Indian tantrums

Recent news about the US-Sino joint statements have sparked some excitement in India. I really wonder why. Just at the mention of somebody else working for our peace with Pakistan , we get worked up!
There is no need to even lend a ear or care about this joint statement. All of us know deep inside us that nobody, including China or the US can ask us to do something in the manner the US asked Iraq or Afghanistan to do.
We will resolve to solve the border issues our own way with the people in mind rather than the countries in question or our political ego. That is the function of a good state.
Throwing tantrums at some vague statement will do more harm than good. We will be treated like a baby crying over some nonsense and China will behave as if he is our big brother or a parent enforcing discipline.
We need not give it the opportunity to do so!!

Ram sollttaruppa! ellarum samatha aathukku pongo

http://www.hindu.com/2009/11/12/stories/2009111257561000.htm

I am going to dedicate some time following "The Hindu's" comments on
Indo-China relations. It may also include comments from 1959-1962. If you can provide me with some archives that would be helpful
Thanks

"The Chinese question"

A lot of people have asked for my expert opinion on the incursions the Chinese have made in the last few months, paintings on the rocks and other aggressive activities (actually, nobody has asked for my expert opinion. I just like to think so).

Lets leave the question of incursions alone. Let us concentrate on what "The Hindu", the national newspaper reports. I promise -- it is funny.

http://www.hindu.com/2009/09/20/stories/2009092057400100.htm

"“The Prime Minister has just made a statement that there has not been any more incursions or transgressions as compared to last year. They are at the same level. So there is no cause of worry or concern,”
Oh yes... thats good enough then?? What was the transgression level last year? Why wasn't the public informed last year? Or, did you inform them and I missed the news somehow?

As for the Chinese, they are very very clear in this issue. They have never accepted the "Indian rule in Arunachal Pradesh" and have always maintained that Arunachal is "southern Tibet". From the 1962 debacle and even before that, we have sought somebody else (US, Russia) to help us out in the face of a confrontation with China. Does any of you honestly think somebody else can really help us out in a war?
The answer is an emphatic "no". Others are embroiled in their own problems and moreover nobody will help you out unless they have a genuine economic interest in doing so.
So that leaves us with diplomacy and other intelligence maneuvers which we have failed very miserably too in recent times.
If we are faced with war, do we have the technology to defend ourselves? I doubt it

சில புகைப்படங்கள்

அலாஸ்காவில் எடுத்த சில புகைப்படங்கள் உங்கள் பார்வைக்காக!!

நண்பர் தங்கமணியைப்போல பெரிய photographer இல்லை நான். பிழைகள் இருந்தால் பொறுத்துக்கொள்ளவும்.

பறவையின் சிந்தனை

Fairbanks குளிர் ஆரம்பம் போல இருக்கு. கெளம்பிற வேண்டியது தான். நம்மால தாங்க முடியாது டோய்!

photos of the rabbit that visits Ashish's place

Hello,

Ashish is our friend and he has a beautiful house with a backyard in Fairbanks, Alaska. A rabbit comes visiting when the sun shines and when he has enough food to eat. I thought he was cute and am attaching some photos that I took of him.

Some of 'em -- Part 2

College Days:

I do not remember working for my first year of Engineering. We had all kinds of courses but I remember hating engineering drawing, electronics and electrical engineering very vividly. Somehow, I was not cut out for these subjects of study. நமக்கு என்ன வருமோ அது தான் வரும்.

The second year of college, we branched out into Mechanical Engineering and had some wonderful courses like thermodynamics and fluid mechanics. Dr.Subrahmanya S.Katte (he was Mr.Katte then) taught us thermodynamics. We often do not know the value of things when they are within our reach. We yearn for them when they are not. Suffice it to say that this exactly happened with Dr.Katte's classes. I did not pay proper attention and honestly this was the only thermo-sciences class I did not pay enough attention to throughout my life. That I passed that course inspite of myself was because of the Dr's brilliance!! Before coming to the US, I met him in his office and he gave me some very valuable notes that he had collected during his studies. Some interest in numerical methods had started back then. He remains an exceptional motivator for me. Thank you very much, Sir, if you are reading this!!

There were some good lecturers and some lectures from the 3rd to the 6th semesters. But something was missing in all of them. Put it down to my lack of interest and motivation, but that was that. By the end of the 6th semester, almost everyone had an area of interest. I was the only one that did not have an interest in anything.

The seventh semester, I got my answer. The moment Dr.P.Govindarajan walked into our class to teach Heat and Mass Transfer, I began to realize my natural interests lay there. And, what a teacher he was!! I can write an entire blog about him if I wanted to. I began working towards a specialization thermal sciences only in my seventh semester and எல்லாமே அவரால தான்.

(to be continued)..

Some of 'em -- part 1

You see. I was getting bored.. So I decided to start this series on some people who have been inspirational for me. So here we go with the first part.
Very naturally, my first inspiration and an exceptional one at that was my father. He was the first one who taught me to dream and follow the dream. We are poles apart when it comes to opinion and we constantly argue but the very fact that I can argue with him says a lot about him...doesn't it?
I owe all of whatever I am right now to Campion higher secondary school, Trichy. I cannot name just one teacher... most of them were examples to students. If I have to name some people, it would be Mr.Vernum, Mr. (May Allah rest his soul in peace)Rasheed, Dr.Natarajan, Mr. James Arockiaraj, Mr.Xavier and Mr.Elliot Raj, I had the good fortune of being their student. My love of literature can entirely be attributed to this school.

A monkey species in papanasam

During our recent trip to papanasam in southern tamilnadu, we found some monkeys that I have not seen there so far! My initial impression was they might be lemur monkeys but I was wrong. Can anybody tell me what species they are?

"why can't locals get preference"

I chanced upon an interview by Raj Thackeray. Here is the link to the entire interview. Set me wondering about the "nation" we call "India". Some excerpts of this genius's interview

"
What do you propose the government should do about the influx into the city?
The government should seal the corporation lands and allow no one to set up illegal houses. Where will all these people stay then? People come here because there is a message being sent out that they are welcome. Why don’t you send another message — that people are not welcome here. What is wrong in local people getting preference? If locals get the jobs then people won’t come here looking for work.
But most of the jobs which migrants do are in the unorganised sector where there is no reservation?
When people migrate for work, they do so for their livelihoods. People go to the U.S. but do they go there and create political constituencies? Now there are no jobs, Indians are coming back. It’s not a dharamshala. I agree people have specialised skills, for instance Rajasthanis make good snacks. But I don’t see Tamilian politicians and those from Punjab coming here and addressing rallies. Only these people do it. They have slogans which make their intentions very clear.
"
Wow!!! By his argument then, all marathi speaking people should be driven out of everywhere except Maharashtra, right?? (BTW, I do have some very close Marathi friends and am in awe of the Marathi theatre).
The concept of who a local is and who is not has always confused me. "settled here from time immemorial" seems to be the common answer. What is time immemorial? According to whose knowledge?