man who despite being African-American., despite having an usual name which rhymes with Osama and has Hussein as a middle-name, despite having very little political experience, managed to capture the imagination of a nation and was elected the 44th President of the United States of America.

Irrespective of whether you are a supporter of Obama or not, who cannot remain unmoved and uninspired by his meteoric rise to power and international super-celebrity status even before he was elected president.

The show features both the highs and the lows of the campaign - the high being Iowa and the low being New Hampshire primaries and the controversy about Obama's pastor. In it you will see how a man who is determined to succeed and does not quit even in the face of the highest challenge is able to overcome all these challenges and succeed.

I would recommend this documentary. I bought it from Crossword at the Select City Walk Mall in Saket, but I am sure that it is available in many other places as well.

Interestingly, I watched this show on the eve of President Obama's arrival in India.

Cosmic 'justice' in a nutshell

Whether you believe in reincarnation or not, for a minute just assume it is true. It is the perfect explanation for the so-called injustices at birth. Why are some born in very difficult situations and others born into easy situations? The seemingly unjust and unfair nature of destiny at birth has a very simple solution if you believe in reincarnation. The so called 'justice' meted out by God or Universe or Cosmic Spirit or Creator does not necessarily have to happen in this life. The 'justice' itself being the Universe's way of balancing out karma. The goal I feel is not punishment per se, it is actually a lesson. For those of you who believe it, essentially all souls are good and will return someday to their source. However, how long it takes and how many lessons need to be learnt varies from soul to soul. This is what I believe.

Singapore trip

Went to Singapore last week for the first time and had an excellent time! We (my younger brother Rohan and I) stayed at the Marina Bay Sands Hotel, which I might add is perhaps one of the best looking buildings I've seen in my life with its three towers joined together on the top by the Sands SkyPark, a ship shaped structure on the top of the hotel which has a swimming pool called the Infinity Pool (perhaps the longest swimming pool I've ever seen).

Though I primarily went to Singapore on business, it was nice that I got to do some shopping, eat at the famous restaurants of Singapore and enjoyed the hospitality of the friendly and helpful Singaporeans.

It is a trip that I will remember always. I recommend Singapore as a nice vacation destination and also I recommend Singapore as a business destination for hassle free business with a very attractive tax structure.

A picture of the Singapore skyline I took with my Nikon D90 from my room (50th floor of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel)

(From L-R) - Rohan, myself and Ashok Desai at the Jumbo Restaurant near Clarke Quay having the famous Singapore Chilli Crabs

The Marina Bay Sands Hotel

A building near the Marina Bay Sands Hotel

The Infinity pool at the Sands SkyPark, 57th floor of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel

Clarke Quay on Saturday night

Celebrate life, yours and everyone else's!

The entire month of September 2010 so far has been a period of introspection. I was detected with Dengue Fever in the beginning of the month. I was hospitalized and had to undergo two platelet transfusions. After this, I came home and have been resting at home since September 6. I am much better now and will go back to work tomorrow (September 20).

Today I actually stepped out of the house for the first time since September 6. Cheryll and I went for a walk and I really enjoyed it.

This entire period has given me a much needed rest and time to think about life, love, family, friends and God Almighty. I feel humbled and blessed at the same time knowing how much love and prayers were sent to me during this period. I thank God for all of those people who love me. I thank God for giving me this life. Recovering from an ailment makes you love life even more. I am now fully aware of how important each and every life is.

Though we read in the newspapers, watch the news on TV, radio and the Internet and we notice every single day that there are people being killed, abused, tortured, etc. and we really just associate them with a number, a statistic. This sounds mean, but it is true. '100 killed', '25 killed', etc. But the truth is, these are not just numbers and statistics, these are people like you and me. People with families, people with lives, with friends, with hopes, dreams, ambitions, fears, loves, favorites, beliefs, hobbies, etc. etc.

We need to remember this. Because it seems to me that we are becoming more and more hardened and immune to these things that are going on all around the world. We must never forget that everyone that is lost to violence, crime, disease, poverty, disaster is a living, breathing, thinking human being like you and me. Let us never forget that lives lost are not just statistics on the news. Each one lost is the end of a dream. We must pause and remember and honor those lost.

I feel happy that I was saved. But I also have been reminded of the value of each and every human life. God bless you all and remember next time when you hear or see news about people lost, pause for a moment and honor those who are lost.

Celebrate your life and everyone else's!

Resource Furniture: Italian-Designed Space Saving Furniture

Just watched a cool video on concept furniture that helps in saving lots of space in your home. Could be a useful thing to have.

Phase Drafting your book writing process

Just read a  nice article on phase drafting which is a good technique for writing a novel or any other book for that matter. It involves breaking the whole story into a concept and then expanding that concept into a kernel of a plot. This kernel of a plot is then expanded into individual phases or scenes. These scenes in turn have their own 'beginning, middle and end' structures or 'scene arcs' and are worked on individually by the author.

This is a good method in which the basic plot and scene structures are decided in advance using phase drafting and then the author can write faster and finish the novel a lot easier without getting 'stuck' in the middle of a chapter or scene, because each scene is already structured out in advance. Some writers do not like to use a structure or outline as they feel it impedes their creativity and bounds a story into a structured box so to say.

However, using a structure is advisable as without one the story can go hay wire and may lead to more difficulties later on. That is why the plot should be thought over before hand and this is where a lot of the 'thinking' goes into. Then once the scene arcs are ready, each scene can be easily expanded. This also makes it easier to plan out a writing schedule as the writing bits have already been created in the form of scenes.

For a nice description of this process visit Phase Drafting When Writing a Book  and also Randy Ingermanson's Snow Flake method

FTP for Mac users - Cyberduck all the way!

Found a great FTP software for Mac called Cyberduck. It is  a very easy to use freeware with option to 'donate'. Great piece of software for Mac users who are web designers or need to transfer files through File Transfer Protocol (FTP). Recommend it!

The Grapefruit sized Universe!

10^-32 seconds after the Big Bang, the universe was the size of a grapefruit. Everything that ever was, is, or ever shall be was already inside it! I'm talking every galaxy, star, planet, person, animal, plant on this world or any other was already there in the form of pre atomic energy. Think about that! So, we are truly one!

Great sites for photos & prints - Flickr & Snapfish

Discovered two great sites in the last few days. One is Flickr - a site used for uploading and sharing photos. It is a site owned by Yahoo. But what I really liked about this, is that you can upload photos and share them easily with people. You can also add your pictures to a stream of Getty Images, which also has a tie up with Flickr, so that if Getty Images likes a picture you took, they can license it from you (and they can pay you as well).

I also really liked the link-up between Flickr and Snapfish, which is a site where you can print your pictures that you have uploaded onto Flickr. Not only can you print photo prints of varying sizes - you can also print your photos on cups, keychains and other things. Plus you can design and print your own custom made collages, calendars, photobooks, notebooks, etc.

If that weren't enough, you can also have your photos converted into works of art by having them printed on canvas in varying sizes.

All this at a pretty affordable price. Since Snapfish has an Indian site as well, the prices are in Indian Rupees and the delivery is pretty efficient and quick. The canvas print I had made of one of my Lakshmi Statue pictures was nicely packed in a tubular package perfect for canvases.

This is the Lakshmi photo that I had printed on canvas.

The bit.ly advantage

Have you had problems sometimes with long links that do not fit into your Twitter box? If the answer is yes, then you must try out http://bit.ly .

This is a utility used to shorten and share your links. The best part is that the same shortened link can be used in your Twitter, Facebook, Blog, Website, etc.

Visit the site and create a free account. I also recommend to use the bit.ly sidebar option that can be integrated with your browser. This is a very good way of creating a shortened link wherever you are on the Net instantly (without going to the bit.ly site). This can be integrated with your twitter account, so when you click the bit.ly sidebar, it opens a window which has the shortened link and allows you to write upto 140 characters to post on Twitter. It works great.

I really recommend bit.ly. Go for it!

India and the US going up a rising escalator

P062710PS-0397
Originally uploaded by The White House

This photo captures the rising nature of Indo-US relations.

President Barack Obama and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh ride an escalator on the way to their bilateral meeting during the G20 Summit in Toronto, Canada, Sunday, June 27, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Poor drainage leads to wastage of water, reservoir needed

Yesterday, there was a deluge in Delhi. Today's newspapers report that 11 people across the city died from walls collapsing and electric shock. Roads were jammed for hours and hours and many parts of the city were under a few feet of water.

It is unacceptable that the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), Delhi's two civil bodies are not punished for this debacle. There is no reason on Earth why Delhi's civic bodies cannot do their job in an efficient and transparent manner.

With a complete disregard to the principles of town planning, we have neglected completely to make an efficient drainage system which would lead rainwater into some kind of natural or man-made reservoir.

What is sad about yesterday's deluge is that not only did we get 51 mm of rain that caused havoc, most of it has gone waste. There may be a few environmentally conscious citizens who were able to capture some of the rainwater and I hope they did.

I hope that the authorities will learn something from this and repair the drainage systems and create a water flow network that will allow excess rainwater to be stored and not wasted.

We need desalination plants

The Government of India and every government for that matter needs to subsidise the construction and operation of desalination plants. This will ensure that we have enough water to last for centuries. 

Simply saying that desalination plants are too expensive is not acceptable. 

Also, as far as India is concerned, water should be on the Union list and not a state subject. It is too important a resource to suffer at the hands of bickering state politicians.

Fun at Bangalore airport

I'm currently at the Bangalore airport with my dad. Our flight is delayed, but I don't mind because the airport is pretty good. Lots of eating places and good beer! A great bookshop to boot. A nice airport is fun in its own kind of way and having a laptop is a must. I am connected via my Reliance Broadband + and am able to communicate with the world.

I showed my dad some stuff on Twitter and Facebook. I took a few pictures and uploaded it. He was amazed at how technology has advanced so much that you can take a picture and upload it from anywhere and in seconds the whole world has access to it.

Various beliefs about Jesus in early Palestine

In response to a question by Rev. Vinod John about various 'Jesus movements' in early Palestine...




Well it is true that there were a plurality of Jesus movements in early Palestine. James the Elder (traditionally believed to be Jesus' brother, also son of Mary) was believed to be the head of one group who considered Jesus as the Jewish Messiah and believed that he was a prophet and not the son of God (The Jewish Messiah so to speak was never thought to be the 'Son of God' in an exclusive sense but rather like the way it says in the Bible that you will be called the 'sons of God'.)

One faction was supposedly headed by Mary Magdalene and was more Essene in nature and belief). 


Then you have Peter - Paul group, which actually created the concept of Jesus as exclusive 'Son of God'. It was this faction which prevailed and then later on in the 4th century A.D. prevailed upon Constantine to make Christianity the official religion of the Holy Roman Empire. 


It was around this time that the Council of Nicae was convened and certain books were canonised into the Bible as we know it today. Many concepts that existed prior to this, most notably the widespread belief in reincarnation was declared 'heresy'. It was also during this time that Jesus was 'deified' and declared to be God. This was never believed for the first three centuries of Christianity.

Mars and water - Big News and Good news!!

Space agencies have discovered that Mars was once covered by an ocean. This is news that was much speculated upon and had a high degree of probability. But now it has been confirmed.

This is great news as it really makes two important things closer to becoming a reality:

1. The discovery of extraterrestrial life - as it is now confirmed, Mars had an ocean a long, long time ago. While we still do not have proof that life of any kind existed there, the general rule is: where there is water, there is life. So, now with both the moon and Mars having been confirmed as having water (the moon even today, Mars in the past) and perhaps Europa of Jupiter and Enceladus of Saturn as well, we have found that water may not be as rare a commodity in the universe as we once thought. This discovery alone, highly increases the probability of life outside of Earth. Perhaps it is now just a matter of time before we have hardcore evidence.

2. Since there are more places where water is or was, it also increases our chances of being able to colonize these worlds in the future. Colonization is an absolute must for the longevity of the human race.

Let's see where we find water next.

Recreating Nostalgia

Recently my aunt Asha turned 60 years old. It was an occasion where most members of my family - aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews - came to New Delhi from different parts of India and the United States.

For over ten days, there were lots of parties, dinners, outings, etc. I had fun like I haven't had in a while. It was great to meet most of my cousins after a long time.

But what struck me the most is what I'll call - recreating nostalgia. You see, my cousins and I spent a lot of time together when we were growing up. That was the time when most of them lived in Delhi and some were scattered in different parts of India. Every summer they would come to Delhi (sometimes I would go to Bombay). But those days are the days I remember with a pang of nostalgia many times. I'm talking about the late 1980s early 1990s.

But over the past fortnight, I felt as is we were 'recreating nostalgia'. Because not only did we relive those fun days of being teenagers and early twenty-somethings, we also seemed to strengthen the bond between us so that we will continue to have better days ahead to remember. We recreated our days of nostalgia and at the same time created another moment in our lives that we will look back nostalgically in the future!