Garbage In….Garbage Out 31 October 2007

I learnt this term two decades ago to mean `if you feed incorrect data into the computer, you will get an absurd output’.

Toady, however, I am talking of real garbage.

• Bangalore generates 2 500 tonnes of garbage every day. This is being taken to the outskirts of Bangalore. Why should the people living there agree for that to be dumped there? So the garbage moves in and out and gets thrown wherever nobody is looking at !
• A lot of electronic waste gets imported into India from western countries in the guise of `computers for charity to be distributed among the poor’.
• India officially sends its electronic waste to Belgium and China for extraction of valuable metals.
• The Kerala government last week refused permission to a ship from New York to unload 60 tonnes of garbage which was imported by a paper mill as `waste paper for recycling’.

This is the short story of `Garbage In and Garbage Out’ !

This is known as NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) syndrome.

S. .Gopal …keying in is better than idling

Days and Birthdays… what difference? 30 October 2007

Children, students, teenagers, young office goers, lovers, newly wedded couples, politicians, etc. are always on the lookout for some occasion to have fun, be in the limelight, or get pampered. For them birthdays come in handy.

But I find it rather amusing when the elderly choose to celebrate their birthdays or when they succumb to pressure from other members of the family to turn it into a big event.

What exactly is a birthday? `It is just another day with one difference; it reminds you that time is flying and that one more year has passed since the last birthday’. A person does not have to do any work or achieve anything in life to get to the next birthday. Clock just ticks on irrespective of whether one does anything worthwhile or not.

Birthday, as per me, should be a day of quiet reflection to ponder over the mistakes done by one in his or her life and ask God for forgiveness. The elders should `observe’ a birthday rather than `celebrate’ it ! And take a pledge to do something worthwhile for the Society.

S. .Gopal
…keying in is better than idling

Swamijis and other mortals… 29 October 2007

Swamijis, as per my understanding, are those who have renounced worldly matters and materialism. They are the ones who have taken a vow to lead an austere living. To symbolise their beliefs, they shave off their heads and wear saffron clothes. The common mortals look up to them for advice as they believe in their impartiality. After all, swamijis would not say or do anything for their personal gains.

What happens in practice, however? Read on.

Sri Shivapuri Swamiji of Omkarashrama in Bangalore died on 25 July 2007 leaving behind property worth crores of rupees. Immediately after that two swamijis – Madhusudhanandapuri Swamiji and Purushottamanandapuri Swamiji – made counter-statements; each said that he was the true successor to the deceased Swamiji; each of them claimed to hold a will executed in their favour by the departed Swamiji. There was also a caste clash – one is from the brahmin community and the other from the Uppar community.

Swamjis and property? Swamijis and caste?

Now the politicians have entered the fray and the government has now taken over the property.

S. .Gopal
…keying in is better than idling

Asia’s ambitions in Moon… (China, Japan, and India) 28 October 2007

A Long March 3-A rocket carrying China’s first lunar probe Chang’e I, named after a moon-dwelling goddess, streaked into space on 24 October 2007 from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center at 6:05 pm local time.

This satellite is expected to enter the orbit of the moon on 5 November 2007 and beam back three-dimensional pictures of the moon by the second half of November 2007. It will orbit the moon for a year and analyse the elements on the surface of the moon.

China plans to put a probe on the moon’s surface in 2012 and to successfully return a second rover to earth five years later.

China and Japan have informally stated a goal of putting a human on the moon within 15 or 20 years

A Japanese probe began orbiting the moon last month. .

India’s lunar mission – Chandrayan I – is planned for the middle of next year 2008.

A tough challenge to the American supremacy in Space.

 

S. .Gopal …keying in is better than idling

Falling at elders’ feet… 27 October 2007

From childhood we have been instructed to respect the elders. And make a show of it by prostrating in front of them and touching their feet in reverence.

Prostration is the placement of the body in a submissively prone position. Also known as Sashtanga Namaskkara, males have to lie down so that eight portions of the body – forehead, chest, left toe, right toe, left knee, right knee, left palm, and right palm – touch the floor.

The person in front of whom you prostrate is supposed to bless you for some benefits depending on the situation: get first rank, get married, beget an army of children, long life etc.

My first question: `Respect, okay. But why make a show of it?’

Another still basic question: `Do all elders deserve respect?’ We have many elders amongst us who are unethical and immoral double-crossers. Do we still have to respect them just because they are our elders?

Coming to the blessings the elders shower on the younger, how sincere and effective are they?

S. .Gopal …keying in is better than idling

My hero and other inspiring news… 26 October 2007

Swami Agnivesh – one of my few heroes – has been selected for the 2007 Basavasri Award. A former lecturer of Business Management at St. Xavier’s College Kolkatta, he is now the president of Vishwa Arya Samaj. He has received several awards including the Right to Livelihood Award. His many contributions are his championing of dialogue for peace, anti-caste movement, liberation of bonded labour, movement against alcoholism, and equal rights for women (such as their right to education and reading Indian scriptures). We require many more like him.

Irinjalakkuda in Kerala has become the first completely electrified town in India. This place is already famous as it is home to several kathakali maestros and many Malayalam film actors.

India now has 250 million telephone subscribers. In the last month (September 2007) alone, 7.64 million connections were added. The projection for the year 2010 is 500 million subscribers.

United Nations has acknowledged the proactive work done by the Makkala Sahaya Vani run by the Bangalore Police in preventing trafficking of children

S. .Gopal …keying in is better than idling

Gold matters… 25 October 2007

Value for money

Is the gold you are buying as pure as being promised by the trader? It is estimated that impurity in gold sold in India ranges from 11 to 39 percent. Indians consume 800 tonnes of gold annually and lose about Rupees 7 500 Crores due to impure gold. Hallmarking is the process of certifying the purity of gold. Hence buy only hallmarked gold.

Will you like to cause injury to others?

In the traditional method of making jewellery, silver or copper is used to solder gold. Many jewellers have now switched over to cadmium due to its good fluidity during the soldering process. Jewellery made using this process is known as KDM jewellery.

The unsafe side of KDM jewellery is that the toxic fumes given out during the soldering process (using cadmium – classified as heavy metal by scientists) are injurious to the health of the jewellery workers. There are about 80 000 jewellery workers in Karnataka and many of them children.

Will you still say `yes’ to non-hallmaked or KDM jewellery?

S. .Gopal
…keying in is better than idling

Moment of Truth……… 24 October 2007

This piece has more than 200 words, in fact it has about 600 words.

In a seminar, a couple of weeks ago, I met a senior executive working in a private sector company. We talked about each other’s work and expertise. He spoke highly of his company and its achievements. I was impressed. We soon came to the feel that his company and I could engage in a business transaction that would make sense and add value to both of us.

I agreed to get in touch with the general manager of that company after a week or so. Then I checked the website of the company which gave me the impression that they were a professionally managed company with a long list of very satisfied customers.

A few days ago I contacted their general manager on telephone and fixed up an appointment for a face-to-face meeting the next day at 3 pm.

I reached their office a good five minutes before the appointed time. The moment of truth had arrived. I narrate my experience.

• The sign board of that company was tucked away behind a balcony. I had to crane my neck to read it to assure me that I have indeed reached the correct place.
• I reached the Reception Desk; nobody was present there excepting a lady sitting two tables away and she was too engrossed with some work on the computer to notice me.
• I looked around and saw a person talking on telephone. He gestured me to wait till he finished his conversation. When he came to me I explained to him the purpose of my visit.
• He disappeared for a while and returned with the news that their general manager had not yet returned from lunch; he had no clue as to when that person would appear on the scene.
• He was visibly embarrassed at my predicament and said that he would talk to their director about me. He came back soon and asked me to sit in the waiting room; he mentioned that his director would see me in a few minutes.
• The waiting area had some ancient worn-out furniture; the lights and fan were off (probably a power cut at that time). Then a person brought me coffee in a cheap not-so-clean-cup (more like a mug) which must have been bought in a clearance sale from the back-lanes of a busy market area.
• Then another person came and invited me to accompany him to the conference room. He did not introduce himself; neither did he give me his business card. He started the conversation. First he asked me about my credentials and then gave me some details about their company. The meeting concluded after about ten minutes; he said he would get back to me soon. Before leaving the room I asked for his business card; he put his hands to his shirt pocket; couldn’t find the card. He then simply said `I am Adityan’.
• I felt happy to have met the director – the decision maker –himself.
• Before leaving the premises I asked somebody in the office for the correct official designation of Mr. Adityan so that I could address him correctly in my correspondence to him. He replied: `You mean Adityan, I think he is a surveyor or something like that here. Who told you that he is a director?’ That was the last straw; I was shortchanged.
• As I came out of that premises I decided that neither will I again visit their portal (website) not lay my foot at their portals.

S. Gopal …keying in is better than idling

Who Owns God ?……. 23 October 2007

Those who strike a deal with Him; `If I pass my exam, I will offer you bananas equal to my weight?

Those who pay any amount of money to get near His idol quickly through a fast track route (some even use helicopters to reach the temple town) and stay there for a longer time?

Those who decorate and offer food and other items to His idol, and conduct the poojas?

Those administrators of the temple who lay down the rules and regulations – one set for themselves and their friends, and another set for the other class?

Those who systematically smuggle the temple funds and property for their private purposes?

Those poor multitudes who have immense unconditional faith in the kindness of God and who surrender themselves before God?

These `real’ devotees know that God is watching; I hope others also realise this sooner rather than later.

Nobody owns the God; God owns everything !

S. .Gopal …keying in is better than idling

India Snippets… 22 October 2007

The West Bengal Police, during a raid in a bus, seized a leather bag containing a substance with markings: Uranium 100/100 Made in USA. Code 101. Weight 1 pound. Market value of this Uranium: Rupees One hundred Crores. Just imagine the damage that could have been caused to the world if it had gone undetected.

A survey to determine the wealth of people based on ownership of 33 assets like house, bank or post office accounts, television sets etc. has classified people into four groups. Caste-wise findings of percentage of people in that caste who fall in the higher wealth categories are as below:

• General castes 60
• Other Backward Castes (OBC) 37
• Scheduled caste 27

What do you say?

The new Bangalore International Airport will start functioning from 30 March 2008. Why that date? Because it is on 30 March that airlines the world over revise their schedules. The airport occupies 4 000 acres and can accommodate 10 million passengers per annum. Another reason for me to be a proud Bangalorean.

 

S. .Gopal …keying in is better than idling