Closed till June 16th...

I have to leave for Mysore on the 16th, to attend the MTTS programme that begins from Monday. I'll return to Bombay only on June 16th. I don't think I'll have internet access over there, let alone time to blog. So there will be no posting on the blog till June 16th. Of course, I'll upload some photos from Mysore after I return.

Till then, for those who read this blog(which are not too many, and that is an old joke now...), I leave you with a picture I clicked from my house.

In the light of the recent spurt in accidents on the Bombay-Pune Expressway, the traffic authorities have come under fire for turning a blind eye towards blatant violations of traffic rules. The causes for accidents are many but those that top the list are, drunken driving, lack of lane-discipline, disobeying speed limits. But another one, though to a much lesser extent is, overloading vehicles. Any science student will tell you that overloading vehicles beyond the stipulated limit, shifts the centre of gravity of the vehicle which is configured to be near the base for a safe driving experience, especially around the turns. The truck in the pic has thrown the overloading rules to the wind, and there is a real danger that it would turn turtle while cutting corners and at fast speeds on highways, which could be fatal not only the people in the truck, but also vehicles around it. I hope it was pulled up by the traffic police when it actually hit the road.


They do not realise that in an accident they will lose not only the vehicle but also precious lives, all to save a few bucks on transportation costs. So obey the rules, stay safe and keep others around you safe.

Talking about precious lives, the recent blasts in Jaipur also highlighted the 'failure' of the ground-based intelligence that is so necessary in combating this kind of faceless enemy. To top it all, a news channel, Headlines Today, received an e-mail from someone who claimed to take responsibility for these attacks, stating besides other things, they will continue to hit at the economic structure and the social fabric of the country, unless India submits to their demands, one of which is to not have anything to do with the US.

Are they fucking serious? And to think they can even believe they can get a country to bend before them? Who are they kidding?

Anyway, though we mourn the loss of lives in Jaipur, we would also like to send a message to the 'terrorists'. Who's terrorised? Not us. As for those who planned and executed the attack, try reaching your crotch and suck on your own dick first, please.
______________________________________________________

End this Winter

This May 10th saw the 10th anniversary of the second Pokharan tests, that brought India into the world's consciousness and heralded India's arrival on the global nuclear scene. I saw a discussion a couple of days ago on NDTV that had Praful Bidwai(a columnist for The Hindu's Frontline magazine, among other things) talking on a global consensus to bring about nuclear disarmament. The other two, one from the BJP and and the other from Congress, were busy trying to gather credit for the tests conducted in 1974 and 1998, and on which party brought about the spectacular change in the way the world looks at India.

The real issue was lost on the three panelists. The topic of the discussion was, how can one say that India's nuclear winter has ended when we still cannot get the crucial nuclear deal through?

The establishment of the day is not too worried about the fall-out of the nuclear deal going kaput being felt in the 22 reactors in the country. Without access to uranium, the fissile fuel for the reactors, the reactors cannot operate at full capacity. India has the world's largest reserves of thorium, but as former President, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam noted, thorium is not a fissile material. Nuclear energy will add up to 40,000 W of power to India's power capacity, which is necessary in the light of its growing energy needs. All the experts in the field, have said that the deal is good, and we have bargained a lot and dragging our feet over the remaining issues would just be the final nail in the coffin as the next US Administration, expected to take charge in January next year, is expected to be Democratic and we may have to renegotiate the deal and lose some of the support we have garnered through extensive lobbying in the US Senate. In fact, the main lobbyist for the deal in the US has been former US Ambassador to India, Robert Blackwell.


Apart from bringing India's nuclear programme under international safety regulation(it will not be a problem, as we maintain very high safety standards), we would have access to cheaper and cleaner technology that would bring energy production costs down. But the main opposition to the deal is from the Left, because 'a deal with the US does not fit into their ideology'.

The other point of the debate was, has India breached its own commitment on non-proliferation by pushing for this deal? Absolutely not. Harnessing nuclear energy for power generation is the most peaceful use of any country's nuclear capability. A country like India cannot afford to be starved of clea energy, in the face of rising costs of inputs for thermal power plants. India will have to shift to nuclear energy and hydro-electricity, along with alternative sources of energy to feed the needs of the burgeoning energy consumption patterns.

On the other hand, it also needs a 'credible nuclear deterrent'(the defence establishment loves this phrase) to protect these very assets borne out of raid economic progress. We have the most dangerous neighbourhood in the world. Our nuclear arsenal ensures that many of us in this country get to have a sound sleep. Calling for a complete disarmament, is a blow to the morale of the very people who make us feel safe. We should be proud of the technology we have developed following the sanctions after 1974, and the achievement should be credited to the countless, faceless scientists and engineers who have spent night and days perfecting India's nuclear programme. With the deal, we have a chance to make them a part of a global movement towards a peaceful use of nuclear weapons by giving them the opportunities to learn from the rest of the world and share their own knowledge and make India truly an important player on the global nuclear energy scene.

And the nuclear energy and nuclear weapons policies are not trophies to be bragged about by the different political parties that have been in the government but part of a continuous, ever evolving process of giving India clean energy and a sense of security which have been backed by innovations and designs from some of India's brightest minds.

____________________________________________________

Beauty and the Beast(1991)

Now I had not seen an animated movie for a long time, and decided it was high time I saw one. The last one I caught was Ice Age 2(2006) on Star Movies. The thing about CGI animated movies is that though they bring 3D characters alive, they are not in the same league as animation based on classic tweened frames. Of course, the level of detail that can be achieved by CGI is limited only by the artist's imagination but for people like me, born before Toy Story(1995) took animation to a whole new level, the charm of old animated features from Disney like Aladdin(1992), and The Lion King(1994) is more alluring than that of the likes of Shrek(2001) and Antz(1998).

That is why I chose to watch Disney's Beauty and the Beast(1991) over Shrek the Third(2007) and Cars(2006). And it was a treat! I do not remember if I had seen the movie before, but I saw it today and I know most people would have seen it by now, but I decided to present my own take on this masterpiece by Walt Disney Pictures.

Now I do not have the technical knowledge to assess a movie(I hope to have that one day) and write a review, but I do try to write what I call an 'appreciation' to the movies I like. So why did I like the Disney fantasy fare?


An arrogant and unkind prince is cursed to being a beast by an enchantress because he judges people by their appearances. The curse can only be broken if he loves and receives true love in return, but only before the enchantress' rose wilts. Cut to a mofussil town in the countryside where 'Belle' is the love interest of 'Gaston', a boorish, self-indulgent, overly pompous, but good-looking hunk who has the town's other maidens swooning over him. But Belle doesn't have any inclination to get married to him, she wants something more. She and her father are treated as 'different' people and riled and ridiculed because her father is a brilliant inventor, whose clever contraptions do not find any admirers among the towns-folk. He is imprisoned by the Beast when he gets lost and comes knocking on his castle's doors. Belle offers herself as a prisoner, in return for her father's release, in the Beast's depressingly dark castle. The Beast and his anthropomorphic household wares believe if Belle falls in love with him, the curse will be broken and they will be back to their human forms.

What I found the movie lacks, is a strong narrative. But I do not hold it against the makers. Actually the fallacy works like a dream. The story is an established medieval fairy tale and the narrative expresses just that. It just rushes through the story, with many details left to the viewer's imagination. The narrative is weak, but hey, that is how fairy tales are told. This fairy tale is told like a fairy tale. And this makes it even more appealing.


Where the movie amazes, is with the depth of the imaginatively created and beautifully rendered characters. The scenes involving the candelabra('Lumiere') and the table clock('Cogsworth') are particularly hilarious, and you can see how featherdusters and tea-pots would be if they could actually talk! The Beast is ferocious, arrogant and down-right rude, but is tamed by the beautiful Belle, who decides not to put up with his behaviour. In many scenes between the elfin Belle and the Beast, Belle appears strong and classy and the Beast is quite shy and crude. And it is so much fun! The characters are very expressive, you really want have a talking tea-pot in your house, with the amount of wisdom she pours out along with tea into her kiddie, the ever inquisitive tea-cup. The Beast, on his part is endearing as he tries to woo Belle with his rustic ways. But Belle takes the cake! I do not know if there ever was a poll to rate Disney's animated stars, but I did read one fellow call her, "The cutest Disney creation after Mickey Mouse."(Hmm...) And not without a reason too. She may be a cartoon, but she could have easily pipped Jodie Foster for the Best Actress Oscar, at the 1992 Academy Awards, had she been nominated. Hats off, to those terribly talented animators!

As for the songs, though it has been rated one of the better musicals to have come out of Hollywood, I still feel the music did not have the punch that the other Disney features like Aladdin("A Whole New World", "Friend Like Me"), The Lion King("Circle of Life", "Can You Feel the Love Tonight") and Tarzan(1999, "Strangers Like Me", "You'll be in My Heart") had in their soundtracks. But this movie was released before them, so we can excuse that.

But the movie's appeal lies in its visuals. The short but famous ballroom dance scene between Belle and the Beast, that combined tweened frames with CGI, wowed critics and audience alike, and it is a treat to watch. I can imagine how it must have felt to watch it in the theatres. The movie is one of the best Disney productions for sure.

If you have not seen this, you better grab that special edition DVD now!

My Rating: * * * 1/2
_________________________________________

Saving the Greenbacks

"Behold the turtle. He makes progress only when he sticks his neck out." ~ James Bryant Conant

An email from Greenpeace yesterday sparked my interest in a little known environmental activism taking place in the state of Orissa. A proposed port on India's eastern coast allegedly threatens the survival of the Olive Ridley sea turtles that come to this shore every year to breed and lay eggs. The annual arrival of the turtles is a phenomenon that has been seen since time immemorial. And now, the port could change all that. I did a little Google-based investigation to find out more about the port, the turtles and the eco-war being waged against the port's promoters.


Dhamra Port Company Limited is a joint venture(50:50) between Larsen & Toubro Limited(the EPC contractor) and Tata Steel(the major beneficiary). The port is expected to provide a huge boost to the economic activity of the mineral rich belt of Orissa, West Bengal and Jharkhand. The industries in this region will be able to export their produce cheaply and more economically as this deep draught port will be able to handle larger vessels, pushing down transportation costs. Also new rail links will enable the produce to be moved to the port efficiently and economically. The port is expected to handle more than 80 million tonnes of cargo when completed and made fully operational.

But as it is with most industries, impetus to economic activity comes with a price, and more often than not at the cost of a fragile ecosystem. The ecosystem in question is the beaches along Gahirmatha Marine Wildlife Sanctuary, which is the most important rookery of the endangered Olive Ridley sea turtles. Olive Ridley sea turtles are famous for their epic annual migration from the waters around Australia and the Philippines, to Orissa, to breed and nest, thus completing the cycle of returning to the place where they were born, after many years. This phenomenon has made the place a hot spot for tourism and has aided the economy of the region. Locals who once used to hunt the turtles for their meat, are now being made participants in the conservation efforts to save the greenbacks from extinction.


It will be really sad if the project does affect the turtles. This is what Greenpeace has to say about its initiative to make the Tatas drop the port plan. The Hindu's Magazine, in an article dated May 28, 2004 has also brought out the need for conservation in the light of the Dhamra port project. Today, The Times of India carried an article on the plan to reintroduce tigers in Sariska National Park in Rajasthan. The wipe out of tigers from Sariska blew in the Government's face with many successive governments claiming the 'success' of Project Tiger. The project is in a total disarray with tiger population dwindling to less than one-third of the collated figures of the last tiger census. This has called for more sophisticated DNA marking techniques over the antiquated 'pug-marking' technique for counting the number of tigers.

Well, all I can say is that, many such infrastructure projects take a toll on the ecosystem around them. But the damage can be minimised. Environmental concern and eco-wars should not be about being in black or white. It should be more about how to accommodate the ecosystem into the new environment that is created when such projects come up. Another example of the battle for space between the ecosystem and infrastructure has come to light in Arunachal Pradesh.

Arunachal Pradesh has a huge potential for hydro-electric power generation but to build the projects, it would mean sacrificing many forests to reservoirs, thus changing the ecosystem dramatically. This article in the Times today, explains the situation.

Environmental conservation in India has come to such a pass, that we have environmentalists crying hoarse over every policy initiative in the country. If you see the discussions in news rooms, even the environmentalists are divided on the best efforts required to pull up the tiger population in the country. The hullabaloo raised by them when the Forest Rights Act was enacted two years ago showed the lack of coordination between the various environmental groups. They also do not have a strong enough lobby. Cleanliness, let alone the environment, is never an issue during elections. How can Greenpeace make the Tatas drop the project? Environmental activism is still in its nascency in the country, due to the low awareness among people on the need for conservation. It will be a long time before groups like Greenpeace have a base to coax the corporates into showing environmental responsibility. We hope that time comes soon.


__________________________________________________________

This blog is now Licensed

Well, I was thinking about getting a Creative Commons license for my blog for quite some time now. What made me take this step is the fact that at least on two occasions, my posts were hacked by other sites and included as articles of their own. Now I do not have a problem as such, but it is always better to be clear about what I expect from people who might want to use stuff that I write on the blog. Another reason is, I have put up quite a few photos, and I will be putting up a few more, and I am obviously the owner of the copyright to the photos. These photos might be used by others on their own blogs, added to their profiles and maybe even included in their school projects. Though I will be only happy if that does happen, I do not want the work to 'ripped off' by anyone.

I did read that there are India-specific licenses that are now available. Which means, these licenses are recognised by the Indian law and I can take someone to court for the breach of these licensing agreements. Though I am not keen to see that happen, I just want to state how I want people to use my work.

I have single license for my posts and photos, which says this

Anyone who wants to use this work has to attribute it to me, that is give me credit for my posts and photographs, stating my name and possible link back to this blog.

Obviously, with the legal situation in India still in shambles, and no hope in sight or people harassed more by the rule of law than by the lack of it, it will be some time before we see some real teeth being sunk in by such licenses.

For all what it is worth, I can still be assured of distributing my work under my terms, with the help of this license.

________________________________________________________

Kelve Trip

My friend, Gaurav(blogs here) had invited us to his native place, Kelve, a village on Thane district's coastline, in Maharashtra. Kelve is a nice little weekend getaway for Bombay's denizens. Many people from the city have built weekend homes in the region. We stayed at Gaurav's aunt's place. This was my second trip to Kelve, the first one I made was last year. I did not have my cam with me then, but I had it now. Here are some photos from the trip.






Starting with this post, there will be another label called Photographs, that will have photos clicked by me.
_______________________________________________________

Note to Self

Well, something last week changed many things. Over a month ago, I took an exam called IIT-JAM, which is the entrance exam for mainly the MSc courses run by the IITs. And the result was declared on 29th April. I got an unexpectedly high rank, 18th in fact, when I was thinking I won't get anything beyond 200! What this means is that I stand a chance to study at IIT Bombay. But before someone goes 'Wow!', I'd like to state that MSc courses run by the IITs are nothing great, and are nowhere close to the engineering courses. So it is not the same as studying engineering at IIT.

Actually, I feel, had I studied, I would have got a better rank. And I did want to study for the exam. That can be seen from my earlier posts. But I could not find the time to do anything besides my college work, so in the end I just had to bank on what I had learnt(or more appropriately, what I had not learnt) in college, when I went into the exam. I have serious doubts about the exam, for if someone like me, who in my opinion, is no more than a mug at Maths, could end up with a high rank like this(Hey, still, it feels great!).

But the other option I have in front of me is, of course Bombay University. Now I have to decide where I should study. I will ask a few people from IIT that I'll meet in MTTS programme in Mysore, about everything from teaching, the amount of free time they get, 'coz I have to study Actuarial Science too, and placements and course contents. And of course, Nishant(who blogs here) has been of great help to tell me more about the scene in the IITs.

Frankly, I did not find Bombay University too attractive. Now the situation I am facing is this:

1) I need time to study Actuarial Science.

2) The next papers involve statistics. Now, though a background in statistics is not at all required(did I need a background in Financial Mathematics?), I have to know it. Though I am not too worried about it, and I believe that I can breeze through them. I mean, even CT-1 was way different than what I had ever studied before, but I got it in the bag. To be honest, till that day, I never had the inclination to study it, everyone who knows me knows that I do not want to have a career in it. But nevertheless, I do not see studying those subjects as a problem.

3) The problem is, that I will have to learn statistical modelling too, and I don't think I can learn that in Bombay University. An IIT could be the place to learn that.

4) The reason I want to see this through is because I do not want to drop out of something I have taken up. It is like being a loser, and I do not want to drop it, just because I do not see a career in it. Since I have taken it up, I will go the distance.

5) Apart from actuarial science, the maths syllabus that is taught in the IITs has to be in tune with the Civil Services Exam that I plan to take in the near future. This is where Bombay University scores.

6) In the second year, we have to do a project in a particular area of maths, in the IITs. If I take up a project in Probability Theory, it could help me understand it better. Probability is just maths at the end of the day. If I can solve a sum in Analysis and Algebra, I am sure probability will not be much of a job.

7) Everyone who studies such courses like actuarial science or even Chartered Accountancy, knows that all that you really learn from the books is just jargon. You could be far more practically equipped to make investment decisions by reading and understanding The Economic Times for over a long period than pore over CT-1, CT-2 and other such obnoxiously coded subjects. But I have to admit, CT-2 has gone a long way in helping me understand articles in ET.

8) Till a point, I hated actuarial science, and that too for a good reason, but now I have changed the way I look at it. If anything, it will only help me be a better IAS officer, if I clear the Civil Services Exam. Because, I'll have to run huge parastatal corporations, and the talent could be honed by studying these subjects. Who knows, I might even get to be the LIC CMD or the IRDA Chairman, but that is only if I show that talent in the service. Why work in an insurance firm?

9) I would like to have a great pedigree of education, and one area I would really like to study is, quantitative economics. But that is later.

10) Weighing these options, an IIT could be a better choice. What makes these choices difficult for me is, that I want to have both, actuarial science(because dropping out is not an option) and IAS(one hell of a job).

11) If done properly, I could probably be the only actuary in the service, and that will be so cool!

12) So the decision has to be carefully thought out, and bang on!

Now achieving these two objectives will be difficult, though it is theoretically very possible.

And the way to achieve them is simple.

I have to study my ass out, everyday. Period. Whether I am in an IIT or Bombay University.

Of course, the thinking process above could be seriously flawed. Things may not be the way I have stated above. So, hopefully I have not indulged in any romanticism.

Still it feels good to have my thoughts out on my blog. Friends, foes, acquaintances, who might be reading this(and who might be feeling shy to comment), can help with their own inputs by commenting on the post, and help me make a good decision.

______________________________________________________

And there will be Cartels

"I like rice. Rice is great if you're hungry and want 2000 of something." ~ Mitch Hedberg, American comedian

If you have been following news, then you would know about the 'food crisis' in the world. Now it was till recently the proverbial elephant in the room. Now the view is more like The Blind Men and the Elephant by John G Saxe(also sometimes known as Six Wise/Blind Men of Hindustan). But since I already had a post on that recently, I would not go into that again, but into a news clip that made me think.

Now African countries, especially the sub-Saharan ones, are reportedly worst hit by the food crisis. These countries have sent out aid appeals to various countries including India, for rice. They do not want high quality rice, but have explicitly asked for low quality rice. But India, along with China, has banned exports of rice(except Basmati rice) to buffer its own food stocks. A few years ago, India would have jumped to aid the African nations. Along with being helpless at helping hungry African people, India also has lost out on chance for good diplomacy with these countries. They are potentially a source of India's future needs for energy and minerals. China has made heavy inroads into Africa and Latin America and has cut many energy agreements to fuel its economic rise. But that is not the point.

What really made news was the call from the major rice exporting nations in South-East Asia, like Thailand and Laos, to move towards forming a rice cartel on the lines of OPEC. Now OPEC's success at ensuring oil supply and steady prices has been at best, controversial. The current oil prices do not suggest that OPEC has ensured steady production. The countries mainly those sharing a coast of the Persian Gulf and Venezuela, have repeatedly used oil as a weapon to arm-twist countries like the US to give in to many concessions for oil contracts. The campaign for 'democracy' launched by the US after the war in Afghanistan and the war in Iraq exposes the hypocrisy within the establishment as it continues to turn a blind eye to excesses in Saudi Arabia, where a girl who was raped in a car was punished to receive 100 lashes for being with another man!


A rice cartel would have a similar effect, and it would hit right into the stomachs of rice importers. Imagine this, Laos becomes unstable due to which it reviews export agreements with nations. This pushes up rice prices, and the cartel goes for a toss. The others, not ready to be left behind, also drive up the rice prices, extracting their own pound of flesh, but this can be done better within the cartel, so the cartel 'bows' to the situation in Laos and so, rice prices shoot up across the world. The cartel feeds on instability and shaky production.

It would not hurt India and China much as they produce their own rice, but it could affect India's basmati rice exports. Cartelisation of food was talked about in doomsday novels not long ago. It could soon be a reality and we could have all sorts of cartels. Wheat, maize, rubber, coffee, you name it. Obviously, it will only create more problems than solve them. Each country will be part of some cartel or the other, and use this leverage to secure its own imports.

I don't know if any study has been made of what could be the long term impacts of food cartelisation. But if not, it is high time one is made to help the world realise its effects.

As an aside, I read in Sunday ET today that India has decided to create an agency that will handle bilateral aid independently. This area was the prerogative of the External Affairs Ministry. It is a sign of things to come for sure, as India gets ready to stop receiving aid(we still receive $100 million from the US) and become a provider of aid and expertise, a hall mark of an economic power that has come of age.

____________________________________________________

Sustainability, for Tomorrow

Two pieces in The Times of India today, made me sit up. One about the 'improving' power situation in Maharashtra and the other, an editorial piece about how bio-fuels can be made viable in the future.

Electricity is a precious commodity these days with power tariffs soaring in the last few months, and rightly so. Even though higher tariffs are supposed to discourage wastage, little impact has been seen from the consumption side with the demand rising every year. This lack of responsibility in using a national resource, will obviously bite when the supply falls woefully short of the demand.

But many ideas proposed by the state electricity board probably some even innovative, have been received with an almost criminal contempt. Sample this, the peak use of power happens during the day after 9 am. So during summer, if people take bath in the mornings and let their washing machines run before 9 am, a lot of pressure could be eased the peak time demand. But no, nobody is doing that, not even my family(though I do take bath before 9).

Though cities like Bombay, and now Pune, have been insulated from load shedding, major electricity overdrawing takes place in villages. Free electricity for farmers has meant that pumps run continuously and along with electricity even water is wasted. A solution to this can be found in the databases of the National Innovation Foundation, that has many ideas by ordinary people that could help tide over the rural power crunch, freeing up much needed electricity for industries, which suffer huge losses in productivity during load shedding that lasts for even more than 10 hours on some days in summer. This is where bio-fuels could come handy. Suppose we had pumps that ran on gas produced from biomass on the farm itself, it could cut costs drastically for the state. Also it would lead to a more responsible use of the pumps.


Electricity generation from biomass has not taken off in our country at all. Although, India ranks fourth in the world in installed wind power generation capacity, it is a far cry from the actual potential. Also, it is just 3 % of the total electricity generated in the country, nowhere close to that of Denmark which generates nearly 20% of its electricity from wind energy. A research is on to push wind production from large, high-cost wind farms to individual production units on a micro scale which would be able to light up small electrical appliances in homes, saving a lot on power bills and of course, electricity.

Here is a profile of an innovative Hydro Turbine with exactly this purpose in mind, by an electrician from Assam. The simplicity of the product and the mass appeal it can have is something amazing.

Obviously, India is far behind in the production and use of renewable energy. For a country of our size and with energy consumption rising with the surging economy, experts rightly say that lower energy costs could alone help to sustain the economic growth rate, even in times of global recession and given the poor state of infrastructure in the country.

This, is reason enough to pump money to encourage production and use of non-conventional energy in the country. There isn't really a choice here. If it is not by our choice now, it will be by falling oil reserves later. So there is a need to act now and stave off the impending energy crunch.

___________________________________________________________