This is too cool.. Thottal Poo Malarum !!

Link via Sowmya

Calvin's ball with my cousin !! 103 NOT OUT !!

Met up with my 9 year old cousin Vikram after quite some time !! phew.. !! turned out to be quite an experience !!

First thing that happens when you enter his house.. (i had gone with my parents) There's a huge cry and roar !! "Peripa vanthachu !! (obviously my father !!)

And then there's a proud display of his cricketing skills.. (he has been attending some T.T and Cricket camp..) . and then his drawings of various cricketers..

And then.. he shows how good he is at the Keyboard (obviously has been attending classes.. and Chitappa already possessed a Yamaha Keyboard !!).. but unfortunately ends up missing the tune all the time.. gets frustrated (again a huge cry and roar !!) and gives up trying to play it properly..

And then to pacify him.. i decide to play cricket with him !! Divya (his elder sister) joins in as well

This is the main part.. He gets 10 wickets.. whereas I get only one. . his rules..!!

The score is 1/1.. and then he scores 2 runs.. (the batsman's crease at the bowlers end is only half way up the pitch..!! again his rules !!) and then the score becomes 10/1.. (again.. his own way of accounting.. )

And then.. he loses 5-6 wickets.. still.. the score remains at 15/3.. nice na.. he loses wickets..but gains runs instead !!

And then.. frustrated.. he ends up at 20/10.. my target is 21..!!

i decide to take left hand bat (obviously to give him advantage !!).. but to no avail.. the deliveries are so wide I can't even give him an opportunity of a "bowled" or a "catch" (btw one pitch catches are out for me !!) I can't leave deliveries to get out.. he's not that young as well.. frustrated.. I become run out at 18 .  and you must see the sense of achievement on his face.. and again.. a big cry and roar..!!

Next match.. I get to bat first..!! I don't even score 10.. but my score is fixed at 99.. his way of accounting..!!  (he had already decided to score a hundred in the next innnings .. so how can that be changed !! ??)

So the brave man starts off.. his desperate attempts at scoring boundaries always end up in him getting clean bowled.!!.. Score 1/4 ..(actually I was suprised he told this.. I thought he would tell 40/2 or something !! ) then I teach him something . obviously to bat. !!.. and then.. he scores 4-5 boundaries.. and then.. he declares himself winner. !! at 103 Not Out !!

Cha.. missed my digicam dearly..His last pose .. at 103 N.O was not something to be missed !! and so were the other moments when he lets out those loud cries.. !!

Later Divya tells me of his heroic achievements at the Club (as he puts it) where he apparently scored 145 not out with around 70 odd fours and 100 odd sixes !! wonderful na !!

After all that.. he settles down for a fundaes session on how to solve the Sudoku by yours truly..!!

Of course most of the things that I did were very similar to that anybody would have done with a 9 year old.. but my fun part was in oberving his "loud cries " and his moments of Joy and most important of all.. in playing Calvin's ball with him !!

Had nice fun.!!. hoping to visit him again this friday !!

Bush again..!!

That bushcalendar.com was nice.. This one seems to come near that.. pretty good..

Old Memories !!!

                CUTE !!! Come on accept it.. I atleast "WAS" cute !!!!




My TVS School I-Card..!!! Whoah !!! It's been Nine years since I left Madurai.. it  just seems like 2-3 years..!!!

Reservation Issues - Frontline

I am beginning to love this magazine. The "April 22 - May 5" issue had a series of 5 articles on the reservation issue (that was the cover story), each discussing various aspects ranging from the sociological and historical perspective to the Legal issues involved. Too bad I read these too late. But I guess it's OK ! !

http://frontline.in/fl2308/index.htm

Logical step by P.S. Krishnan This one discusses The socio-historical and constitutional perspective and imperatives of the proposed Bill So... the history of reservations.. dates back much before what I actually thought.

The process of reservation in education began in 1902 in the small princely state of Kolhapur, for Backward Classes - covering the present BCs, SCs and other non-Brahmin castes that are not in the post-Constitution lists of BCs.

An important Legal point.. it's not just economic backwardness that the government is targeting at but something else..

The Mandal judgment also held that, for purposes of inclusion in lists of SEdBCs, economic backwardness/poverty is relevant only if and when it arises from social backwardness, and that economic backwardness per se is not a criterion for identification of a class as backward in accordance with the Constitution. In view of this definitive judgment, it is futile and ignorant to argue that Backward Classes should be identified only on the basis of economic criteria or individual poverty. That is not the constitutional scheme. In fact the Supreme Court struck down the clause added by the Congress government in 1991 to the National Front government's order of 1990 providing 10 per cent reservation for the "economically poor".

But that's one point that I fail to understand. If a Dalit is poor and wants to study .. he'll be helped.. but if a Brahmin wants to study.. he won't .. (atleast that's what this picture seems to convey).. I can say with confidence that the temple priests today are not very well off.. infact I myself know people who are miserable and my own father has helped them. So why are they not entitled to reservation.. just because they supressed the "lower castes" so many years ago.. is it necessary to subject them to this treatment..??? I feel they are no different from the people that the government is trying to "rescue" today.. The same old story.. Mandal did suggest much more than just reservation.

The Mandal Commission contained many recommendations in addition to job reservation. It also recommended reservation of seats in educational institutions (apart from recommendations on land reforms, land distribution, tenurial reforms, cottage and small industries, training, economic development, rural development and so on). Reservation of seats in educational institutions had already been implemented long back in the peninsular States, and subsequently by some other States, but not by the Centre.

This was a point which I failed to understand initially.

There is an argument that shows its head whenever there is a proposal to give reservation to SEdBC (and SC and ST). This is that what these communities require is not reservation in higher education but good education from the earliest stages. The argument makes it appear as though the SC, ST and SEdBC categories have no interest in pursuing good education. But the fact of the matter is that these communities are as conscious of the need for and thirsty for good education as any other community. But it is beyond their reach on account of the role most of them are cast in by their birth.

Another very important point

.. what is now proposed to be done is at the least 12 years late. Nobody should have been taken by surprise, for after the Mandal judgment this was bound to come sooner or later. It is not really a bolt from the blue. All along, the National Commission for BCs, national and State conferences of BCs, and Members of Parliament have been calling for this.

The basic premise is that reservation of jobs without reservation in education is illogical, for the latter is necessary to prepare the ground for the former. Not providing for reservation in any sector/part of education is an admission that the Government of India does not intend to ensure fulfilment of reservation in jobs in the sector of employment related to the sector of education in which reservation is not provided. There should be no mismatch between the percentages of reservation of jobs and reservation in education.

This article by examining the history of reservation actually pulls the sting out of the protests that accuse politicians of pulling vote banks.This has been in existence since long and many upper caste people at the helm (including Nehru) themselves have felt the need for reservations to bring about a social equality.

An impression is sought to be created by some learned commentators that the SEdBC/OBC/BC groups are not a legitimate constitutional category for reservation or that reservation for them is an after-thought owing its origin entirely to the electoral and personal ambitions of one or the other politician. Neither the history of reservation from the beginning of the 20th century nor the specific provisions of the Constitution justify these abominable suggestions.

Southern record A point to be noted.. the southern state's reactions have been much more subdued.. Is it because of our inherent nature or because of the reservation system working for good here and we getting used to it.. I somehow believe in the latter and agree with the authors.

THE controversy over the proposed Bill to introduce reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBC) in educational institutions has been characterised by a number of arguments against the proposal. Broadly, they have been that "reservation militates against merit and excellence" and that it harms "the interests of other communities, especially the economically weaker sections among the upper castes". There is also the fervent contention that the system of reservations does not actually help the weaker sections among the OBCs and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (S.C. and S.T.) since the benefits are cornered by the affluent among them. The sum total of the arguments is that reservations in institutions of higher, professional education such as the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) would be nothing short of a sociological disaster.

Ironically, this line of reasoning has been most vehemently advanced from regions that have no real or concrete exposure to reservation in the education sector. This includes the majority of North Indian States. In contrast, in the four South Indian States as well as in Maharashtra and Gujarat, which have had varying degrees of experience in this regard, the opposition is marginal or absolutely nil. The overwhelming opinion among people in these States, and even in "excellence-pursuing" academic circles, supports the principle and practice of reservation. More important, the system seems to have got so embedded in the education sector in almost all these States that the reaction is notably balanced.

Political consensus by V.VENKATESAN This article has an interesting point which I thought I must bring out...

On August 7, 1990, the then Prime Minister V.P. Singh announced the government's acceptance of the Mandal Report in Parliament, reminding the nation that the Constitution envisaged that socially and educationally backward classes (SEBCs) be identified, their difficulties removed and their conditions improved in terms of Article 340 (1) read with Article 14(4) as well as Article 16(4) of the Constitution. The government decided to adopt, in the first phase, the castes common to both the Mandal list and lists prepared by a number of States, and introduced 27 per cent reservation for the SEBCs (the constitutional term for OBCs) in services under the Government of India and PSUs.

The reservation policy of 27 per cent for OBCs, V.P. Singh announced, would not be extended to educational institutions, and that it would continue for 10 years at the end of which it would be reviewed, even though the Mandal Commission had recommended reservation in educational institutions and a 20-year duration for the policy.

Why did V.P. Singh depart from the Mandal report? Was it aimed to stop the snowballing of the popular agitation against his announcement? Or did he think it was more important to consolidate the gains of reservation in public services than introducereservation in educational institutions, which were likely to fuel students' protests?

An answer to this may perhaps be found in the Mandal report itself: "An essential part of the battle against social backwardness is to be fought in the minds of the backward people. In India, government service has always been looked upon as a symbol of prestige and power. By increasing the representation of OBCs in government services, we give them an immediate feeling of participation in the governance of this country."

With the onset of the era of liberalisation and minimal governance, the erstwhile symbol of prestige and power might have lost its sheen; hence the increased stakes in the seats in professional educational institutions which offer opportunities for a successful career in the private sector.

And finally last but not the least.. There's one point in reservation that I have never understood.. My understanding of reservation is that the government is trying to make the actual numbers in any place equal to the demographic fractions prevailing there.. Fine.. no probs.. but why should the people who have reservations get in through the unreserved category as well.. Aren't you actually blocking people who don't have reservations by this way.. ????

The best Physics Lab report that I have ever seen

Really LOL !!!  can't say anything else..

http://www.cs.wisc.edu/~kovar/hall.html

link via Nanopolitan

Reservation Issue.. a journalist's experiences and views

The Experiences of a journalist who covered the "Reservations" issue both now and then.. An interesting read. Anirudh Bhattacharyya's Blog At first he puts down the most common reactions to the "r" word..

The Congress, in its present avatar as the lead party of the many-headed UPA, is attempting to make political capital out of reservations. And the focus is on the IITs, the IIMs, NGOs, and jobs in the private sector. So, the party that once protested Mandal finds it convenient to mine it for near-term electoral gains in 2006.

And, frankly, this could be terrible timing. Corporate India is surging ahead, foreign investors are glorifying the Indian economy. So, the reaction to the political posturing from representatives of Indian companies at a business conference in Chicago was understandably tentative.

So, this is all wrong, right? Maybe not.

And then he unleashes everything that reservation is about in a nice and crisp manner..

The Government is nudging industry to wake up, to absorb the reality of the social mix India is. If industry doesn't respond quickly, the underlying message seems to be, they may just be forced to comply with a sarkari diktat.

Well.. all I can say is that I liked the last few words..

As for me, I hope that 16 years later, I don't have to deal with the word "reservations" unless it's to take my wife out to dinner.

This one sweeps all the Reservation issues to the background... Life at stake!!

http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=179502 This one story beats all reservation issues.. and what's worse.. this was told to me by a German... i just can't believe the fact that an IIT Almunus was involved as well. The most horrible thing that i have ever seen. Actually when i was discussing with my friend on this issue, i was saying "God knows what they'll do next...prob some Agni Pravesh or something...!!! " .. and you know how my friend reacted to this. "about that walking on fire...if you were to insinuate that this were a necessary step to clearing iit-jee, junta in andhra woiuld readily consign their children to the flames, if needed " Well I guess that "Andhra" was just to share his thoughts.. no personal mockery meant.. but I some how feel that statement was true (neglecting andhra)..anyways..Although the article states that no parent was involved in this.. I am sure... many would take a cue from this and go on.. and make their children do the same..God save them.. !!! poor pple.. What's next !!! ???

My first experience of "GETTING UP IN THE MORNING TO FIND A MONKEY IN MY ROOM"

Ya.. I seriously mean it.. Ever had such an experience.. I don't know what IIT Madras has in store for me.. But this is certainly exciting (slisha scary as well) TJ woke me up at 6.45 on this beautiful day.. I had just finished 2 exams yesterday.. And Venkattraman was to come to my room only at 8.30 am.. so I thought I'll crash for some more time .. so where's the mistake. ?? I left my door open.. i.e I didn't latch it.. I never realised that 45 minutes passed away so soon.. I got up to some noise inside my room.. TJ generally has the habit of checking mails in another persons room.. and I saw some vague figure near my comp.. I just thought it must have been him and woke.. and lo and behold..!!! I had my "ancestral relative" sitting right in front of me.. (you expect me to take a pic and show you in this situation.. NICE TRY.. my life at stake).. It was coolly sitting in front of the comp.. (i dunno lokking for what.. I had no edibles in my room..!!) I gave it one look.. and I don't know what it's look at my eyes meant.. ( I mean never before have I seen a Monkey sit on my chair.. !!!!!!!! ) I just rushed outside only to find another one.. and this time giving me scary looks.. and opening up it's teeth..!! Gosh !! I was at my wits end.. !! I just came back into my room.. went behind the door (obviously keeping it open expecting the monkey inside to get out).. and thankfully.. it did what I expected.. Whoah..!!! my legs are still trembling !!!! This was indeed exciting but a bit scary.!!! Hush..!!! Don't tell this to my Mom.. I told her in January that I have been chased by them atleast 5 times. From the time I got my mobile ..she has been calling me every now and then.. just to verify that nothing untoward has happened.. If I tell her about this incident.. then what happens next .. well I myself don't know what's gonna happen. .

Reservation issues

This piece (from Nanopolitan ) hit me like hell !!! I never thought along these lines before..!!! Some of the television anchors have started off on `preserving the brand equity of the IITs' angle. This is an argument that I always find infuriating. All these decades, while the government went about funding the IITs and the IITs went about their business, nobody took any major notice of the IITs. Suddenly, in the era of L-P-G (liberalization, privatization, globalization), when it is established that here is a GOVERNMENT institution that did exceedingly well (for whatever reason), the private sector boys would like to claim it as their own. The brand equity argument is one way to do it, denying the public institutional character of the IITs etc., treating them as if they were some private sector enterprise, that set about achieving some corporate mission. None of them would ever have had the patience for anything like the IITs or the IIMs. In the case of the IIMs, matters have been pushed to a point, that their corporate interests on their boards, is virtually trying to takeover these institutions and subvert their public character. True... I didn't realise this because I was on this side .. I feel like I have been enlightened or something !! But does that mean IIT's give up what they have been and behaving like other PSU's ??? A debatable point.. but certainly not by me !!!!! I am not talking on this.. as long as I don't get a concrete idea as to how people are suffering under discrimination...How many people are affected by this ?? and it's effect..!! If my own friends (Aswin and Kmap ) can't stand what I have been blabbering all along (more due to wrong choice of words though), I wonder how would I have escaped hurting others.

Quotas in IITS !!!!!

I was bit by this in Anna Univ.. escaped it when I wrote the JEE.. (yes the reservation for SC/ST's did exist.. about 22% ..but unfortunately..or fortunately.. not many came..atleast that's as far as I know ) Now... for OBC's.. BC's.. the figure rising to a staggering 50 % and what's worse.. from what I see in the media.. caste based reservation for Profs..!!!!!!! Gosh..!!!!! .. does Arjun Singh have anything inside his brain.. or is it all just mud.. or is he being compelled..Don't they like anything good surviving for some time.. Arey IIT's are not Oceans.. where you put any kind of junk.. and it'll still not make a difference..Even Oceans will react after some limit... See Prof. P.V.Indiresan reacting here. A TOI post here.. whoever wrote it.. and this is the most frightening.. it says the law could have been modified to accomodate the reservations the upcoming academic year itself.. An recent IBN Live post here.. Reader speak at IBN LIVE - here and here I accept again.. large scale politics and economics still doesn't make sense to me.. I'll never be able to understand the basic requirement for reservations.. and probably it does make sense on such a large scale and is helping people out there.. but my personal experiences have been otherwise..Most of whom I have met from the these castes have never shown an interest in Academics.. (not to mention many from my own..so am not differentiating or discriminating anybody here) So my whole point is make it just merit based.. and as some body pointed it out in IBN Reader speak.. spend the very same money that the government plans to spend here on improving infrastructure in the primary and secondary levels. I personally feel the basic difference between the IIT's and the other colleges.. is it's faculty and students.. basically the people who run it. The moment you spoil that.. the quality is sure to come down.. already the faculty are complaining as to the reduction in the quality of students who are being admitted.. we are all exam trained.. have absolutely no interest in Academics.. (except for a select few. and I just hope I am one of them) and want to get work done without putting in effort.. which is equivalent to violating the second law of thermodynamics.. just not possible boss..etc etc etc.. and I feel many of these arguments are valid.. you can't expect them to teach some body who is not interested in learning .. And here in IIT Madras.. gult gumbals, tam gumbals, northie gumbals are already taking shape.. though there is some cross interaction.. these gumbals are beginning to affect our lives more deeply.. be it the politics of student elections.. or the ever popular Shaastra and Saarang Core and Co-ordships.. This will only add to the fire.. and it's very easy for a politician to catch up to this discrimination which is bound to happen some where or the other.(no system is perfect).. and make a big hue out of this. And finally.. if Prof. P.V.Indiresan feels reservations are not correct.. then I feel happy that my view is not likely to be wrong.. though the reasons given may be different or outright foolish.. !!!!!

Some cartoons that I liked in the Hindu

Two of the cartoons that I liked in the Cartoonscape section of The Hindu.. The list is very short because I don't read it everyday.. infact rarely.. This one was on the state of the members in the LS and RS !! http://www.hindu.com/2006/03/18/stories/2006031899991200.htm And this was todays cartoon on the Nuclear Deal and the US Law makers trying to change the course.. !! Dunno if really represents the situation.. but this was just too good. http://www.hindu.com/2006/04/01/stories/2006040199991000.htm And talking of cartoons.. I am reminded of this particular one.. though it's not a cartoon.. Aswin introduced me to this site bushcalendar.com ..It's a series of famous (or infamous as you may like to call it ) statements made by bush during his term.. They are available as a calendar (infact there are apparently 7 of them) and can be purchased... so that you can wake up daily to one of those quotes..Those quotes.(No I seriously mean it .. they don't deserve any lower status) !!. ha ha (sorry still can't stop laughing !!) simply too good..(LOL !! The best one is on the front page) Don't miss the opprtunity to go through the sample pages whenever possible..

Koramangala and Kizhkattalai.. some comparisons

IBNLive : Bangalore: A city united in its woes This is getting interesting.. I am using this set of articles by CNN-IBN to write my observations of similarities that exist between Koramangala and similar places in Chennai itself. I have myself visited this area (Koramangala).. and I very much agree that this is much more posh and hi-funda compared to the other areas that I visited in Bangalore. And more importantly .. it's the area that generates so much income by virtue of Sofware exports that it will figure prominently even on the National Map because of it's ability to earn foreign exchange. Take similar areas in Chennai.. say the Industrial Estate in Guindy.. or even better.. the Industrial Estate in Kizhkattalai (dunno if some body would have even heard of it.. but that's where my Father's factory is..) And it's a better case because I know what happens there directly. One might wonder what's the connection between Koramangala and such industrial estates.. But I feel that even though their scales are not even comparable, their contribution to the Indian Economy is much the same in principle.. But take their downsides..The roads are downright bad.... I have seen better ones in some odd village in Erode..Now if that area is an industrial estate.. just imagine the revenue that the government gets out of it.. (even after the owners devise all ways to evade taxes)..and not to forget the officials' dealings under the table !! .. I feel it's enough to give the area back atleast a road..one good road.. And won't this move actually improve the area and attract more investment.. One might argue that the job of the goverment is to be a nonlinear system.. taking from one place and giving it to other places so that other places develop equally well.. I am very naive in this aspect of large scale economics and have given up trying to understand them anywhere in the near future.. but what I am saying, I feel, is just basic common sense in Business..My Father cries for every paise of tax that he pays .. not because he loses his hard earned money ( and I mean it ..I know how much my Father sweats it out for the money that he earns) but because he doesn't even get basic facilities in return. And the owners have every right to demand better facilities.. Forget the owners crying for all this.. Let's see things from the point of view of officials.. The officials have every reason to do this (giving better facilities to these people) because these industries have massive growth potential..since they are still in their infancy. A simple facility like a good road.. might for all you know double the economic output or even better..start off a few more companies in that area.. (and on the lighter side.. though it's a serious issue.. increase the value of the "under the table dealings" as well..!!!!!) I urge the officials to think BIG !! and MORE IMPORTANTLY THE OWNERS OF SUCH INDUSTRIES TO USE THEIR MUSCLE (what ever little that they have) TO ACCELERATE DEVELOPMENT BOTH IN THEIR INTEREST AND OTHERS.

IBNLive : IAF Jaguar packs more firepower

IBNLive : IAF Jaguar packs more firepower Am I becoming some brand ambassador for CNN-IBN..? Well I myself don't know..? It's feed is continously flashing on my desktop.. and hence the recent spate of blogs on it's articles.. These guys are very good at creating great hypes out of nothing.. Is another pilot in the back seat going to create so much of a difference.. so that it'll strike the fear Of God and the Air Force in the heart of the enemy. Fine I accept it does make a huge difference.. but all this is definetely too much... I used to enjoy these Discovery channel programs on airplanes...There'll be some stud level background music ... something like dudduddudddudd....and then "THE F117 Night Hawk" and then the presenter will talk as if that all the other planes are nothing compared to that.. and then the same thing about the next airplane as well.. But now .. after 3 years in the Aerospace dept.. and more importantly.. 3 months of elementary aircraft design..it seems so surprising and what's more .. funny ..that I really watched these programs.. Well now one can understand the difference between a 10 year old wanting to emulate A.P.J.Abdul Kalam and somebody like me trying to do so.. I guess.. I'll never get excited about these things the way I used to .. In one way I feel happy that I have progressed in that aspect.. and who knows .. I may even achive more.. but I really miss those days... when such trivial things used to excite me a lot. (after reading the article I felt that there was very little coherence in my post.. but who cares)

IBNLive : B'lore highway to success jammed

IBNLive : B'lore highway to success jammed Atleast some of this is what I experienced at Bangalore last May. Starting at 6.30 am in the morning to avoid the rush.. and one day I got delayed by 1.5 hours (making my journey time twice as much) just because I started half an hour late. Of course they suggest Public transport.. but that was the entire problem for me. The Buses were very good... (I mean relatively new).. but their schedule was horrible.. esp on my route.. you miss one and then wait for hours on end to get the next one. My observation was that Bangalore doesn't really need those high funda bus stands that it currently has..!!!!!!! (atleast within the city!!!!!!!).. the buses move at a snails pace..!!!!! and the passengers would be much better off getting down wherever they want.. !!!!!!!! (just kidding.. but the bus stands there are much better organized than here in Chennai.. although the service is uncomparable.. (Chennai will win hands down) And it did rain quite a bit during my stay there.. and those days were the worst.. I took a terrible 5 hours to reach home that day.. starting at 4 pm and reaching home at 9.00 pm.. whoah.!!!! I still have that day's ticket in my pocket.. !!! what an experience that was.. !!!!

IBNLive : Boring chat? Excuse is an SMS away

IBNLive : Boring chat? Excuse is an SMS away Very clever indeed.. but aren't we degrading ourselves by doing such things.. trying to make something that should be directly told in the face like this.. and worse.. all in the name of innovation Never mind.. I'll never understand the need for such things (if they do exist) unless I come to such situtations..Today.. I would rather prefer to say straight in the face and come out.. (accepted.. easier said than done)

Indifference and Lack of interest in Academics

I see many an example of this happening around me. Infact more of this rather than not (atleast that's what I infer from what I see). An indifference towards academics. Whenever one sees a person reading more than what has been taught in the class or something totally unrelated to any of the courses he/she's taking, the first question that pops up is invariably.."Putting enthu..eh!" or "Project work..???? under whom da ??" or "Why are you unnecessarily putting fight da ?? What's the point ?? ". The last question will come up if the answer to the 2nd qn is negative. Seriously let me ask you one thing...do you chat with friends in a gumbal to practise for a GD in an interview.. (if you do.. then something's seriously wrong.. I suggest you had better visit a psychiatrist !!!).. Isn't it for one obvious reason.... FUN .. Why do everybody forget this when it comes to Acads.. Can't reading anything related to Acads be fun.. ??? Why not.. ??? Why do everybody consider Acads and fun "ends apart"... I sometimes get irked by this.. I know it's the Academic system to blame.. I can tell you that I myself don't know where I would have landed up.. if it had not been hammered into my head that IIT is the place in the world to be.. infact so much so that .. even after they (mean my parents) had given up after my failure in my first attempt to get in.. I didn't ... Most people land up here because of such hammering and not because of an real interest in sciences or engineering.. I accept it's tough to get an interest in these fields when you don't have an exposure to it before you come here... But my humble request to those who don't find this (academics) interesting is that... Please don't deter and demean others' interests.. esp hard found ones..I mean people jump over so many things before they find something like "Love at first sight"

Kannthil Muthamittal

Another one of those Mani Ratnam .. do I say classics.. Everybody played their part well.. but what I liked the most was the story and of course Simran. Never seen her act better.

Cycling alone on the road at 12.00 midnight

Ever cycled alone or with somebody at 12.00 midnight with the cold air blowing at your face.. Played football at that time.. Stayed up till 5 am on the terrace trying to capture Saturn using your Webcam.... Might sound weird to many.. but the first in the above list is something that I get to do every now and then when returning from the Library... and the others not so often (would love to) but yes.. atleast once... Was just wondering.. how many people get to enjoy such things ??? Whoah I am just enjoying my life here at IIT Madras !!!

Annual Review of Fluid Mechanics

The first article of this particular yearly Journal or Book (call it whatever you want) is usually on a historical note.. say the life of a great guy in Fluid Mechanics or some institution.. Some times the amount of work done by some people is so much that their works are reviewed in the form of a series...(e.g G.I.Taylor) This particular thing in the Annual Review of Fluid Mechanics just attracted my attention.. I was just browsing through all the issues in my Library looking for review articles on Turbulence for my term paper.. when I hit upon this.. This is likely to keep me occupied for quite some time...