tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78811463411055449462024-03-06T00:14:31.598-05:00ASTITVAIn an attempt to unveil NATURE, we end up unveiling OURSELFPavanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18244493568525715110noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7881146341105544946.post-71996910362085770692014-08-10T03:37:00.002-04:002014-08-10T03:39:38.893-04:00I see...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
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<br /></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Of
the many reasons to live,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I
live to see what I can see.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I
see my new world and ask:<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">what
do I really see ?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I
see a blink of her eye;<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">a wonder
of innocence.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I
hear a shrilling cry;<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">life
as omnipresence.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I
see a mother:<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> joyous flowing river.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">It
evolves to infinity,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">defining
care forever.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I
see a bond,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">doubled
in connection.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">It
engulfs the father<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">with
love and affection.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
Pavanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18244493568525715110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7881146341105544946.post-13862416794825376132014-02-09T07:14:00.000-05:002014-02-09T12:05:10.447-05:00Scientific quest of the second kind <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Science by itself is devoid of emotion, and yet beautiful;
however the human endeavor of science is emotional, which adds another layer of
beauty. This layered intellectual aesthetics is what makes pursuit of science a
worthwhile effort. Scientific quest is also an exhilarating journey into the
deepest corners of the mind, which no fiction can take you to. So, welcome aboard.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> The
quest I am writing about is not on a scientific problem, but a sociological one
related to India. Science and technology are backbones of any country, and are
essential ingredients to drive its economy. Usually a scientifically advanced
country is also a well-developed economy. Apart from being an economic indicator,
science and its pursuit also reflects how evolved a society is. To really
understand whether our country is “scientific”, two aspects may be interesting
for exploration:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Science as a part of
our culture <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 200%;">On the priority list of Indian public, science is way at the
bottom, if not absent. Here I am not talking about the investment in science. I
am more interested in the cultural aspect of science, and how the society
values it like arts and sports. If you
talk to any <i>aam admi</i> on the streets
of India, they are fairly comfortable in grasping many aspects related to money,
whereas you ask them why is the sky blue or how does a mobile phone work? They
have never given a thought on such
questions and neither are they interested in such curiosities, as they are
caught-up in the daily rumbling of their lives. Only a few have a subdued-curiosity,
but they too feel that they cannot afford to think on such aspects as there are
more important tasks to achieve. Such attitude may be general human phenomenon,
but the disturbing fact is that in India it much more prevalent. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> The general public,
especially in India, confuse gadgetry to science. No doubt that gadget-making
does involve quite a bit of science, but the definition of science is much more
than 'knowledge of how to make a cool tool'. What is discomforting is that not
only the general public, but even the well-educated people who are exposed to
internet and other media are neither interested in science nor are they curious
to know about it. Economics dominates every walk of their life, and
unfortunately the curiosity about nature takes a back-seat. Unless this
attitude is drastically altered, we cannot bring any important change in our
society. This is because, if we do not value science as a human endeavor, we
are also demeaning an important culture of questioning. This scientific culture
and the pursuit of curiosity is the main reason behind all the developments. Be it scientific, economic or social. What
starts as a scientific curiosity has many a times evolved into a “life-saving”
technology, and has further impacted economic and social spheres of the society.
Without this we are not only losing something which can be precious in future,
but also we are, in an essence, curbing an important human expression: questioning.
There is nothing more powerful than a refined question, and good science
evolves through such questioning. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Value of scientific
thought in family and society<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 200%;">A majority of India is still soaked in superstition. You will
have to just switch-on any of the regional-television-channels for a proof. Not
that many of the English-speaking media is any different, as their content is
anything but scientific. Instead of questioning outright non-sense and
unscientific practices of society, the media highlights them as cultural practices,
as people mistake blind faith to cultural values. Indian culture is too
beautiful for such a treatment. Traditionally, the Indian culture has given a
large intellectual-space to all philosophies and life styles, and importantly encouraged
debates and questioning. Interpreting culture with narrow borders will serve no
purpose; and in fact, will decay it further. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Scientific temper
and tolerance can play a vital role in understanding our culture and its connection
to other cultures, and a family should be an epi-center of such thoughts. Parents
need to seed the scientific way of looking at things into their children. This
is very much possible, and an easier task. The more difficult part is to seed
scientific thought into the parent’s mind, and that is where the challenge lies.
Bending a hard tree is very difficult, you see. The unfortunate part is that
people even do not know what is scientific temper, and how critical thinking
can be adapted into their everyday life. In the name of conforming towards the
elders or authorities, too many questioning minds have been killed, and have
been adapted for drudgery. Accepting anything without questioning probably is
the biggest disservice we can do to our self and our society. The essence of a
human being is that we have an evolved brain, and our society is a byproduct of
such evolution. If we do not think, how will the society evolve? Putting critical
thinking to use for everyday living is highly rewarding, and questioning
everything makes our life more interesting. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 200%;">As a nation, we are much too occupied only in questioning
things which are of monetary and social relevance. I admit that they are very
important, but we cannot build an intellectual ecosystem without bringing scientific
temper on board. Science brings an excellent admixture of objectivity with
human creativity, which is based on “verifiable” knowledge, and furthermore it
teaches us the capability to falsify something. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 200%;">This is the crux of scientific temper which we need to adapt.
Are we ready to embrace it? <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
Pavanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18244493568525715110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7881146341105544946.post-10237757264938266162013-05-18T01:21:00.000-04:002013-05-18T01:48:06.128-04:00Self and Yourself<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> 3pm, 15<sup>th</sup> April 1993, summer
holidays, Bangalore: Temperatures may be hovering around 36 degree C. The
tarred road is almost boiling. 8 boys are oblivious to all the standard
temperature and pressures of an Indian summer because they are engrossed in
playing the 6 over-a-side cricket match on the road in front of their homes.
Their respective mothers have given up on their sons, as they know that the trick
of containing these boys inside their homes with ‘rasna’ and other foodie
incentives will not last long. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> What’s making
these boys stay all the day in hot sun ? Plain and simple – it’s the craving
for the sport. The boys talk and live in it. They have just finished the
great-grind of Indian youth of 1990s – the final exams, and now are free birds,
at least till June 1<sup>st</sup>. Sports for them is a form of expression, a
purpose for their living, an aim to achieve, and thrill to experience. It is not
out of any big ambition of becoming a sport star. Not at all, that is usually
never on their minds, but they play it to just enjoy the game and live it as it
is happening. A kind of practical nirvana, one may say, without enforcement.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> It is worth introspecting why we, as humans,
play and like sports so much. One important reason is the human interaction.
You play to bond and compete with others, and this bonding and competition can
bring out the best in you. This process of interaction involuntarily helps you to
understand one-self. Playing sport is one of
the greatest forms of self-realization. It really brings out the YOU out of
you, whether you like it or not. The spectacle of sports too, gives you an external
impression, and to a large extent an exposure to the nature of people playing
it. You may not know a person, but you can watch her or him play sports for an
extended period of time, and construct their image of external behaviour. So
sports tell you and others, who you are. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> If someone
does love the sports they play, and have been trained to play well since a very
early age and extremely passionate about it, then they usually take it up as
their career. These people can <b>live
their sport</b> and make a <b>living out of
the sport</b>. It is a happy thought. So as you may observe there are two
components to sports as a career. One is an internal thoughtful realization of the
self, and the other is a professional side which puts you at the interface of
your ‘self’ and the outside world. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> Alas! Time
and again, many sport ‘stars’ have fizzled out of their shine in public, having
caught doing wrong things. Why? Why do they do this despite being successful?
May be the definitions change in their minds. If
you look up the dictionary for the meaning of the word “game”, you get many
definitions such as <i>A contest with rules
to determine a winner</i>, and there is another one which defines game as <i>A secret scheme to do something (especially
something underhand or illegal)</i>. The problem occurs when the definitions
are transformed from the former to later; where sporting bravado transforms to
out–of-the-line bravery. Only one of them is a positive kind.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> Many of the
tainted sport stars are also high-achievers, but somewhere down the line, they lose
their ‘self’. Why? May be they have stopped seeing themselves through their own
eyes. May be between the ‘self’ and the world they have lost themselves. It is
critical to curtail this loss of “one-self”. We know why we need curtail this
loss. The important question is how to do it. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">May be the answer is also within one-self? </span></div>
</div>
Pavanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18244493568525715110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7881146341105544946.post-20580483291408777492013-01-06T02:07:00.001-05:002013-01-06T02:07:50.561-05:00 Cyclic Journey <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> In the <span style="color: red;">journey called ‘time’</span>, a <span style="color: red;">driver
named ‘bureaucrat’</span> is riding <span style="color: red;">a bus called ‘policy’</span>.
This driver is vaguely trained how to ride the bus, and is a close friend of a <span style="color: red;">conductor named ‘politician’</span>. Of course the conductor
is in charge of the trip and sells all the tickets to <span style="color: red;">passengers
named ‘common man’</span>. People buy the ticket because the conductor promises
them to take them around on a fruitful journey in a high quality bus with an
experienced driver. Then, after selling the tickets, the conductor leaves the
passengers at a bus-stand promising them to come back very soon with a bus from
a near-by depot. Meanwhile, the passengers are all excited about the journey
they are going to make and are planning to see many places along the journey. After
a while, the passengers get restless waiting for the bus to arrive. They know
that they will have to take a long journey, but the bus is nowhere in sight.
The passengers get agitated. Then, after talking to each other, the passengers
realize that each one has been sold a ticket of different price. They are now
angry and want to get hold of the conductor, but he is nowhere to be seen near
the bus-stop. In the meantime, they see many <span style="color: red;">other
people called ‘elite citizens’</span> travelling by cars passing by the
bus-stand, but nobody stops their car to pick-up people in the bus stand. Then,
to the same bus-stand where the passengers are waiting for the bus to arrive, a
<span style="color: red;">police man named ‘media’</span> drives in and enquires
about the lost passengers. The passengers immediately complain to the
police-man about the wait and variable prices they have paid for the journey,
and that the conductor is nowhere to be seen. Interestingly, the police man neither
knows where the conductor is nor the bus is, but goes around the bus-stop hundred-and-one
times and returns to the passengers again to enquire about their wait. Again
the passengers tell their sorry story, and now police man promises to go in
search of the conductor and the bus, and bring it to them. In the mean time,
the waiting passengers start fighting with each other for limited seats in the
bus-stand, and there is plenty of chaos all-around. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> Suddenly, an old
outdated bus arrives near the bus-stop. Now, to the surprise of the waiting
passengers, the bus is completely filled with ‘elite citizens’, ‘police-men’,
and guess who? Toward the fag end of the bus, waving his hands towards the
waiting passengers is the same old ‘conductor’. The passengers really get
agitated and try to get into the bus, but they realize that the bus-doors are locked,
and there is no way to enter it. The police man inside the bus takes a picture
of all the agitated passengers and shouts “<i>don’t
worry; we will fight for your justice inside the bus</i>”. To add insult to the
injury, all the people in the bus laugh at the waiting passengers, make mockery
of them, and finally wave their hands bidding good-bye. The driver starts the
bus gleefully, and leaves the bus-stand right away. The conductor reminds the driver
that he has to ride the bus at a faster pace, because there are many more
bus-stands to visit on the way. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> After a long
wait near the bus stand, the stranded passengers see a new conductor. He seems
to be nice guy, and promises that he is going to take them through the journey.
People are very skeptic this time, but they want to go on this journey. After a
lot of apprehension and debate among themselves, they again buy the ticket and
are waiting for the bus to arrive……….</span></div>
</div>
Pavanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18244493568525715110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7881146341105544946.post-46427341488967779872011-10-23T02:59:00.001-04:002011-10-23T03:04:29.776-04:00From Edison’s diary<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 24px; line-height: 36px; ">Thomas Alva Edison was one of the greatest inventors we know about. Sometime ago, I stumbled upon a book titled THE DIARY AND OBSERVATIONS OF THOMAS ALVA EDISON, and was an interesting read. In there we obtain an insight to Edison’s view on many different subjects including education, work, religion etc. Edison was a person with strong views. His working methods were unconventional. Here are a few interesting facts I learnt from this book:</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:18.0pt;line-height:150%;mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman""><span> </span>1) Edison had to recruit many executives to his labs; he always emphasized on a memory test and gave them a questionnaire to answer. He insisted that memory is very important for decision making, and he usually employed those people who had very good memory. Edison wrote “…<i>Certainly the brain should have the facts. If a brain possesses an enormous number of facts, those facts, through action of the subconscious mind, will automatically keep themselves available when needed and will automatically keep themselves out of the way, not interfering when not required</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:18.0pt;line-height:150%;mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"">2) Edison’s view on education was interesting and bold for his times, and he believed that learning through movies would be vital for future education. As early as 1890s, he said that best way to teach geography is either by taking the student on a tour or to show them a movie. Edison wrote “<i>…motion pictures can be applied to a scientific, systematic course of memory training in the schools, taking the children at an early age when the mind is plastic enough to adapt itself most readily to new habit of thought.<o:p></o:p></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-size:18.0pt;line-height:150%;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman""><span> </span>Most of our text books fail on two big counts. They are not sufficiently human, and their application is not sufficiently practical”<o:p></o:p></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:18.0pt;line-height:150%;mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-no-proof:yes">3) In the following lines Edison gives an insight to how he worked: “<i>When I want to discover something, I begin by reading up everything that has been done along that line in the past-that’s what all these books in the library are for. I see what has been accomplished at great labor and expense in the past. I gather the data of many thousads of experiments as a starting point, and then I make thousads more</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:18.0pt;line-height:150%;mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-no-proof:yes">“ …..<i>The motive that I have for inventing is, I guess, like the motive of the billiard player, who always wants to do a little better-to add to his record. Under present conditions I use the reasonable profit which I derive from one invention to make experiments looking towards another invention</i>…..”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:18.0pt;line-height:150%;mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-no-proof:yes">4) Edison rates phonograph as his greatest discovery. He writes “<i>Which do I consider my greatest invention ? Well, my reply to that would be that I like the phonograph best. Doubtless this is because I love music. And then it has brought so much joy into millions of homes all over this country, and , indeed, all over the world.”</i> <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:18.0pt;line-height:150%;mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-no-proof:yes">5) The following quotation by Joshua Reynolds was hung in every room of Edison’s laboratory “ <i>There is no expedient to which a man will not resort to avoid the real labor of thinking”<o:p></o:p></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:18.0pt;line-height:150%;mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-no-proof:yes">There are many more fascinating thoughts of Edison, many agreeable and a few disagreeable ones, in the above mentioned book, and if you happen to find it, read it through…it’s a classic autobiography.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:18.0pt;line-height:150%;mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-no-proof:yes"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Pavanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18244493568525715110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7881146341105544946.post-22038809693146070932011-10-09T09:27:00.002-04:002011-10-09T09:51:00.578-04:00Sailing against the wind<div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: 200%;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="line-height: 200%; ">John Petit-Senn told “True courage is like a kite, a contrary wind raises it higher”. To have a firm belief in something and to pursue it courageously till the end is one of the finest human qualities. This quality was exemplified by <span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color:black; background:white">Daniel Shechtman</span>,</span></span> who recently won the Nobel prize in chemistry for the discovery of quasicrystals. According to conventional knowledge of crystallography, crystals can exist with certain symmetries only. So the convention was that crystals in nature can have only <span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color:black;background:white">1-, 2-, 3-, 4- or 6-fold rotational symmetry</span>, with everything else not allowed</span>. Contrary to this, Daniel discovered that there exist crystals whose rotational symmetry is 10 fold. When he announced this discovery, he was mocked and humiliated, and was asked to leave his sabbatical research group. Great scientists including Linus Pauling made fun of the discovery on quasicrystals saying “There are no quasicrystals, only quasi-scientist”. However, Daniel pursued his research and submitted it <i>to Journal of Applied Physics</i>, but was rejected. Yet he persuaded his colleagues in different countries to verify his discovery and finally his paper was published in <i>Physical Review letters</i>. This speaks of Daniel’s character of persistence and how he believed in his observations and finally triumphed. Nowadays everybody approves of quasicrystal’s existence, and Nobel prize is a fair indicator.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: 200%;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="line-height: 200%; ">[<i>A word of caution: all great research will not fetch the Nobel prize, and some of the deserving scientist may have been omitted in the past for various reasons. Who gets this prize, they usually deserves it, but the one who misses it should not be forgotten</i>.]</span><span style="line-height: 200%; "><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: 200%;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="line-height: 200%; " ><b><span> </span>What is related to this matter of persistence is that there have been plenty of scientific discoveries in the past that was initially rejected by the scientific community, but later went on to win the Nobel prize. A search on internet resulted in an interesting paper by a Spanish researcher named JUAN MIGUEL CAMPANARIO who wrote on <i><span><a href="http://www2.uah.es/jmc/ai56.pdf">Rejecting and resisting Nobel class discoveries: accounts by Nobel Laureates</a></span></i><span>, in </span><i>Scientometrics, Vol. 81, No. 2 (2009) 549–565.</i><span> There he notes how more than 20 discoveries which were rejected ina <span> </span>journal were later accepted either in a different journal or in the same journal, and further went on to win the Nobel prize. <o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: 200%;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="line-height: 200%; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" >So the next time when you make a discovery and if somebody rejects it, you know what to do !</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; line-height:200%;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p></span></div>Pavanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18244493568525715110noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7881146341105544946.post-34401580548971670592011-09-25T05:13:00.003-04:002011-09-25T05:20:59.497-04:00The problem of excess<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px; line-height: 31px; ">Somebody unknown wrote: <i>give a person a fish and you feed them for a day; teach that person to use the Internet and they won't bother you for weeks</i>. In the current age roti, kapada aur makhan has a new companion: <i><b>information</b></i>. Information has become integral part of our lives, and we have devised many mechanisms to obtain them. In 90s and early 2000s, we saw revolution is terms of internet and satellite technology, as we amassed various methods to obtain quick information. <span> </span>But now we live in age where there is an <i>overload of information</i>. This overload of information is a problem of excess, and many of us will have to think deeply about its consequences.</span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size:16.0pt;line-height:150%"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size:16.0pt;line-height:150%"><span> </span>Information overload has many outcomes. One of them is multitasking. We tend to tackle many different issues at a given period of time by dividing our attention to various tasks at hand. We will have to introspect about this division of attention. <a href="http://news.stanford.edu/news/2009/august24/multitask-research-study-082409.html">Researchers at Stanford University</a> have looked into the concept of social media multitasking and it consequence on cognitive control (<a href="http://www.pnas.org/content/106/37/15583.full?sid=1103a4e0-3e34-4b6b-b265-27b55074a329">PNAS paper</a>), and their results show that attention-to-detail decreases as multitasking increases. This is obvious because the average time that one spends on each task is reduced, and the continuity of thought is interrupted every time one switches task. This can be easily evidenced when we browse on the internet. Just observe how many tabs are open in your window, this a fair indication of how your attention is divided between tasks. Another assessment you could make is to check how many times you log-in to your e-mail. You will be surprised that one does this more than the required number. Why do we do this? <span> </span>After all, e-mail gives us the freedom of access at our own will, but even then we sometimes over use it.<span> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size:16.0pt;line-height:150%;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">What is further surprising about the Stanford study is that it shows that heavy-multitaskers tend to be <span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color:black;background: white">more susceptible to interference from irrelevant information.</span></span> This is indeed a cause for concern as our decision making can be affected due to multitasking. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size:16.0pt;line-height:150%">Now the important question is how do you overcome the problem of information overload? First thing is to acknowledge that we cannot stop the inflow of information, so the choice at our hand is to filter the incoming information carefully. We will have to somehow set priority on the basis of importance and interest, and stick to one task at a time. In this context let me give 2 examples of great minds: <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size:16.0pt;line-height:150%">1) Isaac Newton was asked how he could successfully solve so many scientific problems. His answer was that he paid patient attention to the problem at hand and thought about it for long periods of time. Some of his contemporaries have mentioned that Newton could think about a problem not for hours or days but for months. Such unperturbed attention is indeed hard to achieve, especially in the present context, but it is indeed fascinating to learn that Newton had this remarkable capability.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size:16.0pt;line-height:150%">2) Henry Poincare, who was one of the greatest mathematicians, describes in detail about his mathematical creativity, and in there he mentions that a conscious unsuccessful effort to solve a problem is usually followed by a unconscious effort by his brain, and this unconscious effort further leads to an answer that one was seeking while working consciously. For this unconscious effort to perform well, we need to put-in concentrated effort during the conscious effort, and this can happen only when we perform a single task at a time. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size:16.0pt;line-height:150%"><span> </span>The above two examples give an overview of how deep, unperturbed thinking has interesting consequences, and also indicates that one thing at a time is indeed far more productive than multitasking.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size:16.0pt;line-height:150%">It is an intriguing situation we live in today. Around 20 years ago people were struggling hard to obtain information, and the most powerful people were the ones who had the information. Now we are in a more democratic situation where information is just a matter of a mouse click but we struggle hard to discriminate the intellectual wheat from the chaff. The problem of excess is here to stay, it is up to us make a choice whether we want to multi-task or multiply our effort on each task.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size:16.0pt;line-height:150%;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman""><span class="Apple-style-span">There is a short, funny movie made by XEROX on Information Overload Syndrome: you may want to <a href="http://www.xerox.com/information-overload/enus.html">watch it</a>.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-align: justify;margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size:16.0pt;line-height:150%"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Pavanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18244493568525715110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7881146341105544946.post-19847655283315249692011-09-17T11:30:00.004-04:002011-09-17T14:07:03.160-04:00Facts in Fiction<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%; " ><i>To<o:p></o:p></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%; " ><i>My African Friend<o:p></o:p></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%; " ><i>Developing country</i><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%; " ><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%; " >My Dear Friend,<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%; " >Greetings from India ! I hope you and your family is doing well. It was heartening to get your letter, and your words conveyed your well-being, and I am glad to learn that. <span> </span><span> </span>It’s been quite a long time, in fact 5 years, since we have met each other. Our first, and the only meeting was on a train journey from Bangalore to Delhi, but I am happy that our friendship and the intellectual conversations has been active through mails. I understand from your previous letter, that you are writing a book, and you wanted to know some specific things about India. This letter is an attempt to unveil few of my thoughts on 3 issues you had asked for. Please remember that what I write here are my own views, and my words vary from being accurate to inadequate to mere speculation. I leave it to you to make the judgment. So here are some of my thoughts. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%; " >India vs China<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%; " >This comparison has been done all over the world, but I think it is an unfair comparison. Specifically, the rate of technological growth in China is far superior to India. This is partly due to the pace at which we work. Our decision making bodies take quite a looooooooooooooooooooong time to come to conclusions. In fact, it is so long that even to install a security camera in Delhi high court, we took more than 3 years, and I am not sure whether the cameras are working or not. So if you think that we are head and shoulders with China in development, then my friend, you are under a wrong impression. China has its own problem – some are simple and some difficult ones to solve, but atleast they are trying. In India we are fighting our enemies within and it will take a while to wake up. <span> </span>If you look at India and China as an outsider, you will always see that China will be leading for next 20 years, at the least. My prediction is that our development gap will widen in future. In general, an argumentative Indian is a sheer joy to watch, but you ask the same guy to execute what he has argued upon, he will fail miserably. Execution of thought is the burning problem of India. We have great minds and very ordinary hands. <span> </span>After all, empty vessels make more noise, and our political class is a vessel of infinite volume. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%; " >Indian media and entertainment<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="line-height: 150%; "> </span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 150%;">Hey, you liked food with lots of masala, isn’t it? </span></span><span style="line-height: 150%; "> </span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 150%;">well, this aspect is typical of Indian food. Our media and entertainment has taken this concept too seriously and have adapted this into their working. There is a huge difference between substance and image, and our news and films are mainly run by images but not by substance. This does not mean we lack the right people, but it means that wrong people are on the right camera. You will observe that stupid films made by egomaniac, animal killing, drug-addicted actors will make box office hits, and deep, thought provoking, low-budget movies made by some talented </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 28px; ">people </span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 150%;">will hardly make a mark on the media, leave aside the people. I have a strong feeling that most of the movie directors in Indian cinema have miserably failed in their basic science classes in the school. They show many unphysical things in theirs movies, that a pool of fans think that physics is a joke, and Indian movie is a reality. I fear for their mental stability and I seriously wish that our government build more mental hospitals for them. </span></span><span style="line-height: 150%; "> </span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 150%;">Coming to the advertisements in our media, you must see some of the “Fair and nonsense” brands that go around the circuit. If you think we are not racist after seeing these ads, then you are deceiving yourself. It’s dripping in our society. There are many regional news channels which cover and recover news day and night. They go to every nook and corner of India and report anything which can be detected on the CCD of the camera. If you think India has given great freedom to its news media, then you are right. Right because our news media can covers anything on earth including the fictious news. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%; " >Sports<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%; " >Cricket : 99.999999% :: other sports : ~ 0 <span> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%; " >We are obsessed with cricket. We like it and sometimes take it very seriously. We have a very famous team of cricketers, who are richer than some of your African kings. Few are great. Many of them are good cricketers in Indian conditions, and not so good when they travel. This team is usually coached by a guy who will not make them work very hard. If the coach tries to do so, our captains and media will annihilate him. Now the recent trend in Indian cricket is to couple itself with our film industry (bollywood), and make a lot of noise in a tournament called Indian Premier League (IPL). It is a league played by the cricketers, run by the jokers, feasted by the pokers and funded by liquors. <span> </span>Other sports hardly fill a part of the final pages of newspapers. Actually field hockey is our national game, but it is so poorly administered that someday the players may use their hockey sticks to play cash rich cricket with bollywood funds. <span> </span>There are many willing sports persons in our country, and some of them have made their mark in international circuit, be it chess, shooting, despite the hardships they face. <span> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%; " ><span> </span>All the above are tiny insights to the great Indian tamasha. We are still “work in progress” mode, and I hope to update you in future. Meanwhile, you may explore more on the web, and don’t watch too many bollywood movies in Africa. I know you like it, but you may have to re-learn your physics from scratch. Beware ! <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%; " >This is all I have for this letter, I hope this will help.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="line-height: 150%; "><o:p> </o:p></span>cheers,</span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="right" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" >Pavan </span><span class="Apple-style-span" ><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:150%"><o:p><i> </i></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-align: justify;margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:150%"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Pavanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18244493568525715110noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7881146341105544946.post-30133972071973621912011-09-04T11:32:00.006-04:002011-09-04T11:49:30.443-04:00A Wonder called Work<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:150%">George Bernard Shaw said “<span class="QuoteChar">When I was young, I observed that nine out of ten things I did were failures. So I did ten times more work.” </span><span class="QuoteChar"><span style="font-style:normal;mso-bidi-font-style:italic">Yes, it’s plain and simple : MORE WORK. Time and again, we have seen that ordinary people, with the philosophy of doing ‘more work’, flourishing in their deeds. Let me sight some examples. Approximately 10 years ago, I had the privilege to visit ISRO and see the construction of the satellite INSAT 3C from close quarters. I learnt that most of the scientists working on the satellite were from humble background with conventional education from universities of India, not from IITs. What I also learnt is that they worked with a philosophy that systematic thinking and hard work (~12 hrs/day) was more important than sophistication and style. We all owe a lot to them because the communication systems, be it mobile phones, or satellite television or any other hi-fi stuff we use in India is due to these hard working people. Over the years, my research career has given me an opportunity to work with various researchers across the globe. I was impressed to observe a professor who had a limited background and was rated average in a particular research field, but through sheer hard work, he accomplished so much over the years that even the experts in the research field were found wanting in comparison to his work. While I observed all this, I read an interesting book TALENT IS OVERRATED. Written by </span></span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:150%; font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black;background:white;mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">Geoff Colvin</span>-</span><span class="QuoteChar"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:150%;font-style:normal;mso-bidi-font-style: italic"> the editor-in-large of Fortune magazine, this well researched book shows that extra-ordinary effort by ordinary people can accomplish some wonderful things. The author notes that excellence come from deliberate practice, and deliberate practice is not just practice for long hours, but a practice with vision for accomplishment. There are many anecdotes and references in the book which substantiates these claims. It’s worth a read as one can adapt many things into their life by understanding work is more important that talent.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="QuoteChar"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; line-height:150%;font-style:normal;mso-bidi-font-style:italic">India is undergoing a change. The middle class society, especially the younger lot, is seeking an external change in terms of politics and many other things, which is heartening. But in a youthful world of instant messages and fast-food mentality, hard work and patience is compromised by the majority of the youth in this country. It is high time that we seek not only an external change but also an internal one. Then most accomplishments we intend to achieve are only a matter of time and EFFORT. After all, hard work pays off.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="QuoteChar"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; line-height:150%;font-style:normal;mso-bidi-font-style:italic"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="QuoteChar"><span style="font-style:normal; mso-bidi-font-style:italic"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></o:p></span></span></p>Pavanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18244493568525715110noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7881146341105544946.post-9603882420518527212010-08-08T09:56:00.003-04:002010-08-08T10:09:49.829-04:00A transition to understand<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">The </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">altitude</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> one scales in life is </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">propelled by aptitude</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> and </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">sustained by attitude</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">. Aspiration, desire and commitment are easy to say, but difficult to practice, as it requires tremendous amount of self-discipline. I have been observing that children, in general, have this remarkable character of being disciplined, and can learn things at a faster rate than adults. In recent days, two things have caught my attention in the context of the above discussion: </span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-align: justify;text-indent: -0.25in; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">1)</span><span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">The </span><a href="http://www.super30.org/index.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">SUPER30</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> organization in Patna, which </span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family:";color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">hunts for 30 meritorious talents from among</span></span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family:";color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family:";color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">the economically backward sections of the society and shapes</span></span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family:";color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family:";color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">them for India's most hyped-up examination of IIT-JEE. In the last seven years, it seems it has</span></span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family:";color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family:";color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">produced hundreds of IITians from extremely poor background.</span></span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="line-height: 150%; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family:";color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Hats off to </span><a href="http://www.super30.org/history.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Anand Kumar</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> who is running this organization, and hats off to the students from poor background who are cracking the JEE. Although, I don’t endorse these rat-race examinations, I admire people who take up the challenge to write this examination and get through it successfully. It’s a hard task, I must admit. If you observe many students coming out of this organization, they are extremely hard working with a sustained frame of mind to achieve a goal. Indeed, they inspire me.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-align: justify;text-indent: -0.25in; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">2)</span><span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">The other thing in the same context is the reality-shows on television that showcases talent of Indian children. Some children do remarkable things (including dance, singing etc.). Probably, parents' encouragement is vital in this, but children put up a show with an air of enthusiasm, confidence and commitment, which one can hardly see in the grownups. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; ">I have not yet found an answer to the following questions: </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;margin-left: 0.25in; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Is it difficult to learn something new as you grow older or is it just a matter of attitude?</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i>What is really happening to the attitude when there is a transition from adolescence to adulthood?</i> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;margin-left: 0.25in; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Just think about a situation when adults start working as well as they would have done during their childhood, that can make a lot of difference. maybe it is time for us to grow our minds younger, perhaps, like the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Curious_Case_of_Benjamin_Button_(film)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; ">intellectual case of Benjamin Button</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">.</span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></p><p></p> <p class="MsoListParagraph"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p></span><p></p>Pavanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18244493568525715110noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7881146341105544946.post-70158969292375653382010-08-01T12:58:00.002-04:002010-08-01T14:25:33.221-04:00On the slower lane…<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">To learn we need information. Our thinking is vastly influenced by what we are informed of, and when we are fed with a large pool of information, gaining accurate knowledge is not trivial. Since last decade or so, communication and information retrieval have been revolutionized by internet. Now we are in situation where there is an excess of information, and the major task is how to find the required knowledge from a large pool of information. There may be more and more accurate search engines which can filter and narrow down your query, but the major question is how does your mind differentiate between accurate information from the inaccurate one?</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Perhaps, the answer lies in spending more time on the information we acquire, and here lies the major problem. There is a conflict in our mind, where our thinking has to be adapted to the rate at which the information flows in. As a result of this, we need to think faster, learn faster and decide faster to keep up the pace. This implies that the average time on thinking, learning and decision making is now proportional to the rate of information flow. But from previous experience and history, we very well know that accuracy in thinking, learning and decision making critically depends on the amount of time we spend on it. It is as simple as this: longer the time we spend with data, more information can be retrieved out of it. But now, we are in a situation where we need to hasten the processing time. So, the problem is: how does one acquire accurate knowledge by keeping pace with the rate of input of information?</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> May be, to improve our ability to judge and prioritize, we need to slow down our lives. Yes, SLOOOOW DOWN…. Rushing through may be a requirement of our environment, but going on a slower lane gives us opportunity to foresee a mistake which we may make by going faster. A deeper and longer thought on this issue is required URGENTLY!</span></span></p>Pavanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18244493568525715110noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7881146341105544946.post-37493884760822111972010-07-25T05:19:00.001-04:002010-07-25T05:25:05.863-04:00Pavan2.0<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">It’s been quite a while since I have written a blog. Married life and a new job @ new place are good excuses for that. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Life in Pune has been decent; it’s a new environment for me and we are slowly adapting to it. The city is very hilly, fairly industrialized, flooded with students, and people are friendly. The cost of living is high, but a variety of food is available, and weather is warmer than west Lafayette, Barcelona and Bengaluru, but the nights are very similar to Bengaluru. The local city transport (bus and auto) is bad, which gives you a good reason to buy a vehicle (now I have a cycle but may graduate to a motor!)</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:large;">Job-wise, the transformation from a post-doc to an assistant prof. has been really exciting. Now that I am in an institute where the emphasis is not only on research, but also on teaching, the prospects for innovation and creativity are high. Come this August, I will be part of biophysics course, which is essentially an interdisciplinary subject (reflecting our institute's agenda). I would also lecture in an advanced laboratory course of physics/physical chemistry. Since the semester has not yet begun, I haven’t interacted much with the students, but whomsoever I have spoken to are excited to be part of science, and this is indeed a pleasant thing. Most of the faculties are young, knowledgeable and dynamic, and all of them believe that they can make a difference by incorporating research with teaching into their work. This is a new experiment in Indian science, and we are really excited to be part of this. More in coming weeks….. </span></span></p>Pavanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18244493568525715110noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7881146341105544946.post-24109688941524464942010-02-13T21:53:00.000-05:002010-02-13T21:56:57.888-05:00Mahatma and the Valentine<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;line-height:150%;color:black"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Anger is an enemy within. This is one part of human nature we can happily mutate. In the backdrop of the recent mishap in Pune, I see the relevance of Gandhiji’s principle of peace growing. Most of the people feel that Gandhism is no more relevant in the present day context. I myself have been conflicting with this conception over the years, but now I have no doubt that Gandhiji idea was an eternal thought of superior quality.</span></span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;color:black"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> </span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">The reason why Gandhiji’s peace model ‘seems to be’ out-of-date is because of its difficulty to implement. The idea was seen as irrelevant even during Gandhiji’s contemporary days, just because it needed a huge change in the mindset of human thought. And any change to explore the ‘out-of-comfort’ zone is repelled by us. To reach a level of maturity that the Mahatma attained, it needs sheer commitment, patience, intelligence and above all tremendous amount of inner strength, which are uncommon combinations today. The relevance of a peace model should not only be judged on the difficulty of implementation, but also on the fruitful solution it can bring in, over a long period of time. The greatest way to win over the mind of an opponent is not by seeding a thought of conflict, but by enlightening them by the sheer magnitude of resolve to sustain thought of peace, not just outside, but also within. This idea consumes time, but is and always will be the permanent way to reach equilibrium. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;line-height:150%;color:black"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">As I write this blog, most of the world is celebrating Valentine’s Day. I welcome any thought which binds people together, and the concept of the day has a positive impact, especially on youth. However, there are now extreme schools of thoughts either opposing or supporting this day. At one end, this day has been well utilized by the corporate world to cash-in on human emotions by hyping this day. On the other end, it has been rejected as un-cultured. The reality is somewhere in between. My thought is the following: Yes, by all means celebrate love, not by restoring to the materialistic rewards of pleasantries, but by ensuring that you not only love your loved ones more, but also love those people whom you hate. After all, this is the bottom line of Mahatma’s thought.</span></span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>Pavanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18244493568525715110noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7881146341105544946.post-13937938926203752002010-02-02T09:33:00.002-05:002010-02-02T09:43:48.150-05:00click to read - 1<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqLtUi4OZZL8D8oiSQ0WDXBkISEb5GpxNtb0Uor5xZmDHqs-ogC2KeJiK7S6jYO8XlIBvTasjxooCCyGe1E-z4wcgD4dOKMfKkujxnM1ZVpnBKBhXlSbywvHuKBY4ImuZeiCYDKuKbJOA/s1600-h/human1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqLtUi4OZZL8D8oiSQ0WDXBkISEb5GpxNtb0Uor5xZmDHqs-ogC2KeJiK7S6jYO8XlIBvTasjxooCCyGe1E-z4wcgD4dOKMfKkujxnM1ZVpnBKBhXlSbywvHuKBY4ImuZeiCYDKuKbJOA/s400/human1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433655180499478482" /></a>Pavanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18244493568525715110noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7881146341105544946.post-39802820783835400072009-12-27T16:41:00.004-05:002009-12-27T16:48:39.928-05:0015 lessons of research I learnt<div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">1. Honesty is the best policy. Respectful science comes from ethical research.</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> </span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">2. If you like something, you will spend your maximum time on it.</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">3. Never accept anything without questioning. Asking questions to yourself and others is the</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">foundation of research. Once you ask a question (trivial or otherwise), knowing the answer</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">should be your responsibility.</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">4. Action speaks more than words, and every action begins with a thought. Spending time</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">on focussed thinking is WORTH EVERY SECOND.</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> </span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">5.Writing : research :: water : earth. Next to IDEAS, COMMUNICATION is the most</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">important weapon for a scientist. Think clear, talk clear, write clear.</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> </span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">6. Stay organized. I realized that it makes your life easier, and in the long-run will lead to</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">greater productivity. It is always better to have a to-do list. Do not allow your ideas to</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">drift away from yourself, make a note of them.</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> </span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">7.Little drops of water make a mighty ocean. To begin with, all scientific projects seems to</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">be laaaaarge and time consuming. So, take things one at a time, work through it with</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">great attention and no haste. As Aesop said little by little does the trick.</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> </span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">8. Keep your mind open. This is easier said than done. Read across scientific disciplines.</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Discuss with people from other scientific backgrounds. Explain concepts to yourself and</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">others.</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> </span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">9.Set sensible short term goals which are in phase with your long term goals. Dedicate</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">greater time for focussed work.</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> </span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">10.Go to the masters. If you need to understand some concept, study the related work from</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">the person who originally did it. You will get a clear picture.</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> </span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">11. Never stop studying books. Research is not just studying papers.</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">12. As a part of your research, do some work for your own amusement. Some great discoveries</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">have happened this way, and many people have made careers this way !</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> </span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">13.If somebody does not agree with your thought, know the logic behind the disagreement. If</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">it is sensible and scientific, accept and incorporate it. If not, make a note of it, and forget</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">it.</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> 14. Relying on intelligence alone to pull things off at the last minute may work for a while,</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">but, generally speaking, at research level, it does not. Most of the times, hard workers</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">OUT-THINK intelligent people, by their constant effort.</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> </span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">15. Rehearse, revise, re-think and REJOICE your work. These are building blocks of confidence.</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Pavanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18244493568525715110noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7881146341105544946.post-88730359002870954102009-10-30T08:51:00.002-04:002009-10-30T08:54:37.005-04:00Ponder<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD2fQzYV_FOKHZ8fnsD8dz8F8040lYQfvIYbufKt1h5yCorUEciDw-Q2c83nxxikmauyoJFPgkJRgbul0xbOpQ6pmfRJhqSjIkAosRaT4mh1HA7Jpa11oc7xZhYOz8HiGsbnUfdvc8yMw/s1600-h/thinking_chimp.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 250px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD2fQzYV_FOKHZ8fnsD8dz8F8040lYQfvIYbufKt1h5yCorUEciDw-Q2c83nxxikmauyoJFPgkJRgbul0xbOpQ6pmfRJhqSjIkAosRaT4mh1HA7Jpa11oc7xZhYOz8HiGsbnUfdvc8yMw/s320/thinking_chimp.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398375282051321922" /></a><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><br /></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Every thought is born in a quest,</span></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">a delightful pursuit to understand;</span></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">every thought is a peaceful conquest,</span></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">guided by the reason’s command.</span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><br /></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><o:p><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span></i></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">How I ponder day in and day out,</span></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">and try to unveil the nature ?</span></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">How I fight this elevated bout,</span></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">to construct a thoughtful future ?</span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><br /></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><o:p><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span></i></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Every quest is a clouded mist</span></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">where mind penetrates to scatter back;</span></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">a mighty thought is a Pascal of fist</span></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">entering the fight with a subtle attack.</span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><br /></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><o:p><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span></i></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">A great sailing thought has its great equal:</span></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">and we adore this as the ‘ocean of labour’;</span></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Latter is the process, former its sequel,</span></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">meeting each other at an intellectual harbour.</span></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><o:p><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span></i></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><o:p><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span></i></o:p></p>Pavanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18244493568525715110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7881146341105544946.post-8183448397711277762009-08-09T19:04:00.003-04:002009-08-09T19:10:10.721-04:00SKY<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS_cq9ZGFhHxUX6_voaFw6dtirqO9XknrYqxCd3xaejiAZ67F1Id-j8e6fGk0XhoVy2Sb-0zVJMjaoUpn46c9gN6ea7WEoy56vFZCQ_dSKLvSvb7qkM0zTfOsDo3EbmMBHQ9zIlPf5nvE/s1600-h/devilstower_pacholka_big.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 129px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS_cq9ZGFhHxUX6_voaFw6dtirqO9XknrYqxCd3xaejiAZ67F1Id-j8e6fGk0XhoVy2Sb-0zVJMjaoUpn46c9gN6ea7WEoy56vFZCQ_dSKLvSvb7qkM0zTfOsDo3EbmMBHQ9zIlPf5nvE/s400/devilstower_pacholka_big.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368105257154122098" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Eleven at night,</span></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">I look at the heavens;</span></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">glitter fills my sight</span></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">with angles and demons.</span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><br /></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><o:p><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> </span></span></i></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">I ask a star,</span></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">what’s your kind ?</span></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">it twinkles beyond par,</span></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">asking me to find.</span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><br /></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><o:p><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> </span></span></i></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">I sight the Betelgeuse,</span></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">the glowing red gaint;</span></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">it’s resting at peace</span></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">like an elevated saint.</span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><br /></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><o:p><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> </span></span></i></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">I look out for Sirius,</span></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">the queen of white dwarfs;</span></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">her looks are mysterious</span></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">with electrons as her scarfs.</span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><br /></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><o:p><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> </span></span></i></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Now, I search the invisible,</span></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">I search the event horizon,</span></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">I fail to sight the incredible,</span></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">to realize Einstein’s reason.</span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><br /></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><o:p><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> </span></span></i></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Should I thank my eye,</span></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">for this spectacular show ?</span></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">or should I thank the sky</span></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">for her ever lasting glow ?</span></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><o:p><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> </span></span></i></o:p></p></div>Pavanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18244493568525715110noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7881146341105544946.post-72619050853498250762009-07-12T22:17:00.005-04:002009-07-13T20:34:05.193-04:00The Rain Dance<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQaeFJVFPXm0mKYejvHL4AxgXDG-oBAdkauZZVtS0AXlTJyb_w3fEeRWffl4rI3_NMEYJr3siKroeMqUIxZN6EtjVxjUXkE9pBXJsrn2e_WFCnXwyIVvhypNqH-vF7oZe8iNPwTeuLl9U/s1600-h/river-during-heavy-rain-storm.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 218px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQaeFJVFPXm0mKYejvHL4AxgXDG-oBAdkauZZVtS0AXlTJyb_w3fEeRWffl4rI3_NMEYJr3siKroeMqUIxZN6EtjVxjUXkE9pBXJsrn2e_WFCnXwyIVvhypNqH-vF7oZe8iNPwTeuLl9U/s320/river-during-heavy-rain-storm.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357763364044581874" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><i><br /></i></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><i>I view the water beyond a picket fence,</i></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><i>waiting for the lovely rain to commence;</i></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><i>grayish clouds slowly emerge,</i></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><i>bidding adieu for the sun to submerge.</i></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><i> </i></span></span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><i><br /></i></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><i> The river I see is a silky flow,</i></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><i>her surface reflects a silver glow;</i></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><i>trickling rain drops begin the dance,</i></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><i>by writing a poetry on nature’s romance.</i></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><i><br /></i></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><i> </i></span></span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><i>Every drop bounces on its back,</i></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><i>as an elliptic pearl with a transparent sac;</i></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><i>gravity pulls the bouncing drop,</i></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><i>to enter the river’s heart right from the top. </i></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><i><br /></i></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><i> </i></span></span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><i>Until the clouds and silky river exist,</i></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><i>dance of the rain will continue to persist;</i></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><i>I am a mere spectator of this wonder called ‘rain’,</i></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><i>it awes me to view it time and again.</i></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><i> </i></span></span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><i> </i></span></span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><i> </i></span></span></o:p></p></div>Pavanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18244493568525715110noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7881146341105544946.post-72019245953702814862009-06-28T22:43:00.006-04:002009-06-29T21:06:34.977-04:00India vs Europe vs USA<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">My personal views on research in 3 countries/continents –</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><b>DISCLAIMER</b>: the list is by no means a comprehensive one</span></span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none"><st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">India</span></span></span></b></st1:place></st1:country-region><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Pros:</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l3 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">1)</span></span><span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Open source learning, good interaction among students</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l3 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">2)</span></span><span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Urge to perform, understand and good awareness</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l3 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">3)</span></span><span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">People with good theoretical understanding</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l3 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">4)</span></span><span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Low cost methods to do high-end research – enriches creativity</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Cons:</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l2 level1 lfo2;tab-stops:list .5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">1)</span></span><span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Time consuming, not highly focused</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l2 level1 lfo2;tab-stops:list .5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">2)</span></span><span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Lack of good education in experiments</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l2 level1 lfo2;tab-stops:list .5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">3)</span></span><span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Not many get opportunity to do research</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l2 level1 lfo2;tab-stops:list .5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">4)</span></span><span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Not many are interested in research – ‘software company: big buck’ attitude</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none"><st1:place st="on"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">Europe</span></span></span></b></st1:place><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Pros:</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l4 level1 lfo3;tab-stops:list .5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">1)</span></span><span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Desire to understand a problem in depth, significant time spent on a problem</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l4 level1 lfo3;tab-stops:list .5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">2)</span></span><span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Research in groups, sharing of knowledge and resources, big projects</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l4 level1 lfo3;tab-stops:list .5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">3)</span></span><span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Technically superior than US and </span></span><st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">India</span></span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">, especially in high end instrumentation</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l4 level1 lfo3;tab-stops:list .5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">4)</span></span><span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Emphasis on conferences and proceeding</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Cons:</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l0 level1 lfo4;tab-stops:list .5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">1)</span></span><span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Sometimes lack of drive and urgency - 9 to 5 attitude</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l0 level1 lfo4;tab-stops:list .5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">2)</span></span><span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Multiple languages</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l0 level1 lfo4;tab-stops:list .5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">3)</span></span><span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> Pro-European preferences in positions</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l0 level1 lfo4;tab-stops:list .5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">4)</span></span><span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Hierarchy, high taxes </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none"><st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">USA</span></span></span></b></st1:place></st1:country-region><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Pros:</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l1 level1 lfo5;tab-stops:list .5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">1)</span></span><span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Magnificent drive among students and Profs</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l1 level1 lfo5;tab-stops:list .5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">2)</span></span><span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Group meetings – task driven meeting, deadlines etc.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l1 level1 lfo5;tab-stops:list .5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">3)</span></span><span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Result oriented – ‘come what may we need to do’ attitude, thrust on applications</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l1 level1 lfo5;tab-stops:list .5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">4)</span></span><span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Competition – ‘do it before someone does’ attitude, if you are good, you thrive…</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Cons:</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l5 level1 lfo6;tab-stops:list .5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">1)</span></span><span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Money, money, money – it’s a rat race for funding</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l5 level1 lfo6;tab-stops:list .5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">2)</span></span><span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">anti open source – capitalistic view point</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l5 level1 lfo6;tab-stops:list .5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">3)</span></span><span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Indian and Chinese students used as cheap labor</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l5 level1 lfo6;tab-stops:list .5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">4)</span></span><span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">‘Black box’ attitude towards instruments</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span></o:p></p>Pavanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18244493568525715110noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7881146341105544946.post-6524935490240558712009-06-24T19:00:00.000-04:002009-06-24T19:01:19.004-04:00Book<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i>He opens a leaf in the book of his mind</i></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i>to read the words with a new insight;</i></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i>soothing colours strike and unbind</i></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i>creating a thought of new delight.</i></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i> </i></span></span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i>Chapters begin in a new page</i></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i>to enriches the content of thought,</i></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i>it opens the doors of a minding sage</i></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i>inviting knowledge to be sought.</i></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i> </i></span></span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i>Every word is poetry in itself</i></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i>making the reader spellbound;</i></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i>phone of harmony crawls to engulf</i></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i>in the music of creative sound.</i></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i> </i></span></span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i>Lines begin in words,</i></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i>words begin in letters;</i></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i>flowing as water towards</i></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i>the ocean of thoughtful jitters.</i></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i> </i></span></span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i>Every word has a meaning,</i></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i>meaning which dives deep;</i></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i>it rejuvenates in the morning</i></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i>after a breathless mystic sleep.</i></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i> </i></span></span></o:p></p>Pavanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18244493568525715110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7881146341105544946.post-50192454128498318682009-06-07T19:23:00.000-04:002009-06-07T19:24:32.016-04:00Oh ! ‘light’<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none">I seem to breathe a fresh breath of air,</p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none">as the ‘light’ enlightens my thought;</p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none">my thoughts are devoid of any despair,</p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none">as the ‘light’ rejuvenates my heart.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none">I feel the ‘light’ with glowing warmth,</p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none">the warmth brightening my candle mind;</p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none">it slowly melts my feeling froth,</p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none">to bring a thought of different kind.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none">Oh ! ‘light’ I see you even in darkness,</p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none">in the abyss of my neural sea;</p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none">I see you in the caring kindness,</p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none">unveiling my pigeon-mind free.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none">I am flying, flying high</p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none">to reach the ever-glowing ‘light’;</p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none">I see the invisible in your eye,</p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none">making every look a worthy sight.</p>Pavanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18244493568525715110noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7881146341105544946.post-65823924840751186532009-05-31T21:10:00.004-04:002009-06-07T21:53:51.323-04:00Lady Gandhi<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:150%;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style=" mso-bidi-font-weight:bold;color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">During my M.Sc., I had the pleasure of meeting a Burmese researcher in the Physics department of </span></span><st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Bangalore</span></span></st1:placename><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><st1:placetype st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">University</span></span></st1:placetype></st1:place><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> who was then working towards her Ph.D. Her name was Dr. Yee Yee Oo. Apart from being a fun loving person who researched with great dedication, she was also deeply worried about the current affairs of her country. When ever we used to have an informal discussion about non-scientific issues, she always talked about the struggle of people against military rule. She described how women had to take extra effort to pursue their careers, and how the support they obtained were minimal. But always she showed a positive attitude towards life, and she was deeply influenced and inspired by her country woman Aung San Suu Kyi. She loved </span></span><st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">India</span></span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> very much, and always told me that we are one of the most fortunate people on earth. I always thought this as an exaggeration, but now I realize that it is not.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:150%;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style=" mso-bidi-font-weight:bold;color:#333333;"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Freedom is one of the most important aspects of human life. With freedom comes responsibility, and hence a way of thoughtful expression. If this expression of mind is subdued, then basic human instincts are perturbed, and may lead to ‘man made’ catastrophes. There are few countries around the world where common freedom, which is oblivious in most of the democratic countries, is under severe threat. One such country is </span></span><st1:country-region st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Burma</span></span></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">, which shares its border with </span></span><st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">India</span></span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">, and one person in that country who is leading a non-violent struggle against the military rule is </span></span><a href="http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1991/kyi-bio.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Madam Aung San Suu Kyi</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">. Her story of struggle is truly astonishing, and she continues to fight for democratic freedom against an all pervasive Burmese military. She remains separated from her children who presently stay in </span></span><st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">UK</span></span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">, and it was sad that the Burmese military did not even allow her to meet Michael Aris, her husband who died due to cancer in 1999. She remains under house arrest in </span></span><st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Burma</span></span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">, and lately has been charged by the Burmese military which has extended her confinement. It is rare in history to come across a person like Aung San Suu Kyi, as she has sacrificed her personal life to uplift her people. Though she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 for her non-violent democratic movement in </span></span><st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Burma</span></span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">, she has not received the complete support of the world, which is unfortunate. Her struggle continues even today, and it is indeed amazing how this lady is taking mammoth efforts to fight for peace and freedom. I salute her courage.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:150%;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style=" mso-bidi-font-weight:bold;color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">According to me, she is the Lady Gandhi of the present world, and has inspired many people including me to cherish and respect the freedom we enjoy. Now I quietly sit back and think how important it was for Dr. Yee Yee Oo, when she said </span></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">freedom is priceless, but to obtain it we have to pay a large price</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">….I hope </span></span><st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Burma</span></span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> will attain peace and freedom.</span></span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>Pavanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18244493568525715110noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7881146341105544946.post-43916102224377203852009-05-24T20:42:00.004-04:002009-07-13T20:25:07.497-04:00Flowing pearl<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNXQdksEq0ZFA1NwHeAMlAlCc7iC63Q-G17pioNsu6vicUXeFuepUaYX7euDHkJXdyHCSo6ES3pB5fGiwIIyWx77xJsGIQtmeaXol3c8e5XWQSI3f-dAzrVnNfxbisofaHFJIGbVIaMCI/s1600-h/boy.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 138px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNXQdksEq0ZFA1NwHeAMlAlCc7iC63Q-G17pioNsu6vicUXeFuepUaYX7euDHkJXdyHCSo6ES3pB5fGiwIIyWx77xJsGIQtmeaXol3c8e5XWQSI3f-dAzrVnNfxbisofaHFJIGbVIaMCI/s200/boy.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358105276056413362" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dbpXfd2k3co/ShnphAICJ7I/AAAAAAAABEY/Jrz35B1aG8w/s1600-h/boy.jpg"><br /></a><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Gleaming innocence whispers a call</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">to brighten its future on a benighted path;</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">those eyes speak with a </span></span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight:bold;color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">furtive haul</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">unveiling the grief at the aftermath.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> Sorrow turns into a flowing pearl</span></span></span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">undulating towards the </span></span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight:bold;color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">abstruse sea;</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style=" mso-bidi-font-weight:bold;color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">it seeks affection with a motherly curl</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style=" mso-bidi-font-weight:bold;color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">to reach the depth of lasting glee.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style=" mso-bidi-font-weight:bold;color:#333333;"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> This journey is lonely in its nascence,</span></span></span></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style=" mso-bidi-font-weight:bold;color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">but shall not continue all the way;</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style=" mso-bidi-font-weight:bold;color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">it may outlast moments and perseverance,</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style=" mso-bidi-font-weight:bold;color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> but shall always yield to a creative play.</span></span></span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>Pavanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18244493568525715110noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7881146341105544946.post-25702897742298583872009-05-17T19:38:00.002-04:002009-05-17T20:58:47.511-04:00A thought on ‘the thought’<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:150%"><span class="apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Albert Einstein mentioned somewhere that </span></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">‘Imagination is more important than knowledge’</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">. I think communicating ones imagination effectively is as much important as the imagination itself. The job is only half done if either of the aforementioned is neglected. One of the most important thing which give rise to the birth of an idea is the ability to wonder. Wonder, according to some philosophers, is a logical outcome of ignorance, and it is purely up to an individual to construct a thought through ‘a wonder’ and further venture into it at various depths. This venturing again depends on interests, and interest further depends on how your thoughts have been influenced before. As you may observe, the process of wonder and thought is cyclic in nature. But thinking, according to me, is a non-linear process. Most of the times, thinking is like constructing a building with in your mind, where its bricks are piled from different sources within the mind itself. So if you are trying to understand something, it is never that you grasp a point without taking a round about path; and many a times, you realize the shortest path to an idea only after you have seen the complete evolution of an idea itself. Another important aspect is that the birth of a thought need not always arise from silent pondering, but also can emerge from an argument over an issue with an external source; here I presume the source to be a human being, a book, an image, or any of the information which can be detected via the five senses. Surprisingly, new ideas do evolve as and when we communicate a thought. When I say ‘communicate’, I mean, not only I put forth a thought to the outer world, but also I should be grasping an idea into my mind from an external resource, and this communication can be duplex, i.e., it can occur simultaneously. My personal experience is that every time when I communicate a thought, my understanding of it improves, no matter whether I have done this before or not. This also provides me an opportunity to get a feedback from the source with which I argue up on the same thought. So this brings me to the concept of ‘argument’. Now, imagine a world where every human being agreed with each other on everything. That would be a dull one, isn’t it? The essence of communication is to effectively exchange thoughts between two minds. When this exchange occurs, the thought might interfere either constructively or otherwise. The highest level of attainment in thinking is to </span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">agree to disagree</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">. This is a mechanism where you grasp an idea, and when you realize that it destructively interferes with your pre-conceived notion on the same concept, then you create a different space in your mind, where you store the though of the external source. This, in a sense, is like enlarging your memory space on the computer hard disk, where you still maintain your old data, but you create new space for the new data, no matter whether you use the new data or not. Why should a mind agree to disagree ? This is like asking why a coin should have two faces. In most of the arguments which a mind involves itself, it comes across a new concept. At that moment, it immediately compares it with its own database, and if the new concept is in phase with the old one, it constructively interferes and ‘yields’ to make a belief stronger, where as, if it is out of phase, instead of destructively interfering, it takes in the thought and stores it. This storage is what we see as tolerance, control, resistance of mind etc., and is a more complicated process than yielding to a thought.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:150%"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">In this blog, I have just tried to highlight the complications in understanding the process of thought. Countless philosophers are pondering about it, so it is worthwhile for us to give a thought on ‘the thought’….after all everybody is a philosopher in their own sense….</span></span></span></p>Pavanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18244493568525715110noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7881146341105544946.post-85633446314094111142009-05-10T23:05:00.006-04:002009-05-10T23:25:08.548-04:00Satyameva Jayathe ?<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:150%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Come 16</span></span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">th</span></span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> May09, world’s largest democracy, hopefully, will have a new government. Although, the 5</span></span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">th</span></span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> phase of the polling is due on Wednesday, the result of 15</span></span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">th</span></span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> Lok Sabha election in </span></span><st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">India</span></span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> looks to be a chaotic mix of numbers. I regret that I lost a chance to vote this time, and I wish people away from </span></span><st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">India</span></span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> could vote remotely, which would have been a very satisfying thing. However, </span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><a href="http://www.indian-elections.com/election-schedule-09/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">having keenly followed</span></span></a></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> the campaigns and </span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><a href="http://www.indian-elections.com/partymanifestoes/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">manifesto</span></span></a></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> of all the parties via internet, it seems to me that no crook is better than the other. The social, political and economical issues of the nation are the fundamental basis on which the elections should have been fought, but seeing the way each party is pitted against the other, I feel that the rubber has never met the road. One of the really disgusting stances I came across while studying these parties’ manifestoes was that none of them have revealed their post-poll coalition strategies or alliances. I beg to ask the following question – are they taking Indian public for a toss? With what confidence do these parties seek trust and vote of the people whom they are willing to represent? Most debates or interviews I came across during this time never gave me a clear picture about the parties’ agenda to solve the current problems. None of them seems to be interested in discussing major issues which hampers the condition of laymen. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:150%"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">One of the interesting comparisons I like to make is the hype around the prime ministerial candidate just like the American presidential candidature. If at all the Indian media is trying to play the capitalist game of their American counterpart, they don’t realize that </span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color:black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">there's many a slip twixt cup and lip</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">. </span></span><st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">India</span></span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> is vast and has humongous variety, which makes it a special democracy; it’s better that media does not give too much emphasis to a single candidature, as coalition government is what seems to be a foreseeable, albeit undesirable result.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> Another interesting comparison between election campaign in </span></span><st1:country-region st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">India</span></span></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> and </span></span><st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">USA</span></span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> is the emphasis thrust upon universities. Most of the </span></span><st1:country-region st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">US</span></span></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> presidential debates were held in universities, where as in </span></span><st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">India</span></span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> we hardly saw any of the candidates visiting colleges, leave aside universities. It is high time that our </span></span><st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Indian</span></span></st1:country-region></st1:place><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> politicians realize that catering to the needs of youth will fetch them more votes, than providing liquor and notes to the already bribed artificial audience. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:150%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">In retrospect, it is important to remember that it’s not the size of the dog in fight, but the size of the fight in dog which fetches the glory; and lets hope that the fight is for the right cause…let SATYAMEVA </span></span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">JAYATHE !</span></span></p>Pavanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18244493568525715110noreply@blogger.com2