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Project Aaharam

2009-09-02T09:40:00.000-07:00

If you are fat.

If you want a good anatomy

If you want to lead a simple yet effective life

If you want the most out of life

http://projectaaharam.blogspot.com/

Check it out TODAY!

Regards

Aparajith Raman

The East Brain and the West Brain

2009-08-14T09:33:00.000-07:00

The East Brain and the West Brain

Aparajith Raman

No. this is not about giving our brain two more dimensions and making money out of it. It’s not even a research worth toilet paper for a writer. How ever, it’s an epiphany of a reader. Writers read and readers write. And it doesn’t take rocket science to read literature that is tagged as ‘contemporary writing’ today. Any writing that does not make sense the first time or anytime thereafter has the luxury to use that tag. But this essay is different. It weighs literature from two clearly geoliteral areas of the globe. The world has shrunk but clearly its thought process has just become expanded.

Manjula Padmanabhan. Almost an eye raiser in 3 out of 4 cases. She can be, with all due respect, called the Deepa Metha of Indian Literature. Her work, Harvest will be my first subject. For all scientific purposes let’s call it ‘Specimen A’

The Book titled ‘Bookmark Now’ edited by Kevin Smokler (who is obsolete in this essay) and written by 24 writers who have just come of age will be ‘Specimen B’ .However only 3 essays from B have been chosen. This should be a Handicap Race at the end of the day.

Manjula on one hand wrote Harvest in the year 1997. 12 years before this essay is being compiled. And the format used was different, it was in dialogues. Ready-to-be-staged or so. It talks about a situation that is still utopian to the medical fraternity. The sale of organs from third world nations to the developed nations. And this later branches off into other socially acceptable transactions that involve husbands, wife, son and in a special case the mother. We say the world will end in the year 2012, but this story is worth living to see with own eyes. Simple everyday characters, A mother who is a telly addict. Two sons, one gigolo and one married.

Now to move onto the next point, the concept of gigolos are laughed at even today, and no cynical person will beg to differ the logic that ‘saying words like ‘sex’ ‘condom’ and ‘gigolo’ earlier would make you consider an outcast’. This story highlights the concept how intellectual poverty could have never been present in the Indian society which thought 50 years ahead of its times. And living proof is literature such as these. The simple fact that oppressed writers with ideologies that were not accepted as bitter truth were shunned and locked inside the closet and terming the author ‘closet case’ as well. The language used was concise and could not be termed as jargon. Unless you were intellectually inclined and or mature you will not cherish those forms of literature. Simple logic; Cognac, unless you have a taste for it rest assured your not going to even dream about it.

Exhibit B

Authors in consideration were; Pamela Ribon, Dan Kennedy and Christian Bauman

Pam, founder of pamie.com a unique website (and by me the very first blog in the world). Started off her writing, watching her father write and be discouraged by every possible publisher. She now stands with victory in her hands to tell us the story with ‘Looking the part’.

Christian worked in the US army and wrote his contribution when spending time serving the government in Somalia.

Dan Kennedy wrote ‘Welcome, Grab a broom’ a writing, on writing.

The similarities with all 3 authors are how to each of them, an essay was nothing creative or innovative. It was plagiarism of their own lives. An auto-biography in 3 pages suits the description. The language used is not simple, it’s vernacular. Understood if it features under quotes but not the entire bit. The authors came together from different parts of ‘the land of hope’ to prove to the world and their fellow countrymen that the sky was not falling on American Literature. What is the relevance of literature when its very term seems quaint, is the question all the authors try to answer. Calling it Intellectual Poverty would be derogatory in a sense that pamie.com made waves that Manjula could not come up with. One book is not enough to take sides. One essay is not enough to change perceptions. As long as readers write and writers read, we have no problem with the East brain and the West brain dominating the Geoliteral world. One man ruled the globe. Once upon a time. A homosexual. A computer illiterate. Someone we call Shakespeare.

Author’s Note: The logical loophole in this essay is quite obvious; one swallow doesn't make a summer. Likewise 3 authors can not be used to come to a scientific decision. These authors were trapped by random sampling method and therefore this essay was born. This essay by you might even be bullshit. I respect your perception just as you respected mine and read it. Do post your comments.

Cheers

Aparajith Raman

The Journey of a Lifetime

2009-06-13T22:37:00.000-07:00

15 years of a dogma is hard to forget. And specific incidents are hard to remember, as I near the end of the line, I am greeted by the beginning of another. Its an experience every fortunate student embarks on, every one reaches the parting of ways at the same time, but the moments spent together during the 15 year walk, taught us the world is a bigger place. Right from our first friend in kinder garden to our first crush in class 4 to our first relationship in class 11 every page has a different tale to be told. While some consider it an intellectual prison with liberal views on socializing, some perceive it to be a temple of power. Nicknames, gang wars and the state of euphoria felt by those who claim to be mature at a tender age. School life can be aptly related to what Leo Tolstoy said; “All happy families resemble one another, each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way” Across all barriers, every happy memory of school days can be related to. And those who despise it have their own reason. Its sends tears down the cheek when one pictures oneself to go back to his Alma matter and see the graffiti on the walls of the sacred institution and the furniture. All that is as valuable to him as a monolithic cave painting is to an archeologist. Alfred Lord Tennyson, in his poem, The Brook quite read the teachers mind when he said “For men may come and men may go, but I go on for ever. Year after year, the wonder-women sculpt the person we are, from bringing in the clay in class 1, every teacher makes a touch of perfection every year, the result is quintessential. We know all good things come to an end, and this cliché can be the only reason we feel remorse when our farewell party is hosted. Apart from the knowledge we gained the wisdom we acquired was far more valuable. Learning to fly paper rockets, forge our father’s signature at dire times. Learn to handle people. It might be a dog-eat-dog world out there, but we are well equipped to face it. Every batch invariably has the following; a nerd, chick magnet, talented sports guy, a fat person who is the butt of all jokes and the gang of elite girls who by a dash of bad luck missed being born at Beverly Hills. We enter the portals as individuals and bond as one big family. But when we leave, we are speechless. It’s a moment much dreaded. But do we have a choice? As the curtains come to a close, the show is over, the makeup is off but the characters still live in each of our hearts. Its only when you embark on this journey of a lifetime my friends, do you realize the fact that the destination is none other than the journey itself.

The Cure to life.

2009-05-24T12:44:00.001-07:00

Life is more or less a wheel. What when goes up, comes down. It’s a fact and it’s inevitable. How ever one does start to seek an answer to questions the mind dumps us with. This gives rise to another problem, is the mind, knowing very well that answers to the questions it puts forth are far beyond sober reach, putting it for no reason or is life by itself, an unwritten red herring prospectus that reads ‘COMPLICATED’. What ever it is, I write this essay as another Pico Iyer who did not visit another offbeat place but sighted an answer. I could be Salim Ali, who writes his diary when he sights the last living dodo in the horizon, figuratively, however. We seek one answer to all complex question life does bestow upon us, ever contemplating mortals. The answer is the simple way-of-life, Buddhism. A pragmatic Swiss army knife of sorts in the ever changing world, I would put it. It not only gives you a solution, the solution, unlike most contemporary products made in the same east today, gives you a guarantee. It says, “Don’t believe in this way of life till you realize that it has worked for you”. Unlike taking a side, Theistic or Atheistic, Buddhism strangely takes yet again, a middle path of being a Non-theistic religion (way of life is more appropriate) It does not ask its followers to worship The Buddha as god. In fact there is no god prescribed by the religion to worship. It’s simple to be a Buddhist. And no one needs to change one’s perspective by quantum leaps and infinite bounds. Realize the 4 noble truths. And follow the noble 8 fold path. And acknowledge the 3 jewels. The 4 noble truths are as follows: Duhkha, Samudaya, Nirodha and Marga. The first is the fact that there is suffering in our lives. Second says that this suffering comes from ‘craving’
The third says that this ‘suffering’ can be cured and the fourth truth unfolds the 8 fold path consisting of the Right; View, Intention, Speech, Action, Livelihood, Effort, Mindfulness and Concentration. The four noble truths are similar to the 4 rules or medicine. The disease, the cause of the disease and fact that the disease can be cured and then the way to go about the cure. In times of mental distress which is as common as a cold in today’s world, the answer is not a religion, it’s a way of life. Enter Buddhism. A more or less D-I-Y kit. Which, by all means keeps cynics at bay. Whats fascinating is that how a system that originated 500 years B.C still proves results even today. It simply gives you a manual to live your life in a simple, complications-free format. Meditate and follow your thoughts with care. You are born today to make sure that you don’t commit the mistakes you made yesterday. And if you ever come to crave for something, you have the ball in your court; you can either try, and vanquish the thought and thereby bury the hatchet. Or dig your own grave by giving into one of life’s worst enemy, temptation. Buddhism is not a religion, it’s a science. Just like accounts or physics. Apply the formulae and get your desired results. Sorrow is never not present in our lives. For Oscar Wilde had put it, ‘In this world there are only two tragedies, one of not getting what you want, and the other of getting it.

Is ‘THE QUEST’ absurdity?

2009-05-05T09:29:00.000-07:00

Life is Pandora’s box, sadly we all try to open it. A day doesn’t pass without a change in emotions we show. Our needs increase and we find temporary satisfaction at one point. But is that enough. Have we not, even once tried to look inside ourselves and failed to speak what our hearts want us, in fear of being an insane person? This is what is called ‘The Quest’ a search to find a sure answer for a question that we are doubtful on. We try to reason out our actions and thoughts by turning inwards and censoring them using our hearts. How many of us realize that our hearts are not to be used as censor boards and more as guides. If we can all agree on one fact it is that our heart will never deceive us. Our hearts are not in contact with our imagination. Our hearts, by default are in a state of trance and we disturb the balance and create havoc. There are questions in life only few can answer. And it is not by tantric powers or the likes, some saints and sages seem to be in eternal bliss. They follow a simple procedure, we don’t. They go on a quest to find out who to trust and they realize at one point, the person is no bigger than their fists, and no farther than inside them. Their heart. Till date, we have failed to find out the true answers to many questions life has bestowed upon us. Many poets have given hints and used the heart as a synecdoche, not realizing, that when in eternal bliss, it is the other way around. Staring at the wall and letting your heart and mind have a chat is a level beyond nirvana. Not only do you find an answer to a hard question, you have a reason why that is the answer as well. We take, those who listen to their hearts to be fools, not realizing one fine day, we would find ourselves in their shoes, after we take to the path, less traveled and proved worthy. The most intricate part of our hearts is its bottom. Every heart showers love from its deepest part, but strangely when we try to go inside ourselves, leaving all possible emotions outside we discover we can never find the bottom of the pit. ‘The Quest’ is the only journey that is never ending and never exhaustive. One needs the maturity to renounce not only our sorrow, fear and hatred but joy and love too. We need to be in a state of mind where we realize we need to accept the answers from ourselves with out doubting its value or authenticity. Many a times a conflict of opinion between the mind and heart will crop up. Listen to the latter. Self realization is a journey not many would cherish or wish for. But once taken, it’s a pilgrimage to peace. You would realize the paradox. No matter how small the heart is. One can never measure it.

I

2009-03-22T05:39:00.000-07:00

Each mind is unique, so is each mindset. But one question is common to all, one question that will ponder out thoughts the moment we start to think. Who am I? Right from the beggar on the streets to a high stakes player of Wall Street, right from the one you love to the stranger who smiled at you the other day. The concept of Identity is still unfathomable to all of us. We have all heard of the cliché “we come from dust and return to dust” ever wondered what happened to those who might be dead but their souls are there with us. Hitler, Gandhi, Lincon….the list is endless. Think for a moment what if your actions help emboss your name in society’s heart. We live not to die but to live on, life is one, but one can defy the clutches of death by living in the minds of many.
‘I’ here is for Identity, a perception of uniqueness to all, but a goal to a few. Like all other goals there are two ways to achieve it. Right and wrong. We are all lost, for words to describe ourselves, we consider those who seek an answer to this question insane, but rationally do we need an identity or do we accept the banner others give us? Do we need to reason out our existence?
Learning from others mistakes is mistake numero uno. For different people make different mistakes, this destroys the very idea towards the quest of self identification. We learn to live today better than yesterday. We hope to live tomorrow better than today. Isn’t that a blunder? Hoping to? When we don’t know how to boil water we cannot make great sushi. We need to look around us and learn how or what others see in you that you don’t. That way we learn about ourselves. We might never know what came into us that went out. But to those who realized a change in your behaviour they know. We are self contended with knowledge. But we lack wisdom. BIG difference. Knowledge is knowing that tomato is a fruit; wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad. We are defined not directly by what we say or think, but by what we do. We do what we say and think. So we are defined by our actions. But what is it that makes one faulty action a burden on our shoulders. Whose fault is it that we dig our own graves? Atlas has the earth on his shoulder, The Thinker sits, comfortably. Both share the frown. Is it not that both are different? While one is burdened the other is comfortable? Difference as there might be, one factor is common. Their actions help us perceive their society, their creator’s mindsets. Actions differ, thoughts do not. Once a moonshiner, always a moonshiner. But one thought can change oneself. So Penser, Denken, Think. You are what you want to be. You are Unique, see the letter I standing tall, be the I, standing tall yourself.

Failure makes a lethal cocktail.

2009-03-20T23:27:00.000-07:00

Those who fear nothing, lie, those who never regret, lie, those who lie, fear, they fear failure. The one factor in our lives that has the power to change an entire clock upside down simply has seven letters to it. Right from broken hearts to shattered dreams the ‘killer’ is successful with fate as his ally. He stalks each and every one of us in order to ensure we have a neutralized life. Where we balance success and happiness with failure and sorrow. For if we tend to have excess of sugar, we doubt the presence of god. Many religions give the benefit of hatred to the Satan; many try to put the blame of failure on the devil. Little do they all realize that if it is one soul behind failure it is oneself. Building sand castles in the air is next to ecstasy but the idea of a hose warming party later on, is madness. Very few people rationalize everyday lives and live a sober life. Many do just the opposite. Cherish victory so much so one is drunk by it. Then when one faces reality one discovers that no matter how drunk one is, one needs more victory to quench one’s thirst. That is never possible. Failure is one element of our lives… and it takes two to make a cocktail. True. But ever wondered what the other elements are? The answer is oneself. We see bliss in victory and that’s what we always want to see. We think we are what we think we are. God, who created us failed to explain one action of his. Why make failure an automated sequel to success. Does one not learn from one’s mistakes? Or does one refuse to learn once hence the repetitive lessons from the almighty. A question for all to contemplate. Broken ‘<3’ shattered dreams are viewed as omens by those who lead a contemplative life. One does not celebrate victory but watches out for the killer round the corner, because one knows he may be happy one moment but sad the very next. Its not worth shedding a tear drop just as yet. Friends, all is not lost. Open your eyes to the world. Consecutive success has only one meaning from two options, one is god, one is being lured to a rude shock. Sleep not when you win, for when you awaken you will find a bleeding heart. And if you have lost, not once nor twice but many more. Loose everything but for hope. Loose not your mind nor your will to succeed. For god never wanted us to fly in the beginning of it all, if he did , we would have wings. We begged to differ from him, that’s why we have air tickets and plane crashes. But do remember a phoenix rises from its own ashes.

Blogference

2009-01-03T09:12:00.000-08:00

How to Run a Virtual Blogging Event

The most effective way to use a blog is by hosting a virtual blogging event. A virtual event is more then a method to boost your traffic - it´s a fun, exciting & inspiring way to build long lasting relationships and to give something back to the community.

I thought I would share my experience and the lessons I´ve learned from my blogger event so that other new and aspiring bloggers will follow and host some amazing events on their blogs too. So let´s start...

What is a virtual blogging event?
Very easy...just a crowd interested in a specific topic that comes together to listen to expert speakers, discuss and network with other like-minded people. And what makes this "virtual"? Your blog!
The difference lies in the environment: the speakers don´t speak - they post on your blog. The discussions and Q&A sessions are held in the comment box under the specific posts. That´s a very powerful way to use a blog.

Ok - got it.. but why should I want to host a virtual blogging event?
Wow...there are soooo many reasons. Here are just a few of them:
You build great relationships
You do something special
You boost the conversations on your blog
You get more link-love
You can give something back to others
You get great & unique content for your blog
You get more traffic

Virtual Blogging Event Blue Print:

Planning:
Get clear about the purpose. What do you want to achieve with it? What are your goals? Who is your audience and what do they want?
Think about the theme. What could be a cool theme for your event? Something that your audience and the potential speakers would enjoy being part of?
Find a mentor. This way you can stand upon the shoulders of a giant and learn from someone who already did what you want to do. Give yourself three times as much time as you think you need

Speakers:
Friends come first. Contact your existing blogger friends first and ask them to attend at the event. The response rate will likely be much higher with people in your network than with total strangers. After the first people agreed to participate you can the leverage the results to persuade other bloggers to commit to your event as virtual speakers.
Make new friends. I suggest that you have a look at the blogs you read but do not have a connection to the author yet. What could be a better way to make new friends? Ask them if they would like to write a post for your event and become virtual speakers.
Get clear before you contact anyone on what you want them to do. Write down the who, what, when, where, why, and how. Have a sample to send them so that they know what they are making a commitment to do.

Organization:
Date/Time of event:
Time Zone:
Break:
Setup a session time for every speaker:
Setup the session intervals:
Deadline for the speakers to send you their posts:
Promotion tools (graphs etc.):
Marketing on your blog:
Marketing on the speakers blogs:
Again know which of the above you think are important and who is going to do what. Write down what each of these things is and have sample of what they look like.

Running the event:
Publish the first post
Send a message to the speaker to tell her the post is live
Write the first question to the post so that things get started
Go into the comment box and refresh frequently to participate in the discussion
Deactivate the capcha function of your blog (if you have any) to make it easier for people to comment
Monintor the back end to make sure no new visitors comments end up in the spam catcher.
Repeat the process for the second post, third post...etc. It´s hard to keep on top of the discussions if you have several of them going on at the same time. I suggest you use tabs to open a window for every session and trust the speaker to handle the situations.

Aftermath:
Relax and have a look at the results
Send a message to your speakers and give them feedback
Write a post about the event and what you´ve learned
Thank every speaker.

Source-supercoolschool

Flick Lessons

2008-12-27T08:02:00.000-08:00

We have all seen movies, and the basic logic behind the entertainment factor is

" Its a nice world, but its not my world, although given an option, I would like to visit it again and again"

But have you ever wondered as to how our lives can be changed by watching a huge screen for 3 hours and |reading| [ reading between the lines ;) ]

Case Studies

50 First Dates.

Flirt with every chick in the world. If one of them makes that difference to you, go any mile to get her.

Ocean's 11

Even the IMPOSSIBLE can be done with HELP and Planning.

Love Actually

If there is one emotion that is common to the most powerful bureaurocrat, a kid, some random person, It is this, it is this, it is this.

Bruce Almighty

GOD is inside each one of us, believe in him or not! he still is there. but when you really need help, he is not inside you...why? he is standing right next to you giving you instructions

V For Vendetta

If it requires life to change a whole society, do it!

The X-Men

Each one of us are different, but together we are invincible

Ratatouille

No matter who you are, if you want to do something you love with all your heart, just do it!

Usual Suspects

The best trick the devil played on us was that he made us think he never existed.

Spies, Damned Lies & Statistics- Corporate Jihad -II

2008-12-13T06:26:00.001-08:00

"Foreknowedge cannot be gotten from ghosts and spirits, it cannot be had by anology, cannot be foundout by calculation, it must be obtained from people, people who know the conditions of the enemy." Said Sun Tzu. The father of Chinese Warfare.

If there is one business in the world that obtains profit, by a fully righteous method, at all times, then this post is nonsensical. When a business uses unethical methods to obtain profits and ease the guilt using C.S.R. Isn't using Corporate Intelligence ( C.I ) justified? On the other hand, C.I only involves corporates, not the public

The world of today is Commercialised. In every possible way. Entrepreneurs are blooming by the wink and Conglomerates wage wars for kicks!. There is now a slow paced yet vital factor emerging 'Corporate Espionage' or 'Corporate Intelligence'. There goes a saying " You need to be a rat in order to win a rat race".

War uses 5 types of spies;

1) Local Spies

2) Inside Spies

3) Reverse Spies

4) Dead Spies

5) The Living Spies

While war can take place using either of the spies, CE uses all the above.

A coffee table chat with a friend working in a rival company goes as good as an Inside Spy, sitting nest to the company's CEO in a high-level board meeting on a proposed Merger Plan. The birth of Internet Explorer led to death of The Netscape Browser. CE is not a weapon of Mass Corporate Destruction. It is simply a tool which helps a company, know deeper about it's rival in order to lay plans to combat the 'WAR OF THE MARKETS'

A local spy might be the young boy who supplies Tea to the office staff during Lunch.

The Inside spy, has been mentioned

The Reverse spy, is a spy sent by a rival company but works for you by giving 'Near-True' information. He is basically brought by you for a higher price

The Dead spy is one who gives wrong information, he is a higher-order Reverse Spy

The Living spy is one who comes back and reports to you.

You may ask if it is ethical. Just remember, The world's first profession was Flesh Trade.

The Art Of Corporate Jihad

2008-12-13T05:22:00.000-08:00

The Art Of Corporate Jihad tries to use the text 'THE ART OF WAR' By Sun Tzu and help Corporates

The Nine Grounds

1) Ground Of Dissolution- Where local interest fight among themselves on their own territory

2) Light Ground- When you enter rival ground. But not deeply

3) Ground Of Contention- Land that would be advatageous to you if you got it or to your opponents if they got it

4) Tarfficked Ground- Land where you and others may come and go

5) Intersection Ground- Land that is surrounded on three sides by competitors and would give the first to get it, access to all the people on the continent

6) Heavy Ground- When you enterdeeply in other's land past many cities and towns

7) Bad Ground- When you traverse a route, that is difficult to travel

8) Surrounded Ground- When the way in is narrow and the way out is circuitous, so a small enemy force can strike you, even though your numbers are greater

9) Dying Ground- When you will survive if you fight quickly and you will persish if you do not

Each of these 9 grounds can be related to a company's market. The reason for drawing up the topic is to relate to which market you belong.

CASE STUDY

Ground Of Dissolution; When a company has internal problems. When the CFO of Citi announced 'Every thing was undercontrol' when asked by the CEO but later realised the company had Billions of US$ as loss

Light Ground; Introduction of Google Chrome in the Browser Wars

Ground Of Contention; Entrance of Facebook in The Social Networking Fray' ( According to Alexa, the website's ranking among all websites increased from 60th to 7th in terms of worldwide traffic, from September 2006 to September 2007, and is currently 5th. )

Tarfficked Ground; The Market for Business Books in India

Intersection Ground; The live of Victorinox ( Swiss LuxuryMajor ) in comparision to brands like Breitling, Maurice Lacroix, Swatch. And how it has created a foot-hold

Heavy Ground; The Entrance of small IT & ITES Companies In India in contest with Infosys, TCS, etc.

Bad Ground; Air Deccan, India's first Low Cost Airline tried to give the common man wings. But failed.

Surrounded Ground; The UB group, on competing with foreign Majors

Dying Ground; Vertu, Nokia's Sister brand. may have a good image but when it comes to Practical Luxury, the table takes a turn.

The Penmanship of a Fascist Student

2008-12-04T06:21:00.000-08:00

"What luck for the rulers that men do not think." So I start by quoting Adolf Hitler. We live in a world where the rule is, what we think and what we see is basically what we are. I am a student of class 11 and this is what we face. I go to a school which is half a century old and where the teacher's mindset is no younger. Totalitarianism is a better word. A student is considered a rebel if he questions a teacher. Times have changed and very few students realise that. In 1860 when the Italian Revolution took place, and the crowning of Victor Emmanuel II in 1861 happenened, the peasants were blissfully unaware of their new way of life, many had no clue about Liberal-Nationalist ideology. 148 years later, there is still no change.

I write this to make you realize, the real spirit of a student and hope that you get a backbone and question and stand up for your say. You may think I am mad, but a rebel doesnt have to do wrong. In the eyes of the Mafia, the police is a rebel. Teachers see various kinds of students and a new set of faces every year. They say, People dont change, time changes them. Teachers dont apply to that! for a simple reason, a teacher is ment to understand the minds of students, not doubt it! the moment a teacher doubts, criticizes or comment on a student she seizes to exist. Students take life as it comes and wonder later, as to why it is so, WAKE UP! WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU LEMONS, MAKE GRAPE JUICE AND THEN SIT BACK AND LAUGH AS THE WHOLE WORLD TRIES TO FIGURE OUT AS TO HOW YOU DID IT!

Facsism is awful, and that, my good friend is exactly what we find in our school lives. Teachers are humans too. To err is man, Students are not born rebels. If I am accused of teasing a girl and the dean of my institution shouts at me, I have the right to raise my voice ( not shout) and clarify the situation. The moment a nerd stands up and corrects a mistake made by a teacher the guy has guts of steel!

What we now need is a millenarianism moment. Something that will awaken the students from a life that makes BLACK look colourful! students have a problem in thinking twice when a teacher says something, Twice is too long. Think_Act! Remember, If one word made a man the president of the world's most powerful country. That word can surely make a small difference in your life. That word, my friend, is CHANGE

If this writeup gave you the kick equivalent to that of10Vodka Shots, the job is done. If not, either you have a very rare, teacher-friendly student relationship or simply, you are just a fragment of society's imagination

Interception Of Faith

2008-12-03T02:52:00.000-08:00

Preface:

This Research Paper tries to draw similarities between the mystical Kabbalah and Hinduism.

Kabbalah:

Kabbalah (Hebrew: קַבָּלָה‎), which literally means "receiving", is the mystical aspect of Judaism. It is a set of esoteric teachings meant to define the inner meaning of both the Hebrew Bible and traditional Rabbinic literature, as well as to explain the significance of Jewish religious observances.

Chakras & Sefirot

The Chakras

The Sefirot

Sefirot And The Human Body

Chakra And The Human Body

The Similarities

There are 7 Chakras and 7 parts of the Sefirot that make a human
There are 7 Levels in both cases
Both accept the concept of the ‘Crown’ and Kether at the top.
The Heart Chakra and The Chesed both fall at the same level.

Common Beliefs

Hinduism is often referred to as Sanātana Dharma a Sanskrit phrase meaning "the eternal path" or "the eternal law"
Kabbalah is considered, by its followers, as a necessary part of the study of Torah -- the study of Torah (the Law of God)
Both are ‘LAWS’ laid by a supreme being
There are 4 Vedas

Rig
Yajur
Sama
Atharva

The Kabbalistic text, divided into four levels

Peshat
Remez
Derash
Sod

The 4th Veda vis-à-vis the 4th Level both deal with a collection of magical spells and charms in the case of the Veda and the secret inner meaning of the Torah in the case of Sod.

The Atma And Dybbuk

Dybbuk

In Kabbalah and European Jewish folklore, a Dybbuk is a malicious possessing spirit, believed to be the dislocated soul of a dead person. Dybbuks are said to have escaped from Gehenna, a Hebrew term very loosely translated as "hell," or to have been turned away from Gehenna for transgressions too serious for the soul to be allowed there, such as suicide. The word "Dybbuk" is derived from the Hebrew דיבוק, meaning "attachment"; the Dybbuk attaches itself to the body of a living person and inhabits it. According to belief, a soul that has not been able to fulfill its function in its lifetime is given another opportunity to do so in the form of a Dybbuk. It will leave once it has accomplished its goal, sometimes after being helped.

Atma

The Atman or Atma is a philosophical term used within Hinduism and Vedanta to identify the soul. The law of Karma States that All living creatures are responsible for their karma — their actions and the effects of their actions.
A Soul that has done evil deeds will either re-incarnate or wander the earth until it is free from it’s burden

Legendary Animals

Behemoth

The word is most likely a plural form of בהמה (bəhēmāh), meaning beast or large animal. A Hebrew method of expressing greatness by pluralizing a noun; it thus indicates that Behemoth is the largest and most powerful animal ever to exist. Most uses of behemoth are in this form, as a plural word used to indicate cattle for instance

Kamadhenu

In Hindu mythology, Kamadhenu. Pronounced: [kaməðenu]) was a divine cow who was believed to be the mother of all cows. Like her daughter Nandini, she could grant any wish for the true seeker. Kamadhenu provided Vasishta with his needs for the sacrifices. Kamadhenu (kama-dhenu, 'wish-cow'), was a miraculous cow of plenty who could give her owner whatever he desired.

Similarities

The text from the Book of Job 40
(Judaica Press Bible) is as follows:
15 Behold now the behemoth that I have made with you; he eats grass like cattle
16 Behold now his strength is in his loins and his power is in the navel of his belly

While 15 refers to a cow, 16 shows it’s tremendous powers and where it is concentrated. Both in the Belly.

Commercialization of Education

2008-12-01T03:04:00.000-08:00

Half a century ago slates and chalk ( NO BRANDS MIND YOU!) were luxury. Thats the same thought till today. CSR has instilled doom in the lives of budding minds by capitalizing on children's education. Parents are driven by guilt to offer BZRANDED EDUCATION to their wards, irrespective of the standard of the education. Since the times are ever changing, parents are clueless as to what the standard of education is. Enter big brands like EDUCOMP, HEY MATH! ASSET EXAMINATIONS etc etc etc. Each brand may prove fruitful, no doubt but the very fact is that basic education takes a set back. Tools are used to supplement not replace.

CASE STUDY

Ever Wondered as to why the shop, down the street is throwing away a pair of Levi's jeans @ 200 odd Rs. That is because the jeans has a small piece of sting in the pocket coming out. The result? the product did NOT do well in the primary market, hense it comes down to the secondary market where, it , clearly dominates.

Likewise a software firm is set up to provide services to the banking sector. Since it fails to do so. It simply comes up with PLAN B viz; NEW EDUCATIONAL SOFTWARE and knocks on the door step of schools. STRIKE OIL!. THe reasons schools fall prey to commercialization is that, even though some schools have faculty with the experience of 25+ years and some even infrastructure on par with the dean's dreams.

What makes the public value the school as a BRAND is the number of feathers it has on it's hat, the more the merrier!

Commercialization is good!. Period.

Style is DNA

2008-12-01T02:44:00.000-08:00

We are, what we think we maybe. We may not be who we think we are. Thats when, my good friend style enters our tiny lives. Style helps others and ourselves identify and relate to the latter. From writers to artists to actors to socialites to very normal individuals, style DOES matter, it helps a person standout, naturally.

There is, though, a flipside. Many don't realise that style is like NIRVANA, it should be realised not sought after. The moment we imitate another individual's style we seize to exist, suicide is a better word.

Time plays a vital role in the realisation of style. Style obtained at the age of 13 may stick to death, for some ( The operative word here being SOME). There are various kinds of style prevalent.

Accessory Style:

When ant accessory, be it a watch, shades, shoes etc become a bionic component of our anatomy, it is called accessory style.

Habit Style:

007's Shaken not stirred is a clear cut example. Smoking ONLY cigars or weed or drinking ONLY Vodka or having dilute Black Coffee 90:10 makes up a habit style. The next time coffee is served, watch out as to how you have your coffee

Materialistic Style:

Are you a slaveto select brands or is it the different use different brand syndrome? this is when an individual uss a brand to help stand apart. Also using THE BLING THING and tucking a black T. Shirt into blue Jeans create 'Materialistic Style'

Attitude Style:

When asked if you are enjoying yourself in a party do you respond by saying "Clearly there is nothing else here worth enjoying" or do you like to leave your hair un-combed? always smirk at a hot chick? ah! the pleasures of Attitude Style!

Livré Cultura

2008-11-28T08:23:00.001-08:00

Reading out loud, Listening to music when reading, using a finger to follow words, not touching fiction. One thing is common to all of them- they are all part of a characteristic feature in you, as unique as you or even your fingerprint, I simply call it Livré Cultura. Literal Translation spoils the Phonetic beauty so let’s leave it there.

Just as how we have various religions and cultural habits, Livré Cultura plays a vital role in fad-creation both good and bad. Speed reading was unheard of till a few years ago..A book is to be enjoyed, possibly over a span of weeks and months together, but reading a thousand words a minute is literary blasphemy! Discussion of books over coffee is, on the other side, a boon. Gone are the days when people used to run down to the road end tea shop and get the daily ration of gossip, but now thanks to the entrance of new players and new story lines, books are worth talking over coffee. The age old fashion of Romance, boy meets girl, thinks day is night and night is day, leaves every stone unturned to woo her, wins her heart a few lines before ‘And so they lived happily ever after’ is gone.

Books like Five Point Someone recorded a never before seen sales figure, courtesy the courage of the author to experiment on a new generation of audience. Also writings on grey issue take a lot of broad mindedness and guts. Books like "Oru Laingikathozhilaliyude Aathmakatha" (2005) by Nalini Jameela a harlot from Kerala proved that readers want to see what the world offers. Gone are the days when books were meant to take you to ANOTHER WORLD. Today, a book is good if it makes you think, decide and act. Books are brought up on the Silver Screen at a platinum price. Movies too, like books want to experiment with the audience and ‘borrow’ ideas from the books. The world famous television sitcom, FRIENDS now has a book, to its glory. The ten seasons maybe over and out with. But this papyrus masterpiece is bound to make you recollect the image of Rachel in her wedding gown talking to her father and shouting ‘What if I don’t want to be a hat’. Some people make you laugh and think at the same time. The satire on Nuclear families by Bill Watterson or the spoof of an office in Dilbert might make you smile but most importantly it makes you think, on your family or your boss.

Livré Cultura Is a multi-perspective issue. Every moment of a person is logged in his autobiography, a girl’s love in her diary.,a poet’s romance in his poems and hatred in a ransom note and sorrow in a suicide note. That’s the beauty of it all! At the end of the day, after a game is over the white king and black king end up in the same box!

A Blog is NOT your Online Diary!

2008-11-28T08:21:00.000-08:00

Every one is a J.K Rowling, it’s only that some people get hold of Bloomsbury, to the others, one word; BLOG! We go online to read views and take articles that we showcase as our talents. But have you ever thought what if people came to read your writings and paid you a lakh a month, just to ramble your thoughts and post them? Enter Blogging, the new shortcut to fame (with some luck of course!). Many people misuse a blog and use them as their personal diaries. Who cares if you think the new boy in your class looks good and if you have feelings for him? (But if you are a boy writing this, people WILL read it!). A blog can be used in many ways, and misused in just one. You crack jokes in class, don’t you think the world needs a stress buster when it comes on the internet? Ok, so you like to eat, don’t you think tourists to your city need a food guide? And who better than the eater himself? A blog is more than just another place to write, it’s a place where you interact with readers, something no author with a tie up with Bloomsbury can ever do. There are some ground rules that can easily be followed. No plagiarism, Quote your sources, its not a criminal offence, on the contrary it speaks high of your principals. Next, never be controversial. Views should be un-biased. Forwards never make good jokes on the internet. Punctuality is not an art. Just as how you want readers the readers want your articles regularly, mishaps are bound to happen one a blue moon. Be open to constructive and destructive critics. A Sardarji joke will make everyone smile but a sardarji. Readership will touch a-two-digit-figure-per-day only when you treat what you do with sincerity. Blogging is not an art. Blogging with a difference is! The difference is created by the blogger himself.

P.S. If the word Lakh is still haunting you please meet the author in person.

Fan Fiction

2008-11-28T08:20:00.000-08:00

Fan Fiction

Fan Fiction is defined broadly as a term for fiction about characters or settings written by admirers of the original work, rather than by the original creators. By Wikipedia. But there is a whole new Genre thus created. Fan Fiction (we shall call it FF here), brings out the author in the reader. There are some Goosebumps books that have the option of the reader to choose the ending he prefers. This is just the basic form. FF 1.0 technically. FF brings out the fury or anxiety of a fan, any Harry Potter FF will never have HP dying but it might go over the top with the basic story structure. The best part in FF is that, it binds all the readers of the book. Any fan who writes, writes in such a way that all the worries of his fellow fan brothers are taken care of. Some authors look at FF as a blessing in disguise. A book that is partly famous and has a FF doing rounds in the hands of readers will make readers who haven’t read the original, want to read it! It’s a human psychology. Curiosity is the resident evil. This phenomenon is the proof. But there is a flip side. FF is authored on books which have an element of boredom in it. This element varies from author to author. The element might be humor, action, loop holes in the story or even romance in certain cases. But at the end of the day, FF can be enjoyed only if one reads and relates to the original version. As they always say, The Trailer is the better movie.

The Arduous Book Quiz

2008-11-28T08:15:00.000-08:00

Call yourself a book worm? try this test and see if you can live upto the name!
Q1) What are the Names of the orbs the king gave the boy in ‘The Alchemist’

Q2) The C Cube is an Invention by….

Q3) If Augustus Gloop was the first and Miss Violet Beauregarde was the third who was the second and in what?

Q4) In the Hitch Hiker’s Guide To The Galaxy, which animal is the most intelligent?

Q5) In the Agatha Christie series what was Hercule Poirot’s last case called?

Q6) “For a moment he thought he heard a woman’s voice, this wisdom up from the chasms of the earth” These lines end which book?

Q7) He was funny he was famous he even had a search engine named after him…which fictional character is he?

Q8) If Marvolo Gaunt's Ring was in Gaunt’s' Shack and Salazar Slytherin's Locket, in a coastal Cliffside cave where was Helga Hufflepuff's Cup

Q9) Calvin & Hobbes from the famous comic strip ‘Calvin and Hobbes’ were named after……

Q10) In the book ‘The world of Nagaraj’, Nagaraj does ‘leisure book-keeping’ for which company of his friend?

ANSWERS
Answers
1)Urim & Thummim
2)Artemis Fowl
3)Veruca Salt in finding the Golden tickets found in the Wonka Bars
4)The Dolphins
5)Curtain
6)The Da Vinci Code
7)Jeeves the butler
8)Gringotts Bank, in Bellatrix Lestrange's vault
9)John Calvin, 16th century theologian and Thomas Hobbes,17th century philosopher
10)Boeing Sari Company

Q7) He was funny he was famous he even had a search engine named after him…which fictional character is he?

Project Bildung*

2008-11-28T08:10:00.001-08:00

Project Summary:
Project Bildung aims at converging the likes and the dislikes of today’s young adults. Namely technology and education. It aims at creating modules for mobile phones that are based on what they learn in school and also creating a private network called The Personal Education Network (P.E.N) which will be used by the teachers and the students to transfer the modules. It aims at spreading education by transferring the modules to remote clients setup in various parts of the city/country. It also encourages teachers to start Blogging and connect and collaborate knowledge flow with students and other teachers.

Project Highlights:
1) m-Learning
2) EduBlogging
3) P.E.N. ( Personal Education Network)

m-Learning:

M-learning, has different meanings for different communities. Although related to e-learning and distance education, it is distinct in its focus on learning across contexts and learning with mobile devices. One definition of mobile learning is: Mobile learning decreases limitation of learning location with the mobility of general portable devices.
Project Proposal:

Using a mobile phone with multimedia to store learning modules and keep them for further reference. Maps, key-
Diagrams and key points will be stored in the phone for future reference.

m-Learning Advantages:

• Vital for on-the-move students who hop skip and jump from tuitions and expertise sessions and who accesses training on a mobile device "just in time" to solve a problem or gain an update.

• Improving levels of literacy and participation in education amongst young adults.

• To provide audiovisual support in order to enhance training that has not been provided in a classroom environment.

Pedagogical approaches:
• Instructional design - the traditional pedagogy of instruction which is curriculum focused, and is developed by a centralized educating group or a single teacher.
• Social-constructivist - this pedagogy is particularly well afforded by the use of discussion forums, blogs, wiki and on-line collaborative activities. It is a collaborative approach that opens educational content creation to a wider group including the students themselves.
• Cognitive perspective focuses on the cognitive processes involved in learning as well as how the brain works.
• Emotional perspective focuses on the emotional aspects of learning, like motivation, engagement, fun, etc.
• Behavioral perspective focuses on the skills and behavioral outcomes of the learning process. Role-playing and application to on-the-job settings.
• Contextual perspective focuses on the environmental and social aspects which can stimulate learning. Interaction with other people, collaborative discovery and the importance of peer support as well as pressure.

EduBlogging:
• A Blog is a Journal that is maintained by an individual
• A lot of changes have taken place ever since its creation. A new change is, making a teacher maintain a blog where she can, not only connect with students but with teachers around the world and collaborate knowledge flow.
• Each lesson can be explained in simple words like in sparknotes.com
• This is useful to gain knowledge that is beyond textbooks which is what many Institutions and Conglomerates want.
• Reaching out to students, where the students read the blog/post and leaves a ‘comment’ (statement) to which the teacher can reply.

Example:

1) Using m-Learning SMS on key points and tough topics will be sent along with vital reminders about tests that are yet to come. Since the modules are less in space consumption a lot of modules can be stored on a flash memory.
2) On an EduBlog, A history teacher can give vital points and explain challenging parts of a lesson, to which, after reading if a student has a doubt, he can ask and get it clarified. This can be a weekly activity that goes beyond the classroom

P.E.N.

Personal Education Network

Wireless LAN technology is designed to connect devices without wiring. These devices use radio waves as transmission medium.

Using wires we can setup a connection method where in,
• Computer networks can be classified according to the hardware technology that is used to connect the individual devices in the network such as Optical fibre, Ethernet, Wireless LAN; Ethernet uses physical wiring to connect devices. Often deployed devices are hubs, switches, bridges, and/or routers. A wireless personal area network (W-PAN) can also be made possible with network technologies such as Bluetooth.

1) Wired-Personal Area Network (PAN)
• The reach of a PAN is typically within about 20-30 feet (approximately 6-9 meters).
• Personal area networks may be wired with computer buses such as USB and FireWire.
• Remote learning or Satellite learning can be covered using Wired-PAN in the case of:

1) Metropolitan Area Network (MAN):
A Metropolitan Area Network is a network that connects two or more LANs or PANs but does not extend beyond the boundaries of the immediate town/city. Routers, switches and hubs are connected to create a Metropolitan Area Network.

2) Wide Area Network (WAN):
A WAN is a data communications network that covers a relatively broad geographic area (i.e. one city to another and one country to another country).

2) Bluetooth- Personal Area Networks (PANs)
• Bluetooth is capable of connecting multiple devices at the same time.

• Bluetooth uses a radio technology called frequency hopping spread spectrum. It chops up the data being sent and transmits chunks of it on up to 75 different frequencies.

• It can achieve a gross data rate of 1 Mb/s. Bluetooth provides a way to connect and exchange information between devices such as mobile phones, laptops etc over a secure, globally unlicensed Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) 2.4 GHz short-range radio frequency bandwidth.

• Lesson modules created can be stored in a common server to which any device with Bluetooth capability can sync. And obtain information.

NFC

Near Field Communication
Near Field Communication or NFC, is a short-range high frequency wireless communication technology which enables the exchange of data between devices over about a specified minimal distance.

Implementation of NFC in PANs will help filter information that is fed into the mobile phones.

*Bildung – German word meaning Education

A Project Pioneered by Aparajith Raman

Debatitto- Topics

2008-11-28T08:00:00.000-08:00

These were the topics for an interschool debete held by the author,ponder on.....
Round-1
a)Are big brands justified in slightly deteriorating the quality of their product to increase their margin?
b)Cricketers….champs on the field or on the screen?
c)Does food from TAJ digest faster?

Round-2
a)If I knew tomorrow’s news today would I be a millionaire?
b)Can companies digest ill gotten gains?
c)Does commercialization of festivals tamper with the festive spirit?