memorable quotes from Between the Assassinations by Arvind Adiga

Bring children-into what future? That was the most baboon like thing the other coolies did: procreate, as if to say they were satisfied with their fate, they were happy to replenish the world that had consigned them to this task.

You have to attain a certain level of richness before you can complain about being poor, he thought. When you are this poor, you are not given the right to complain.

Because we let them. Because we do not dare run away with that wad of fifty thousand rupees-because we know other poor people will catch us and drag us back before the rich man. We poor have built a prison around ourselves.


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Donna the deer crossing lady.

Finally the video is out of the radio conversation of Donna the deer-crossing lady with the RJ.
The most surprising part is that she believes strongly in her belief :) without having any inkling of doubt that it's completely stupid.

http://www.y94.com/y94-blog-details.php?ID=4122

memorable quotes from : Between the assassinations, by Arvind Adiga

When it comes to three things"- he counted them off- "black marketing, counterfeiting, and corruption, we are the world champions. If they were included in the olympic games, india would win gold, silver and bronze in those three."

Corruption Abbasi said. "Corruption. it's like a demon sitting on my brain and eating it with fork and a knife."

"We need one man to stand up to them."

He looked out of the window at the Bunder: this violent, rotten, garbage-strewn port, crawling with pickpockets and knife-carrying thugs-it seemed the only place where a man was safe from the corruption of Kittur.

A ship was slowly leaving the Bunder, edging to where the blue waters of the sea changed color and turned a deeper hue. It was about to hit a large patch of brilliant sunshine, an oasis of pure light.

It is her own fault if she feels wretched in their presence.

They viewed him as the product of a buccaneering adventure on the part of his father; they associated him(he was sure) with an entire range of corruptions. Mix one part premarital sex and one part caste violation in a block pot and what do you get? This cute little Satan: Shankara.

Fellows like his father belonged to no cast or religion or race; they lived for themselves. They were the only real men in this world.

is it just a fable for old men like him? If you just said to yourself,"Caste is a fiction," would it vanish like smoke; if you said,"I am free," would you realize you had always been free?

He was an overweight man entering the final phase of middle age, he breathed through his mouse, and a thicket of hair poked out of his nose. The centerpiece of his body was a massive potbelly, a hard knot of flesh pregnant with a dozen cardiac arrests.

Once India had been ruled by three foreigners: England, France and Portugal. Now their place was taken by three native-born thugs: Betrayal, Bungling and Backstabbing.


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Fasalon ko Takalluf hein - Naat Lyrics and Translation

This is a very beautiful naat in shaan(glory) of Prophet Mohammed SA and the intense desire of a muslim to go to Medina (the burial place of Prophet Mohammed). Below is the translation of the naat in English from Urdu



Fasalon ko takalluf hein humsey agar
hum bhi bebas nahin be-sahara nahin
khud unhi ko pukareengey hum door-se
raaste mein agar paao thak jaayengey

if the long distance have created hesitation
tell them we are neither helpless nor needy
we will seek help from Rasulallah SA from far
if our feets give up on the way

hum mediney mein tanha nikal jaayengey
aur galiyon mein kasdam bhatak jaayengey
hum waha jaa key waapis nahin aayengey
dhoondtey dhoondtey log thak jaayengey

We will roam alone in Medina
we will purposely get lost in its alleys
once we reach there, we wont come back
people will try their best, but wont find us 

jaisey hi subz gumbat nazar aayega
bandagi ka kareena badal jaayega
sir jhooka ney ki fursat milegey kisey
khud hi palko sey sajdey tapak jaayengey

as soon as we see the green-colored minaret 
the mode of prayers will change 
we wont have time to prostrate 
instead tears will drop from our eyes 

naam-e-aqa (SA) jahaan bhi liya jaayega
zikar unka jahaa bhi kiya jaayega
noor hi noor seeno mein bhar jaayega
saari mehfil mein jalwey lapak jaayengey

wherever there will be mention of Rasuallah SA 
our hearts will be filled with the blessed light 
and the entire surrounding will be filled with the holy light

ae madiney key zaaeir khuda key liye
daastan-ne-safar mujhko yoon mat suna
baat baad jaayegi dil tadap jaayega
mere mohtaat aansoon jhalak jaayengey

hey you fortunate visitor to Medina 
dont mention to me the story of your trip 
it will fill my heart with grief 
and my desperate tears will start flowing again

unki chasm-e-karam hein iski khabar 
kis musafir ko hein kitna shauk-e-safar
humko ek baar jub bhi ijazaat mili
hum bhi aqa key darbaar tak jaayengey

Prophet Mohammed's benevolent eyes knows
which visitor is desperately waiting to come to Medina
and once we get that change 
we will visit the holy place of the Prophet Mohammed SA

fasalon ko takalluf hein humsey agar
hum bhi be-bas nahin be-sahara nahin
khud unhi ko pukareyengey hum door sey
raaste mein agar paao thuk jaayengey

Noble Prize winners from India

Read an article on Slashdot today about a Noble Prize laureate - Abdus Salam from Pakistan. He was given the Noble Prize for his work on the Higgs Bosom particle, which was discovered recently.

Abdus Salam has passed away, and unlike any other Noble Peace Prize laureate, he has not enjoyed the fame and respect in his country - Pakistan. The reason being he belongs to the Ahmadiyyah sect of Islam. His name is shunned from books, literature and speaking words of  fame for him is akin to blasphemy.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2012/jul/08/higgs-boson-pakistan-scientist

This intrigued me to find out how many Noble Prize laureates were from India. And here is the list from Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobel_laureates_of_India

1902	Ronald Ross	Medicine	Foreign citizens born in India
1907	Rudyard Kipling	Literature	Foreign citizens born in India
1913	Rabindranath Tagore	Literature	Citizen of British India
1930	C.V. Raman	Physics	Citizen of British India
1968	Har Gobind Khorana	Medicine	Foreign citizens of Indian origin
1979	Mother Teresa	Peace	Citizen of India
1983	Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar	Physics	Foreign citizens of Indian origin
1998	Amartya Sen	Economic Sciences	Citizen of India
2009	Venkatraman Ramakrishnan	Chemistry	Foreign citizens of Indian origin

Jame Anwar, Cairo, Egypt

Pics from my recent trip to the land of the Fatimi Cairo. These are the pics of Al Masjid Jame ul Anwar taken during night and early morning.

The drama called Indian Olympics Tennis Contingent

So right when the whole world is ready to get its adrenaline pumping with the upcoming olympics, to support their respective countries for this once in 4 year bonanza, Indian people are enjoying the drama been enacted by the AITA ( All India Tennis Association) and of course the players.

Here goes it:
AITA decided to pair Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi for Men's double, but they didnt know that they werent talking with each other and had issues. Issues that couldnt be solved, issues that came before the country. They just couldnt overcome their bloated egos. So finally they decided to not to play together.

Now it gets interesting. The AITA decided to be a little biased with Bhupathi and paired him up with India's number three player - Rohan Bopanna. Bopanna has some grand-slam experience is a much better players than the #4 playes - Vishnu Vardhan, who was paired with Leander Paes. Now they made Bhupathi happy but the other stalwart of Indian Tennis - Leander Paes wasnt.

Even more interesting, so what do they do now, they used Sania Mirza ( India's #1 Female Tennis Player) as a bait to satisfy the disgruntled Paes. So the drama gets more spicier. Sania wrote a scathing letter to the AITA describing how she felt - discriminated, dis-respected blah blah. She was write !!

So yes, when every one is busy prepping for the olympics, trying to win Golds for their countries we are enjoying this pot-purri that our stars are cooking :)

Last rites of my Mitsu ....

Words from the River of Smoke

1. Paunchy - a man/woman with a big belly
2. Chivvy - repeatedly tell someone to do something
3. phalanx - a group of people moving in a formation
4. daguerrotypes - first of its kind of photographic method

Venus' Transit across the Sun

Venus's transit across the Sun was observed on June 5th'2012. NASA compiled an video from the various photographs it took for this event.

Aqa Moula TUS's historic visit to Taherabad (Galiyakot)

Lake Moraine, Alberta Canada

Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada

Mossy Foot Charity

Friends,

Please support this cause to help unfortunate people in Ethiopia who are suffering with a horrible disease called Elephantiasis. You can find more details on the disease here -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elephantiasis

They really need our help. A small act of giving will go a long way in improving the sorry state of these people. You can donate through this website:

http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/mossyfoot/

More details of the charity can be found here - www.mossyfoot.com

Thanks,
H

Memorable Quotes from The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid

“She was struggling against a current that brought her inside herself.”

“It seems an obvious thing to say, but you should not imagine that we Pakistanis are all potential terrorists, just as we should not imagine that you Americans are all undercover assassins.”

“Darashikoh was inside, for all the world a tastefully dressed patron of the shop, but he carried death in his undershorts and hunger in his heart. ”

“As a society, you were unwilling to reflect upon the shared pain that united you with those who attacked you. You retreated into myths of your own difference, assumptions of your own superiority. And you acted out these beliefs on the stage of the world, so that the entire planet was rocked by the repercussions of your tantrums, not least my family, now facing war thousands of miles away.”

“The poets say some moths will do anything out of love for a flame

“You're never rude,' she said, smiling, 'and I think it's good to be touchy sometimes. It means you care.”

“One ought not to encourage beggars, and yes, you are right, it is far better to donate to charities that address the causes of poverty rather than to him, a creature who is merely its symptom.”

“In a subway car, my skin would typically fall in the middle of the color spectrum. On street corners, tourists would ask me for directions. I was, in four and a half years, never an American; I was immediately a New Yorker.”

“She attracted people to her; she had presence, an uncommon magnetism. Documenting her effect on her habitat, a naturalist would likely have compared her to a lioness: strong, sleek, and invariably surrounded by her pride.”

“When the uncertain future becomes the past, the past in turn becomes uncertain”

“The ruins proclaim the building was beautiful.”

“Maximum return was the maxim to which we returned.”

H1-B visa stamping in Calgary

Easy Breezy !!

Completely hassel-free. It was easy to book the appointment, as the appointments were available. I think nobody really goes to Calgary consulate, because it is in the middle of nowhere. And because of that the crowd is less and eventually you get the passport next day. Yes, next day, of course if everything goes well.

So here we go, booked the appointment at:
http://usvisa-info.com/en-CA/selfservice/ss_country_welcome

Paid the initial fees, and then you have the option to use the payment code in multiple forms ( for different consulates). With a little computer knowledge you can login and check for available dates as per your convenience. I did the same. Booked the appointment, got employment verification letter, and then booked the tickets. Here is an issue with Calgary, it is a little expensive to fly there, which, I thought would be a much better option, then dealing with delays and stress at other US consulates in Canada.

I was lucky to get an appointment in Calgary after 13 days, and after login in checking after few days, appointments were available in the next 7-8 days. That just shows how much less crowded the Calgary consulate is. I stuck with my old date which was after 2 weeks.

Flew into Calgary on a Sunday, I was asked at the Canadian Immigration why I am visiting? I showed them the interview appointment letter and it was all good. No major hassels. Reached there on Sunday night, checked into a hotel. Hotels are an another hit on your budget, as they are expensive in Calgary. I was not surprised as it is a Canadian boomtown, thanks to the discovery of oil.

Interview was on Tuesday ( Monday was public holiday - July 4th). Arrived at the consulate at 7:45 for a 9:00 AM interview. There was no line. Few peoples ( may be 2-3) showed up for 9:00 AM appointment. The guard opened the door at 8:30AM. Remember not to carry any backpacks, as they dont allow. You might have to make a trip back to your car, incase you carried a backpack with you.

At precisely, 8:45 AM we entered the main building, after few security checks. The process is so streamlines, that you feel like a components that is moving on an assembly line. They check your documents first, then finger prints and then a brief interview. Asked me few question may be for 3-5. Remember to know your job well. They will def ask you what you do. I am a FTE hence had fewer questions. Doesnt mean if you are a contractor they will ask you more. I wouldnt know :). After few questions, I was told congratulations your visa is approved, and you will receive your passport tomorrow ( at the DHL location). I was expecting to be there at least 4-5 hours, but was out in 25 minutes, at 9:25. The consulate is in the downtown, but everything was closed that early, hence I had to drive back to the hotel.

So next day got a call from DHL at 6:45 PM that my passport was ready for pickup. I said I will be there in 15 minutes, and the morons said : sorry we will be closing at 7PM. I think they get the passport at 5:30-6:00 PM ( next day of your interview), but they dont call you until the end of the day. I wish I had known that earlier, I would have gone at waited there, and got my passport the very next day of interview. This way I could have flown back to the US in 3 days . Oh well, it still was better than many other places.

There isnt a lot to do in Calgary, except if you go there in the Summer. Beautiful place, and even more fun in Banff (1.5 hrs drive west of Calgary). Def plan to go there. Its worth it. From Banff drive may be 30 min more to Lake Louise.

So overall a pleasant experience.

"Compare With" Vs "Compare To"

when you are comparing two like items use 'compare with'

when comparing two unlike items use 'compare to'

My new found love - Hard Rock !!!

Deep Purple - Child in Time


Guns N'Roses - November Rain


Def Leppard - When love and hate collides


Guns N'Roses - knocking on heaven's door

"Man Kunto Maula"

A beautiful rendering of Amir Khusro's poetry on the Shaan-e-Aali of Ameer ul Mumineen AS - Moulana Ali Ibn Abi Talib:

Part1:


Part2:

Jub sey tumney mujhey deewana by Abida Parveen

nadi kinarey dhuaa uthey (3)
main jaanooo kuch hoyeee
jiska karan mein jogan bani
kahin wohi na jalta hoye

another one..



aap gairon ki baat kartey hein
humney bhi aapney aazmaye hein
log kaanton sey bach kar chaltey hein
humney phoolon sey zakhm khaaye hein