Monday, September 27, 2010

Messy games!

Inputs from New Delhi about the upcoming Common Wealth Games are worrying. With barely a few days left to witness the commencement of what ideally should be a matter national pride, the current situation can at best be described as being 'unhealthy, uncommon and certainly unbecoming,' a very sad reflection of the undercurrents in the theme of what is a very prestigious event, that, if managed well, could give India the thrust to position itself as a nation capable of showcasing prowess and excellence, for the world to see!

This post is not written to rant about stray dogs defecating in accommodation meant for visiting athletes, unsafe electrical systems in the games village, disgusting sanitation facilities in the complex, collapsing bridges and ceilings, inaction of the Indian Prime Minister's Office or the very recent sordid tales of racism - all of which are being periodically reported by the media with a great deal of enthusiasm, coupled with the views of delegations that are preparing to arrive or, now refraining from doing so!

I'm highly bemused and also grievingly saddened by the fact that such a colossal effort manned by supposedly professional people has gone awfully wrong, merely because of the lack of a well laid out project management plan! Isn't it time that the honourable government entrusted such momentous projects to professionally managed organizations?

I'm not sure how many people up there realize that this is actually history in the making!

Friday, September 24, 2010

The Net

Today, the Internet is seen as just another tool for exchange of ideas, communication, social networking and a whole lot of other cutting-edge applications such as tele-medicine, banking & financial services, remote sensing and so on!

It was on this day in 1979 that the Internet first acquired commercial viability, thanks to the efforts of CompuServe, thereby enabling and supporting what is today a robust and staggering user base, that is now an estimated 1,966,514,816 strong!

Perhaps, even more enormous is the social impact brought about by the Internet! One cannot help but concede that this is indeed a revolution of sorts, quietly, yet surely, changing the lives of people in ways that cannot quite be fathomed!

Footnotes:

Internet users account for 28% of the world's population.

Source: Wikipedia - List of countries by number of Internet users

Monday, September 20, 2010

What do I write about?

What do you do when you don't have something, substantial or significant, to write about?

I gather, it still makes sense to create a post - about the fact that you don't have anything to write about, doesn't it? At least, it helps you overcome that supposedly maniacal syndrome called writer's block, which I guess, hits every one of us at some point of time. I don't exactly know what causes it, and surely, I understand, that varies from person to person. But, here and now, in my case I can attribute it to some clutter, a suddenly fast-paced activity that has momentarily thrown me out of my personal schedules, that I am so zealously known to follow! But, having said that, I know that it is imperative to accept change and retain the gusto!

Writing, I've realized can be about anything, so long as it is simple, entertaining, enriching and appealing! So then, when I hit a road-block, I decided to use that as fodder for my post! No harm in making the best of any situation, don't you think? :-)

The intrepid traveller, I continue to be!

Have a wonderful day folks, and a great week ahead!

Friday, September 17, 2010

Happy Birthday Maestro Jayaraman


The magic of carnatic violin melody and Lalgudi Jayaraman Iyer are synonymous to the point of being absolutely complementary of one another, safely to be concluded as a fact where one is known for the other! The maestro's contribution to South-Indian music has enriched the sagara of carnatic music like no other. His compositions hold rich meaning and pattern that are evidently reflective of the culture of a people that is best known for tradition, knowledge and character!

Happy Birthday Maestro! May you strum more into the heart of humanity!

Footnotes:

Official Website - Lalgudi Jayaraman

Image Courtesy: Google Images

Monday, September 13, 2010

Happy Birthday Mustaine



David Scott "Dave" Mustaine needs no introduction! Absolutely iconic for his association with heavy metal bands Metallica and later Megadeath, his influence has stirred the world of metal music in ways that truly are incomprehensible! From Set The World Afire, The Four Horsemen and Kill 'Em All, to name a few that is, his creations awaken a spirit from the inside that, fuelled by an obsessive enthusiasm, knows no bounds in transcending the many boundaries of the self, aided by a musically beaten path!

Now we know, for whom the bell tolls! Happy Birthday Mustaine!

Footnotes:

Official Website - Megadeth

Image Courtesy: Google Images

Friday, September 10, 2010

Happy Birthday Ritchie


Today is the birthday of British filmmaker and screenwriter Guy Stuart Ritchie. Known for his ultra non-commercial and unconventional manner of film making, he has certainly attained a very coveted position in the world of showbiz! Intensely deep while depicting events from various perspectives, his films are rich in their portrayal of characters in a very iconic and imposing fashion, often leaving lasting impressions in the minds of the audience!

Which leads me to wonder of what he smokes while making movies! :-) Or is it the dyslexia at play? But surely, theres no doubting the genius he us!

Footnotes:

Image Courtesy: Google Images

Wednesday, September 08, 2010

30's Club

Feels elegant to be part of the 30's club and to still be young! Joyfully turning 31 today!

Monday, September 06, 2010

The big question

Stephen Hawking's thoughts in his latest book The Grand Design about God not necessarily being the initiator of creation evokes mixed reactions in me. That part of me, which believes in rationality urges my mind to rest on the belief that creation was just an event among other things in what is a continuous process, but the other side of mine that anchors upon faith refuses to come to terms with a belief that the existence of my person, and the many other prominent facts such as the perfect Earth-Sun distance, the just-about-right solar mass and most astonishingly, the optimum time of day and night among other things, are not merely as a result of coincidence or accident!

I'd like to believe that while the process of creation has been strongly aided by scientific mechanism, it has been also stalwartly processed and furthered by a force that remains to be reckoned! More importantly, I'd like to believe that I, like all of us human beings, co-creations here on Earth and within the many realms outside of our own planet are indeed part of an elaborately grand design, and could not have come to being from nothingness or chaos merely because some laws of physics govern the manner in which the universe and it's contents come to be!

Friday, September 03, 2010

Happy Birthday King


Today is the birthday of Freddie King, the legendary king of blues and funk music, and in time the man who redefined the blues culture not only in the United States, but largely across the world!

Best known for his hit singles Have you ever loved a women and Hide Away, King continues to remain a Godly inspiration for modern day blues musicians who adapt his style and elegance in an attempt to etch themselves a name in the genre.

Following a proclamation in 1993 by the Governor of Texas, September 3rd has been declared as Freddie King Day! King passed away on December 28, 1976 in Dallas, Texas at age 42.

Footnotes:

Official Website - Feddie King

Image Courtesy: The Official Freddie King Site