Kaushiki Chakrabarty - A devotional bhajan in raga Bhairavi with Soumik ...

Book - Lord of the flies

Just by serendipity I happen to land on the book "Lord of the Flies". This is a classic book by Nobel prize winner William Golding.

While I started this book couple of times but due to one reason or another I was not able to progress beyond first few pages. Then one interesting thing happened. I was watching movie "The Commuter". In movie actor discusses about this book for 2 seconds in the context of a book report. Movie is average action thriller, but this was a sign to get back to book.

I won't try to summarize this book, as it maybe one of the most popular books in world. Top 100 read novels and two movies based on this.

Anyways what touched me is the fact that how attitude of the hunters changed when they painted their face. Paint is the symbol here. I think by attaching ourselves to symbols we loose our senses and try to justify that symbol by all means.

Book also reflects on the absurdity of behaviors and the fact that what will grown ups say when they find them doing these absurdities. It is again a symbolism for any group of people doing something illogical in the name of accepted belief and not wondering what will an intelligent being (maybe God) think of. 

Smart watch and not so smart person

Today morning, I went to the supermarket in my housing society to buy few household stuff. After purchasing, I saw that a security guard was there to verify the purchase with receipt. With my receipt in hand I was quickly done.

Behind me was a gentleman who had few items in his bag. On asking for receipt he fumbled in his belongings for several minutes. Apparently has lost it. No big deal. It happens. However what he did next caught my attention. He tried to convince security person that he has a receipt by showing digital copy of it on his smart watch. Poor security guard was transfixed. From his bewildered look, I guessed that he has never used it. He may be wondering why is this fellow trying to show time to him, when being asked for a receipt. 

With a smile on my face, I left that place thinking - "You can make devices smart, but what about people?"

Technological impacts through the lens of Tools and Weapons Book

"Tools and Weapons" deals with modern technologies such as Cloud Computing, Social Media, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the impact of these technologies on society, governance, privacy, etc.

This book is co-authored by Brad Smith who is currently serving as president of Microsoft. One of the remarkable learning is that Brad is by training a lawyer who is leading a very high tech company working on all the tech which has been mentioned in this book.

Book draws on the learnings of Microsoft when working with government agencies to help catch genuine wrongdoers and keep customer's privacy in mind. This is a fine balance to make and there are some fine learnings from that.

The chapter on Rural Broadband is fascinating to me to understand the challenges rural areas face and the potential application of TV signaling technology to connect them with the rest of the world. 

The impact of AI to process vast amounts of data to get actionable intelligence is now mainstream news. It is unfashionable to say that someone is not working on AI. However, AI is as good as the person who trained the AI system and built a computational model. It has been proved to be biased. Social media feeds show you only those content that you showed an affinity to. There have been reports of automated resume screeners having a negative bias against females and certain ethnicities. The use of Facial Recognition is becoming mainstream in consumer products (cell phones, PC) and enterprises to provide targetted selling. This has a serious implication on privacy.

In conclusion authors (Brad and Carol) provide their perspective on technologies that are going to impact everyone's life and what are the challenges ahead along with some solutions. Governments, citizens need to be aware of these impacts so that they can safeguard themselves against the misuse of these tools and prevent conversion to a weapon.

Enacting a drama

In my village, Durga Puja is a big event. People staying in faraway cities also try to come and be present in this joyous occasion. This year I also got an opportunity to be there.

One evening while there is a group prayer (sandhya arati), I met one of my friends Mr. Lakshmanji. After some pleasantries, he casually asked if I am interested in playing a part in the drama. Let me tell you that the village drama is very prestigious. It typically starts around 10-11 in the evening and can go till up to 4-5 in the morning. It is watched by a large group of people and is broadcasted on loudspeakers. I have seen many dramas in Durga Pujas during my childhood. I have always been mesmerized by the meticulous performance exhibited by drama actors. Some village elders are still being revered for their drama prowess.  

So naturally, I was excited and terrified of this opportunity. I have never acted in any drama before this. Either at school or in college. The closest I did was in BHU where there was a 30-minute training session. Nowhere close to what is being done here. After some thought, I decided why not. After all I got one life to try. I was told that drama will be tomorrow. It will be a Maithili (mother tongue of Mithila region) drama. I requested for a small role.

After dinner, I went to the rehearsal place. In one room, there were many people seated together and were discussing what to do and what not to do. Some of them are very senior to me and many of them I didn't know. Anyways they were very kind to me and asked me to review one character. After reading the script I found it to be very lengthy and found my confidence dripping. So I requested some smaller role with not that much lengthy dialogues. Finally, I was given the role of a one-eyed lawyer who is kind of introducing the main character Mr. Nilo Kaka to the audience.

I rehearsed that scene with the person who will be playing the main character. He is a very senior person and many times acted drama veteran. Further, his character was insulting my character in the drama which was unnerving for some weird reason. Initially, it was very hard. I was not loud enough. I was facing in wrong direction and so on. After couple of retakes I found some strength. By then it was a late-night and we parted.

The next day I tried to remember my lines as much as possible. Harassed my family members with my dialogues. In the evening I was messaged on the loudspeaker to meet. In the rush of all this, it didn't come to my mind to find out what will be the costume, etc. I presumed that drama committee will provide it. Obviously, I was wrong. It is volunteer work and I had to arrange a suitable dress. They helped me in finding the eye patch which is very essential for my character.

After a few more rehearsals with my friend Mr. Lakshamji I was as ready, I could be. One of the big learning for me was the importance of backstage support staff. There were few people who were helping artists with makeup. The atmosphere was very jovial. The role of women is also played by men. They were wearing saree and blouse and joking all around. The most important role is of the prompt reader. This person is responsible for reading lines of character in a medium voice so that the microphone doesn't catch it and at the same time, artists are able to hear it. The role is the lifeline of drama.

Anyways my turn came in and I was ushered in. I relaxed and tried to enjoy this moment. To my surprise, I did quite okay and so was told by others later. It was a very rewarding experience for me and I have so many learning lessons.

Successful memory

Why do we remember? Or the apt question is why should we remember? Then the next question is how should we remember?
These questions have been addressed (tried to address) in book "12 rules of life"

As per author who is a practicing psychologist, successful memory makes us ready for future.

In his words
“This is what happened. This is why. This is what I have to do to avoid such things from now on”: That’s a successful memory. That’s the purpose of memory. You remember the past not so that it is “accurately recorded,” to say it again, but so that you are prepared for the future.

Discipline paradox

Freedom—even the ability to act—requires constraint.

And that constraint is discipline. Without this constraint we are never free. This is a beautiful paradox. 

न दिल से लगाया करो

हर बात को न दिल से लगाया करो 
कुछ याद रखो, कुछ भूल जाया करो | 

गर रो रहे हो आज तो हँसे होंगे कभी 
उस हँसी को याद कर थोड़ा मुस्कुराया करो | 

जो पुराने हैं पहचाने हैं , वो रहेंगे तुम्हारे ही 
नए चेहरों को भी अपनाया करो | 

हर बात को न दिल से लगाया करो 
कुछ याद रखो, कुछ भूल जाया करो | 

(c) Anup Mayank 2019

Using science to clean up a wetland | Marino Morikawa | TEDxTukuy

What do you want baby

What do you want baby, what do you want 
What do you want baby what do you want 
do you fancy a popsicle or a chocolate bowl
What do you ...
do you want a diamond necklace or Kashmir shawl 
What do you ... 
will you be pleased by a room on the Moon or relief from the summer of June
What do you ...
do you want Christmas decoration all year long or just a beautiful song
What do you want baby what do you want

(c) 2019 Anup Mayank

Nina Burmi sings Thumri | Vocal & Tabla | Indian Classical Music

The way she sings is too good. I am hooked to this song for the past week.

Birla planetarium and temple in Hyderabad

Yesterday we decided to visit Birla Temple. It has been on our to-do list for quite some time. The initial plan was to leave at around 5 from Gachibowli, arrive temple at 6 and then visit ISKON temple after a couple of hours and return after 9 PM as both places close then. Of course, I didn't consider traffic and long queues :-)

After much cajoling from my wife, I decided to let go of my afternoon siesta and left at around 4:20 PM. The drive is cutting through the city and thus was somehow crowded. At one place we saw a burning bullet (motorcycle) on the mid road. It was properly parked and was burning like hell. Many people were taking selfies and pictures. I was scared that it may burst, so I sped along.

Anyways after a missed turn and taking help from several pedestrians (In India Google Maps will only help you up to some extent), I was able to reach Birla temple area. Mind you it is on a hilltop and being a weekend it was very crowded. Luckily Birla center has a decent parking space.

The place where I had parked was Birla Planetarium and museum. The planetarium has fixed show timings. And shows are in various languages. Next available show was at 6 PM, but it was full. Then at 6:30 it was in the Telugu language, which I am yet to learn. So I took tickets for 7:45 PM show.

Open space in front of museum

Planetarium

Then we went to see the museum. Fortunately, photography and videography are strictly banned here. So everyone is looking at scientific artifacts. There is a special section called Dinosarium where they have a fully constructed fossil of Dinosaur excavated in Adilabad Andhra Pradesh. It also has a fossilized egg from Gujarat. Totally worth the visit. The lower level of museums has a model of the submerged city of Dwarka and many scientific artifacts.

By the time we were done from museum, it was 7 PM. Initially, we thought to visit the temple and then be back by 7:30 in time to see planetarium. But better sense prevailed and we finally settled for seeing planetarium.
This was our first visit. It is a domed structure in which the audience is sitting in a reclining position and projection is done on the dome above. The show is about traveling through the solar system and then beyond. If you have never seen one such show, you must see one. Very close view of planets and galaxies will mesmerize you and open your eyes towards the vastness of space.

When the show ended it was almost 8:20. Birla temple looked stunningly beautiful from there. My phone camera is not justifying it here.

Temple view from the planetarium

You cannot take mobile devices inside the temple. It has to be deposited at the locker center. Being the almost end of time there was a rush and queue. After depositing our phones we started climbing up the stairs. Temple is made of white marble. For elderly and disabled there is a lift facility. Temple is of Lord Vishnu. We had to move along in queue for almost 30 minutes. Being on top of the hill and at night a gentle breeze was flowing, which made this wait pleasant. The view of the Hussainsagar lake and necklace road is amazing.
The crowd was chanting "Govinda, Govinda". Finally, we entered the inner temple and got a chance to see the main idol. My son quipped that we had to wait for so long for 2-minute darshan. 

After collecting our mobile phones, we had a double dose of sugarcane juice which energized us for the drive home. By the time we reached home it is was a quarter to 11. Visit to ISKON temple is for some other time.

राजकुमार वीरवर्धन और शैतानी जादूगर

राजकुमार वीरवर्धन एक बार अपने पिता  महाराज की आज्ञा पर एक दुसरे राज्य के राजा के पास मित्रता का प्रस्ताव लेकर जा रहे थे | रास्ता लम्बा था और बीच में एक घना जंगल | वैसे तो राजकुमार ऐसे मौकों पर अकेले ही जाना पसंद करते थे, किन्तु महाराज की आज्ञा थी की एक विश्वासी व्यक्ति को अवश्य अपने साथ ले जाएं | अतः राजकुमार ने अपने मित्र सुकान्त को साथ आने का आग्रह किया | सुकान्त राजकुमार के बचपन के मित्र थे और राजसी सेना के महत्वपूर्ण अधिकारी भी थे |

दोने मित्र आपस में तरह तरह की बातें करते हुए अपने घोड़ों पर सवार होकर चल दिए | भूख लगती तो राज्य के गांव वालो से खाना मिल जाता और आराम करने के लिए घने पेड़ों की छाव | बीच बीच में तेज घुरसवारी की मुकाबला भी हो जाती | कभी राजकुमार वीरवर्धन जीत जाते तो कभी उनके मित्र सुकान्त | इस तरह से मजे करते हुए वे लोग अपने राज्य के सीमान्त तक आ पहुंचे | सामने वह विशाल घना जंगल भी आ गया | सुकान्त ने कहा की अब हम दोनों साथ ही सावधानी पूर्वक चलेंगे |

अनुमानतः ७  दिन का रास्ता था जंगल के बीच से | पहला दिन बिना किसी विशेष बाधा के कट गया | उन्होंने तरह तरह के जंगली जानवर देखे | पर ना ही किसी जानवर ने उन दोनों को परेशान किया और न ही उन लोगों ने किसी जानवर को | रात के समय बारी बारी से पहरा देते हुए दोनों सो गए | संयोग ऐसा बना की कोई  फल वाला पेड़ नहीं मिला जिसके फल खाकर दोनों अपनी भूख मिटा सकें |  उनके पास जो भी पहले का बचा हुआ खाने का सामान था सब ख़तम हो गया था |

दोनों दोस्त की भूख के मारे बुरी हालत हो रही थी | सूरज भी ढल गया था | तभी उन्हें कुछ दूरी पर एक रौशनी सी दिखाई दी | उनके आश्चर्य का ठिकाना नहीं था | रौशनी की तरफ घोड़ों को मोरा | कुछ दूर जाने पर देखते हैं की एक आलिशान भवन है | उसकी देखभाल करने के लिए जंगली कबीले के लोग थे | राजकुमार ने उनसे कहा की उन्हें भूख लगी है | परन्तु वे लोग राजकुमार की बात नहीं समझ पा रहे थे | उन्होंने आपस में कुछ विचित्र भाषा में बात चीत की जो की वीरभद्र और सुकान्त नहीं समझ पाए | उनमें से एक भवन के अंदर गया | थोड़ी ही देर में एक महात्मा बाहर आये |

महात्मा ने राजकुमार से सारा हाल समाचार जाना | उन्होंने कहा की वह पहले एक बहुत ही सफल व्यापारी थे | बाद में जब उनका मन सांसारिक जीवन से भर  गया  तो उन्होंने इस जंगल के बीच अपना घर बनाया | अब वह यही पर रहते हैं और प्रभु भजन करते हैं | पास के कबीले के लोग उनके पास रहना पसंद करते हैं और उनकी सुरक्षा करते हैं | उन्होंने राजकुमार और उनके मित्र को रात भवन में बिताने का निमंत्रण दिया | वीरभद्र और सुकान्त के लिए तो यह मन मांगी बात हो गयी |

वे दोनों जब भवन के अंदर गए तो उन्होंने देखा की बहुत सारे तरह तरह के जानवर भी वहां थे | पेड़ों पर तरह तरह की चिड़ियाँ थी | कई तरह के जानवर खूंटे से बंधे थे और कुछ तो बड़े से पिंजरे के अंदर भी बंद थे | राजकुमार और सुकान्त को देखकर न जाने उन सब पशु पक्षियों को क्या हो गया | सभी तरह तरह की आवाजें निकलने लगे | तभी महात्मा ने एक जोर की हुंकार की और सभी चुप | यह देखकर उन्हें बहुत आश्चर्य हुआ |

फिर महात्माजी उन्हें एक कमरे में बिठा कर खाने का प्रबंध करने चले गए | सुकान्त को यह सब बहुत खटक रहा था | उसने राजकुमार से कहा की वह थोड़ा आस पास देख कर आता है | और फिर सुकान्त महात्मा के पीछे चुपके से चल पड़ा | उसने देखा की सारे जानवर उसकी तरफ टक टक देख रहे हैं | लेकिन सब चुप हैं | ऐसा लगता है की बहुत भयभीत हों | वह रसोई घर की तरफ गया | वहां पर खिड़की के नीचे खरा होकर वह सारी बात चुप चाप सुनने लगा | महात्मा कबीले वालों को जोर जोर से कुछ करने के लिए कह रहे थे | उनकी बात को सुनकर सभी कबीले वाले काफी खुश हो कर उत्साह में काम करने लगे | फिर जैसे की महात्मा खुद से बात करने लगे - " अहा आज तो मजा आ गया | अब इनको मैं बेहोश करके जादू से इन्हें भी जानवर बना दूंगा | मेरे पास अब १०० इंसानी जानवर होने ही वाले हैं | फिर इन सबकी बलि होगी नरपिशाच के सामने | और मुझे मिलेगी अद्भुत शैतानी ताकत | अहा कितना मजा आएगा | "

सुकान्त सब समझ गया | वह चुपके से राजकुमार के पास वापस आ गया | उसने राजकुमार को सब बात बता दी | वीरभद्र ने सब सुनकर कहा - " चलो हमारा यहाँ आना बहुत जरूरी था | इस दुष्ट ढोंगी जादूगर को मारकर हम इस आतंक को ख़तम कर देते हैं | " जब थोड़ी देर बाद महात्मा आये तो वीरभद्र ने कहा - " महात्माजी हम बिना संध्या आरती किये हुए भोजन नहीं करते हैं | एक काम करते हैं पहले हम इश्वर भजन करेंगे थोड़ी देर फिर भोजन करेंगे | " यह सुनकर वह  ढोंगी साधू घबरा गया | वीरभद्र और सुकान्त ने जोर से शिव भजन करना आरम्भ कर दिया | उस ढोंगी साधू से यह सब सुना न गया | थोड़ी ही देर में उसका चेहरा क्रोध से तमतमाने लगा | भला शैतानी शक्ति को प्रभु भजन कैसे सुहाए | उसने साधू का भेष त्याग दिया और अपने असली दुष्ट जादूगर के रूप में आ गया |

ऐसा होना था की वीरभद्र और सुकान्त ने अपनी तलवार उसके सामने तान दी | राजकुमार ने कहा - " चालबाज ढोंगी , आज तेरा खेल ख़तम | इससे पहले की में तेरे प्राण ले लूं , जल्दी से सब को अपनी माया से मुक्त कर | "  जादूगर बहुत ही डर गया | उसने राजकुमार से कहा की अगर भवन में उपस्थित शैतान की मूर्ती को नष्ट कर दिया जाए तो सभी कैदी मुक्त हो जायेंगे | राजकुमार और सुकान्त जादूगर के साथ शैतान की मूर्ति के पास गए | वहां तरह तरह के सांप और बिच्छू उस मूर्ति के चारो ओर मंडरा रहे थे | राजकुमार ने अपना भाला उठाया और निशाना लगा कर मूर्ति के सर पर दे मारा | यह होते ही सारे कबीले वाले जोर जोर से रोने चिल्लाने लगे | फिर वो सब तरह तरह के जंगली जानवर बन गए | कोई भेड़िया तो कोई लकड़बग्घा | फिर सब जंगल की तरफ भागे | और भवन में कैद सारे पशु पक्षी मनुष्य रूप में आ गए |

सब राजकुमार और उनके मित्र की इस बहादुरी के गुण गान करने लगे | वे सब जंगल से गुजरने वाले पथिक थे जो की जादूगर के चक्कर में फस कर यहाँ कैद हो गए थे | राजकुमार और सुकान्त ने जादूगर को रस्सियों की मजबूत बंधन में बंधा और उन पथिकों से कहा की - " इस धोखेबाज को राजा के पास ले जाइये | वही इस का उचित दंड देंगे | "

फिर राजकुमार और सुकान्त ने सबके साथ भोजन किया और वहां से अगले सुबह अपनी आगे की यात्रा के लिए निकल पड़े |

(c) Anup Mayank 2019

पहले की कहानी 

बूनरोड - भाग्य विजेता

क्या आप गहरे समुद्र में अकेले तट से २२० किलोमीटर की दूरी पर उम्मीद को जीवित रखते हुए संघर्ष कर सकते हैं | थाईलैंड में यह अद्भुत कारनामा एक कुत्ते ने कर दिखाया | वह ना जाने कितने समय से अकेले तैर रहा था | थक कर चूर हो गया था | पर हार नहीं मानी |   इसी कारन उसे ढूंढने वालों ने उसका नाम बूनरोड यानी की भाग्य विजेता रख दिया | यह कहानी हमें आशावान रहने की सीख देती है | 

Myth vs Reality

Some days back I was having snacks with a few of my colleagues. The topics of discussion were varied and at one point in time, we started discussing the movie 300. We all agreed that it was a delight to watch such muscularly toned fighters. 

The real trouble started when I mentioned that it is based on real story of Xerxes's invasion of Greece. However, people were not ready to believe it as being real. They were insistent on it being a mythical story just like so many mythical stories we have read in the Indian context.

Which brings the question is that why was this person, who with a good educational background is opposing instead of checking the facts. Unless we are willing to challenges our own learnings how will we separate myth from reality?

Book Summary - On Grand Strategy

On Grand Strategy is a collection of leadership strategies deployed by famous leaders. In this book, John Lewis Gaddis tries to analyze which strategies work and what one should avoid.

The author starts with a scenario of Xerces crossing Hellespont. Xerces is looking for final counsel before he marches on and he is given a non-committal answer by his counselor and uncle Artabaun. He marches ahead without any strategy on how he plans to fight Greeks. From here author starts comparing fox vs hedgehog analogy. Xerces is a hedgehog who knows only to move ahead.

In "Long walls" chapter Peloponnesian war is discussed in the context of Pericles. The author argues that the walls surrounding Athens were created to serve two purposes. One to defend itself, at the same time it also created a kind of focus boundary for Athenians. Pericles didn't respect this boundary and got involved in a war which didn't concern Athens. One of the possible reasons attributed is that he may look weak to his adversaries and didn't want to lose his position. His rigidity in later stages of life leads to the Athenian empire's decline.

In Teachers and Tethers, chapter life of Octavian Caeser aka Augustus Caesar is discussed. Augustus was physically weak, wasn't a great military commander and as per those days unfit to rule. But he overcame his weakness by being a fox and navigating his path carefully in adverse scenarios. He faced challenges from a much powerful adversary such as Mark Anthony but was able to make him an ally first and then crush him in the end.  He left the legacy of a strong roman empire at the age of late seventies.

"Souls and states" focuses on Machiavelli and Augustine. Augustine has prescribed how rulers can conduct the affairs of state such as war, punishment, etc and still reach the city of God. God is the ultimate authority over these matters. Thus Augustine has achieved sainthood despite his previous shocking work of Confessions. On the contrast Machiavelli likes to keep the affairs of state and God separate, thus being labeled a sinner. Augustine imagines a city of God whereas in Machiavelli's mind is occupied with public affairs on earth. Machiavelli maintains that there is no single standard by which men must live and they should take it easy (don't sweat over it) in contradictions. Whereas Augustine prescribes a path of doing this and does that.

Life of Queen Elizabeth of England and King Philip of Spain is compared in "Princes as Pivots". Elizabeth's rule is decentralized. She delegates responsibility and still has complete control over her kingdom and life. Whereas Phillip likes to control each and every aspect of his large empire. He is continuously swamped with work.

Gandipet Lake

For past 18 months Hyderabad is my home. I am not going to write about famous Hyderabadi Biryani here. That is well known. Compared to Pune, I find Hyderabadi restaurants are more liberal in serving sizes.

Anyways coming back to Gandipet Lake (aka Osmansagar Lake).
It is closer to Gachibowli area where I am living. Thus so fare I have visited this area 3-4 times. Lake is a huge water reservoir with a park adjacent to it. Kids love it. From the walkway you can enjoy the beautiful scenary over there.

Today we reached there around sunset and it was very beautiful in every sense.

Sunset at the Lake

Shiva Temple

Trevor Noah

If you are into American Politics then the name "Trevor Noah" is not a mystery to you. His show The Daily show with Trevor Noah on Comedy Central is very popular.

I happened to watch some of his episodes on Youtube about a month back and since then I have been hooked on to it. He and his team presents serious issues about politics, technology, environmental and social issues in a very light way which is fun to watch and understand.

Recently I got a chance to read his book Born a Crime in which he walks us through his childhood. He is son of a white father and a black mother in Apartheid era of South Africa. The book gives a glimpse of social and racial issues in South Africa.

I wish we too had a similar show in India where raw facts were presented in light way. 

Keep check on your thoughts

We cannot leave our thoughts unguarded. For example if we are feeling sad or anger at something or someone, we must take a break and think back, whether our feeling is truly justified. Is it really a big deal? Opposite is also true. We need to check our exuberance and control ourselves from committing something huge in a very heightened jubilant mode.

Daniel Goleman writes in his book Focus - "Attention to our inner selves and outer world provides the mechanism to voluntary Regulation of our thoughts and feelings."

Bahot Dukha Mann

I am hooked to this song from Mukkabaj movie (I haven't yet got the chance to see movie)

This is a song which touches your soul. Awesome lyrics by Hussain Haidry and very soft music by Rachita Arora and well sung by Dev Arijit and Rachita Arora.

Vocal rendition makes you feel the pain of characters and will calm you down.