The Memory Remains, Part 1

Unperturbed and comforting are two words that sum up my stay in Hyderabad and Secunderabad: twin cities, but distinct in their own way. The former bustling with commotion while the later as tranquil as you can imagine.

It was totally unexpected and uncalled for me to end up there. But as always the best things in your lives happens when you least expect it. Though I had conflicting notions about going there in the first place, I still went as I had no choice but to go there. You got to do what you got to do.

In this new series of blogs I will discuss some of the memorable and definitely hilarious incidents that happened to me while I was here in Hyderabad.

And this is the place where I began:

This was my work place for close to 8 month located right in the heart of Gachibowli, a booming high tech village on the outskirts of Hyderabad. Well, at first glance it resembled, a high tech ET( extra terrestrial) research facility. The domes are shaped like UFOs to attract prospective aliens ;), then you have a maze like structure where researchers could hide and study their movements and could trap them.

This building was designed by I.K.Gujral’s (India’s former PM) brother and it’s a replica of the Golconda Fort. Its eerie settings reminded me of the Stonehenge and the variety of mountainous stones, further justified this assumption to some extent. The sprawling campus of around 100 acres is laden with trees and wild plantations, providing a beautiful surrounding. At the same time, it was a dream opportunity for employees to have a decent1 km long walk after the sumptuous lunch and play hooky with their managers.

Gold Rush in Banswara [:D]

Well I wanted to blog about this mind boggling discovery that happened in Banswara district of Rajasthan from a long time.

Okay if you are wondering what Banswara is all about well , then its a small district town located in southern Rajasthan bordering Gujarat on the south east and Madhya Pradesh on the north west. Its the place where I was born. Its been a lethargic town with SCST ( bhil tribes) being the majority and few Muslims and hindu business owners. Well can write a whole book about it but no thats not the issue we are discussing.

As per the Hindu article:

http://www.hindu.com/2005/03/04/stories/2005030408550500.htm
2.5 crore tonne Gold deposits have been located in Bhukia-Jagpura village in Banswara District.

Also as per http://mines.nic.in/archp3gsi.html
Exploration for Gold in Bhukia (E) Banswara district, Rajasthan has indicated a tentative resource of 7 m.t. of gold ore with an average grade of 2 g/t.

Well with incessant rain, Banswara is already referred to as the Cherrapunji of Rajasthan, very soon if the gold strikes hopefully, we will be known as the Yosemite valley of India.

India Vs Pakistan

If I dont debate on this topic I feel like something missing :).

Okay so I saw this video on youtube: (for reference purpose).
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7271756746274927764&q=Musharraf+debate+video

This guy very wells tells General 'Bush'arraf that Pakistan
should learn something from its neighbour India which too got independence at the same time and had exactly the same time to establish a governance.

He says that no matter what , Indian Democracy is so strong that no matter how worse the government is, the army wont leave the barracks and take over the reigns of the governance. Which is not possible in Pakistan, where the army is infact more powerfull then the elected government.

I guess Indian Political propaganda machine should stop raising this issue of blaming General Busharraf of not preparing grounds for democratic elections. Because, even if an elected prime minister do come up, he/she will be controlled by the army nevertheless

Fatimid Dynasty- Time of Imam Moiz AS

War with Byzantine

In 345 H, the Fatimid naval fleet inflicted a major defeat on the Byzantines in Italy under the command of Ammar bin Hasan, following several minor entanglements and forcing the emperor Constantine VII (913-959) to pay tribute and send a peace-negotiating embassy to the court of Imam Moiz. Later the Umayyids joined hands with Rome and started a campaign against the Fatimids.

Imam Moiz traveeled to Mehdiya in a huge army and ordered the Fatimi fleets to pursue them under the command of Qaid Joher and Hasan bin Ali, Governor of Sicily. It was no sooner that Rome was inficted with a heavy defeat and they had to flee. The news of the defeat had reached the Umayyids in Spain, who ordered their men to return. Ibn Hani of Spain, one of the famous poets of the Fatimid Era has described with detail in many verses, about the victory of the Fatimi forces.

The emporer later sent gifts and precious tokens of silk and gold to the court of Imam Moiz asking him to return his forces back home and award a peace treaty with Rome. In 356 H, a peace treaty was concluded between the Fatimids and the Byzantines, and accordingly, the Muslims sought the right to impose jizya on the Christian inhabitants of Sicily. This defeat of the Byzantines was indeed celebrated with pomp through out the Islamic world.

Fatimid supremacy on the seas was possible due to their knowledge of astronomy and geography.

The Fatimid Caliphs were great patrons of science and learning, thus encouraging research in astronomy and geography.

There were big observatories in Cairo where scholars could follow the movement of the stars. Ibn Yunus, who worked in these observatories, is considered one of the greatest astronomers of the Islamic World.

An astrolabe (instrument for measuring altitude of the sun and stars at sea) developed in the time of Imam Moiz is still kept in the British Museum in London. Geography formed an important part of the curriculum at the Al-Azhar.

Imam Moiz AS was greatly interested in geography and commended a piece of silk to be made at Tustar in Persia, representing, in gold and colours, a map of the world, which cost him 22,000 Dinars (7).

Pursuit of Happiness

Researchers have proved that Happiness doesnt come to you by magic. Its is an end result of proper decision making.

I dont mean to deny that fact that lot of people associate spirituality to happiness. Lot of people chose a particular religion because they made a decision that this was the way of life they want to live and hence it makes them happy in whatever religious duties they perform.

Now you make investments ( whatever kinds ) they are but they involve thorough decision making and when you reap the benefits you are happy.