Storytellers.Man,they are a pain.Especially when you meet one in a train.I did not actually met one but my fellow passengers did.I was travelling from Nagpur to Raigarh in a train.As always I had booked a upper berth.I do that to avoid talking to people and on this particular journey even that precaution was not going to save me.There was this fellow sitting there with the other passengers who started telling stories.At first he was quiet.I fell asleep quite soon after the train started but then constant chatter broke my sleep.I could hear a guy telling a story.At first I tried to listen what it was about.It was something about mythology.I never heard of the characters he kept talking about.And no it was not even remotely interesting.I mean he was talking about some guys slippers which he wore on a particular day and why he wore a green chaddi with a yellow shirt on a full moon.I was truly irritated but atleast I thought I did not have to fake enthusiasm like those poor listeners below.I was thinking about those guys while his jibber jabber was going on continuously when suddenly out of nowhere,one of the listeners asked him a question.I was incredulous.So the listeners were also of the same mould.They were indeed interested and had questions too.I cursed my luck for falling in this bunch of nincompoops.Anyway I pressed my blanket over my ears and tried to fall back to sleep but thanks to that motormouth and his loyal group of listeners I couldn't sleep properly and had to endure a torturous journey.
Friday, December 18, 2015
Thursday, November 19, 2015
Q and A series. Q1.What is the one life experience that made you mature significantly?
These questions were asked in Quora and the answers here were the answers I wrote there.This is the first part of a series I will continue.
A.Once me and my friends were eating steaks in a restaurant in Hyderabad.When the bill came it was Rs3000 for just the three of us.When the time to pay came none of us had cash.We had only cards and the card machine of the restaurant had a problem.So I decided to go out and take out money from an ATM.I went to a nearby ATM and took out the cash and was making my way back to the restaurant when suddenly my eyes fell on a beggar sitting on the side of the road.The road was poorly lit and I couldn't see properly.But what I saw moved me.The beggar was carefully unwrapping some thing.I looked carefully and saw that it was some leftover vadas.The careful and delicate manner of his,which looked like it was the most precious thing he had, almost made my eyes moist.Here was a man who was eating leftovers and I was just coming off from a Rs3000 meal.I was disgusted with myself. I hastened inside,paid the bill and came out to search for that guy but he was gone. Though I do some work for the less fortunates (I started a club of like minded friends for doing charity work few years back) I decided it was time to up the ante and increase the amount of work.I am,these days working on it.
Sunday, November 15, 2015
I stand with....
I stand with Paris,France
I stand with Baghdad,Iraq
I stand with Beirut,Lebanon
I stand with Fotokol,Cameroon
I stand with Arish,Egypt
I stand with Mogadishu,Somalia
I stand with Syria
I stand with Palestine
I stand with Sudan
I stand with Libya
I stand with Yemen
I stand with Mexico
I stand with all the people in the world who have become a victim of violence.
As a Muslim I condemn this latest act of violence in France.
A number of terrorist outfits in the world claim to be Islamic but they are anything but Islamic.
The one responsible for the most recent attack, in Paris,ISIS is, as a muslim from Singapore rightly labelled 'Cancer at the heart of Islam'.
They do not represent muslims as they claim.They are a weed that needs to be rooted out.
Islam does not teach violence.
Islam does not tells you to harm others.
The Quran says the following
'Whoever kills an innocent person, it is as if he has killed all of humanity'- Quran 5:32
I stand with Baghdad,Iraq
I stand with Beirut,Lebanon
I stand with Fotokol,Cameroon
I stand with Arish,Egypt
I stand with Mogadishu,Somalia
I stand with Syria
I stand with Palestine
I stand with Sudan
I stand with Libya
I stand with Yemen
I stand with Mexico
I stand with all the people in the world who have become a victim of violence.
As a Muslim I condemn this latest act of violence in France.
A number of terrorist outfits in the world claim to be Islamic but they are anything but Islamic.
The one responsible for the most recent attack, in Paris,ISIS is, as a muslim from Singapore rightly labelled 'Cancer at the heart of Islam'.
They do not represent muslims as they claim.They are a weed that needs to be rooted out.
Islam does not teach violence.
Islam does not tells you to harm others.
The Quran says the following
'Whoever kills an innocent person, it is as if he has killed all of humanity'- Quran 5:32
As a Muslim I am deeply saddened by what these terrorists are doing in the name of Islam.And over 1.6 Billion muslims all over the world feel the same. These terrorists have no religion.
I dream of that day when all of these terrorists are wiped off from the face of the earth.
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
'The Existential Pleasures of Engineering'.A Review.
'The Existential Pleasures of Engineering' by Samuel C.Florman
is a book about engineering and what engineers feel about their profession.In a very highly enthusiastic tone the author talks about engineering as a most basic impulse of man.He celebrates the fact that engineers have shaped the modern world and staunchly defends it against people who say it has bought more problems than solutions.
The book starts off with detailing the rise and subsequent fall in popularity of the engineers.He calls the period between 1850 and 1950 to be the golden age of engineers.At this point of time engineers were a respected lot and people termed them as 'benefactors of mankind'. He bought in the industrial revolution with his locomotives,electric power,steam power,mass production and bridges.After that industrial revolution life was never the same again for mankind.Things have improved dramatically for humans.It then goes on to describe the negativity that engulfed the engineering profession during the cold war when the perception of the engineering profession changed from 'benefactors of mankind' to 'Prophets of doom'.One of the chief reasons for this was the Atomic Bomb.
This negativity then led to the advent of a new type of critic of engineers called the 'Anti technologists' .This is described in the second part of the book.This part describes the viewpoints of the anti technologists who in their criticism have declared that man in his continuing quest of new technology has become the slave of this very technology he created for his benefit.The third and final part is the most exciting part of the book wherein the author answers the anti technologist point of views.He counter questions them and provides some thought provoking standpoints.In addition to defending the engineers from the anti technologists the author urges the engineering community to bring in a measure of sophistication to their profession and life.He urges them to move beyond their profession and bring in a bit of imagination,social concern and culture.He also calls for engineers all over the world to express their love for engineering uninhibitedly.He calls engineering fun and something that gives a 'kick' to a man.
All in all this book is a must read for anybody who is even a least bit interested in engineers or engineering.The author has an infectious enthusiasm that is visible all through out the book.He celebrates engineering as something that is vital to the very existence of man.If not the whole book the first chapter of part 1 and chapter 11 of part 3 are a must read.
On a closing note I would like the reader to look up the story of sisyphus who the author calls the symbol of the modern engineer.He says the following regarding the story of sisyphus.'We are beginning to realize that for mankind there will never be a time to rest at the top of the mountain.There will be no Arcadian age.There will always be new burdens,new problems,new failures,new beginnings.And the glory of man is to respond to his harsh fate with zest and ever renewed effort.An engineer's work springing as it does from the most basic impulse of humanity can fill him with existential joy'
is a book about engineering and what engineers feel about their profession.In a very highly enthusiastic tone the author talks about engineering as a most basic impulse of man.He celebrates the fact that engineers have shaped the modern world and staunchly defends it against people who say it has bought more problems than solutions.
The book starts off with detailing the rise and subsequent fall in popularity of the engineers.He calls the period between 1850 and 1950 to be the golden age of engineers.At this point of time engineers were a respected lot and people termed them as 'benefactors of mankind'. He bought in the industrial revolution with his locomotives,electric power,steam power,mass production and bridges.After that industrial revolution life was never the same again for mankind.Things have improved dramatically for humans.It then goes on to describe the negativity that engulfed the engineering profession during the cold war when the perception of the engineering profession changed from 'benefactors of mankind' to 'Prophets of doom'.One of the chief reasons for this was the Atomic Bomb.
This negativity then led to the advent of a new type of critic of engineers called the 'Anti technologists' .This is described in the second part of the book.This part describes the viewpoints of the anti technologists who in their criticism have declared that man in his continuing quest of new technology has become the slave of this very technology he created for his benefit.The third and final part is the most exciting part of the book wherein the author answers the anti technologist point of views.He counter questions them and provides some thought provoking standpoints.In addition to defending the engineers from the anti technologists the author urges the engineering community to bring in a measure of sophistication to their profession and life.He urges them to move beyond their profession and bring in a bit of imagination,social concern and culture.He also calls for engineers all over the world to express their love for engineering uninhibitedly.He calls engineering fun and something that gives a 'kick' to a man.
All in all this book is a must read for anybody who is even a least bit interested in engineers or engineering.The author has an infectious enthusiasm that is visible all through out the book.He celebrates engineering as something that is vital to the very existence of man.If not the whole book the first chapter of part 1 and chapter 11 of part 3 are a must read.
On a closing note I would like the reader to look up the story of sisyphus who the author calls the symbol of the modern engineer.He says the following regarding the story of sisyphus.'We are beginning to realize that for mankind there will never be a time to rest at the top of the mountain.There will be no Arcadian age.There will always be new burdens,new problems,new failures,new beginnings.And the glory of man is to respond to his harsh fate with zest and ever renewed effort.An engineer's work springing as it does from the most basic impulse of humanity can fill him with existential joy'
Saturday, September 12, 2015
My Videos.Part 3.Random
Whatever videos have been left out from the previous two posts I have them here.Some are related to school and couple of them are about travel trips I made.
1.This was when we celebrated Teachers Day during our first year of Intermediate.That was back in 2007.
2.Then came the Teachers Day of the year 2008.That was the last year I spent in my Colony.
3.In my second year our school participated in a large national Youth fest comprising of all the branches of AECS schools.I took part in the Quiz event and we even bagged the first Position.Heres the full account of that wonderful trip.Below is the video I made of the pictures that we took there.
4.In 2007 we hosted a farewell party for our seniors.I still remember the daily meetings we used to hold,the little arguments and the different responsibilities we had.It was all very exciting.
5.In intermediate we used to do all sorts of shenanigans.Like one time when one of our classmates threw small stones at a bee hive just to see how the hive absorbs the stone first and then ejects it.But the inevitable followed and one time the bees flew out in anger and attacked the large number of us standing there to watch the show.Two bees bit me and that stung me for days.Another time when one of our most strict teachers was teaching we took a video of him.It was very successful.He didn't notice.Heres the video I made after many years of the actual video we shot.
6.School Days are hard to forget.One day during my engineering days when I was reminiscing about my school days I dug out all the videos I had of those days and made a compilation of them.I realized that during our intermediate we took a lot of videos.Heres the compilation.
7.The following two videos are of the trips I made with friends to Puri in Orissa and then to Mainpat in Chhattsigarh.
Though I have made a number of other videos they are not meant for public.They are too cheesy to be shared with the public.So they will remain in the depths of Youtube only for my viewing and cringing.
1.This was when we celebrated Teachers Day during our first year of Intermediate.That was back in 2007.
2.Then came the Teachers Day of the year 2008.That was the last year I spent in my Colony.
3.In my second year our school participated in a large national Youth fest comprising of all the branches of AECS schools.I took part in the Quiz event and we even bagged the first Position.Heres the full account of that wonderful trip.Below is the video I made of the pictures that we took there.
4.In 2007 we hosted a farewell party for our seniors.I still remember the daily meetings we used to hold,the little arguments and the different responsibilities we had.It was all very exciting.
5.In intermediate we used to do all sorts of shenanigans.Like one time when one of our classmates threw small stones at a bee hive just to see how the hive absorbs the stone first and then ejects it.But the inevitable followed and one time the bees flew out in anger and attacked the large number of us standing there to watch the show.Two bees bit me and that stung me for days.Another time when one of our most strict teachers was teaching we took a video of him.It was very successful.He didn't notice.Heres the video I made after many years of the actual video we shot.
6.School Days are hard to forget.One day during my engineering days when I was reminiscing about my school days I dug out all the videos I had of those days and made a compilation of them.I realized that during our intermediate we took a lot of videos.Heres the compilation.
7.The following two videos are of the trips I made with friends to Puri in Orissa and then to Mainpat in Chhattsigarh.
Though I have made a number of other videos they are not meant for public.They are too cheesy to be shared with the public.So they will remain in the depths of Youtube only for my viewing and cringing.
Friday, August 28, 2015
My Videos.Part 2.College Days
Everyone likes his/her college days.So do I.I had some memorable moments both with my college mates and my friends during the 4 years I spent in Hyderabad. Here are some videos I made during those 4 years.
1.The below video was taken during our college Freshers day.Thanks to our seniors we had lots of fun on that day and got to know many of our classmates and seniors.One guy named Ehatareen nearly made mincemeat of my feet when he accidentally stepped on them during his dance.
2.A trip to the historic city of Bidar was done in the second year.APSRTC buses,autos,donkey driven carts we used them all in this trip.Not to forget one wonderful Andhra meals we had in a roadside dhaba.
3.Then followed a trip to Bijapur where we saw the mighty Gol Gumbaz.One of the rare times when I acted crazy in public.My friend Ameen and myself shoted random meaningless stuff when we were in the whispering alley at the top of the Gol Gumbaz.
'Master ji papaji ki patloon do bilang choti kardo' was the most repeated one.
3.Another trip to Bhongir Fort.Sitting at the top of the hill overlooking the town of bhongir,my friend Rahmath and I had a thoughtful conversation parts of which I still remember.
4.'Adsophos' was our college fest and it was 2 days of full fun.When I was in second year I was a volunteer for an event and when Adsophos came again in fourth year I organized that same event.It felt quite good.
5.All good things come to an end.In the last days of our fourth year we had a wonderful party at Alankrita Resorts.The cricket match and dip in the pool were the highlights.
The following videos are about the trips I had with my childhood friends during my college days.
1.Nearby our colony in Aswapuram we have this wonderfully secluded lake called Tummalacheruvu. We visited it once and this video is a personal favorite.
2.In my second year I visited suryapet where three of my close friends were doing their engineering.
This video is a compilation of that trip and another trip we did.
3.In my second year I visited my friend's place in karimnagar where he was doing his engineering. I visited the mallangoor fort there.One of the toughest climbs I did before Roopkund happened.
6.This was perhaps the best trip our gang of friends had till date.8 out of 9 were present and we had some serious fun in vizag.
7.This was about Ananthagiri Hills near Hyderabad.Of all the videos I have made till date this has the highest views on Youtube.
I made a number of other videos during this time about our school and other stuff.I will post them in the next part.If my videos remind you of any memorable incidents please I implore you to either comment below or maybe message me.
Sunday, August 16, 2015
My videos.Part 1.School Days.
In my 12th class my brother bought a Digital camera.My brother is a lover of technology in general and photography in particular.So keeping in view his interest with photography he wanted a digital camera having gotten bored with Dad's Yashica and his own Kodak.As for me I was interested in other things.But this digital camera caught my fancy like no other at that time.In addition to taking pics I loved its video taking capability.I took many videos with it.Then I edited them,added some music and made a complete product.These videos of my friends that I made back then remain my best help whenever I feel nostalgic about those times.
Here in this post I present to you some of my earliest videos.
1.Back in my 12th my friends and I hit upon the idea of making a short movie.This was long before the short movie craze took over the entire country.We shot many scenes but ultimately had to abandon the whole thing because we simply couldn't control our laughter whenever the camera rolled.From whatever videos we did have I made this trailer for our movie.This was the first edited video I made and uploaded on my channel in YouTube. This was uploaded in August of 2008.
I have since those days made many other videos.Most of them have been about travel and a few were about college.I will be posting them in the following posts.
Here in this post I present to you some of my earliest videos.
1.Back in my 12th my friends and I hit upon the idea of making a short movie.This was long before the short movie craze took over the entire country.We shot many scenes but ultimately had to abandon the whole thing because we simply couldn't control our laughter whenever the camera rolled.From whatever videos we did have I made this trailer for our movie.This was the first edited video I made and uploaded on my channel in YouTube. This was uploaded in August of 2008.
2.My friends and I formed a gang back in our 9th class but we only started hanging out together and doing stuff in our 11th and 12th class.In connection with the above movie we were to make I thought we will be needing a cool intro for the movie.Even though the movie idea was abandoned I made an intro video nevertheless.Here it is.
3.The below video was made in the spur of the moment.We shot some really good videos of us riding our bikes around the colony and I felt the need to compile them together with a nice song in the background.The result is below.
4.In our 12th class we had a little picnic in the surrounding hills of our colony.This video is about it.
I have since those days made many other videos.Most of them have been about travel and a few were about college.I will be posting them in the following posts.
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